Mir wants to leave no doubt in rematch

Even though Frank Mir beat Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira convincingly once before, he feels he has unfinished business Saturday night in their rematch.

The two former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champions will meet again at UFC 140 in Toronto.

Mir knocked out Nogueira for the interim title in 2008 but was bothered by the many excuses that came out of the Brazilian's camp after the fight, particularly about Nogueira being sick.

"It can explain your performance, like if you have a broken hand, it can explain why you didn't box more. But I think fighters in general, any time we start stating that, 'Well, I lost because of an injury,' I think that's a disrespect towards your opponent," Mir said. "No, the guy in front of you beat you. You didn't perform maybe to 100 percent because of an injury, but, regardless, there's so many factors that go into the outcome of a fight."

A win would be Mir's third straight, which the Las Vegan said he feels would put him in title contention in a heavyweight division he calls "not that deep of a pool."

The card, which airs on pay per view at 6 p.m., also features a main event light heavyweight title bout between Lyoto Machida and champion Jon Jones. Nogueira's twin brother, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, will also be in action against Tito Ortiz.

The organization announced Monday four preliminary card bouts will air live on Ion (Cable 51) at 4 p.m.

■ GREAT NIGHT -- After competing on the recent season of "The Ultimate Fighter," Marcus Brimage earned his first official UFC victory with a unanimous decision over Stephen Bass at the Palms on Saturday night.

His night only got better from there.

While the affable 26-year-old was in the media room doing interviews, he was surprised by his idol, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

Brimage became interested in mixed martial arts after his brother brought him a flash drive with highlights of Jackson's fights.

"Man, that was off the chain," he said of meeting Jackson. "Just to sit next to Rampage. He has an aura around him. He's the reason I did this. Him and (Japanese action anime) 'Dragon Ball Z.' "

Immediately after winning, Brimage donned an Alabama hat and recited a poem in anticipation of the national championship game between the Crimson Tide and top-ranked Louisiana State.

Brimage still holds a grudge against Alabama kicker Cade Foster, who missed three field goals in the Tide's 9-6 overtime loss to the Tigers in the regular season.

"Last time, they just got lucky," Brimage said. "I heard our field-goal kicker got expelled for that. We got rid of him. So now, we are ready to go to war with LSU.

"Alabama wins by a touchdown."

■ UFC ON FOX 2 HEADLINERS -- No titles will be on the line when the UFC returns to Fox for its second network television card on Jan. 28 in Chicago, but the co-main events will go a long way in determining future championship bouts.

Light heavyweight contender Rashad Evans will take on Phil Davis in one bout, and middleweights Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz square off in the other.

The winners will likely be in line for title shots in their respective divisions.

■ STRIKEFORCE COMES TO TOWN -- Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold will put his belt on the line against former UFC competitor Keith Jardine when the organization hosts a card at the Hard Rock on Jan. 7.

Strikeforce has held four Challengers cards in Las Vegas that primarily featured prospects, but this will be the first major event held here.

■ BELLATOR MOVES TO FRIDAYS -- Bellator Fighting Championships announced a shift to Friday night broadcasts for Season 6, which debuts March 2.

The season will feature tournaments in five weight classes and air on MTV2. Bellator aired its cards on Saturday nights the past few seasons, often going head-to-head with UFC pay-per-view and cable events.

Bellator broadcasts will now go up against "The Ultimate Fighter," which switches to live Friday night fights with its move to FX this season.

Bellator, which also tried Thursday night shows in the past, will move to Spike TV in 2013.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.