There, heavy handed strikers and fan favorites Dan Hardy and Chris Lytle will meet in the main-event of the evening.

It wasn’t too long ago that both these men were considered to be some of the top contenders in the welterweight division, however after subsequent losses they now find themselves on the bubble and with another loss could very well be seeing their last days within the UFC.

“UFC on Versus 5″ takes place on Aug. 14 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and will be aired live on the Versus network.

Hardy, a one-time challenger to the UFC welterweight title opened up his career with the organization with a four-fight win streak, however has since fallen to the bottom of the barrel.

After meeting with UFC 170-pound champion Georges St. Pierre at UFC 111 in March of last year, Hardy was later paired with former WEC titleholder Carlos Condit in a pivotal welterweight affair. At UFC 120, in front of a supporting crowd in his native England, Hardy was knocked out inside of the first-round by the Greg Jackson product–it’s the first and only time to date that “The Outlaw” had his lights shut out. Later, Dan was looking for redemption in the form of a key victory over the heavy-handed Anthony Johnson at UFC Fight Night 24. The two met in the co-main event of the evening, and while the fight had promises of being an exciting stand-up affair, it turned out to be a 15-minute grappling match, one which Johnson dominated from start to finish for the decision win.

Hardy will now have the chance to bounce back in a big way, that is if he can get past the always-tough Chris Lytle. “Lights Out” was recently in the discussion for title contention when the resurgent welterweight was riding on the heels of a four-fight win streak, which included a notable victory over former champion Matt Serra at UFC 119 before a supporting hometown crowd in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Lytle was then pitted against fellow contender Carlos Condit in a likely title eliminator, however “The Natural Born Killer” took a backseat when he suffered an injury in preparations for the match. Lytle was then pitted against late replacement Brian Ebersole at UFC 127. Ebersole proved too much for Chris and eventually secured a unanimous decision win over the veteran, whom reportedly was dealing with injuries leading into the bout.

Now both Hardy and Lytle will find themselves on the short list of fighters whom could very well be seeing their last days in the organization–that statement is especially true for Hardy. Doesn’t matter how exciting you are and how well your taken by the fans, four losses in a row doesn’t look “pretty”–just ask Keith Jardine.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the match-up? Who do you favor? Both men are touted strikers, Hardy the more technical of the two, however Lytle has always found that his equalizer in the past has been his conditioning and his highly underrated submission skills, which have earned him six-victories inside the octagon. Sound off in the comment section below.

The one-time UFC title challenger is now reeling from a three-fight losing streak which began with his loss to current champion Georges St. Pierre in March of last year and finally culminated in his most recent loss to friend and fellow “banger” Anthony Johnson.

The bout took place last Saturday and served as the co-main event of the evening of the Spike televised UFC Fight Night 24 event. The match initially, on paper at least, promised to be a fan pleasing slug fest with two of the divisions more dynamic strikers, however it turned out to be a 15-minute grappling match with the larger Johnson coming out on top.

Now wanting what he calls a “real fight”, Hardy has since called out veteran and former contender Chris Lytle, and the the fan-favorite slugger has since obliged.

Last Saturday, the former top-10 fighter in Hardy had tweeted just moment’s after his bout some of his concerns and desires as a mixed marital artist moving forward in his career:

“Feeling very frustrated today. No excuses, sometimes you just dont win. I hate having boring fights though”, began the Brit who hails from Team Rough House.

“I want to fight again. I feel like Ive been robbed of the reward at the end of training camp.”

“An oldschool shootout with a guy that wants to throw down. Screw the rankings, records are for DJs”, joked Hardy.

“Win in a blaze of glory or go out on my shield. Someone like Mr Lytle…”

Chris, a veteran of more than 50-fights who has earned more than 8 “Fight Night” bonuses, gladly obliged to Hardy’s challenge in kind.

“I think it would be awesome”, said Lytle who spoke with BloodyElbow.com.

“I know exactly how he feels. He wants to go out there and fight. Just get out there and bang. He didn’t get to do that in his last fight and I’m all about it. Let’s do it!”

Lytle is coming off of a disappointing loss of his own against UFC newcomer Bryan Ebersole, who stepped up for an injured Carlos Condit at UFC 127. Ebersole earned a unanimous decision win over the would-be title challenger who was on a four-fight win streak heading into the bout. Lytle looked flat during the bout, however still proved that the fan favorite will continue to fight and eventually produced the evenings “Fight of the Night”. It is common knowledge now that Chris went into the welterweight bout just 4 weeks removed from surgery on a torn meniscus which for sure had an effect on his performance.

Lytle vs. Hardy? Sounds good to me.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the match-up? Is this something you would like to see in the inevitable future? Sound off in the comment section below.

MMA Junkie brings us the scoop, in a new interview Lytle recently said the following: “I wanted to take a little time and re-evaluate what I’m doing with everything and how I feel… I’m not going to pick and choose my fights, and I always feel like I should be able to fight anybody, anytime, anywhere… Unfortunately, I wish I was a little smarter about stuff, but I’m not… I’m not sure how long it’s going to take. I’m hoping a couple of months, and then I can get back in shape and plan for something.”

I’ll level with you, fans and friends. I honestly don’t know where Chris Lytle goes from here. It’s always difficult to predict what happens when an unknown comes in and beats an established star. It can take fighters years to recoup the ground they lost due to the loss, some fighters never really permanently recover from the damage down to their status and also their mentality. But there is one thing I do know for sure: if Chris Lytle still wants a home in the UFC, the UFC will give it to him.

The UFC knows what they have in Chris Lytle: they have a guy that will fight anyone and who can turn any fight into an entertaining one. He’s a good striker with a seriously under-rated ground game, and he’s got a long line of post-fight performance bonuses. The UFC has recognized Lytle’s skills and talent time and time again, in fact, the last time Lytle wasn’t on a Pay-Per-View was June 2009.

In regards to future opponents, I’d love to see Lytle fight his originally-intended opponent for UFC 127: former WEC Champion Carlos Condit. I think that would be an excellent brawl between two iron-fisted warriors, I even think it could be one of the bigger “sleeper hits” of the year if it fully lives up to its potential. However, that probably won’t happen given the loss to Ebersole. Still, Lytle can certainly stay active as a Welterweight gatekeeper, he’s been very successful at that for quite a while.

Although some changes do need to be made, I think Chris Lytle has plenty of fight left in him. The opportunity to rebuild and reclaim his status is there for the taking, Lytle only has to reach out and grab it. But for now, it’s enough to know that the man that was my first-ever “dark horse favorite” won’t be hanging up the gloves just yet.

And what about you, fans and friends? Any thoughts on Chris Lytle’s future?

Chief among them, I thought I would never see Michael Bisping finish someone on the feet, since collectively I’ve heard that he is the “pillow hands” of the middleweight division, that could have also been a whole lot of fighters that were in attendance at the Acer Arena were not necessarily the biggest fans of “The Count”.

While Bisping’s feat was impressive in of itself, several men shined brighter and earned the evening’s coveted “Fight Night” awards and all took home an additional $75k in bonus earnings.

Mark Hunt recorded his first victory in nearly five-years when he knocked out veteran Chris Tuchscherer this past weekend, showing some much improved takedown defense and patience inside the cage. The former K-1 world champion walked right through the wrestling standout, staggering him in the opening moments of the fight before taking Chris into the second-round, connecting on a well placed short right-uppercut which sent Tuchscherer, a training partner of former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, crashing to the mat face first. Hunt knew the action was over, and walked away after the blow landed without waiting for the referee to intervene in on the action. The classy walk-off KO earned Hunt the evening’s “Knockout of the Night” award, pocketing him some extra change in his pocket, and all before an adored hometown crowd in Australia.

An early upset on the card, UFC newcomer Brian Ebersole made good on his first foray inside the octagon when he defeated budding contender Chris Lytle on the pay-per-view event. Lytle was the heavy favorite heading into the bout, while Ebersole, largely an unknown to the casual fan, was stepping up on a few weeks notice for an injured Carlos Condit. However, Brian did not deter, and out grappled, and outstruck Lytle en route to a decision win–even knocking down the noted striker with a big knee to the chin. For their efforts, both men left the Acer Arena with an additional $75k for their “Fight of the Night” performances.

Finally, Kyle Noke, the season eleven veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter” made quick work of former castmate Chris Camozzi, submitting him with a swift rear-naked choke. Camozzi’s attempt at a takedown was botched when Noke was able to reverse position and immediately wind up in mount, eventually securing Chris’ back and sunk in the fight ending submission hold which came in less than two-minutes of the opening round. With the win, Noke not only recorded a win before his beloved Australian natives, but left the cage with the “Submission of the Night” award and some extra cash to boot.

According to MMA Weekly, the UFC was able to draw an attendance of 18, 186 fans to the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. And those fans ended up giving the UFC a massive 3.5 million dollars in gate receipts. According to the report, the UFC raked in over a million more dollars for this event than they did for their first Australian event.

MMA Weekly also brings us the scoop on who took home the UFC’s traditional post-fight awards and bonuses. This time, four fighters each received a $75,000 bonus for their spirited performances at UFC 127.

In one of the biggest upsets of the night, Brian Ebersole fought tough UFC veteran Chris Lytle to a tough three-round decision. Both men performed so admirably that the UFC saw fit to award their encounter “Fight of the Night”. The UFC’s “Knockout of the Night” award was given to MMA veteran and PRIDE FC notable Mark Hunt, who scored his first win in almost five years at UFC 127. Hunt broke an epic six-fight losing-streak by nearly breaking his hand over the head of Chris Tuchscherer. Tuchscherer has now lost three of his last four bouts, with all three losses coming by way of (T)KO. The “Submission of the Night” award went to Kyle Noke for his thrilling and lightning-fast Rear Naked Choke victory over Chris Camozzi.

All in all, it seems like this event was a pretty big success. I think the UFC has put on two pretty entertaining cards in Australia, both of which have been greeted with an avalanche of fans and support. I think the UFC will have big plans for Australia in the next few years.

I also think that Brian Ebersole and Chris Lytle definitely deserved “Fight of the Night” for their thrilling war of attrition. Win or lose, Chris Lytle once again took home a post-fight bonus. He may never become a UFC champion, but Chris Lytle remains one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC’s Welterweight division and, dare I say it, in the UFC in general. I’m honestly not too sure what the future holds for Chris Lytle, but I know I’ll be ready to support him no matter where he goes from here.

I’m honestly pretty glad that Mark Hunt was able to finally… and I do mean finally… win an MMA bout. He didn’t exactly beat a world-class opponent, but still, he scored a pretty great KO. I’m pretty sure the UFC won’t keep Hunt around for long, but at least he’s finally broken his losing streak, and he did it in the world’s premiere Mixed Martial Arts organization. I also really enjoyed Kyle Noke’s submission win and I think he fully deserved his “Submission of the Night” bonus.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of UFC 127’s live attendance and gate receipts and/or UFC 127’s post-fight bonus winners?

5. Anthony Perosh storming through Tom Blackledge.

UFC fans, even old-school UFC fans, only knew Anthony Perosh as a Heavyweight fighter that had gone winless in the UFC. But Perosh made his Light Heavyweight debut at UFC 127 in front of his hometown crowd. With the entire arena behind him, and at a weight where he could finally muscle opponents to the ground in order to use his considerable ground expertise (he now has eight wins by submission), Perosh turned in one of the best performances of his career, submitting his opponent in under three minutes, much to the delight of the Acer Arena fans. And much to my delight as well, because I felt that Perosh’s big win and dramatic post-fight celebration was one of the highlights of the night.

4. Kyle Noke quickly dispatching Chris Camozzi.

It’s always important to start a Pay-Per-View event off with a bang. And nothing quite says “bang” like a quick finish in under two minutes. Noke made short work of Camozzi, finishing him via a great Rear Naked Choke at 1:35 of the very first round. It was a pretty big moment in Noke’s career: he’s now won five straight fights. It was definitely a highlight of the night.

3. Brian Ebersole upsetting Chris Lytle.

Once more Chris Lytle found himself in the middle of a tough war with a very skilled veteran, and once more he ended up fighting his heart out in a classic performance that he unfortunately was not able to win. Brian Ebersole completely took me by surprise, and I immensely enjoyed this fight. I hate to see Chris Lytle lose, but the fight was so entertaining that it was definitely a major highlight of the entire show.

2. Dennis Siver upsetting George Sotiropoulos.

It always seems like a cliché, like a relatively weak counter-point, whenever someone says “every fight starts standing”. But sometimes that saying isn’t such a cliché… sometimes it’s a hard lesson that a ground specialist has to learn before taking the next big step up the rankings. And that lesson was recently taught to Sotiropoulos when Dennis Siver thoroughly controlled him and nearly finished him. Siver cynics may call him one-dimensional, but his ability to keep his fight with Sotiropoulos in that dimension exclusively should be praised, alongside Siver’s impressive level of striking. Seeing Siver outright dominate Sotiropoulos was easily one of the most shocking and most interesting moments of the night.

And my personal top moment of UFC 127 “Penn vs. Fitch” is…

1. Jon Fitch’s performance during the final round of his fight with BJ Penn.

This was the round where Jon Fitch left nothing to speculation, this was the round that made it very clear why Jon Fitch has only ever lost one time in the UFC. If Jon Fitch had fought this way for the entire fight, there’d have been no question as to who won it. In the third and final round, Fitch found a way to implement his famous style of grinding down an opponent with constant offense and smothering. Penn had nothing for Fitch in this third round, and it was this third round in particular that has led many to already cry foul at this fight being ruled a draw. This was the Jon Fitch that all Jon Fitch fans know and love, and even though we only saw him for one round, that round was definitely the highlight of the night for me.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? What were your favorite moments from UFC 127: “Penn vs. Fitch”?

Next for Chris Lytle: As much as I wish I didn’t have to say this, it’s back to the drawing board for “Lights Out”. This was simply a must-win situation that Chris Lytle didn’t win. Lytle gutted his way through a very tough, close fight that earned him yet another post-fight bonus, so I think we’ll see Lytle back on UFC Pay-Per-Views before long. In the here and now, however, I think the UFC will put Lytle into the role of a gatekeeper for his next fight.

Next for Brian Ebersole: It all depends on how active Ebersole wants to be as a UFC fighter this late into his career. If Ebersole wants big fights, I think the UFC will give them to him at least once. I can see him facing someone like Paulo Thiago, or the loser of the upcoming Martin Kampmann vs. Diego Sanchez fight, or even Josh Koscheck whenever he returns. Ebersole made a serious impact at UFC 127, so I think the UFC will throw him right back into the shark tank for his next fight.

Next for George Sotiropoulos: My feelings on “G-Sot” closely mirror my feelings on Chris Lytle: it’s time to retool and refocus. I think announcer Joe Rogan said it perfectly: George needs to learn the “American wrestling” style of shooting for takedowns in order to fully implement his ground game. But he also needs to keep developing his striking, the fight with Siver proved that George’s stand-up still has plenty of room to grow. We can expect to see Sotiropoulos on a “Fight Night Live” card in the near future, and I think we’ll probably see the best Sotiropoulos yet when he does make his comeback. There’s still plenty of time left to realize his potential, and I think this loss was an important learning experience for him.

Next for Dennis Siver: Probably the loser of Guida/Pettis or Edgar/Maynard 3, that or another high-level Lightweight star. Now that BJ Penn and Kenny Florian have left the division, the UFC could use another good striker with real finishing power. Plus, Siver’s takedown defense looks excellent, so he should be a worthy challenge to the other ground wizards at 155. We can expect to see Siver right back on a UFC Pay-Per-View and challenging one of the UFC’s best for his next fight.

Next for Jon Fitch/BJ Penn: Each other, which is why I’m grouping them together. This is one of the few occasions where I believe that an immediate rematch is absolutely called for. As much as I think Jon Fitch beat BJ Penn, I want this rematch so Fitch can leave nothing to speculation. I don’t want this fight to hover over his head, I don’t want all these unanswered questions to remain unanswered. For better or worse, I say we do this again.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. But what about you? What do you see happening in the near and not-so-near future of the big winners and losers of UFC 127 “Penn vs. Fitch”?

Jon Fitch and BJ Penn fight to a Majority Draw. Michael Bisping defeats Jorge Rivera by TKO (Strikes) at 1:54 of Round 2. Dennis Siver defeats George Sotiropoulos by Unanimous Decision. Brian Ebersole defeats Chris Lytle by Unanimous Decision. Kyle Noke defeats Chris Camozzi by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:35 of Round 1. Ross Pearson defeats Spencer Fisher by Unanimous Decision. Alexander Gustafsson defeats James Te Huna by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:27 of Round 1. Nick Ring defeats Riki Fukuda by Unanimous Decision. Anthony Perosh defeats Tom Blackledge by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:45 of Round 1. Tiequan Zhang defeats Jason Reinhardt by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:48 of Round 1. Mark Hunt defeats Chris Tuchscherer by KO (Punch) at 1:41 of Round 2. Curt Warburton defeats Maciej Jewtuszko by Unanimous Decision.

The “UFC Prelims Live” specials continue not to disappoint, and I’m very glad that I watched both the Facebook stream and the ION TV broadcast. However, I absolutely believe that Riki Fukuda was robbed of a victory against Nick Ring.

It really, really saddened me to see Chris Lytle lose again. I honestly don’t know how many times he can keep starting over, and I just don’t know if he’ll ever get to this point again. Brian Ebersole put on a fantastic performance, though, so at least Lytle didn’t lose a boring fight. Lytle went out on his shield, and I definitely commend him for it. But still… there are a lot of questions now surrounding the future for Chris Lytle.

With this win, I think we’ve seen the full ascension of Dennis Siver. Siver looked awesome in this fight, with great striking and awesome takedown defense. I’m a bit sad that Sotiropoulos wasn’t able to continue his hotstreak, but I think this win solidified Siver as a top-division fighter. I look forward to seeing what he does with this massive win.

I really enjoyed the Bisping/Rivera fight, and I think it lived up to most of its potential. But I absolutely believe that Bisping intentionally threw an illegal knee in order to get some revenge on Rivera, and I honestly don’t know how to feel about that right now. I suppose I’ll have to wait until Rivera shares his side of the story, and his reaction to the illegal knee. Right now though, I’m mostly happy that Bisping scored a dominating win, even though I think the beginning of the end started with an illegal strike.

In all honesty, BJ Penn vs. Jon Fitch was one of those fights where I didn’t want to see either man lose. I’ve been a fan of both fighters for quite some time now, and I think both men fought a very hard, very competitive fight. But I honestly think Jon Fitch deserved to win. BJ Penn performed admirably, but my gut reaction is that Fitch won this fight. But there can now be no doubt: this fight needs a rematch.

Overall, I really enjoyed UFC 126. It had a little something for everybody, and now more and more I’m noticing a trend in UFC and MMA shows in general as we head ever-deeper into 2011: a lot of my favorite fighters are losing, but the shows that they’re losing on are just so good that I can’t stay upset for long. This was another very, very solid UFC event, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

And that’s that, fans and friends! But what about you? What did you think of UFC 127 “Penn vs. Fitch”?

Chris Lytle will probably end up facing Carlos Condit.

I think this is a fight that simply has to happen, and I think it’s a fight that will eventually happen. It’s two tough veterans with immense power in their hands facing each other to determine which one really does have it in him to be a possible championship contender. If Lytle wins this bout with Ebersole, I think he’ll end up facing his original UFC 127 opponent sooner rather than later.

If this fight with Ebersole is boring, expect at least one or two “gatekeeper” fights.

Chris Lytle rarely has a boring fight, but let’s be honest: sometimes he does. If Lytle coasts to a decision, if Lytle grinds out a victory in order to keep his win-streak intact, look for the UFC to give some up-and-coming 170-pound talent a shot at top-division status by taking on “Lights Out”. Lytle could pursue this option, he could very well choose to play it safe in order to not risk Ebersole catching and upsetting him, but if he does, the UFC won’t be happy about it and it’ll take a few more fights before he gets another shot at a top-ranked opponent.

If Lytle wins a hard-fought bout, expect him to get a crack at a Top 10 welterweight.

If this fight with Ebersole ends up being a close, exciting encounter that Lytle ends up winning, then the UFC will definitely give Lytle a shot at a Top 10 opponent. A win is a win, but consistently entertaining the fans is one of the main reasons why Lytle has been able to stay on the UFC’s radar and a gainfully-employed fighter for so long. Even if Ebersole comes close to beating him, if this turns into a war of attrition that Lytle ends up winning, the UFC will be more than happy to give Lytle a serious challenger and a top-ranked opponent.

If Lytle wins spectacularly, he could end up replacing BJ Penn or Jon Fitch if either one wins and gets injured.

The UFC is a strange place. There’s no real governing body, so things can change on a whim. Currently, the next challenger for the UFC Welterweight Championship is expected to be the winner of UFC 127’s headlining attraction, either BJ Penn or Jon Fitch. But anything can happen in MMA, and if Lytle wins his fight in dominating fashion, he could become the next challenger to the UFC Welterweight Championship if the winner of Penn/Fitch is forced to sit on the sidelines with an injury.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? What do you see happening to Chris “Lights Out” Lytle if he wins his upcoming fight against Brian Ebersole?

5. Lytle knows he can’t keep starting over.

Even “Lights Out” himself has been open and honest regarding his future in the UFC. In short: this may be the last shot at championship relevancy he’ll ever get. This knowledge has led to Lytle being hungrier, more explosive, and more entertaining than ever before. Lytle is making the most out of this opportunity, and an incredibly motivated Chris Lytle is an incredibly dangerous Chris Lytle.

4. Lytle is on the best win-streak of his UFC career.

Lytle has rattled off four straight wins, with two great submission victories and two Unanimous Decision victories. Of those four wins, two have earned him “Of The Night” performance, and realistically, that number should be three: at UFC 116, the “Submission of the Night” award was given to Brock Lesnar despite the fact that many felt Lytle’s submission was better. And to top it all off, Lytle most recently defeated former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra. Lytle is at the best he’s ever been, and that’s why a lot of people are favoring him to win this match.

3. Chris Lytle’s striking has never looked better.

In the Matt Serra fight in particular, Chris Lytle displayed a wide range of fantastic strikes, basically overwhelming the man who scored the biggest upset in MMA history due to his striking. Lytle’s impressive footwork and wide range of punches has helped him win many fights in the past, and there’s a reason why he’s earned “Lights Out” as his nickname. Lytle’s striking has always been one of the deadliest weapons in his arsenal, and if his recent fights are any indication, it’s only getting deadlier.

2. Chris Lytle’s ground game is very impressive.

If Lytle’s striking is one of his deadliest weapons, his ground game is his secret weapon. For some reason, people just keep forgetting that you shouldn’t take Chris Lytle to the ground, because far more often than not, you lose. Consider this fact: Lytle has never been submitted. Not once, not in over fifty fights as a professional fighter, not in over ten years of active competition. He’s also won a majority of his fights by submission. If it goes to the ground, Lytle could definitely snatch up another great submission win.

And the number-one reason Chris Lytle could beat Brian Ebersole is…

1. This is Ebersole’s UFC debut.

Ebersole has been competing for over ten years… but he’s never once stepped into the Octagon. For Chris Lytle, this upcoming fight will mark the nineteenth time Lytle has competed under the UFC banner. Both men have a mountain of experience going into this bout, but there’s simply no substitute for actual Octagon experience. Lytle’s many years of fighting some of the UFC’s best is definitely the biggest reason why he could beat Brian Ebersole.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. One more time: Chris Lytle vs. Brian Ebersole. Who’ve you got and why?

5. The element of surprise.

Most high-level fighters are able to make the necessary adjustments when their scheduled opponent is forced to suddenly pull out of their bout, but some have honestly struggled with this in the past. Chris Lytle trained for Carlos Condit, and Carlos Condit is a very different fighter than Brian Ebersole. There’s also always the chance that Lytle could take Ebersole lightly.

4. Ebersole has the cardio to remain a threat to Lytle throughout all three rounds.

Although Ebersole has been to a decision eighteen times throughout his professional career, he’s won far more than he’s lost: thirteen victories compared to five defeats. Chris Lytle can’t say the same: he’s been to a decision twenty-one times in his career and only won six of those bouts. To put it into perspective: Brian Ebersole has nearly three times as many wins by decision as he does losses, while Chris Lytle has almost three times as many losses by decision as he does wins. If this fight goes all three rounds, Ebersole may be able to stop Lytle’s comeback dead in its tracks.

3. Ebersole can knock people out.

Aside from his many decision victories, Ebersole has thirteen (T)KO victories to his credit. In fact, the latest win in his impressive win-streak came by first-round KO. Even more, three of his last seven fights have ended with Ebersole’s opponent on the wrong end of a (T)KO. Chris Lytle may have the advantage in terms of pure striking, but Ebersole should be able to stand with him and dish out some heavy punishment.

2. Ebersole has plenty of submission wins.

Lytle fans, including myself, always talk about how you can’t sleep on Lytle’s ground game, and while that’s true, you also shouldn’t sleep on Brian Ebersole’s ground game. Ebersole has twenty submission wins to his credit, dating back to the start of his career, where he rattled off three straight submission victories after losing his pro MMA debut. Brian Ebersole actually has more submission wins on his record than Chris Lytle. If it does go to the ground, Ebersole could surprise a whole lot of people.

And the number one reason Brian Ebersole could beast Chris Lytle is…

1. Ebersole is on a seven-fight win-streak.

It really doesn’t get much better than that. The last time Brian Ebersole lost was on September 12, 2008. Of the seven fights he’s won since then, he was able to finish five of them. Despite being a ten-year veteran of the sport, Ebersole has kept a remarkably active and remarkably dominant schedule. Ebersole is ready for the UFC, and it’s that readiness and confidence that will be his deadliest weapon against the super-tough Chris Lytle.

So that’s what I think, fans and friends. But what about you? Do you see Brian Ebersole beating Chris Lytle? And if so, how and why?

Kyle Noke vs. Chris Camozzi: This is a pretty tough fight to pick. Both men are on four-fight win-streaks, both have only lost a handful of times, and both men are pretty versatile. Camozzi has four (T)KO’s, five submissions, and five decisions, while Noke has six (T)KO’s, seven submissions, and five decisions. It’s going to be a tough brawl, but based on the level of competition he’s fought and beaten, I’m picking Kyle Noke to win via Unanimous Decision.

Chris Lytle vs. Brian Ebersole: Brian Ebersole won’t make it easy, but in the end I just think that there’s no stopping Chris Lytle. Lytle may have lost more times, but Ebersole has been submitted nine times and Lytle has 19 submission wins on his record, this despite the fact that Lytle always shows up to bang and has some pretty heavy hands. Everyone seems to sleep on Lytle’s ground game, and I think Ebersole’s susceptibility to submissions will result in Chris Lytle taking a submission win in Round 2.

George Sotiropoulos vs. Dennis Siver: Dennis Siver is a quality match-up for anybody, but against George Sotiropoulos, I just don’t think he has what it takes. George is quickly shaping up to be the next big can’t-miss prospect at Lightweight, and he’s gone a long way towards realizing that destiny with several impressive victories that have really shown his growth into a complete Mixed Martial Artist, rather than just a submission specialist. But since Siver has lost a majority of his fights by submission (four of seven), I’m calling for a classic “G-Sot” performance that ends with a first round submission.

Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera: I hate to say what I’m about to say, because I’ve really become a fan of Jorge Rivera thanks to his hilarious, bust-a-gut video interviews where he mocks Michael Bisping. But I just don’t think Rivera is on Bisping’s level. Part of me hopes he proves me wrong, but a larger part of me knows that Bisping fights hardest when he has a chip on his shoulder. The last time Bisping was this fired up was after he had gotten KO’d by Dan Henderson and wanted to prove that he was still a force at Middleweight. He proceeded to dominate and TKO the once-feared Denis Kang and send him right out of the UFC. With this in mind, I think Bisping will catch an overly-aggressive Rivera and TKO him in Round 1.

BJ Penn vs. Jon Fitch: So it finally comes down to this: after weeks of speculation it’s now time for me to definitively choose a side. I’m a big fan of both BJ Penn and Jon Fitch, and this is honestly one of those fights where I really wish that neither man had to lose. But I’ve been siding with Fitch from the get-go, and in spite of recent developments, it’s Fitch that I’m going to stay with. Fitch will grind out BJ Penn and deplete his cardio to the point where we’ll see the same defeated, exhausted Penn we saw during the later rounds of Penn’s second battle with Georges St. Pierre. Jon Fitch will win this fight by Unanimous Decision.

And that’s it for me, fans and friends. But what about you? Who’ve you got winning, and why, for UFC 127 “Penn vs. Fitch”?

5. Four free fights, two on Facebook and two on ION Television.

Does it really get any better than that? If you’re of the mind to do so, you’re basically getting two free, full hours of MMA action in addition to the normal UFC Pay-Per-View broadcast. The UFC definitely knows how to give back to its fans, and the great thing about this is that the free fights have plenty of potential even if you have no idea who’s fighting who. Free MMA on TV plus good MMA on TV equals a major reason to watch UFC 127.

4. The continuing evolution of George Sotiropoulos.

Sotiropoulos is on a fantastic eight-fight win-streak with seven of those wins occurring inside the world’s most prestigious Mixed Martial Arts organization. But Sotiropoulos faces a very tough threat in the form of Dennis Siver, Siver has won four of his last five fights and has several “Of The Night” honors to his credit. This is exactly the kind of test Sotiropoulos needs right now, with the UFC needing just a bit more proof before they book him as the next major threat at Lightweight. If he wins and wins decisively at UFC 127, expect George Sotiropoulos to become a championship contender before the year is through.

3. Is Chris Lytle really ready for top-division status?

I’m disappointed that Carlos Condit had to pull out of this fight, but Brian Ebersole is no throw-away opponent. Ebersole is a tough veteran with a gigantic 44-14-1-1 record, but most recently, he’s won his last seven fights. It wouldn’t be the first time that a tough newcomer upset the heavy favorite, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about Chris Lytle possibly losing this bout. If “Lights Out” can beat Ebersole, he’ll take one big, important step closer to this latest run towards championship relevancy.

2. Can Jorge Rivera really beat Michael Bisping?

This is the million-dollar question when it comes to this fight, isn’t it? Rivera has been striking comedic gold for the past several weeks with his hilarious YouTube videos, but that’s come at a price: Bisping now wants to knock Rivera’s head off. Can Rivera really hang with a fighter that’s consistently hovered around the top of his division for the last several years? Or were his interviews, as vastly entertaining as they were, simply a matter of all show and no go?

And my number one reason to watch UFC 127 is…

1. Does Penn have another title run in him? Can Fitch really beat one of the best in the sport?

If Rivera/Bisping was the million-dollar question, I suppose those are the billion-dollar questions. BJ Penn and Jon Fitch are both at crucial parts of their careers: Fitch is closer than ever to getting both the title shot and the respect that he’s been hungering for ever since losing to Georges St. Pierre, BJ Penn is on the verge of another dramatic comeback in a career that’s been highlighted by amazing comebacks. It’s a fight between two of the UFC’s best with a whole lot more than just a shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship on the line, and it’s definitely the biggest reason to tune in and watch this show.

So there you have it, fans and friends: five great reasons to tune in and see UFC 127 “Penn vs. Fitch”. What about you? As the date draws ever-closer, what are you most looking forward to for this event?

The Event: UFC 127 “Penn vs. Fitch”, scheduled for February 27, 2011 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. Because of the time differential, the event will be broadcast live on Pay-Per-View in the United States on February 26, 2011 starting at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT. Two preliminary fights will be streamed live on the UFC’s Facebook page at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT. Two additional preliminary bouts will be shown on the Ion Television network at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT.

Why You Should Care: The card is filled with some of the best of the best when it comes to the UFC’s international talent, and in the main event, BJ Penn and Jon Fitch lock horns to determine the next man to challenge for the UFC Welterweight Championship. This is a very important point in both men’s fighting careers, and it isn’t a match that should be missed. Plus, many of the matches simply look like a whole lot of fun on paper.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: Both Penn and Fitch are chasing a title shot, but for very different reasons. Penn is all about cementing his legacy, Fitch is all about getting the credit he rightfully deserves. Fitch will come out hungry and look to grind down Penn, Penn will come out fiery and looking to serve up another KO after recently blasting Matt Hughes into unconsciousness. Both men will show up at the top of their game, and it’s going to be a great fight.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: For the past several weeks, Michael Bisping and Jorge Rivera have been embroiled in bitter verbal warfare with plenty of mudslinging and much spitting of venom. Both men pretty much hate each other, so look for them to come in trying to knock each other’s heads off. Rivera does not fear Michael Bisping, and he wants to prove that he’s no longer simply a “journeyman” fighter. Bisping wants to prove that Rivera was never on his level and that the UFC needs to start giving him legitimate championship contenders. It’s going to be a fast-paced brawl with neither man giving an inch.

Why You Should Watch This Card: It’s simply loaded with talent, and the potential for good fights is very high. Not only that, but you’re getting four free preliminary fights across Facebook and ION Television. Even if you disregard the main and co-main events, you’ve still got big names like George Sotiropoulos, Chris Lytle, and more. This is one of the UFC’s best international events by far.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: I honestly can’t think of any real reason to give this show a pass. You may not be a Jon Fitch fan, he’s certainly got his fair share of detractors, but the sheer quality of all the other fights makes this one event that’s difficult to pass up. This card really does have a “something for everybody” feel.

Closing Thoughts: I’m very excited for this event, and I think it’s going to be one of the year’s best shows. The UFC is already off to an amazing 2011, and this show will more than likely continue that trend. Mixed Martial Arts in general seems to be having a banner year, so I’m incredibly optimistic about where the sport is going as we head into Spring 2011.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends! What about you? What’s your opinion on UFC 127?

Who needs a Matt Serra fix?  Always entertaining in front of the mic, Serra joined Fighters.com recently to talk about a range of issues from why he kept his fight against Chris Lytle at UFC 119 standing, to his UFC future and hopes to scrap at Madison Square Garden, to if his good buddy, Pete “Drago” Sell will be making a comeback … he also throws in a movie review and recomendation.  Serra is an avid movie buff.   This is a great MMA value if you have seven minutes for Serra!

Click through to listen to the audio interview with Matt Serra.

We head first to MMA Junkie for a status update on “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit. The report states that Condit has injured his knee while training for his upcoming bout, and that he should be out for at least a month. Condit is coming off of the biggest win in his UFC career to date, a thrilling KO over former UFC Welterweight Championship contender Dan Hardy. A former WEC Welterweight Champion (the last WEC Welterweight Champion, in fact), Condit is currently on a three-fight win-streak.

Next up is a report over at MMA Weekly that fills us in on who Lytle’s replacement opponent will be. According to their sources, Brian Ebersole has been selected as Condit’s replacement and will face Chris Lytle at UFC 127. This will be Ebersole’s debut with the UFC, and he carries a 46-14-1 record into the world’s largest and most competitive MMA organization. Ebersole is also on a seven-fight win-streak and hasn’t lost since September 2008.

With absolutely no disrespect meant to Chris Ebersole, who I’m sure is a talented veteran and will give Lytle a tough challenge, this replacement fight really doesn’t come close to Condit vs. Lytle. I really liked that fight, I thought it would almost-certainly steal the show and I also thought that it would be that one, big win Lytle has been chasing for a long time, the one that sets him up as a legitimate top-level athlete and a possible championship challenger.

I hate to think what might happen if Lytle were to lose this bout. Lytle himself recently admitted that he can’t keep starting over, and that’s pretty much what will happen if Ebersole manages to beat him. As I said at the start of the article, Chris Lytle was my original “dark horse favorite”, the fighter that I can’t help but root for each and every time I see him fight, so I really hope he wins this fight.

In the end, I’m disappointed that the fight with Condit had to be called off, but I’ve still got a lot of faith in Chris Lytle. Ebersole has lost a majority (nine of fourteen) of his fights by submission, and Lytle has pulled off several awesome submissions lately, so I think Lytle will probably win this bout. Ebersole’s veteran status should ensure a fun fight, but my money was on and stays on “Lights Out”.

And what about you, fans and friends? Any thoughts on Condit’s withdrawal and/or Lytle’s replacement opponent?

In a new interview conducted by the folks over at MMA Junkie, Lytle recently shared the following sentiments: “When they say ‘whoever wins this fight gets a title shot’ – you ever notice how those fights are always boring? …They want to eke out a victory, and I don’t ever want to fight like that again… I don’t want to win the worst fight of my life. I’d rather fight the best fight of my life and lose… The way I see it, this might very well be my last [run at the title]… I don’t have time to keep starting over. I just can’t keep doing it.”

I’ve been a fan of Chris Lytle for a number of years now, and throughout that time, he’s never given me a reason to change my views. Inside the cage he fights to finish and has put together some amazing victories lately. Outside the cage he’s a consummate professional and fully deserving of his status as an MMA veteran. Not only do I hope Chris Lytle beats Carlos Condit, I hope he beats whoever else the UFC puts in front of him and finally gets a shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship.

The alternative is quite grim. I really appreciate how frank Lytle is in admitting that he can’t keep starting over, and I’ll be equally as honest and frank and say that I don’t think Lytle’s career can afford another setback. Lytle will celebrate his twelfth year fighting as a professional Mixed Martial Artist in February, and this upcoming fight with Condit will take him one step closer to his twentieth performance inside the Octagon. Lytle simply can’t afford for his career to keep hitting the “reset” button. Even though I don’t like to admit it, I really do think that it’s “do or die” time for Chris Lytle.

Lytle will certainly have his hands full against Condit, who is an excellent striker and coming off of arguably the biggest win of his career. Condit is on a three-fight win-streak with two (T)KO victories, and hasn’t lost since 2009. And while Lytle has never been knocked out before (his two TKO losses were due to cuts), Dan Hardy was also a fighter that had never been knocked out before. Condit has the kind of power in his hands that is a threat to anyone, and he has enough experience competing against high-level competition to give anyone a run for their money.

So while it won’t be easy, I think Condit is a great test for Lytle and I also think that it’ll be a big step forward for “Lights Out” if Lytle is able to score the win. I’m a fan of both men, so I’m just glad we’re going to get what should be an awesome fight. But I’ve had my feet firmly in the Chris Lytle bandwagon for a number of years now, so with absolutely no disrespect meant towards Carlos Condit, I sincerely hope that Chris Lytle wins this fight dramatically, with a big KO or submission, and continues his march towards the championship.

And what about you, fans and friends? What’s your opinion on Lytle’s chances in this fight, and his chances as a championship contender in general?

Here’s what “The Natural Born Killer”, who most recently shocked the world and KO’d Dan Hardy at UFC 120 back in October, had to say in a recent interview with MMA Weekly: “I feel like I’m ready… I’ve got to put the wins together to get my place, and I think in one or two wins I should be there… I think no matter who I step in against there’s always doubt, there’s always the opportunity for them to knock you out cold and embarrass you, but you’ve just got to put that aside and put your best foot forward and go out there and fight your best fight…”

In his next fight, Condit will face another veteran MMA star that’s finally made his way up to top-division status. Condit is currently scheduled to face Chris Lytle at UFC 127 in February. Lytle is on a four-fight win-streak with two finishes, and just got done avenging a 2006 loss to Matt Serra.

I fully agree with Condit, I think he’s only a few victories away from getting a shot at the championship. When you’re a top-division star facing top-division athletes, you’re always only a few fights away from getting a shot at the gold. Condit will have his work cut out for him against Chris Lytle, though, and I’m not saying that just because I’m a big Chris Lytle fan. Make no mistake, I’m definitely saying that as a Chris Lytle fan, but that’s just not my only reason. Let’s all give credit where credit is due: Lytle has hit more than a few stumbling blocks in his many wars in the UFC, but he’s finally worked his way up to top-division status. Condit will face another iron-chinned striker at UFC 127, but the difference between Dan Hardy and Chris Lytle is the degree of striking: Lytle is an expert of the “sweet science” and is in fact a former champion in pro boxing with a 13-1 record.

But no matter who wins in February, I’m glad that the UFC Welterweight division continues to find itself new challengers for everyone’s favorite divisional kingpin, Georges St. Pierre. I’m one of those fans that think that a division is never truly “dead” no matter how dominant a champion is. Someone, somewhere will put it all together. It’s just a matter of time. Every BJ Penn has their Frank Edgar, every Fedor Emelianenko has their Fabricio Werdum, and yes, ever GSP has their Matt Serra. Will it be Carlos Condit that ends up beating the seemingly-unbeatable? Who can really say? Me, I’m just happy that he’s up for the task. It’s going to be very interesting to see what unfolds in the UFC’s Welterweight division in 2011, because if 2010 taught us anything, it’s that nothing is impossible.

So, what about you fans and friends? Will Carlos Condit end up dethroning GSP? Will it be someone else? Or will GSP end 2011 just as flawlessly as he did 2010?

5. Paulo Thiago

It’s one of the biggest losses of his career, and in a way, Koscheck is still fighting to get out of the shadow of this loss. And what better way to do just that than by stepping back inside the Octagon with Paulo Thiago in order to prove once and for all that Thiago’s victory was more fluke than fantastic? If Koscheck can return the favor and KO Thiago, he’ll have permanently closed the book on the entire situation and he’d also take a firm step on the comeback trail.

4. Chris Lytle

A lot has changed since Chris Lytle first met Josh Koscheck in 2008. It now appears that, after years of fighting tooth-and-nail up the rankings, Chris Lytle has finally emerged as a top-division star. His boxing has never looked more crisp and precise, and his ground game has resulted in several amazing submission wins in several of his recent fights. This would be an important test for both men, and if Koscheck can make his record against Lytle a perfect 2-0, he’ll have firmly established that he’s far from done in the UFC’s Welterweight division.

3. Thiago Alves

I know this list does seem to have a large amount of rematches in it, but to be fair, every single one of these matches makes sense and would really help further along Koscheck’s career. After hitting a rough patch ever since he lost to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100, Thiago Alves most recently found his inner “Pitbull” when he thoroughly outclassed John Howard. If the old Alves really is back, he represents a major opportunity for Koscheck to reestablish himself.

2. BJ Penn

This match makes sense for so many reasons. If BJ Penn beats Koscheck’s teammate Jon Fitch in their upcoming encounter, this will be an awesome grudge match. If Fitch beats Penn, it’ll be Penn that looks for revenge against another member of the American Kickboxing Academy. Both men also have very impressive stand-up and, for the most part, very strong chins. This match sounds great enough on paper, but add a little BJ Penn vs. AKA rivalry into the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for an awesome and pretty important fight.

And my #1 opponent for Josh Koscheck to fight in the near future is…

1. Matt Hughes

Josh Koscheck has been campaigning for this match for quite some time, and he’s vocally called out the UFC Hall of Fame member in the past. With Hughes turning towards retirement, this would be an epic showdown, and it would be a tremendous moral victory and a huge motivating factor if Josh Koscheck ends up being the man that retires Matt Hughes. And of course Matt Hughes wouldn’t go down without a fight. Not only would this be an incredibly important fight, it also would more than likely be one of the year’s best.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? Who do you think Koscheck should face in the near future, and why?

MMA Weekly brings word from a huge Australian press conference where UFC Managing Director of International Development Marshall Zelaznik recently made the card official. While anything can happen between now and February, currently the card stands as follows: Jon Fitch vs. B.J. Penn, Michael Bisping vs. Jorge Rivera, Dennis Siver vs. George Sotiropoulos, Chris Camozzi vs. Kyle Noke, Carlos Condit vs. Chris Lytle, Alexander Gustafsson vs. James Te Huna, Tom Blackledge vs. Anthony Perosh, Riki Fukuda vs. Nick Ring, Spencer Fisher vs. Ross Pearson, Maciej Jewtuszko vs. Curt Warburton, and Mark Hunt vs. TBA.

I’m looking forward to this card for several big reasons, and I honestly think it has the potential to be an early front-runner for the best UFC event of the year, perhaps even the best MMA event overall of 2011. First and foremost, I’m a massive fan of both Jon Fitch and BJ Penn and I can’t wait to see how their wildly different styles clash. Both men are amazing fighters and are coming off some big wins, and I think if Jon Fitch is able to pass this test, he’ll finally be given his long-awaited and long-overdue rematch with Georges St. Pierre.

I’m also looking forward to this card because I’m a big fan of Michael Bisping, and I think he’s going to KO Jorge Rivera. Rivera is an experienced veteran who’s on a good win-streak right now, but Bisping has always been hovering around top-division status and Rivera is clearly a middle-of-the-road somewhat-threat. Bisping has proven dangerous against top competition even if he’s lost to a few of them, so I think UFC 127 will be an important step for Bisping’s career as he grabs up another huge and convincing win.

I’m also a growing fan of George Sotiropoulos, and I think he’s definitely the next major threat at Lightweight. I was a bit hesitant to get behind him thanks to what I like to call the “Magic Submission Pants”, but his recent performances have proven that Sotiropolous is a great fighter no matter what he’s wearing. The clothes don’t make the man, Sotiropoulos could show up to an MMA event stark naked and probably still dominate his opponent… not that anyone would want him to, of course, I simply say this as a converted fan.

And finally, I’m a big fan of Chris Lytle. I’ve been a fan of his for quite some time, in the past, I’ve even said that my often-used and much-loved term “dark horse favorite” originated with Chris Lytle. If Lytle beats Condit he may finally step into the “promised land” and achieve top-division status. For someone who’s battled his way through the UFC for so many years, I can admit that it’d certainly be unexpected to see Chris Lytle finally emerge as a legitimate Welterweight contender in 2011. Unexpected… but certainly not impossible. So I’ll be pulling for “Lights Out” in a major way, and I wish him all the best.

So there you have it, fans and friends. For several reasons, UFC 127 is shaping up to be my can’t-miss event of the year. What about you? What are your early opinions on the card?

In his most recent performances, Condit has gone from potential ufc drop out to a viable contender in the title picture. After a close split-decision loss to Martin Kampmann and an equally close split-decision win over the talented Jake Ellenberger in his first two UFC performances, Condit has now come into his own.

After two hotly contested rounds against Rory MacDonald, a former lightweight and welterweight champion in the King of the Cage promotion, it looked like the Canadian stud was edging Carlos in the bout by the time the match reached the final round at UFC 115, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Coupled with his grit and his never say die attitude that has made him popular with the fan’s over the years, Condit returned with a vengeance in the final round, mounting the welterweight prospect and finishing him off with strikes for the TKO victory in the final round. The win reminded everyone why Carlos was thought to be a force to be reckoned within the 170-pound division, and in turn helped set up his most impressive performance to date.

In his last outing, “The Natural Born Killer” entered into hostile territory when he was pitted against former title challenger Dan Hardy at UFC 120, in London, England. The Brit didn’t take kindly to Condit, who had requested the bout with UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, and promised a spectacular performance. While the bout’s conclusion was spectacular, it most likely wasn’t the outcome that “The Outlaw” had had in mind.

Condit was competitive on the feet with Hardy, who is known for his punching power and effective boxing skills, landing body kicks and leg kicks and some sharp jabs all throughout the round. The bout was swaying in the Greg Jackson fighter’s favor early, and in the final moments of the round, both welterweight’s uncorked a left hook, with Condit’s landing first. Hardy went crashing to the mat, a few additional blows later and Carlos was declared the victor, via knockout.

The win catapulted the 26-year-old back into the title hunt, and a resurgent Chris Lytle would now be penciled in for his next opponent.

After appearing on the fourth season of “The Ultimate Fighter” where Chris was hand picked to be on the show in what was a special attraction for UFC veteran’s to return for a final shot at redemption and in turn earn an immediate title shot with the champion, Lytle won his way to the final’s against New Yorker Matt Serra. After a strategic, closely contested, boring fight turned in during the season’s finale, Serra was declared the winner. From there on out, Lytle promised to do anything but lay back and hope for a victory. If he wanted it, he would go after it, and the only way to do it was to get the finish, knockout or submission, even if it was at his own expense.

Since the finale, Lytle has gone 8-4 inside the octagon (with 5 of those victories coming by way of knockout or submission, and 7 of those 12 bouts earning either “Fight of the Night”, “Knockout of the Night”, or “Submission of the Night” honors), and is now riding a four-fight win streak within the promotion.

Most recently, Lytle got a taste of revenge when he was able to defeat Serra in a rematch at UFC 119 in front of an adoring hometown crowd in Indianapolis, Ind. Chris thoroughly dominated the former champion for all three rounds, and was declared the winner by unanimous decision.

Now on the upswing of his career the winner between Lytle and Condit could most definitely be in line for the next shot at the UFC welterweight title, after Jake Shields meets the winner of the Georges St. Pierre vs Josh Koscheck match up at UFC 124, this December.

Lytle vs Condit is reportedly scheduled for an as of yet announced show on February 27, following UFC 126 which takes place on February 5. This, is all according to MMAJunkie.com.

UPDATE: The bout is said to be taking place in Australia, however nothing is official as of yet.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the welterweight match up? Two adept strikers and skilled grapplers should make for an entertaining bout overall. How do you think hold’s the advantage? Is it the former champion or the wily veteran? Sound off in the comment section below.

Headlining the nights festivities will be former light heavyweight champions Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida in a non-title bout, with a trilogy between former welterweight champions Matt Hughes and BJ Penn being completed that night, serving as the co-main event of the evening.

Prior to these bouts, a pair of middleweights and 170-pound fighters will be in action as part of the Spike TV special, which will have the potential to reach 96.1 million people at home in these United States.

MMAJunkie.com has indicated that match ups between middleweights Mark Munoz vs Aaron Simpson, and Matt Brown vs Rory MacDonald, will serve as the two bouts selected for the Spike broadcast.

Munoz, a heavy handed wrestler is coming off the sting of his first defeat in the middleweight division, where he lost a close split-decision to top contender Yushin Okami. The Japanese star brought it to the former NCAA champion early and often, dropping Munoz on one occasion and stuffing all of his take down attempts. Mark hung tough, and even managed to wobble Okami to the ground and pressured him with his improved stand up arsenal. In the end it wasn’t enough, and Munoz saw a three-fight win streak snapped with the loss.

Aaron, meanwhile, is coming off a loss as well, his first as a professional mixed martial artist. A two-time NCAA champion in 96′ and 98′, became an assistant wrestling coach for Arizona State, where he initially compiled 110 victories for the university.

There, he coached the likes of UFC standouts CB Dollaway, Ryan Bader, and current UFC heavyweight number one contender, Cain Velasquez. Being bit by the biting bug, Aaron opened up to the idea of fighting as a living in 2007, and compiled a perfect 4-0 before joining the UFC. Going on to garner a three-fight win streak within the promotion, his run was snapped when Simpson met with Chris Leben at “The Ultimate Fighter” season 11 finale, losing by TKO in the second round.

Both Rory MacDonald and Matt Brown are coming off losses as well. The Canadian shined though, in his bout against former WEC welterweight champion Carlos Condit, last June at UFC 115. Arguably ahead on the score cards going into the third round after getting the better of the stand up against Condit, Rory was notably fatigued in the final round. Carlos was eventually able to work the fight to the floor, eventually mounting the former King of the Cage lightweight and welterweight champion, pounding him out for a TKO victory in waning moments of the fight. Prior to the loss, MacDonald made a successful debut into the organization with a first-round arm bar over fellow KOTC veteran Mike Guymon at “UFC Fight Night 20″ in January of this year.

Brown, however is feeling the sting of defeat well and hard. The former contender is coming on the heels of two consecutive losses, submissions at that, to standouts Ricardo Almedia and most recently current top contender Chris Lytle.

In the bout with Lytle at UFC 116, which was the second in the series, the two traded blows early, Brown effective on the feet, the welterweight battle found its way to the floor in the early stages of the second round. Both fighters were jockeying for position, and Lytle was eventually able to secure an arm, and completed the bout ends with an arm bar victory over Brown.

Prior to the losses to Ricardo and Chris, Brown was riding a three-fight win streak in the organization and four of his last five overall. However now on the cusp of his UFC career, this is a must-win situation for both Brown and MacDonald. A loss for either could spell pink slips, which can also be said of Munoz and Simpson.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the UFC 123 prelims? Worthy? Do you have any other bouts in mind as far as what you would rather see in place of said matches? Sound off in the comments section below.

Both Matt Serra and Mirko Cro Cop received indefinite suspensions following their losing efforts to Chris Lytle and Frank Mir respectively. Both men are indefinitely suspended until they get a head CT scan by a doctor and are medically cleared to fight again, at which point their suspension is reduced to a minimum of 180 days. Co-main event fighter Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was suspended for thirty days, with no contact for thirty days. The “thirty-thirty” suspension also applies to Joey Beltran and Steve Lopez. Evan Dunham was suspended for 45 days with 45 days no contact. Sean Sherk and Sean McCorkle were also suspended thirty days, with 21 days no contact for both fighters. Matt Mitrione was suspended for thirty days with twelve days no contact. Mark Hunt was suspended indefinitely, pending the results of an X-Ray on his left elbow, with thirty days no contact.

It’s unfortunate that both Mirko Cro Cop and Matt Serra are looking at basically a half-year off even if they’re medically cleared. Both are getting older and, based on their UFC 119 performances, their abilities may be on the decline as well. In Serra’s case, realistically he simply made the mistake of standing with a former boxer in order to give the fan’s a good fight. I think Serra shouldn’t be criticized, though, because he did give us a good fight, and I personally felt both he and Lytle were robbed of “Fight of the Night” honors. But ultimately, Serra’s desire to make up for their lackluster first fight caused him to take a ton of damage. Hopefully he takes these six months off to heal up, attend to any nagging injuries, and come back with a renewed sense of purpose and a back-to-basics approach.

Mirko Cro Cop’s indefinite suspension is, at least in my honest opinion, yet another nail in the man’s coffin. Robert Rousseau recently penned on article detailing why he thinks Mirko Cro Cop should retire, and I have to tell you, fans and friends…I agree with him wholeheartedly. If Mirko Cro Cop hasn’t lost his heart, he’s certainly lost his desire and tenacity. Some Cro Cop fans are saying that Mirko may have one last good run in him as a divisional gatekeeper, but honestly, is that something we need to see? After failing so hard in his attempts at UFC glory, shouldn’t we be spared the pain of seeing him flop around as a gatekeeper only to keep getting blasted whenever he’s put against a top-division athlete? I predicted Filipović would lose from the beginning, and even I don’t want to see him reduced to such a state.

And what do you think, fans and friends? Where will we see these fighters, especially Serra and Cro Cop, once their injuries heal up and their medical suspensions are lifted?

There were two Co-Fight of the Night performances on the card. Matt Mitrione and Joey Beltran made the “Prelims LIVE” special on Spike TV well worth watching. Both men displayed iron chins, heavy hands, and a willingness to engage that so many fighters seem to be lacking these days. While neither man is anywhere near top-division status, both men are still talented individuals and are now $70,000 richer for their efforts at giving the fans a fun fight.

The other Fight of the Night award was given to both Sean Sherk and Evan Dunham for their three-round war of attrition. Despite a sizable layoff, Sean Sherk looked to be back to his former glory in the first round of their three-round tilt, scoring several impressive takedowns and nailing good Ground and Pound, the highlight of which was an elbow that produced a sizable gash on Dunham’s head. Dunham would go on to rebound and in my fans’ eyes win rounds 2 and 3, although the judges would ultimately give the decision to Sherk. Even though the ending was controversial, the fight itself was very entertaining and both men deserve their $70,000 bonuses.

Surprisingly enough, no “KO of the Night” bonus was awarded. Usually this only happens when no KO is recorded, but UFC 119 saw the dramatic KO’ing of feared Croatian striker and PRIDE FC legend Mirko Cro Cop at the hands (more specifically, the knees) of former UFC Heavyweight and Interim Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir. It’s true that the finale came near the end of a rather boring three-round stall-fest, where both men nailed only small offensive flurries, but I think Mir should have gotten his $70,000. Even if the fight itself was boring, let’s not kid ourselves: the UFC just found another great segment to add to Frank Mir’s highlight reel, and you can bet that they’ll be milking it for every cent it’s worth in Mir’s next fight. Due to that I really think Mir should have been awarded “KO of the Night”.

I also disagree with the Matt Serra/Chris Lytle fight not being awarded “Fight of the Night” status. I felt that the fight was an easy pick for such an award. Neither man ever left his feet, but neither man ever wavered either. Both men were constantly moving forward, constantly landing shots, it was like their first rather-boring fight had never happened. What we saw was two incredibly tough veterans slugging it out, leaving it all on the line, and having absolutely nothing to apologize for when the final bell rang. I won’t dispute that Mitrione/Beltran and Dunham/Sherk were both very fun and entertaining fights, but I honestly think Serra/Lytle beat them both out by a not-inconsiderable margin.

I’m very glad that this event was such a success, and I’m equally as glad that the UFC continues to up the ante and award bigger and bigger “Of the Night” bonuses. UFC 119 was an entertaining event, period. It may not have lived up to everyone’s expectations, it may have featured some controversial decisions, some fights may have been a bit on the boring side, and the main event may have seen the man mostly vilified by the masses KO the man who holds semi-revered status with most MMA fans. But none of that makes it an event that was boring overall, or horrible. It wasn’t “Event of the Year” material, but in a world where everyone’s a critic and nothing is as good as it could have been, UFC 119 got my seal of approval.

But what about you, fans and friends? What did you think of UFC 119, and what do you think about these “Of the Night” bonuses?

Next for Mark Hunt: Retirement. No one comes back from six straight stoppage losses. Hunt did give us an exciting fight, but he got submitted so quickly that I honestly don’t see him ever being taken seriously again. There will always be a home for him in places like lower-level promotions and (most likely) the entirety of Japan, but I think he should just save himself the trouble and retire already.

Next for Sean Sherk/Evan Dunham: Each other, which is why I’m grouping them together. Trust me: this story will see a second chapter. It may happen immediately, it may not, but Sherk/Dunham 2 must take place before Sherk is ever taken seriously again. Despite sporting a hideous gash on his head for most of the fight, Dunham remained dynamic, engaged frequently, and should have taken the Split Decision victory. Even Dana White has said that he hated this decision, so a rematch is a no-brainer.

Next for Ryan Bader: Losing to Jon Jones, plain and simple. Bader proved at UFC 119 that his “dynamic mode” has an “off” switch. When he doesn’t want to engage he can be downright boring. Bader’s tepid performance was certainly good enough to give him the win, I’m not disputing that. But unless he brings his best from the first bell to the last, the Ryan Bader we saw at UFC 119 will be easy pickings for Jonny Bones, who doesn’t seem to know how to fight in any style other than “awesome”.

Next for Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: A decent run at Light Heavyweight that never truly lives up to the potential it could have had when Nogueira knocked out Luis Arthur Cane. “Little Nog” will likely stick around and be successful just like his bigger brother, but like Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, his success will only go so far. And unlike “Big Nog”, I don’t see Rogerio ever becoming a UFC champion. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that the Nogueira brothers are a part of the “old guard” that today’s current stars are quickly passing by.

Next for Frank Mir: A rematch with Shane Carwin, perhaps? Or maybe someone like Roy Nelson. Mir took an important step towards re-establishing himself as an elite-level Heavyweight, but he’s not there yet. I’d be a hypocrite if I said that Mir is at the top of the rankings after beating Cro Cop, because I’ve adamantly stated and defended my stance that Mirko Cro Cop is not a top-division UFC fighter. When you look at it from that point of view, and when you consider how timid Mir was until he scored the surprise KO, Mir still has quite a road ahead of him before he’s up there and challenging for the belt again. But beating Cro Cop did prove that it’s still a possibility.

Next for Mirko Cro Cop: I bet right about now a lot of people are expecting me to go on a big “TOLD YOU SO” rant, especially when you consider how I sat back and let the critics get in their shots when Randy Couture demolished James Toney. But you know what? I honestly felt sad when I saw Cro Cop go limp. Cro Cop was a good fighter. No, that’s wrong. He was an amazing fighter. His run in PRIDE rivals all the other famous runs that PRIDE fans loved so much: Wanderlei Silva’s, Fedor Emelianenko’s, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s, the list goes on. But he’s a shadow of a shadow of his former self, and this fight proved it. So, yeah, I’m honestly sad that Mir proved once and for all that Cro Cop will never be relevant in the UFC, even after the Cro Cop defenders lambasted me for saying as such. I honestly don’t know where Mirko goes from where, but I can say with certainty that it won’t be anywhere good.

So there’s my take, fans and friends. What do you think the future holds for the big winners and losers of UFC 119?

Sean McCorkle defeated Mark Hunt via Submission (Kimura) at 1:03 of Round 1. TJ Grant defeated Julio Paulino via Unanimous Decision. Waylon Lowe defeated Steve Lopez via Split Decision. Thiago Tavares defeated Pat Audinwood via Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 3:47 of Round 1. Matt Mitrione defeated Joey Beltran via Unanimous Decision. C.B. Dollaway defeated Joe Doerksen via Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 2:47 of Round 1. Melvin Guillard defeated Jeremy Stephens via Unanimous Decision. Sean Sherk defeated Evan Dunham via Split Decision. Chris Lytle defeated Matt Serra via Unanimous Decision. Ryan Bader defeated Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via Unanimous Decision. Frank Mir defeated Mirko Filipovic via KO (Knee and Punches) at 4:02 of the Round 3.

I’m gutted that Mark Hunt lost and lost so quickly, I honestly don’t think he has any sort of future in MMA. I still respect the man a lot, but it really doesn’t get much worse than a six-fight losing streak. I really enjoyed the Mitrione/Beltran fight, as both men displayed near-infallible chin and spared no time swinging for the fences. CB Dalloway’s fight was also a blast, and I was practically falling out of my seat when he and his opponent began rolling and rolling.

Did the main card let me down? I’ll be honest, it kinda did. Sherk vs. Stephens started off wildly with Stephens immediately catching Guillard, but then it slowed down considerably. It just felt like neither man was all that wiling to engage. Things got a little better in the Sherk/Dunham fight, though, but the judging in that fight was atrocious. I’m a huge Sean Sherk fan, I really wanted him to win this fight, but I honestly think that Dunham was robbed. It’s going to be very interesting to see where both men go from here.

I was positively ecstatic that Chris Lytle defeated Matt Serra in the easy pick for Fight of the Night. I’ve been a fan of Lytle for so long that to see him take another step towards top-contender status made my night. His striking looked awesome in this fight, and his chin is as near-indestructible as ever. It’s highly unlikely that we’ll ever see some UFC Welterweight gold around his waist, but everyone, including me, enjoys an against-all-odds story. Right now, Chris Lytle has cemented himself as a top-division athlete. And that’s more than good enough for me.

Unlike Lytle, Ryan Bader entered top-division status with a whimper. I’m glad he won, but it was honestly a very boring fight. There’s really not much to say about it because not much happened. I think Bader does deserve some big names to match up against now that he’s beaten a Nogueira brother, who are legends in this sport, but I’m disappointed that we didn’t see the dynamic striker that KO’d Keith Jardine.

I’ve got conflicting feelings regarding the main event. Make no mistake, I’m overjoyed that Mir won and KO’d Cro Cop. He proved me right: Cro Cop will never be big in the UFC, he’ll never be relevant again in today’s Mixed Martial Arts. But Mir simply seemed afraid to go for broke against Cro Cop. Cop seemed just as afraid, but as a fan of Mir, I was disappointed in his overall performance. Even though seeing him turn Cro Cop’s lights out brought me immense joy.

Overall, UFC 119 was an interesting event. It wasn’t “Best of the Year” status, but I’ve already seen people call the event “horrible” and I have to tell you, fans and friends…I disagree with them wholeheartedly. But what about you? What did you think of UFC 119?

Courtesy of MMAWeekly, the weigh-ins went down as follows: Frank Mir (252) vs. Mirko Filipovic (227). Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (205) vs. Ryan Bader (205). Chris Lytle (171) vs. Matt Serra (170). Evan Dunham (156) vs. Sean Sherk (155). Melvin Guillard (155) vs. Jeremy Stephens (155). C.B. Dollaway (186) vs. Joe Doerksen (186). Matt Mitrione (253) vs. Joey Beltran (239). Thiago Tavares (155) vs. Pat Audinwood (156). Steve Lopez (156) vs. Waylon Lowe (154). T.J. Grant (170) vs. Julio Paulino (170). Mark Hunt (265) vs. Sean McCorkle (263).

I think it’s funny how Frank Mir still talks about potentially dropping down to Light Heavyweight when he’s weighed in at 265 for his last few fights and only cut thirteen pounds for this fight. I’m saying this half-critically and half as a Mir fan. Mir just wouldn’t work at Light Heavyweight, he’d be downright emaciated. Mirko Cro Cop as a 205’er I can see. In fact, that may be his only option left once Mir gets through with him. Mir’s sizable weight advantage should give him a lot more power in his takedowns, which will put Cro Cop in a heap of trouble.

I think it’s interesting that Lytle took advantage of the one-pound-over limit when he’s always been a smaller Welterweight. I’m also surprised that Evan Dunham used the same allowance while his opponent Sean Sherk didn’t need it, because Sherk has always been a muscular and massive Lightweight. I don’t think that one pound will help either man: Sherk has always been an incredibly dominant wrestler while “Lights Out” is facing one of the toughest tests in his career when he rematches Serra.

Something that absolutely did not take me by surprise was the fact that Mark Hunt came in at 265. Hunt is a Super Heavyweight no matter what anyone says and I respect him a whole lot for making what I know must have been a not-inconsiderate weight cut. It remains to be seen how much of that 265 is muscle, and how the cut affected Hunt’s cardio, but I’m honestly pulling for him.

In other weigh-in news, I think Matt Mitrione will have a pretty good fight with Joey Beltran, but I actually see the weight disparity acting in Beltran’s favor. If Beltran can keep it active and avoid the heavy hands of “Meathead”, he may actually tire Mitrione out and leave him open for some big shots.

And now that all is said and done, the anticipation continues to build. With every fight official and no fighters missing weight, I can’t wait to see what UFC 119 has in store for us. It should be a very fun night of fights.

And what about you, fans and friends? This is your last shot to get your opinions in on UFC 119 before the Octagon door closes and we go live on both Spike TV and Pay-Per-View. What did you think of the weigh-ins, and who do you see emerging as the big winners and losers of UFC 119?

5. Does Mark Hunt Deserve to be in the UFC?

It seems as if many have taken on a tone of negativity when it comes to Mark Hunt’s impending undercard debut in the UFC. People are quick to point out that he would normally not be given a second glance by UFC President Dana White due to the fact that Hunt has lost so many fights recently. But whether we like it or not, Hunt is in the UFC. And whether his detractors admit it or not, Hunt has an incredible amount of heart and always tries to put on a great performance. If Mark Hunt proves that he’s deserving of his place in the top promotion in the world, we may have a certifiable mid-level attraction on our hands.

4. Will Chris Lytle Ever Hold a Championship?

Chris Lytle hasn’t been within shouting distance of a title shot in quite some time (cynics would say “never”, but I find that a bit too harsh). Now that he’s on a three fight win streak, with two great submissions back-to-back, Lytle is ready to put himself into prime title contention if he can get past the super-tough Matt Serra. I know that many find it very unlikely that Lytle will ever hold a championship, but 2010 proved that even the impossible is possible. If Lytle beats Serra, we may have a new challenger for GSP.

3. What’s Left for Sean Sherk?

Sherk hasn’t competed in over a year, and was last seen going 1-2 in his last three fights. As Sherk creeps ever closer to the dreaded four-zero, it remains to be seen if his aging body can combat the sizable amount of ring rust he’ll have going into his fight with Evan Dunham. If Sherk can beat Dunham, he’ll make a solid addition to a Lightweight division that has been blown wide open now that Frank Edgar is unquestionably the best Lightweight in the world. If he loses, we may be seeing the beginning of the end for one of the hardest-working fighters in MMA.

2. Do the Nogueira Brothers Still Have It?

One paragraph would never do justice to the amount of heart, will, and fighting spirit that the Nogueira brothers have. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira are two are the best Brazilian Jui Jitsu-based MMA fighters that have ever competed…but unfortunately, they’ve begun to show their age. “Big Nog” was last seen getting  his once-unbreakable chin shattered by Cain Velasquez, “Little Nog” was last seen squeaking out a victory against Jason Brilz. If Rogerio can rebound with a dramatic win over “Darth Bader”, he’ll put himself into prime title contention. If not, it seems as if the Nogueira brothers may be nearing the end of their shelf-life.

And my number one spot quite obviously goes to…

1. Does Mirko Cro Cop Still Have It?

I’ve debated it. You’ve debated it. Everyone has debated it. It’s by far the most important question that UFC 119 will answer. Mirko Cro Cop is staring down a former UFC Heavyweight and Interim Heavyweight Champion when he faces Frank Mir tomorrow. Mir is a submission specialist that famously broke Tim Sylvia’s arm, became the first man to ever stop Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and put a temporary halt to the meteoric rise of current UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar by submitting him via kneebar. Mir is a top-division athlete and by far the toughest opponent Cro Cop has ever faced in the UFC. Does the famous Croatian striker have one last run in him? I certainly don’t believe he does, but that’s the thing: never say never. I can’t say that I won’t be biting my nails in anticipation, hoping that Mir proves me right. And no matter who you support, we’ll soon find out just which one of these fighters still has it in him to remain relevant in the increasingly-competitive UFC Heavyweight Division.

So there’s my list, fans and friends. What about you? What are some important questions that you think will be answered at UFC 119?

Courtesy of the official UFC.com website, the press release is as follows: “Legendary Croatian striker Mirko Cro Cop has been examined by an ophthalmologist in Indianapolis, site of Saturday’s UFC 119 event at Conseco Fieldhouse, and has been medically cleared to compete in the main event this weekend against former two-time heavyweight champion Frank Mir. Cro Cop suffered a poke in the eye in the last round of his final sparring session for the bout last week, but after a few days of rest, he is in tip top shape for this pivotal battle of heavyweight contenders.”

I’m very glad that Mirko got the go-ahead, since I think Mir/Cro Cop is a solid main-event that I’m quite honestly looking forward to. And if I’m being perfectly honest, I’m looking forward to this entire card. So here are my predictions for some of the major fights of UFC 119 “Mir vs. Cro Cop”.

Sean Sherk vs. Evan Dunham

Say hello to the return of the wrestler. Sherk will come in with a not-insignificant amount of ring rust, but due to that he’ll rely almost solely on his wrestling and only use his striking to set up takedowns. And Sherk’s wrestling has always been incredibly dominant. It’ll be another case of “beautiful ugliness” when Sherk continues to take Dunham down, slamming him into the canvas with authority on more than one occasion, and pounding his opponent out. Sherk takes a dominating three-round decision and immediately puts himself back “into the mix”.

Matt Serra vs. Chris Lytle

My prediction is that I’m going to both love and hate this match. I’m a fan of both men, and I really, really don’t want to see either man lose, especially when a big win for Lytle puts him “into the mix” again, while Serra stays “in the mix” if he beats “Lights Out”. It’s going to be a fantastic war, and I think we’ll see a sizable chunk of this fight go to the ground. And it’ll be just as exciting as when both men are standing up and swinging for the fences. I’ve just got to go with Lytle, but only because I want him to win more. Lytle takes a super-close, grueling three round decision.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Ryan Bader

Look for “Darth Bader” to cement his status as a top 205’er with a big win over “Little Nog”. I hate to pick against a Nogueira brother, but Little Nog’s fight with Jason Brilz left a sour taste in my mouth. Nogueira still has plenty of years left in him, but he’ll have a very hard time against Bader, who has solid wrestling and super-sneaky one-hit KO power. He’ll be only the second man in history to ever do it, but I’m predicting that Ryan Bader is going to KO Rogerio Nogueira. But it won’t be easy, which is why I’m also predicting that it’ll happen late in Round 2 or early in Round 3.

Frank Mir vs. Mirko Cro Cop

Nothing has changed from my first opinion piece about this fight. I firmly believe that Mirko Cro Cop is not relevant in today’s Heavyweight division and that nothing short of a full-on rebirth a la Randy Couture will make him relevant again. I’ll eat my crud yet again if Mirko does the seemingly-impossible, but time and time again I see people boiling this fight down to two simple things: people hate on Mir for his attitude while lauding Cro Cop for his accomplishments in PRIDE. The reality is this: Frank Mir can be quite an unlikeable person, but he’s also got an incredible amount of skill. And Mirko Cro Cop may have been one of the best PRIDE FC fighters ever, but he hasn’t beaten any top-ranked opponents since PRIDE and has in fact looked horrible in several of his recent losses to top-ranked talents. Mir will likely be called all manner of derogatory terms for it, but I see him wasting no time in getting a takedown and scoring a submission. Look for Frank Mir to win by submission early in Round 1, Round 2 at the latest.

And those are my picks, fans and friends. How do you see UFC 119 going down?

In this video, go behind the scenes with Serra at his new state of the art MMA facility on Long Isalnd and listen to his concerns about fighting the red-hot Lytle in his hometown of Indianapolis.  Click through to watch the video.

What do you think of Serra’s chances to beat Chris Lytle at UFC 119?  Will he win or lose?

twitter: @john_moody

In part one of this three part interview, Longo remembers the early days, early losses, and touches on the Lytle fight ahead.  In part two, (coming soon) he relives the glorious win over GSP and why Serra changed St. Pierre’s fighting style forever.  In part three we zero in on Chris Lytle and how Team Serra-Longo plans to beat the Indiana native at UFC 119.

Moody: Can you sum up Serra’s career to date?  What a ride this must have been from being cut by the UFC to the title run?

Longo: It is really a storybook tale.  Here is a guy in his first UFC fight gets knocked out.  So now, he has to overcome that adversity.  That loss was against Shonie Carter.  At that time, he was doing mainly Jiu Jitsu, at that point in time it (MMA) was mostly ground based.  So, he has to overcome that defeat, and fight a striker the next time in Yves Edwards, which he wins.  He wins a couple more fights, and then he loses to Karo Parisyan.  The UFC drops him.  So, he is down again, then he does the comeback show and he has another chance.  We got together and he said ‘listen man, this is the last chance I am going to get, let’s do this … and the rest is history.’

He ends up winning the show and ends up knocking out the guy who is considered the best pound for pound MMA fighter in the world, ever!  No one else has done that.  He goes on to fight some pretty decent names and he starts knocking people out … technically.  It is a really good story for people to never quit, never get down on your self.  I know guys, who if they were in the same predicament, would never have come back from that.

Moody: So, before that “last shot” going on the Ultimate Fighter show, what did you change to win it all?  Was his standup improving at that point?

Longo: Sometimes it takes a situation to mentally focus on what the hell is going on.  He didn’t have a bad fight with Karo Parisyan (which got him cut).  He was injured going in.  He dropped him. He was progressing with his striking and happy with that.  Another ref could have stopped that fight (in Matt’s favor) if you go back and look at it.

He hits Karo with a beautiful counter right.  It was just at that point in time for whatever reason Matt got dropped.  But we knew he was on the right track, but needed more time to prove it.

Moody: To gain his George St. Pierre title shot he beat Chris Lytle.  What kind of fighter did Lytle find in the first fight?

Longo: He is a really intelligent fighter.  What Lytle found out in the finale fight, is this guy is not easy to hit. You took a pro boxer (Lytle), in with a guy with no boxing experience with no pro fights.  Lytle basically could not hit him.  Matt is smarter than people think and harder to hit than people think and now he believes in his power.  He knocked out GSP, He knocked out Trigg flat, he knocked Hughes almost into oblivion and he knocked Parysian down.  You got to be a jerk not think this guy is hitting hard.

Moody: How has this discovery of his hands affected his use of Jiu Jitsu?  Does all Matt’s success with the right hand disproportionately have him looking for the right hand to the point of excluding his Jiu Jitsu?

Longo: I think at this point. He is in such a good place in his life and he is grounded that he doesn’t really care.  He loves fighting.  He found a renewed interest. I am not sure he cares which way it goes.  He is going to go in there and do the best he can do at the time … that is the best mindset.  Sometimes it takes this evolution; it is 10-12 years he has been fighting to come to this point.  He is going in with a clean head.  That is why he is dangerous, they look at it as if they beat him, not a big deal but if they lose … they have the pressure, he has no pressure.

—-

(In part two, Longo remembers Serra’s monumental win over George St. Pierre and why Matt’s brutal KO of GSP changed forever how the Canadian star now fights in the cage.  Stay tuned to fighters.com for part two soon)

What do you think of Matt Serra’s career?  As a constant underdog, he has carved a lasting legacy in the UFC whether you like him or not?  Sound off!

twitter - @john_moody

5. Matt Serra vs. Chris Lytle

I know it may be considered a “dark horse candidate”, but this fight interests me for several reasons. The winner will most likely be put back “into the mix” with a strong victory. Both men are veteran fighters that have almost always given us some very entertaining fights. It’s a rematch, but the best kind of rematch: both men are at very different points in their careers compared to when they first fought. And most importantly, this is a fight between a fighter with a great ground game and very under-rated striking going against a fighter with great striking and a very under-rated ground game.

4. Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann

I admit that you could put Jake Shields inside the Octagon against thin air and he’d still probably make this list, but I think Martin Kampmann is a great opponent for Jake Shields’ first fight inside the UFC. Kampmann was in serious contention for a title shot not too long ago, and Shields has never looked better. Shields is also coming off of the biggest win of his career, and will most likely receive a hero’s welcome based on how Strikeforce mistreated and mishandled Shields leading up to his surprise victory over PRIDE FC legend Dan Henderson. On the feet or on the ground, this should be a very, very exciting fight.

3. Jose Aldo vs. Manvel Gamburyan

To be bluntly honest, I don’t see anyone beating Jose Aldo for quite some time. But I also see every fight being immensely fun to watch and bringing something new to the table. In regards to top-tier opponents, Manvel “The Anvil” doesn’t get much better, given the great steak of wins he’s been on for over a year, which includes wins over a former WEC Featherweight Champion and a WEC Featherweight Championship contender. But Aldo is one of the most dynamic, exciting fighters currently fighting in MMA , and the best fighter in the WEC. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Jose Aldo, so I can’t wait to see this fight.

2. Nick Diaz vs. KJ Noons 2

Now this is the type of rematch everybody loves. Both men have a lot of ill will and bad blood towards each other, and both are at very different points in their careers. Noon has had to re-introduce himself to MMA fans following a stint in pro boxing, while Diaz needs no introduction and is standing tall as Strikeforce’s Welterweight Champion. Diaz’s striking has never looked better, while KJ’s stint in boxing has made his striking even more precise and powerful. There’s going to be fists flying a mile a minute in this fight, and as wild brawls go, this has the potential to be one of the wildest we’ve seen in quite some time.

But my number 1 must-see fight has simply got to go to…

1. Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez

So many questions will be answered in this match. Can Cain handle Brock’s wrestling? Can Brock stand up to the punching power Cain will be throwing consistently throughout all five rounds (if it goes that long) of their fight? How will Lesnar’s cardio look when he’s not almost completely dictating the pace of the fight? Both men are great wrestlers, both men are big Heavyweights, and both men have an amazing amount of skill. A few years ago the UFC Heavyweight division was a non-entity, but now, the division grows by leaps and bounds with every single fight.

So those are my picks, fans and friends. What remaining fights are you still looking forward to as we get closer and closer to 2011?

MMAWeekly and MMAJunkie have both been able to confirm the welterweight clash–which was originally reported by Sportsnet.ca.

The match up is what would be considered a definite early candidate for “Fight of the Night”, since both competitors have demonstrated vaunted technical prowess and aggressive approaches in every fight they enter.

MacDonald, a former King of the Cage champion in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions made his promotional debut at “UFC: Fight Night 20″ last January, against fellow KOTC veteran Michael Guymon, finishing him up with a first round arm bar.

His following performance, a loss to the aforementioned Condit at UFC 115 in Vancouver, opened up a lot of eyes, even in a losing effort–Rory was able to impress.

Now he meets wild man, Matt “The Immortal” Brown. After running a three-fight win streak after appearing in the seventh season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, Brown hit road blocks in division standouts Ricardo Almedia and then Chris Lytle most recently at UFC 116 in Matt’s last appearance, where he lost via arm bar.

It’s likely due or die for both competitors, as two in row can signal the end for nearly any fighter in the UFC, and three is an almost guarantee pink slip for Brown.

So, who do you think prevails in this scrappy, welterweight match?

However, I think it’s Serra that will find himself in “do-or-die” mode when this rematch goes down. After being thoroughly dominated en route to losing his championship back to Georges St. Pierre, Serra then proceeded to get dismantled by arch-rival Matt Hughes. Serra had only dropped two straight one time before in his. A fantastic drubbing of Frank Trigg gave Serra back some of his luster, but this fight with Lytle will prove once and for all if Serra deserves his spot near the top of the division.

And while Serra is fighting to keep from moving down in the rankings, Lytle is fighting to claw his way back up. It’s been two long years since Lytle has fought someone whose status at the top of the division is unchallenged, and that was when he lost a Unanimous Decision to Josh Koscheck. Lytle has managed to work his way back to the top with three spirited performances that have resulted in three straight victories and what should have been three straight “…Of the Night” bonuses: for my money, his excellent and very intricate submission at UFC 116 deserved the “Submission of the Night” bonus more than Brock Lesnar’s, even if Lesnar’s was more entertaining to watch.

I think the great thing about this fight is that no matter where it takes place, it’s going to be entertaining. Both men are such perfect foils to one. Matt Serra has always been known for having a great ground game, but recently he’s let his fists fly and proven that he has undeniable knockout power in his hands- against Frank Trigg he looked positively beastly before pounding Trigg’s lights out and sending him to the unemployment line. Chris Lytle has always been known as a striker that loves to brawl, but recently he’s shown off one of the most critically-underrated ground games in the Welterweight division- his UFC 116 Straight Armbar/Mounted Triangle Choke was a thing of pure beauty.

One way or another, I think there’s a lot riding on this fight. If Serra wins, he’ll have proven that he can still hang with some of the best in the UFC. If Lytle wins, he’ll have proven that he is once again ready to test the waters of the UFC’s top tier. But no matter who wins, this fight has all the signs of a show-stealer. If it stays on the feet, I think both men have the ability to do some serious damage to each other: both men have only lost by (T)KO twice in their long careers, so there’s a real possibility that this could turn into a three-round all-out war of attrition that I won’t be able to take my eyes off of. If it goes to the ground, both men are so technically gifted that we’ll likely see some pretty crazy things before all is said and done. I may be a bit biased because I’ve always been a fan of Chris Lytle, but I truly believe that, if the stars align and this goes down as good as I think it can go down, Chris Lytle vs. Matt Serra 2 has serious “dark horse” potential for Fight of the Year candidacy.

Brendan Schaub: Aside from a humbling TKO loss to Roy Nelson, Brendan Schaub has looked like an all-out wrecking machine in the UFC. I don’t see him vaulting up the division in the same way Roy Nelson did, but I do see him being a big threat to the UFC’s middle-of-the-road Heavyweights. If Schaub can give us at least one (but preferably two) more dominating wins, he may even be ready to break into the top tier.

Stephan Bonnar: Stephan Bonnar could have easily found himself in the same unemployment line as recent UFC castoff Keith Jardine: a talented fighter that puts on great performances win or lose, but just can’t measure up to the current star power of the division he competes in. Bonnar fought like his life was on the line (rather than just his livelihood) at UFC 116, and has earned the right to stay in one of the UFC’s most dangerous divisions. Next up for Bonnar: a long uphill battle to see if he is finally ready for the best of the division.

Chris Lytle: A veteran of over 14 UFC fights, with over 50 professional MMA fights, Chris “Lights Out” Lytle has become one of my “dark horse” favorites. Lytle’s ground game continues to be under-rated, and with two back-to-back impressive submission victories, one more impressive win could give Lytle the chance to mix it up with the division’s best, something he hasn’t done since 2008 when he lost a decision to Josh Koscheck.

George Sotiropoulos: George Sotiropoulos continues to show flashes of brilliance in his constantly-improving UFC outings, and may in fact only be a couple of fights away from a shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship. In a Lightweight division that was blown wide open when current UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar defeated former champion BJ Penn, Sotiropoulos as champion is a very real possibility. Next for George: either an all-out brawl with Clay Guida or a highly technical showdown with Kenny Florian.

Chris Leben: Chris Leben earned the respect and admiration of many when he showed up on two week’s notice to take on the world-ranked Yoshihiro Akiyama. Only something as amazing as the thrilling submission victory by UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar over former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin could have stolen the spotlight from Leben’s thrilling come-from-behind victory via triangle choke. Moving forward, I think Leben will get his wish in the form of a fight with Wanderlei Silva, but it’ll be later rather than sooner. Silva is one of the toughest Mixed Martial Artists of all time, but I see him out for several months due to various injuries. If Leben keeps busy and keeps winning, a showdown with “The Axe Murderer” is inevitable.

Brock Lesnar: So much has already been said about Lesnar’s thrilling victory at UFC 116: how he absorbed insane amounts of damage in order to survive Round 1, his struggles with diverticulitis leading up to this mega-fight, his newfound stance as a humble champion, I could go on and on. But rather than looking at why his future is so bright, let’s focus on his future, period. Cain Velasquez may prove to be a stiffer test for Lesnar than even Shane Carwin. If Lesnar can beat Cain in the same thrilling way as he did Shane Carwin, then I truly think we’ll have entered the “Era of Lesnar”. Love him or hate him, if he keeps winning in one of the UFC’s most stacked divisions, Lesnar could one day be viewed in the same light as Anderson Silva or Georges St-Pierre, even Fedor Emelianenko: one of the best of all time.

So how do you have it, fans and friends? What’s next for these performers, and what fights would you pay to see them in?

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (233.2 lbs./106 kg) vs. Cain Velasquez (242 lbs./110 kg)

Wanderlei Silva (184.8 lbs./84kg) vs. Michael Bisping (184.8 lbs./84 kg)

Joe Stevenson (154 lbs./70 kg) vs. George Sotiropoulos (154 lbs./70 kg)

Keith Jardine (204.6 lbs./93 kg) vs. Ryan Bader (204.6 lbs./93 kg)

“Cro Cop” Mirko Filipovic (233.2 lbs./106 kg) vs. Anthony Perosh (215.6 lbs./98 kg)

Stephan Bonnar (204.6 lbs./93 kg) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (204.6 lbs./93 kg)

Chris Lytle (169.4 lbs./77 kg) vs. Brian Foster (171.7 lbs./78 kg)

C.B. Dollaway (184.8 lbs./84 kg) vs. Goran Reljic (184.8 lb.s/84 kg)

James Te Huna (205 lbs./93 kg) vs. Igor Pokrajac (205 lbs./93 kg)

White told MMA Junkie Radio that the matchup would occur in February, but not at UFC 109 in Las Vegas February 6.  That leaves only UFC 110 available.

White also told MMA Junkie radio that the previously rumoured matchup between tenth-ranked middleweight “Sexyama” Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-2) and “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1) might not occur at UFC 110 as thought.

“That one might change. We’re moving some things around and doing some stuff,” White said.

AOL Fanhouse reported Friday that welterweights “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (27-17-5) and “Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim (9-4-1) will fight at UFC 110.

Lytle won a three-round unanimous decision over Kevin Burns (7-3) at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale in Las Vegas June 20.

Kim won a three-round UD over T.J. Grant (12-2) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas July 11.

Ellenberger told Fighters.com, “I’m stoked. It’s my time!” He called the former WEC champ Condit a “great opponent.”

Ellenberger knocked out Brazilian Top Team’s Marcelo Alfaia (6-5) in 42 seconds at Bellator 11 in Uncasville 12 June.

Condit lost a split decision to “Hitman” Martin Kampmann (15-2) in his UFC debut at Fight Night 18 in Nashville 1 April.

Lytle had to drop the fight Wednesday after tearing his ACL.

Ellenberger was originally scheduled to fight at Adrenaline IV in Omaha 18 September.

Lytle had called for the match-up after winning a controversial unanimous decsion over “Relentless” Paul Taylor (9-4-1) at UFC 89 in Birmingham last weekend.

But, the lack of a contract hasn’t stopped Davis from trash talking Lytle to Eurosport.

“I don’t know whether [Lytle] deserves a fight against me.  People always say that Chris is the ‘gatekeeper’ to our division; but, I think that I am past the gate,” Davis told Eurosport Friday.

Davis tapped “Tellys” Paul Kelly (7-1) in a guillotine at 2:16 of round two at UFC 89.  Both Davis and Lytle won bonuses for their performances.

Davis added, “I have spoken to a few people who have told me that they actually think Paul Taylor won that fight against Chris.  I beat Paul in one round, so I’m just not sure.”

Davis confirmed he will fight in Dublin and said, “If [Lytle] is the fight that the UFC wants, then I am more than happy.”

The British crowd booed the decision; and, Taylor was visibly stunned.

After the win, Lytle said, “He landed some good things on me; I landed some good things on him.  You just never know what the judges are looking for.  Thankfully they were looking for what I did.”

Lytle dug several rights into Taylor’s body in a first round fought mostly in the clinch.  Taylor countered with a knee to Lytle’s body and an inside right hand.

Taylor landed more frequently in the second round, staggering Lytle with a short right that convinced Lytle to shoot for the takedown.  Taylor wriggled free from a guillotine attempt and connected with a left hook.  Lytle went back to the body with his hands; and, Taylor followed to Lytle’s body with a kick.  Taylor ended the round landing two knees to Lytle’s body from the clinch.

Lytle went back to Taylor’s body against the cage in round three; but, Taylor turned Lytle to the fence and landed a knee to the body and an uppercut.  Lytle matched Taylor with his own uppercut.  Taylor ended the round slickly evading Lytle’s aggressive forward push and needling two jabs then a powerful left hook.

The effort earned both fighters the $40,000. “Fight of the Night” bonuses awarded by the UFC.

After the win, Lytle announced that he’d like to fight “Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis (15-4) next, saying, “I like the way he fights.  We’ve talked before, and, like, man we like each other’s style.  We’re both boxers.  ‘Fight of the Night’ potential right there.  That’s what I’m looking for: great fights.”

“Count” Michael Bisping (16-1) 185 pounds v “Crippler” Chris Leben (18-4) 186 pounds

“I’m glad you guys let me into your country,” main event fighter Leben said at Thursday’s press conference.  “I was a little worried on the plane.”

Leben was originally scheduled to fight Bisping in London 7 June, but opted to put to rest legal issues in Oregon stemming from an earlier DUI arrest to ensure a legal UK visa.

But, the pressure is squarely on the shoulders of Brit Bisping, who told the press, “I am on a quest.  Losing this fight for me is not an option.”

Leben, wearing tight cornrows, chided his opponent, saying, “It seems to me that, when Michael Bisping fights, self-preservation is top on his list.”

A brawl would certainly benefit Leben.  Bisping’s stand-up style is a bit more circle-and-poke, while Leben is happy to plant and throw bombs.

“We’re going to be lettin’em fly!  We’re going to be having fun doin’ it,” Leben promised, which usually means they’ll knock their heads together shooting for takedowns at the opening bell.

But, let’s hope not.

Eighth-ranked “Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (13-4-1) 205 pounds v “The Truth” Brandon Vera (9-2) 203 pounds

At the pre-fight press conference Thursday, a very serious Vera turned to Jardine and challenged, “We’re going to be together for 15 minutes in the Octagon and I hope, I hope we get to find out a lot about each other before one of us goes to sleep.”

Jardine agreed, and quipped, “He’s got a real pretty style; and, me, I got a real awkward, real mean style.  So, it’s kind of going to be kind of like a beauty and the beast type thing.”

Jardine is coming off a 36-second knockout loss to seventh-ranked “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (32-81) in May; and, Vera made a disappointing debut at 205-pounds in a unanimous decision “W” over Reese Andy (7-2) in July.

Vera, a former heavyweight, summed up the meaning of the fight: “Me and Keith are both at a point in our career right now where we get either to take one huge step forward or end up taking two or three steps back.”

“Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis (14-4) 169 pounds vs. “Tellys” Paul Kelly (7-0) 169 pounds

Davis will try to come back strong from a loss to “Quick” Mike Swick (12-2) in June versus Kelly, who Davis called “a brawler.”

Davis put down the weights for this fight in favor of getting back to his boxing background.

“I’m going to make-up for it in technique and speed.  Being able to fight off angles and stuff like that.  It might look like I’m right in front of him, but I’m actually not going to be right in front of him,” Davis said.

Kelly, of Wolfslair Academy, revealed, “You never know where it’s going to be.  It’s MMA.  You know?  I can’t guarantee I’m going to put Marcus on the mat.  We’ve worked on what we think he’s going to do.”

Ninth-ranked “African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (5-2) 205 pounds v “Banha” Luis Arthur Cane (8-1) 206 pounds

“Lights Out” Chris Lytle (25-16-5) 170 pounds v “Relentless” Paul Taylor (9-3-1) 170 pounds

Akihiro Gono (28-12-7) 171 pounds v “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (19-6) 169 pounds

Shane Carwin (9-0) 264 pounds v “Old Skool” Neil Wain (4-0) 254 pounds

David Bielkheden (12-6) 156 pounds v “Joker” Jess Liaudin (12-10) 155 pounds

Terry Etim (10-2) 155 pounds v “Hands of Stone” Sam Stout (13-4-1) 155 pounds
 
David Baron (16-2) 155 pounds v Jim Miller (11-1) 155 pounds

“Dog” Samy Schiavo (10-5) 156 pounds v Per Eklund (13-3-1) 156 pounds

On the gutsy unanimous decision loss, Fitch dropped three ranks to fifth in August’s rankings.  However, to those who’ve called Fitch St. Pierre’s “toughest challenge”, Fighters.com reminds them that sixth-ranked “Terror” Matt Serra (9-5) knocked St. Pierre out in the first round in Houston 7 April, 2007.

In fact, it was obvious in the stand-up exchanges between St. Pierre and Fitch that the 2007 knockout remains in the forefront of St. Pierre’s mind as St. Pierre was more cautious than he had been in previous fights.

But, rather than St. Pierre match-up versus Penn, Fighters.com would rather sanction a title fight between St. Pierre and the winner of the match-up between Fighters.com’s new top contender “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (15-3) and seventh-ranked “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (18-2) to be fought in Chicago 25 October.

Alves attains the top contender rank on Fitch’s loss, but not because of his stoppage of eighth-ranked Matt Hughes (42-7) which wasn’t fought at welterweight due to Alves’s inability to make the 170-pound limit, which remains a question.

Moving up five spots to rank third in August was EliteXC Welterweight Champion Jake Shields (21-4-1) on his dominating first-round stoppage of tenth-ranked “Goat” Nick Thompson (36-9-1).

Thompson dropped a rank which allowed “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2) to ease into the ninth spot before his 6 September match-up versus “Heat” Karo Parisyan (18-5) in Atlanta.

Josh Koscheck (10-2) held rank at fourth after winning a bloody unanimous decision over virtually unstoppable, but beatable “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (25-16-5) in Las Vegas 5 July.

August Welterweight Rankings

1. “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (17-2)

Since “Terror” struck at UFC 69, “Rush” has had to scrape pieces of Fitch, Koscheck, Hughes, and Serra off the bottom of his feet on his steamroll back to the UFC belt many believe the 27-year old will wear for a generation.

2. “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (15-3)

Alves has dealt three big stoppages to Karo Parisyan, Chris Lytle, and Kuniyoshi  Hironaka.  St. Pierre hears “Pitbull” scraping at the door, but he’ll have to prove he can make 170-pounds and make Sanchez a would’ve-been.

3. Jake Shields (21-4-1)

Shields added Thompson, a legit top-tenner, to a two-year run of stoppages that in includes Mike Pyle among lesser known challengers.  But, Thompson was as good as Shields can get outside of the UFC.  So, who’s next?

4. Josh Koscheck (11-2)

After revenge over Sanchez, Koschek was overwhelmed with a St. Pierre bouncing back from a loss. Like St. Pierre, “Kos” has all the physical tools to be a champion and absorbs new skills like a sponge. Time and continued top competition will tell.

5. Jon Fitch (17-3)

Fitch tied a record for most consecutive wins in the Octagon, including a stoppage of Alves and a decision over Sanchez, plus UDs over tough Chris Wilson and Kuniyoshi Hironaka, before losing a UD to St. Pierre.

6. “Terror” Matt Serra (9-5)

After knocking out the 170-pound division’s champion, St. Pierre, Serra was outclassed in their ’08 rematch.  However, Serra looked no worse than St. Pierre’s two previous victims, Koscheck and Hughes and looks forward to his own fight with Hughes.

7. “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (18-2)

All the hype can’t replace a loss in the Octagon, and, in Sanchez’s case, two losses to Fitch and Koschek.  An ’06 decision over Karo Parisyan in one of the fights of that year proves he has the talent, but does he have the focus?

8. Matt Hughes (42-7)

Since getting KO’d by St. Pierre for the first time since ’01, Hughes hasn’t fought the same in a throw-away decision over Christ Lytle and another stoppage by St. Pierre. It’s apparent a return to MFS is required.

9. “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2)

“Zenko” debuted in the UFC with 56 second stoppage of Jon Koppenhaver and is without an “L” in two years, all wins also by stoppage. With overseas wins over Katsuya Inoue and Akira Kikuchi, Yoshida hopes to fare better than countryman Kuniyoshi Hironaka.

10. “Goat” Nick Thompson (36-10-1)

“The Goat” had bucked twelve straight challengers, eleven by stoppage, a list including Chris Wilson, Ansar Chalangov, Eddie Alvarez, and Fabricio Monteiro, until becoming the dot at the end of Shields’s exclamation point.

The UFC also confirmed two more bouts on the card, between light heavyweights “Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (13-4-1) and “The Truth” Brandon Vera (9-2), and between welterweights “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (25-16-5) and Paul Taylor (9-3-1).

Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked Jardine looks to rebound from a 36-second knockout loss to fifth-ranked “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (32-8-1) in May.

Vera won a unanimous decision over Reese Andy (7-3) at Ultimate Fight Night 14 last week.  He is 1-0 since moving down a weight class.

Lytle lost a unanimous decision in May to fourth-ranked Josh Koscheck (13-2).

Taylor won a split decision over “Joker” Jess Liaudin (13-11) in June.

Rampage weighed in at 205-pounds, as did eighth-ranked title challenger Forrest Griffin (15-4).

Xtreme Couture’s Griffin said, “It’s nice to fight in your hometown.  Thank you, guys.”

Griffin smirked in the gaze of an intense Rampage stare down.

All fighters on Saturday night’s card made weight.

Only lightweight Gleison Tibau (15-5) missed the mark, but by the allowed one pound at 156-pounds.  Tibau will fight “Daddy” Joe Stevenson (33-8).

6’4″ lightweight Corey Hill (2-0) looked absolutely emaciated at 155-pounds.

All the weights from Vegas are below.

“Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-6) 205-pounds v Forrest Griffin (15-4) 205-pounds

“Predator” Patrick Cote (13-4) 185-pounds v “Cachorrao” Ricardo Almeida (9-2) 185-pounds

Fourth-ranked“Kos” Josh Koscheck (12-2) 170-pounds v “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (25-15-5) 170-pounds

Tyson Griffin (11-1) 155-pounds v “Maximus” Marcus Aurelio (16-5) 155-pounds

“Daddy” Joe Stevenson (33-8) 155-pounds v Gleison Tibau (15-5) 156-pounds

Tenth-ranked“Napao” Gabriel Gonzaga (8-3) 249-pounds v Justin McCully (8-3-2) 236-pounds

Jorge Gurgel (12-3) 155-poundsv “Magrino” Cole Miller (13-3) 155-pounds

“Young Assassin” Melvin Guillard (21-7-2) 155-pounds  v Dennis Siver (11-5) 155-pounds

Corey Hill (2-0) 155-pounds v Justin Buchholz (7-2) 155-pounds

Alves established himself as the top contender to the winner between Fighters.com’s Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (16-2) and second-ranked Jon Fitch (17-2), to be fought in Minneapolis 9 August.

Hughes finds himself at a crossroads as confidants close to H.I.T. Squad have confided to Fighters.com that Hughes didn’t prepare for his tussle with “Pitbull” with the determination that’s marked his storied career.

The day after Alves finished Hughes, ninth-ranked “The Goat” Nick Thompson (36-9-1) finished hard-punching “Maicon” Michael Costa (9-4) in Tokyo.

Thompson is negotiating to fight eighth-ranked Jake Shields (20-4-1) for the EliteXC title, but tells Fighters.com, “I would really like the fight but I am not willing to fight below my value in order to make it happen.”

Tenth-ranked “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2) made an even bigger American splash than Fighters.com predicted 24 May in Las Vegas when he choked “War Machine” Jon Koppenhaver (5-2) unconcious in 56 seconds.

Fourth-ranked “Kos” Josh Koscheck (10-2) loses his third-ranking to Alves and is scheduled to fight tough brawler “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (35-15-4) 5 July in Las Vegas.

Fifth-ranked “The Terror” Matt Serra (9-5) also drops a rung in favor of Alves’s ascent.  Somewhere on Long Island, Serra is on a mat plotting to hammer a nail on Hughes’s career.

Sixth-ranked “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (18-2) takes a step up as Hughes fills his May seventh ranking.  Sanchez fights Luigi Fioravanti (12-3) Saturday in Las Vegas.

June Welterweight Rankings

1. “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (16-2)

Since “Terror” struck at UFC 69, “Rush” has had to scrape pieces of Koscheck, Hughes, and Serra off the bottom of his feet on his steamroll back to the UFC belt many believe the 27-year old will wear for a generation.

2. Jon Fitch (17-2)

While louder fighters have claimed title contendership, Fitch has quietly earned it with a stoppage of Alves and decision over Sanchez, plus UDs over tough Chris Wilson and Kuniyoshi Hironaka.  The wrestler is next in line for a UFC title shot.

3. “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (15-3)

Alves has dealt four big stoppages to Hughes, Karo Parisyan, Chris Lytle, and Kuniyoshi  Hironaka.  St. Pierre and Fitch hear “Pitbull” scraping at the door.

4. “Kos” Josh Koscheck (10-2)

After revenge over Sanchez, Koschek was overwhelmed with a St. Pierre bouncing back from a loss. Like St. Pierre, “Kos” has all the physical tools to be a champion and absorbs new skills like a sponge. Time and continued top competition will tell.

5. “The Terror” Matt Serra (9-5)

After knocking out the 170-pound division’s champion, St. Pierre, Serra was outclassed in their ’08 rematch.  However, Serra looked no worse than St. Pierre’s two previous victims, Koscheck and Hughes and looks forward to his own fight with Hughes.

6. “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (18-2)

All the hype can’t replace a loss in the Octagon, and, in Sanchez’s case, two losses to Fitch and Koschek.  An ’06 decision over Karo Parisyan in one of the fights of that year proves he has the talent, but does he have the focus?

7. Matt Hughes (42-7)

Since getting KO’d by St. Pierre for the first time since ’01, Hughes hasn’t fought the same in a throw-away decision over Christ Lytle, another stoppage by St. Pierre, and a KO by Alves. It’s apparent a return to MFS is required.

8. Jake Shields (20-4-1)

Shields may be the world’s top welterweight, but a lack of competition outside the UFC keeps him from breaking through.  Still, he’s stopped all opponents in the last two years except in a unanimous decision over WEC champ Carlos Condit.

9. “The Goat” Nick Thompson (36-9-1)

“The Goat” has bucked twelve straight challengers, eleven by stoppage, since leaving the UFC after a TKO by Karo Parisyan; and, though no top tenners, it’s a list including Chris Wilson, Ansar Chalangov, Eddie Alvarez, and Fabricio Monteiro, all tough.

10. “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2)

“Zenko” debuted in the UFC with 56 second stoppage of Jon Koppenhaver and is without an “L” in two years, all wins also by stoppage. With overseas wins over Katsuya Inoue and Akira Kikuchi, Yoshida hopes to fare better than countryman Kuniyoshi Hironaka.

Couture graciously confronted and answered questions about his beef with the Zuffa, LLC and UFC President Dana White and third-ranked “Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia‘s (24-4) and his own prospective fight with sixth-ranked “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (27-1), shared opinions about fifth-ranked welterweight Matt Hughes (42-7), “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-0), and Brock Lesnar (1-1), and made picks on future fights.

Fighters.com: You’ve said you’ve accepted that you might get a bad court ruling and not fight again. Have you lost some competitiveness from being inactive for so long?

The Natural: I still want to compete. I’m still in training as much as I can be with all this other stuff going on. I still seem to be able to hold my own, even with the lack of serious, hardcore training, with all the top guys that I have in the gym. I’m having fun being in the gym learning new tools, new skills and being there with a lot of the other guys that have been there for me, so I’m not too worried about that. The courts are going to do what the courts are going to do. We’ll deal with it when it comes in.

Fighters.com: Not many fighters have wives who also train. Does that give you both a different perspective and more understanding?

The Natural: I think it’s pretty cool! Not many guys can actually go and punch their wife in the head. No…she’s training hard, she’s doing a great job and having fun. It’s been good for her physically and, I think, emotionally to get a lot of her frustrations and have something of her own to work with. It’s been a lot of pressure too because she’s dragging around my last name. It puts a lot more pressure on her and she’s been able to take that all in stride and deal with that very well as well. I’m excited for her, looking forward to her next fight on June 20th at the Thomas & Mack. It’s going to be great.

Fighters.com: At home, do you two ever move the furniture out of the way and have a training session?

The Natural: We end up wrestling on that damn bed all the time!

Fighters.com:At the Xtreme Couture website there’s a video center that is streaming the pro sessions daily. What are viewers likely to see?

The Natural: Well, they’ll can tune in and watch me in a class that’s on main mat and, certainly between 4:00 and 6:00 PM Pacific Time, is when our pros train and a lot of the top guys from Forrest Griffin and Mike Powell and Jay Hieron, Gray Maynard, and Tyson Griffin, Wanderlei Silva and the list just goes on and on of the top guys in the Vegas area who train on our mat. If you want to see technically what the pros are working on and what our MMA workouts are like, and get idea of what to do, it’s a great place to go.

Fighters.com: Do you think Fighters.com Light Heavyweight Champion “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-6) and “Maximus” Marcus Aurelio (16-5) have already bought their subscriptions?

The Natural: I don’t know! Maybe… I think Forrest and Tyson (future opponents of Jackson and Aurelio respectively) do the majority of their hardcore technical training in the cage, not on the camera. So, at least right now, you probably won’t see a lot of them on the mat.

Fighters.com: Did you watch Hughes lose to sixth-ranked “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (15-3) Saturday?

The Natural:I missed the fight Saturday. I was traveling. I was very happy to hear [Xtreme Couture middleweight] Martin Kampmann won his fight against Jorge [Rivera]. That was a big fight for him coming back off the knee reconstruction. I did hear about the Hughes fight and the flying knee; but, Alves is a tough cat. I kind of picked him to win that fight.

Fighters.com: Hughes isn’t that old, but is his age or the number of fights catching up with him? Or, is he just in a funk he’ll shake out of?

The Natural:Well, I think that’s on Matt. I think Matt is now running his own school. He’s kind of become the big fish in that little pond, where, I think, before, when he was training with Miletich he had a bunch of guys in there who were stepping up and challenging him when he was there training and making him better. I think that’s the environment that he needs to progress as a fighter. I just don’t know that he’s continuing to progress. Everybody else is. These guys are all getting better. They’re younger, they’re stronger, bigger, and they’re figuring it out. I think Matt is capable of doing whatever he wants to do. It’s just a function of applying himself.

Fighters.com: UFC President Dana White told Sports Illustrated that he spoke to you at UFC 84. Is that awkward? What do you two talk about? Is there any genuine friendliness left in the relationship?

The Natural:It’s not personal on my part and I don’t think it is on his part either. I think he’s an emotional guy who sometimes says things that he wishes he could take back or wishes he didn’t say and he’s made stupid comments. And, you know, yeah it’s a little weird going to the UFC shows. I feel like a leper. They work pretty hard to keep me off camera when I corner my guys and they don’t show any of the clips they could of me. They don’t let Goldie or Joe mention my name at all or where my guys are training. So, you know, those are conscious things that Dana has tried to do. I think they’re silly; but, he’s going to do what he’s going to do. I don’t have any control over that. So, I don’t take it personal. I talked to him, Lorenzo [Fertitta, Zuff, LLC co-owner], and Frank [Fertitta, Zuffa, LLC co-owner] at the last UFC. It was a great card. You know? It is what it is.

Fighters.com: White has also said that he’s ready to put you back in the Octagon at any time; but, you just don’t see yourself going back to the UFC?

The Natural:You never say never, but there’s a lot of things that’ve got to change. I’m in a position now that if the courts rule in my favor I can control my own destiny and make one of the biggest fights to ever happen on my own. And, get all of the benefits of being in a position to do that. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense for me to go back and give it all back to the UFC and let them walk away with 90-plus percent of everything that comes from those fights.

Fighters.com: You’re starring in The Scorpion King 2, soon to be released to DVD? Is that in the can?

The Natural:It’s done. It’s in the can. I filmed it in October and November of last year. I just saw a pre-screening of the movie last week and was very excited about the way it came out.

Fighters.com: I worry with you, Tito, Rampage, and others getting into acting. Do you think the higher pay for less pain of Hollywood is going to start stealing fighters from MMA?

The Natural: I don’t know. I think most of the fighters have a passion and love for what they do as fighters; and, if you were to achieve some goals and open those doors to the acting realm and have the opportunity to try that, it better work. I don’t think everyone is going to have the opportunity to crossover. You know, I know that Tito has made a foray with The Crow: Wicked Prayer and some of the other stuff he’s done when given the opportunity. Chuck’s been in a few things now. And, Rampage, you know, obviously, he definitely has the persona. And, I think the camera would be pretty friendly to him.

Fighters.com: Have you picked a winner of Sylvia versus Emelianenko in your own mind?

The Natural:Most people expect Fedor to find a way to take Tim out, and I can see that too. With his submission skills and the dynamic style of fighter that he is, I can see that happening. Tim poses some interesting problems and is certainly going to have something to say about that. He’s not going to be an easy fight. It’ll be interesting to see how it goes.

Fighters.com:Do you fault Emelianenko for not fighting top guys the last two years while you and Sylvia and other heavyweights were fighting each other?

The Natural:I think he’d have rather been fighting top guys. Bodog kind of going the way it went and PRIDE getting crushed by Zuffa, I don’t think he’s really had the opportunity to fight any top guys. I think if he’d have had his druthers, he’d have fought top guys. I’m sure he’s excited about the opportunity to fight Tim and certainly expressed a lot of interest in being able to fight me at some point. I don’t think it changes the fighter that he is or the guys that he’s beat. He’s beat Nogueira twice and Cro Cop and right on down the line. He’s beat a lot of top guys, just nobody recently.

Fighters.com:You just opened Xtreme Couture Toronto. Is that your first Canadian gym?

The Natural: It’s our first Canadian gym. We’re talking to some folks in Montreal who’re interested in franchising a gym there; but, we’ll see what happens. We’re very excited. The Toronto gym looks terrific! A huge facility! Thirty-thousand square feet. So, it’s a great big gym.

Fighters.com: Will there be any fighters training in Toronto?

The Natural: Chris Horodecki, and Mark Bocek, and Mark Hominick are all going to be training and teaching there. There’s a newer Russian kid coming up who lives in Canada who looks to be a very physical, and have the potential as a fighter as well, to be teaching there. So, I think a lot of the top fighters in the area of Toronto are going to end up there.

Fighters.com:You’re an elder in the sport. What do you think of “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-0)?

The Natural:I like Kimbo! I think Kimbo has a great attitude. You know, he’s trying to do all the right things to be a well-rounded mixed martial artist; and, I think he’d be the first to admit that he’s not there yet, as James Thompson pointed out on CBS two weekends ago. He’s got some holes in his game still; but, I think his popularity has a lot to do with EliteXC marketing him as a street fighter and the Internet kind of street fights, YouTube phenomenon, if you will, that he is. I don’t think the two really cross over. If EliteXC wants to market him that way, I just don’t think it really crosses over. They need to be careful what they do with that because it could potentially harm the sport. But, that’s not Kimbo’s fault, that’s EliteXC’s fault.

Fighters.com:How about Lesnar in the UFC?

The Natural:Well, the similarities…Brock is a big name because of WWE. He’s still a good athlete, just like Kimbo, who’s being marketed because of his celebrity with the World Wrestling Entertainment. But, just like Kimbo, he’s got a lot of holes in his game and it was silly to kind of put him out there with Frank Mir. You know, I think Mir was underestimated. Everybody thought he was going to fold under the pressure and not take the shots that Lesnar was going to dish out too well. Mir showed why he’s an excellent submission guy, a great fighter, and a former world champion. I think, given the time, both Lesnar and Kimbo will be very, very good fighters in the heavyweight division. They both have the right attitude. You know, Lesnar is taking this seriously. He wants to be a real fighter and he’s taking that terrific wrestlers base that he has and trying to learn all the other pieces.

Fighters.com:Where’s the future of this sport? Is the current buzz going to level off? Does it have the potential to be a long-term nationally-broadcast sport?

The Natural: I think if the CBS ratings are any indication, it absolutely has the potential to be that long-term broadcast sport. I think it’s a function of who’s going to step-up and do it right. I think there’s some work that needs to be done with how the fighters are treated and paid; and, the person who kind of gets that combination and all that sorted out can take it to the next level. Obviously I think a lot of the fighters, at least the ones in a position to voice their opinion, aren’t too pleased with kind of being owned, being taken advantage of. I don’t know. We’ll see what happens; but, this is definitely the combative sport for this generation.

Fighters.com: Your response brings up another question. At the post-UFC 84 press conference, ninth-ranked light heavyweight “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) was voicing a lot of the same concerns you’ve spoken out about concerning fighter pay as a percentage of total revenue. A reported asked Ortiz, “If you’re not happy with your pay, what is an acceptable amount?” And, Tito balked, saying, “I don’t know. You’d have to ask my lawyers.” Is that irresponsible to complain about your pay, but not have an idea of what your pay should be?

The Natural: You know…probably. Maybe Tito didn’t have a handle on all the numbers; but, it appears to be that on any given UFC, just on the pay-per-views alone, the UFC makes in the neighborhood of $40 or $50 million. And, Tito and I are two of the very, very few athletes that get a little piece of that pay-per-view and we’re lucky if we make $1.2 or $1.3 million. So, percentage-wise, it’s a very, very small percent of the total revenue. Now, Dana’s argument that the UFC is different than boxing, I think that held water before. You know, the UFC was having to pay site fees, do all their own marketing, all their own promotion, and spend money to keep a staff of 100 people; but, that climate has changed now. People are clamoring to get the UFC into their venues to sell out the arenas. I think there are TV outlets who’ll take the risk, do the marketing, and see the wisdom, just like boxing. The fighters could be getting paid a lot better! If I were getting $5 or $10 million dollars to fight out of that $40 million, I’d certainly feel a lot happier. It’s frustrating for me to see a guy like Floyd Mayweather. You know, I feel like we’re just as dedicated and work just as hard and have everything going for us other than not being in boxing and we’re in MMA. Floyd makes $20 or $30 million from one fight. That’s frustrating. We’re both combative sports and can be promoted in the same way, shape, and form. Now, I understand the UFC is still trying to spend money with Marc Ratner to get this sport sanctioned in every state and province on the continent, and all the other things that they’re doing. And, I think those are admirable things that are going to continue to grow the sport and have established this foundation that you, me, and EliteXC, and everybody else who wants to put on a show is standing on. I see that picture clearly, but I think the timing is right for someone to set the change for bigger shares of the purses that are derived from a fight from DVD sales all the way down, the ancillary rights, and all the other stuff that gets controlled and taken by the UFC and given back to the fighters, the guys who put it on the line, whose careers span five years if they’re lucky.

Fighters.com: Affliction’s payout has reportedly reached six or seven million dollars for the Banned card. We’ve seen this business model and it’s failed. Are you optimistic Affliction can build a financially sustainable promotion while paying fighters so much?

The Natural:Well, I’m certainly skeptical. Obviously I have a strong relationship with Todd [Beard, Affliction co-owner] through my partnership with Xtreme Couture clothing. And, I sat with Todd and told him, “Look, I’ve seen people do this before and I’m worried you’re going to lose this money. You know? The marketing piece, the brand piece is the big component. You need to generate interest in these fighters so people have a vested interest. That’s why the 24/7 with Golden Boy was so successful, because people wanted to tune in and see these guys fight. You know, get Fedor Emelianenko some exposure and get people to like Tim Sylvia…or hate him! One of the other if you want people to buy this pay-per-view.” Todd is a great marketing and sales mind. Obviously, Affliction is a very successful clothing line. This whole thing started because Dana thought he was hurting me and banned the Affliction clothing line. That got the hackles up on Todd’s neck and he decided, “OK, to hell with him then. we’ll do our own show if he wants to play that way.” The ban didn’t hurt me any. All those clothes and all those shirts, and denim, and all that stuff is in all the major market retail outlets across the country. The only person [Dana] hurt was the fighters Affliction was sponsoring in MMA. Took the money right out of their pockets. So, now [Dana] has a potentially formidable opponent that he created because he pissed [Todd] off and made him want to spend the money and throw a show. He signed a lot of the top heavyweights that were free agents and some of the other free agents out there that are going to put on a good card. I think [Todd's] marketing sense and ability to sell things is remarkable. Teaming up with FOX and streaming the undercard on the Internet on FOX is something new nobody’s tried yet and has the potential to be something huge. Yeah, I think we’re all anxiously waiting to see how successful Todd is with his show in July and how big the pay-per-view is. Now Trump is buying in and buying a piece of the MMA company. Obviously he brings a lot of juice and a lot of things to the table that could potentially put it over the hump. So, like you, I’ll be anxiously watching for a couple of reasons July 19th.

Fighters.com: Do you want to make some picks on upcoming fights?

The Natural: OK.

Fighters.com: Evan Tanner (32-7) versus “Spider” Kendall Grove (8-5)?

The Natural: I’m going to go with Kendall Grove. I think he’s long and rangy and will use his range well. I think his moving back to Hawaii was probably a good thing for him, I hope. I think Tanner, although I have a lot respect for Evan and his abilities, I think he has not put himself in a great position or a great environment to thrive and be in top shape as an athlete. So, I’m going to go with Kendall Grove.

Fighters.com:“Gumby” Jeremy Horn (79-17-5) versus “Boogieman” Dean Lister (10-5)?

The Natural: Wow! Tough fight! Both guys are great submission guys. I’m going to go with Dean Lister. I think he’s got naturally heavy hands. Both guys’ submission skills are great; but, I think Dean’s are a little better and that tends to be Jeremy Horn‘s strength, so I’m going to lean towards Dean Lister.

Fighters.com:Third-ranked welterweight “Kos” Josh Koscheck (10-2) versus “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (25-15-5)?

The Natural:Tough fight, but I’m going to have to go with Koscheck. I think he’s shown remarkable improvement, even in the face of losing a couple of times. I’m sure that losing to Georges lit a fire under him. As much as I like to see Chris Lytle come out and lay it all on the line, he’s going to have trouble with Koscheck’s wrestling ability and I think Koscheck is going to end up putting him on the ground and establishing that good, solid top position and wearing Chris down.

Fighters.com:A couple of your old nemesi, fifth-ranked heavyweight “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (21-5) versus “The Rock” Pedro Rizzo (16-7)?

The Natural: Yeah, that’s a tough call. It kind of depends on Josh Barnett. If he tries to go in there and stand with Pedro, it’s going to end like it ended last time, [Barnett knocked out]. Pedro is nobody to mess around with in the striking exchanges. Josh has the ability to transition and take Pedro to the ground, out of his game. I think, if that’s what Josh does, Josh will win that fight. Having not seen Pedro in awhile…actually, quite a while, it’s harder for me to pick that fight.

Fighters.com: Fourth-ranked heavyweight “Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski (12-5) versus Ben Rothwell (29-5)?

The Natural: I like Andrei. Ben is a big strong kid, but he’s still pretty green. I think Andrei’s on a mission. I think mentally he’s still a little held back by the results of the two Tim fights and he’s not pulling the trigger and really getting after it like he was. As far as pure boxing, he’s one of the best pure boxers we have in our sport. I’ll be excited to see him back out there. I think, overall, he’s got to be ready to go. He’s got to be in great shape. Rothwell is going to be in great shape and ready to bring the fight; but, Andrei has the tools to pull this off.

Many had no doubt that St. Pierre was the best at 170-pounds, but it was important for St. Pierre to win the top spot with revenge on “The Terror” Matt Serra (9-5) at UFC 83.

The truth is that Serra looked no worse in defeat to “Rush” than future UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes (42-6) did in December.  Serra drops to the fourth spot.

Hughes and Serra have a date to dance before the end of ’08, but Hughes has been drafted into the UFC 85 main event to replace an injured “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-5) on the 02 Arena marquee.

In London, Hughes faces sixth-ranked pup “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (14-3), who’s on a St. Pierre-ish steamroll through the division with stoppages of “The Heat” Karo Parisyan (18-5), “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (25-15-5), Kuniyoshi Hironaka (11-5), and Tony DeSouza (10-4).

“Kos” Josh Koscheck (10-2), who moves up a spot on Serra’s stoppage loss, will get a swing at Lytle in July, a true test of the third-ranked wrestlers grit and chin.

Jake Shields (20-4-1) has had his EliteXC title fight with Drew Fickett (33-5) rescheduled again, this time to July.  Shields loses ground in the rankings as his 2006 unanimous decision over WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit (22-4) falls from his two-year record.

In June, “The Goat” Nick Thompson (35-9-1) returns to Sengoku versus an as-yet unnamed opponent, but told Fighters.com, “For the right amount of pay, I’ll fight Fedor or Jesus himself.”

At the end of May in Vegas, Japan’s “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (9-2) will debut in the UFC versus “War Machine Jon Koppenhaver (5-1) after an impressive run in his homeland.

“Zenko” debuts on Fighters.com’s top ten after “The Heat” Karo Parisyan (18-5) drops off because his two-year record lost a 2006 stoppage of Thompson.

May Welterweight Rankings

1. “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (16-2)

Since “Terror” struck at UFC 69, “Rush” has had to scrape pieces of Koscheck, Hughes, and Serra off the bottom of his feet on his steamroll back to the UFC belt many believe the 27-year old will wear for a generation.

2. Jon Fitch (17-2)

While louder fighters have claimed title contendership, Fitch has quietly earned it with a stoppage of Alves and decision over Sanchez, plus UDs over tough Chris Wilson and Kuniyoshi Hironaka.  The wrestler is probably next in line for a UFC title shot.

3. “Kos” Josh Koscheck (10-2)

After revenge over Sanchez, Koscheck was overwhelmed with a St. Pierre bouncing back from a loss. Like St. Pierre, “Kos” has all the physical tools to be a champion and absorbs new skills like a sponge. Time and continued top competition will tell.

4. “The Terror” Matt Serra (9-5)

After knocking out the 170-pound division’s heir apparent, St. Pierre, Serra was outclassed in their April ’08 rematch.  However, Serra looked no worse in defeat than St. Pierre’s two previous victims, Koscheck and Hughes.

5. Matt Hughes (42-6)

Since getting KO’d by St. Pierre for the first time since ’01, Hughes hasn’t fought the same in a throw-away decision over Christ Lytle and another stoppage by St. Pierre. One wonders if he’s getting the same quality of training since leaving MFS.

6. “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (14-3)

Alves has dealt 3 big stoppages to Karo Parisyan, Chris Lytle, and Kuniyoshi  Hironaka to plant himself firmly in the welterweight top ten, and only an ’06 TKO to Fitch keeps him from Fighters.com’s top five. This juggernaut will run into Hughes in June.

7. “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (18-2)

All the hype can’t replace a loss in the Octagon, and, in Sanchez’s case, two losses to Fitch and Koschek.  An ’06 decision over Karo Parisyan in one of the fights of that year proves he has the talent, but does he have the focus?

8. Jake Shields (20-4-1)

Shields may be the world’s top welterweight, but a lack of competition outside the UFC keeps him from breaking through.  Still, he’s stopped all opponents in the last two years except in a unanimous decision over WEC champ Carlos Condit.

9. “The Goat” Nick Thompson (35-9-1)

“The Goat” has bucked eleven straight challengers, ten by stoppage, since leaving the UFC after a TKO by Parisyan; and, though no top tenners, it’s a list including Chris Wilson, Ansar Chalangov, Eddie Alvarez, and Fabricio Monteiro, all tough welterweights.

10. “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (9-2)

“Zenko” debuts in the UFC versus Jon Koppenhaver in May without an “L” in two years, all wins by stoppage. With overseas wins over Katsuya Inoue and Akira Kikuchi, Yoshida hopes to fare better than fellow Nipponese Kuniyoshi Hironaka.

Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked welterweight “Kos” Josh Koscheck (10-2) is set to face rugged vet “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (25-15-5).

Both fighters come off exciting TKOs in their previous bouts.

In February, Lytle ran roughshod over UFC debuting Kyle Bradley (13-5) in just 33 seconds.

“Kos” and “McLovin” Dustin Hazelett (10-4) traded evenly for a round before Koschek tagged “McLovin” with punches and kicks 1:24 into round two in March.

Hazelett’s trainer, Jorge Gurgel (12-3), will fight 6’1″ “Magrino” Cole Miller (13-3) at 86.

Miller of Georgia comes off his first UFC loss to Jeremy Stephens (13-2), a second-round TKO in January.

Gurgel won a unanimous decision over John Halverson (16-6) in March.

Rising middleweight “Cachorrao” Ricardo Almeida (9-2) will face streaking “The Predator” Patrick Cote (12-4) on the card.

Cote has won four straight, three consecutive by first-round stoppage.  Most recently “The Predator” devoured Andrew McFedries (6-3) in 1:44.

Almeida returned to MMA after a four-year hiatus to submit Rob Yundt(6-1) in a guillotine choke in February. “Cachorrao” boasts wins over Fighters.com’s eighth-ranked middleweight “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (19-8-2) and UFC title contender Nathan Marquardt (26-7-2) in the early ’90s.

KO of the Night: Chris Lytle

Submission of the Night: Frank Mir

Fight of the Night: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Tim Sylvia

 In addition, the following fighters in the co-main events were paid:

 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira = $200,000

Tim Sylvia = $100,000

Frank Mir = $80,000

Brock Lesnar = $250,000