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Undefeated middleweight prospect Chris Weidman will get a shot to fight on network TV.

UFC president Dana White today announced that Weidman will meet Demian Maia at this month's UFC on FOX 2 event.

Weidman fills a spot opened when Maia's original opponent, Michael Bisping, was pulled to replace an injured Mark Munoz and face Chael Sonnen, also at UFC on FOX 2.

Demian Maia was without an opponent following today's shakeup on the UFC on FOX 2 card.

With top-tier opponents in short supply, many observers pointed to Rousimar Palhares as a potential opponent for Maia.

But Palhares was "not a viable opponent," manager Alex Davis told MMAjunkie.com.

The UFC's first-ever FX-broadcast card takes place on Friday, and fans are invited to attend Wednesday's UFC on FX 1 open workout sessions in Nashville.

UFC officials recently announced the pre-fight activity will take place at Ed Clay's Nashville Mixed Martial Arts Academy.

UFC on FX 1 headliners Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller, as well as main-card competitors Pat Barry, Christian Morecraft, Duane Ludwig and Josh Neer all appear during the session, which begins at 1 p.m. ET (12 p.m. CT local time) and are free and open to the public.

Mark Munoz's shot at UFC gold will have to wait.

UFC president Dana White today announced via Twitter an injury has forced Munoz to withdraw from a planned UFC on FOX 2 meeting with Chael Sonnen, who now meets British slugger Michael Bisping instead.

The two clash on the FOX televised main card of this month's "UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis" event, which takes Jan. 28 at Chicago's United Center.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship's spring schedule is undergoing a massive makeover, and a planned March 24 trip to Montreal has been wiped from the calendar.

MMAjunkie.com today confirmed the change of plans with UFC president Dana White.

"We're still doing Montreal," White said. "We're just not going to do it when we were originally planning to."

Dan Miragliotta hasn't yet sat down to watch the replay of this past Saturday's UFC 142 bout between Vitor Belfort and Anthony Johnson, but as the contest's referee, he remembers it vividly in his mind.

And while Miragliotta has come under fire for what some MMA pundits consider a series of "quick" restarts in action, the veteran referee believes his calls were more than appropriate.

"If there's two guys on the ground that aren't doing anything ... I give them some time," Miragliotta today told MMAjunkie.com. "I warn them, and then I'll separate them."

Zuffa is making it a bit more difficult to become a UFC or Strikeforce fighter.

Officials today announced that all potential UFC and Strikeforce fighters, including those who compete on "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series, must first pass a mandatory pre-contract screening for performance-enhancing drugs.

The policy has been put into immediate effect.

Tickets for the next Strikeforce event go on sale this week.

With a heavyweight grand-prix finale between Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier still in doubt and not currently slotted for the March 3 card, the show now has been dubbed "Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey."

The event, which takes place at Ohio's Nationwide Arena in Columbus, features a title fight between women's bantamweight champ Miesha Tate and undefeated challenger Ronda Rousey.

Former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal tested positive for the anabolic steroid Drostanolone at the Jan. 7 "Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine" event.

That's according to Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer, who today emailed the event's drug-testing results to MMAjunkie.com.

When today contacted by MMAjunkie.com, Lawal denied using any banned substances.

Miltinho Vieira, a veteran competitor who's credited with the invention of the anaconda choke, has signed a four-fight deal with the UFC.

The fighter's management team at Alchemist Management today announced the deal.

No debut date or opponent have been announced for the featherweight fighter.

Anthony Johnson's weigh-in troubles at UFC 142 (and his subsequent UFC release) put weight-cutting in the spotlight this past weekend.

One of the most vocal critics of the current weight-cutting techniques in MMA has been MMAjunkie.com medical columnist and consultant Dr. Johnny Benjamin.

In his latest "Ask the Fight Doc" column, Dr. Benjamin lays out his solution for safer weight-cutting that could also result in fighters competing closer to their natural weight classes.

Following knee surgery for a torn ACL and damaged meniscus, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre currently is planning for a November return to the cage.

St-Pierre laid out the plans on Monday's new edition of "Inside MMA" on HDNet.

And upon his return, St-Pierre said he'd rather fight Nick Diaz than his upcoming UFC 143 opponent, Carlos Condit.