MMA News: Lesnar Pleads Guilty, Overeem Tests Negative and UFC 142 Shakeup

The main event of UFC 141 between former UFC champion Brock Lesnar and former Strikeforce and K-1 champion Alistair Overeem has again avoided multiple hurdles.

Lesnar was charged with multiple offenses in Alberta, Canada relating to a hunting expedition.  The heavyweight pleaded guilty and will be enforced a fine for his actions.

Meanwhile, his opponent, Overeem, successfully took and passed the first of four required drug tests imposed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.  The Dutchman's next test will come as part of the UFC 141 post-fight procedures.

Finally, the UFC's Jan. 14 return to Rio de Janeiro has been hit with a number of injuries, forcing four of the event's bouts to change.

All this and more in this week's recap of the biggest news in MMA.

Rob Tatum is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at TheMMACorner.com.  For anything related to MMA, Follow @RobTatumMMA.

Brock Lesnar Pleads Guilty to Hunting Charges; Fined, License Suspended

Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was cited for a a number of offenses stemming from a hunting trip to southern Alberta, Canada.

Following a guilty plea, the fighter will pay a fine of $1,725 and have his hunting license suspended for six months.

Lesnar was officially charged in Medicine Hat, Alberta, after shooting a mule deer buck but only taking the trophy head from the kill. The official charges included improper affixation of tags, spoilage of skin and edible flesh and possession of a controlled animal.

Alistair Overeem Passes First Drug Test; UFC 141 Still on Track

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has confirmed that Alistair Overeem’s first mandated drug test came back negative.

Overeem submitted the sample on Dec. 14 in the United Kingdom.

UFC President Dana White announced the news on his Twitter account, proclaiming, “Overeem is ready to go.  Lesnar vs. Overeem is on!”

The Strikeforce, DREAM and K-1 champion will take on former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 on Dec. 30 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Overeem must pass another test upon returning to the United States and will be subject to two further, randomly administered tests in the six months following his bout.

UFC 142 Fight Card Undergoes Major Changes

A number of fighters have been forced off the Jan. 14 UFC 142 card, which takes place from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

No longer competing at the event will be welterweights Paulo Thiago and Siyar Bahadurzada, light heavyweight Stanislav Nedkov and heavyweight Rob Broughton.

There is good news, as all four fighters have been replaced quickly.

Most notably, former heavyweight title challenger Gabriel Gonzaga will return to the Octagon to take on promotional newcomer (and fellow Brazilian) Ednaldo Oliveira.

Stepping in for Thiago against Mike Kyle will be Gonzaga's teammate and fellow UFC vet Ricardo Funch.

Bahadurzada will be replaced by WEC veteran Carlo Prater against explosive Brazilian Erick Silva.

Finally, Caio Magalhaes will step in for Nedkov against fellow Brazilian Fabio Maldonado.

UFC 142 is headlined by a featherweight title tilt between champion Jose Aldo and challenger Chad Mendes.

Rafaello Oliveira out of UFC on FX 1 Due to Injury

Lightweight Rafaello Oliveira is out of next month's UFC on FX 1 event due to a hand injury.

The veteran was expected to welcome Reza Madadi to the Octagon, but now the search for a replacement is underway.

UFC on FX 1 features a lightweight battle between Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller and takes place Jan. 20 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

Lavar Johnson Makes the Jump from Strikeforce to the UFC

With the announcement that Zuffa would be eliminating the Strikeforce heavyweight division following the conclusion of the Grand Prix tournament, the company has gotten a head start on moving fighters.

Lavar Johnson will make the switch to the UFC on Jan. 28 at UFC on Fox 2 in Chicago.  Welcoming Johnson to the Octagon will be veteran Joey Beltran.

Dustin Poirier Now Meets Ricardo Lamas at UFC 143

A planned UFC 143 matchup of rising featherweight contenders took a hit, as Erik Koch was forced out of his fight with Dustin Poirier due to injury.

In Koch's place will be another WEC veteran, Ricardo Lamas.  Both Lamas and Poirier are coming off submission wins at UFC on Fox 1 in November.

UFC 143 is scheduled to take place on Feb. 4 from the Mandalay Events Center in Las Vegas and is headlined by an interim welterweight title bout between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit.

UFC on Fuel 1 Fight Card Updates

The UFC has added two additional bouts to its first live event on the Fuel network.

Locking horns will be undefeated heavyweights Stipe Miocic and Philip De Fries.  Both combatants were victorious in their UFC debuts.

Also on tap is a bantamweight bout between veteran Ivan Menjivar and recent Ultimate Fighter competitor John Albert.

UFC on Fuel 1 takes place Feb. 15 in Omaha, Neb. and is headlined by a welterweight fight between Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez.

Strikeforce Update

The final of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix has a rumored date and location.

Undefeated Daniel Cormier is expected to take on UFC and Pride veteran Josh Barnett on March 3 in Columbus, Ohio.  The event would be held in conjunction with the annual Arnold Sports Festival.

In other Strikeforce news, two fights have been added to the Jan. 7 Strikeforce: "Rockhold vs. Jardine" event which takes place from The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Welterweights Nah-Shon Burrell and James Terry are set to collide and light heavyweight Trevor Smith will battle Gian Villante.

Bellator Update

Bellator's featherweight and bantamweight tournaments for its upcoming sixth season are filling up quickly.

The 145-pound tournament is slated to feature former Sengoku champion Marlon Sandro, former WEC and IFL veteran Wagney Fabiano, Ronnie Mann, Daniel Straus and Alexandre Bezerra.  Three additional competitors are expected to be announced shortly.

In the 135-pound bantamweight ladder, last season's runner-up Alexis Vila returns, as well as Marcos Galvao, Luis Nogueira, Rodrigo Lima, Ed West, Travis Marx, Masakatsu Ueda and Hiroshi Nakamura.

Bellator’s sixth season is expected to begin in March and will air Friday nights on MTV2.

Regional/International Update

DREAM officials have announced that a women’s 115-pound feature bout between Megumi Fujii and Karla Benitez will take place at its end of year event.  The New Year’s Eve event is a mixed card with MMA bouts, pro wrestling bouts and bouts mixing MMA and kickboxing rules.

Former Strikeforce fighter Hitomi Akano will take on Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann at ProElite: Grove vs. Minowa.  ProElite: Grove vs. Minowa will take place on Jan. 21 in Honolulu.

After defeating Nate Jolly at XFC 14: Resurrection in October, former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner will return to headline XFC 16: High Stakes.  No opponent has been announced for the Feb. 10 event which takes place in Knoxville, Tenn.

Canadian promotion Aggression MMA has announced plans for its first event of 2012.  The event will feature MFC veteran Ryan Ford taking on Tyson Steele and UFC veteran Victor Valimaki battling Tim Chemelli.  The event takes place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.