The Dane was originally scheduled to return to action last June when he was originally pitted against John Howard in a welterweight bout for “UFC on Versus 4″, though Martin subsequently suffered a knee injury which forced his removal from the bout.

It’s the same knee that forced him out of an originally scheduled middleweight bout with Rich Franklin at UFC 72 back in 2007–an opportunity of a lifetime that was cost due to the withered conditions of a knee that has seen the cutting board on three separate occasions.

Now, Kampmann is left with the memory of his last outing, a controversial decision loss to “The Ultimate Fighter” season one winner, Diego Sanchez. The two met back in March, and while Martin displayed an impressive blend of striking and effective takedown defense, it wasn’t enough to sway the judges in his favor.

“I thought it was a great fight”, said Kampmann.

“I thought I beat him in the first fight, but it is what it is. Judges sometimes don’t see it your way and of course I would love to beat him up again.”

Back in the gym, Kampmann is slowly weening himself back into action, but is still on the mend, much like another notable welterweight in Jon Fitch. The American Kickboxing Academy product has since been shelved for a shoulder injury suffered in preparation for a second meeting with former champion BJ Penn. The two initially met in at UFC 127 in the main-event, where they both battled to a controversial draw at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.

Fitch has since come out and discussed what would be his next move, since Penn has been pitted with budding contender Carlos Condit, and his plans could include Kampmann.

“I think Martin Kampmann might be a smart fight right now”, said Jon in an interview with MMACanada.net.

“He’s the only guy I can think of right now who’s healthy and who doesn’t have a fight scheduled, and has a big name and is a very tough opponent.”

“I heard that he wanted to fight me, so that could be an exciting fight”, said Martin in reference to the challenge thrown down.

“I’m coming off of two losses, even though they were both very close fights, but definitely a win over Jon Fitch would put me right back on top. That would be a great opportunity and he’s a very tough opponent, he’s a grinder, he takes people down, wears them out, and those are tough guys to fight. I think anybody can be beat and so can Jon Fitch. It would make for an interesting match-up for sure.”

Jon Fitch, Diego Sanchez–either fighter is fine by Kampmann (though Diego has since been penned in for a bout with UFC Hall of Famer, Matt Hughes), however, his attention has become a simple, single thought. Win. Doesn’t matter who, just win.

“My focus is, I’m coming off of two losses, so I would love to get a win”, said the 29-year-old Xtreme Couture product.

“I just want to go in there and beat somebody up. Obviously it’s always nice if I can get a name opponent, that would help me get back on the right track. It’s up to the UFC, it’s up to my opponent…if (Matt) Hughes steps out, I would be happy to step in.

“I would always rather get the win. I’m there to win, I hate losing more than anything.”

MMA Mania brings word that the UFC recently confirmed the bout for UFC 135 “Jones vs. Rampage”, an event currently scheduled for September 24 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The event will be headlined by UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones defending the belt against Quinton Jackson.  There are several other bouts currently rumored for UFC 135, including Damacio Page vs. Norifumi Yamamoto, Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi, Ben Rothwell vs. Mark Hunt, and Tony Ferguson vs. Aaron Riley.

With a record of 45-8 and over thirteen years of experience in MMA, with over a decade of experience in the UFC, Matt Hughes is rightfully regarded as one of the greatest Welterweight fighters of all time. He was at one time also one of the most-dominant fighters on the planet, winning the UFC Welterweight Championship and successfully defending it five times with four stoppages. Hughes is also a two-time Welterweight Champion.

His opponent, Diego Sanchez, has fought some of the best the UFC has to offer both at Welterweight and Lightweight. Sanchez’s recent return to Welterweight has seen him go 2-1 with big wins over Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann. The win over Kampmann was not without its fair share of controversy, however, as many believe that Kampmann should have won the bout.

I think this is a smart fight for both men, and a pretty tough fight for both men as well. Even though he’s Matt Hughes, there are a lot of questions surrounding Hughes right now. How is he going to come back from one of the most-humbling losses of his career, especially this late into his career? With his legacy intact, and with him already being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, how many more years does Matt Hughes want to do this?

And make no mistake, there are a lot of questions hovering around Diego Sanchez right now as well. Sanchez always seems to struggle against top-division competition, and although he’s fought for a UFC Championship once before, he was totally controlled and dominated in that fight. And as I pointed out earlier, there’s a large and vocal contingent that believe that Martin Kampmann was robbed when Sanchez beat him at “UFC on Versus 3”.

In the end, I think both men have a lot to prove with this fight, and I hope that brings out the best in both Matt Hughes and Diego Sanchez. Because at their best, this has all the makings of a very good fight.

I’d like to say this right off the bat: being gifted a decision win doesn’t mean that Diego Sanchez is a bad fighter, and being stopped in twenty-one seconds does not mean that Matt Hughes is now irrelevant. Allow me to explain.

It’s great that Diego Sanchez has re-discovered the fire inside of himself. After being on the wrong end of a five-round thrashing by BJ Penn, Sanchez promptly lost his semi-hyped return to Welterweight. However, everything fell into place for his big Unanimous Decision win over Paulo Thiago. Even if he changed nicknames, the old Diego Sanchez returned in that fight, best seen when he carried Thiago across the cage and nearly slammed him through the mat, screaming the entire way.

But something went wrong against Martin Kampmann, and only some blind and/or biased judges gave Sanchez the win. Sanchez had the same fire and tenacity, but he showed up almost out of shape and with none of the finesse. It was a momentary stumbling block that should have been a loss. But that doesn’t mean that Diego Sanchez is done. One bad performance does not break your career.

The same holds true for Matt Hughes. BJ Penn may have TKO’d Hughes in twenty-one seconds, but that type of flash knockout can happen to anybody, given the right circumstances. And the circumstances were definitely right: Hughes didn’t expect Penn to come out headhunting, but Penn felt as if he had nothing to lose and went for the Hail Mary barrage. It just happened to work.

That shouldn’t overshadow the three-fight win-streak Hughes was on before the loss. Hughes is a veteran of over fifty fights, and he’s won forty-five of them. That’s very, very impressive. If Hughes brings out his best and isn’t caught off-guard, he’s still very relevant in today’s Welterweight division.

For this fight, I think Matt Hughes is going to shine and give Sanchez the humbling loss he should have received at the hands of Martin Kampmann. It’s been almost three years since Sanchez (T)KO’d anybody, and as good as Diego’s wrestling is, Hughes was one of the best wrestlers in the business for a long, long time. In terms of pure ground game, very few match up to Matt Hughes even to this day. If it goes to the ground, Hughes will serve up some vicious Ground and Pound and may even be able to stop Sanchez.

For Sanchez to win, he’ll have to rediscover that fire like never before: he’ll have to go for broke and hunt for the finish every single second he’s in the cage with Matt Hughes. If you could combine the tenacity and ferocity of the old Diego with the experience of this new Diego, you may have a good enough fighter to one day be a champion. But that’s a balance that Sanchez finds very hard to maintain, and it’s led to some big losses for him. And against a fighter like Hughes, I think Diego Sanchez will struggle again and ultimately be found wanting.

But that’s just what I think. What about you, fans and friends? Any thoughts on who wins this match-up?

However, the former welterweight world champion doesn’t seem like he’s quite ready to hang it up quite yet. In fact, Hughes will be returning in the Fall and he will be taking on season one winner of “The Ultimate Fighter”, Diego Sanchez.

The bout is pivotal for both men. Sanchez, who wants to prove that he belongs in the upper echelon of the division, and Hughes, who wants to remain relevant in todays day and age of mixed martial arts.

Officials announced the match-up earlier and UFC President Dana White had some words for the upcoming welterweight tilt, which as of right now does not have any specific date or venue.

“A matchup between two welterweight fan favorites has been verbally agreed to as Diego ‘The Dream’ Sanchez will face former UFC welterweight champion and Hall of Famer Matt Hughes,” stated White in the release.

Diego was last seen in action in an early candidate for “Fight of the Year” when he stepped inside the octagon against Martin Kampmann at “UFC on Versus 3″ last March. The two men stood toe-to-toe for the entire three-rounds. Sanchez managed only just a few takedowns and weathered storms from Kampmann while rocking the Dutch striker on several occasions as well. In the end, Sanchez walked away the victor by a contentious decision. However, both men ended up winning the evenings “Fight of the Night” award as the clear cut favorite.

Hughes, meanwhile, has seen better days in his career. Matt recently had compiled a three-fight win streak inside the cage which began with a decision win over rival and former champion Matt Serra, Hughes would go on to TKO the legendary Renzo Gracie, and finally choke out Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Ricardo Almeida, inside of the first-round

In his last outing, Matt was knocked by rival BJ Penn in November of last year at UFC 123, and since the bout many speculated that Hughes would finally hang up the gloves after a long and historic career which has seen Matt become a 2-time welterweight champion and arguably the most dominant 170-pound fighter, ever—though I’m sure fans of Georges St. Pierre would likely disagree.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the match-up? It’s a surprise for me as I imagine it would be for you. Who do you favor? Both men seem fairly evenly matched, though the edge in grappling would have to go to Hughes. Sound off in the comment section below.

Next for Joe Stevenson: “Daddy” will dine on a diet of prospects for the foreseeable future. Stevenson promised that 2011 would be his year, but clearly that is not the case. Stevenson has now lost three straight, and although I hate to say this, I’m going to be bluntly honest and say that I firmly believe that Joe’s time has passed him by. If he wins his next fight, he’ll be the UFC’s Lightweight gatekeeper until he either retires or goes on enough of a losing streak to get the boot. And if he loses his next fight, he’ll get the boot.

Next for Damacio Page: I can also see Page being put into the role of a gatekeeper. Or if not that, someone who likes to brawl. Page is always down to fight, and any day now there’s going to be an influx of lighter-weight fighters hungry to come into the UFC and get their fair share out of the world’s biggest MMA promotion. As a member of the old guard, Page would do best as one of the ones to meet the charge of those incoming hot prospects.

Next for Brian Bowles: If he keeps the momentum going from his UFC debut, Bowles is only a fight or two away from a shot at the championship. I think a rematch with Miguel Torres is definitely called for. It’s the right move for all involved, since Bowles needs another huge win and Torres was the biggest win of his career. Plus, it would likely be a totally different fight from their first encounter due to Miguel’s completely different style. If not “Angel”, look for Bowles to get another top-division fighter whenever he fights next.

Next for Chris Weidman: Another middle-tier opponent, someone who can really test Weidman’s skills both as a wrestler and a striker. I think Chris Leben would be a pretty good choice, considering that he’s coming off of a big loss but he’s also still a very dangerous opponent. If not Leben, then perhaps CB Dollaway, who’s in the same exact position as “The Crippler”. No matter who Weidman draws in his second UFC fight, expect no easy tests for the hot prospect now that he’s proved himself against a tough, grizzled veteran.

Next for Mark Munoz: I’d like to see Munoz take on Jorge Rivera, personally. I think that would be a very entertaining fight. It would definitely test Munoz’s stand-up, and it would be a close and competitive match. I’d also like to see what Dan Miller would be able to do against someone like Munoz. Although Munoz is still a far cry away from championship contender status, he definitely took a step up the ladder when he KO’d CB Dollaway.

Next for Diego Sanchez/Martin Kampmann: Each other, which is why I’m grouping them together. Once again, this fight was a perfect example of judges not being able to appreciate the finesse of a truly skilled MMA fighter. Sanchez threw wildly and missed plenty of shots, but simply because he threw like a madman the judges thought he was in control. In reality, Kampmann never seemed to be in any real danger and reduced Diego’s face to mush before their fight was through. I say make the rematch to give Kampmann the shot at vengeance that he rightfully deserves.

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 on Versus 3”?

The fight was tight and contentious throughout, however Sanchez was able to pick up the very close decision win over the Xtreme Couture product.

While the fight has since been hotly debated, both men didn’t lose much in the eyes of the promotion, as they were both awarded an additional $160k in bonuses for their “Fight of the Night” performance.

The evenings “Fight Night” awards were originally relegated at $40k apiece, however UFC President Dana White initially awarded both Sanchez and Kampmann an additional $20k for their efforts, totaling $60k in bonus earnings. However, in a later interview with Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports, White claimed that both Diego and Martin took home an additional $100k for their stellar performance, which concluded to a total of $160k.

While the welterweight affair, which served as the evening’s main-event for “UFC on Versus 3″ at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., garnered most of the attention, two more bouts sought the eye of the promoter’s and fans alike.

Former WEC 135-pound champion Brian Bowles returned to action taking on perennial contender Damacio Page in a rematch a couple of years in the making. Bowles originally submitted the Greg Jackson product in August of 2008, and while both men have improved their skills since then, it was Brian who had the upper hand on “The Angel of Death” once again. Damacio came out the aggressor, however Bowles clipped Page with an uppercut, staggering his opponent before working the action to the mat. As Damacio postured himself to stand back up, he left his neck exposed for Bowles to lock up a fight-ending guillotine choke–the same submission the former titleholder used to submit Page in 2008. The win nabbed Brian “Submission of the Night” and an additional $40k for his efforts.

Shane Roller, a former WEC lightweight contender, made good on his UFC debut and proved that the new crop of lightweight fighter’s could hang with some of the best that the UFC had to offer. Roller was pitted against Brazilian Thiago Tavares on the evening’s preliminary portion of the card, however found his way to the televised card when Shane knocked out Tavares in the second-round. While Tavares seemed to have edged Roller in the opening frame with a takedown and solid strikes, Roller eventually connected on a stiff right-hand that floored Tavares. Additional ground-and-pound blows were just the icing on the cake that Shane needed to take home the “Knockout of the Night” bonus, which included an additional $40k.

The Lightning Strikes Twice Award: Brian Bowles, for beating the same man, by the same maneuver, at the exact same minute of the very same round. On both March 3, 2011 at “UFC on Versus 3” and on August 3, 2008 at WEC 35, Brian Bowles beat Damacio Page by Submission due to a Guillotine Choke at 3:30 of Round 1. Also, both times he was awarded a “Submission of the Night” bonus for doing so.

The “Hills Have Eyes” Award: Diego Sanchez, who looked like someone had shot him in the face during his bout with Martin Kampmann, and who looked like a “Hills Have Eyes” reject after the final bell had rung. In typical Sanchez fashion, “The Dream” fought better when he was pushed around and bloodied up, turning it on in the later rounds and even wobbling Martin Kampmann at one point.

The Greg Jackson Award For Silliest Nickname: Diego Sanchez, for changing his nickname from “Nightmare” to “The Dream”. At least “Nightmare” was somewhat original even if most people rolled their eyes when they heard it. “The Dream” just sounds like Sanchez is trying way too hard to distance himself from his former nickname. And does anyone else notice how so many of Greg Jackson’s fighters have ridiculous nicknames? “Sugar” or sometimes “Suga”, “Rush”, “The Carpenter”, “The Natural Born Killer”, “The Engineer”, and now “The Dream”. The team with some of the best fighters on the planet has most of the ridiculous nicknames. Go figure.

The Leonard Garcia Award For Outstanding Achievement In Windmill Imitation: Damacio Page, who fought Brian Bowles by doing what he always does: throwing caution to the wind and swinging for the fences with huge looping punches that even the crowd can see coming a mile away. It wasn’t pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but at least Page tried to make the bout exciting. It’s a shame that he would end the night in an unconscious heap, because he helped give fans one of the best fights of the night.

The Scott Smith Award For Most Inspiring Comeback After Getting Your *** Kicked: Shane Roller, who received one hell of a beatdown at the hands of Thiago Tavares for much of the first round of their preliminary fight. Roller, however, would come back strong in Round 2 and nail a Hail Mary punch on Tavares that hit so solidly and with so much power that Tavares was unconscious before he hit the ground. It’s just further proof that anything really can happen in MMA.

The Cecil Peoples Award For Best Display Of Utter Blindness And Ineptitude: The judges of “UFC on Versus 3” that gave Diego Sanchez the win against Martin Kampmann. This just further shows that most MMA judges either don’t understand or don’t appreciate the finesse and skill involved in picking your shots and not wildly swinging for the fences like your life depended on it. Even though I’m a Diego Sanchez fan, it’s clear that Kampmann was the more tactile and successful puncher, and as Kampmann himself stated, simply look at his face compared to Diego’s to see which one really won this fight.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? Any thoughts on this new series?

5. Chris Weidman dominating and slicing open Alessio Sakara.

It’s always tough to debut in the UFC. It’s even tougher when you’re relatively new to Mixed Martial Arts as a whole. It’s even tougher still when you debut against a tough veteran, both in MMA in general and in the UFC in particular. That’s exactly the spot Chris Weidman found himself in when he took on Alessio Sakara, and Weidman absolutely made the most out of the opportunity: with his constant wrestling and some vicious elbows, Sakara was a bloody, defeated mess by the time the fight was over. It was a big win for the newfound newcomer, and definitely a highlight of the night.

4. Shane Roller “Hail Mary” KO’ing Thiago Tavares.

Comeback KO’s are always a thing of beauty. Not only that, they represent one of the best things about this sport: its utter unpredictability. Sometimes it only takes one punch, and that’s a lesson that Tavares unfortunately had to learn at “UFC on Versus 3”. Shane Roller somehow found a way to survive the numerous onslaughts of Tavares in the first round of their fight, and in the second, Roller saw one brief opening and capitalized on it immediately. Seeing Tavares go from looking like a stone-cold killer to being stone-cold unconscious was definitely a big “WOW!” moment.

3. Mark Munoz knocking out CB Dollaway.

I have to admit, I thought both men would grind their way through a tough fight. I fully expected this one to go to a decision. Instead, Mark Munoz shattered my expectations and, in the process, shattered the chin of his opponent. I absolutely do not think that the ref stopped this fight too early, and I give Munoz all the respect he rightfully deserves. Seeing him KO Dollaway was one of the best moments of the night for me.

2. Brian Bowles choking out Damacio Page.

This fight and its outcome gets the number two spot for two main reasons. First and foremost, as a WEC fan I’m very glad that this fight lived up to its potential. It was a fight that featured constant action and lots of punches, and it ended quite dramatically. Secondly, I’m glad that Brian Bowles is back. Bowles is a proven champion, and I think he’s going to go very far in the UFC. I enjoyed seeing him debut in the world’s premiere MMA organization very, very much.

And my person pick for best moment of “UFC on Versus 3: Sanchez vs. Kampmann” is…

1. Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann. The entire fight.

Even though the end of this fight was very controversial, with many people thinking that Martin Kampmann should have won, this was still a great fight. There’s really no other way to describe a three-round war that saw both men wobbled by punches and bloodied up. Kampmann was tactile and effective, while Sanchez was fiery and once again showed his fearlessness. Even if you think Kampmann should have won (and believe me, I do), I think at the end of the day you’ve simply got to give this fight the credit it deserves. It was a great main event.

So there you have it, fans and friends: those are the moments I’ll be remembering from “UFC on Versus 3: Sanchez vs. Kampmann”. But what about you? What do you think everyone will be talking about in the days/weeks to come?

Diego Sanchez defeats Martin Kampmann by Unanimous Decision. Mark Munoz defeats CB Dollaway by TKO at 0:54 of Round 1. Chris Weidman defeats Alessio Sakara by Unanimous Decision. Brian Bowles defeats Damacio Page by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 3:30 of Round 1. Cyrille Diabate defeats Steve Cantwell by Unanimous Decision. Danny Castillo defeats Joe Stevenson by Unanimous Decision. Shane Roller defeats Thiago Tavares by KO at 1:28 of Round 2. Takeya Mizugaki defeats Reuben Duran by Split Decision. Dongi Yang defeats Rob Kimmons by TKO at 4:47 of Round 2. Rousimar Palhares defeats Dave Branch by Submission (Heel Hook) at 1:44 of Round 2. Igor Pokrajac defeats Todd Brown by TKO at 5:00 of Round 1.

For the most part, I enjoyed the free preliminary fights on Facebook. Danny Castillo and Joe Stevenson fought a very tough, very close fight, and gave us several solid minutes of entertainment. The Cyrille Diabate vs. Steve Cantwell fight was entertaining at times, but dragged on a bit due to Diabate’s inability to go for the kill even when it was practically screaming at him. Cantwell looked dead on his feet from the start of the second round, but Diabate either didn’t want to risk getting caught with a Hail Mary salvo or he gassed himself out. Either way, the fight was a bit underwhelming. However, at the end of the day it’s still two free fights on Facebook. I really can’t complain too much.

I’m glad that the fight between Brian Bowles and Damacio Page lived up to its potential even though it was so short. Part of me really hoped that Page would somehow pull off the miracle/upset and land one of his huge looping punches that I’m sure Bowles could see coming a mile away, but in the end, the outcome of this fight didn’t surprise me in the least. With this win I think Brian Bowles has officially staked his claim in the UFC, give him one or two more fights and Bowles will be right back up there, challenging for the championship.

I was pretty happy to see Chris Weidman pick up a win over Alessio Sakara. I think Weidman definitely proved that he’s got a very bright future in the UFC, and I think we may be talking a whole lot more about him before the year is through. Weidman showed up with very little time to prepare and proceeded to control and slice open a very respected UFC veteran. I can only imagine what Weidman fights like with a complete training camp under his belt.

I’m siding with Joe Rogan on Mark Munoz vs. CB Dollaway. In a world of horrendous referees, Mario Yamasaki has never struck me as one. He’s actually one of the few refs I consider fair and balanced. The stoppage may have been a bit premature, but Munoz had Dollaway in deep, deep trouble, and I think Yamasaki saved CB from some extra and unneeded damage.

I found myself immensely enjoying the main event that saw Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann battle to a thrilling three-round decision. Both fighters took several hard shots throughout the bout, and Diego’s face was a bloody mess by the time all was said and done. It was a great main event, and a fitting end to what turned out to be a very solid, very entertaining event.

And there you have it, fans and friends: another UFC show has come and gone. But what about you? What did you think of “UFC on Versus 3”?

5. Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson at UFC: “Fight Night 24”.

Both men are at a pretty interesting crossroads in their careers right now. Dan Hardy was the tough Brit who would never quit and had an iron chin… until Carlos Condit knocked him out. Anthony Johnson was supposed to be the next big can’t-miss prospect at Welterweight… then Josh Koscheck submitted him in November 2009 and “Rumble” hasn’t stepped into the Octagon since. Both men have a lot to prove in this fight, and it should be a fantastic fight.

4. Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland at UFC 128: “Shogun vs. Jones”.

This entry definitely makes the list mostly because I’m an unabashed WEC fanboy, but this is one occasion where I have no problem letting my fanboy flag fly free. I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for Urijah Faber, and I think he’s found his fire again after dropping down to Bantamweight. I’m really looking forward to seeing Faber debut in the UFC and letting all the non-WEC UFC fans know what they’ve been missing, especially given the disappointing debut of Miguel Torres.

3. Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann at “UFC on Versus 3: Sanchez vs. Kampmann”.

I’m going to enjoy this fight even if Diego Sanchez loses, simply because it has all the makings of an epic encounter. This is the type of match perfect for the main event of a TV card: it’s two semi-big names in a smartly-booked fight that plays to both men’s strengths. Whoever emerges the winner takes a big step towards championship relevancy, and this should motivate both men to perform at their best. And when they perform at their best, they’re very entertaining. And performing at their best against each other? That will be even more entertaining.

2. Dan Henderson vs. Rafael Cavalcante at Strikeforce: “Feijao vs. Henderson”.

As a massive fan of the old school, part of me really wants Dan Henderson to beat Rafael Cavalcante. But as a moderate fan of Rafael Cavalcante, another part of me wants “Feijao” to beat Henderson in order to both legitimize his championship reign and bring stability to Strikeforce’s Light Heavyweight division. It’s a tough fight to call, and it could go either way, and very few things are for certain until these two step into the cage. But one thing is for certain: if it lives up to its potential, this will be an awesome match.

And by quite a large margin, my number-one most-anticipated fight of March 2011 is…

1. Mauricio Rua vs. Jon Jones at UFC 128 “Shogun vs. Jones”.

I’ve talked about this match a whole lot, and I’ve had to deal with my fair share of criticism for my views. But I can’t wait to be proven right, because I wholeheartedly believe that I know exactly what is going to happen. I think Mauricio Rua’s mega-hyped comeback is all smoke and mirrors, and I think Jon Jones will prove once again that he’s the future of the Light Heavyweight division. A new era is about to dawn: Jon Jones will break the streak of Light Heavyweight Champions losing the belt in their first few defenses, a chain that has remained unbroken since Quinton Jackson famously dethroned Chuck Liddell all the way back in 2007. I absolutely cannot wait for this match.

And there you have it, fans and friends! But what about you? What bouts are you most looking forward to for March 2011?

I think there are a lot of good preliminary fights on this card, and I hope I get to see at least a few of them. In particular, I’d like to see Joe Stevenson’s fight, because he’s usually pretty entertaining. Steve Cantwell vs. Cyrille Diabate should also be a good fight. I’d like to see Takeya Mizugaki fight too, he’s always good for a fun fight win or lose. I’d even like to see Rousimar Palhares fight.

I really think Damacio Page vs. Brian Bowles is going to be the “sleeper hit of the night” if it lives up to all of its potential. This has all the makings of a fast and furious brawl that could go all three rounds or just as easily could be stopped within the first few minutes. It all depends on how hungry both men are for a win and how badly they want to push the pace. However, I have to be honest and admit that part of me is dreading that this fight could turn into a near-duplicate of the recent Miguel Torres vs. Antonio Banuelos fight, which I found very boring and supremely disappointing. I certainly hope it doesn’t come to that.

Part of me really wants Chris Weidman to win, but another part thinks that Alessio Sakara just has too much of an edge on him. I think Weidman has a very tough test for his UFC debut, and if he does win, he’ll immediately make some waves. However, I just think this is a matter of “too much, too soon”. My head is 100% behind Alessio Sakara, but my heart does wish that Weidman finds a way to pull off the upset. It’ll certainly be an interesting fight no matter how it unfolds.

Although neither man has really stood out in the Middleweight division, CB Dollaway vs. Mark Munoz is a very solid match. I haven’t ever really followed both men throughout their careers, so I can’t say much besides that. I do think it’ll be a pretty entertaining fight, though. I just don’t know what the future holds should they win or lose.

I think the main event will be a terrific fight, but again, only if it lives up to its potential. I think Sanchez will push Kampmann and throw Kampmann and bully Kampmann, unless Kampmann shows up at his best. I think the best is yet to come for Diego Sanchez, and I think before the night is through we’ll see him once again run screaming across the cage with his opponent on his shoulders. This is going to be a very close fight, but ultimately, I’m hoping Diego picks up the win.

And that’s it, fans and friends! Those are my final, assorted thoughts on “UFC on Versus 3”. But what about you? And final thoughts or predictions for this card?

Sanchez will be back on Pay-Per-View with regularity.

The only way I don’t see this happening if Diego wins is if it’s a boring fight. And while Sanchez is many things, he’s usually never boring. If Sanchez beats Kampmann, the UFC will fully invest into his comeback and begin putting him against the division’s best talent. With a few more wins, Sanchez may even find himself in the co-main event slot of a major Pay-Per-View.

Diego Sanchez may end up facing Brian Ebersole.

There’s a lot of unanswered questions that are still hovering around Brian Ebersole, even after his shocking win against Chris Lytle. Can Ebersole really hang with the elite of the division? Now that the element of surprise is no longer there, will Ebersole’s unorthodox style hold up, especially against someone like Sanchez, who is also pretty unorthodox? This would be a tough test for both men, and I’d love to see it happen.

Diego Sanchez will probably face Josh Koscheck sooner or later.

This rematch comes at a perfect time for both men. If Sanchez beats Martin Kampmann, he deserves a high-profile fight against a top-division opponent. And it doesn’t get much more high-profile than a rematch with the man who just got done fighting for the UFC Welterweight Championship, and who also just happens to be the first fighter to ever give Diego Sanchez a loss. Josh Koscheck also needs several “rebound fights” in order to keep his Welterweight relevancy intact, and once again beating Diego Sanchez, especially with Sanchez in the middle of a comeback, would be an excellent start.

If he remains active, Diego Sanchez will have to beat BJ Penn to get a shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship.

I think this is the one thing Diego Sanchez absolutely has to do in order to make a serious claim for a shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship. Of course, this all depends on whether or not BJ Penn is still fighting at Welterweight, or even still fighting at all, by the time Sanchez compiles the type of win-streak necessary to warrant a second encounter with the man who so thoroughly beat him at Lightweight. But if the stars align and all the pieces fall into place, Sanchez should absolutely pursue a rematch with Penn in order to wash away what was undoubtedly the most one-sided loss of Sanchez’s career.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? What do you think the future holds for Diego Sanchez if he manages to beat Martin Kampmann at “UFC on Versus 3: Sanchez vs. Kampmann”?

Brian Bowles vs.  Damacio Page: I’ve simply got to favor the former WEC Bantamweight Champion. It’s been almost a year since Bowles last fought, though, so I expect him to show up a bit rusty. Even so, Damacio Page simply hasn’t been able to do too much against top-ranked competition. Even worse, Bowles has beaten him once before. But thanks to ring rust and Page’s toughness, I’m predicting that Brian Bowles wins by Unanimous Decision.

Alessio Sakara vs.  Chris Weidman: I hate to pick against Chris Weidman, because I really think the man has a very bright future both in the UFC and in general, but this is a terrible first fight for him, especially considering that Sakara is on a fantastic three-fight win-streak that includes two (T)KO wins, one of which earned him a “Knockout of the Night” award. This is simply a matter of too much experience, it’s too tough of a test for Weidman’s first go-round in the UFC. Part of me hopes that Weidman proves me dead wrong and wins by TKO in Round 1, but I’m going to side with my head and not my heart on this one and call for Alessio Sakara to win by TKO in Round 2.

C.B. Dollaway vs.  Mark Muñoz: This is definitely a tough fight to call, since both men share so much in common. They’re both relatively new to the sport. They’ve both lost twice. They’ve both had some pretty dominating victories in the Octagon. Both have stumbled against some tough competition in the past. In the end, I’ve simply got to go with the man that’s currently on a three-fight win-streak, and took home a “Submission of the Night” award for his last fight. CB Dollaway will win by Unanimous Decision.

Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann: This is certainly the toughest fight to call, given how multi-dimensional and evenly-matched both men are. I think both men are incredibly motivated for this fight, and that they’re at their best when they’re this motivated. It’s going to be a total war, with lots of give-and-take, but I simply think that Sanchez has it in him to give Kampmann the first two-fight losing-streak of his career. Diego Sanchez wins by a very tough, very close Split Decision.

And that’s what I think will happen when “UFC on Versus 3: Sanchez vs. Kampmann” goes live on the Versus network, fans and friends. What about you? Who do you think will win big at “UFC on Versus 3”, and why?

5. Diego Sanchez has plenty of power in his hands.

Diego Sanchez may have nine wins by submission, but three of those wins have been submissions due to punches. Especially in the UFC, Sanchez’s best moments have come when he viciously pounds on an opponent and forces a stoppage. And that’s simply not the best opponent to face when three of your four losses as a professional Mixed Martial Artist have come by way of (T)KO.

4. Kampmann always seems to be chasing a belt, Diego has actually fought for one.

Experience always plays a factor in any upcoming MMA bout, and in this particular case, Sanchez has an invaluable amount of experience over Martin Kampmann: Diego Sanchez has actually fought for a championship. Despite his best efforts Kampmann hasn’t been able to ascend to top-division status, while Sanchez toughed it out for five straight rounds against BJ Penn. Even though he was soundly defeated, that type of championship encounter is a huge learning experience for any fighter and a big advantage Sanchez holds over Kampmann.

3. Sanchez is coming off of a dominating win.

After losing to upstart prospect John Hathaway in his return to Welterweight, Diego Sanchez was in dire need of a big win. And he got just that in his most recent fight, putting on a classic performance and basically dominating the tough Paulo Thiago. The last time Sanchez had a comeback, he won four straight fights and challenged for a championship. If this truly is the return of the old Diego Sanchez, Martin Kampmann could be in for a very rough night.

2. Martin Kampmann is coming off of a big loss.

Just when it seems that Kampmann is ready to add his name to the official list of championship challengers, he suffers a very deflating loss. It happened first when Nate Marquardt TKO’d him, it happened again when Paul Daley TKO’d him, and it happened most recently when Jake Shields defeated him via a semi-controversial Split Decision. Every time Kampmann has had to endure such a loss, he’s always rebounded against weaker competition before throwing himself back into the shark tank. This time, Kampmann will enjoy no such luxury.

And the number one reason why I think Diego Sanchez could beat Martin Kampmann is…

1. Diego Sanchez is back.

He basically proved this when he ran screaming across the cage carrying Paul Thiago on his shoulders before viciously slamming Thiago to the mat. Sanchez is hungry again: hungry for a title shot, hungry to prove that he’s still a force in whatever division he competes in, hungry to prove that the best is still yet to come. Sanchez is arguably more focused and more motivated than he’s ever been, meaning that he’s also better than he’s ever been. And that’s the single biggest reason why he could be able to beat Martin Kampmann.

And there you have it, fans and friends: that’s why I think Diego Sanchez could beat Martin Kampmann. One more time: who’ve you got winning this fight, and why?

5. Kampmann is talented in all major areas of the game.

Although several of his recent fights have gone to a decision, an overwhelming majority of Martin Kampmann’s professional MMA fights have ended with Kampmann scoring a stoppage win: of twenty-one fights he’s won seventeen, those seventeen wins include thirteen finishes. And those thirteen finishes are split nearly down the middle, with Kampmann holding seven wins by (T)KO and six by submission.

4.Kampmann knows that his welterweight relevancy is at stake in this fight.

Kampmann really can’t afford to lose this bout, and I think he knows that very well. If Kampmann beats Sanchez, he pretty much guarantees himself a shot at a top 10 Welterweight in his next fight. If he loses, it’s back to the mid-level, and that is absolutely not where Martin Kampmann wants to be right now.

3. Kampmann has never lost twice in a row.

The battle scars of Diego Sanchez’s run at Lightweight have only just begun to heal. It’ll take a long time before Sanchez fully emerges from the shadow of the utter schooling he received at the hands of BJ Penn. He then went on to lose to John Hathaway, marking the second time in Sanchez’s career that he lost two fights in a row. Kampmann has never lost two in a row, and that’s a real confidence booster heading into a fight against someone who has lost two in a row on two separate occasions, with both occasions having at least one fight where Sanchez’s opponent dominated him.

2. Kampmann has halted comebacks and win-streaks before.

Thales Leites entered the UFC an unbeaten 9-0 submission machine… then lost to Martin Kampmann. Jorge Rivera had just brutally KO’d Kendall Grove… and then Martin Kampmann submitted him. Carlos Condit entered the UFC as the last WEC Welterweight Champion, a belt he successfully defended on three separate occasions, finishing each and every one of those bouts… and then he lost to Martin Kampmann. Kampmann has made a habit out of giving fighters a rude awakening just when it looked like they were in the middle of something big, and that experience will be one of the integral keys to beating Diego Sanchez.

And the number one reason why I think Martin Kampmann could beat Diego Sanchez is…

1. Martin Kampmann is always a dangerous opponent.

There’s really no other way to describe it. Even though he’s never managed to outright win a shot at the championship, that shouldn’t overshadow the fact that Martin Kampmann has been hovering around the top of the UFC’s welterweight division since he made the drop from Middleweight back in January 2009. In a way, Martin Kampmann is the UFC’s 170-pound gatekeeper, and that’s a role that’s worked out very well for him, winning four of six bouts. Martin Kampmann is a threat to anyone at any time, and that’s the biggest reason I think he could end up beating Diego Sanchez.

So that’s what I think, fans and friends. Stay tuned for the next part of today’s “5 Reasons Why” two-parter, it’ll be up soon. But for now: do you see Martin Kampmann beating Diego Sanchez? Why or why not?

5. Plenty of solid undercard bouts we’ll probably end up seeing.

Most live UFC shows tend to have a few preliminary fights shown during the official live broadcast, that’s just the nature of the game when you’re broadcasting a sport as unpredictable as MMA. Depending on how fast the main card fights end, we could see some pretty entertaining preliminary fights on Versus, featuring stars like Joe Stevenson, Steve Cantwell, Takeya Mizugaki, and more.

4. We have to support MMA on Versus or else one day we might end up not getting MMA on Versus.

When it was revealed that the UFC/WEC merger would result in a noticeably diminished schedule of live MMA events on the Versus network, UFC President Dana White basically said “yeah, sorry, we’ll try to make it up to you by making the cards worthwhile”. And I firmly believe that if these “UFC on Versus” shows aren’t successful, the UFC very well may choose not to sign a new deal with Versus once their current deal expires. I know I’ve said “free MMA on TV is rarely a bad thing” countless times, but I also fully believe that the reverse is true as well: less MMA on TV is rarely a good thing.

3. Let’s see if Chris Weidman can live up to the hype.

There’s been a lot of talk about Chris Weidman and his impending UFC debut, especially on fighters.com. Weidman is an undefeated 4-0 prospect and he’ll basically burst onto the main stage if he’s able to beat talented veteran Alessio Sakara. It’s always interesting to see whether or not a fighter lives up to the hype, and seeing Weidman try to live up to his should be one of the most interesting moments of the night.

2. Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page should be a wild brawl.

In a way, I think this is the fight that Miguel Torres vs. Antonio Banuelos should have been. In one corner we’ve got a former WEC champion, the first man to ever stop Miguel Torres, who had both won and finished every single one of his fights as a professional MMA athlete up until he lost to current UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz. In the other corner is Damacio Page, who always shows up to entertain and either finish his opponent or get finished. If it lives up to its potential, this should be one of the best fights of the night.

And the number one reason I think fans should watch “UFC on Versus 3” is…

1. The main event is going to be awesome.

Again, it all has to do with living up to the potential the match has on paper. On paper, these two are a perfect match for each other. They’re fast, they’re fluid, they’re good at basically everything. Both just don’t want to win, they want to dominate in order to prove that they belong at the top of the division. This fight easily could have been on Pay-Per-View, so it’s great that we’re getting it for free on Versus and it’s definitely the biggest reason to tune in and give this show a watch.

So there you have it, fans and friends: five great reasons to tune in and see “UFC on Versus 3”. What about you? As the date draws ever-closer, what are you most looking forward to for this event?

The Event: “UFC on Versus 3: Sanchez vs. Kampmann”, currently scheduled for March 3, 2011 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. The main card will be broadcast live on the Versus network starting at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT.

Why You Should Care: With the WEC officially being folded into the UFC at the start of the year, these are the sole live MMA outings left on the Versus network. That’s a big gap that the UFC must fill, and with it comes a smaller amount of shows than WEC and Versus fans are used to. To overcome that problem, the UFC is putting together a solid card that seems to be a step above their usual “Fight Night Live” outings.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: In his last fight, Diego Sanchez re-discovered the fire inside him when he ran right through Paulo Thiago. Sanchez seems to be a new man thanks to famed trainer Greg Jackson. Meanwhile, Martin Kampmann is still chasing the shot at the championship that he’s never been able to firmly grasp hold of. Both men want and need a win pretty badly, so expect plenty of fireworks for this fight.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: Expect a fast pace and a lot of hard work when CB Dollaway and Mark Munoz battle it out. Both men could use a big win on their records right now, and both are coming off of pretty decisive wins. Dollaway in particular is on a three-fight win-streak, so expect him to show up very motivated. They may not be the brightest stars on the card, but these two workhorses should put on a pretty entertaining scrap.

Why You Should Watch This Card: Simply put: potential. The potential is there for all the “UFC on Versus” fights to not only be entertaining, but surpass your expectations. The main event should be a great fight, and a lot of the undercard bouts feature smart match-ups between tough fighters.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: The card has undergone some pretty significant changes since it was first announced, so several of the must-see match-ups have gone through serious revisions. As a whole, the card just isn’t as appealing as it was when it was first announced. It’s still a pretty solid event, but only the main event comes close to “must watch” status, and given that Sanchez is just barely starting a comeback and Kampmann lost his last fight, it may not even deserve that status.

Closing Thoughts: The card honestly isn’t as good as it once was, but that’s hardly the UFC’s fault. I really like the main event of this show, and free MMA on TV is rarely a bad thing, so I’m definitely going to be tuning in to watch this event. If it happens, it wouldn’t be the first time that I’ve come into a show with relatively low expectations and proceeded to be blown away by the quality I’m presented with. There’s a chance that this show could be underwhelming, but there’s also a chance it could be a great night of fights. I’m willing to take the risk.

And what about you, fans and friends? What are your thoughts on “UFC on Versus 3”?

March 3, 2011: “UFC  on Versus 3: Sanchez vs. Kampmann”: A reinvigorated Diego Sanchez looks to stake his claim to the UFC Welterweight Championship by beating Martin Kampmann, an always-dangerous elite-level 170 pounder that most recently nearly spoiled the UFC debut of Jake Shields. Former WEC Bantamweight Champion Brian Bowles will also be making his UFC debut, taking on the super-tough Damacio Page. Other interesting bouts include Alessio Sakara vs. Chris Weidman and Joe Stevenson vs. Danny Castillo.

March 5, 2011: “Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson”: Former PRIDE FC and UFC veteran Dan Henderson looks to make the most out of his most recent comeback by taking the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship away from the man who just won it, the tough and talented Rafael Cavalcante. Also, former Strikeforce Middleweight Championship contender Tim Kennedy will be in action, taking on Middleweight powerhouse and wrecking machine Melvin Manhoef. Other interesting bouts include Jorge Gurgel vs. Tyler Combs and Marloes Coenen defending her Strikeforce Women’s Welterweight Championship against Liz Carmouche.

March 19, 2011: “UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones”: Mauricio Rua makes his long-awaited first defense of his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against the man many consider the future of the division, Jon Jones. Also, WEC legend Urijah Faber makes his long-awaited UFC debut against the tough Eddie Wineland, who is on a four-fight win-streak. Other interesting bouts include Nate Marquardt vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama and Mirko Filipovic vs. Brendan Schaub.

March 26, 2011: “UFC Fight Night 24: Nogueira vs. Davis”: Grizzled veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira looks to remain relevant in the UFC’s super-competitive Light Heavyweight division by beating the fast-rising Phil Davis. Also, former UFC Welterweight Championship contender Dan Hardy takes on Anthony Johnson in what should be a fantastic war. Other interesting bouts include Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan and Alex Caceres vs. Mackens Semerzier.

And now, here are some thoughts on how I think the month of March 2011 will unfold.

I think “UFC on Versus 3” will be a quality event from top to bottom, and I also think that Sanchez will more than likely beat Kampmann. Urijah Faber will also most likely win his UFC debut too. While I think Dan Henderson is definitely on the comeback trail, I think he’s being given a title shot too soon, and I also think that Cavalcante will be able to beat him. It seems as if Strikeforce is trying their hardest to make “Hendo” a champion after going through so much to acquire his services, and I just don’t see that happening.

I’ve already vocally supported Jon Jones and picked him to win against Mauricio Rua, and I’d just like to note that nothing has happened to change that opinion. Mark my words: “Shogun” will have nothing for “Bones”. I also think Brendan Schaub is going to KO Mirko Filipovic. And finally, I think Davis may have it in him to beat “Little Nog” by Unanimous Decision so long as he doesn’t get careless on the ground. Because if he does, Nogueira could end it anywhere at any time.

All in all, it looks to be a great March 2011, fans and friends! But what about you? How do you think the month will shake out, and what’s your take on this new series?

According to MMA Junkie, yesterday the UFC officially announced the following four match-ups for the event: Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page, Alessio Sakara vs. Maiquel Falcao, Shane Roller vs. Thiago Tavares, and Takeya Mizugaki vs. Francisco Rivera.

With the official confirmation of these four bouts, in addition to some bouts currently in-the-works that have yet to be officially confirmed, the “UFC on Versus 3” card is shaping up as follows: Martin Kampmann vs. Diego Sanchez, C.B. Dollaway vs. Mark Munoz, Maiquel Falcao vs. Alessio Sakara, Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page, Shane Roller vs. Thiago Tavares, Takeya Mizugaki vs. Francisco Rivera, Alexandre Ferreira vs. Rousimar Palhares, Cyrille Diabate vs. Steve Cantwell, and Matt Brown vs. Mark Scanlon

The UFC is putting a lot of effort into this event, and I think it’s really beginning to show since a lot of these matches look like can’t-miss encounters. Brian Bowles is a former WEC Bantamweight Champion most famous for ending the incredible championship reign of Miguel Torres, who had dominated the WEC Bantamweight division for quite some time. Takeya Mizugaki was a noted foe that Torres beat, and their epic five-round encounter is remembered as one of Torres’ finest moments, while Mizugaki is now remembered as an always-tough opponent that won’t stop fighting unless he is fully and wholly separated from consciousness.

In regards to the event overall, I think Sanchez vs. Kampmann is easily the biggest and most important bout on the card, and I’m glad that it’s getting top billing. This sounds like a fantastic match on paper, with both men hungry for a victory and willing to leave it all on the line in order to get one. Both men are once again fighting for relevancy in the UFC’s crowded Welterweight division, and a big win could put either man right back “in the mix” and on the shortlist of possible championship contenders. With both men possessing impressive cardio and near-granite chins, it should be a fantastic multi-round encounter.

In general, I think “UFC on Versus 3” will be a great card, a fun night of fights, and a good start to 2011 for UFC on the Versus network. I won’t pretend that it wholly makes up for the loss of the WEC and its multiple shows per year, but I also won’t hold that against this card since it’s really not fair for me to do so. If they live up to their various potentials, this card should give us several good encounters and a lot of noteworthy moments.

And what about you, fans and friends? As it continues to become more concrete, what do you think about the “UFC on Versus 3” card?

MMA Weekly brings word that March 3 has officially been named the date of the event, although a venue has still not been announced. The report also states that Martin Kampmann vs. Diego Sanchez has been officially confirmed as the main event of the evening. Diego Sanchez recently got back to his winning ways with a brilliant performance and a dominant victory over Paulo Thiago. The win brought new life to Sanchez’s sagging career, snapping a two-fight losing-streak that included an unsuccessful attempt at capturing the UFC Lightweight Championship. The always-dangerous Martin Kampmann most recently lost to former Elite XC and Strikeforce champion Jake Shields in Jake’s UFC debut.

MMA Weekly also brings word of another match-up that is all but confirmed: Takeya Mizugaki will be taking on Francisco Rivera in what should be an entertaining scrap. Takeya Mizugaki is 2-2 in his last four fights and is perhaps most well known for his hard-fought but ultimately losing performances against Miguel Torres and most recently Urijah Faber. Francisco Rivera also lost his most-recent fight, ending up on the wrong end of a TKO in his WEC debut. Before that, Rivera was on a five-fight undefeated streak with three (T)KO wins.

I’m glad that Sanchez vs. Kampmann has been made official, I think that’s a great main event and I can’t wait to see it happen. I think Sanchez really re-discovered the fire inside him in his latest bout, and he’ll need every bit of it to overcome a fighter like Kampmann. Despite hitting a few stumbling blocks here and there, Martin Kampmann remains a major threat to virtually any UFC welterweight on any given day of the week. This will be an important proving point for both men, and I can’t wait to see what happens when their two wildly-contrasting styles meet in the middle of the Octagon.

I’m also looking forward to Rivera vs. Mizugaki simply because it has the potential to be a fun little brawl. Both guys show up to either finish or get finished, so the fight could end up being a short one-round affair or a long three-round war of attrition. Either way, I think it’s going to be an entertaining scrap. Despite his big losses to the WEC’s best competition, Takeya Mizugaki has really grown on me, based on the way he leaves it all out there whenever he fights. I’ll definitely be looking forward to seeing him make his UFC debut.

And what about you, fans and friends? What are your early feelings about the first “UFC on Versus” card of 2011?

MMA Weekly reports that a 170-pound tilt between top-division athlete Martin Kampmann and former UFC Lightweight Championship contender Diego Sanchez is being pegged early on as the main event for the first “UFC on Versus” of 2011.

Diego Sanchez recently cleared a pretty rough series of hurdles: his dreams of becoming UFC Lightweight Champion were crushed into nothingness courtesy of a dominant humbling he received at the hands of BJ Penn, while his return to Welterweight was spoiled by hot prospect John Hathaway. “Nightmare” needed a big win in a big way… and got just that, recently putting on a classic performance against Paulo Thiago that saw Sanchez earn the Unanimous Decision win as well as a “Fight of the Night” award.

His opponent, Martin Kampmann, has made several attempts to become the next man to challenge for the UFC Welterweight Championship, but has been beaten back every time. Most recently, Kampmann lost to former EliteXC and Strikeforce champion Jake Shields, who was making his UFC debut.

MMA Weekly also reports that Mark Munoz is expected to face CB Dollaway at the event. Munoz recently gutted out a Unanimous Decision win over his friend, Aaron Simpson. C.B. Dollaway was last seen submitting Joe Doerksen via guillotine choke to keep his three-fight win-streak alive.

All in all, I’m a fan of both of these fights and I think they give the first “UFC on Versus” card a lot of potential. As far as free TV main events go, Martin Kampmann vs. Diego Sanchez is a really, really good one. Diego Sanchez looked great against Paulo Thiago, so he should put on an excellent performance against the always-dangerous Martin Kampmann. Kampmann may have lost to Jake Shields most recently, but he always puts on a good performance and he’s beaten some pretty good competition in the past. This one should be hectic, wild, and very entertaining.

Munoz vs. Dollaway is also a fight that has a lot of entertainment value on paper. Both men have what it takes to go the distance, but both also have the ability to finish the fight if an opportunity presents itself. I can’t say I’m a huge fan of either man, but I certainly respect their abilities and I think this fight will be an important stepping stone for the winner.

And what about you, fans and friends? Do you think these two match-ups are a good sign of things to come, or is it still too early to say that the first “UFC on Versus” show will be a success?

Here’s what Thiago recently told Tatame, with English translations courtesy of MMA Mania: “I think if I lose I’m out. I have to train all that has to be trained… I am just training hard and waiting for my next fight, they still have not told me anything about my next fight… Now it’s kill or be killed, just one more chance.”

Thiago is 3-3 in the promotion since debuting in early 2009. Big wins over the aforementioned Josh Koscheck as well as Koscheck’s teammate Mike Swick have been tempered by losses to Jon Fitch (another one of Koscheck’s teammates) and Martin Kampmann. Thiago entered the UFC with a flawless 10-0 record, his three career losses have all occurred inside of the famed Octagon.

Perhaps most importantly, Thiago is on a two-fight losing-streak, suffering back-to-back losses to Kampmann and most recently Diego Sanchez. Barring a few exceptions here and there, there’s a clear precedent in the UFC that a three-fight losing-streak is the surest way to find yourself in the unemployment line. Thiago was not over-embellishing, not in the slightest, when he said that his situation was “kill or be killed”.

I think Paulo Thiago is simply another hot-and-cold fighter in a long line of hot-and-cold prospects that don’t live up to all of their hype but aren’t necessarily bad fighters either. I can’t really point to one thing in particular that Thiago has done wrong, he seems to match up perfectly against some opponents while other opponents make it look easy to beat him. I will say this, though: if Paulo Thiago loses his next fight it wouldn’t surprise me at all if word came in the following days that he had been released from the UFC.

I know that’s a harsh stance to take, but as the UFC itself is so eager to point out nowadays, it’s a dog-eat-dog world in MMA’s #1 promotion. If Paulo Thiago wins his next fight, and rest assured, there’s a good possibility of that happening, then I’ll be more than happy to see him continue to try and find secure footing in the UFC. But if he loses again, I think it’s time for the UFC to put Thiago in the “what could have been” bin and send him back down to the minor leagues. And who knows? Maybe a temporary UFC exile will be good for Paulo Thiago.

Despite the fact that Thiago is a very talented Mixed Martial Artist, dark days do appear to be ahead for the man. But as the saying goes, it’s always darkest before the dawn. Perhaps this two-fight losing streak will come to a dominant end in Thiago’s next fight, perhaps he’ll finally make the changes necessary to realize his full potential. Anything can happen in the world of Mixed Martial Arts, and I look forward to seeing which Paulo Thiago becomes the dominant Paulo Thiago as we head into 2011.

And what about you, fans and friends? How important do you think Paulo Thiago’s next fight is, and do you think we’ll ever see him compete for a UFC championship?

TATAME brings word that Thiago will call the UFC home for the foreseeable future despite most recently losing two fights in a row. His back-to-back losses to Martin Kampmann and Diego Sanchez marked the first time in Thiago’s entire MMA career that he’s lost consecutively. As of this report, both the date and the opposing fighter for Paulo Thiago’s next fight has not been set.

For better or for worse, I think Paulo Thiago is a victim of circumstance. I hesitate to call his dramatic KO win over Koscheck “lucky”, anyone who’s followed me for any length of time knows that I believe that there is no such thing as luck in MMA. Let’s just say this: Thiago capitalized on his opponent taking him lightly and engaging carelessly despite being a wrestling-based fighter, and those mistakes have simply not been made by some of Thiago’s other opponents. Thiago was on the verge of real welterweight legitimacy after submitting Mike Swick, but this two-fight losing streak has set him back considerably. He’s not back to square one, but he’ll have to string together some big wins before he gets within shouting distance of title contention.

I also hesitate to call Thiago “overhyped”. He opened a lot of eyes when he KO’d Koscheck, and that puts a lot of pressure on a fighter. Thiago has risen to the occasion more than once in the UFC, and even in his losing efforts he’s tried very hard and usually he produces some very entertaining fights. The fact that half of the six fights Thiago has competed in have earned “Of the Night” honors is a testament to his ability to keep pace with some of the UFC’s best while also producing the kinds of fights that fans pay to see.

But if we’re being completely honest, I think a step back in competition would be good for Paulo Thiago. Thiago has proven to be a hit-or-miss fighter when matched up against the UFC’s welterweight elite. If he keeps rushing in full-tilt against the UFC’s best and brightest, he’ll continue to hover around a 1.0 win/loss ratio in the UFC. I don’t think Thiago’s UFC record will ever take a dramatic turn for the worse, but I also don’t see it being anything to build a championship on if he keeps getting high-level fighters.

Right now, I think a trip back down to the mid-level would be the best thing that could possibly happen for Paulo Thiago. He’s signed for four fights, I’d say let him fight and beat two mid-level welterweights and then give him another crack at the top tier. Because even if the UFC has signed Thiago to a new contract, ultimately no job is safe if a losing streak remains unbroken. At the end of the day, I wish Paulo Thiago all the best and I look forward to seeing what’s next for him.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think the future holds for Paulo Thiago?

5. Jamie Varner vs. Nate Diaz

This is assuming that Diaz would be willing to drop back down to 155. I think this would be a excellent match-up between two bad-boys that has a whole lot of potential. I think it would be great to see how Varner deals with Nate’s “punches in bunches” style, and if this fight goes to the ground, this could end up being a very engaging and wildly entertaining ground war. Plus, could you imagine the kind of venom both men would spew leading up to this match? I can’t even begin to imagine how bitter this rivalry could get if Diaz and Varner began to trade barbs.

4. Donald Cerrone vs. Clay Guida

Donald Cerrone is one of the most entertaining fighters in the WEC’s Lightweight division, and the same could be said for Clay Guida in the UFC’s Lightweight division. This would be a bench-setting brawl where both men would absorb incredible amounts of punishment and just keep swinging. Cerrone would most likely win, but Guida would pull a Fight of the Year contender out of “Cowboy” before all was said and done.

3. Anthony Pettis vs. Diego Sanchez

I don’t think I can accurately put into words just how crazy this fight could be. Sanchez seems to have rediscovered the fire inside himself following his huge victory over Paulo Thiago at UFC 121. For “Showtime” Anthony Pettis, that fire has never gone out and in fact continues to grow. This would be a wild, wild fight, with constant action. Both men would practically be flying around the cage if they show up in top condition and start to get competitive. On paper it has all the right ingredients for one of the most explosive matches in recent history.

2. Ben Henderson vs. Frank Edgar

It’s a battle of the underdogs-turned-champions, and I’d love to see it happen. Both men share very similar fates: no one thought they had it in them to be champion, and now they stand tall as the unquestioned best of their promotion’s Lightweight division. Both men are hard-working champions that have the impressive cardio to last five rounds and be dangerous from the first bell to the last. Take my word for it, if it ever happens this fight would be a lock for Fight of the Year.

But of course, my #1 “UFC vs. WEC” dream match just has to be…

1. Jose Aldo vs. BJ Penn

I know, I know. This could be considered “cheating”. Aldo would have to move up in weight while at the same time Penn would have to move down, since “The Prodigy” is heading back to the land of welterweights and is unsure of when he’ll return to 155. But if it happens, just imagine how a fight between a prime Jose Aldo and a focused BJ Penn would turn out. Aldo would come out throwing everything he has at “Baby Jay” with Penn not giving an inch and even returning the favor more often than not. If this fight ever sees the light of day, it will probably go down as one of the best fights of the last several years.

So that’s my list, fans and friends. What about you? How is your fantasy “WEC vs. UFC” card filled out?

“And just for the record, I do plan on dropping back to 155 after this fight. Me and Greg (Jackson) and the team are just gonna work together and see what (UFC matchmaker) Joe (Silva) can get lined up for me… For now I think it’s basically gonna be permanent, but that all depends because I feel like I can fight in both weight classes… So now it’s 170, after this fight I’m gonna get down to 155 again, try to make a title run, and there will be time later down the road where I can make something happen at 170. For right now, I’ve got my mind set on beating Paulo Thiago.”

In all honesty, I never bought into all of the talk of Sanchez running away from Lightweight with his tail between his legs. I think a lot of people don’t like Sanchez because of how eccentric he is, and they were all-too-happy to get their shots in when the man was down. Now, I wouldn’t call myself a Diego Sanchez fan, but I can respect what the man has done in the Octagon and I think he’s a great competitor. You simply don’t go 10-4 in the world’s best and most prestigious MMA promotion without having some skill.

I think Diego Sanchez is simply an opportunist. He had to regroup after his five-round thrashing he received from BJ Penn, he simply chose to do it in the division where he got his start. Now that BJ Penn has been dethroned and the entire Lightweight division has been blown wide open by the ascension of Frank Edgar, Sanchez knows that the time is right and that he could get right back into title contention at Lightweight. He may even get another shot at Penn if Penn doesn’t make his own return to Welterweight a permanent one.

At the end of the day, I think Diego Sanchez has a bright future no matter what division he chooses to compete in. He’s a wild man, he’s pretty off-putting, the whole “YES!” thing is equal parts bizarre and hilarious…but Diego Sanchez is Diego Sanchez, and Diego Sanchez is a very gifted, very driven Mixed Martial Artist. With Frank Edgar now unquestionably the best Lightweight in the world, I think it’s time we expect the unexpected and realize that anything is possible. Right now, I think the only thing holding Diego Sanchez back from another title shot is Diego Sanchez. It will be very interesting to see where this second drop to 155 leaves him.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of “Nightmare” returning to Lightweight after only two fights back at Welterweight?

This would be BJ Penn’s first fight at Welterweight since losing to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 94 in January 2009. Penn is 2-3 in his last five fights, with the loss to GSP coupled with two back-to-back losses to current Lightweight Champion Frank Edgar. This would be the third Penn/Hughes match. Penn made history in their first encounter back in 2004 when he ended the long reign of Matt Hughes, who at the time had held the UFC Welterweight Championship since 2001 and had made five successful defenses of it.

It would be another two years before the two warriors stepped into the Octagon against each other once again, and once again history was made. At UFC 63, Hughes became the first man in history to ever stop BJ Penn, TKO’ing him at 3:53 of Round 3 after Penn had suffered a rib injury. Matt Hughes, now a member of the UFC’s Hall of Fame, needs no real introduction. Hughes was and still is one of the most dominant wrestlers to ever compete in the UFC, and though he’s hit his low points in recent years, he’s now flying high with a three fight win streak and I personally have already written a piece on why I think Matt Hughes could make it to the top once again.

In regards to the fight itself, I think it couldn’t have happened at a better time for both men. Matt Hughes has hit his latest comeback trail and hit it hard, with a great TKO over Renzo Gracie and a shocking submission win over feared Brazilian Jui Jitsu artist Ricardo Almeida. The shadow of Penn’s serious rib injury still lingers, and if Matt Hughes can prove once and for all that he can beat BJ Penn at his best, I honestly believe that winning the third encounter will put Hughes directly in line for a title shot.

For BJ Penn, this is the ultimate test to prove that he still belongs at the top of the UFC in whatever division he chooses to compete in. Believe it: this will be Penn’s “make or break” fight. If BJ Penn can’t beat Matt Hughes, it will likely send him back to middle-level competition for the first time in what feels like forever. If he can beat his rival, he sets himself up for a possible run at Welterweight, and an inevitable return to Lightweight if he finds success. As the saying goes, it’s always darkest before the dawn, and if BJ Penn uses this fight to make a statement, we could be seeing yet another rebirth that results in a BJ Penn that’s better and badder than ever before.

And if you want my opinion? I honestly don’t know who to give it to. It’s a toss-up right now, especially when you consider the myriad differences between the two in both fighting styles and current career motivations. Penn is fighting to survive but coming up short, Hughes is fighting for the hell of it and being successful. I think it all boils down to what BJ Penn shows up when that cage door closes. If it’s the one that ran through Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez, look for Penn to end the trilogy in his favor. But if it’s the one that got outwrestled by GSP and outmaneuvered by Frankie Edgar, look for Hughes to take a huge step forward in his quest for one more shot at the gold.

And what about you, fans and friends? It’s Hughes/Penn 3: who takes it and how?

First off, I don’t believe for a second that the Lightweight division has passed Penn by. Penn outright demolished Kenny Florian, who up to that point was on a fantastic win streak and looking better in every single fight. Penn also dominated Diego Sanchez, a dynamic striker, by out-striking him. I don’t think Penn is done. I don’t believe for a second that he’s peaked at the age of 31. The only thing I think holding back BJ Penn is BJ Penn.

Because honestly, it seems like you never know what BJ Penn you’re going to get nowadays. He’s been dominating people in brilliant fashion ever since Caol Uno nine years ago. Then again, his inability to measure up even when the odds are ridiculously stacked in his favor is also rooted in history, ever since he lost to Jens Pulver in 2002. When Penn first started his Lightweight rebirth, he was frank in admitting that, for the most part, he slacked off in training and allowed his off-the-charts natural ability to carry him through. With Penn’s newfound honesty and determination, he looked unstoppable as a Lightweight. But I think it’s clear that old habits die hard when you’re BJ Penn.

I want to say that BJ Penn needs a challenge to really bring out the best in him, but he had a challenge at UFC 118 and still didn’t measure up. So in all honesty, I don’t know what BJ Penn needs right now. Leading up to UFC 118, Penn had every reason to put on the performance of his life. What we got is something that will probably one day be remembered as one of worst performances of his career. Penn was motivated, he was determined, he wanted that belt back really, really bad. But it just didn’t happen.

There are two things I think Penn needs to do in the here and now. To start, I think Penn needs to go back to basics. His gameplan against Edgar was predominantly striking-based. He needs to bring back his awesome Brazilian Jui Jitsu game in a big way. He needs to use his striking to set up submissions, rather than to out-box his opponent. But perhaps most importantly, he needs to take a break. Penn has been running himself ragged, he’s fought two grueling five-rounders in the span of four months. Penn needs a break to rejuvenate, rest up, tend to any lingering injuries no matter how minor, and most importantly, he needs to get away from it all at least for a few months so he can have the proper amount of time to search his soul and determine what his next career move is.

All in all, there’s still a future in the UFC for BJ Penn. I just don’t know what that future is, and I don’t think even BJ Penn knows what his future holds right now. But Penn is far too talented to ever completely vanish from the MMA landscape. He’s pulled through some tough times and came back from some big losses before, and I have no doubt that he’ll do it again. It’s just a matter of time.

But what do you think, fans and friends? Where does BJ Penn go from here?

After his losses to former champion BJ Penn at lightweight, and then budding welterweight star John Hathaway, Diego will try his hand once again at the 170-pound division at UFC 121 against Paulo Thiago. Sanchez largely made his name after winnings “The Ultimate Fighter” season one as a middleweight, before dropping down to the welterweight division in dominating fashion.

After defeating fellow finalist Kenny Florian at the TUF finale, Diego would make a name for himself in victories over Karo Parisyan, Nick Diaz, and Joe Riggs. While Diego can attribute a large amount of his success to his hard work and dedication, but in some respects a little of that success also needs to be addressed to the man, the myth, the legend–Greg Jackson.

In the beginning, Sanchez was one Greg Jackson’s first success stories. Soon more would follow, and flock towards Albequerque, New Mexico, to be trained under his tutelage. Now, Jackson hosts some of the worlds top fighters in all different weight classes, including UFC phenom Jon Jones, welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre, former champions Rashad Evans, Nate Marquardt and additionally WEC contenders Damacio Page, Leonard Garcia and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

Early rumors dubbed Sanchez’ initial reasons for leaving the camp was due to none other than one GSP who joined the crew before meeting with adversary BJ Penn at UFC 94, where at the time Diego was dubbed at the top of the heap in that division, before meeting his first set of back-to-back losses against division standouts and American Kickboxing Academy teammates Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch (respectively).

After a move with Saulo Ribeiro‘s school was short lived, spanning just the last couple of fights, Diego is hoping that a change to New Mexico might be the difference maker–and he’s going to need it, should he expect to fair well against welterweight standout Paulo Thiago.

So, is the change back to Jackson’s camp too little-too late for Sanchez, or will he have a shot against Thiago? You decide.

In the co-main event slot, former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion and Elite XC Welterweight Champion Jake Shields will make his debut in the UFC, fresh off his five-round outclassing of Dan Henderson at Strikeforce: Nashville in April of this year. Standing in his way is the tough Martin Kampmann, who rebounded from a KO loss to UFC exile Paul Daley with big wins over Jacob Volkmann and Paulo Thiago. Speaking of Paulo Thiago, the man still trying to step out of the shadow of his surprise KO over the current UFC Welterweight Championship #1 Contender Josh Koscheck will also be competing at UFC 121. Facing Thiago will be Diego Sanchez, in Sanchez’s second Welterweight fight since losing a fight for the UFC Lightweight Championship to then-champion BJ Penn.

Also announced is a fight between popular UFC Light Heavyweight Matt Hamill and his friend/coach/mentor Tito Ortiz, the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and one of the most controversial fighters to ever step foot in the Octagon. Ortiz will be returning from an injury that forced him to back out of a proposed third fight with Chuck Liddell. It’s been four long years since Tito Ortiz has scored a win inside the Octagon. Rounding out the main card is a fight pitting Heavyweights Brendan Schaub and Gabriel Gonzaga against each other. Gonzaga may have been cast in the role of elite-level gatekeeper in his recent fights, but should prove a very tough test for Schaub, who has looked excellent in all his UFC fights save for a KO loss to Roy Nelson.

UFC 121 is shaping up to be one of the best cards of the year, an astonishing fact considering that 2010 gave us “Aldo vs. Faber” and UFC 116. This card is loaded with potential from top to bottom, and I think every single Pay-Per-View fight could have been a headline attraction in their own right. Lesnar vs. Velasquez is a no-brainer. With the mentor vs. student appeal, Ortiz vs. Hamill could have headlined its own Pay-Per-View. Shields/Kampmann could easily have led a British PPV or a Fight Night Live, as could Paul Thiago vs. Diego Sanchez and Brendan Schaub vs. Gabriel Gonzaga. Anything can happen when the cameras go live, but on paper, the Pay-Per-View card is filed to the brim with can’t-miss fights. If all the fights live up to their potential, UFC 121 will be like a Christmas gift come early, even though it takes place near Halloween.

And what do you think, fans and friends? How excited are you for UFC 121, and which fight in particular are you looking forward to the most?

In an era where reality television shows were getting increasingly insane in their gimmicks in order to cash in on the success of such runaway shows as Survivor (see: Joe Millionaire, Boot Camp, etc. etc.), The Ultimate Fighter was so simple that it actually became quite the breath of fresh air: a bunch of fighters have to live in a house with each other and ultimately fight each other. They’re split into two teams, each team led by a big-name UFC star. They’ll learn from the best, train with the best, and try to live with each other despite the fact that they’re all competing for the same thing: a six-figure UFC contract. For a reality television show, there were relatively few gimmicks. And that’s one of the main reasons the Ultimate Fighter proved so successful: the UFC effectively worked past the stigma of MMA fighters being ruthless animals by presenting real, candid footage of how these talented men think, train, live and breathe.

That’s not to say that the first season was without controversy. We’re talking about a cast of fighters that included Diego Sanchez and Chris Leben, after all. “TUF” established from relatively early on that there will always be one or two attention-hogs that desperately want their fifteen minutes of fame. But honestly…the jackasses are part of what makes reality TV so much fun. It just makes the moment when they finally gets what they deserve all the sweeter. And while a bunch of fans may have tuned in the first time to see what crazy thing Chris Leben would do next, they kept tuning in because of the great fights and engaging fighters.

It all culminated in what is perhaps the biggest coming-out party in North American MMA history. An induction in its own right, TUF Season 1 ended with a stellar war of attrition between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar, the headline of a show that would ultimately pull a 1.9 rating, which was completely unheard of for a Mixed Martial Arts show. Many of the TUF 1 alumni would all go on to have stellar careers in the UFC, with quite a few competing and in some cases winning UFC gold.

Let’s not sugar-coat it, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 was a gamble. But it paid off beautifully. It set the precedent that MMA fighters are real people, real athletes. Some are crazy, some are funny, some are stupid, some are just there to hog the camera…but at the end of the day, everyone had their turn to fight in the cage and prove themselves to both their coaches and the nation. TUF Season 1 broke down barriers, it paved the way for the UFC’s current reign of dominance, where they stand virtually unchecked as the biggest Mixed Martial Arts promotion in the world. It all had to start somewhere, and for the UFC, it started with TUF. And that’s a “Great Moment in MMA History”.

The night started with prelims thanks to Spike TV. “The Upgrade” Dan Lauzon (12-4) came into this fight against Efrain Escudero (8-1) after having a disagreement with his coaches and his brother, UFC fighter “J-Lau” Joe Lauzon (18-5). They refused to travel with him to the fight because they felt he had not spent enough time in the gym and did not follow their plan correctly. This fight proved that the older brother knows best as Dany seemed to tire quickly in the fight. He was never able to score much and Efrain had his way the entire fight. What shocked me was Efrain not using his wrestling background more in the fight. While Efrain is a good prospect he will have to work on becoming more aggressive, looking for the finish and finding the balance between striking and wrestling.

Next up was Dong Hyun Kim (10-4-2) versus Amir Sadollah (3-2) in the final fight on Spike TV before the pay-per-view (PPV) started.

Kim used his solid wrestling base to take Amir down at will during this fight. The one thing that stood out was that while Amir has improved his striking, you can’t do much of that if you can’t stop takedowns. I was shocked at the number of people on Twitter stating that they thought Amir would now get cut from the UFC. Since winning “The Ultimate Fighter” season seven he has gone 2-2 in the UFC and was coming off of back-to-back wins before running into the takedown machine named Dong Hyun Kim. That does merit a cut from the organization and one has to remember he is the face of “Inside the Octagon” on Spike TV. Amir will need to go back to work and spend a ton of time with high quality wrestlers in order to succeed in the UFC. I look for Joe Silva to allow him to do just that and his next fight will probably be against a striker.

Kim, while impressive with his takedowns and top control, never seemed to go for the finish in the fight except when he had the neck tie position. This position is rarely seen in MMA and I have to give credit to Amir for fighting through it. I am looking forward to seeing what UFC matchmaker Joe Silva does with Kim after this win.

The first fight on the PPV was the first fight back inside the Octagon for “The Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-4) after his lopsided loss to then UFC lightweight champion “The Prodigy” B.J.  (15-6-1). He decided after that loss to move back up to 170 and last night against “Hitman” John Hathaway (12-0) it was apparent that the move was a bad decision. He was simply outclassed by the young Hathaway. I stated in this article that Diego is not an elite fighter and this is further proof of that. His best bet would have been to stay at lightweight and work to get back to the title just like “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (13-4) did after being defeated in his title shot. Diego will continue to have a home in the UFC, as a stepping stone.

Hathaway however is the complete opposite from Diego. A prospect that at 22 has nowhere to go but up after a win over “The Ultimate Fighter” season one winner. He did much better than many expected him to in this fight. He showed excellent takedown defense which he will need as he wades into the deep end of the division. I will enjoy watching the young man develop over the years.

Six weeks ago Forrest Griffin (17-6) had to pull out of his fight that was scheduled for UFC 114. The UFC replaced him with “The Hitman” Jason Brilz (18-3-1). Many thought that his opponent “Lil Nog” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (18-3) would walk right through Brilz. Brilz shocked the MMA world by not only going all three rounds with Nogueira but actually dominating him at times during the fight. This fight ended up being a split decision win for Nogueira which brought boos from the crowd and talks of bad judges from those on Twitter.

This was a close fight with Lil Nog controlling the stand up in the first round. The second was a battle of position with Lil Nog using amazing sweeps off his back and both fighters working for guillotines. Brilz sunk in a very deep choke that many would have tapped out to but Lil Nog is a black belt in jiu jitsu and showed great poise in the position.

No matter the outcome, Jason Brilz was the winner in this fight. He gained respect from many in the MMA community and garner quite a few new fans as shown by the massive increase in followers on his Twitter account. Noguiera will continue to rise through the division and Brilz will follow closely behind him. I hope the UFC and Joe Silva decide to put these two back inside the Octagon together sometime in the future.

The hype surrounding Todd Duffee (5-1) was not unwarranted contrary to what you may have heard. Yes, Todd was viciously knocked out in the third round by his opponent Mike Russow (13-1) who is the complete opposite of Duffee in the physique department. This does not mean he is a bad fighter or that the high praise was not deserving. His first fight inside the Octagon was a seven second knock out and he almost repeated that performance by rocking Mike early in the first. Russow was being dominated until the third round. Todd was able to stop any takedown attempts, push away from the clinch and landed strikes at will on the very durable chin of Russow. Then as writers all across the country were starting to pen their pieces on another Duffee win inside the Octagon, Russow stunned the world by catching Todd with a right hand that had put him out cold.

I have my doubts about Russow making it very far in the division. He carries around a lot of unnecessary weight and may be better off trying to work a new conditioning program. His striking was bad until that right hand and he never could get the fight to the mat where he wanted it.

Todd will learn from this mistake and grow as a fighter. He is only 24 and has much to learn and will need to work cardio as well. He seemed to burn out and lose a lot of steam in the middle of the second round. He will need all the cardio he can muster if he plans on making a major push to the top of the UFC heavyweight division.

What can I say about “The Count” Michael Bisping (19-3) and his win over tough Dan Miller (11-4)? Miller looked lost from the start of the round and I have to wonder about his decision to not look for takedowns earlier in the fight. Bisping was the better striker and is great at beating mid-level fighters. I am still not sure he has what it takes to beat the best in the division. Sadly to all the Bisping fans out there, I see him as a gatekeeper in the division. Only time will tell if I am wrong.

There of course is the main event but that will have to wait for another article. After the fights were over I was left with a feeling of dissatisfaction. I was let down for some reason and I am not really sure why. In a night that had a clear favorite being pushed and one being beaten, a knock out by a guy who was never in the fight and the “most anticipated grudge match in UFC history” one would think I would have been excited afterward but that was not the case.

UFC 114 let me down and that is the Monday Gospel. What did you think of UFC 114 overall?

Make sure to follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mmagospel where I tweet live during the fights.

George is a product of The Ultimate Fighter Season Six where he lost to the runner-up of that season, Thomas Speer (13-4) in the semi-finals. Since then George has gone 4-0 in the UFC and looks to keep that streak alive against Joe Stevenson.

Joe Stevenson worked his way into the number one contender spot and in January of 2008 at UFC 80 he got his chance to try and dethrone Fighters.com and UFC lightweight champion “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-5-1). He lost that fight in a what was one of the bloodiest fights ever in the Octagon. Since then he has gone 3-2 with losses to tenth-ranked “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-3)  and seventh-ranked “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (12-4).

He has changed camps and is now with Greg Jackson in an attempt to get back to the top of the division.The problem he has is George is a fighter that is hungry and has the skills to go very far.

Sotiropoulos is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and was also an amateur boxer in Australia where he won the Victoria State Amateur Boxing Title. George has trained at some great gyms like Xtreme Couture, Serra Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and 10th Planet. He is currently back with his striking coach, Leonard Gabriel at a Purebred affiliate, Fisticuffs Gym.

Joe will have to try and deal with the ever improving stand up of George to start out with. If that was not enough, Joe’s bread and butter is his wrestling and George is a slick submission fighter.

This fight is one George must win in order to advance to the next tier of fighters in the division and to keep himself on the televised portion of the UFC pay-per-view. I believe a victory here keeps him the spotlight and the casual UFC fan will take notice. George is not as experienced as Joe Stevenson is but I feel he is more well rounded and that this fight is a bad match-up for Stevenson. The only way I see Joe Stevenson winning this fight is by grinding out a decision using his wrestling. However in doing that he will need to avoid the submissions of Sotiropoulus.

George will win this fight putting him in the spotlight and many fans will witness for the first time the man I believe that can give BJ Penn a run for his money.

Sanchez will return from a TKO versus Fighters.com and UFC lightweight champion “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-5-1) at UFC 107 in Memphis last December.

Hathaway won a unanimous decision over “Relentless” Paul Taylor (10-5-1) at UFC 105 in Manchester last November.

The matchup is a significant step-up for Hathaway, a prospect Fighters.com has had our eye on for awhile.  However, from Taylor to a recent lightweight title challenger, even though the fight is at 170 pounds, is quite a leap.

This momentous event will include Spanish graphics, play-by-play and on camera commentary. Dana White stated “For our fans who want to watch and listen to our UFC events in Spanish, we are now creating a show just for them, in their language, so they can enjoy the whole UFC experience from start to finish.”

UFC 111: St. Pierre versus Hardy is already being picked up by DirecTV, iNDemand, DISH Network and Avail-TVN pay-per-view carriers for the Spanish language feed.

This is a move that comes rather late in the life of the Zuffa owned company in my opinion. Regardless, it is a very positive move for the future of the UFC. Historically speaking, Spanish fight fans have been a very large source of income for boxing. The Mexican population has always loved combat sports and I foresee the UFC grabbing hold and taking root.

Mexico is a place ripe for the picking when it comes to athletes. Many have studied boxing since they were children and as of late have worked to incorporate martial arts into their repertoires.

As I have stated on MMA Gospel Radio, Mexico is a place the UFC must head to soon. Right now they are working on going overseas but I believe the best course of action is to hold a pay-per-event live from Mexico this year. Fighters with Mexican heritage are already in the UFC. Fighters such as “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-7-1), “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-3) and Efrain Escudero (8-1) to name a few are men that would be perfect to have on the main card of a UFC event in Mexico.

The growth of this sport and the worldwide appeal the UFC brass are seeking will surely take off with a move down south and I look forward to watching it take place.

Diego won The Ultimate Fighter season one at welterweight and came into the UFC with guns blazing. He won five in a row before taking the fight against Fighters.com seventh-ranked welterweight Josh Koscheck (14-4). There was no love lost between these two and the war of words was spanned from interviews to social media sites like Myspace. Diego stepped inside the Octagon undefeated and was seen by some as a very real threat to the title. However he left that night with his first loss and had to regroup. He lost his next fight as well. This time to third-ranked Jon Fitch (20-3).

Both Fitch and Kos are still near the top of the division and looking to get a shot at Fighters.com and UFC welterweight champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2). So what makes Diego think this time will be any different?

During Diego’s fight with Penn many finally realized that his striking is not as good as it had been touted. His punches, which usually come in bunches, were slow. He was unable to unload the barrage of strikes we typically see from him due to the fact that Penn was faster and countering well. Sanchez could not find a rhythm in the fight and we witnessed first hand his lack of a solid defense while on his feet. Penn seemed to hit him when he wanted and as often as he wanted during the fight. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for fans of “The Nightmare” to watch him unable to do anything. Not only were his punches not landing but his head movement was predictable. All in all his stand up, as I have been saying, is just not up there with the top strikers in the UFC and there are some KO artists in the welterweight division.

Diego finding himself unable to hit BJ and getting dropped in the first round tried for take-downs. Many have found out just how good Penn’s take-down defense is and Diego was no different. Instead of getting BJ down he ate punches for his effort. This coming from such a solid wrestler who people thought had a shot to to get BJ down in the later rounds due to his cardio.

The cardio that Sanchez was known for seemed to fade from him after getting dropped by BJ in the first round. Then everyone could see just how predictable Diego is when he fights. How will this change with a move back up to welterweight? His cardio might be better due to not having to cut weight which could make him a bit more explosive. However we saw him fail in his fights against top contenders already. Let’s say for arguments sake that he happened to beat guys like Fitch and Koscheck and gets a shot at GSP. Does anyone believe that, including Diego,that the fight would go better for him than the Penn fight did?

GSP has clean, precise punches that in conjunction with with his kicks keep opponents at a distance. They stay there until he is ready to put them on their back with his high caliber wrestling. GSP has already beaten both Kos and Fitch, who as we know, beat Sanchez. I know MMA math is not something that works very well but knowing the stregths of GSP and seeing the major holes in Diego’s game can only lead to one conclusion. Diego would get yet another beat down by another champion.

I will admit that with the talent that we see coming into the welterweight division there are some fights for Diego that would be easy to market for the UFC. Once fifth-ranked “The Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6) loses to GSP, we could see him fight Diego. The pre-fight smack talk from Hardy alone would cause Diego to go crazy and would bring in the casual fans in droves, even though I dislike those antics. Not to mention another fight with his enemy Koscheck or the hard hitting “Semtex” Paul Daley (20-9-2). All of these would be worthy of a pay per view main card.

If Diego thinks the road to the title in the welterweight division is an easy one he is sorely mistaken. Maybe he thinks he would have a better shot at GSP than he did with Penn. Again, that would be a critical error in his thinking if that is the case.

The only logical conclusion that I see at this time is for Diego to be used as a gatekeeper to the divisions elite. He would fight the men that were a fight or two away from the title shot and never really progress. Diego has finally opened the eyes of many of you and we can now see he is not the elite fighter he was once touted as being. He shall remain a fighter that you either love or hate and therefore be able to be used by the UFC but only as other fighters step over him on the road to gold.

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Diaz won the original exhibition match and eventually the TUF 5 championship.  But, Maynard has bullied ahead of Diaz since TUF 5, with big decision victories of UFC contenders sixth-ranked “The Answer” Frank Edgar (11-1) and “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-3-1).

With vengeance tonight versus Diaz, Maynard will have proven himself as the top contender in the UFC’s 155-pound division and will deserve a title fight versus Fighters.com and UFC Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-5-1).

In fact, Maynard deserved the title shot over Penn’s last challenger ninth-ranked “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-3).  Penn stopped Sanchez in the fourth round at UFC 107 in Memphis December 12.  It was never a competitive contest, primarily because Sanchez hadn’t put in the work in the division to earn the fight.

But, Fighters.com worries recent UFC signee “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-6) might take Maynard’s shot even if Maynard wins versus Diaz for the same reason Sanchez did.  Gomi is a bigger name, despite his recent disappointing performances.

Gomi is the type of fighter UFC President Dana White would crack jokes about if Gomi wasn’t now a UFC fighter.  Since reigning as PRIDE lightweight champion, Gomi’s focus on fighting has been lax.  He’s lost consecutive fights to Sergei Goliaev (9-6) at Sengoku in November 2008 and Satoru Kitaoka (24-9-7) at Sengoku in January 2009 and has expressed desires to spend the rest of his years surfing rather than fighting.  He’s evidently changed his mine.  Even as PRIDE champion, he dodged losing his title in non-title losses to “Maximus” Marcus Aurélio (18-7) in 2006 and Nick Diaz (20-8) in 2007.  (The Diaz loss was later ruled a no contest by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after Diaz tested positive for marijuana.)  And, as PRIDE champion, his matchups followed the Japanese pattern of one legitimate contender, followed by one tomato can, and so on.  What’s disappointing about Gomi is that his losses to Aurélio and Goliaev were supposed to be his tomato can fights.

Fighters.com’s point is that, while Maynard has earned a title shot, Gomi should be required to earn a fight versus Penn.  Sanchez didn’t earn his title challenge and the result was an obviously unprepared Sanchez versus a particularly lethatl Penn.

Fighters.com January Lightweight Rankings

1. “Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-5-1)

2. “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4)

3. Eddie Alvarez (16-2)

4. “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-7)

5. “Bully” Gray Maynard (8-0)

6. “The Answer” Frank Edgar (11-1)

7. “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (12-4)

8. “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5-2)

9.  “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-3)

10. “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-4-1)

He’s not.  He never has been.

Fighters.com and UFC Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” BJ Penn (13-4-1) kicked a third eye in Sanchez’s forehead in the form of a three-inch slit above Sanchez’s left eye in the fifth round at UFC 107 in Memphis Saturday night, prompting referee Herb Dean to call for the doctor, who stopped the fight at 2:37 of the final round.

Sanchez never stepped-up to Penn’s level throughout the four-and-a-half rounds; and, Fighters.com has contended since the fight was announced that Sanchez shouldn’t have been exposed to Penn after only two wins in the division versus non-contenders.

After Sanchez characteristically exploded from his corner in round one only to be quickly dropped by a short Penn right hook, Sanchez fought timidly in his first UFC title fight.  Sanchez’s offense consisted of a high left kick that Penn consistently shrugged off and a single-leg shot that Penn used as an excuse to crank short punches and elbows into Sanchez’s head.

Eventually, the Memphis crowd began booing Sanchez, of whom UFC President Dana White said pre-fight, “Diego Sanchez never fights a boring fight.”  He did in Memphis.

Penn plain out-boxed Sanchez with affective countering of Sanchez’s stand-up and takedown attempts.  Penn fought calmly, like it was heavy sparring day in Hilo.  Marv Marinovich draws more sweat and blood from Penn on a random Thursday than Sanchez did in the five round UFC title fight Saturday night.

Sanchez did land an elbow breaking the clinch in round four and a sloppy takedown in round five.

But, Penn was as dominant as he’s ever been, leaving open the question of which top contender Sanchez leaped over will get the next shot: fifth-ranked “Bully” Gray Maynard (8-0) or sixth-ranked “The Answer” Frank Edgar (11-1)?

Fighters.com contends that if White and UFC matchmaker Joe Silva choose based on merit rather than their own hype, as in Sanchez’s case, the next UFC lightweight title fight won’t be as disappointingly uncompetitive as Saturday night’s fight.

For Sanchez, the fight exposed him again as an exciting fighter versus top mid-tier competition, but unable to make the step up to an elite level.  Quite simply, like “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-3-1) before him, Sanchez just doesn’t live up to the hype propelling him since he won the first season of SpikeTV’s The Ultimate Fighter.

Read Edward’s preview of tonight’s fight in Penn’s home state newspaper:

Sanchez to test Penn’s ‘gas tank’

Timely too!  Sanchez is scheduled to fight Fighters.com and UFC Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” BJ Penn (14-5-1) at UFC 107 in Memphis December 12.

Top contender “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4) has a few options for his next challenge.  He could fight Sengoku champ Mizuto Hirota (9-3) when Japanese promotions DREAM and Sengoku collaborate north of Tokyo on New Year’s Eve, but told a press conference announcing the collaboration he didn’t know who Hirota is.  Or, he could take the previously rumored matchup versus eigth-ranked “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5-2) at the same event.  Or, Aoki could make his Strikeforce debut, as the Japanese star has signed with the UFC’s top competition to make his American debut in 2010.

Fourth-ranked “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-7) was challenged by former foe and top tenner Eiji Mitsuoka (15-6-2) for the DREAM/Sengoku collaboration, but no confirmation of the matchup has been announced.

Fifth-ranked “Bully” Gray Maynard (8-0) will fight Nate Diaz (10-5) at UFC Fight Night 20 at the Patriot Center at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia January 11.

Sixth-ranked “The Answer” Frank Edgar (10-1) will take on late replacement for “Batman” Kurt Pellegrino (15-4), undefeated Matt Veach (8-0), at The Ultimate Fighter 10 finale in Las Vegas December 5.

Ninth-ranked “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-4-1) announced he’ll fight “Tractor” Rafaello Oliveira (8-2) at UFC 108 in Las Vegas January 2.

Fighters.com November Lightweight Rankings

1. “Prodigy” BJ Penn (14-5-1)

2. “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4)

3. Eddie Alvarez (16-2)

4. “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-7)

5. “Bully” Gray Maynard (8-0)

6. “The Answer” Frank Edgar (10-1)

7. “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (11-4)

8. “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5-2)

9. “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-4-1)

10.  “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-2)

Sanchez has certainly fought in some of SpikeTV’s most memorable fights, including his most recent split decision victory over perennial gatekeeper “Carpenter” Clay Guida (25-10) at The Ultimate Fighter 9 finale in Las Vegas June 20.

But, UFC lightweights fifth-ranked “Bully” Gray Maynard (8-0) and sixth-ranked “The Answer” Frank Edgar (10-1) are more deserving of a title shot, though admittedly less well-known to casual UFC fans.

Maynard won a split decision over another unranked, but popular UFC lightweight “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-3-1) at UFC Fight Night 19 in Oklahoma City September 16.

Edgar will follow-up his unanimous decision over former UFC champ ninth-ranked “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-4-1) at UFC 98 in Las Vegas May 23 versus “Batman” Kurt Pellegrino (15-4) at The Ultimate Fighter 10 finale in Las Vegas December 5.

Diaz beats unrelenting, but beatable Guida and gets a title shot versus Penn.  Edgar beats the former champ Sherk and is notched down to fight Pellegrino.  Explain that…

Sherk was scheduled to fight Gleison Tibau (16-6) at UFC 104 in Los Angeles October 24, but withdrew with an injury.

Most recent UFC title challenger, seventh-ranked “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (11-4), will swap opponents with Diaz when he fights Guida at UFC 107.

Meanwhile, across the Pacific second-ranked DREAM champ “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4) avenged his most recent loss in the division with an armbar submission of fourth-ranked “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-7) at DREAM.11 in Yokohama October 6 and is already slated to defend his title from eighth-ranked “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5-2) at Dynamite!! 2009 north of Tokyo on New Year’s Eve.

Third-ranked Eddie Alvarez (16-2) and tenth-ranked Katsunori Kikuno (5-0-1) will fight at DREAM.12 in Osaka October 25 for the next DREAM title shot versus the winner of Aoki v Kawajiri.

Fighters.com’s October Lightweight Rankings

1. “Prodigy” BJ Penn (14-5-1)

2. “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4)

3. Eddie Alvarez (16-2)

4. “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-7)

5. “Bully” Gray Maynard (8-0)

6. “The Answer” Frank Edgar (10-1)

7. “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (11-4)

8. “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (25-5-2)

9. “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-4-1)

10. Katsunori Kikuno (5-0-1)

“In this sport it sometimes takes years for fighters to find the weight class where they’re at their best,” UFC President Dana White said in a statement at UFC.com Tuesday.  “I don’t think there’s any question that BJ Penn and Diego Sanchez have finally found their homes at 155 pounds, making the UFC 107 main event a fight between the best Penn and Sanchez we’ve ever seen.  BJ hasn’t lost in this weight class in years, and Diego has looked unstoppable in his lightweight fights, and when these two meet in the center of the Octagon, it’s going to make our first trip to Memphis one fight fans will never forget.”

“I can’t wait to defend the title,” Penn told UFC.com. “I know what kind of competitor Diego Sanchez is and I am training very hard. This will be a good test.”

“I’ve always wanted to face the best,” Sanchez said.  “I’ve worked so hard for this and now I finally have a shot at the title. I’m training like I’ve never trained before and I expect an all-out war.”

Also officially confirmed Tuesday, Fighters.com third-ranked heavyweight Frank Mir (12-4) will fight Cheick Kongo (14-5-1) and second-ranked welterweight “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4) and fifth-ranked Paulo Thiago (7-1) will matchup.

Missing from the card, of course, is perhaps the primary reason Zuffa lobbied so vigorously for Tennessee to sanction MMA: now-retired fifth-ranked light heavyweight “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-7).

It’s the UFC’s second visit to the state after debuting in Nashville April 1 with UFC Fight Night 18.

White had confirmed the matchup in pre-UFC 102 PR, but hadn’t set a date.

Penn tapped “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (11-4) in rear naked choke in the fourth round at UFC 101 in Philadelphia 8 August.

Sanchez won a split decision over “Carpenter” Clay Guida (25-10) at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale in Las Vegas 20 June.

He also confirmed “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (15-3), twin brother of Fighters.com’s fifth-ranked heavyweight and former PRIDE and UFC heavyweight champion “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1), has joined the UFC light heavyweight division.

Furthermore, White confirmed UFC 105 in Manchester 14 November would be co-headlined by a middleweight matchup between Brit “Count” Michael Bisping (17-2) and Canadian Denis Kang (34-11-1).

“Diego moved down to 155 pounds.  Diego’s a 155-pounder,” White said.

It will not be the first time Sanchez has dropped a weight class.  He moved to welterweight after winning The Ultimate Fighter at middleweight.

Sanchez last fought at the TUF 7 Finale in June, defeating Luigi Fioravanti (13-4) via third-round TKO.

Six weeks before that happens Koscheck will face second-ranked “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (15-3) at UFC 90 near Chicago 25 October.  He replaces eighth-ranked “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (19-2), who had to pull out due to injury.

“Yoshiyuki ‘Zenko’ Yoshida is fine with fighting Koscheck even though he is taking on Thiago Alves on Oct. 25th,” Yoshida’s manager Shu Hirata told MMA Weekly. “UFC only informed him that ‘maybe’ Sanchez if Koscheck is not healthy for Dec. 10.”

Yoshida had his last fight, scheduled for September, cancelled when “The Heat” Karo Parisyan (18-5) pulled out at the last minute.

Fourth-ranked Josh Koscheck (11-2) will take Sanchez’s place versus Alves.

Alves said, “Josh Koscheck is a great fighter and I think he’s an even better matchup for me.  I’m looking forward to fighting him, and I’m gonna knock him out.”

“I think [Alves is] a tough opponent,” said Koscheck. “He’s on a tear right now in the UFC and for me to step up and fight him, I think it’s gonna be an exciting fight.”

Alves is on a six-fight win streak and most recently TKO’d seventh-ranked Matt Hughes (42-7) in round two of UFC 87′s main event.

Koscheck last fought in July, winning a unanimous decision over “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (25-16-5).  He was next scheduled to headline UFC Fights for the Troops in Fayetteville, NC, 10 December.

Yoshida has stoppages of Katsuya Inoue (16-6-3) and Akira Kikuchi (16-4); but, few this side of the Pacific (besides you and I) know how impressive that is.

A good showing versus physically and technically tough Parisyan would’ve put him on North American radar too.

Fighters.com has developing information that another anticipated fight, between sixth-ranked “Terror” Matt Serra (9-5) and seventh-ranked Matt Hughes (42-7), is unlikely to ever happen.  More on that as it develops.

Fighters.com’s Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (17-2) will fight Fighters.com’s Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” B.J. Penn (13-4-1) in Las Vegas 31 January.

In Chicago 25 October, top contender “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (15-3) and eighth-ranked “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (18-2) will fight to get first dibs on the winner.

Third-ranked EliteXC titlist Jake Shields (21-4-1) will have a confident “Semtex” Paul Daley (18-6-2) on his hands in Fort Lauderdale, north of Miami, 4 October.

AKA teammates fourth-ranked Josh Koscheck (11-2) and fifth-ranked Jon Fitch (17-3) await match-ups that’ll put them back into title contention.

Tenth-ranked “Goat” Nick Thompson (36-10-1) awaits an opportunity to avenge himself of the beating handed to him by Shields in his last fight.

September 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.

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 hopes for his own fight with Hughes.

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 and another stoppage by St. Pierre. It’s apparent a return to MFS is required.

8. “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?

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.

Clips of a reunion special filmed recently at the UFC Training Center in Las Vegas will air throughout the marathon.

TUF 1 cast members involved in the reunion are Fighters.com’s Light Heavyweight Champion and current UFC champion Forrest Griffin (16-4), Chris Leben (18-4), “American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar (11-4), Josh Koscheck (11-2), “Rock” Nathan Quarry (10-2), “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (10-3), “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (19-2), Bobby Southworth (9-5), and “Quick” Mike Swick (12-2).

The reunion special will be hosted by Joe Rogan, and UFC President Dana White will also be on hand to discuss the impact the show has had on the UFC and on the sport of mixed martial arts.

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.

Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked welterweight “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (19-2) notified Fighters.com minutes after signing his latest contract to fight third-ranked “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-3) in Birmingham 18 October.

Sanchez said, “[Alves] better be ready because I am. I feel strong. I have been working for this opportunity my whole career. The belt will be mine; Thiago will just have to be the next victim to get to it. Nothing personal, but I am the real pitbull.”

The fight’s victor seems well-positioned next in line for the UFC welterweight title after current Champ “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (16-2) and well-deserved top contender Jon Fitch (19-2) fight in Minneapolis 9 August.

Hungry Alves is coming off a brutal defeat of Matt Hughes (42-7) in London 7 June.

Sanchez is coming off of two victories over David Bielkheden (12-6) and Luigi Fioravanti (13-4) in which Sanchez’s raw, in-your-face strategy worked to a tee.