UFC events

Late Wednesday UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch (19-3 MMA, 10-1 UFC) announced his UFC 106 fight had been canceled because of a knee injury suffered by opponent by Ricardo Almeida (11-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC).

However, another bout – a rematch from 2006 – is on the way.

Additionally, UFC president Dana White today confirmed our report at pre-event press conference for UFC 104 in Los Angeles.

Fitch vs. Alves will be part of the main card of UFC 107, which takes place Dec. 12 at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn. The pay-per-view event features a main event between UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn and challenger Diego Sanchez.

Fitch and Alves first met in 2006 at UFC Fight Night 5. Both competitors were in the first year of their UFC careers and actually competed on the night's un-aired preliminary card. Fitch scored a second-round TKO and used a vicious upkick to force a stoppage via subsequent punches late in the round.

That victory was part of a 15-fight win streak that Fitch posted from 2003 and to 2008, when – after a then-record eight straight UFC wins – he dropped a unanimous decision to UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. He's since re-emerged as a top contender with recent unanimous-decision wins over Akihiro Gono and Paulo Thiago.

Alves, meanwhile, looks to reclaim a title shot after failing to win the belt in his most recent appearance. Alves got his title shot at UFC 100 in July but dropped a unanimous decision to St-Pierre. The loss was Alves' first since the TKO loss to Fitch that snapped his seven-fight win streak.