Currently it is only the title fights that are five-rounds in the UFC.

“We were actually going to start it with Brock Lesnar and Junior Dos Santos, but we had already made the fight,” White said at the UFC 129 Q&A.

“We had already made the fight so it’s kind of hard to go back to those guys after you already make the fight and say, ‘You know what, this is going to be five [rounds] instead of three.’

“We’re very close to doing it.”

Georges St. Pierre weighed in at 169.5 pounds while his main event opponent Jake Shields weighed in at 169 pounds.

Full UFC 129 Weigh-In Results:

Main Card
Georges St. Pierre (169.5) vs. Jake Shields (169)
Jose Aldo (145) vs. Mark Hominick (145)
Randy Couture (203.5) vs. Lyoto Machida (204.5)
Jason Brilz (204.5) vs. Vladimir Matyushenko (205.5)
Mark Bocek (155) vs. Ben Henderson (156.5)*

Preliminary Card
Nate Diaz (171) vs. Rory MacDonald (170.5)
Jake Ellenberger (170) vs. Sean Pierson (170)
Claude Patrick (169.5) vs. Daniel Roberts (170.5)
Ivan Menjivar (136) vs. Charlie Valencia (135.5)
Jason MacDonald (185) vs. Ryan Jensen (185)
John Makdessi (155.5) vs. Kyle Watson (155)
Pablo Garza (145) vs. Yves Jabouin (146)

*Henderson has officially made weight (156 pounds) for his fight on UFC 129.

UFC Rio is set to take place on August 27 and a host of Brazilian stars such as Anderson Silva and Mauricio Shogun Rua are set for fights on the event.

“My desire [to fight on the card] is so great,” Machida told Sherdog.com. “Being able to fight here in a big event is part of my dream.

“I’ve fought in smaller events, but I’d like to fight in a big event in Brazil. I’m waiting for the opportunity, and I’ve heard from people who want to see me there.

“I’d like to show my appreciation in the Octagon and show a little of our fighting style to the entire public.”

It has long been rumoured that Hughes could be set for a fight with Royce Gracie at UFC Rio, but the UFC have now all-but-ended talk of a potential fight between the two.

UFC president Dana White revealed: “A matchup between two welterweight fan favourites has been verbally agreed as Diego ‘The Dream” Sanchez will face former UFC welterweight champion and Hall of Famer Matt Hughes.”

St-Pierre has managed to successfully defending his welterweight title since winning it in April 2008.

“I’m siding with Jake,” Liddell said. “Jake’s going to have to take him down. I’m expecting him to be in great shape for the fight. He’ll be in great shape for GSP. But yeah, I expect him to take him down and finish him.”

Shields was training with Liddell in San Luis Obispo, California, in his early days.

“He had athletic ability, I knew he was very tough and he always wanted to work,” Liddell said. “He was always in the gym working on new things, working with people. We’d always say, ‘Relax, you have a fight in a couple days. Just relax.’”

Penn insists he still dreams of winning the UFC lightweight and welterweight titles again. Penn, along with Randy Couture, are the only fighters to have been a two-weight UFC champion.

“Those are definitely two dreams of mine,” Penn told The MMA Hour. “I know those are big aspirations, but I guess you’ve got to shoot for the stars.

“I guess in a little bit of a way, I feel my clock ticking. But I don’t feel it ticking like it’s going to be over real soon, but ticking like I want to accomplish a few more things. I want to fight. I want to be active. I want to make money. I want to get better and have more of these life experiences, and that’s it. I want to stay busy. I don’t want to sit on the shelf.”

Edgar believes it would be time for St-Pierre to fight Anderson Silva, should he manage to beat Jake Shields on Saturday.

“There’s always going be someone new coming up to challenge you, but right now he has cleaned up the welterweight division almost twice,” Edgar told Tatame. “So, it’s going be tough for him to get some challenges, but I’m sure there’ll be kids coming up.

“As a fan, I would love to see him fighting Anderson Silva. As a team-mate and friend, it’s up to him.

“I think his best bet is getting him to the ground, and for Anderson is standing up. But I think Georges is more dynamic than most of the guys Anderson has fought, but as I said: Anderson has [been] running through everybody. So, as a fan, that’s a fight I’d love to see.”

Belfort is set to fight Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133 on August 6 and the recent setback will be a major blow to the Brazilian’s preparation for the fight.

According to MMA Weekly, the Mayo Clinic describes Hepatitis A as: “A highly contagious liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus. Hepatitis A is one of several types of hepatitis viruses that cause inflammation that affects your liver’s ability to function.

“You’re most likely to contract hepatitis A from contaminated food or water or from close contact with someone who’s already infected. Mild cases of hepatitis A don’t require treatment, and most people who are infected recover completely with no permanent liver damage.”

The fight is expected to take place in Philadelphia in an August event.

“Verbal agreements are in for a battle between two of the most exciting fighters in the middleweight division. Coming off three straight ‘Fight of the Night’ performances, Yoshihiro Akiyama will take on former UFC light-heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort in Philadelphia,” White said.

Akiyama has lost two of his last three fights and will be desperate to record a win against Belfort.

Former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Cavalcante has been training with Anderson Silva.

“For what I know by training with him, his greatest goal is to fight in Brazil, so I’m positive he’ll be thrilled [that it is happening]. We always wanted it,” he told Tatame.

“And the second goal is that it’s a rematch of a controversial win for Okami. Anderson was doing great on that fight, so I believe he’ll put on a great show. He’s excited about it. Okami will be shut down.”