Vitor injured his shoulder training for the fight and when the news hit the social media sites were on fire trying to pick the next opponent for Silva. Twitter lit up with many thinking the only viable solution was for Silva to move to the light heavyweight division. The problem with that was that many of the top guys in the division were booked with other fights or injured.

That led us back to the middleweight division. The current number one contender is now Chael Sonnen (24-10-1) after his dominant win over fourth-ranked “The Great” Nate Marquardt (29-9-2). Sonnen however is currently under a medical suspension after his fight at UFC 109. So what was the UFC to do in order to keep Silva on the card?

They stunned the MMA world by announcing today that sixth-ranked Demian Maia (11-1), who was also on the UFC 109 pay-per-view, will now get his shot at the title. Maia is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt that may just have the best set-ups and submissions in all of mixed martial arts. He was on track to get a title shot until his plan was derailed by Nate Marquardt at UFC 102 by brutal first round knock out.

He rebounded at UFC 109 by beating hardcore fan favorite Dan Miller (11-3) by unanimous decision using a new found stand up game. That striking game will not work so well against Silva who has pin point accuracy with his Muay Thai based striking.

Demian Maia now has the chance of a lifetime and it is up to him to make the best of it against a man some are calling unbeatable.

I was very excited to see another Gracie step inside the Octagon but that fight was hard to watch. I am shocked the UFC actually showed the fight. I would have probably ended the broadcast early before showing that to awful display of MMA to fans. Neither fighter was worth watching and rarely, if ever, do I say that.

“The Terror” Matt Serra (10-6) had me eating crow as I called for “Twinkle Toes” Frank Trigg (19-8) to use his wrestling to dominate the smaller Serra. Frank did not look for the shot and ended up getting knocked out by Serra.

Fighters.com sixth-ranked Demian Maia (11-1) has been working his striking and it was very evident in his fight with Dan Miller (11-2). Let’s not jump the gun here though. He could never stand with a clean striker but his improvement shows he is serious about trying to become the UFC champion.

This is the worst I have done with picks on any fight card,ever! Fighters.com ninth-ranked “Quick’ Mike Swick (14-4) did not help me out any. His loss to the man I am now calling the “AKA Hunter”, fourth-ranked welterweight Paulo Thiago (9-1) made a statement to the division. Paulo is a fast rising star in the division and his D’arce choke was very well set up.

Phil Davis (5-0) showed why he is such a great prospect. While his striking was sloppy, his speed and athleticism shined through. He moved from dominant position to dominant position during the fight. The UFC will need to bring him along slowly and allow his stand-up and submissions to improve before throwing him into the deep end of the division. He will be one to watch in the future.

After watching UFC 109 and thinking about the last Strikforce card, the UFC production team does a very good job of moving seamlessly from one thing to another. Plus they get prelim fights on the pay-per-view. Strikeforce will need to work harder to provide a painless broadcast like we saw last night.

A card that many mocked ended up with some entertaining fights, a knock out, great submissions and some shockers. All this and I did not have to sit through painful post-fight interviews by the fight professor.

Paulo Thiago (8-1) versus “Quick’ Mike Swick (14-3)

Fighters.com fourth-ranked welterweight Thiago takes on ninth-ranked Swick. Thiago was originally slated to fight seventh-ranked “Kos” Josh Koscheck(14-4) but that fight feel through and his teammate stepped up to get revenge.

Thiago is primarily known for his grappling but after the brutal uppercut KO of Koscheck many have been talking about his punching prowess, including Paulo himself.

Swick is a fast and aggressive striker with amazing takedown defense. His striking, while not technically perfect, has vastly improved and his use of the counter-punch is something he has relied on after his stint on The Ultimate Fighter Season One.

Thiago has a great chin and even though he knocked out Kos, his striking is sloppy. He loves to drop his hands and against the speedy Swick this could be trouble.

Swick is looking to get a rematch with fifth-ranked “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6) and even though he is taking this fight on short notice he has quite the advantage in training with Kos and third-ranked Jon Fitch (20-3). Fitch, in his usual style, ground out a decision win over Paulo.

I know Paulo could throw that Kos shot and catch Swick but I feel Swick is going to work to keep this fight standing and try to look for those dropped hands of Thiago. The one trend from Swick that concerns me is when he has fought in big fights in the past he seems to hold back.

The Gospel on this one is Mike Swick by Decision.

Demian Maia (10-1) versus Dan Miller (11-2)

Dan Miller is a hardcore MMA fan’s dream. Just a gritty fighter who loves to grind and usually puts on quite the show.

Fighters.com sixth-ranked Damian Maia has the best MMA jiu-jitsu in the sport and is looking to rebound from his crushing knocking out at the hands of fourth-ranked “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2).

Miller has good but not great muay thai skills and just recently received his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. There are differences in skills from one black belt to the next and I feel Dan will want nothing to do with hitting the mat with Maia.

Maia has rudimentary striking at best and will need to take this to the ground but Dan has a good grappling game and will need to use that to keep this fight standing where he has the clear advantage.

This fight may hit the mat and get stalled. I don’t think this will be a Fight of the Night candidate but I feel Maia, if his psyche has recovered from that KO, will catch Miller.

The Gospel is Maia by late third-round submission

“The Terror” Matt Serra (9-6) versus “Twinkle Toes” Frank Trigg (19-7)

The smack alone before this fight has been epic however I don’t feel the fight will live up to the hype. Serra has said he refuses to lose to a man with a tramp stamp while Trigg has made cracks about Serra being a guido. Great stuff from these two guys.

The fight though will not be a barn burner. Matt Serra is another jiu-jitsu black belt but in contrast to Maia, he has not finished a fight via submission in eight years.

Trigg is a wrestler at heart and although Serra has not posed a threat on the ground in years, Trigg’s kryptonite is the rear naked choke.

Serra will likely want to turn this into a stand up war that will make boxing fans cringe as neither man has very clean striking.

I think Frank’s size and strength advantage will play a huge role in this fight

In the end Trigg will need to use a smothering top game to defeat Serra as a loss for him could mean leaving the UFC.

Gospel: Frank Trigg by unanimous decision

I will skip the Sonnen versus Marquardt fight as I wrote a piece this week on my thoughts of that fight..basically it will be Nate winning and getting the next title shot.

This leads us to the much talked about main event.

“The Natural” Randy Couture (17-10) versus “The Hammer” Mark Coleman (16-9)

You either love this fight or hate it. Some see it as two over-the-hill fighters making their last stand and trying to stay in a sport that is passing them by. Others see it as a fight they have been waiting to see since UFC 17.

Tenth-ranked heavyweight, but now fighting at light heavyweight, Couture is a greco roman wrestler who helped to define dirty boxing in MMA.

Mark Coleman is a freestyle wrestler who is the inventor of brutal ground and pound.

Mark has not evolved over the years like Randy has and this is a major area of concern in this fight.

Randy has taken his wrestling and used it to push fighters against the cage, use his dirty boxing and win fight after fight when he has been told he is to old.

While Mark did beat Couture the last time they met, in the 1989 Olympic Wrestling Festival, it was only by a point and much has changed since then.

The first key to this fight is obviously wrestling. While I feel Mark was the better wrestler, the additions to Randy’s game will help him to keep this fight standing where he has a huge advantage over Coleman.

The second key is cardio, cardio, cardio. Randy has it and Mark lacks it. Randy will want to keep the pressure on Mark, pushing him against the cage, using his dirty boxing and wearing him down.

Mark needs this fight to hit the mat with him in top position so that he can use that ground and pound to shock the world. Sadly for Mark he will not see this come to fruition.

Randy will tire Mark out and end up getting the takedown himself and beat Coleman at his own game.

I am a born and bred Buckeye and it hurts me to say, Randy Couture wins via TKO due to ground and pound in round two.

Today’s UFC 109 presser gave us this news and according to Dana, he has always considered a co-main event a number one contender’s bout. “We always had it in mind,” White said. “These are two of the top five [middleweights] in the world depending on what you look at.”  I don’t think anyone can argue that Nate is deserving of a shot.

White told those at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino’s Mizuya Lounge in Las Vegas his thoughts on Nate. “Nate’s been deserving it for a while,” This is an assessment I can agree with as Nate is 4-1 since he lost to Fighters.com and UFC middleweight champion “The Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4). His lone loss since that time was a split decision loss to Thales Leites (15-3) that many feel should have gone to Nate.

What I don’t understand is the Sonnen getting a shot with a win. I know many will say that if he can beat Nate then he deserves a shot at Silva but let’s look at what he has done since his second arrival in the UFC shall we?

After coming over from the WEC he was matched against submission wizard Demian Maia (10-1) at UFC 95: Sanchez versus Stevens. Chael found himself on the losing end of a triangle choke in the first round. His next two fights, while both wins, were hardly performances befitting of a title shot. He ground out decision victories over hardcore fan favorite Dan Miller (11-2) as well as Yushin Okami (23-5).

Okami was on a three fight win streak until the Sonnen fight but those three wins were not against what I would call quality opponents. Dan Miller was on a four fight win streak until being derailed by Chael. Looking at the fact that he killed the win streaks of two fighters might lead one to believe he is worthy of a shot. The only thing that would make him worthy would be a very convincing win over Nate.

If he were to grind out a decision win over Nate is that spectacular enough to put him in the Octagon with Silva? Does it matter how you win as long as you win? The latter is a tough question as many believe you need to finish fights or at the very least dominate them in order to gain a title shot. I have long been of the opinion that a win is a win and racking up a string of victories should be enough to get you a fight for the title. Chael Sonnen in a title fight with Anderson Silva just does not scream pay-per-view main event to me.

Before I go any further I should say that I feel the likely-hood of Sonnen winning this fight is slim to none. Having said that, I find it hard to believe anyone other than Sonnen actually believes he could beat Anderson Silva. This would be a fight that did nothing but add another highlight reel knock out to the already long list the UFC has thanks to the champion.

What was once a stacked division has become a division of one with all others not being on quite the same level. I do believe that we will see Silva lose in a years time but I can tell you it will not be at the hands of Chael Sonnen.

As the host of MMA Gospel Radio, I offer you the chance to join us in our live chat room to discuss this topic or any other MMA story you would like to discuss. The show airs each Wednesday from 8-10 PM EST. Head over to www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel and join in the debates.

That sums it.

Until last year, UFC President Dana White boasted that his top-down authority over MMA led to matchups between the two best fighters in any division, unlike boxing where fighters were matched according to marketability wich has led to the unmarketability of boxing.  And, until November 2008 White was right.  But, in the past year-and-a-half or so, the matchups in the UFC have been determined by market more than sport.

The top challenger to Fighters.com and UFC Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4) is second-ranked Strikeforce champion Jake Shields (24-4-1).  And, it’s a good matchup on paper too, Silva being the best striker in the sport and Shields being at the top of his grappling game.

But, I understand the business and give White a pass for not collaborating on big fights with competing promotions.  So, the next best matchup for Silva in the UFC was third-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7).  But, White wouldn’t pony up the cash to keep Hendo in the Octagon to make the fight.  Henderson abandoned White and the UFC and signed with Strikeforce.

It happens.  Then, the next best matchup for Silva is fourth-ranked “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2), whom Silva himself calls the next king of the division.  But, Marquardt was passed over.

Instead, eighth-ranked “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8) will challenge Silva at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi April 10 in a more marketing stand-up war between two big names.  But, Marquardt is right.  Belfort has been in and out of the middlweight division and his most recent TKO of “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5) at UFC 103 in Dallas September 19 was at 195 pounds.

But, as the hype behind Silva-Belfort barely simmers, a better matchup between Shields and Henderson at Strikeforce boils hot.

Shields is expected defend his Strikeforce title from newly-signed Henderson on CBS in April.  That’s the biggest fight in the division, bigger than the UFC’s title fight the same month.

The champion, Shields, is a long-time holdout from the UFC who has managed nonetheless to put together an outstanding record versus established talent.  Henderson was to be Silva’s next challenger in the UFC and, therefore, even White can’t talk-down Henderson’s ranking.  So, whichever fighter leaves the cage with the Strikeforce title in April is the legitimate world’s top contender to Silva.  And, he’s not in the UFC.  It’s a better matchup on paper, it’s a better matchup in the division rankings, and there’s a lot more on the line.

Fighters.com’s January Middleweight Top Ten

1. “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4)

2. Jake Shields (24-4-1)

3. “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7)

4. “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2)

5. “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (23-2-1)

6. Demian Maia (10-1)

7. Chael Sonnen (23-10-1)

8. “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8)

9. “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (9-2)

10. “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-1)

This fighter grappled to a draw with former UFC two division champion “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-8) in a 2006 submission grappling contest and has only lost to fifth-ranked “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (23-2-1) in MMA since 2003.

Souza’s climb up the ranks, second-ranked Jake Shields’s (24-4-1) hold on the top contender spot, and Strikeforce’s signing of third-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7) gives Strikeforce four fighters in the 185-pound top ten.  (Of course, Mousasi has abandoned the division to take the Strikeforce 205-pound title.)

It’s likely Shields and Hendo’ will settle the top contender spot and fight for Strikeforce’s title in April, with the winner legitimately claiming the rank of best matchup for Fighters.com and UFC Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4).

Silva will fight tenth-ranked “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8) at UFC 109 in Las Vegas February 6.  Belfort can’t be overlooked at 185 pounds with Silva coming off of elbow surgery and five months hiatus.

Fourth-ranked “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2) and seventh-ranked Chael Sonnen (23-10-1) will battle the same night for the next title shot.

And sixth-ranked Demian Maia (10-1) will test strong prospect Dan Miller (11-2), making a trio of UFC 109 fights with maximum impact on the division rankings.

Also in December, ninth-ranked “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-1) submitted Tatsuhiko Nishizaka (3-5-1) at Bitetti Combat 5 in São Paulo December 12.  If Filho can get his act together, Fighters.com wouldn’t be surprised to see him in Strikeforce soon.

Fighters.com’s December Middleweight Rankings

1. “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4)

2. Jake Shields (24-4-1)

3. “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7)

4. “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2)

5. “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (23-2-1)

6. Demian Maia (10-1)

7. Chael Sonnen (23-10-1)

8. “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (9-2)

9. “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-1)

10. “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8)

Shields reminded Fighters.com of Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2) during his relentless press on the mat versus Miller.  Of course, Shields doesn’t have St. Pierre’s striking skills, and no one is in Silva’s striking league.  But, Shields shows no pretense of fancying himself a striker either.

At the opening bell Saturday night, Shields put Miller right on his back.  Both fighters were working their game plan.  Shields is going to put every opponent on their back.  Knowing that, Miller relented and hoped to wear Shields out by going rag-doll while defending Shields’s submission attempts.  But, Shields never wore down Saturday night and walked away with a UD and the Strikeforce title.

Now, if Silva has an exploitable weakness, it’s been on his back.  Versus “Serial Killer” Travis Lutter (10-5) at UFC 67 in Las Vegas in February 2007, Lutter briefly took control of the fight from top position before wearing down and succumbing to Silva’s barrage of elbows.  Third-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (24-7) was the first UFC fighter to win a round versus Silva and he did it from top position in the first round at UFC 82 in Columbus in March 2008, before fancying himself a striker and getting knocked silly and choked out in the second round.  That mistake still stings Henderson to no end.

But, Shields wouldn’t make the mistake Henderson made versus Silva.  Nor would he be so intimidated to shoot like former UFC title challenger Thales Leites (14-3) was at UFC 97 in Montreal April 18 that he’d just lay down and invite Silva into his guard.  Shields would take the fight to Silva and put him on his back.

Obviously, that guarantees nothing at all.  Despite looking beatable on his back at times, Silva has always regained his superiority and won in the UFC.  However, it’s interesting to note that two of Silva’s losses in the mysterious time before he emerged as the greatest middleweight in MMA history were by triangle choke to Daiju Takase (7-12-1) at PRIDE 26 in Yokohama in June 2003 and by flying scissor heel hook to “Piranha” Ryo Chonan (16-10) at PRIDE Shockwave 2004 in Tokyo on New Year’s Eve 2004.

I’m not ready to predict that Shields would beat Silva.  Only that Shields has the best shot at beating Silva among the current field of top ten middleweights.

And that field thinned in November as previously ninth-ranked “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5) dropped out of the top ten for the first time since Fighters.com began ranking divisions. In his place, and the place of previous perenial top tenner “Sexyama” Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-2) who also fell out of the rankings this month, “Ely” Paulo Filho (15-1) skipped up to the eighth spot, “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (8-2) moved into number nine, and “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8) claimed the final position.

Third-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7), fourth-ranked “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2), fifth-ranked “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (23-2-1), sixth-ranked Demian Maia (10-1), and seventh-ranked Chael Sonnen (23-10-1) all held steady.

Fighters.com’s November Middleweight Rankings

1. “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4)

2. Jake Shields (24-4-1)

3. “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7)

4. “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2)

5. “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (23-2-1)

6. Demian Maia (10-1)

7. Chael Sonnen (23-10-1)

8. “Ely” Paulo Filho (15-1)

9. “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (8-2)

10. “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8)

Belfort earned the title shot by upsetting ninth-ranked “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5) in just over three minutes in a 195-pound catch weight bout at UFC 103 in Dallas September 19.  Due to the catch weight, the victory over Franklin doesn’t earn Belfort a ranking in Fighters.com’s middleweight top ten.

After former champ Cung Le (6-0) stepped aside to focus on another film role, second-ranked Jake Shields (23-4-1) will fight for the vacant Strikeforce 185-pound title versus “Mayhem” Jason Miller (22-5) in Chicago November 7.

Seventh-ranked Chael Sonnen (22-10-1) will fight “Thunder” Yushin Okami (23-4) on the untelevised undercard of UFC 104 in Los Angeles October 24.  Fighters.com thinks it’s outrageous to relegate this battle of contenders to the untelevised undercard.

Tenth-ranked “Sexyama” Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-2) is rumored to follow-up his victorious UFC debut versus “The Talent” Alan Belcher (14-6) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas July 11 versus tenth-ranked light heavyweight “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1) at UFC 108.  Silva will be debuting at middleweight.

Third-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (24-7) is a free agent and in negotiations to return to the UFC, but Hendo’ told Sherdog negotiations aren’t going well.

Fourth-ranked “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2) and Hendo’ will probably fight for the next UFC title shot if Henderson and the UFC can agree to a contract soon.

Fifth-ranked “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (22-2-1) has stated he won’t return to the middleweight division and now holds the Strikeforce light heavyweight title; but, Fighters.com has met Mousasi and he’s a small 205er.  If Mousasi decides to compete at the top of the 205-pound division, he’ll be at a severe disadvantage.

Sixth-ranked Demian Maia (10-1) will look to rebound soon from his first-round KO loss to Marquardt at UFC 102 in Portland August 30.

Eighth-ranked Dan Miller (11-2) is recovering from an injury which kept him from fighting “Doberman” CB Dollaway (8-2) at UFC Fight Night 19 in Oklahoma City September 19.

Franklin is in limbo after losing to Belfort and continues to contemplate his future at 185- and 205-pounds.

Fighters.com October Middleweight Rankings

1. “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4)

2. Jake Shields (23-4-1)

3. “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (24-7)

4. “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2)

5. “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (22-2-1)

6. Demian Maia (10-1)

7. Chael Sonnen (22-10-1)

8. Dan Miller (11-2)

9. “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5)

10. “Sexyama” Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-2)

“He telegraphed his kicks pretty far out there. I could see them comin’,” Marquardt explained after the fight. “I can’t plan on knockin’ someone out like that. I got to be happy with that win.”

Marquardt theorized the BJJ wiz, Maia, was trying to sucker him into the ground game.

“He was trying to setup his takedowns. And, I think he was probably kicking me to try to get me to kick him back,” said Marquardt.

The KO won Marquardt the $60,000 UFC “Knockout of the Night” bonus and a possible title rematch versus Fighters.com’s Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4).

UFC President Dana White had awarded the title shot to “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7), but reconsidered in the build-up to Marquardt versus Maia.

“Dan Henderson is definitely next in line to fight for Anderson Silva’s title,” said White.

Silva has a 205-pound appointment with former UFC light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin (16-5) at UFC 101 in Philadelphia 8 August. White indicated the 185-pound title fighter versus Hendo’ will take place “as soon as possible…depending on how banged up he gets.”

Silva defended his title in a tranquilizing five-round UD over Thatles Leites (14-2) at UFC 97 in Montreal last April, his sixth consecutive succesful defense.

Hendo’ tranquilized “Count” Michael Bisping (17-2) with a fight-ending right hook at UFC 100 in Las Vegas 11 July.

Silva and Henderson will rematch a March 2008 fight at UFC 82 in Columbus that saw Henderson hand Silva his first losing round inside the Octagon only to tap in a rear naked choke with eight seconds remaining in the second round.

A UFC 102 match-up in Portland 29 August between Nathan Marquardt (28-8-2) and Demian Maia (10-0) was thought to give Silva his next title challenger, but White removed the speculation, saying, “It’s good to have these kinds of problems at 185.”