The Weekly Wrap: March 6 - March 12

Odds and Ends

• The UFC announced a new television deal that will beam its fights into Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Macau, Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. The agreement is with Hong Kong-based All Sports Network, a 24-hour sports network, and starts with UFC 112 “Invincible” on April 10. The high-definition network also airs NFL, NHL and NASCAR in Asia. The UFC is now on television in more than 100 countries.

• Longtime top 10 heavyweight Josh Barnett -- who has not fought since a failed steroid test forced the cancellation of his scheduled fight with Fedor Emelianenko in August -- will return to competition at Dream 13 on March 22 in Japan. His opponent has not been named, though K-1 star Siala Siliga has been floated as a candidate.

• Bellator Fighting Championships held an open tryout in Kansas City, Mo., to find a fighter for one if its upcoming tournaments. Tyler Stinson, a 24-year-old from Kansas with a 16-5 record, was selected from the field of 72 candidates. He will compete on a Bellator card on April 29. While Stinson has fought at welterweight, it was not clear what tournament he would compete in. Fighters came from as far away as New York and Arizona to try out. In another Bellator note, the promotion’s middleweight champion, Hector Lombard, defeated Art Santore via cut stoppage at a Cage Fighting Championship show in Australia on March 11.

• The Combat Sports Authority of New South Wales, the commission that oversaw UFC 110 in Sydney, Australia on Feb. 20, has opted against changing the result of Krzysztof Soszynski’s third-round TKO win over Stephan Bonnar. Bonnar suffered a cut from a clash of heads that led to the stoppage of the fight. Though a replay showed otherwise, referee John Sharp ruled the cut was caused by a punch, a legal strike, thus Bonnar was declared the loser via TKO. In response to an appeal by Bonnar, the authority upheld the decision.

• Mizuto Hirota -- the Sengoku Raiden Championship lightweight titleholder who had his arm broken by Shinya Aoki in a fight on New Year’s Eve -- announced he will relinquish the title as he heals. Hirota said he will likely not be back in action until September. Hirota is looking for a rematch with Aoki.

• The newly formed Massachusetts Athletic Commission has approved regulations that call for two sets of weigh-ins, one no more than 36 hours before a fight and on fight night. The regulation, which is considered temporary as the commission seeks public input on a permanent code, will not allow a fighter to gain more than 1.0625 times the contracted weight between the two weigh-ins, complicating the industry practice of aggressive weight cutting. A similar provision is on the books in North Carolina.