Awoke to the sun shining and my thoughts about UFC 114 running rampant in my head. So as always "The Reverend of MMA" will bring you the gospel on yet another event, UFC 114: Rampage vs. Rashad. ...

The Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia on February 21 George Sotiropoulos (11-2) will face "Daddy" Joe Stevenson (31-9) in a lightweight fight. This is a fight that will propel George up the ladder in the 155 division and make a contender. ...

Fighters.com's ninth-ranked lightweight “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-3) will return to 170 pounds to fight “Hitman” John Hathaway (11-0) at UFC 114 in Las Vegas May 29, Diaz announced via Twitter Tuesday. ...

UFC 111 will go down in history as the first ever broadcast pay-per-view event fully in Spanish. This move leads me to believe that an event live from Mexico can't be far behind.The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced this all Spanish broadcast on Monday complete with new UFC announcers Troy Santiago and Victor Davila. ...

After getting thoroughly destroyed in his fight against Fighters.com and UFC lightweight champion "The Prodigy" BJ Penn (15-5-1), tenth-ranked lightweight "Nightmare" Diego Sanchez (21-3) has made the decision to move back to welterweight. One can only assume he has come to the conclusion that staying at lightweight will only lead to him being the gatekeeper to title shots against BJ since he obviously had nothing to offer BJ in the one-sided drubbing. Unfortunately the move to back to welterweight does not look any brighter for Diego and he will find himself in the position of the proverbial stepping stone. ...

Fighters.com's fifth-ranked lightweight "Bully" Gray Maynard (8-0) and Nate Diaz (10-5) will rematch an The Ultimate Fighter 5 exhbition match tonight at UFC Fight Night 20 in Fairfax, Virginia. ...

Can we fight fans now be done with Fighters.com's tenth-ranked lightweight “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (19-3-0)?  Not as a fighter, of course, but as an elite mixed martial artist. 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. ...

Fighters.com's Editor-In-Chief Chad Edward wrote Saturday's Honolulu Advertiser feature on UFC 107's main event title fight in Memphis between Fighters.com and UFC Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” BJ Penn (12-4-1) and tenth-ranked “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (19-2-0). Read Edward's preview of tonight's fight in Penn's home state newspaper: Sanchez to test Penn's 'gas tank' ...

UFC lightweight title contender “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-2) debuted at tenth in Fighters.com's Lightweight Rankings in November due mostly to former top tenner Katsunori Kikuno's (5-1-1) stoppage loss to third-ranked Eddie Alvarez (16-2) at DREAM.12 in Osaka October 25. ...

Fighters.com and UFC Lightweight Champion "Prodigy" BJ Penn (14-5-1) will defend his titles from unranked, but popular The Ultimate Fighter 1 champion “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-2) at UFC 107 at the FedExForum in Memphis December 12, the UFC officially announced Tuesday. ...

UFC lightweight champion “Prodigy” BJ Penn (14-5-1) will defend his title from “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-2) at UFC 107 at the FedExForum in Memphis December 12, the UFC officially announced Tuesday. ...

UFC lightweight champ “Prodigy” B.J. Penn (14-5-1) will defend his title from “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-2) at UFC 107 in Memphis 12 December, according to UFC President Dana White in a video posted at BJPenn.com. 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. ...

UFC President Dana White confirmed Thursday in Portland before UFC 102 that UFC lightweight champ "Prodigy" B.J. Penn (14-5-1) will defend his title from "Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-2) at a yet-to-be title third UFC event in November. 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). ...

Fighters.com’s eighth-ranked welterweight and TUF 1 winner “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (19-2) recently announced via MySpace that he would be moving down to the lightweight division, and UFC President Dana White confirmed the move Tuesday. “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. ...

Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked welterweight Josh Koscheck (11-2) has confirmed that he will still headline Fight Night 16: UFC Fights for the Troops in Fayetteville 10 December versus ninth-ranked “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2). 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. ...

A torn rib cartilage has forced Fighters.com’s eighth-ranked welterweight “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (19-2) to withdraw from his bout with top contender “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (15-3) at UFC 90 in Rosemont, near Chicago, 25 October, the UFC announced Monday. 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. ...

Fighters.com's September Welterweight Rankings was denied a potential breakout match-up in Atlanta 6 September when "The Heat" Karo Parisyan (18-5) bailed on his fight versus ninth-ranked "Zenko" Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2) with a back injury...or something. 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. ...

SpikeTV announced Monday that it will air all twelve episodes of the debut season of reality show The Ultimate Fighter, as well as the finale, on 13 September. 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. ...

After Fighters.com's Welterweight Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (17-2) defended his title from then top contender Jon Fitch (17-3) in Minneapolis 9 August, who better to challenge him next than...Fighters.com's Lightweight Champion "Prodigy" B.J. Penn (13-4-1)? 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. ...

The UFC welterweight chase has narrowed to the final four. 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. ...

Fighters.com's top welterweight contender Jon Fitch (17-2) told Fighters.com last Thursday in San Jose that Welterweight Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (16-2) is overlooking him and other challenges at 170-pounds if he decides to move to middleweight. Fitch also talked about what he expects from GSP in their August title fight and sixth-ranked former opponent "Nightmare" Diego Sanchez's (18-2) recent fights. ...

Three TUF champions highlighted the action in Las Vegas Saturday night: the original, the past, and the future. The future shines brilliantly for The Ultimate Fighter's newest blast into the mainstream consciousness, Amir Sadollah (1-0). In his professional debut, Sadollah tapped "Doberman" CB Dollaway (6-1) in an armbar at 3:02 of round one to win the seventh season of the popular SpikeTV reality show contest. "Nightmare" Diego Sanchez (19-2), one of the two original Ultimate Fighters, looked physically fitter than ever in his third-round TKO of American Top Team's Luigi Fioravanti (12-4) at 4:07. After back-to-back "embarrasing" losses, "Spyder" Kendall Grove (9-5), TUF 3 champion, recaptured past glory in a three-round split decision over former UFC titlist Evan Tanner (32-8). The likeable young TUF walk-on from Virginia, Sadollah, versus the cocky All-American favorite, Dollaway, was a rematch of an exhibition fight fought on the final episode of last season's The Ultimate Fighter. Saturday's finish was almost a replay of that fight's end. ...

Third-ranked "Pitbull" Thiago Alves (15-3) is the big mover in Fighters.coms's June Welterweight Rankings after, of course, crashing knee-first into the side of seventh-ranked Matt Hughes's (42-7) cranium in London 7 June. Alves established himself as the top contender to the winner between Fighters.com's Welterweight Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (16-2) and second-ranked Jon Fitch (17-2), to be fought in Minneapolis 9 August. Hughes finds himself at a crossroads as confidants close to H.I.T. Squad have confided to Fighters.com that Hughes didn't prepare for his tussle with "Pitbull" with the determination that's marked his storied career. The day after Alves finished Hughes, ninth-ranked "The Goat" Nick Thompson (36-9-1) finished hard-punching "Maicon" Michael Costa (9-4) in Tokyo. Thompson is negotiating to fight eighth-ranked Jake Shields (20-4-1) for the EliteXC title, but tells Fighters.com, "I would really like the fight but I am not willing to fight below my value in order to make it happen." ...

Hail the new Fighters.com welterweight king UFC Welterweight Champion "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (16-2). Many had no doubt that St. Pierre was the best at 170-pounds, but it was important for St. Pierre to win the top spot with revenge on "The Terror" Matt Serra (9-5) at UFC 83. The truth is that Serra looked no worse in defeat to "Rush" than future UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes (42-6) did in December.  Serra drops to the fourth spot. Hughes and Serra have a date to dance before the end of '08, but Hughes has been drafted into the UFC 85 main event to replace an injured "Iceman" Chuck Liddell (21-5) on the 02 Arena marquee. In London, Hughes faces sixth-ranked pup "Pitbull" Thiago Alves (14-3), who's on a St. Pierre-ish steamroll through the division with stoppages of "The Heat" Karo Parisyan (18-5), "Lights Out" Chris Lytle (25-15-5), Kuniyoshi Hironaka (11-5), and Tony DeSouza (10-4). "Kos" Josh Koscheck (10-2), who moves up a spot on Serra's stoppage loss, will get a swing at Lytle in July, a true test of the third-ranked wrestlers grit and chin. Jake Shields (20-4-1) has had his EliteXC title fight with Drew Fickett (33-5) rescheduled again, this time to July.  Shields loses ground in the rankings as his 2006 unanimous decision over WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit (22-4) falls from his two-year record. In June, "The Goat" Nick Thompson (35-9-1) returns to Sengoku versus an as-yet unnamed opponent, but told Fighters.com, "For the right amount of pay, I'll fight Fedor or Jesus himself." At the end of May in Vegas, Japan's "Zenko" Yoshiyuki Yoshida (9-2) will debut in the UFC versus "War Machine Jon Koppenhaver (5-1) after an impressive run in his homeland. "Zenko" debuts on Fighters.com's top ten after "The Heat" Karo Parisyan (18-5) drops off because his two-year record lost a 2006 stoppage of Thompson. May Welterweight Rankings 1. "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (16-2) Since "Terror" struck at UFC 69, "Rush" has had to scrape pieces of Koscheck, Hughes, and Serra off the bottom of his feet on his steamroll back to the UFC belt many believe the 27-year old will wear for a generation. 2. Jon Fitch (17-2) While louder fighters have claimed title contendership, Fitch has quietly earned it with a stoppage of Alves and decision over Sanchez, plus UDs over tough Chris Wilson and Kuniyoshi Hironaka.  The wrestler is probably next in line for a UFC title shot. 3. "Kos" Josh Koscheck (10-2) After revenge over Sanchez, Koscheck was overwhelmed with a St. Pierre bouncing back from a loss. Like St. Pierre, “Kos” has all the physical tools to be a champion and absorbs new skills like a sponge. Time and continued top competition will tell. 4. "The Terror" Matt Serra (9-5) After knocking out the 170-pound division's heir apparent, St. Pierre, Serra was outclassed in their April '08 rematch.  However, Serra looked no worse in defeat than St. Pierre's two previous victims, Koscheck and Hughes. 5. Matt Hughes (42-6) Since getting KO’d by St. Pierre for the first time since ’01, Hughes hasn’t fought the same in a throw-away decision over Christ Lytle and another stoppage by St. Pierre. One wonders if he’s getting the same quality of training since leaving MFS. 6. "Pitbull" Thiago Alves (14-3) Alves has dealt 3 big stoppages to Karo Parisyan, Chris Lytle, and Kuniyoshi  Hironaka to plant himself firmly in the welterweight top ten, and only an ’06 TKO to Fitch keeps him from Fighters.com’s top five. This juggernaut will run into Hughes in June. 7. "Nightmare" Diego Sanchez (18-2) All the hype can’t replace a loss in the Octagon, and, in Sanchez’s case, two losses to Fitch and Koschek.  An ’06 decision over Karo Parisyan in one of the fights of that year proves he has the talent, but does he have the focus? 8. Jake Shields (20-4-1) Shields may be the world’s top welterweight, but a lack of competition outside the UFC keeps him from breaking through.  Still, he’s stopped all opponents in the last two years except in a unanimous decision over WEC champ Carlos Condit. 9. "The Goat" Nick Thompson (35-9-1) "The Goat" has bucked eleven straight challengers, ten by stoppage, since leaving the UFC after a TKO by Parisyan; and, though no top tenners, it's a list including Chris Wilson, Ansar Chalangov, Eddie Alvarez, and Fabricio Monteiro, all tough welterweights. 10. "Zenko" Yoshiyuki Yoshida (9-2) "Zenko" debuts in the UFC versus Jon Koppenhaver in May without an "L" in two years, all wins by stoppage. With overseas wins over Katsuya Inoue and Akira Kikuchi, Yoshida hopes to fare better than fellow Nipponese Kuniyoshi Hironaka. ...

The UFC has officially announed the finale of The Ultimate Fighter 7 to be held 21 June live from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. As reported by Fighters.com, the card's main event will feature former UFC Middleweight Champion Evan Tanner (32-7), coming off of a knockout loss to Fighters.com's fifth-ranked middleweight "Thunder" Yushin Okami (22-4).  He's matched versus TUF 3 champion "Spyder" Kendall Grove (8-5). The co-main event pits Fighters.com's eighth-ranked welterweight and TUF 1 champion "Nightmare" Diego Sanchez (18-2) versus American Top Team's Luigi Fioravanti (12-3). The event will also feature the final bout in the middleweight tournament on the current season of The Ultimate Fighter. ...

The world's top welterweight will be decided this weekend in Montreal at UFC 83.  What might be more interesting is what happens next.  Several fighters have legitimate claims to the winner of Serra v St. Pierre.  Who deserves it most? 1. "The Terror" Matt Serra (9-4) "If you beat the guy, you're the guy," Serra said, and "The Terror" dismantled 170’s heir apparent, St. Pierre, last April for the UFC welterweight title and Fighters.com's #1 ranking. His slim record makes it hard to predict the length of his reign. 2. "Rush" Georges St. Pierre (15-2) Barely breaking a sweat stopping Hughes twice and winning a UD over Koscheck fulfilled St. Pierre’s physical promise, but his malfunction versus Serra raises questions great fighters have had to answer before. Does his hype distract from his focus? 3. Jon Fitch (17-2) While louder fighters have claimed title contendership, Fitch has quietly earned it with a stoppage of Alves and decision over Sanchez, plus UDs over tough Chris Wilson and Kuniyoshi Hironaka.  The wrestler is probably next in line for a UFC title shot. 4. "Kos" Josh Koscheck (10-2) After revenge over Sanchez, Koschek was overwhelmed with a St. Pierre bouncing back from a loss. Like St. Pierre, “Kos” has all the physical tools to be a champion and absorbs new skills like a sponge. Time and continued top competition will tell. 5. Matt Hughes (42-6) Since getting KO’d by St. Pierre for the first time since ’01, Hughes hasn’t fought the same in a throw-away decision over Christ Lytle and another stoppage by St. Pierre. One wonders if he’s getting the same quality of training since leaving MFS. 6. "Pitbull" Thiago Alves (14-3) Alves has dealt 3 big stoppages to Parisyan, Chris Lytle, and Kuniyoshi  Hironaka to plant himself firmly in the welterweight top ten, and only an ’06 TKO to Fitch keeps him from Fighters.com’s top five. Whoever’s next for Alves will meet a juggernaut. 7. Jake Shields (20-4-1) Shields may be the world’s top welterweight, but a lack of competition outside the UFC keeps him from breaking through.  Still, he’s stopped all opponents in the last two years except in a unanimous decision over WEC champ Carlos Condit. 8. "Nightmare" Diego Sanchez (18-2) Sanchez is St. Pierre light. 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 Parisyan in one of the fights of that year proves he has the talent, but does he have the focus? 9. "The Heat" Karo Parisyan (18-5) Parisyan has been criticized for his conditioning.  Maybe it’s true because the tough, exciting judoka hasn’t been able to break into the top of the division after losses to Sanchez and Alves. A TKO of Thompson shows how hot “The Heat” can get. 10. "The Goat" Nick Thompson (35-9-1) "The Goat" has bucked eleven straight challengers, ten by stoppage, since leaving the UFC after a TKO by Parisyan; and, though no top tenners, it's a list including Chris Wilson, Ansar Chalangov, Eddie Alvarez, and Fabricio Monteiro, all tough welterweights. ...

Former UFC Heavyweight Champion, "Pitbull" Andrei Arlovski pocketed the biggest purse Saturday night in Columbus, $105,000 to show plus a $65,000 win bonus.  His victory over "Irish" Jake O'Brien completed his UFC contract. However, it was UFC Middleweight Champion "Spider" Anderson Silva who left Nationwide Arena big pimpin' with a total disclosed payday of $260,000 for his second round submission of "Hollywood" Dan Henderson. Silva received $70,000 to show, a $70,000 win bonus, a $60,000 Submission of the Night bonus, and a $60,000 Fight of the Night bonus.  Mo' money, mo' money, mo' money! Henderson received a $60,000 bonus for participating in Fight of the Night.  "The Crippler" Chris Leben received $60,000 for Knockout of the Night in his victory over "Legionarius" Alessio Sakara. Despite making the PPV broadcast in an non-stop stand-up war, Josh Koscheck and Dustin Hazelett lost out to Silva v Henderson for Fight of the Night. The entire run-down below: Andrei Arlovski: $170,000 Anderson Silva: $140,000 Heath Herring: $140,000 Dan Henderson: $100,000 Diego Sanchez: $60,000 Chris Leben: $50,000 Cheick Kongo: $30,000 Yushin Okami: $28,000 Evan Tanner: $25,000 Josh Koscheck: $20,000 Alessio Sakara: $17,000 Luigi Fioravanti: $16,000 Luke Cummo: $16,000 Jorge Gurgel: $14,000 Dustin Hazelett: $12,000 Jake O’Brien: $11,000 David Bielkheden: $8,000 John Halverson: $3,000 ...

On a night in Columbus when the original UFC Heavyweight Champion and tactician behind the ground'n'pound "The Hammer" Mark Coleman became a legend joining the UFC Hall of Fame, UFC Middleweight Champion "Spider" Anderson Silva knocked on that same hallowed door. The kickboxer from Curitiba vanquished former PRIDE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Champion "Hollywood" Dan Henderson in a rear naked choke at 4:52 of the second round. The first round illustrated why Henderson, 22-7, was pegged as Silva's last great challenge at 185-pounds. The wrestler from California nixed the champion's world class stand-up with lateral movement that prevented Silva from setting and delivering his laser-like strikes. Henderson grabbed hold of the "Spider" and dumped him to the mat in an awkward half guard that allowed "Hollywood" to smother Silva while peppering him with hammer fists. The frustrated champion endured to the second frame. In a sloppy Thai clinch, Silva slammed a knee to Henderson's chiseled chin, causing the the top contender to crumble. Silva pounced!  A barrage of strikes convinced Henderson to give up his back, the fatal flaw leading to a rear naked choke submission with just eight seconds to spare in the round. While UFC broadcasters Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan wondered allowed who could challenge the champion, Silva seemed to indicate a third tussle with former UFC Middleweight Champion "Ace" Rich Franklin was due. In the broadcasted card's only heavyweight rumble, "The Texas Crazy Horse" Heath Herring tumbled into a split decision "W" over Cheick Kongo of France. The Parisian kickboxer insisted on wrestling, to the surprise of everyone including Herring.  Kongo dumped the Texan by force of will, but never capitalized on his advantageous ground positions as Herring consistently swept and reversed into safer territory. In the end, Herring's pitter-patter of pounding and Kongo's cluelessness on the mat served Herring the "W" and a possible rematch with current interim UFC belt holder Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, whom Herring came within a hair of beating last year. In untelevised heavyweight action, former UFC titlist "The Pitbull" Andrei Arlovski wrapped-up his current UFC contract and possibly his Octagon career with second round TKO of Jake O'Brien. Arlovski has openly entertained the idea of quitting the UFC for greener opportunities. Another pair of middleweights made the PPV broadcast when former UFC Middleweight Champion Evan Tanner was knocked silly...er with a knee from the Thai clinch by Yushin Okami. The fight was Tanner's first since April 2006 and the vet seemed to gas late into the first round before eating the death blow at 3:00 of the second. 18-4 Chris Leben TKO'd 185-pound newbie "Legionarius" Alessio Sakara of Italy at 3:16 of round one. "The Crippler" Leben knocked Sakara to his back with a left hook behind the ear, then pounced on the Roman with six unanswered punches before referee Herb Dean waved the affair closed. Welterweights Josh Koscheck and Dustin Hazelett lit each other up for a round before a Koscheck kick found the button behind Hazelett's ear a minute into round two.  Koschek pummeled the fallen fighter until the referee called it a TKO for Koscheck. The PPV opened with the longest three rounds of my life between welterweight contender Jon Fitch and UFC-debuting Chris Wilson of Team Quest. Wilson spent most of his Octagon initiation on his bicycle while Fitch tried to chase him down.  The judges awarded Fitch a unanimous decision for aggression and superior wrestling positioning. The rest of the untelevised portion of the card included a unanimous decision  "W" for 12-3 welterweight Luigi Fioravanti over Luke Cummo, who falls to 6-5. "Nightmare" Diego Sanchez was tossed a bit of red meat in Sweden's David Bielkheden after dropping two consecutive fights.  Sanchez devoured Bielkheden in a first round strikes submission. Lightweight Jorge Gurgel took a unanimous decision over John Halverson to improve to 12-3, 3-2 in the Octagon.  UFC 82 sold out Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. ...