MMA Junkie gives us an interesting breakdown of the situation. The report was completely bogus, meaning that someone managed to hack Strikeforce.com. The report also gives an interesting theory: once Strikeforce was acquired by Zuffa it underwent substantial restructuring, and that meant firing some employees. Perhaps one of those employees decided to pull a prank on their former bosses.

Whatever the case, whoever is behind this is probably laughing a whole lot right now. In terms of internet lingo, I can’t think of a reason why someone would do this except that they “did it for the lulz”.

As interesting as a match-up between Anderson Silva and Fedor Emelianenko sounds, this report immediately felt bogus to me the second it was stated that Emelianenko could weigh in at 185 pounds.

I know Emelianenko isn’t the fittest Heavyweight in the game, but he’s not Roy Nelson. And that’s not meant to disrespect Roy Nelson, only to offer up a comparison. Emelianenko is chubby, and he could lose a few pounds, but he routinely weighs in at or around 230. I think Emelianenko could drop to 205, sure. It’d be hard for him since he’s never cut weight before, but I could see him making Light Heavyweight and showing up in really good shape when he does.

But losing an additional twenty pounds when he has to lose at least twenty-five already if he wants to make Light Heavyweight? That’s forty-five pounds he needs to drop, and I simply don’t think Fedor Emelianenko has that in him. Perhaps if this was the start of his career, and if the start of his career had taken place in the here and now, where monstrous weight cuts are becoming increasingly normal. But with Emelianenko’s many years in rings and cages across the world, with rumors of his retirement continuing to grow on a per-fight basis… Fedor Emelianenko at Middleweight just ain’t happening.

I think the reason why this rumor gained so much attention in the short time that it was posted is very simple: as fight fans, these are fights we all want to see, but we’ve come to terms with the fact that we’ll probably never see them. So we stick to fantasy match-ups where everyone is in their prime and everyone fights at the same weight class. Then, when something comes along that gives us even a glimmer of hope that these fights will become reality, we spread it as quickly as we can simply in the hope that it’ll be confirmed as true.

In the end, we’ll have to be content with Fedor Emelianenko fighting Dan Henderson, with Anderson Silva fighting Yushin Okami, with Georges St. Pierre fighting Nick Diaz, and with Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre being the only super-fight that still has a real chance of happening. And no matter how big or small you consider that consolation, I think we should all simply sit back and enjoy our favorite fighters fighting whomever is put in front of them for as long as we can and for as long as they decide to continue fighting.

5. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson

It’s the last call for a legend, and one of the greatest MMA fighters in MMA history. If Emelianenko can’t beat Dan Henderson, I have a strong feeling that he’ll retire. And Dan Henderson is currently riding a major wave of momentum now that he’s Strikeforce’s Light Heavyweight Champion. It’s going to be an awesome showdown between two of the best old-school MMA veterans still actively competing today.

4. Jon Jones vs. Quinton Jackson

It may not have the bitter rivalry of the inevitable showdown between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans… but this is certainly one colossal match-up. I honestly and fully believe that this fight will set the stage for years to come: depending on how Jones does against Jackson, we’ll know for sure whether or not Jones is “the chosen one” that will break the curse of UFC Light Heavyweight Champions losing the belt in their first few fights. I definitely can’t wait to see this fight.

3. Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami

Yushin Okami can’t beat Anderson Silva… right? Of course he can. Anybody can beat anybody, and anything can happen in Mixed Martial Arts. And this is a rematch that’s been years in the making. To a loyal contingent of fans, Okami is one of the most under-rated, under-appreciated fighters currently fighting in the UFC. To a vast majority of people, Anderson Silva is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. Any time Anderson Silva fights, you can definitely expect it to chart high on my lists like this. The fact that there’s such an interesting story between Okami and Silva is just icing on the cake.

2. Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Silva

Now this is a fight everyone can really dig their teeth into. Alistair Overeem has been living up to his nickname “Demolition Man” for a long time now, although he didn’t give the best performance against Fabricio Werdum. Meanwhile, Antonio Silva gave arguably the best performance of his life when he defeated Fedor Emelianenko. Whether you’re an Overeem fan, a “Bigfoot” fan, or simply a fan of great fights, this should definitely be the premiere showdown for the rest of Strikeforce’s year.

And my number-one most-anticipated fight for the rest of 2011 is…

1. Nick Diaz vs. Georges St. Pierre

The night Nick Diaz faced Paul Daley, I was on the edge of my seat from the moment that fight started. When Nick Diaz vs. Georges St. Pierre goes down, I won’t even need a seat. I’ll be too busy pacing back and forth. I’ve followed Nick Diaz for a long, long time, and in that time, he’s changed from one of the fighters I absolutely despise to one of only a handful of fighters I consider my favorites. Even though he’s incredibly controversial and one of the biggest “bad boys” in MMA, I just can’t help but love Diaz’s take-no-prisoners style and his gruff type of “us against the world” affection that he shows to both his fans and his teammates. I know that Nick Diaz is a legitimate “best in the world” athlete, and I want him to prove that against Georges St. Pierre. But to do that, he’ll have to beat a man that I consider one of the greatest Mixed Martial Artists of all time. This isn’t just my most-anticipated fight for the rest of 2011, it’s probably my most-anticipated fight of the last few years. Everything, and I do mean everything, will be on the line when Nick Diaz fights Georges St. Pierre.

Courtesy of MMA Weekly, the current UFC Middleweight Champion had this to say about Okami seeking Sonnen’s help for his upcoming shot at Silva’s long-held title: “You have to find the best person to train you, and I think he chose wrong… I will never line up with a loser, a loser in every sense… He did not win the fight (against me), (he) was caught doping, is being sued for various things, and is suspended from the UFC… Sonnen was not a hard opponent for me. I was hurt with cracked ribs and fought five rounds. If not, the fight would have been different.”

I can already tell by Silva’s words that many of his cynics will find even more reason to hate him for this interview. But I do have to ask the following question.

Even if Anderson Silva is kicking Chael Sonnen when he’s down, don’t you think he’s entitled to it?

This is Chael Sonnen we’re talking about. This is the man that couldn’t go a day without another long, winding rant filled with sound bites and so-bad-they’re-good jokes. Chael Sonnen was able to wholly shift fan perception of him thanks to his words alone. He went from just another sacrificial lamb for the UFC’s Middleweight King… to a super-star with a growing legion of fans that wanted nothing more than to see him pound a hole through Silva’s head, which is exactly what he promised to do.

Some of the things Sonnen said went way beyond professional, most fans just chose to overlook that because Sonnen was just so awesome, clever, and funny when saying it. This man not only insulted Anderson Silva, he insulted some of Silva’s closest friends. He insulted Anderson Silva’s entire camp, a band of brothers that features some of the best Brazilian MMA fighters in the world. No one was safe from Sonnen’s tirades.

And what happened, in the end? Silva beat Sonnen. He may have spent an overwhelming majority of the fight at Sonnen’s mercy, but he did beat Sonnen. Then Sonnen’s personal and professional life both collapsed under the weight of Sonnen’s own misdeeds.

In my eyes, that’s poetic justice. It’s about as poetic as it gets, really.

So, if anyone has the right to call Chael Sonnen a loser, it’s Anderson Silva. And you know what? Chael Sonnen is a loser. He literally lied, cheated, and stole. I’ve just spent so much time detesting the man that I’m finally tired of being angry at him. Part of me even has a little bit of sympathy for him: he’s so far down on his luck, he’s been kicked while he’s down so many times, that you’ve got to have at least a small, small fraction of an ounce of sympathy for him.

But if Anderson Silva wants to call Chael Sonnen on the mess he’s made of his life, he’s perfectly in the right to do so. Because while Sonnen is piecing his life back together after pleading guilty to federal money laundering and having his fighting license suspended, Anderson Silva remains the most-dominant UFC Champion of all time, with the most consecutive wins in UFC history.

And that, my friends, is poetic justice at its finest.

We head to the one and only Sherdog for the official scoop. According to their report, the following four fights have now been confirmed for UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami, Ross Pearson vs. Edson Mendes Barboza Jr., Luiz Cane vs. Stanislav Nedkov, and Maiquel Falcao vs. Tom Lawlor.

In addition to those bouts, the following bouts have all been rumored to be taking place at UFC 134, although nothing has been officially confirmed by the UFC as of this article’s publication: Mauricio Rua vs. Forrest Griffin, Thiago Tavares vs. Spencer Fisher, Paulo Thiago vs. David Mitchell, Yuri Alcantara vs. Mackens Semerzier, and Rousimar Palhares vs. Alexandre Ferreira.

I honestly have some mixed feelings when it comes to the main event of UFC 134. I’ll always be an Anderson Silva fan, and I’ve said several times that Silva is one of the main reasons I started watching the UFC full-time. But it seems like I am not the only one being weary of this fight and the mentality Anderson Silva will approach this encounter with.

I don’t think Anderson Silva’s reputation can take a repeat of the bouts he had with Thales Leites or Demian Maia. His career probably can’t take it either, since Dana White once swore that he’d cut Silva if he ever again fought the way he did against Maia. But I just don’t know if that’ll be enough to motivate Anderson Silva to bring out his best for Yushin Okami.

Because let’s be honest: does anyone think Yushin Okami can beat Anderson Silva? Especially after Silva’s dramatic Front Face Kick of Death that KO’d Vitor Belfort, especially after his dramatic submission win over Chael Sonnen? When he shows up motivated and healthy, no one can stop Anderson Silva and most people look foolish trying to do so. But when he’s not motivated, he puts on atrocious fights for reasons I’m still not exactly clear on, although I doubt I’d ever fully agree with them.

In the end, I guess I’ll just have to trust the fighter I’ve grown to respect and even admire. I know Anderson Silva can beat Yushin Okami, I have almost zero doubts that he will. But I do wonder which Anderson Silva will show up at UFC 134.

Other than that, the card looks like it’s coming together very well. I think I’m really going to enjoy Rua/Griffin 2, it’s a rematch that’s been years in the making and it hits both fighters at very interesting points in their careers. Overall, UFC 134 isn’t quite as stacked as some of the UFC’s other summer outings, at least not yet, but it is shaping up to be a good show.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think about UFC 134 as it stands right now?

But before we begin, I’d like to say that his is a “fantasy list” and nothing more. I’m not saying these fighters would dominate in boxing, I’m not saying they’d be obliterated in boxing. These are just five fighters that I think have great striking that could possibly translate to pro boxing. It’s all in fun, and feel free to contribute your own lists and thoughts, but please, keep the arguing to a minimum. Let’s begin.

5. Nate Diaz

If Nick can do it, so can Nate. In fact, I think Nate would have more to gain as a pro boxer than Nick would, who’s putting a lot on the line when he steps into the boxing ring later this year. When Nate fights a pure striking contest, he shows flashes of brilliance that makes me think that he could one day fill the shoes of Nick. But Nate continues to struggle against dominant wrestlers, and when his opponents start to grind him out, he always makes the same mistakes because he keeps getting frustrated. I think it would be interesting to see what Nate would be able to do in a boxing ring, free from any of the burden of defending takedowns or trying to separate from a clinch.

4. Paul Daley

Paul Daley doesn’t strike me as a profoundly technical striker, he never has. But there is one thing nobody can ever take away from Paul Daley: the man has dynamite in his hands. In a sport filled with ridiculous nicknames, “Semtex” does a good job of describing the type of power Daley puts behind his punches. If only to see if that kind of gruesome knockout power would translate, I’d like to see Daley step into the boxing ring against some good competition.

3. Alistair Overeem

I know Alistair Overeem is a great striker, believe me I know. Not only is Overeem a Strikeforce champion and DREAM champion, he’s also a K-1 champion, which is the world’s largest and most prestigious kickboxing promotion. I say it’s time to see if Overeem can still be dominant when you take the “kick” out of “kickbox”.

2. Georges St. Pierre

A lot of people tend to criticize George St. Pierre’s striking, but I honestly think that’s one of the strongest and most versatile weapons in his arsenal. Let’s not forget the huge amount of jabs he landed on Josh Koscheck, so many that it broke his orbital bone. GSP’s nuances and technique may even be more appreciated by fans of “the sweet science”.

And the number-one fighter I’d like to see have at least one fight as a professional boxer before they retire is…

1. Anderson Silva

Before people even entertained the notion of Nick Diaz fighting as a pro boxer, everyone was talking about Anderson Silva wanting to fight Roy Jones, Jr. That fight never materialized, but only because Dana White put his foot down and didn’t allow it. I’d love to see “The Spider” get into a boxing ring, it could be against RJJ or anybody else. In terms of pure excitement and spectacle, I can’t think of anything better than the man with the longest win-streak in UFC history stepping into the boxing ring to test himself.

And what about you, fans and friends? Any MMA fighter you’d like to see strap on boxing gloves?

UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will be defending his title for a record setting ninth time as he will be taking on rival Yushin Okami this August.

The event in question will take place on August 27, where the organization will revisit Brazil for the first time in a long time as the company will be returning to the infamous city, Rio de Janiero. The main-event of the evening will most likely be the aforementioned title tilt, with Silva, the native Brazilian, undoubtedly being the favorite heading into the title clash.

The bout is actually a rematch from many years ago, where the two fighters met under the Rumble on the Rocks promotion 2006 in a 175-pound tournament which featured many mixed martial arts notables, including former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit, UFC vet Frank Trigg, and Jake Shields–who would go on to win the illustrious tourney.

Silva and Okami met in the opening round of the tournament, where an illegal upkick from Silva eventually lead to a disqualification loss for the Brazilian. The DQ loss marks the last time that Silva, a member of the infamous Black House team, has tasted defeat.

In the UFC, Anderson has gone on an incredible thirteen-fight win streak, and remains undefeated within the promotion, where he has broke record after record en route to solidifying himself as the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet.

In his last bout, Silva took on former teammate and former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 this past February. After a brief feeling out process, “The Spider” was able to record another stellar knockout win when he front-kicked “The Phenom” to the face, sending him crashing to the canvas. A few additional blows on the ground eventually sealed the deal, awarding Silva the winner by KO, moving his overall record of title defenses to eight. The victory also netted Silva the evenings “Knockout of the Night” award.

Hoping to derail the hype train surrounding Silva will be Okami, who has gone 10-2 inside the UFC with his lone losses coming to the hands of former champion Rich Franklin and Chael Sonnen, who went on to challenge Anderson for his middleweight title, dominating him for five-round before being submitted in the waning moments of the fight.

In his last outing, Okami defeated perennial contender Nate Marquardt at UFC 122 last November. The back and forth bout went up and down with strikes and takedowns mixed in, and eventually Okami was declared the winner by unanimous decision, cinching him his current title shot.

The bout has been rumored for sometime now, with former UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira being the first person to report the validity of the match-up. The event is expected to take place at the infamous HSBC Arena in Rio–the bout was originally confirmed by UFC President Dana White when he spoke with USA Today about the match-up. Verbal agreements are in place and contracts are expected to be signed shortly.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the match-up? Do you look at it for a means to an end? Is this just a feeder for Silva before he takes on GSP (assuming that the Canadian defeats Jake Shields come April 30)? Who do you favor in this match-up? Sound off in the comment section below.

Unarguably, one of the most dominating fighters of all time, he currently sits atop the pound-for-pound thrown, having dispatched if high-level talent since his inception into the UFC in 2006.

Rich Franklin, Forrest Griffin, Demian Maia, and Vitor Belfort are just a few of his victims that Silva has added to his résumé, however one name that eludes him is Georges St. Pierre, the reigning UFC welterweight champion. It’s a fight that has been long talked about, and it looks like the bout is moving closer and closer into fruition. However, while St. Pierre has been non-committal about the bout, Anderson Silva’s camp is all open for it, because they the bout going to their champ’s favor, decisively.

“Anderson has proven he’s the best fighter and he handles it quite good. It’s a complicated fight to GSP… It’s a pretty bad fight for him”, said manager Jorge Guimarães, who spoke with TATAME.com about his champion’s future.

Silva began his career as a lanky welterweight, earning the Shooto championship from then top-ranked fighter Hayato Sakurai in the pinnacle of his 170-pound career. He later moved up to the middleweight division where he became the Cage Rage champion before moving to the UFC and capturing the gold there as well. In two fights, Silva has moved up to the light heavyweight class, and knocked out two durable opponents in James Irvin and former champ Forrest Griffin, both inside of the first-round.

So for Silva, the issue is not one of weight, but which one? Because according to Jorge, Anderson can meet GSP wherever he’d like.

“Anderson has this biotype, he loses weight easily, he can make any weight, so I believe a catchweight division would be perfect for GSP, and Anderson wouldn’t have problems with that. Who’d have a problem would be GSP, because Anderson can lose that weight easily and, at the day of the fight, he’d be on his usual weight, so I believe it’s complicated for Georges St. Pierre”, said Jorge.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the news? Should the bout happen, where would you like to see it go down? Should Anderson moved down to the welterweight class, or would it be more interesting for GSP to become a full-time middleweight? Sound off in the comment section below.

We head to MMA Fighting for a collection of quotes from Ochocinco. Over the last few days, he’s said all the following in regards to a bout with “The Spider”: “I’ll whoop his ass. I’ll whip Anderson’s ass… Dana tell Anderson once the CBA expires tomorrow I’m free to beat his a$$ any time any where!! Set it up… I won’t [get hurt], because I’m not going to go to the ground. I know if I fight Anderson, I have to fight him standing up. I’m quicker than him… I’m crazy enough to get in there.”

I want to make it clear to my fellow MMA diehards that want this story to die a quick death: the only reason I’m covering this is because I find it utterly hilarious.

I mean, what else can you really say about this story? It’s a publicity stunt and it’s working, because everyone is talking about it, including me. But as I said, I’m only covering it because the absurdity of this challenge astounds me. James Toney was a world champion in boxing, one of the core fighting disciplines of MMA, and he was thoroughly demolished. Herschel Walker was an NFL legend and trained for months and months at one of the premiere MMA camps in the world, and he’s only fought rookies and fellow journeymen. There’s just no way Chad Ochocinco could beat Anderson Silva.

And, yes, I’m going to keep calling him Chad Ochocinco because that ridiculous last name makes this story all the funnier. Just picture Bruce Buffer saying it while doing the “Buffer 180” and try not to laugh.

Now, here’s the part where I try to be a bit neutral. I think any sports athlete can transition to MMA given enough training. The dedication and constant drive it takes to be any type of professional athlete transcends any professional sport. I’m not saying they’ll be successful, but could they fight in MMA? Sure. Herschel Walker has already proven that if you want it bad enough and work hard enough, you can be a successful crossover athlete.

But Walker’s situation is one thing, challenging the reigning UFC Middleweight Champion is another thing. Anderson Silva is coming off one of the most dramatic knockouts of the year, perhaps one of the most amazing knockouts in MMA history. It was right out of an action movie, and it once again proved why Anderson Silva is one of the best ever. The very best of the best that the UFC has to offer have all taken a run at Anderson, and none have ever beaten him. Aside from Chael Sonnen, none have even made him look human, and that fight opens an entirely different can of worms.

So, at the end of the day, I’m going to laugh this one off as the crazy ramblings of a controversial NFL star. I’d honestly be embarrassed if Dana White ever made this match, because if he did, it’d probably be over in a matter of seconds, not minutes. Chad should stick to what he’s best at and not taunt the bull, unless he wants the horns. Oh, and one last time… Chad Ochocinco. Just because.

And what about you, fans and friends? Any thoughts on this rather bizarre story?

Courtesy of Bloody Elbow, George St. Pierre recently said the following: “I don’t know (about fighting Anderson Silva)… Right now I’m focusing just on Jake Shields… It would take a long time (to add the size). Anderson Silva is a huge guy… He’s very big… I don’t know if I’m going to go up (to) 185… It’s a complete reorientation of my career. I have a lot to lose and I haven’t thought about it, I haven’t sat down to talk about it.”

I’d like to start out by saying one thing plainly and clearly: I don’t think Georges St. Pierre is afraid of Anderson Silva.

I think George St. Pierre respects Anderson Silva, and I think GSP is smart enough to know just how much he could lose if he were to come out on the wrong end of this mega-match.

It is not a sign of weakness to give Anderson Silva the credit he deserves. Anderson Silva has looked human in the UFC on one occasion: when he fought Chael Sonnen. And he won that bout. And every other time he’s stepped inside the Octagon, Silva has schooled, dismantled, destroyed, and even clowned his opponents. Even Georges St. Pierre cannot say that: he’s lost twice inside the Octagon, although those two losses were the only losses of his professional MMA career.

In a way, I’m honestly glad that GSP is focusing solely on his upcoming opponent and not a match-up with Anderson Silva that may or may not ever materialize. I think St. Pierre learned to never look past his next opponent when Matt Serra shocked the world and beat him, and ever since that loss St. Pierre has been unstoppable. I firmly believe that Georges St. Pierre will beat Jake Shields, but only because I believe Georges when he says that he’s fully committed to this upcoming fight and solely focusing on how he’s going to beat the former Strikeforce and EliteXC Champion.

In the end, this is one topic that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. So I say: let’s let GSP focus on Jake Shields, because that’s the fight that helped sell out the Rogers Centre with over 55,000 tickets sold. That’s the fight that helped the UFC sell out a stadium, shattering both their attendance record and their gate receipt records. That’s the fight that has to take precedence and priority, even if everyone wants to see the champion vs. champion dream fight. And that’s not fear talking: it’s common sense.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you make of GSP’s recent comments?

The preliminary card bought tons of action during Saturday’s night of fights, with knockouts, submissions galore, however few fights stood above the rest and in the end those respective matches took home an extra bit of change of their efforts.

Jon Jones, not only impressively dismantled then-undefeated collegiate wrestler Ryan Bader, but he did it in style. The Greg Jackson product was able to work the Division I star several times to the mat during their light heavyweight bout, and eventually locked in a fight ending guillotine choke inside of the second-round. The finish earned the New York native a title shot against champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua once teammate Rashad Evans bowed out of the contest due to a knee injury. Oh, and Jones also earned the “Submission of the Night” award, pocketing an additional $75k for his win.

Both Donald Cerrone and Paul Kelly engaged in a fast battle in the lightweight division. Immediately Kelly got the attention of “The Cowboy” when he landed some sharp hooks to the dome. The two rallied for position on the ground, with Donald getting the better of the scrambles, having taken down the veteran several times over. Cerrone looked every bit the great fighter he showed in the now defunct WEC promotion, where he was a three-time challenger to the title, when he eventually mounted and submitted Kelly with a fight-ending rear-naked choke. The two men took home the evenings “Fight of the Night” award, both taking home the additional bonus.

Finally, Anderson Silva brought in perhaps the most impressive performance of the evening when he was pitted against former teammate Vitor Belfort in the main event of the evening. After a few tentative minutes spent on the feet, Anderson eventually connected on a wicked front-kick knocking down Belfort to the mat. Silva met his fellow countryman to the ground, connecting on two more flush punches that left Vitor out cold on the ground, though he recovered quickly thereafter. The spectacular win earned him the “Knockout of the Night” award–his third such award.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think about the post-fight findings? Sound off in the comment section below.

He’s very loyal to his team, and his team is just as loyal to him.

So when Silva, the UFC middleweight champion, heard that Vitor Belfort had agreed to fight his fellow countryman, Anderson was confused to say the least. The two were good friends and training partners for a long time. Whatever frustration’s Silva may have had towards Belfort were quickly extinguished last Saturday when “The Spider” knocked out the Brazilian inside of the first-round in his eighth title defense.

The loss for Belfort, was a consequence of his actions, according to Silva.

While both men lamented that this fight was not personal when the two were initially questioned leading into the middleweight title fight, none of that showed in their intense stare down that the two shared at the pre-fight press conference. Nose to nose, it was as exciting as any stare down could get, and it wasn’t even the day of the weigh-ins.

However come the day when the two fighters met again on the scales, tensions escalated when Silva mocked Belfort by wearing a literal mask to reflect the superficial one that Vitor suggested Anderson wears before he heads into the octagon.

Some people forget that these two men were longtime training partners out of Team Nogueira, which houses some of the best fighters on the planet, including Silva, the Nogueira brothers of course, Junior dos Santos, and Strikeforce champion Rafael “Feijao”.

“To be honest with you, I don’t think this fight should have even happened”, said manager Ed Soares to UFC.com, who translated for Silva following his encounter with ‘The Phenom’.

“Vitor Belfort trained for a long time with Team Nogueira, and there’s a code of honor that we have with out team that we’ll never fight each other, and he broke that code of honor. He made the choice and now he’ll pay the consequences. Team Nogueira is our team, it’s a family, and we’ll never fight against each other. For as long as I live, I’ll defend that.”

A knockout kick to the face should suffice enough for any consequences that Anderson believes that Vitor should pay for.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of Silva’s statements? Did Vitor break that code of honor, or is Silva taking things too personally? Sound off in the comment section below.

Sonnen recently gave the following sentiments that comes to us courtesy of a post on Bloody Elbow: “Thank you, Anderson, for revealing yet another weakness for me to exploit in our rematch. Beating that poor punching bag doesn’t impress Uncle Chael, guy. You tipped your hand like a chump poker player at a $5 table in Atlantic City. You may have beaten Vitor, but in the process, you LOST your edge. By beating that husk, you gave me the last page of your playbook. Revel in your time, [because] it ENDS the night you face me. I will mow you down like autumn wheat, AGAIN.”

It appears that a steroid scandal and a money laundering scandal haven’t damaged Sonnen’s sense of humor one bit. This is the same Sonnen many UFC fans fell in love with, especially Silva detractors, and to this day the man remains a popular star despite all that’s been going on in his professional life.

Me, personally? I used to “love to hate” Sonnen. His personality mixed with his fighting skills made him one villain I couldn’t help but watch and enjoy.

Then he got busted for steroids. Then he got busted for money laundering.

Now Sonnen’s the butt of the jokes.

Come on, people. Do you honestly expect me to still take this guy seriously? The man can barely keep his personal life together, and did anyone else notice how conspicuously absent he was when he got busted for steroids and then busted again for money laundering? Sonnen didn’t just toss stones in his glass house, he launched boulders from inside it with the help of several catapults.

I think we all know what a healthy, focused Anderson Silva can do against a dangerous opponent. He proved that much when he beat Belfort. And what’s this about Belfort being a husk? People took Belfort far more seriously as a major threat to Silva’s throne than they ever did Sonnen in the weeks leading up to both men’s fights with the champion. I’m used to hearing Sonnen attack Anderson Silva, I even enjoy his rants occasionally. But kicking Belfort while he’s down is just plain classless, and to be bluntly honest, it’s a new low even for Sonnen.

No amount of witty banter will make up for the fact that Sonnen choked in his big moment, and then had his personal life fall apart with no one to blame but himself. Sonnen needs to get his priorities straight before he starts making the same promises he made the first time he tried to beat Anderson Silva. Because as it stands right now, not only is this getting ridiculous, this is also getting pretty tedious. Sonnen is still the king of one-liners, but last time I checked, Silva still sits upon the UFC middleweight throne and Sonnen’s personal problems have got everyone laughing at him and not with him.

So I advise Mr. Sonnen to get his own house in order before launching his next crusade. We all make mistakes, and even I can admit that I’d watch him if he returned. But in the here and now, Sonnen continues to dig his own grave both privately and professionally.

And of course, this is all just my opinion. So let’s get some debate going, fans and friends. The floodgates are open, my flame shield stands ready. What’s your opinion on Chael Sonnen’s recent remarks and Sonnen in general?

At UFC 126, which took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas before a sold-out crowd, Silva successfully defended his title for a record eight-time inside the octagon when he knocked out former training partner and former 205-pound titleholder Vitor Belfort in one of his most impressive finishes in his career.

The win helped Silva extend a fourteen-fight win streak which began in April of 2006, and has solidified not only as the best middleweight fighter in the world but arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

So, does Georges St. Pierre or Yushin Okami deserve to challenge this prestigious athlete?

UFC President Dana White has long hinted towards the potential of the “super fight” pitting the middleweight champion against GSP, the reigning welterweight titleholder who has dominated all of opposition as of late. However, the French Canadian has a bout with Jake Shields on the horizon for this April and depending on whether or not St. Pierre wins and if he comes out of the bout unscathed will effect whether or not the two UFC champions will meet–which is expected to take place at 185-pounds if the fight materialize.

Yushin, though, has long been a man that I’m sure Silva has had in mind, as the two fighters have had some history with one another. Okami is the last man to hold a win over the middleweight champion, though it came in the form of a disqualification some years ago when Silva used an illegal up kick from his back to render the Japanese powerhouse unable to continue.

However in the octagon, Okami has done every little bit to solidify himself as the top contender to the title. Debuting within the organization in August of 2006, Yushin has only suffered two losses in his time spent inside the octagon, first in a close decision to former titleholder Rich Franklin in 2007, then to former title challenger Chael Sonnen in October of 2009. The Japanese Judo practitioner has since rattled off a three-fight win streak following the loss to Sonnen, with his latest victory earning him the number contender status when he dominated perennial contender and former King of Pancrase, Nate Marquardt last November.

Dana White of course is looking at the dollar signs that a fight with Anderson and Georges would generate, though timing wise he’s at a disadvantage. Should St. Pierre come out the victor with his fight against Shields, Georges has stated on several occasions that if he moves up to the middleweight class, he would need an ample amount of time to put on the additional weight in order to be competitive against some of the top athletes in the weight class, who consistently cut down from 200-pounds plus to make the 185-pound mark, meanwhile GSP walks around at around 190-pounds before making the 170-pound limit for the welterweight class.

It’s so hard to navigate through all the intricacies of the machine that is the UFC, but that’s why they are the best in the business, because they can solve solutions to problems like these. But what do you think, MMA peeps? Play matchmaker, how and who would you schedule for the next middleweight title fight? Keep in mind the shelf life that Silva has. While he is dominant now, you can’t leave a fighter of his talent on the shelf long awaiting his next fight. Sound off in the comment section below.

Forrest Griffin deftly defeated former champ Rich Franklin in a pivotal light heavyweight match-up, moving him closer to the title, however Jon Jones beat him to it when he submitted then-undefeated prospect Ryan Bader with a second-round submission.

However nothing surprised me more then some of these fighter pay-outs with some seeming valid, while others have me scratching my head in humble confusion.

It looks like the fruit of Jones’ labor is finally paying off, as the 205-spitfire has since earned his first six-figure payday inside the worlds largest mixed martial arts promotion, which is justified by his exciting fight-finishing performances in the octagon.

On the same token, Anderson Silva, who is currently on a record breaking 13-fight win streak in the cage, as well as an equally impressive eighth-straight title defense, was a top earner on the pay-per-view card, however earned a reported $175k less than fellow countryman Vitor Belfort, whom Anderson knocked out inside of the first-round.

MMAJunkie also claims that should “The Phenom” had taken home the “W” last Saturday, he would have came home with an additional $100k for his efforts (win bonus). Most likely, Silva earned a large portion of his purse due to the PPV revenue that the super bowl card has picked up.

MMAJunkie.com has reported the following figures, which they had originally requested from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Champ Anderson Silva: $200,000 (includes no win bonus)
def. Vitor Belfort: $275,000

Forrest Griffin: $275,000 ($150,000 win bonus)
def. Rich Franklin: $75,000

Jon Jones: $140,000 ($70,000 win bonus)
def. Ryan Bader: $20,000

Jake Ellenberger: $32,000 ($16,000 win bonus)
def. Carlos Eduardo Rocha: $8,000

Miguel Torres: $56,000 ($28,000 win bonus)
def. Antonio Banuelos: $9,000

Donald Cerrone: $36,000 ($18,000 win bonus)
def. Paul Kelly: $19,000

Chad Mendes: $19,000 ($9,000 win bonus)
def. Michihiro Omigawa: $8,000

Demetrious Johnson: $10,000 ($5,000 win bonus)
def. Norifumi Yamamoto: $15,000

Paul Taylor: $36,000 ($18,000 win bonus)
def. Gabe Ruediger: $8,000

Kyle Kingsbury: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus)
def. Ricardo Romero: $10,000

Mike Pierce: $28,000 ($14,000 win bonus)
def. Kenny Robertson: $6,000

So, MMA peeps, are you surprised by any of the payouts you see here? The figures above however do not include any “Fight Night” awards that several fighters earned over the course of the evening. Sound off in the comment section below.

Let’s begin with the basics: Silva had a gameplan that he executed flawlessly, even though the fight only took a couple of minutes. He ducked and dodged the punches and strikes of Vitor Belfort in a way that none of Belfort’s opponents had ever done before. He frustrated Belfort by constantly changing levels, moving forward and back, and lulling Belfort into a false sense of security. And when Belfort didn’t engage like he promised he would, Silva began goading him and forcing him to get careless. And then, just when fans were beginning to get a little restless, “it” happened.

What “it” exactly was is open to a bit of debate. Most people consider it a teep kick or “push kick”, a basic move designed primarily to create space between you and your opponent. Some people credit Steven Seagal for helping Silva hone the move into the deadly strike that was seen at UFC 126, including Seagal himself. Others scoff at this notion and Seagal in particular. In my opinion, it doesn’t really matter who taught what to whom or when or even why.

What matters is that Vitor Belfort got kicked right in his face and was KO’d for the first time in his career.

As a massive Anderson Silva fan, I really can’t encapsulate in words how crazy those few seconds were when Silva blasted Vitor, floored him, and then finished him off. I shouted and celebrated like the fanboy I unabashedly am. I couldn’t be happier that Silva dominated once again, and seeing him turn the crowd around and basically force them to cheer him was definitely a great moment for me and I’m sure a great moment for all the Silva fans that have stuck with “The Spider” throughout his ups and downs.

In the end, how can you not consider Anderson Silva one of the best? Even Georges St. Pierre has lost in the UFC. From the time he debuted to last night, Anderson Silva has never lost a UFC bout. He’s definitely come close, especially in the fight against Chael Sonnen that all the cynics desperately harp on and attach themselves to, but the fact of the matter is that Silva holds the record for most successful championship defenses and the longest unbeaten streak in UFC history.

There is only one Anderson Silva, and at UFC 126 Silva proved once again why history will one day remember him as one of the best of all time. There’s simply no contest: Anderson Silva gets my “Performance of the Night” award for his amazing display of technical brilliance at UFC 126 “Silva vs. Belfort”.

And what about you, fans and friends? Did anyone come close to matching Silva’s performance?

5. Demetrious Johnson’s speed and technique are far too much for “KID” to handle.

While I can’t say I’m a Norifumi Yamamoto super-fan, I can definitely say I was looking forward to seeing his debut in the UFC. I’m very glad that the UFC gave fight fans this fight for free on Facebook, even though “KID” Yamamoto lost. Because it’s not like he lost a boring fight: from the first second to the last, Demetrious Johnson constantly put pressure on Yamamoto and executed his takedowns with blistering speed. I’m a bit sad that Johnson’s breakout performance had to come at the expense of “KID”, but Johnson’s exuberance made him a star and I can’t wait to see what’s next for him.

4. “The Cowboy” successfully debuts in the UFC.

I will freely and fully admit to being a Donald Cerrone fan, and revenge tasted very sweet when I saw Cerrone choke out Paul Kelly after Kelly attempted to cheap-shot him. Kelly mumbled and stumbled his way through an abrupt apology post-fight, but I think it was plain to see that Kelly took the shot in a moment of very poor sportsmanship. Seeing Cerrone successfully debut in the UFC was definitely a highlight of the night for me.

3. Jon Jones completely destroys Ryan Bader.

Jon Jones did what he does best against Ryan Bader: he stayed active, he attacked at all angles, and he threw caution to the wind and attempted one crazy move after the other just to see if they worked. I think “methodically reckless” is a great description of Bones’ style, he does things most fighters would shy away from but he does them in such a way that they land often, and when they don’t, he’s not in any particular danger of reprisal. Jones was in top form against Ryan Bader, and seeing Jones dominate will never get old.

2. Jon “Bones” Jones is literally floored at the news of his impending title shot.

I know some could call it “cheating” by having Jones twice on this list, but I think the news of his upcoming title shot was such a shocker in and of itself that it deserves another entry entirely. In particular, this is the moment where Jones literally falls to his knees in shock at the thought of challenging for the Light Heavyweight Championship. For all his skill, Jones has remained mostly humble despite his meteoric rise. It was definitely one of the highlights of the night to see Jones so moved at the thought of finally being able to reach his dream.

But as if there could be anything else, the number one spot obviously goes to…

1. Anderson Silva is Charlie Murphy

If you’ve never seen the legendary “Rick James” skits performed on the all-too-brief run of the “Chappelle’s Show” television show, do yourself a favor and track them down right now. In particular, watch the scene where Charlie Murphy kicks Rick James (played by Dave Chappelle) so hard that he comically flies through the air and into a mirror. Basically, that’s what Anderson Silva did to Vitor Belfort. Except to his face. This is one KO that’s going to remain on the UFC highlight reels for a long, long, long, long time. It takes first place quite easily.

And there you have it, fans and friends. But what about you? What were your favorite moments from “Silva vs. Belfort”?

Next for Antonio Banuelos: Unemployment, or a fight where if he loses he gets fired. Banuelos had a chance to shine on the grand stage like he never had before, and to say he blew it would be a colossal understatement. The Banuelos we saw in the UFC was a far cry from the WEC version, who prided himself on taking two to give one and giving the fans a good show. Not even Antonio’s close friendship to Chuck Liddell will be able to save his job for long if he keeps fighting the way he did at UFC 126.

Next for Miguel Torres: Torres himself seemed pretty happy regarding his performance, but he also seems to be the only one. Torres’ timid and tepid performance was also a far cry from when he was tearing through the WEC, and I honestly hate to think that most UFC fans will now judge Torres by this fight and not his stellar WEC run. But Torres has nobody but himself to blame. Expect Torres to be put on prelims or on free TV until he starts fighting like he means it.

Next for Jake Ellenberger: Ellenberger will keep plodding along near the mid-level, since Carlos Eduardo Rocha exposed some problems that paint a pretty clear picture: Ellenberger isn’t ready for top-division competition. At least, not yet. Expect to see Ellenberger fight his way through the opening contest of Pay-Per-Views or on “Fight Night Live” events at least until 2011 comes to a close.

Next for Ryan Bader: Bader’s quest for top-division status was sidetracked but not derailed by his deflating loss to “Bones” Jones. Bader’s next opponent will be tough, but not as tough as Jones. Expect Bader to fully reassert himself in his next few fights and add a few highlight-reel KO’s to his name as he rebuilds and regroups.

Next for Jon Jones: I’ll likely talk a lot more about this in the days and weeks to come, but say it with me now: Jon Jones is your UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Say it now, because you’ll be saying it for real before long. Jones is going to blast his way through Mauricio Rua and “Shogun” will have nothing to answer back with. It’s Jones’ time now, and “The Era of Bones” is only one fight away.

Next for Forrest Griffin: A win is a win is a win, and with this win Griffin kept his status as a top-division athlete. Expect Griffin to face either a tough veteran hoping to make a comeback or a hot prospect looking for top-division status in his next fight. Griffin fought Franklin to prove that he’s still a high-level star, his next fight will probably put him into the role of a high-level UFC gatekeeper. Even though I’m a fan of Forrest Griffin, he needs at least one more fight before anyone starts taking him seriously as a championship contender again.

Next for Anderson Silva: UFC President Dana White said during the post-fight press conference that we may finally get Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre if GSP beats Jake Shields. So my prediction is… we’re going to get Georges St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva. It may or may not be in Cowboys Stadium, or an arena in Brazil, or the Rogers Centre. But when it happens, expect the UFC to pull out all the stops to make it the fight of the century and the best card in UFC history. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it, and I think we’ll finally get this mega-match before the year is through.

So that’s my take, fans and friends. What about you? What do you think the future holds for the big winners and losers of UFC 126?

Anderson Silva defeats Vitor Belfort by KO (Front Kick and Punches) at 3:29 of Round 1. Forrest Griffin defeats Rich Franklin by Unanimous Decision. Jon Jones defeats Ryan Bader by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 4:20 of Round 2. Jake Ellenberger defeats Carlos Eduardo Rocha by Split Decision. Miguel Torres defeats Antonio Banuelos by Unanimous Decision. Donald Cerrone defeats Paul Kelly by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:48 of Round 2. Chad Mendes defeats Michihiro Omigawa by Unanimous Decision. Demetrious Johnson defeats Norifumi Yamamoto by Unanimous Decision. Paul Taylor defeats Gabe Ruediger by KO (Kick) at 1:42 of Round 2. Kyle Kingsbury defeats Ricardo Romero by TKO (Strikes) at 0:21 of Round 1. Mike Pierce defeats Kenny Robertson by TKO (Strikes) at 0:29 of Round 2.

I’m incredibly happy for Anderson Silva right now, and to those thinking that “The Spider” is back, I honestly think that’s not true. He never left in the first place. Say what you will about his occasional antics inside the cage, but this fight with Belfort once again proved why Anderson Silva is one of the best of all time and will likely go down as the most dominant UFC champion of all time. I never doubted Silva, I never stopped being a fan of Silva, and I’ll always believe in Anderson Silva. Because if that crazy front kick of doom told us anything, it’s that Anderson Silva still has plenty of tricks left up his sleeve.

I was equally impressed with Jon Jones, who once again proved why I’ll never again bet against him. Jones beat Bader and made it look easy… he’s beaten everybody and made it look easy, even if he accidentally got himself disqualified one time. I’ll say this right now, loudly and proudly and for all to see: Jon Jones is the next UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Jones will blitzkrieg Mauricio Rua and “Shogun” will have nothing for him. “Bones” will reduce Rua’s already-damaged knees to rubble with constant takedowns, and he’ll either choke him out or knock him out. Rua won’t be able to deal with Jones’ ground game, explosiveness,  or stand-up. “The Era of Bones” is only a few months away.

And that’s my early commentary, fans and friends. Overall, I enjoyed this event even though some of the bouts were a bit under-whelming. I still think that the UFC is off to an amazing start in 2011, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

For instance, the line has been blurred between Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin, so much so that the two have become more friends than two competitors that will be ready to punch each other in the face come Saturday night. Demetrious Johnson is a bubbly, fun loving guy and is seriously undersized for the bantamweight class, and his opponent “Kid” Yamamoto has some of the best array of tattoos on a 5’4 Asian fighter that I have ever seen.

All of this was proven during the pre-fight rituals, which today culminated in the weigh-ins ceremony before a ruckus Las Vegas crowd, and while both men have insisted there isn’t anything personal between the two of them, there appeared to be a whole lot of history behind their stare down/scuffle during today’s proceedings which has left me, and I’d imagine most fans, wanting more.

The former teammates have said several times over that their headlining title fight is nothing personal, but purely business. Nothing could have been further from the case when Anderson Silva, the UFC’s middleweight champion, came to the weigh-in proceedings dawning a white mask, taking a shot at Belfort’s previous comments on the figurative-mask that Vitor said Silva wears in order to intimidate his opponents.

From there, the two were nose-to-nose from an allotted amount of time, Silva stripping his mask and trading jabs–verbal–with his fellow countryman, where after just a few moments the two fighters were ready to fight right then and there. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and the two will instead allow the rest of their emotions to be exuded in tomorrow’s middleweight clash, in a bout that recently piqued the interest of many mixed martial arts fans in recent days, despite some earlier backlash.

So, Staredown: advantage Vitor and Anderson, I just hope the fight lives up to it’s expectations. But, what do you think MMA peeps, how do you see this fight playing out? Will Vitor be able to catch “The Spider” with his bullet speed strikes, or will Silva deliver successive knees and punches in order to wear down his foe? Sound off in the comment section below.

Perhaps it was his not so flashy start into the promotion. His formula worked for a while, takedowns coupled with ground-and-pound attacks, that is until he faced top level competition in the likes of Rich Franklin and Chael Sonnen.

Since then, Okami has been able to rattle off three-consecutive wins over the likes of Mark Munoz and perennial contender Nate Marquardt, which cemented Okami as the next immediate contender for the middleweight title, which will be contested tomorrow night when champ Anderson Silva takes on former teammate Vitor Belfort.

Yushin recently caught up with MMAFighting.com, which has since reported the following via the 185-pound UFC contender:

“The Japanese middleweight has been promised a title shot against the winner of Silva-Belfort, and he told MMA Fighting on Friday that he expects Silva to walk away with the belt for a UFC record 8th consecutive time.

Okami said he didn’t know when his title shot will come, and there are some who believe he may have to wait longer than expected if the UFC does end up booking the Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre.”

Hopefully the Japanese wrestling powerhouse doesn’t pull a Rashad Evans and wait out for the better part of 2011 solely to secure his spot as the next immediate contender. The way things are panning out, it would be more likely then not that Okami would next be facing the winner of tomorrow’s title match before St. Pierre does. The French Canadian UFC welterweight champion has stated on several occasions that should he move up to the 185-pound weight class, it would take him at least six months to put on the appropriate amount of weight, and by then Silva (who I am picking to win the middleweight title match) would already be campaigning for his spot on the UFC: Rio event in his native Brazil this August.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the potential match-up? Do you think Silva will get past Belfort, and if so, do you think he’ll have the goods to take out Okami? The two met previously before years ago, however Yushin picked up the win when the Brazilian was disqualified for an illegal up kick. Sound off in the comment section below.

Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort will enter the cage looking to knock each other’s heads off.

If you haven’t seen the video of the UFC 126 weigh-ins, please, track it down right now. When Silva donned his white mask and got nose-to-nose with Vitor Belfort, it was as if the air was practically crackling with electricity. This is going to be an all-out war and it’s not going to end until someone is lying face-down on the mat. Now more than ever I fully believe that this is going to be a fight for the ages. I’m pulling for Silva, but Belfort showed absolutely no fear at the weigh-ins and has proven throughout his career that he doesn’t have an ounce of quit in him. This one is definitely going to give me goosebumps.

Rich Franklin vs. Forrest Griffin… I love to see them fight, I hate to see them lose.

I have the same feeling regarding the upcoming Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida match. I respect both Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin, and I enjoy watching them fight far more often than not. I think these two match up very well with each other, so much so that we’re practically guaranteed a great war that’s going to keep us on the edge of our seats. It’ll be an awesome fight, but I wish someone didn’t have to lose. I don’t think either man can afford it right now.

KID Yamamoto is going to destroy Demetrious Johnson.

I honestly don’t have a single problem with Demetrious Johnson, but I do have complete faith in Norifumi Yamamoto. I think this drop down to Bantamweight has both awakened and rejuvenated “KID”, and I also think that we’ll see the best Yamamoto yet when his fight goes live on Facebook. Yamamoto seems intensely focused and surprisingly humble going into this bout, and I think he’s going to viciously KO Johnson. It should be a pretty fun fight no matter what happens.

Miguel Torres vs. Antonio Banuelos may be able to take “Fight of the Night”.

The more I think about this fight, the more appealing it gets. Miguel Torres seems to be on the verge of a great comeback, but Antonio Banuelos is a tough opponent for anyone. It’s true that Banuelos is definitely outmatched by the former WEC champion, but Banuelos always makes it a fight and doesn’t mind taking two to give one. It’s a fight that is definitely overshadowed by most of the UFC 126 main card, but this is still a very solid match-up that should turn into a very competitive, entertaining fight.

So that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? Any last thoughts on this event? And what do you think of this possible new series?

A middleweight title clash pitting the reigning and defending 185-pound kingpin Anderson Silva against former teammate Vitor Belfort has become official, as both fighters stepped on the scales at 185-pounds on the nose.

All fighters successfully made weight, all but one.

Mike Pierce, who meets UFC newcomer Kenny Robertson in a welterweight bout, came in a pound-over the 170-pound affair, coming in at 172 lbs., a full pound over the already generous one pound allowance allowed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Pierce will have two hours to come back on the scales to lose the extra pound, or he will be forced to relinquish a percentage of his purse to Robertson.

Perhaps the most interesting happenings of the weigh-ins was the headliner, where Brazilians Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort squared off in a heated stare down. “The Spider” made light of Vitor’s comments heading into the championship contest, wearing a white mask mocking Belfort’s comments of the previously figurative additive to which he attributes to the facade the Silva puts on pre-fight. The two went nose-to-nose and were held back by UFC execs before matters could escalate.

Here are the weigh-in results in their entirety, the format courtesy of MMAJunkie.com:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

* Champ Anderson Silva (185) vs. Vitor Belfort (185)
* Forrest Griffin (205) vs. Rich Franklin (203)
* Ryan Bader (205) vs. Jon Jones (206)
* Jake Ellenberger (171) vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha (170)
* Antonio Banuelos (136) vs. Miguel Torres (136)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

* Paul Kelly (155) vs. Donald Cerrone (155)
* Chad Mendes (146) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (146)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

* Demetrious Johnson (136) vs. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto (135)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Untelevised)

* Gabe Ruediger (155) vs. Paul Taylor (156)
* Kyle Kingsbury (205) vs. Ricardo Romero (205)
* Mike Pierce (172)* vs. Kenny Robertson (170)

Needless to say, the two are fired up and ready to go.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the weigh-ins as is? More importantly, what do you think of the card as a whole? You have the UFC debut of Japanese legend “Kid” Yamamoto, two title-implicated light heavyweight fights, and of course the all Brazilian main-event. Sound off in the comment section below.

5. A Night Of Nostalgia For WEC Fans

If you were a huge WEC fan like me, you probably still feel a bit down in the dumps now that the WEC has officially been folded into the UFC and now solely exists in our memories. But “Silva vs. Belfort” should give us a good bit of nostalgia and also maybe some “I told you so” moments, as the card features both Miguel Torres and Donald Cerrone in what should be very exciting matches. Watching these two fighters go from the blue cage to the fabled Octagon in two high-profile encounters should make for some good, nostalgic entertainment.

4. Two Isn’t As Good As Four, But Free MMA Can’t Hurt

UFC 126 “Silva vs. Belfort” marks the return of the “UFC Prelims Live” specials to the place of their inception, Spike TV. Spike will give MMA fans a full free hour of MMA action, with both Donald Cerrone vs. Paul Kelly and Chad Medes vs. Michihiro Omigawa confirmed to air during the broadcast. It’s not as good as the four free fights the UFC recently gave us over Facebook, but free and legal MMA on TV is always a good thing, and with the increasing quality of the “Prelims Live” specials, it should be an hour well worth watching.

3. The Future In Action: Jon Jones vs. Ryan Bader

If you’ve ever seen either of these two fight, then you understand how I can say without hyperbole that these two fighters will one day be the future of the UFC Light Heavyweight division, one of the most stacked, most competitive divisions in the entire world. Both men seem to have it all and are able to do it all, they can seemingly do no wrong while winning dramatically and dominantly. This is going to be an awesome, awesome fight.

2. Putting The “War” Back Into “War Of Attrition”: Rich Franklin vs. Forrest Griffin

I honestly think this is the type of fight where neither man goes down unless he’s completely knocked senseless. This is the perfect match-up for both men, it should be a wild brawl between two men who shine in wild brawls. Neither will give an inch, and both won’t be afraid to take two to give one. This will be a down and dirty, bloody and brutal brawl… and it has all the makings of a Fight of the Year candidate.

1. Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort, “The Fight of the Century”

Those are Belfort’s words and not mine, by the way. But they do certainly fit the bill, this does have all the makings of one of the best fights in UFC history. It just has to work out the way we all think it will, with Belfort aggressively moving forward and Silva staving him off with the best counter-strikes he’s ever thrown. I’ve said it more than once, but I’m so pumped for this fight that it absolutely bears repeating: so long as it lives up to its potential, this is going to be an amazing, astounding fight.

So there you have it, fans and friends: five great reasons to tune in and see UFC 126 “Silva vs. Belfort”. What about you? As the date draws ever-closer, what are you most looking forward to for this event?

Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort: This sure is one hard fight to pick. I’m a gigantic Anderson Silva fan, but I have an immense amount of respect for Vitor Belfort. So long as this fight lives up to its potential, I honestly don’t care who wins. I just want these two to put on the fight I know they’re capable of putting on, because that fight could be one of the best of the last several years. Simply because I have to make a choice, I’m predicting that Silva will keep finding a home for his counters and eventually land a fight-ending barrage in Round 3, winning by TKO.

Forrest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin: Rich Franklin has had a decidedly up-and-down career ever since losing to Anderson Silva for the second time back in 2007. Then again, the same could be said of Forrest Griffin ever since he won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship from Quinton Jackson. I think this will be a great fight that ultimately boils down to one simple fact: age. Franklin is five years older and has showed signs of slowing down in his recent bouts. Forrest Griffin will take a Unanimous Decision.

Ryan Bader vs. Jon Jones: Following his victory over Vladimir Matyushenko, a fight in which I vocally defended my stance that “The Janitor” would defeat “Bones” in the days/weeks leading up to the bout, I made one single, simple promise: never again will I bet against Jon Jones. That’s just not going to change. Ryan Bader is a good fighter and should ascend to top-division status one day, but in the here and now, I truly think this amazing rocket to the top for Jonny Bones won’t stop until he has some gold around his waist. Jon Jones takes the TKO in Round 1.

Jake Ellenberger vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha: There’s a reason Ellenberger was originally expected to face Jon Fitch before Fitch was moved up to the upcoming UFC 127 main event: Ellenberger is a skilled 23-5 veteran with twenty of his wins by stoppage. Carlos Rocha, meanwhile, is a 9-0 submission specialist. It probably won’t be an easy victory for Ellenberger, but I think his toughness mixed in with his versatility and experience will result in him staving off several submission attempts and taking home a Unanimous Decision victory.

Miguel Torres vs. Antonio Banuelos: I like Antonio Banuelos, I really do. I just happen to like Miguel Torres more. I think Torres is primed for a major comeback, one that’s going to fully kick off with a big win over Banuelos. Banuelos has simply faltered against top-ranked competition too often, and Torres looked excellent in his recent winning performance against Charlie Valencia. It’ll be a highlight of the night, and I’m thinking that Miguel Torres takes a TKO in Round 2.

So there you have it, fans and friends: my UFC 126 predictions. What about you? When it comes to “Silva vs. Belfort”, who do you see winning, how, and why?

The Event: UFC 126 “Silva vs. Belfort, scheduled for February 5, 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Two free preliminary fights will be shown live on Spike TV starting at 9:00 PM ET. The five-fight main card will be broadcast live on Pay-Per-View starting at 10:00 PM ET.

Why You Should Care: All eyes are on the main event, and for good reason, even though “Silva vs. Belfort” boasts a solid undercard. Anderson Silva takes on one of his biggest challenges to date, former UFC champion Vitor Belfort. It’s a dream-match that’s taken a long time to finally happen, and to make things even better, you’ve got what should be a fantastic brawl between Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin as the co-main event, with an epic showdown between fast-rising prospects Jon Jones and Ryan Bader rounding out the card.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: Non-stop action from two of the best strikers in Mixed Martial Arts, both in the here and now and of all time. Silva’s counter-striking is legendary, as is Belfort’s punching power. If this fight stays standing, it’s going to be like poetry in motion, and we can probably expect to see some things we’ve never seen in an Octagon before. This fight has been a long time coming, and on paper, it has all the makings of a Fight of the Year encounter.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: I think Rich Franklin said it best when he described the type of fighter he was are and then made a point about Griffin being almost the exact same type of fighter. This is going to be a brawl between two tough men who don’t like to quit and fight at their best when they get a little beat up and bloody. It’ll be a war of attrition from the second the first bell rings, with both men giving and taking at will and scoring big blows throughout. I fully expect both men to put on a fantastic show.

Why You Should Watch This Card: The UFC is taking no prisoners early in 2011, which is when they generally hit a bit of a slump. There’s no winter slumber here, this is a massive show featuring some of the most well-known talent the UFC has to offer. The event features multiple weight classes, dominant champions, hot prospects, tough veterans, and more. It’s a stacked card in pretty much every sense of the term.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: To be honest, the only thing really negative about this card is the fact that it takes place over Super Bowl Weekend. Also, two of the five main card fights have potential to be good but aren’t as epic or as attention-getting as the other three. If you’ve got other plans that you absolutely cannot miss, you can always catch a replay. But if you’re a big MMA fan, you owe it to yourself to watch this one live.

Closing Thoughts: Putting it plainly and putting it simply: I can’t wait for this card. Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort is a fight I’ve waited a long, long time to see, and I have a great feeling that it’s going to live up to every bit of its potential. Then you’ve got Franklin vs. Griffin, which is a fight between two of my favorite “dark horse” fighters. And to top it all off, Jon Jones vs. Ryan Bader should also be an insane fight and fully propel whoever wins into top-division status. The UFC is bringing out the big guns early in 2011, and I’m definitely not missing this one.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of UFC 126 “Silva vs. Belfort”?

UFC officials released the information today, though it was only a matter of time.

The pay-per-view event features one of the best assembled cards of the new year, touting five former champions on the all-star card, as well as a much anticipated title defense pitting current champ Anderson Silva as he defends his middleweight title for a record-setting eighth time as he takes on former teammate Vitor Belfort in the evenings headlining bout.

The event takes place next Saturday on February 5 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, which holds approximately 12,000 in total attendance. UFC 126 makes the ninth consecutive event that has taken place on Super-bowl weekend, which has consistently been the organization’s fight card that has been riddled with talent.

And this card is no exception.

Aside from the middleweight title clash, former champions Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin will also meet in a pivotal light heavyweight match-up. Griffin, the original winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” was last seen in the octagon in November of 2009 in an anticipated rematch against rival Tito Ortiz at UFC 106, exacting revenge and taking home a split-decision win from the former champion. The win snapped a two-fight skid that Griffin suffered when he faced Rashad Evans, relinquishing his title by way of third-round knockout in a fight he was largely dominating. Next, the fan-favorite dropped another knockout loss, this time to the aforementioned Silva inside of the first-round. Forrest has been sidelined due to a shoulder injury when he was training for an upcoming bout with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 114 last May.

Franklin, like Griffin, is coming off of a win of his own, when he bested former title holder Chuck Liddell last June at UFC 115, knocking out the UFC Hall of Famer in the waning moment’s of their main-event fight. The loss helped “Ace” bounce back from a disappointing performance against the resurgent Vitor Belfort in a catch-weight bout of 195-pounds. Belfort connected on a left hook, followed up with a barrage of punches that eventually left Franklin out on the canvas. The fight was stopped just a little over three-minutes inside of the first-round in September of 2009.

With a win here, it’s conceivable that either Franklin or Griffin (who serve co-main event honors at UFC 126) could be next in line for a shot at the title.

Bouts with Ryan Bader, Jon Jones, Miguel Torres, and Antonio Banuelos will also grace the main-card, while in preliminary action featherweight standouts Michihiro Omigawa and Chad Mendes will be featured on the Spike telecast alongside a lightweight bout pitting three-time WEC title challenger Donald Cerrone as he takes on veteran Paul Kelly.

“Fans have been telling me how excited they are for this card ever since we announced the event,” said UFC President Dana White in the release.

“This is a stacked card from top to bottom, and fans responded by making UFC 126 a sellout.”

The entire event is as follows, courtesy of MMAJunkie.com:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

* Champ Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort (for middleweight title)
* Forrest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin
* Jake Ellenberger vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha
* Ryan Bader vs. Jon Jones
* Antonio Banuelos vs. Miguel Torres

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

* Paul Kelly vs. Donald Cerrone
* Chad Mendes vs. Michihiro Omigawa

PRELIMINARY CARD (Untelevised)

* Gabe Ruediger vs. Paul Taylor
* Demetrious Johnson vs. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto
* Kyle Kingsbury vs. Ricardo Romero
* Mike Pierce vs. Kenny Robertson

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the card? Which bout sticks out the most for you? Personally speaking, I would take the “Kid” Yamamoto promotional debut bout against Demetrious Johnson over most fights to see on the PPV event, but that’s just my fanboy in me talking. Sound off in the comment section below.

“Minotauro” is not only lauded as one of the leading men in the heavyweight division, despite having gone 1-2 in his last three outings inside the octagon, but he is also becoming a great trainer for up and coming talent.

Case in point, his Black House team which has produced some of the best fighters in the world, including Vitor Belfort and Anderson Silva, two men that Antonio has spent time training in the past. Since then, Belfort has surrounded himself with the Xtreme Couture camp in Las Vegas, while Silva has remained with Antonio. Needless to say, the submission specialist is pulling for his boy Silva in his upcoming title fight.

Nogueira was recently tracked down by TATAME.com who managed to speak with the former PRIDE star concerning the the middleweight title fight this February, which headlines “UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort” in a pay-per-view event. The Brazilian had this to say:

“Vitor is very good in striking, he’s good on the ground, has a good Wrestling, he’s complete. Anderson is a genius of the sport, has heart, he’s a showman. He can do a little bit more than the regular fighters, he always has a new trick to bring when he needs it…The fans will like this fight a lot and I’ll be there on the front seats. I already was training partner of both fighters, but now I’m Anderson’s and I cheer for him. I came to Brazil to find a way to help him on his trainings”.

It’s hard to argue. “The Spider” has been on a tear since his inception in the promotion in 2006, rattling off a 12-0 streak with victories over Rich Franklin (twice), Nate Marquardt, Chael Sonnen, Dan Henderson, and Forrest Griffin amongst his notable victims.

His striking acumen is second to none, but Vitor does still possess some of the best boxing in the weight class, coupled with the fastest hands to boot.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of Antonio’s assessment? Do you agree? Who takes this fight? Sound off in the comment section below.

5. It’s been a long time since Silva faced a striker the caliber of Vitor Belfort in the UFC.

It’s true that Chris Leben has just as many knockouts as Belfort and Rich Franklin does indeed have more, but it all comes down to the quality of opponents viciously separated from their consciousness. Belfort has taken out some great strikers in his many years as a Mixed Martial Artist, in fact, his last fight was a crushing victory over Rich Franklin. Silva hasn’t faced a true, world-caliber striker since Dan Henderson back in 2008, and Belfort is a very different, equally dangerous fighter.

4. Belfort is no longer a brawler, but a smart strategist.

In all of Belfort’s recent fights, he’s displayed a remarkable sense of timing and strategy. Belfort knew from the beginning that he can bull-rush just about anybody and land at least one significant strike, but he’s now old enough and wise enough to realize that championship-level opponents know how to take that significant strike and roll with it, and even counter it and land a significant strike of their own. Belfort has moved away from his days of blindly charging in and hoping something lands, and he’s evolved into a fighter who knows when to strike and doesn’t waste a single opportunity. And that kind of fighter is a real threat to anybody, including Anderson Silva.

3. Belfort’s speed has only increased as he loses the bulk that comes with fighting at Light Heavyweight or even Heavyweight.

The drop down to Middleweight seems to have rejuvenated Belfort once again, and a large part of that has to do with Belfort cutting weight the right way and emerging as a leaner, meaner fighter. Belfort has always had a spring in his step and surprising speed for a man of his size back when he fought at Heavyweight and then later Light Heavyweight, but at Middleweight Belfort has fully earned the nickname “Phenom”. Anderson Silva is an expert at ducking and dodging, but you can’t dodge what you don’t see coming. If Belfort lets those hands fly, there’s a good chance that something will catch Anderson.

2. Despite the fact that he’s moved up and down several different weight divisions, his punching power remains the same: utterly vicious.

Whether at Heavyweight or Light Heavyweight or even Middleweight, Vitor Belfort’s punching power hasn’t diminished one iota. From the first time he stepped into the Octagon until now, Belfort has been knocking people out and sending them crashing to the canvas with regularity. Four out of his last five fights have all ended by (T)KO. Belfort still has that fantastic mix of killer instinct and impressive power, and he never really lost it in the first place. And he’ll need it to combat Anderson Silva.

And the number one reason why Vitor Belfort could beat Anderson Silva is…

1. Because he’s Vitor Belfort, and Vitor Belfort is a survivor.

Silva has only lost four times, and never twice in a row. Belfort once fought back from a three-fight losing-streak, and he’s faced numerous setbacks throughout his career, from humbling losses to a steroids controversy. Throughout all that, Belfort has somehow found a way to survive, thrive, and ascend to the top of three separate weight divisions. Vitor Belfort has faced tough setbacks, and he’s triumphed over each and every one. Belfort is a survivor through and through, and that unflinching ability to never give up when the going gets rough will be his biggest weapon against Anderson Silva.

And there you have it, fans and friends: the first official entry into “5 Reason Why” is now at its end. So, what do you think of this new series? And what are your reasons for thinking that Vitor Belfort could beat Anderson Silva?

5. Silva holds a significant advantage on the ground.

Vitor Belfort has been fighting for over fourteen years. When the clock turns to October 11, 1996, “The Phenom” will have officially competed as a professional Mixed Martial Artist for fifteen years. And how many times in those fourteen-plus years of action has Belfort won by submission? Twice. Two times in fourteen years. Silva has five submission wins to Belfort’s two, and Silva also trains at Black House with the Nogueira brothers, generally regarded as two of the best ground tacticians ever. If this fight goes to the ground, Belfort may end up being easy pickings for Silva’s long legs and dreaded Triangle Choke.

4. Silva became famous for smashing people’s faces in when they tried to push the pace and bring the fight to him.

Every now and then a fan or journalist talks about how fighters are too afraid of Silva, and that beating “The Spider” involves pushing the pace and bringing the fight to him. Many people assume Belfort will do just that. The only thing is… that’s how Silva got so famous in the first place. Chris Leben tried to finish him, and Silva gave Leben the biggest loss of Leben’s career. Forrest Griffin tried to push him and Silva laid down a beating so embarrassing that it continues to haunt the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion to this day. Chael Sonnen did it and did it well, but even he was on the verge of being KO’d during their fight and he did ultimately end up losing out. So while Chael Sonnen gave the doubters a bit of ammunition, the overwhelming majority of fighters who tried to push Silva were greeted with a shocking KO.

3. Belfort’s KO power is unquestioned, but so is Silva’s.

Some people look at this reason and think I must be joking, but let’s look at the facts. The fact of the matter is this: Silva has more (T)KO victories on his record than Vitor Belfort. Go ahead and look it up, it’s true. People think Belfort will have the advantage because he can KO people quicker, but Silva knows how to finish opponents and has finished plenty of them in the past. It’s true that Belfort does possess the kind of KO power necessary to KO someone like Silva, but the reverse is also true, and before their fight is through it may be Belfort that ends up taking a one-way ride to the land of dreams.

2. Belfort is facing a long, long… long layoff.

This showdown has been postponed for so long that it’s almost become a recurring joke, it’s “the disappearing fight”. Belfort was expected to face Anderson Silva at the following events: UFC 108, UFC 109, and UFC 112. Each and every time the plug was eventually pulled. It’s been over a year since Belfort last competed, and “ring rust” is very real and very dangerous for a veteran fighter like Belfort. If Belfort shows up to his fight against Silva even a bit rusty, Silva will exploit that weakness to its fullest.

And the number one reason Anderson Silva could beat Vitor Belfort is because…

1. Anderson Silva is a better striker than Vitor Belfort.

There, I said it. I know this is the topic that everyone loves to argue about, but I firmly believe that Anderson Silva is a better striker. He’s better at timing his punches. He’s better at getting out of harm’s way. He’s better at countering, he’s better at clinching, he’s better at Muay Thai. Anderson Silva is simply the best striker currently competing in Mixed Martial Arts.

And that’s my opinion, fans and friends. What about you? What are some of your reasons for why you think that Anderson Silva could beat Vitor Belfort?

5. If complacency on the part of Anderson Silva ever sets in, GSP will be there to make him pay for it.

Much like GSP having problems making the jump to 185, this is a “never say never” reason that doesn’t look likely but does stand a chance of happening. Anderson Silva has been the UFC Middleweight Champion for over four years. Has complacency set in yet? Some would say yes, others staunchly deny this accusation. But if it happens, or if it has happened, it’s a huge weakness that GSP will know how to exploit.

4. There’s “dominant wrestlers”, and then there’s GSP.

I said it was coming, and here it is: “dominant wrestler” doesn’t do GSP justice. St. Pierre is able to take anyone down, at virtually any time, from virtually any position. From strikers to fellow high-level wrestlers, no one has been able to mount a defense against his takedowns for long. This is the kind of skill that transcends any weight limit: if GSP grabs hold of Anderson Silva, Anderson Silva is going down. And that’s GSP’s world, even when you take Silva’s submission skills into account.

3. While Silva’s ducking and dodging abilities are unquestionably great, people seem to forget that GSP took down and beat up the toughest strikers in the Welterweight division with barely a scratch on him.

Dan Hardy and Thiago Alves are both known for their fierce one-hit KO power… and they couldn’t land a single good, clean strike on GSP despite the fact that both those fights went to a full five-round decision. Josh Koscheck had begun tapping into the serious power in his hands when he fought GSP for the second time, and again GSP walked away from a five-round decision with barely a scratch. The same could be said for BJ Penn, Jon Fitch… the list goes on and on. No matter who he fights or what their striking level is, no one has been able to land a single significant shot on GSP since Matt Serra beat him in 2007. It’s very possible that Anderson Silva will be able to dodge GSP’s strikes, but it’s equally as possible that GSP will be able to dodge Silva’s.

2. GSP’s record has been a series of flawless, dominating performances ever since he won back the title.

Ever since he beat Matt Hughes for the Interim Championship and then beat Matt Serra to unify the titles, George St. Pierre has posted up a series of virtually-flawless victories. He’s faced legends, he’s faced veterans, he’s faced guys with very long win-streaks, he’s faced guys famous for knocking people senseless. He’s fought the best for the last several years running, and every single time he makes them look like virtual amateurs. There truly is only one GSP, and since GSP somehow manages to keep finding ways to improve himself, he’ll be a real threat to Anderson Silva whenever this fight finally happens.

And the number one reason why GSP could conceivably beat Anderson Silva is because…

1. Lately, Silva’s performances have been all kinds of hit-and-miss depending on who he’s facing.

People have been critical of Silva for years now, ever since Silva’s first bizarre championship defense against Patrick Cote at UFC 90. Silva followed that up with a performance against Thales Leites that is practically reviled, then a fantastic performance against Forrest Griffin, followed by another bizarre outing against Demian Maia, and finally, a fight with Chael Sonnen that saw the contender dominate the champion for nearly five straight rounds. All of this and more has been leading up to one simple point: Anderson Silva can be beaten. And if anyone can do it, it’s definitely GSP.

So that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? In the battle of GSP vs. Silva, who’ve you got and why?

5. If GSP encounters any problems moving up in weight, Silva will exploit them.

I’m going to start out both lists with something that probably won’t happen, but is not impossible by any stretch of the imagination. What I mean by that is: a lot of fighters have difficulty moving up or down in weight for the first time, but that doesn’t sound like the type of issue a fighter like GSP would succumb to, does it? But then again, you can’t predict anything in MMA. GSP would likely move up in weight the right way, but there’s always the possibility that something could go wrong given the fact that it’s GSP moving up, and not Silva moving down. And if any weakness, however small, does rear its ugly little head… Silva will be right there and waiting to pounce on it.

4. Silva knows what it takes to beat dominant wrestlers.

I know what some of you are thinking: “there are dominant wrestlers, and then there’s GSP”. Well, guess what: I think so too. In fact, that’s actually one of the reasons I’ll be using when I post the reverse of this article, detailing the reasons GSP can beat Silva. But let’s give credit where credit is due: Silva spent nearly twenty-five minutes dealing with an incredibly dominant wrestler, and although he just barely managed to squeak out a win, he easily gained a huge amount of experience, and that certainly helps against one of the most dominant wrestlers in MMA today.

3. Silva is an ace when it comes to ducking and dodging.

With absolutely no disrespect meant towards Josh Koscheck, GSP picked Koscheck apart simply because Koscheck had little-to-no head movement and was fighting with one eye swollen shut after the very first round. Silva doesn’t stand there and let you hit him, and he’s made otherwise competent strikers look like a fool with his theatrical antics. And even though some fans criticize Silva of putting on a dance routine, the end result will always be the same: Silva’s opponents will try to hit him, and Silva simply won’t be there.

2. Anderson Silva’s counter-striking is unparalleled.

Of course, being able to deftly deflect your opponent’s punches doesn’t mean much if you’re not able to throw some of your own, which is why this reason ranks higher on the list. Silva’s counter-striking is approaching “legendary” status, it’s gotten to the point where a good Anderson Silva counter-strike makes you believe that the man has got to be able to see the future. Silva doesn’t “take two to give one”, he takes none to give three… or more. And that’s a huge problem to any MMA fighter currently breathing, including Georges St. Pierre.

And the number one reason Anderson Silva could conceivably beat GSP is…

1. The last time Silva’s heart was truly tested, he won. The same can’t be said for GSP.

Do you want to know the reason why people keep bringing up GSP’s loss to Matt Serra? Simple: it shouldn’t have happened. I honestly think that this loss is going to haunt GSP for the rest of his career. In every fight since, GSP has dominated, and his heart simply hasn’t been tested since Serra landed the miracle shot of all miracle shots that led into a barrage of fits and one of the biggest upsets in MMA history. Silva’s heart was tested against Chael Sonnen, and although Silva was pushed to the razor’s edge, in the end he won and won definitively. When taken out of his element, Silva can and has survived. GSP hasn’t not been in total control of each and every one of his fights since losing to Serra, so there’s a very real possibility that he will crumble once again if someone finally manages to put some pressure on him.

And so, fans and friends, that’s why I think Silva would be able to beat GSP. What about you? What’s your take on the matter?

While “The Rock” has seen better days throughout his 14-plus years as a professional mixed martial artist, having fought against some of the best fighters in the world including Josh Barnett, Jeff Monson, and Andrei Arlovski amongst others–all of whom Rizzo holds victories over–he is still the type of guy to become genuinely excited when a new fight is on the horizon.

And in this case, Rizzo is all too familiar with both men, as fellow countryman Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort clash in February in a fight that Pedro not only has invested interest in, but a desire to watch an explosively exhilarating bout.

Silva, the UFC’s long-reigning middleweight champion is set to collide with former training partner Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 which takes place at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on February 5.

“The Spider” has split his training camp up for this particular fight and has begun training under Rizzo, who is a known kickboxing wrecking machine in the mixed martial arts community. And here, when Pedro sat down with TATAME.com, he gave his thoughts on the upcoming title fight.

“I think it’ll be a tough fight. Just like Vitor told he’s 100%, Anderson will also be, and I think that everyone that steps on that ring should be 100%”, said the 36-year-old who is currently riding a three-fight win streak.

“I think it’s great that Vitor is on his best conditioning because Anderson also is, so they’ll do a great fight for the main event. I’m watching Anderson training every day, he’s also doing pretty good, so we can only hope for a hell of a great show”.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of “The Rock’s” assessment? Is this going to be a long and drawn out battle, or will one of the men in this battle Brazilian’s decisively end the fight before it reaches the score cards? Sound off in the comment section below.

5. Phil Baroni – The Trickshot Spammer

This is the guy who tries to always do the 360 noscope, or the across-the-map throwing knife/tomahawk, or any number of seemingly-impossible feats of gaming awesomeness.  Nine out of ten times it embarrassingly backfires in a most heinous way, but whenever that tenth time rolls around, the Trickshot Spammer will practically blow your ears out because of how hard they’re screaming into the mic and calling themselves legendary. The same could be said for Phil Baroni, who usually ends up on the wrong side of a bad KO, but once that tenth time rolls around, he shouts “I’m the best eva!” about fifty thousand times.

4. Anderson Silva-– zzirGrizz

If you don’t know who this man is, put his name into a YouTube searchbar along with the words “The Matrix”. To make a long story short, Grizz is the type of player that doesn’t talk, he simply does. And he’s the best he is at what he does. And what he does is come up with amazing ways to kill you, ways so incredibly difficult that you’re almost honored to be on the receiving end of such an ultra-embarrassing kill. The same could be said for Anderson Silva, who’s always coming up with new ways to viciously and dramatically separate his opponents from consciousness. And while both have stumbled along the way, both are generally regarded as being at the very top of their chosen profession.

3. Junior dos Santos – Sandy Ravage

Again, YouTube him if you haven’t heard of him. Sandy is the type of player with the insane score you wish you could have but don’t think is possible, until you see that he’s been able to reach that score. He’s the guy who gets at least fifteen kills for every death, he’s the kind of guy that can enter a losing game and single-handedly proceed to bring his team back from the brink and make it look easy while doing so. Plain and simple, Sandy Ravage is an engine of destruction. And so is Junior dos Santos. I truly, truly shudder to think what would happen if these two were to meet.

2. Shinya Aoki – The Tryhard Crybaby

There are tryhards (those that take the game too seriously), and there are crybabies (those that whine non-stop), and then there is the rare and incredibly infuriating mix of the two. This is the gamer that lives and dies by his highscore, and if you somehow manage to beat him, consider him your enemy for life. That pretty much sums up Shinya Aoki’s abrupt turn into a bad-boy: when the Japanese crowd turned on him, he flicked them off and went out of his way to lash back at them for daring to cheer another fighter. And much like Aoki, it’s hilarious when all of the Tryhard Crybaby’s taunts and boasts ends up backfiring on him, because he’s usually subject to such intense ridicule that he immediately leaves the game and runs crying to his mother.

And finally, we have…

1. Chael Sonnen – GUN1T123

Now and forever, the crowning achievement of both the gamer and the fighter will be mired in controversy. Chael Sonnen’s dominant near-victory over Anderson Silva will be always tarnished by the fact that he was on steroids when it happened, and fans continue to ridicule him for it. Shaggy, a.k.a. GUN1T, will forever be remembered as the YouTube commentator that became famous for getting the “world’s fastest nuke”, which basically means that he got a very high amount of kills in a very short amount of time, only for it later to be revealed that he had faked the whole thing. Both the fighter and the gamer have shown real skill before their scandals, but both have come to be defined by their momentary, albeit incredibly high-profile, lapses in judgment.

And so there you have it, fans and friends: ten MMA fighters and what they’d be like if they played COD. Now that it’s all over, what’s your opinion?

The phenomenal Brazilian striker has defended his middleweight title a record seven times, and currently enjoys the longest win streak inside the octagon with twelve consecutive victories.

He holds victories as a light heavyweight in the UFC, most notably knocking out former champion Forrest Griffin, one of the division’s biggest men, inside of the first round.

And while Silva has Vitor Belfort next on deck at UFC 126 this February, he still takes the time in reveling in what might come after next. So what does the Muay Thai specialist desire? A fight with “The Ultimate Fighter” season three winner Michael Bisping, and in the UK no less.

Silva was recently interviewed by ESPN UK where the usually soft-spoken champion had lots to say about his desire to return to England, where he initially became the Cage Rage middleweight title holder with a victory over the infamous Lee “Lightning” Murray.

“The British fans are very knowledgeable and passionate about MMA. I would love to fight there once more”, said the 35-year-old, who has not visited the UK since April of 2006 when he knocked out UFC veteran Tony Fryklund with an amazing uppercut-elbow strike.

While Anderson is world renowned, and often times regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, there isn’t a man in England who doesn’t know the name Michael Bisping. A virtual rock star in his country, “The Count” has become a staple for the UFC in marketing their overseas events. In fact, Michael has made an appearance on 6 of the organization’s 9 events it’s held in the UK, taking main event honors in two of them.

“Michael Bisping is very impressive”, said the Team Blackhouse representative.

“He’s been in the UFC for a long time now and beaten some very good fighters. It would be an honor to fight him, perhaps in England.

“He is fast, is very busy and makes adjustments quickly. I am the champion of the world, not just Brazil or America. Being a world champion means taking on the best fighters from around the world all over the world.

“If the chance came I would like to fight Bisping in the UK if that’s what the UFC put together.”

Looks like Silva is campaigning for his next fight already before he gets a hold of Vitor Belfort, who’s next on deck for “The Spider” in Las Vegas on Feb. 5–though don’t get it twisted, Silva is the last man to underestimate any opponent, especially after his close encounter with Chael Sonnen in his last outing at UFC 117.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of Anderson’s wishes to face Bisping? Certainly it would do big numbers as far as a large gate for fan’s to see there in the UK, since the Englishman have not been able to witness a title fight live at the O2 Arena since a title unification bout pitting Quinton Jackson against Dan Henderson at UFC 75, which was more then three years ago. Sound off in the comment section below.

Lorenzo Fertitta and the UFC brass were in New York on Thursday stumping to bring MMA to the Empire state.  Still not sanctioned, New York is one of the final key elements in the UFC’s expansion strategy.  In this video interview, Fertitta discusses why New York is so importatant for the UFC.  Then, we pivot to discuss the two fights he wants to see happen this year.  For those fans pining to see GSP v. Anderson Silva you will be happy with Fertitta’s answer.

Click through to see the interview.

He beat some tough guys in his career with the worlds largest promotion, including former King of Pancrase Nate Marquardt. The tough Brazilian submission specialist battled his way to his shot at the title at UFC 97 in April of 2009, however a subsequent loss to Alessio Sakara signaled his release from the promotion.

Now Thales finds himself nearly two-years later on the outside looking in, and now looks to rebound after a 3-1 run last year with an even better 2011, and who better to help him then former opponent and UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva.

At UFC 97, Thales was bested during a five-round affair with “The Spider” who dominated the fight with effective strikes from a distance and solid takedown defense against the former Jiu-Jitsu world champion. The fight drew the ire of many fans and the media alike as it was dubbed a snoozer throughout the 25-minutes as both fighters were equally non-committal to engage. Some words were exchanged between the two in the media, so you would think once the two met once again there would be some bad blood.

“I don’t see any problem training with Anderson because I have a good relationship with all fighters, I don’t have any problem with nobody and when Pedro (Rizzo) asked me if there was a problem on him bringing Anderson to train I said that there wasn’t any”, said Thales who spoke with TATAME.com. Rizzo, one of the head trainers over at the Nova Uniao gym in Brazil coaches a number of fighters including Thales, Jose Aldo, Marlon Sandro, and now Anderson Silva is among one of his pupils.

“It was pretty nice, it’s always good to train with new people, you can learn more. I’m negotiating with some events and I think I might fight in March, I’d like it to be earlier, but let’s see, soon we’ll know more about my next fight”, commented Thales, who’s in the mood for fighting in 2011.”

So it looks like all in all, it was a good experience for the two Brazilian’s to put the past behind them and move forward amicably. So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the news? Both could benefit from one another, Thales from Anderson’s obvious striking prowess, and Anderson from Thales’ amazing submission skills. Would you like to see Leites back inside the octagon in the future? Sound off in the comment section below.

Here’s what Wanderlei had to say over at Fighters Only: “…Our first fight did not prove anything really; it was a technical error and also a lucky moment… I am a different fighter now and this time the one who is going to do the knocking out is me. I’ll beat him badly… Everybody knows he is strong but is psychologically weak. Everybody knows he goes to bits before going in to fight, so I’m damaging his mind already… Now he won’t get that luck of the first time. Now I’m going to knock him out.”

I personally would absolutely love to see the rematch that’s been ten years in the making. Both men are at such different points in their careers that it isn’t remotely feasible to compare the two based on their first fight. Wanderlei Silva had never stepped inside a PRIDE ring when he met Vitor Belfort. At the time of their first fight, Belfort was best known as a major threat… at Heavyweight. The first Belfort/Silva is about as “ancient history” as ancient history gets in the fight game.

I think this match-up is highly likely if Belfort ends up losing to Anderson Silva. And if that happens, I also think that there’s a huge possibility that this fight would go down in Brazil, since the last time the UFC was in Brazil was also the last time Belfort and Wanderlei fought each other. So not only would it be a huge match between two fantastic strikers, it would also benefit from an electric atmosphere.

And I personally think that Wanderlei Silva does have what it takes to beat Vitor Belfort. All the wars he’s been in have resulted in Wanderlei not being as good as he once was, but no amount of wear and tear could ever take out Wanderlei’s incredible heart and passion. Silva has simply never competed in a boring fight, and with so much on the line as he enters this latest and perhaps final stage of his career, I think Silva would fight Belfort as if his life depended on it and ultimately emerge the winner. Belfort still has dynamite in his hands, but it’s going to take nothing less than a “KTFO” moment to stop Wanderlei if this match ever comes to fruition.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you make of Wanderlei’s recent comments, and if it happens, who do you think would win this bout?

Current UFC middleweight champion Silva is all too familiar with his Brazilian countryman. The two were training partners as part of Team Blackhouse for sometime, before Vitor decided the best fit for his mixed martial arts career would be with Xtreme Couture and Team Tompkins in Las Vegas.

While there have been some barbs exchanged in the past between the two Brazilians, mainly on part of Silva, when he was proposed about the possibility of a match up with Vitor suggested that the former light heavyweight champion should go through the gauntlet of contenders in the UFC’s 185-pound division before being granted a title shot opposite of Silva.

It looks like any bad blood that had existed is all in the past now, as the two came face-to-face at a recent press conference held in Rio de Janiero, Brazil introducing a future UFC event in August of next year. The Brazilian’s will next meet in February, serving as the headliner for UFC 126, which will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas for the Superbowl weekend.

“What I can assure is that a Brazilian will come off there as the champion (laughs)”, said Belfort during the recent presser in Rio.

“I’m training, doing my best. I’m sure that this event in February will bring a very intense bout, because it’s hard to study Anderson, he’s an excellent fighter, the best pound for pound in the world. I’ve been sacrificing my days so that, on February 5th, I can do a good show for you”.

Anderson, the arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, was as equally respectful of his opponent and former training partner.

“First of all, I’m really glad I’m fighting a guy like Vitor, even because before I started fighting he already was a champion”, said Silva.

“He became a champion really young, so it’s cool that we can make these dreams come true, we can do our job and do what we do best: fight and change many things”, said Anderson, who highlighted the importance of being an example to be followed on the sport.

“I think my mind is much focused on this, of using the power God gave me, using my technique, my skills, to change many things – not inside the ring, but off it. Setting an example to children, changing a little bit the image of our sport… I’ve been growing a lot during these last years with this image issue, with the kids coming to talk to me. This fight will make me keep my focus”, concluded Anderson.

Sp, MMA peeps, what do you make of the two men? Both Respectful heading into what should be a barn burner of a title fight, with two strikers heading into the cage, it’s bound to finish in a knockout. Who do you think will win, and how? Sound off in the comment section below.

5. The UFC 126 “Super Bowl Super-Show”.

It’s not enough that the UFC is giving us Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort, oh no. In addition to the mega-fight that’s been several years in-the-making, we’ve got Rich Franklin vs. Forrest Griffin and Jon Jones vs. Ryan Bader. Basically, we’ve got three fights that could each easily, and I do mean easily, headline an event on their own. And it all goes down during Super Bowl Weekend, where everyone is hosting parties and having fun anyway. UFC fans are in for a real treat with this one.

4. UFC in Brazil for the first time in over ten years.

Georges St. Pierre in Canada. That’s the kind of reaction I think the Brazilian fans will give if they get someone like Wanderlei Silva or Anderson Silva or even Renzo Gracie or Royce Gracie to compete at the upcoming UFC event in Brazil. From the beginning, from the moment the idea for the first UFC tournament popped into the head of Rorion Gracie, Brazil has been tied to the UFC. While the UFC will most likely forever be headquartered in Las Vegas, heading back to Brazil is almost like coming home. It should be an amazing show featuring an unbelievable atmosphere.

3. UFC in Toronto in front of over 60,000 fans.

But even the tentatively-titled UFC: “Rio” virtually pales in comparison to the UFC’s upcoming debut in Toronto. The UFC owes almost as much to Canada as it does to Brazil, Canada was the first major step on the road to the UFC becoming a global brand and it remains a key player in the UFC’s international development. And UFC’s debut in Toronto will be in the Rogers Centre, better known as the Toronto SkyDome, which can seat anywhere from 50,000 to 70,000 people. I can hardly begin to imagine how epic the crowd alone will be, let alone the amazing card the UFC will likely put on in order to attract the most fans possible.

2. The thirteenth season of “The Ultimate Fighter”.

It’s been repeated so many times by so many fans and insiders that it’s practically a cliché, but it’ll always be true: “The Ultimate Fighter” broke the mainstream barrier and is perhaps the single most important thing to have ever happened to the UFC outside of its original founding. We’re heading into our thirteenth season of TUF, and things just keep getting better. No season is perfect, but the steady ratings and improved fight quality of Season 12 have left me incredibly pumped up for TUF Season 13. Even though I’m a bit sad that we won’t see Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva coaching against each other, there’s really no reason to miss out on Season 13.

And #1 on the list goes to…

1. Better per-event fight quality thanks in no small part to the influx of WEC talent and the addition of the Bantamweight/Featherweight divisions in general.

As a WEC super-fan, could I have really picked anything else to top this list? With two new divisions and a host of world-caliber talent, the WEC/UFC merger should begin paying out enormous dividends almost immediately. I have a great feeling that this is going to be a “best of both worlds” scenario, where we get the same great WEC action except on a much larger scale. Both the merger and the new weight divisions should give a lot of otherwise-underwhelming UFC events a big shot in the arm, especially the international events. It should be an awesome, awesome year of fights.

And that’s the end, fans and friends! My four-part “All I Want for Christmas” mini-series is now officially over and done with. I’d like to thank all my readers for their continued support, and once again I’d like to wish you all a very happy and very merry Christmas, and happy holidays in general. So, what about you? What are you looking forward to for the UFC in 2011?

5. Mauricio Rua/Rashad Evans vs. Jon Jones

This is more about the ascension of Jon Jones than it is about Mauricio Rua or Rashad Evans, although both men are great fighters and pose a varied assortment of problems to “Bones”. No matter who ends up wearing the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, I can’t wait to see Jon Jones finally get his crack at the most hotly-contested and arguably the most prestigious championship in the UFC. With the title being on the line, and given whom Jones may end up facing, we’d most likely see a brilliant performance by “Bones” that utterly eclipses anything he’s ever done in the Octagon before. And that’s a dream come true for Jon Jones fans.

4. Nick Diaz vs. Jason Miller

At this point I think both men can barely stand to be in a room with each other, and I can only imagine how vicious these two would be if they ever got the opportunity to fight each other. This fight has been talked about at length for a long time, and I have personally done my best to keep both myself and my readers constantly up-to-date on this rivalry. And there’s a good reason for that: outside of the Heavyweight division, I truly believe that this fight is the most marketable and most interesting fight that Strikeforce conceivably has access to. And even though I’ve had a few issues with Jason Miller’s antics in the past, make no mistake: I’d still absolutely love to see this fight.

3. Jon Fitch vs. Georges St. Pierre 2

I’ve been a fan of Jon Fitch for a long, long time. I think he’s an amazing athlete, an incredible wrestler, one of the UFC’s best assets, and the recipient of far more criticism than he deserves and far less recognition than is fair. I’d love to see this fight because I think Jon Fitch has it in him to prove a lot of people wrong. Plus, it would likely bring out the best in Georges St. Pierre, who continues to evolve at an astonishing rate. Both as a Fitch fan and a GSP fan, I’d go out of my way to make sure I watched this fight if it ever ends up happening.

2. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Fabricio Werdum 2

Be honest, you knew it was coming. And for good reason, too: I think Fedor Emelianenko is the greatest Mixed Martial Artist that has ever fought. I think he made a mistake against Fabricio Werdum after a lifetime of performing flawlessly, and I think he has every intention of correcting that mistake in the most heinous, destructive way possible. The first fight shook the MMA world to its core, the rematch would be talked about for years to come. There’s not a lot I wouldn’t give to see this fight.

But, as if there could be any doubt, my top dream fight as we head towards 2011 is…

1. Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre

Even though it won’t look like it, I’m going to say this without an ounce of hyperbole on my part: I truly believe that Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre is the biggest dream-fight currently conceivable. Pick your poison, it’s all the same to me: it doesn’t matter if it’s Fedor vs. Randy Couture, Fedor vs. Brock Lesnar, Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem, or any and all of the rest. I truly believe that this fight would define a generation and go down as the biggest fight in MMA history. In the immediate future, I don’t think anything has a chance of toppling this fight as my top “dream fight”.

And so Part 2 comes to a close, fans and friends. Stay tuned for the final two parts as we head into the second half of “All I Want for Christmas”. And what do you think? What are some big dream matches you’re looking forward to?

The event is currently scheduled to take place on August 27, 2011 in Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena. At maximum capacity, the venue can hold anywhere from 15,000 to 18,000 fans. Reportedly, the UFC finally pulled the trigger on their long-awaited and long-planned return to Brazil based on the country’s recent and rapid economic expansion. Speaking to Yahoo Sports, UFC President Dana White had this to say: “The economy is doing extremely well… It just made sense. The economy has really been kick started and there are a lot of good things going on in Brazil… People were always asking me about Brazil and when it would happen and I always said it probably won’t happen for a while… But when they got the Olympics, I said, ‘Now we’re interested,’ and we really began to look at Brazil.”

After weeks of rumor and speculation, I think it’s great to finally get official confirmation that we can look forward to the UFC’s return to Brazil. The market does seem lucrative enough, and with Brazil’s deeply-rooted ties to all forms of fighting, the UFC should be a perfect fit. As with all the international cards, I think we can expect to see this event jam-packed with Brazilian competitors. And the best thing about that? A large portion of the UFC’s top talent are Brazilian.

However, this event does pose an interesting problem: yes, a lot of the UFC’s top-divisions stars are Brazilian, but a lot of them have been tied to other events. Several major fights have already been announced for 2011, many of them featuring the UFC’s top Brazilian stars. It’s certainly going to be interesting to see if any planned/rumored fights are shuffled around in order to better guarantee a sellout. But even without big stars like Anderson Silva, the UFC does have a host of other Brazilians that could easily make this card: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Wanderlei Silva, and more.

At the end of the day, I’m incredibly excited for the UFC’s return to Brazil. In general, I always appreciate a good international card. Only a select few have all the major stars, but far more often than not international cards are enjoyable no matter who’s headlining. And I think the UFC will do everything in their power to make sure that this particular card is a success. 2011 looks to be an amazing year both for MMA in general and the UFC in particular.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of the UFC’s return to Brazil, and what are some matches you hope the UFC puts together for this card?

On Feb. 6 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, the worlds largest mixed martial arts promotion will return to put on another stellar pay-per-view event.

The night will culminate in a middleweight headliner pitting champion Anderson Silva as he looks to defend his title for a record eighth-time when he takes on former teammate and top contender, Vitor Belfort.

The two Brazilians will be supported by a light-heavyweight co-main event pitting former champions Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin against one another in what should be an exciting 205-pound affair, inching the winner closer to a shot at the title in the ultra competitive weight class.

Jon Jones is also returning to action since an August beatdown of former title challenger Vladimir Matyushenko. The 205-pound phenom meets wrestling powerhouse and undefeated fighter Ryan Bader in a bout that could send the winner towards the top of the division and a shot at the title, or a top-3 contender at best.

Bantamweight’s will grace the card when former WEC title holder Miguel Torres makes his UFC debut alongside former title challenger Antonio Banuelos. Both men are more than capable of stealing the coveted “Fight of the Night” awards with their never-say-die attitudes and adept mixed martial arts skills.

Here is the card in it’s entirety as released by the promotion, though the preliminary portion is still all speculative at this point. Thanks to MMAJunkie.com for the heads up and the nifty body of work below.

The latest card now includes:

MAIN CARD

* Champ Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort (for middleweight title)
* Forrest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin
* Ryan Bader vs. Jon Jones
* Antonio Banuelos vs. Miguel Torres
* Paul Kelly vs. Sam Stout

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Jake Ellenberger vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha*
* Gabe Ruediger vs. Paul Taylor*
* Mike Pierce vs. Kenny Robertson*
* Kyle Kingsbury vs. Ricardo Romero*

* – Not officially announced

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the news? Any surprises? Sound off in the comment section below.

UOL Esporte, with translations courtesy of MMA Mania, reports that the UFC is planning to hold an event in Brazil in August of next year. The target venue is the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. The arena is a dual music/sporting arena and can hold anywhere between 8,000 to 18,000 people depending on what event/concert is being featured. The report also states that some of the biggest Brazilian stars the UFC has to offer have all been asked to participate in the event. No less than Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira have all been tied to this event.

I’ve been a vocal supporter of the UFC returning to Brazil ever since the announcement was made, so I’m very glad that plans are already in motion to make this a stellar card. I think the UFC and Mixed Martial Arts as a whole owes a whole heck of a lot to Brazil, and I’m glad that the UFC is looking to give back in a big way. Without an ounce of hyperbole, I firmly believe that Brazil has consistently given us some of the best Mixed Martial Artists of all time. From one generation to the next, there seems to be no stopping the influx of young, wildly-entertaining, ridiculously-skilled Brazilian competitors.

In regards to the card itself, there are simply too many great fantasy match-ups to think about. I’d love to see Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva fight each other, it’s a rematch that’s been over a decade in the making. The UFC could also have the rematch between Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira go down in Brazil, that would likely almost guarantee a sellout. And if they want to ensure that the HSBC arena is packed past capacity, the UFC could give us the rematch everyone is waiting for and book Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 2.

So the UFC is not without options, not by a long shot, especially since the new year isn’t even here yet and a lot of the UFC’s plans for 2011 are still only in the planning stages. I’m really looking forward to what the UFC produces in 2011 as a whole, especially with their two new lighter-weight divisions thanks to their absorption of the WEC. But this “Ultimate Brazil” event honestly seems like it could be one of the most interesting events in recent MMA history. Here’s hoping it lives up to the considerable hype it’s beginning to build for itself.

And what about you, fans and friends? As the rumors continue to swirl, what are your early thoughts on the UFC’s return to Brazil?

In a new episode of Mixed Martial Barts, Griffin was interviewed and, as was expected, talks of Anderson Silva quickly arose. Here’s some of what Griffin had to say, with thanks going out to MMA Mania for the transcription: “…It’s been over a year, it’s not that recent… I would probably poison [Anderson Silva] beforehand with some sort of drug that would make him slower [if we ever had a rematch]… Let me tell you what, me and you are never gonna be friends.” It was at this point that Griffin hung up on the interviewer.

I honestly hate the fact that Griffin’s loss to Anderson Silva has virtually overshadowed all of the accolades he’s gained throughout his career. How soon, how very soon we forget, fans and friends. We forget that Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar 1 is still widely regarded as the fight that brought the UFC and Mixed Martial Arts as a whole into the mainstream. We forget that Forrest Griffin has shown a tremendous amount of heart and skill in nearly all of his UFC performances. We forget that the man is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, an unlikely one at that, but one fully deserving of wearing the gold. But we’re more than willing to dwell on a fight that, as Griffin himself is more than happy to point out, occurred a year ago.

I get it. Anderson Silva dominated him. He outright manhandled him. How long can we hold that against Forrest, though? As a top-level UFC athlete, hasn’t he at least earned our respect to the point where we don’t trot out this loss every single chance we get? Remember, fans and friends, this is coming from what has to be one of the biggest Anderson Silva fans on the planet. My fandom of “The Spider” knows almost no bounds, and even I am tired of seeing this loss hound Forrest Griffin.

I’d much rather focus on the future: Rich Franklin vs. Forrest Griffin sounds like a spectacular fight on paper. Both men are former champions, and both men have good reason to win big. It has all the makings of a wild brawl with serious “Fight of the Night” potential and more than a little “Fight of the Year” potential.

So, all in all, I think it’s high time that we all moved on and stopped living in the past. Anderson Silva’s destruction of Forrest Griffin will always live on as one of the most one-sided beatings in UFC history, but to keep opening up that wound every time you get a chance to interview Forrest Griffin is just a deliberate and shallow attempt to get your interview more views by asking him questions that you know are going to push his buttons. As a fellow journalist/opinion columnist I can respect the need to ask the tough questions, but this question stopped being tough about six months ago. Now it’s just plain cruel.

And what about you, fans and friends? Where do you stand on this particular argument?

Here are the highlights from an MMA Weekly article that saw White say the following: “The thing is about Anderson Silva, the guy hasn’t lost since 2006, and he’s actually moved up in weight class and beat guys at 205, too. When people try to argue with me that this guy isn’t the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, it’s crazy… Even a fight where he’s getting beat for 4.75 rounds and then pulls out the armbar and wins the fight, that’s the stuff that makes you a legend… He’s 36 years old and he’s still dominant.”

It’s been a while since I chimed in on this matter, and I think now is as good a time as any. If you’ll recall, fans and friends, I posted an article entitled “Anderson Silva Has Lost the Pound for Pound Crown” back in August, shortly after Silva rallied back in the dying minutes of the fifth and final round of his showdown with arch-rival Chael Sonnen and tapped out the brash-talking Middleweight with a dramatic come-from-behind Triangle Choke/Armbar combination.

In that original article, I basically talked at length about how Chael’s domination of Silva up to that point was good enough to give Georges St. Pierre the ever-so-slight edge he needed in order to take the crown away from “The Spider”. St. Pierre has consistently looked incredibly dominant in every single one of his fights since losing to Matt Serra in 2007, while Silva’s reign of destruction faltered with lukewarm defenses against Patrick Cote, Thales Leites, and Demian Maia in addition to the one-sided thrashing he received at the hands of Chael. But something immeasurably important happened shortly after that article saw the light of day.

Just in case you missed one of the biggest scandals of the year, I’m talking about Chael Sonnen testing positive for steroids in a post-fight drug test after losing to Anderson Silva. Not only did the positive test put Sonnen’s credibility in doubt, it potentially turned a career-defining performance into a career-defining controversy. It’s also the chief reason my opinion on this subject has changed.

This is my opinion on the matter: if you’re chemically enhanced it doesn’t matter what you accomplished. You cheated, plain and simple. Your victory means nothing, and for Chael Sonnen, it means even less because he didn’t even win. So, right now, I think the pound-for-pound debate is back to being way too close to call. Both Anderson Silva and George St. Pierre are incredibly gifted and incredibly dominant champions, and I’m proud to call myself a huge fan of both men. So I’ll bide my time and revisit this argument once both men get through their upcoming championship defenses.

But make no mistake, I’ll be monitoring those fights closely. GSP’s performance against Josh Koscheck and Anderson Silva’s performance against Vitor Belfort will both play crucial roles in the continuing pound-for-pound debate. I still believe that GSP could overtake Silva, but I also think that Silva could keep his crown for a long, long time. It’s going to be a very interesting couple of months if, like me, you too just can’t help but get into the pound-for-pound fervor.

And what about you, fans and friends? What’s your feelings on the pound-for-pound debate in general, and Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre in particular?

“Forrest and I are both very tenacious fighters and both of us are very known for our cardio and our willingness to not quit. So I think that is going to make for an exciting fight… Mentally, I’m in a good spot… I know I’m going to come on top of my game, but I know it’s not going to be an easy fight either… I don’t put the carriage before the horse because once you try to map out your road, you’re going to find out that road has speed bumps that you didn’t see coming… This is what it boils down to. Strip Forrest, strip his name out of the equation, I’m fighting a very tough opponent in February, somebody who is going to bring it. And I have to be ready.”

I like this fight for a number of reasons, chief of which is the one that “Ace” himself mentioned. Both men are known for their incredible toughness and impressive cardio. I know it’s hard to overlook the fact that both men have been humbled so thoroughly in the past by Anderson Silva, especially when it comes to Forrest Griffin, who was on the receiving end of what had to be one of the most one-sided beatdowns in UFC history. But far more often than not, these two have shown an incredible resilience as well as the kind of championship drive necessary to remain a consistent threat as the fight heads into the later rounds.

Everything about this fight tells me that it’s going to go all three rounds, and that each and every round will be one to remember. Throughout his tenure in the UFC, Forrest Griffin has shown more heart than virtually anyone, and it’s a sad fact that his few losses have come to overshadow his long streak of tough performances where he gutted out the win through nothing but sheer determination and a desire to never give up.

The same holds true for Rich Franklin. It’s a real shame that most people only remember him as the man that Anderson Silva built most of his reputation off of. Franklin is a great fighter and a true veteran of the sport, he’s a consistent threat no matter who he’s facing. He’s bounced back from some tough losses in some big ways, and you can never truly count Rich Franklin out of any fight.

This fight could easily steal the show if both men show up at the top of their game. On paper, it has all the makings of an absolutely incredible brawl. No matter what your opinion is of these two fighters, you at least have to admit that this is a great Light Heavyweight showdown between two former UFC champions. And I personally can’t wait to watch it happen.

But what about you, fans and friends? How excited are you for this match-up, and who do you think will end up the  victor?

6. Tito Ortiz (5,294,000 PPV Buys)

Ortiz’s name on this list proves to me that a once-great star can still have drawing power so long as his fans continue to chase a dream while his cynics keep wanting to see him lose. Ortiz had his day in the sun as a dominant Light Heavyweight Champion, but his continued success as a Pay-Per-View draw is due to his fans wanting to believe that he can finally make good on his promises of a comeback, while those that dislike the man dislike him to such a degree that they’ll consistently purchase Pay-Per-View where he fights just so they can see him lose again. Ortiz proves that a fighter with an established, loyal fanbase can remain a big draw no matter what kind of win/loss ratio he has.

7. Frank Mir (5,209,000 PPV Buys)

Like Forrest Griffin, this one took me by surprise a little. Let’s be honest, Mir doesn’t have the most entertaining style, in fact, many people were quick to call his last fight (against Mirko Filipovic) downright atrocious. And yet Mir has made a mint off of getting fans riled up. His name on this list says to me that you can still be a huge draw even if a vast majority of fans are tuning in solely to see you lose.

8. BJ Penn (5,025,000 PPV Buys)

BJ Penn’s name on this list is indicates that MMA fans don’t forget a dominant face, even if he goes away. Penn has had his fair share of highs and lows, but above all else, people still remember his dominant win over Matt Hughes, his epic win over Diego Sanchez, etc. etc. Even though MMA has entered a mainstream that always looks for the next hot thing and is quick to abandon whatever falls out of favor, Penn’s #8 slot proves that MMA fans may be a fickle bunch in some matters, but they’ve also got quite a memory.

9. Randy Couture (4,767,000 PPV Buys)

I think Randy Couture’s spot on this list is all the proof I’ll ever need in order to know that MMA is a tough addiction to quit. As strange as it may sound to say, consider that there could honestly be some MMA fans that grew up watching Randy Couture. He’s certainly competed in a main event or close to main event capacity long enough for this to happen. Throughout all the years Couture has been competing, his fans have stayed with him and with the sport. In a world dominated by the Males 18-34 demographic, Couture’s spot on this list tells me that the old dogs have a lot more influence than we might think when it comes to who draws in this sport.

10. Anderson Silva (4,650,000 PPV Buys)

Our final entrant on this list, I think Anderson Silva proves above all else that the UFC Hype Machine knows how to make stars. Anderson Silva was always a fantastic fighter, but thanks to the UFC’s marketing juggernauts, Silva has been built up as the be-all and end-all in the UFC, with UFC President Dana White consistently calling him the top “Pound-for-Pound” athlete in the world despite a few puzzling fights where Silva seemed to have little fight in him. Silva is living proof that a great fighter will always be great, but a great fighter marketed correctly can bring in a huge amount of money.

So that’s the list, fans and friends. Remember, the full list can be found on MMA Manifesto. And now it’s your turn: did anyone in the bottom 5 surprise you? Do you think someone should be ranked higher than someone else? And what do you think these athletes say about our sport?

“When I watched the Chael fight, I realized I lost some focus of my desire to be champion.  Now I have that back fully 100% and just very excited for the fight and feel very prepared and very ready.”

Okami, like Marquardt, has recently lost to Chael Sonnen.  Yet, Marquardt says he is not looking to replicate how Sonnen defeated Okami.  In fact, he said watching the Sonnen/Okami tape has not been of much use at all.

“The bottom line – Chael is a different style fighter than I am.  I am going to be looking for openings to finish the fight.  It is not going to help me that much.  That fight, he fought completely differently than I am going to fight him. It doesn’t help me that much to watch that fight. There were other fights more valuable for me to watch.”

If he gets past Japan’s most successful UFC fighter, Marquardt is quite confident about facing Anderson Silva, should he defend the title against Vitor Belfort.  He feels Silva has always had holes in his game yet only since his narrow title defense victory over Chael Sonnen has the mainstream MMA media taken notice of the “The Spider’s” flaws.

“It’s been known to me that Anderson has holes in his game and if anything it has been eye opening for the media because they put him on this pedestal as if he was unbeatable.  Chael was able to expose, obviously that he is susceptible to take downs, and ground and pound and even if someone lands on a punch he gets wobbled.”

But first things first, and Marquardt has a giant obstacle in Okami blocking his second-chance title shot.  Will this go to the ground or stay standing … Marquardt didn’t divulge particulars, but sounded quite confident in his general game-plan.

“I fight best when I look for the opening and wait for the opening to come and then I capitalize and go for the finish 100%.   That how I fight best, how I do the most damage and this fight is not going to be any different.

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How does Marquardt beat Okami?  We want to hear your prediction?  Which fight at UFC 122 has got you fired up.

According to the Graciemag article, the UFC is looking at a possible November event in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro. The HSBC Arena is currently the rumored venue of choice for an event that is supposedly going to be called “Ultimate Brazil”. The first “Ultimate Brazil”, also known as “UFC Brazil” and UFC 17.5, took place over twelve years ago in a Brazilian gymnasium. The event featured such notable fights as Vitor Belfort TKO’ing Wanderlei Silva and Pedro Rizzo KO’ing David Abbott.

I think Brazil could easily become a major player in the UFC’s international excursions in the very near future. The UFC has left Brazil untapped for over a decade, and it’s high time that they test the waters once again. No matter what card they put together, I think the UFC will be very successful in their first UFC show.

But if you want my opinion? I say stop making “Brazil vs. USA” cards in principal and start putting them into practice. What I mean is that the UFC has made several notable Pay-Per-View events in recent history that have been filled with Brazilian fighters taking on American fighters, but they’ve never come out and directly marketed the “country vs. country” dynamic. For the UFC’s first show in Brazil, I’m calling for a “Brazil vs. USA” card so blatant that I’d even want it to be called “Brazil vs. USA”.

Not only that, but just imagine the type of fights that the UFC could put together if they truly want to make this foray into Brazil a resounding success. We could see the third encounter between Lyoto Machida and Mauricio Rua. We could get Wanderlei Silva facing off against Vitor Belfort once again, after all this time. How about a rematch between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank Mir? And if the UFC really wanted to ensure a sell-out, they could book the match that practically everyone in the world wants to see: Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva 2. If the card really does take place in November, Chael’s one-year suspension (if he does end up serving the entire length of the suspension) would have ended with more than enough time to prepare for this rematch.

I know I could be accused of getting my hopes up, and rightly so, but it’s hard not to when I think of all the great Brazilian stars competing in the UFC and how the UFC always tries to fill the first card in a new market with talent that’s native to that region. Depending on how big of a statement the UFC wants to make when they return to Brazil, we could end up getting one of the best events of the past several years. It may be a year away, but I can’t wait to see this card come to fruition and I look forward to seeing what big-name athletes the UFC brings to the table when they return to Brazil.

And what about you, fans and friends? How excited are you about the UFC returning to Brazil, and what fights would you like to see?

“Definitely I want to be exciting, but the main thing is I want to win this fight. Obviously if I get the chance I’m going to knock him out or submit him, but the number one thing for me is to win this fight, and for me, I have to follow the game plan… If I can follow my game plan and find my shots and find the openings to attack him, that’s where I’m going to be able to win the fight… I feel very comfortable. We’ve worked on some specific things that I think are going to be money in this fight. I feel very confident.”

Hopefully Marquardt is able to do both, and entertain as well as win on November 13. I’ve always been a semi-fan of Nate Marquardt, and I think that he’s really come into his own in his last few fights. He lost a very tough decision to Chael Sonnen, but other than that he’s had a fantastic run. His recent and dominating win over Rousimar Palhares was simply further proof that he’s ready for championship-caliber opponents once again. He’ll be 6-2 since losing to “The Spider” back in 2007 if he can beat Okami, so I think he’s definitely ready for another title shot.

And I’ll be honest, I like Nate Marquardt’s chances if he ever does get his rematch with Anderson Silva. I think the toll of being champion has begun to wear Silva down, and this is coming from an Anderson Silva super-fan. Anderson Silva just hasn’t looked the same in quite some time, even though he does have flashes of brilliance that remind us all why he holds the record for the most consecutive UFC wins and most consecutive UFC championship defenses. Still, with the way Marquardt’s been improving, I like his chances against Anderson Silva.

But don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean that I’m looking past Yushin Okami. Okami is a huge test for Marquardt, and I think Okami has been and will continue to be a huge test for anybody in the UFC’s middleweight division. He’s got an incredible amount of heart and skill, and it’s not a stretch of the imagination by any means to picture him beating Marquardt and challenging for the championship. It should be an excellent fight no matter who wins or loses. So I’m not and I won’t be counting out Yushin Okami. I’ll simply be pulling for Nate Marquardt.

And what about you, fans and friends? Who do you see winning this match-up and why? Also, who do you think poses the bigger threat to Anderson Silva?