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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson

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

4. Jon Jones vs. Quinton Jackson

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

3. Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami

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

2. Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Silva

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

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

1. Nick Diaz vs. Georges St. Pierre

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

The news comes to us straight from the Twitter of UFC President Dana White himself. Here’s what White said: “U wanted it! U GOT IT!!! GSP vs DIAZ Oct 29th UFC 137 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.”

Both these men defy description, but I’ll attempt to do them justice.

Georges St. Pierre has fought twenty-four times and lost twice. For the past several years, St. Pierre has fought only the best UFC Welterweights, which in turns me the best welterweight MMA fighters in the world. St. Pierre’s current win-streak would enter the double digits if he were to beat Nick Diaz. Currently, Georges St. Pierre is widely regarded as one of the premiere faces of Mixed Martial Arts worldwide. St. Pierre continues to enjoy idol-like status in Canada, the place of his birth. UFC 129, which featured Georges St. Pierre and took place in Canada, drew a record-obliterating 55,000 fans.

Nick Diaz has undergone a colossal metamorphosis since controversially losing to KJ Noons in 2007. Since that time, Diaz has been undefeated in ten straight fights. Nine of those fights have been stoppages. As stated previously, Diaz holds the distinction of having successfully defended his Strikeforce Welterweight Championship more times than any other champion has successfully defended their title since Strikeforce was founded. He is literally the most-dominant Strikeforce champion in history, and he’s also an incredibly controversial and top-drawing star.

If you’ll permit me a bit of fanboyish glee, fans and friends, let me tell you the first thing I did when I heard that Nick Diaz would be fighting Georges St. Pierre.

I threw my fist into the air and shouted “YES!”

That sums up my reaction to this fight very well, in fact. I think this fight not only should happen, but needs to happen for several major reasons.

First and foremost, Nick Diaz is the only legitimate threat left for Georges St. Pierre. He’s beaten everybody, and he’s beaten them so thoroughly that as time has gone by and GSP continues to dominate, the allure of seeing the UFC’s best rematch him has declined very swiftly. Nick Diaz is someone who GSP has never faced before, both literally and figuratively. He’s never faced someone who is such an interesting mix of knockout power, a fantastic striking style, tremendous heart and will, and a wholly under appreciated ground game.

Secondly, Nick Diaz deserves this fight because he deserves to be making the big dollars. He’s earned all of that and more with his fantastic run in Strikeforce. Time and time again, Diaz delivers huge television ratings and big attendance numbers whenever he fights. Pound-for-pound, Nick Diaz should be considered Strikeforce’s best draw. I think it’s high time he got the chance to prove that he really is one of the best in the world.

Finally, we as fight fans deserve these kinds of “Strikeforce vs. UFC” match-ups. This is what happens when you buy out your competition, and if that means we no longer operate under “business as usual”, then so be it. It’s time to give us the fights we’ve been waiting years to see, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

This is going to be an epic fight, and it’ll be a long wait until October.

Having long been criticized for his lack of finishes or rather his inability, GSP faced arguably his toughest challenge to date when he met with the former Strikeforce middleweight champion. After five-rounds of “some” action, St. Pierre walked away the winner, but not without having drawn the ire of the fans and media alike.

Since his last outing at UFC 129 this past April, many have called for a “super fight” pitting GSP against the Strikeforce welterweight champion and UFC veteran Nick Diaz, and while there are some roadblocks and even an impending boxing match with Jeff Lacy, Diaz would be willing to put all that aside if it means a match with St. Pierre.

Under the Strikeforce banner, arguably, there has not been a more dominating or more imposing figure inside the cage than Diaz. The Stockton native and Cesar Gracie black belt has gone undefeated within the promotion, holding a perfect 6-0 mark, and has impressed everyone in each outing. In his last performance, Diaz added former UFC contender Paul Daley to his most recent list of victimes, knocking out the “knockout artist” inside of the first-round. With the win, Diaz has now successfully defended his welterweight title three consecutive times.

As per his contract with Strikeforce and Showtime, Diaz is afforded one boxing match to take place within the fiscal year. Initially, Nick was rumored to be facing former boxing world champion Fernando Vargas, however after alleged medical issues, the fight was scrapped.

Now, manager and head coach Cesar Gracie has recently issued a press-release stating that Diaz will be taking on Jeff Lacy, a former IBF super middleweight champion, in an impending boxing match.

Following UFC 129, UFC President Dana White spoke of his intentions to fly down to Stockton, California in order to speak with Diaz one-on-one about his future and what he hopes to accomplish. White has stated on several occasions that he would much rather have Diaz stay in the mixed martial arts game, as Nick could be used as a name in order to lend respectability to the boxing world by beating a mixed martial arts world champion.

While Nick’s striking skills have been unrivaled inside the cage, a bout in the ring could be a whole different story, and that’s something that White would have Diaz avoid altogether. Dana now has invested interest in Diaz since Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, has recently acquired Strikeforce.

Cesar Gracie says that Diaz’ bout with Lacy is all but a done deal, and the only thing that will deter the inevitable bout would be a meeting with the reigning UFC champ in Georges St. Pierre.

“Barring something like (UFC president) Dana White telling us, ‘Hey, we really need you to fight GSP at such-and-such a date and it conflicts with [boxing] – barring that, we’re going to fight Lacy,” said Gracie in an interview with MMAJunkie.com.

So what do you think MMA peeps–should Diaz attempt to avenge his teammate and best friend Jake Shields’ defeat to GSP, or should he take on Jeff Lacy? It remains to be seen where Nick will garner the most amount of money, some may argue boxing but who’s to say. Do you warrant Diaz with the opportunity of defeating either GSP or Lacy in respective matches? Sound off in the comment section below.

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

5. Nate Diaz

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

4. Paul Daley

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

3. Alistair Overeem

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

2. Georges St. Pierre

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

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

1. Anderson Silva

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

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

The One And Only Award: Randy Couture, for finishing his UFC career by winning three of his last four and going out against a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. I predicted that I would get a little misty-eyed if Couture lost, and I honestly did. To see someone I’ve followed, respected, and appreciated for so long finally end his career… it was one of the most emotional moments of the night. For all the things he’s done, for all the things he’s given to this sport of ours, Randy Couture will go down as one of the greatest MMA fighters ever. This is only one Randy Couture.

The Unlikely Hero Award: This one goes to Steven Seagal of all people. Yes, that Steven Seagal. Based on their post-fight interviews, both Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida credit Seagal for helping them hone a basic attack into a very, very deadly weapon. I don’t want to get into how much credit Seagal should really be given, there’s already a pretty great discussion about that going on in this fine site. All I know is that when Steven Seagal shows up in your corner, somebody is getting their face kicked in. And that’s just something I’ve got to highlight.

The “Haters Gonna Hate” Award: I’m giving this award to Georges St. Pierre’s cynics. I really don’t know what more you want from this man, GSP doubters. You can complain about GSP not stopping Shields, but do you know when was the last time that anybody stopped Jake Shields? Because I do: March 2000, the only time anyone has ever stopped Jake Shields. GSP took a guy on a fifteen-fight win-streak and completely outclassed him for three out of five rounds, bare minimum. He could barely see out of one eye due to an inadvertent eye poke and GSP still managed to win at least one of the championship rounds. I’m all for criticizing a fighter when he fails to produce, just look at how my feelings on Miguel Torres changed after his snooze-fest of a UFC debut. But I just don’t see how you can be disappointed in Georges St. Pierre after another great display of just how good he is.

The Under-appreciated Undercard Award: The complete and full “UFC Prelims LIVE” broadcast, which was composed of five free fights on Facebook and an additional two free fights on Spike TV. It was like getting an entire second event for free, and what an event that was. During the course of those seven fights, we saw a spinning backfist, a flying triangle, and much more. All told, five out of those seven fights ended by stoppage, all of them dramatic, and none of them were preceded by boring fights. It was a stellar “UFC Prelims LIVE” broadcast, and it just about sealed the deal and made this sub-series my new “dark horse favorite”.

So that’s what I think, fans and friends. And remember, it’s all in good fun… mostly. What about you? Any thoughts/opinions ready to be shared?

5. John Makdessi knocking out Kyle Watson with a Spinning Backfist.

For the most part, John Makdessi was never in any trouble against Kyle Watson. But Watson deserves at least some credit for hanging with Makdessi as long as he did, considering that Watson’s standup game  had some pretty significant flaws in it. Even with Makdessi controlling the fight, I had no idea this fight would end with a surprise spinning backfist, a very rare move that’s seldom used because it’s so difficult to pull off. Makdessi’s awesome knockout was one of the highlights of the first portion of this show, and it definitely deserves to be featured here.

4. Pablo Garza’s Flying Triangle Choke on Yves Jabouin.

Until Pablo Garza caught Yves Jabouin, Jabouin seemed to be in control and asserting himself at will. But as the saying goes, anything can happen in MMA. And just like a spinning backfist, a Flying Triangle is something so risky with such a low chance of reward that practically no one uses it in MMA. I think that may have been the first win by Flying Triangle in UFC history, even. It was definitely something right out of a BJJ highlight reel, except in a cage and against a very tough competitor.

3. Georges St. Pierre outclassing Jake Shields in virtually every way imaginable.

Another GSP fight, another crop of cynics emerge to criticize his killer instinct and inability to finish fights. But although I love a good knockout, I can appreciate a five-round thrashing. And that’s pretty much what GSP gave Shields. Like so many of his other opponents, GSP made Shields look like he didn’t belong. He took someone that was on an incredible win-streak, who had held titles in multiple promotions and even at multiple weight classes… and he made him look amateurish. Jake Shields is one of the best fighters in the world, but if this was the first time you ever saw him fight, you’d wonder why he was challenging for the championship. That level of domination is something only GSP and Anderson Silva can pull off on a regular basis, so of course that deserves a spot on this list.

2. Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick’s five-round all-out war.

Who would have thought that Jose Aldo’s toughest test to date would be Mark Hominick? I admit, Aldo had a lot of hype surrounding him when he debuted. But Mark Hominick took him to his limits, even while competing with a lump on his head so big that the announcers said it was like he was sporting a second head. Aldo would ultimately pass Hominick’s test, and even had Hominick in serious danger several times throughout the fight. It was a five-round all-out war of attrition, and possibly one of the best fights of the year.

And my personal pick for the best moment of UFC 129 is…

1. Lyoto Machida outdoing Anderson Silva’s Front Face Kick of Death by doing a Jumping Front Face Kick of Death.

I was honestly too shocked to scream when Lyoto Machida nailed this strike on Randy Couture. I’ve been known to do my fair amount of shouting when watching a UFC event, but nothing came out when Machida did a leaping kick and KO’d Randy Couture. It was such an amazing strike that part of me didn’t want to believe what I had just seen. But it happened, it was amazing, and it was the highlight of the night. There’s no question that this kick deserves the top spot.

So there you have it, fans and friends: those are the moments I’ll be remembering from UFC 129. But what about you? What do you think everyone will be talking about in the days/weeks to come?

Next for Ben Henderson: It’ll be only the best for “Smooth” from here on out. Henderson’s tenacity, cardio, and punching power all looked very impressive in his UFC debut, as did his trademark flexibility. Henderson may fight John Makdessi next, who is undefeated and scored a dramatic spinning backfist KO at UFC 129. Other potential fighters for this year and beyond include Dennis Siver, George Sotiropoulos, and Clay Guida. The Lightweight division is still getting itself sorted out right now, so it’s hard to nail down an exact opponent, but I do think that Henderson will get a pretty big name for his next challenge.

Next for Vladimir Matyushenko: I think it’s time that Matyushenko met Antonio Rogerio Nogueira again. The two fought at an Affliction card back in 2009, with “Little Nog” winning by TKO in Round 2. But things have changed since then: Nogueira appears to be struggling to stay afloat in the super-competitive Light Heavyweight division, while “The Janitor” just got done with one of the fastest victories of his career. I think it’s time to see if “Little Nog” should still be considered amongst the 205 elite, or if it’s time for Vladimir to ascend to such a status.

Next for Randy Couture: Have we seen the last of Randy Couture? The world may never know. It would only moderately shock me if Couture waited a few years and then announced that he’d fight at 50 years old, just to prove that he could. In the near future, though, expect Couture to get offered up some kind of deal, kind of (but not exactly) similar to the deal Chuck Liddell took, which Couture may or may not take due to his film career. If nothing else, I think Couture will put the headset back on and be a guest announcer for at least a handful of UFC shows.

Next for Lyoto Machida: If Matt Hamill beats Quinton Jackson, then it’s time for the Rampage/Machida rematch so many wanted after Jackson won a controversial decision. If Jackson does beat Hamill, Machida could end up facing someone like Ryan Bader, Forrest Griffin, or Rich Franklin. I think Machida proved a lot in this fight with Couture, and I think the UFC is going to put Machida right back in the shark tank for his next bout.

Next for Jose Aldo: It’s currently rumored that Aldo’s next opponent will be Chad Mendes at UFC 133 in August. Mendes is an undefeated 10-0 fighter with two (T)KO’s and two submissions. I think it’s likely that Jose Aldo will beat Chad Mendes, and if he does, Aldo will then most likely face Kenny Florian in a bout that I think shows clear favoritism for Florian. Nonetheless, I think Aldo will beat both Mendes and Florian.

Next for Georges St. Pierre: I certainly know what I want to be next for GSP: either a super-fight with Anderson Silva or a “title vs. title” match with Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz. But I know that there’s a mountain of red tape preventing both of those fights from happening. So here’s what I think is most likely for GSP: Carlos Condit. Condit will steamroll Dong Hyun Kim, and with the rumors and speculation all coming to naught once again, GSP will fight Condit near the end of the year.

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 129?

Pablo Garza defeats Yves Jabouin by Submission (Flying Triangle) at 4:31 of Round 1. John Makdessi defeats Kyle Watson by KO (Spinning Backfist) at 1:27 of Round 3. Jason MacDonald defeats Ryan Jensen by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 1:37 of Round 1. Ivan Menjivar defeats Charlie Valencia by TKO (Strikes) at 1:30 of Round 1. Claude Patrick defeats Daniel Roberts by Unanimous Decision.

Jake Ellenberger defeats Sean Pierson by KO (Strikes) at 2:42 of Round 1. Rory MacDonald defeats Nate Diaz by Unanimous Decision. Ben Henderson defeats Mark Bocek by Unanimous Decision. Vladimir Matyushenko defeats Jason Brilz by KO (Strikes) at 0:20 of Round 1. Lyoto Machida defeats Randy Couture by KO (Front Kick) at 1:05 of Round 2. Jose Aldo defeats Mark Hominick by Unanimous Decision. Georges St. Pierre defeats Jake Shields by Unanimous Decision.

When it comes to the “UFC on Prelims LIVE” specials, both on Facebook and Spike TV, all I can really say is “Wow”. From the moment the first fight aired on Facebook (about five minutes late, mind you), we had non-stop fireworks and several amazing finishes. You know you’re in for something special when the first fight is a non-stop war that ends with a Flying Triangle submission.

From there, things got even better. John Makdessi nailed a fantastic spinning backfist to KO Kyle Watson after three very intense rounds of action. Then, Jason MacDonald triumphantly returned to the UFC after a serious injury and proceeded to put on a ground clinic before choking out Ryan Jensen. But that was only three of the four finishes we got to see on the Facebook stream of “UFC Prelims LIVE”. To top it all off, Ivan Menjivar heinously broke Charlie Valencia’s nose with a brutal elbow before finishing him.

And in the main event of the Facebook broadcast, Claude Patrick and Daniel Roberts had a pretty entertaining three-round scrap. As if that wasn’t good enough, we had a great finish from Jake Ellenberger and a landmark performance from Sean Pierson, who completely outclassed and outright schooled Nate Diaz. Pierson is definitely one of the can’t-miss prospects of the division.

Overall, this was by far the best “UFC Prelims LIVE” special I’ve ever seen. It’ll take me a few days to come to an official conclusion, but right now I can say that “Prelims LIVE” blasted ahead of the competition in the race to crown my next “dark horse favorite” and replacement to the WEC. I think I’ll be tied up with UFC 129 post-event coverage for the next several days, but sometime next week I may just officially declare “UFC Prelims LIVE” my new dark horse favorite. Stay tuned.

I was very, very, very happy that Ben Henderson defeated Mark Bocek. I think Henderson did more than enough to win all three rounds, and to be honest, I was very displeased with Mark Bocek utilizing lay and pray tactics. Henderson was clearly the better striker, by miles, and his flexibility and ever-improving ground game all but neutralized Mark Bocek. Part of me was worried that Bocek would have been gifted a decision, and that part of me was already planning a mini-tirade, but all is well now that “Smooth” has picked up his first win in the UFC.

Sometimes it’s true that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks… but Vladimir Matyushenko’s old bag of tricks seems to be doing him just fine. Matyushenko has arguably never looked more impressive in the UFC, and I think this is the start of a pretty interesting comeback. With this win, “The Janitor” has now won five out of his last six, and is currently riding high with back-to-back stoppages. So where does he go from here? I don’t know for sure, but I do know that Matyushenko just put a whole lot of Light Heavyweight fighters on notice with his fantastic KO’ing of Jason Brilz.

Does it really get any better than a leaping Front Face Kick KO? That was Lyoto Machida at his best, and I think this fight set up the comeback I’ve been waiting for. Lyoto Machida is back, ladies and gentlemen, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for him. When it comes to Randy Couture, there’s not too much I could say that I haven’t already said before. Randy is one of the most humble, most genuine, most amazing persons in the history of the UFC, as well as one of the greatest fighters in MMA history. I hate to see him go, but I completely understand his decision to do so. Randy Couture… I’m going to miss watching you fight. I’m going to miss you a whole hell of a lot.

What a fantastic co-main event, a fight that truly displayed the tremendous heart and skill of both Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick. To be completely and bluntly honest, I would have only been slightly upset if Mark Hominick had pulled off the surprise upset. Hominick has now asserted himself as one of the best Featherweight fighters in the world, and Jose Aldo now has a giant target on his back since his aura of invincibility has taken a big hit. I can’t wait to see what’s next for Jose Aldo, and I wish nothing but the best for Mark Hominick.

And in the main event, Georges St. Pierre once again proved why he’s the Pound-for-Pound best fighter in the world. Jake Shields is arguably the toughest test GSP has ever faced, and if he’s not, he’s definitely one of the toughest. But just like so many of his other fights, GSP spent the majority of this fight utterly outclassing his opponent. There’s nothing left for GSP at Welterweight… it’s time for a super-fight with Anderson Silva.

Overall, I honestly can’t think of a better UFC event. I can’t think of an event that had more outstanding matches, more dramatic finishes, more amazing submissions, more highlight-reel KO’s. From the absolute bottom to the tip of the top, just about every fight not only lived up to my expectations, but exceeded them. This was a night I don’t think I’ll be forgetting for a long, long, long time. Perhaps it’s just the adrenaline talking right now, but I honestly think UFC 129 could go down as the greatest UFC event of all time.

But that’s just what I thought, fans and friends. What about you? Any thoughts on this card?

First up – Actor: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

DWAYNE “THE ROCK” JOHNSON, star of the hit movie Fast Five
Prediction: GEORGES ST-PIERRE

“I think it’s going to be a five round epic war that redefines both fighters. I respect Shields too damn much to say it’ll end any other way. GSP, the best fighter on the planet, wins in the 5th.”

BRIAN DAWKINS, NFL Pro Bowl Safety, Denver Broncos
Prediction: GEORGES ST-PIERRE

“I believe St-Pierre will be too much. He has all around talent, striking power and he’s a ground technician. He has no true weakness!”

CHEF MICHAEL SYMON, Food Network’s Iron Chef America and host of Food Feuds
Prediction: GEORGES ST-PIERRE

“I’m saying St-Pierre. He is technically just too good.”

SHANE VICTORINO, Gold Glove Centerfielder from the Philadelphia Phillies
Prediction: JAKE SHIELDS

“I’m gonna have to say ‘Rush’ is the favorite, but I won’t put it past Shields for an upset victory. Shields by submission!”

DAVID HAYE, WBA Heavyweight boxing champion
Prediction: JAKE SHIELDS

“Shields is the underdog, but believe me, this is the year of the underdog. Just like when I KO Wladimir Klitschko in July, an underdog could send a stadium full of fans home very unhappy at UFC 129.”

TABOO, Black Eyed Peas
Prediction: GEORGES ST-PIERRE

“GSP and Shields are both on top of their games, but I would have to give the edge to GSP. He’s got the Canadian home field advantage and I feel like it’s GSP’s time right now, but I gotta feeling that night’s gonna be a good night for the UFC.”

J.S. GIGUERE, Goaltender, Toronto Maple Leafs, Stanley Cup winner
Prediction:  GEORGES ST-PIERRE

“I have to go with GSP, he’s just too well rounded. Plus I have to go with the Quebec guy.”

NOEL CLARKE, BAFTA-winning film director and actor
Prediction: JAKE SHIELDS

“I’m gonna go out on a limb and pick Shields. GSP has all the tools to beat him, but for me, he is at a psychological disadvantage. He hasn’t finished anyone in a while and he showed that frustration after the Koscheck fight. If Shields can take the early onslaught, GSP will get more desperate to finish, make a mistake and Shields will get him.”

CLARKE MACARTHUR, Left Wing, Toronto Maple Leafs
Prediction: GEORGES ST-PIERRE

“I think GSP will win by first round submission. He’s way too well rounded a fighter. Shields is tough and dangerous on the ground, but I think GSP is on another level.”

SHAQUILLE O’NEAL, NBA superstar, Boston Celtics
Prediction: GEORGES ST-PIERRE

—

So, there you have it.  Seven for St. Pierre and three for Shields.  About right, I suspect, with fans at large.

What are your thoughts?  Join the stars.  Make your prediction on the monster title fight tonight.  And thanks to the UFC PR department for the info!

Those that have followed me for any prolonged length of time know that I’ve struggled to find a proper replacement to the WEC as my “dark horse favorite”. That’s the show/series/promotion I constantly advocate and cover in hopes that people will tune in and see what all the fuss is about, and then consequently turn into fans that start supporting the promotion in earnest. Currently, three shows are battling it out for that spot: the “UFC Prelims LIVE” events, the Bellator events on MTV2, and Strikeforce’s “Challengers” series of shows.

With seven free preliminary fights scheduled for UFC 129, all of which sound great on paper, this could be the event that finally crowns a new “dark horse favorite”. But I have to wonder: is it fair to give that sort of accolade to this sort of show? It’s still the UFC, after all… it’s just the preliminary fights.

That’s one side of the argument, here’s the other: if “Prelims LIVE” is exempt because it’s just a different aspect of the same product, “Challengers” should be exempt as well, since it’s still Strikeforce. That would leave only Bellator, and I have to wonder: is that fair, given that both “Prelims LIVE” and “Challengers” are only beginning to come out of their bubbles as the “B-shows”? And don’t forget, Bellator is struggling to emerge out of that very same bubble.

So I’m going to throw it to you, fans and friends, to let me know what you think I should do. I’ll consider every option and give honest thought to any and all responses. The question is: in the hunt to crown my next “dark horse favorite”, is it fair that shows like “UFC Prelims LIVE” and “Strikeforce Challengers” are in the running? Because with seven free fights on Spike TV and Facebook, that question is more important to me now than ever, since UFC 129’s preliminary fights may finally tip the scales in that series’ favor.

In regards to the rest of the card, I’m really excited to see Ben Henderson debut in the UFC. He’s coming off of a loss, sure, but that fight just so happened to be one of the best fights I’ve ever seen. I think Ben Henderson can go very far in the UFC. Mark Bocek will be a tough test and a real proving point for Henderson, and I look forward to seeing him bring his incredibly effective mix of cardio, speed, power, and flexibility into the Octagon.

I think I may get a little misty-eyed if Randy Couture makes good on the rumors and retires if he loses to Lyoto Machida. I know it’s very selfish of me, but part of me just doesn’t want Randy Couture to stop fighting. I just like watching him so much, and he still puts so much into his fights even at his age. He may not have had the best record in the UFC, nor was he the most dominant fighter of his time, but Randy Couture is a legend nonetheless.

When it comes to the two title fights, I’ve said so much about both of them that I’m honestly out of words. I think they’re going to be excellent fights, and I can guarantee I’ll be on the edge of my seat for both of those fights. I think the following is a pretty fitting last thing to say about these fights, so here it is: I’m just glad the wait is almost over.

And there you have it, fans and friends: my final thoughts on UFC 129. And what about you? Any last thoughts before this historic event?

Mark Bocek vs. Ben Henderson: Although Bocek has fought eight times in the UFC, he’s lost to some of the UFC’s top-division stars. And Ben Henderson was one of the last WEC Lightweight Champions. By the time the WEC folded, I think you could make a serious argument that their best matched the UFC’s best, in particular, I’m talking about Anthony Pettis and Ben Henderson. “Bendo” is one of the best Lightweight fighters in the world, and I think he’s going to prove that at UFC 129. Ben Henderson wins by submission in Round 1.

Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Jason Brilz: “The Janitor” has lost one fight in his latest return to the UFC, and that was to eventual Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. Matyushenko has won four of his last five, and I think he’s ready for a fighter like Jason Brilz. Brilz is very tough and has some good submissions on his record, but Matyushenko has fought his entire career without ever getting submitted. It’ll be a long, hard-fought war, but Vladimir Matyushenko will win by Unanimous Decision.

Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida: Part of me really, really wants the UFC’s ageless wonder to put together another legendary performance and defeat a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. But I just don’t think that’s going to happen. With his back against the wall, Lyoto Machida will come out with his best, and leagues better than he’s recently been. He’s had time to reflect and reconnect with what made him a champion, and I think this will be the start of Machida’s big comeback. As much as I hate to pick against Couture, I believe that Machida will win by KO in the first round.

Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick: I just can’t pick against Jose Aldo. It just strikes me as impossible. I truly think we’ve only begun to see the best Jose Aldo. With Aldo healthy and anxious to make his UFC debut, I think Mark Hominick is going to get destroyed. I don’t say that out of disrespect for Hominick, but out of the respect I have for Aldo’s killer instinct, smart technique, and ridiculous striking power. It’ll take him a round or two to find his flow and get into his groove, but sooner or later Mark Hominick will be just another victim laying on the canvas thanks to the hands and feet of Jose Aldo. Jose Aldo wins by (T)KO either in Round 2 or Round 3.

Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields: Much like Couture/Machida, part of me really wants to see the underdog go all the way and shock everyone. I like Jake Shields, I really do. I’ve defended him from accusations of being a boring fighter, and I’ve followed him for quite some time. But there’s good, and then there’s great. And then there’s great and greater. Jake Shields is greater than most of the great Welterweights in the world… but George St. Pierre is the greatest. By far. GSP has just been too good for too long, and he’ll have over 55,000 screaming Canadians all on his side. It will probably stand out as one of the best fights of the year, and in the end, Georges St. Pierre will win by Unanimous Decision.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. But what about you? Who do you see winning, and why, at UFC 129: “St. Pierre vs. Shields”?

The organization shattered their previous benchmark record of roughly 23,000 when they visited Montreal last December, by bringing this star studded event to arguably the most loyal fans–Canadians.

Two titles will be on the line, as featherweight champion Jose Aldo defends his UFC title for the first time when he takes on lethal striker in Canada’s own Mark Hominick. Also, the prodigal son Georges St. Pierre will take on the toughest challenge of his career when he meets with 5-time world champion Jake Shields in the main-event of the evening.

And while there were some mishaps during today’s weigh-ins, inevitably all fighters made their respective weight limits.

Ben Henderson, the former WEC lightweight champion, originally weighed in at 156.5 pounds for his lightweight bout with Canadian Mark Bocek, though on a second attempt eventually made 156-pounds, using his one pound allowance.

Initially, title challenger Mark Hominick weighed in for his championship bout with Jose Aldo at 145.25 pounds–a quarter pound over the 145-pound limit. In title bouts, it is required that athletes come in at the maximum of the weight limit without the aide of the one-pound allowance, and in Mark’s case, 145-pounds.

However, according to MMAJunkie.com, an official from the Ontario Athletic Commission said that Hominick was allowed to compete, since he had weighed in the quarter-pound over with his shorts on.

Here are the full weigh-in results, formated by MMAJunkie.com:

MAIN CARD (PPV)

Champ Georges St-Pierre (169.5) vs. Jake Shields (169) – for welterweight title
Champ Jose Aldo (145) vs. Mark Hominick (145) – for featherweight title
Randy Couture (203.5) vs. Lyoto Machida (204.5)
Jason Brilz (204.5) vs. Vladimir Matyushenko (205.5)
Mark Bocek (155) vs. Ben Henderson (156)*

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

Nate Diaz (171) vs. Rory MacDonald (170.5)
Jake Ellenberger (170) vs. Sean Pierson (170)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

Claude Patrick (169.5) vs. Daniel Roberts (170.5)
Ivan Menjivar (136) vs. Charlie Valencia (135.5)
Jason MacDonald (185) vs. Ryan Jensen (185)
John Makdessi (155.5) vs. Kyle Watson (155)
Pablo Garza (145) vs. Yves Jabouin (146)

5. Seven free fights. Seven. That’s two more than the Pay-Per-View broadcast.

A certain section of fans love to complain about how they’re not getting their money’s worth when they purchase some of the UFC’s less-than-stellar Pay-Per-View shows. To counteract that, or at least to soften the blow somewhat, the UFC routinely offers up free preliminary fights from most major cards, whether it be through Facebook, Spike TV, or even ION Television. And this one event will see all seven preliminary fights broadcast, two on Spike TV and a whopping five on Facebook. If you’re a fan of free fights (and how could you not be?), UFC 129 is a can’t-miss event.

4. Randy Couture could be fighting for the very last time at UFC 129.

There is only one Randy Couture, and there will always be only one Randy Couture. Couture is a legend, a multi-division champion, one of the best Octagon warriors to ever call the UFC home. And his dramatic comeback that started all the way back when he won the UFC Heavyweight Championship may finally be at an end. Faced with former Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida, Couture may finally hang up the gloves following the bout. If only for what should be an amazing post-fight speech, this fight shouldn’t be missed.

3. Jose Aldo debuts in the UFC against feared striker Mark Hominick.

It’s time for the UFC faithful to see what all the fuss was about. It’s hard to justify hype like “the best Featherweight fighter in the world” and “currently one of the best pound-for-pound fighters”. But not only does Aldo justify that hype, he makes you feel foolish for even doubting him in the first place. But Mark Hominick won’t be going down without a fight. It’s going to be an all-out war between one of the best fighters competing today and the unlikely challenger that will try his hardest to do the impossible.

2. Georges St. Pierre defends his championship against Jake Shields.

Can anyone beat Georges St. Pierre? A lot of people say “no” to that question. But Jake Shields doesn’t think so. Jake Shields knows he can beat Georges St. Pierre, and even GSP himself knows that he’s not unstoppable. GSP will walk into UFC 129 with the odds overwhelmingly stacked in his favor, but when has that ever held back Jake Shields? There are so many things that could happen in this fight, and both men are at such a high skill level, that this fight has all the makings of an instant classic.

And the number-one reason to watch UFC 129 is…

1. It’s UFC 129. ‘Nuff said.

I’ve had a lot of time to think over this card, and I’ve spent a lot of time covering it in detail. And with every new fight covered, with all my research done, I can now say one thing for sure: this event is going to be the most important MMA event of 2011. It’s a major victory for the UFC, and in my opinion, it’s way bigger than the victory they scored when they booked an event in Abu Dhabi for the first time. This could go down as a defining moment in the UFC’s history. It absolutely should not be missed.

So there you have it, fans and friends: five great reasons to tune in and see UFC 129. What about you? As the date draws ever-closer, what are you most looking forward to for this event?

The Event: UFC 129 “St. Pierre vs. Shields”, currently scheduled for April 30, 2011 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Five preliminary fights will be shown on the UFC’s Facebook page starting at 6:00 PM ET. Two additional preliminary fights will be shown on Spike TV starting at 8:00 PM ET. The five-fight main card will be shown live on Pay-Per-View starting at 9:00 PM ET.

Why You Should Care: This is the UFC’s debut in Toronto after a long, long period of legal strife. It is also the first UFC event ever to be held inside of a stadium. It will also set the record for the largest North American MMA crowd in history, with over 55,000 fans expected to fill the Rogers Centre. And to top it all off, the event features two championship bouts with two dominant champions defending against two tough challengers, in addition to what could be the last fight of MMA legend Randy Couture’s career.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: Georges St. Pierre is considered the greatest fighter in the world, in the eyes of many. He’s practically revered in Canada. And as good as he’s been, Georges St. Pierre just keeps improving. We think his ground game has peaked, then he just comes out and dominates like never before. We think his striking isn’t good anymore, then he jabs Josh Koscheck at will for five rounds and breaks his orbital bone. GSP is one of the toughest tests any MMA fighter at any weight class could ever face. And in his path is Jake Shields, a multi-promotion champion with great wrestling, great submissions, good hand speed and power, and impressive cardio. Shields may be the underdog, but if there was a world out there where Georges St. Pierre didn’t exist, Jake Shields would probably be the one wearing UFC gold right now.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: Jose Aldo was so dominant inside the WEC’s famous blue cage that he looked almost inhuman. He finished so many people, and the one man he couldn’t finish in the WEC just so happened to be one of the greatest Featherweight fighters of all time. Aldo is a wrecking machine disguised as a man, and he’s facing a very tough test in Mark Hominick. Hominick is fast, packs a powerful punch, and is a very cerebral striker. This is going to be a very violent fight, but it should also be a great one.

Why You Should Watch This Card: There’s not a lot more I could say about this card other than “go watch it”. It’s really getting to that point. I’m such a big fan of this card. You want free fights? You get seven. You want a good PPV card? You get five fights, two title fights, Randy Couture, and more. There’s very, very, very little not to like about this card.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: I honestly can’t think of one. Some of the fights may not look all that close on paper, but anything can happen in MMA and 2010 taught us that that’s a saying that’s more true now than ever. It’s a ridiculously stacked card and you should watch it. Period.

Closing Thoughts: I can’t wait to see this card. I’ve been building it up for the past several weeks and days, but I have complete faith that it’s going to live up to its potential. This is going to be an awesome, awesome event.

And what about you, fans and friends? Anybody out there looking forward to UFC 129?

Georges St. Pierre is on my personal shortlist of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. The fact that he’s not even thirty yet and has lost only twice honestly scares me a little. Georges St. Pierre has performed flawlessly for so long and during so many fights that he’s currently ranked as the top Pound-for-Pound fighter in the world on many popular websites and forums. Currently, Georges St. Pierre is unbeaten for over four years, and is on a eight-fight win-streak.

When he takes on Jake Shields at UFC 129, GSP will be defending his Welterweight Championship for the sixth time. He’s made great strikers like Thiago Alves and Dan Hardy look like amateurs with his dominant, unstoppable wrestling and Ground and Pound. He’s rearranged the faces of dominant wrestlers like Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck with his crisp, powerful, precise punches. And he’s outright dominated fellow legends like BJ Penn and Matt Hughes with a mix of everything in his arsenal.

It doesn’t matter who he’s put up against in his most-recent reign as Welterweight Champion, Georges St. Pierre tears them all down. One way or another, not one fighter of this current undefeated streak has ever made Georges St. Pierre look human. No one has done that, regardless of their skill level, regardless of their strengths, not since Matt Serra shocked the world and scored the biggest upset in UFC history by TKO’ing him. Since Serra, no one has even come remotely close.

But Jake Shields may be the man to do just that. Shields is highly decorated in the cage, in submission grappling, in collegiate wrestling, and is adept at all facets of the game. He is a former Shooto Middleweight Champion, a former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, and a former EliteXC Welterweight Champion. And let’s not forget that Shields never lost the EliteXC title, the promotion folded before they found someone that could beat Shields. And also don’t forget that Jake Shields gave up his Strikeforce Middleweight Championship when he signed to the UFC.

And perhaps most importantly, try and remember the last time someone beat Jake Shields. Pretty tough, isn’t it? That’s because Jake Shields last lost in 2004. For over six years, no one has been able to beat Jake Shields. That’s fifteen straight fights, with six submissions and two TKO’s. The rest were all decision victories, with Shields winning all but two fights by Unanimous Decision.

It’s hard to pick against Georges St. Pierre. Wait, let me rephrase that: it’s nearly impossible. The man is a freak of nature, plain and simple. And he always brings out his best when he fights in Canada. And he’ll be fighting in Canada at UFC 129, in front of over 55,000 fans that nearly revere him. And Georges St. Pierre keeps improving.

But if you could make one man that held the best chance against Georges St. Pierre, it would be Jake Shields. Booked as a sacrificial lamb and not much else, Shields survived the early-round onslaughts of the legendary Dan Henderson and then dominated him for four straight rounds. He’s got impressive takedown ability, great ground control, and an amazing submission game. Shields won’t have a problem with GSP’s size since he’s fought at and dominated at Middleweight. Jake Shields is the complete package… GSP just happens to be the “completer” package. But no matter who wins, this fight has all the makings of a Fight of the Year contender.

And with that said, fans and friends, “UFC 129 Complete Collection” now draws to a close. I would like to take this time to thank any and all of you that tuned in, and I hope you’re now as pumped up for this show as I am. Tomorrow, I’ll be posting an “epilogue” with my final thoughts on this series as well as a complete archive of all twelve parts. And now it’s time to ask one final time: what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of this upcoming championship showdown?

If Jake Shields wins by anything other than a stoppage or blowout decision, Georges St. Pierre will be granted an immediate title shot.

I have two major, somewhat-conflicting responses when it comes to this topic. And both of those responses take the form of a question. The first is: what do you expect? It’s that response that’s a bit more negative: the UFC knows how big of a cash cow GSP is, and they’ll do everything in their power to get the gold back around his waist if he loses a close fight to Shields. The second, more-positive reaction is: is that such a bad thing? With all GSP has accomplished both in and outside of the ring, wouldn’t he be fully deserving of a title shot if the fight is close, even if some would call it an obvious ploy by the UFC to get their belt back around one of their highest-drawing stars?

Even if Shields stops or dominates GSP, he’ll probably face him in roughly a year, maybe less.

The last time Georges St. Pierre lost the UFC Welterweight Championship, he was fighting for the title again after winning two fights. It should also be noted that one of those fights was for an Interim Welterweight Championship due to Matt Serra getting injured. So even if Jake Shields does something perceived as even more of an impossibility than just simply beating GSP and actually dominates or stops GSP, that still doesn’t mean that he won’t be fight GSP again in the immediate future. Depending on how things shake out, Shields could be right back here next year fighting GSP again.

Shields will likely have to defend his title against most of the people GSP defeated.

When Frank Edgar defeated BJ Penn for the second time, one of my earliest reactions was “it’s a whole new ballgame”. What I mean by that is that all of the people BJ Penn beat could be right back at it and in championship bouts since Frank Edgar is a very different fighter when compared to BJ Penn. And in much the same way, Jake Shields is a very different fighter when compared to Georges St. Pierre. Since so many of the fighters GSP has faced and defeated have only looked bad against GSP, I think Shields will probably end up fighting people like Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Thiago Alves, etc.

Jake Shields will eventually move up to Middleweight and challenge Anderson Silva.

This is definitely something I can put my foot down on and firmly state that I think it’ll happen. It’s simple, really: not only has Jake Shields competed at Middleweight before, he’s won championships at Middleweight. Jake Shields would gladly fight Anderson Silva, if only to prove himself against such a high-quality fighter. It may not have all the allure of GSP vs. Silva, but at least it’s a fight that wouldn’t be bogged down by months of negotiation and rumor.

And that wraps up part 2 of today’s special two-parter, fans and friends. One last time: what about you? What do you think will happen if Jake Shields beats Georges St. Pierre?

If GSP wins a close fight, Jake Shields will be given an immediate rematch.

A lot of people (including me) have stated their belief that GSP will more than likely be rocketed back up to top contender status if he wins one or two fights after losing to Shields. We even believe that GSP will probably be given an immediate rematch if the fight is close. But I think the same exact thing can be said about Jake Shields. Jake Shields may not be as universally popular as GSP, but he’s certainly got the credentials and accolades to deserve an immediate rematch if the fight is close.

If GSP wins in dominating fashion, the UFC will do everything in their power to finally convince him to fight Anderson Silva.

Will it happen? Or won’t it? That’s the question that will be on everyone’s minds if Georges St. Pierre beats Jake Shields. I honestly don’t know what will happen, but I’ll give my thoughts on either of those two outcomes below. But here’s something I can predict: expect the UFC to go out of their way to make GSP vs. Anderson Silva a reality, far more than they’ve ever tried to in the past.

If GSP doesn’t end up fighting Anderson Silva, he’ll probably face the winner of the upcoming Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim fight.

The winner of that fight is the most-likely candidate to receive the next shot at the title if the mega-match against Silva fails to materialize yet again. In Carlos Condit, you’ve got a very exciting knockout artist that has only lost one fight in the UFC. In “Stun Gun” Kim you’ve got a dominant wrestler with big power and serious international appeal. And perhaps most importantly, both fighters have never fought Georges St. Pierre before, which is a breath of fresh air in a Welterweight division where most of the persistently-ranked top contenders have all tasted defeat at the hands of Georges St. Pierre.

If GSP does end up fighting Anderson Silva, it will be the biggest match-up in the history of the UFC.

There’s really no other way to describe a fight as big as GSP vs. Anderson Silva. There have been a few fights that come close, but this match-up would pit two of the most-dominant fighters in UFC history, who are both considered two of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, against each other. The UFC would spare no expense for this bout, they’d find a way to book a stadium with a maximum capacity of well over 55,000. Without hyperbole, Georges St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva would be one of the biggest fights in the history of MMA.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? What do you think will happen if Georges St. Pierre wins?

5. Sometimes you perform at your best when everyone around you is screaming for your head.

There’s some movie floating around somewhere that features a fighter going into a hostile nation and putting on the performance of a lifetime before beating the heavily-favored, nationally-adored champion. I think it was called “Rocky” something. Kidding aside, there’s been multiple cases of UFC fighters entering into hostile territory only to put on a terrific performance. When your back is against the wall and everyone wants to see you lose, sometimes that’s the best motivation possible.

4. Jake Shields has never been submitted, and has one TKO loss on his record, which occurred at the start of his career.

Georges  St. Pierre is great at all facets of the game… but only one person has ever managed to stop Jake Shields. One person in thirty-one fights. Three people have beaten him by decision. Georges St. Pierre has a great record, but so does Jake Shields. And Jake Shields won’t forever be haunted by a TKO loss to an 11-to-1 underdog.

3. Before debuting in the UFC, Jake Shields’ last victory was against a dominant, heavy-handed wrestler… at Middleweight.

It’s the fight that so angered Shields that he left Strikeforce following a fantastic performance and while still holding that promotion’s championship. When matched up against Dan Henderson, Strikeforce bizarrely chose to focus on “Hendo” almost exclusively in their pre-fight hype and marketing, throwing the actual champion (Shields) into the background and casting him as a sacrificial lamb. This policy of putting all their eggs in one basket promptly bit Strikeforce right on the behind, as Shields survived a first-round scare to control and ultimately dominate Dan Henderson, an Olympic-level wrestler, for four straight rounds.

2. Jake Shields is a multi-promotion champion and a highly-decorated athlete in general.

Jake Shields has fought and beat the best fighters any promotion could throw at him. He’s a former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion. He’s a former EliteXC Welterweight Champion. He’s a former Shooto Middleweight Champion. He’s got numerous awards in both college wrestling and submission grappling. Jake Shields has only fought the best for a long, long time… and he’s assembled a fifteen-fight win-streak that started over five years ago.

And the number-one reason why I think Jake Shields could beat Georges St. Pierre is…

1. Jake Shields is ready to fight and defeat Georges St. Pierre.

Everyone loves to talk about Georges St. Pierre in this fight, but this fight is the culmination of so many things for Jake Shields. It’s the culmination of several long years of hard work that saw Shields struggle for relevance and credibility. It’s the culmination of an epic win-streak that saw him win multiple championships. And most importantly, this fight could see Jake Shields fully realizing his potential after years of strife, after constant accusations of being a boring fighter, and after being marketed as little more than a sacrificial lamb in the promotion where he last held a major championship.

I want to say that Jake Shields has been waiting all his life for this opportunity, but “waiting” does a great disservice to the fights he’s won and the gold he’s claimed. You can doubt him all you want, but Jake Shields knows he can beat Georges St. Pierre and will do everything in his power to do just that. And that’s the number-one reason why I think Jake Shields could beat Georges St. Pierre.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? One last time: it’s GSP vs. Jake Shields. Who wins it, how, and why?

5. Georges St. Pierre will have 55,000 screaming Canadians cheering him on.

Whenever Georges St. Pierre fights in Canada, he’s guaranteed the largest reaction of the night while also nearly single-handedly guaranteeing the UFC a sellout. Without hyperbole, I think a few cageside fans may go a little deaf after the 55,000 in the Rogers Centre are done cheering for GSP during his initial walk-out. GSP always brings out his best when he fights in Canada, and that may have something to do with the fact that he’s got an entire country on his side when he fights in Canada.

4. Georges St. Pierre will have a significant size and strength advantage.

Jake Shields has competed at Middleweight before, there’s no denying that. There’s also no denying that he’s had some very successful runs at Middleweight. But here’s a question for you: did Jake Shields ever really look natural at Middleweight, especially compared to Georges St. Pierre? GSP has always looked like a freak of nature at Welterweight, and that’s going to give him a pretty big advantage over Shields.

3. Jake Shields has never been much of a puncher.

A lot of people complain that Georges St. Pierre has been going to a decision a lot recently, but he’s still (T)KO’d eight people throughout his career. Jake Shields has (T)KO’d a grand total of… three. GSP has more striking stoppages in fewer fights, and for those complaining about decisions, GSP has been to a decision eight times to Shields’ thirteen. Georges St. Pierre is and always will be a finisher, and his ever-improving striking is a big weapon against Shields.

2. Only one person has ever submitted Georges St. Pierre… Matt Hughes, one of the best Welterweight MMA fighters of all time.

It’s true that Jake Shields is a very good submission-based fighter. I’ll go one step further: he’s one of the few fighters I actually consider a “submission artist”, and that’s a term I absolutely do not throw about loosely. I’m not doubting Jake’s great ground game… I’m just saying that Georges St. Pierre has no equal when it comes to the ground game. Especially in his last few fights, he’s ran circles on the ground against people like Dan Hardy, Thiago Alves, and even BJ Penn. Shields may have a great ground game, but St. Pierre’s ground game is nothing short of astounding.

And the number-one reason why I think Georges St. Pierre could beat Jake Shields is…

1. It’s Georges St. Pierre. That’s really all that needs to be said.

Try to list off all the achievements that Georges St. Pierre has garnered throughout his career, try and count all the awards he’s won. We’d be here all day. Try and look at some of the man’s training videos and not marvel at how intensely he trains for a fight. It’s impossible not to respect Georges St. Pierre. Without a shadow of a doubt in my mind, I consider GSP one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. And the thing that’s so awesome that it’s almost scary? The man isn’t even thirty years old yet. The simple fact that GSP is who he is… that’s definitely the number-one reason why I think he could beat Jake Shields.

So that’s it for the first part of today’s two-parter, fans and friends. Stay tuned for the follow-up, it’ll be up soon. But for now: do you think GSP will beat Jake Shields? Why or why not?

Furthering this notion, people sometimes forget that the first time St. Pierre fought and defeated Josh Koscheck at UFC 74, his ground and pound game plan was shocking. At the time, though people knew that “Rush” was highly athletic, explosive, and a good wrestler, virtually no one understood just how good a wrestler he was. He was able to take a former Division 1 national wrestling champion in Koscheck down at will, something that almost no one expected a man with no formal wrestling background capable of doing. Speaking to this, Koscheck was so sure that his wrestling skills wouldn’t be an issue that according to training partner Jon Fitch, he didn’t even focus on those skills at all during his camp.

Well, fast forward to UFC 124 and their rematch. By that time, just about everyone considered St. Pierre to be the best wrestler in MMA. People wondered aloud if his ground and pound game plan would work the second time through against a wary Koscheck. But we never found out because this time St. Pierre jabbed his way to a dominant decision victory.

Surprising to say the least.

There have been many other instances where St. Pierre’s game plans have proven priceless. Remember when he dominated BJ Penn at UFC 94?  Many wondered if St. Pierre would purposefully choose to stand with Penn during the fight, considering his opponent’s submission capabilities. Instead, St. Pierre continually proved his amazing cardio, having trouble with takedowns early on only to find them just too easy to come by during the late stanzas en-route to a dominating decision victory.  Though this game plan wasn’t nearly as surprising as those he utilized against Koscheck, it sure did wear his opponent down and net a surprisingly easy win.

This leads us to UFC 129 and his upcoming championship fight with Jake Shields. Shields may very well be the best overall grappler that St. Pierre has ever faced. We’re talking about a guy that was able to consistently take Dan Henderson down- a much bigger fighter with a great wrestling background- in the later rounds of their recent fight. On top of that, Shields is also a big time submission threat from both the top position and his back. It’s that ground versatility that has a lot of people thinking St. Pierre will use his strong takedown defense to stand with Shields. After all, Shields isn’t known to be a very good striker, even if he certainly proved to have a solid jaw in the aforementioned Henderson bout (he was pummeled in round one on his feet by “Hollywood”).

In fact, that’s what I would expect St. Pierre to do with Shields. It seems to make all the sense in the world. Then again, I expected him to try and strike with Koscheck in their first encounter and try and take him down in their second. I have no idea what I expected him to do against Penn in their second fight, but I do know that I didn’t believe he’d have as easy a time doing it as he did.

In other words, don’t be shocked if “Rush” tries to take Shields down and ground and pound him into oblivion. Easier said than done? Absolutely. But remember- St. Pierre is very confident in all of his skills and likes to surprise opponents by doing the complete opposite of what they expect. It may also be important to note that “Rush” did some significant training with Roger Gracie leading up to this fight (article on St. Pierre training with Gracie). Sure that could have been just to work on his submission defense, readying to take on a wizard in that arena. But then again…..

Looking forward to seeing St. Pierre’s game plan against Shields at UFC 129. Will he try and surprise his opponent? If he does, will it work again, as it has on so many other occasions? It sure will be interesting, of that much we can be sure.

5. Gilbert Melendez vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri at Strikeforce: “Diaz vs. Daley”.

Much like Bellator’s Eddie Alvarez, I consider Gilbert Melendez one of the most under-rated Lightweights on the planet. Melendez is a very worthy Strikeforce champion, and I think he’s going to hold his belt for some time. For those of you who may not know, “Crusher” Kawajiri loves to knock people out and will be a very worthy test for “El Nino”. This has all the makings of a fantastic brawl.

4. Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick at UFC 129: “St. Pierre vs. Shields”.

Speaking of fantastic brawls… seeing Jose Aldo debut in the UFC is going to be amazing. Aldo was arguably the WEC’s brightest star and biggest asset before it was merged with the UFC. Aldo simply ran through everybody, he dominated and demolished every single fighter in his path and even made it look easy on many occasions. Aldo is one of the best and most dynamic strikers in the business, and now UFC fans finally get to see first-hand what all the fuss is about.

3. Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida UFC 129: “St. Pierre vs. Shields”.

If I could pick one fight from all the fights on this list and have it end with neither man losing, it would be this one. I just don’t want to think about what another loss will do to these two: if Couture gets TKO’d or KO’d he may hang it up again, if Machida loses again he may be cut from the UFC. This should be an excellent match, but I think the end will be tough for me to sit through. This is a fight that puts one of the greatest of all time and one of my favorite fighters (Couture) against another favorite of mine, someone I’ve continued to proudly support throughout all his ups and downs (Machida). It’ll be a great fight no matter who wins.

2. Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley at Strikeforce: “Diaz vs. Daley”.

Who is Paul Daley? He’s the man that exited the UFC on the heels of an embarrassing loss to Josh Koscheck and received a permanent exile for attacking Koscheck after the fight. He’s the man that continually has problems with his weight. But he’s also the most dangerous striker Nick Diaz has ever faced. Despite all his flaws, there is no coming back from a Paul Daley punch: if he hits you good, you’re as good as done. In one way, Diaz has the ability to mop the floor with Daley. But in another way, this is one of the biggest challenges Diaz will ever face. And there’s only one way to see which way this fight goes.

And my number-one most-anticipated fight of April 2011 is…

1. Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields UFC 129: “St. Pierre vs. Shields”.

If you thought GSP got a big reaction in Canada before, picture what the crowd will be like when they number over 55,000. In Jake Shields, GSP faces a very different threat than any of the fighters he’s faced in a long, long, long time: not only does Shields have good standup, not only does he have impressive takedown ability, he’s also a wizard on the ground. GSP is just too good at everything, though. Or is he? Anything is possible in MMA, especially when you’re talking about a multiple promotion, multiple weight class champion like Jake Shields. I have no doubt that this will go down as one of the biggest fights of the year.

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

April 9, 2011 – “Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley”: Nick Diaz looks to become the most dominant champion in Strikeforce history by defending his Welterweight Championship for a third time. Standing in his way is iron-fisted power-puncher Paul Daley. Also on the card, Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez defends his championship against international star Tatsuya Kawajiri.

April 9, 2011 – “Bellator 40”: Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren fights grizzled veteran and former champion Nick Thompson in a non-title bout. Also in action is another tough veteran, as Jay Hieron fights for his shot in the finals of the Bellator Welterweight Tournament against Brent Weedman. And Michael Chandler fights Lloyd Woodard to determine one of the finalists for Bellator’s current Lightweight Tournament.

April 16, 2011 – “Bellator 41”: Both the Bellator Bantamweight and Featherweight Champions will be in action, although in non-title bouts. 125-pound champ Zach Makovsky fights Chad Robichaux while Joe Warren fights Marcos Galvao. Also, both the Featherweight semi-final match-ups are scheduled for Bellator 41, with Daniel Straus taking on Kenny Foster and Wilson Reis fighting Patricio Freire.

April 23, 2011 – “Bellator 42”: The Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Semi-Final round is scheduled for Bellator 42. Richard Hale will be taking on DJ Linderman while Tim Carpenter faces Christian M’Pumbu.

April 30, 2011 – “UFC 129: St. Pierre vs. Shields”: In front of over 55,000 fans in Toronto’s Rogers Centre, UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre will defend the title against multiple-promotion champion Jake Shields. Also, Featherweight engine of destruction Jose Aldo makes the first defense of his newly-minted UFC Featherweight Championship against Mark Hominick. And to top it all off, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida will face legendary UFC Hall of Fame member Randy Couture.

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

I’m really looking forward to “Diaz vs. Daley”, it has the potential to be perhaps the best event Strikeforce has given us in 2011 so far. I think the main event will be an excellent fight, and I think Diaz will be willing to stand and trade with Paul Daley just to prove that he can.

The month of April will be a good time to be a Bellator fan, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the Bellator champions compete, even in non-title bouts. The semi-final match-ups of Bellator’s various tournaments all have serious potential, and as a whole, I think April 2011 will be a very good month for the upstart promotion.

I can’t even begin to imagine how utterly insane UFC 129 will be. GSP/Shields, Couture/Machida, and Aldo/Hominick could have all been the main event of a Pay-Per-View on their own, but the UFC saw fit to cram those three mega-matches inside the sold-out Rogers Centre. I truly believe this will be a massive turning point for the UFC, it may even go down as the most important UFC event since UFC 100. I absolutely cannot wait for this event.

And what about you, fans and friends? What MMA events are you looking forward to in April 2011?

Before I begin, I’d like to point out that I’d like to see all five of these matches no matter when they happen and no matter who holds what championship in whichever division. Also, this list doesn’t take into account the army of dominoes that would have to fall into place for many of these fights to occur. In a perfect world where there are no such things as contract disputes and everyone can fight everyone else at their best, these are the five fights I want to see the most.

5. Anthony Pettis vs. Gilbert Melendez

I think of this match and I can’t help but smile. I also can’t even begin to imagine the potential insanity both men could unleash in the cage against each other. Gilbert Melendez is Strikeforce’s best Lightweight by far, while Anthony Pettis has fully and finally reached top-division status after an amazing five-round war with Ben Henderson. This fight would probably set the standard for years to come.

4. Quinton Jackson vs. Muhammed Lawal

It’s two of the best characters in MMA fighting each other… what’s not to love? Also, let’s not forget that both “Rampage” and “King Mo” love to bang and would probably spend every single second of this fight trying to knock each other’s heads off. Plus, I can’t even imagine how awesome the pre-fight trash talk will be between these two. Nothing about this fight or its build-up would be pretty, but entertaining? This fight has that in spades.

3. Nick Diaz vs. Georges St. Pierre

Although I don’t have a problem with taking a firm and even controversial stance on important issues, I’m not so rigid in my opinions that a fighter has no chance of winning me over. To this day, Nick Diaz stands out as the clearest example of that rule: I once utterly loathed him, but thanks in no small part to his many brilliant performances, I now consider myself a fan. I’ll go even one step further: he’s one of my favorite fighters, and currently one of the best Welterweights in the business. I’d love to see him fight GSP, who is already regarded as one of the best ever. Both men have a shot at winning this match, and I think Nick Diaz is one of the last, great challengers for GSP at 170.

2. Alistair Overeem vs. Brock Lesnar

This is the kind of fight where you wouldn’t be surprised if the ground shook the first time these two colossal titans locked horns. And that’s really the best way to describe these two hulking behemoths: they have a physique right out of Roman legends. And let’s not forget that these are two of the top Heavyweights in the business. Despite constant abuse from his cynics, Brock Lesnar is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and one of the highest-drawing UFC stars of all time. Despite constant accusations of chemical enhancement, Alistair Overeem is a K-1 World Grand Prix Champion, the Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, and the DREAM Interim Heavyweight Champion. This would be an awesome match no matter where both men are at in their careers when it does finally get around to happening.

And my number-one pick should come as a shock to virtually no one that’s followed me and my musings for any prolonged period of time.

1. Randy Couture vs. Fedor Emelianenko

When you talk about a “legacy fight”, this is what you’re talking about. Neither man has anything left to prove, both men will go down as one of the best in the history of the sport. However, I can and will admit that this fight doesn’t have the appeal it did back when Fedor was undefeated and Randy Couture was the UFC Heavyweight Champion. But none of that would matter if these two ever stepped into the Octagon against each other. I can’t think of a better way to end an era, as I think this fight would virtually close the book on Fedor’s and Randy’s careers. This fight still has an incredible amount of appeal, and it’s still easily the number-one “Strikeforce vs. UFC” fight I absolutely want to see.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. What about you? What fantasy fights do you hope one day to see?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In advance of a week that will be filled with serious MMA news concerning UFC 128 in the New York City area, here is a little MMA humor to get started, courtesy of former Welterweight Champion, Matt Serra. In a recent discussion with Fighters.com Radio, Serra was asked about his current weight.  In response, he veered off into comparing his waistline with his UFC boss Dana White’s figure and fellow fighters, Georges St. Pierre and Martin Kampmann‘s abdominal structure.  He also commented on how he would modify the very popular and successful MMA weight loss program, “The Dolce Diet.”

Serra also hints about his time-table for his next fight.

Fun stuff with Mr. Serra.  Click through to listen. (Beware of NC 17 language!)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Courtesy of MMA Weekly, the UFC recently made official two bouts that many were already expecting to be added to this card. First up is a major Featherweight showdown between UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo and fantastic striker Mark Hominick, with Aldo’s championship on the line. The fight will take co-main event duties behind Georges St. Pierre and his UFC Welterweight Championship defense against high-profile Strikeforce defector and former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields.

The other confirmed bout is a battle between a legend and a legend-in-the-making, as it’s now been confirmed that Lyoto Machida will face Randy Couture. Machida is coming off of a somewhat-controversial loss to Quinton Jackson, and needs a win badly or else he’ll be on a three-fight losing-streak. It was widely rumored that Randy Couture was unofficially retired, but the UFC appears to have made him a fight and given him an opponent he simply couldn’t refuse. Both men are former UFC champions.

With the addition of these two bouts, the UFC 129 card is now complete, pending any unforeseen injuries that necessitate changes. So long as everyone remains healthy, the official fight card is as follows: Georges St-Pierre (c) vs. Jake Shields for the UFC Welterweight Championship, José Aldo (c) vs Mark Hominick for the UFC Featherweight Championship, Matt Hamill vs.  Phil Davis, Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida, Mark Bocek vs. Ben Henderson, Rory MacDonald vs.  Nate Diaz, Sean Pierson vs.  Brian Foster, Yves Jabouin vs.  Pablo Garza, Claude Patrick vs.  Daniel Roberts, Ivan Menjivar vs.  Charlie Valencia, Jason MacDonald vs. Ryan Jensen, and John Makdessi vs. Kyle Watson.

At least on paper, this looks to be the best card of the year. It simply doesn’t get much better than this. The UFC is bringing everything to the table for this show, it’s a pivotal moment and the UFC fully knows this. I can’t wait to see GSP defend his belt against Jake Shields, even though I think St. Pierre will once again put on a flawless performance, I know Jake Shields will make it a fight. We’re certainly in for a great battle no matter where this fight goes.

Then you have Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick, which should be a fantastic clash of high-level strikers that should fully and triumphantly introduce Jose Aldo to UFC fans and help mold him into the superstar every former WEC fan knows he could one day become. And to top it all off, you’ve even got Randy Couture taking on Lyoto Machida in a fight that should be awesome even though I’d hate to see either man lose, since I’m a big Couture fan as well as a huge Machida fan. Finally, we’ve even got entertaining stars like Ben Henderson, Nate Diaz, and more. UFC 129 should be an excellent event, and set the standard for the year.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you make of this finalized UFC 129 card?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He’s an avid marijuana user, and makes no effort to mask any of that from the public. Along with his THC use, he’s also very skilled with nun-chucks, which is found evident through many Youtube videos that can be discovered online.

And while he is brash, and is prolific with his use of the “F” word in almost everyday casual conversation, one thing is also certain: Nick Diaz believes he is one of the best fighters on the planet, and guys like Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck are not on his level.

Although Diaz is now getting some of the recognition he rightfully deserves, it doesn’t change the fact that in the UFC he was also a world beater, and since guys like Georges St. Pierre have risen to dominance they have stole some of his spotlight.

“I think I got here and started fighting before most of them, including Georges St-Pierre in the UFC”, commented Nick during a recent conference call in order to promote his upcoming title fight in Strikeforce where he defends his 170-pound strap against Evangelista Santos on January 22.

“I was really mad because they were getting fights and recognition when I was here first. I thought it was first come, first serve. I was working harder and I was here first.

But what get’s the Cesar Bracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt most riled up is seeing the aforementioned GSP and additionally Josh Koscheck receive universal praise as one of the best fighters in the welterweight division.

“Josh Koscheck, I cornered a guy to fight Josh Koscheck, he probably had two fights in his life, and this fight he was set up to fight Josh Koscheck”, began 27-year-old.

“They made easy fights for those guys. This guy’s got like six or seven fights, all easy guys. I never fought anybody like that guy that’s fought against Josh Koscheck.

“We’ve got some guy who doesn’t even fight, he drinks at a bar, and we took him to fight Josh Koscheck one day. He didn’t even know who he was fighting. I’ve never had fights like that. So when you bring up guys like that to me and tell me they’re the best fighters in the world, it’s a (expletive) joke.”

“Straight up, people think this guy’s better than me and it’s (expletive),” said Nick next taking aim at St. Pierre who recently fought Josh to a decision win at UFC 124 last December.

“He just fought Josh Koscheck for (expletive) five rounds, I just told you about Josh Koscheck. Why are you saying he’s the best? What is that (expletive)? Because we fight for different companies?”

And while Nick has all the confidence in the world that his best friend and training partner, Jake Shields, will defeat the Canadian in their welterweight clash at UFC 129 this April, he still would like the opportunity to go out there and prove that he stands above most of the rest.

“Right now, what do you want? You guys rank that guy above me. I want to fight GSP, but I think my partner (Jake Shields) will take him out regardless,” said the Stockton native.

“It’s a joke to me. This guy may be a good fighter now, but these guys that are ranked up there, I was here first and that’s fine. Let’s fight then and make it happen.”

Thanks to MMAWeekly.com for the transcribe.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of Nick’s rant? It’s kind of odd that during a conference call devoted to Strikeforce and your upcoming title fight against Muay Thai wrecking machine Evangelista Santos, that Diaz would invest time and energy in debating MMA politics–but the guy runs marathons, he’s got all the energy in the world. Sound off in the comment section below.

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

Click through to see the interview.

For those of you who don’t remember or may not have seen UFC 125, Kim’s first words following his Unanimous Decision victory over Diaz was “My name is Stun Gun and I want GSP”. And in a new interview first seen on MMA Junkie, “Stun Gun” shared the following sentiments: “I can take [St-Pierre] down… GSP takes other fighters down and ground and pounds. I want to do that to GSP… This is it for me. I’m trying to become better every fight. It’s tough to fight fighters from the UFC because everybody is so good. I’m just trying to become better.”

I hate to come down so harshly on a UFC performer, but “Stun Gun” showed me nothing in the Diaz fight that would lead me to believe that he holds a candle to GSP. Diaz consistently got the better of Kim when the two stood up, leaving Kim with basically no other option than to take Diaz down. And both Diaz brothers, especially Nate, have always suffered from poor takedown defense. They basically let themselves get taken down because they’re so confident in their ground game, since they train with Cesar Gracie. And on the ground, Diaz was constantly hunting for submissions. Kim did little more than hold Diaz in place and fend off submission attempts.

As an MMA fan first and foremost, I was outright unimpressed with Kim’s performance at UFC 125. His stand-up isn’t anything to write home about, and he looked downright afraid to stand with a striker the caliber of Nate Diaz. His inactive, holding-in-position ground game also helped turn the fight into an almost-boring encounter. This was a tough loss for Nate Diaz, of that there can be no doubt. But Kim is blowing the win out of proportion.

“Stun Gun” barely squeaked by Nate Diaz, and GSP is miles above both Diaz and basically all the other 170-pounders in the UFC’s Welterweight division. GSP is perhaps the most complete MMA fighter of all time, and Kim simply doesn’t have any of the tools necessary to beat him. He’s got dominant takedown ability, but it pales in comparison to GSP’s. He’s got a decent striking game, but GSP can jab you for five rounds and still leave your face a badly-bruised, broken mess. Kim is simply digging his own grave if he continues to call out GSP.

But what about you, fans and friends? What’s your opinion on “Stun Gun”? And do you think he would be a worthy challenger to GSP?

MMA Weekly reports that Kevin Iole of Yahoo!! Sports has confirmed with UFC President Dana White that a fight between GSP and Shields for the UFC Welterweight Championship is being scheduled for April 30 and will headline UFC 129. Confirming several weeks of speculation, the bout would take center stage when the UFC debuts in Toronto in the massive Rogers Centre, or as it was once known, the Toronto SkyDome. Canada remains one of the UFC’s strongest international markets, and Georges St. Pierre remains one of the UFC’s top-drawing stars, especially in his native Canada.

I’m very glad that we will indeed be getting this fight, but I hesitate to say that this will be the key in selling out the Toronto Centre. I think it’s going to be a huge part of the puzzle, but I also think that the venue is so big that a one-fight event (in regards to big/major value fights) just isn’t good enough to put what could be over 60,000 fans into seats… even if that fight features GSP, who is arguably the biggest Canadian icon since Wayne Gretzky, fighting in Canada. The good thing about this, though, is that the UFC 129 card is already shaping up to be a can’t-miss event featuring some of the UFC’s best talent in several intriguing match-ups. So make no mistake, I do think the Rogers Centre will sell out.

In regards to the fight itself, I hate to come down so harshly on Jake Shields because I’ve been a fan of the man for quite some time… but I really don’t have much of a choice. As I said, I like Jake Shields. I think he’s got an incredible amount of heart, great cardio, and a very impressive ground game. His stand-up really isn’t anything to write home about, but when he can basically take you down and keep you down almost whenever he wants, passable stand-up is perfectly fine. That is, of course, until he fights someone the caliber of Georges St. Pierre.

I really don’t see how anyone can still say anything negative about Georges St. Pierre. People thought Jon Fitch would outwrestle him, so he outwrestled Jon Fitch. People swore up and down that it would take only one good counter-hit as he dived in for a takedown for Thiago Alves and Dan Hardy to knock GSP out, and then GSP took them both down countless times throughout two five-round bouts and not once seemed to be in any sort of danger. Then people criticized him for being afraid to strike… so he spent five rounds on his feet, jabbing Josh Koscheck’s eye closed and breaking his orbital bone in the process.

From the tip of his head to the bottom of his feet, Georges St. Pierre is easily one of the most complete fighters in the history of MMA. He does it all, he does it flawlessly, and no one has been able to find a way to beat him in over three years. In fact, it’ll officially be over four years since GSP’s last loss by the time GSP steps into the Octagon against Shields. I don’t know how GSP will beat Jake Shields, I think he’ll surprise me like he always does. But I believe fully and wholeheartedly that, once again, GSP will beat the living daylights out of a high-level opponent and make it look easy. And remember, that’s coming from a Jake Shields fan.

And what about you, fans and friends? Do you see Shields being the one to finally beat GSP?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And #1 on the list goes to…

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

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

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

5. Mauricio Rua/Rashad Evans vs. Jon Jones

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

4. Nick Diaz vs. Jason Miller

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

3. Jon Fitch vs. Georges St. Pierre 2

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

2. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Fabricio Werdum 2

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

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

1. Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre

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

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

Here are some very interesting quotes, straight from Story himself, courtesy of the one and only Sherdog: “I know that somebody like Thiago Alves, beating him, it would make people realize, ‘This guy is for real.’ I just want everybody to know that I am for real and I’m not going to stop… For one, he’s a standup striker. And two, he’s great at takedown defense… I just think that it would be great. It would be a great fight and it’d be fun to stand and trade with him.”

While some may say that Story will be out of his league if he fights Alves, I have to agree with Story that the fight would probably be very entertaining to watch. Regardless of where he’s at in the rankings, I think Story has earned a shot at the main stage. He’s won five straight in the UFC, that simply doesn’t happen unless you’re a very good fighter. So what if Alves may mop the floor with Story if “The Pitbull” shows up at his best, like he did in his recent UFC 124 performance where he heinously assaulted John Howard? Story’s earned the right to try and prove everyone wrong.

Plus, this fight would be a good fight for Thiago Alves too. As I said in a recent article, I’m very hesitant to buy into all this “Alves is back” hype. A very short while ago, Alves was struggling to make weight and looking downright horrible in his fights with Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch. I won’t hold those bad performances and those weight difficulties over his head forever, but I also won’t believe that “The Pitbull” of old is back after only one performance. However, if Alves beat someone like Rick Story, I may just end up buying into the belief that Thiago Alves has returned to his days of outright wrecking opponents.

In the end, this is a fight I’d love to see and I think the outcome of it will be determined by what Thiago Alves shows up. If it’s the one that beat down John Howard with cringe-inducing, shotgun-sounding leg kicks, then on paper, Alves should decimate Story. But if Alves shows up at anything less than his best, or especially as the Alves that lost to GSP or Jon Fitch, I think Rick Story could turn in an incredible performance and jump right into the shark tank by beating “The Pitbull”.

And what about you, fans and friends? If this fight happens, who do you think would win?

Here are the highlights from an interview Alves recently had with MMA Weekly: “…I want to be back by the beginning of April. My next fight I want it to be in UFC Rio on August 27 so if they schedule that, I’ll (fight) beginning of April and then August 27… I just want to fight whoever’s going to bring me closer to the belt again. It doesn’t matter who it is… I want to be the welterweight champion. Whoever’s going to bring me closer, I’m ready for it… Welterweight division, watch out, I’m back.”

Now, I have no problem admitting that Thiago Alves did put on a classic performance against John Howard at “St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2”. He came in on weight, in top shape, fought like a monster, and decimated his opponent. So while I do think I’m raining on Thiago’s parade (not without reason, of course), I don’t want to take anything away from the fact that Alves took a giant leap down the comeback trail when he beat John Howard. But one good fight does not a triumphant return make.

If Thiago Alves wants me to start taking him seriously again as a major threat in the UFC’s Welterweight division, he needs to continue to do what he did to John Howard, he needs to permanently bring back the Thiago Alves that reacted to his opponent’s gameplan with utter disdain and then pounded their face in or reduced their legs to jelly. If that Thiago Alves is brought back and brought back consistently, I’ll be the first one to hop the next trampoline and jump back onto the Thiago Alves bandwagon.

But it’s going to take more than one good performance for me to forget how utterly out of his league Alves looked against Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch. In particular, the memories of Alves looking like a shell of his former himself against Fitch will remain in my head for quite some time until I’m convinced to sweep them under the rug. But the potential certainly is there. Thiago Alves stands to have an amazing 2011 if he lives up to all of his promises. But anything is possible in MMA. I know most fans, including myself, use that term when talking about seemingly-unbeatable champions. But make no mistake, the reverse is also true. Thiago Alves could be back and better than ever in 2011… but he could also take a wrong step on the comeback trail and end up falling down a chasm.

And what do you think, fans and friends? Like me, are you hesitant to fully believe Alves’ promise that he’s “back”? Or do you think that his admittedly great performance at UFC 124 is enough to justify what he said in this recent interview?

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

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

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

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

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

5. Paulo Thiago

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

4. Chris Lytle

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

3. Thiago Alves

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

2. BJ Penn

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

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

1. Matt Hughes

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

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

GSP dictated the pace at UFC 124 during his successful title defense against the American Kickboxing Academy product with a stiff jab that did a lot of damage, and eventually helped aid “Rush” to clean sweep the welterweight clash, 50-45 across the board.

Now after having snapped his three-fight winning streak inside the cage, Koscheck will have to overcome a stinging second loss to GSP, and a broken orbital bone to boot.

Early in the first round, Koscheck was already visibly worse for the wear, due to the jab. And over the course of five rounds, GSP’s jab landed time and time again, and as a result you get what you see above in the captioned picture.

Though both men picked up “Fight of the Night” honors, it’s Josh will have to sit on the sidelines for a 60-day suspension handed down by the Quebec State Athletic Commission in Canada. Here are the rest of the medical suspensions, thanks to MMAJunkie.com for the find.

The full list of suspensions includes:

* Josh Koscheck: 60 days
* Joe Stevenson: 60 days

* Dan Miller: 45 days
* Joe Doerksen: 45 days
* Sean Pierson: 45 days

* Sean McCorkle: 30 days
* John Howard: 30 days
* Rafael Natal: 30 days
* Matt Riddle: 30 days
* T.J. Grant : 30 days
* Pat Audinwood: 30 days

* Georges St. Pierre: 28 days

* Thiago Alves: 21 days
* Jesse Bongfeldt: 21 days

* Ricardo Almeida:14 days
* John Makdessi: 14 days

* Stefan Struve: 7 days
* Jim Miller: 7 days
* Charles Oliveira: 7 days
* Mac Danzig: 7 days
* Dustin Hazelett: 7 days
* Mark Bocek: 7 days

The one and only ESPN reports that Koscheck suffered a broken orbital bone during the five-round thrashing he received at the hands of GSP, and that the American Kickboxing Academy top star will soon require surgery. Head trainer Bob Cook had this to say regarding the situation: “We’re going to have a much better sense of the injury when we get to the States… Hopefully he can have the surgery there and head home as soon as possible.”

We then head to Sherdog and a recent video posted on the site that features Greg Jackson, the leader, founder, and head trainer of the “Jackson’s Submission Fighting” camp and  the driving force behind Georges St. Pierre. With text transcriptions courtesy of MMA Mania, here’s what the prominent MMA guru had to say regarding his star pupil’s performance: “He tried really hard to knock him out but Koscheck is really tough… These guys are not some bums. These guys are fantastic, phenomenal fighters… We’re trying to finish them. It’s just kind of hard when they’re incredibly tough.”

For those unfamiliar with the situation, here’s a brief summary: despite his numerous amazing performances and dominating victories, there remains a small but vocal contingent of fans that decries Georges St. Pierre for not finishing his opponents. This minority contends that St. Pierre has been playing it safe ever since famously losing by TKO to Matt Serra all the way back in 2007, and that he uses his wrestling to grind out decisions and only strikes when he knows he’s facing someone who isn’t as good of a striker as he is.

If I may be so bold, and you know I just have to be… those fans are idiots. I may have picked Koscheck to win at UFC 124, but I’ve never bought into this mentality that GSP is running scared and playing it safe. And it’s not like he’s purposely avoiding trying to finish fights! GSP has a tremendous killer instinct, he’s just faced some of the best competition the UFC has to offer.

I agree with what Greg Jackson says: the toughness of his opponents, not any lack of killer instinct on the part of GSP, is the reason why GSP has been fighting to a decision so often nowadays. Josh Koscheck was basically fighting with one eye and still wouldn’t go down. Dan Hardy nearly had his arm ripped off and wouldn’t tap out. Jon Fitch had his face reduced to a barely-recognizable mess and still somehow found a way to survive. GSP’s opponents should rightfully be commended for their ability to survive GSP’s numerous onslaughts. But I just don’t get why some people think that GSP’s utter dominations just aren’t complete without a finish.

Now, of course I’d love to see GSP finish each and every single one of his fights. But he’s giving us the next best thing, and people are still complaining! He destroys opponents; he makes excellent fighters look like rookies when they fight him. I honestly think people are decrying GSP for not finishing fights because it’s the only thing they can still remotely hold against him. But that’s all this is: it’s one little flaw in an avalanche of greatness. It’s one tiny crack in an otherwise impenetrable wall. So stop complaining and give the man the respect he deserves.

And what about you, fans and friends? What’s your opinion on the subject?

MMA Weekly brings word that GSP/Koscheck 3 will almost definitely never see the light of day. The report states that, while initially never wanting to fight Koscheck again if he beat him at UFC 124, current UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre recently said that he would consider a third fight with Koscheck sometime in the future due to Koscheck’s toughness and his (GSP’s)  own inability to finish the fight. However, UFC President Dana White strongly disagreed and basically closed the book on a third encounter. In fact, White had this to say: “…Koscheck [is] in a real bad position in the welterweight division unless somebody else beats Georges St-Pierre… George said it to him at the (pre-fight) press conference, and he was right. He would have had to beat him tonight to ever have a chance [at a third fight].”

Most of the time I half-agree and half-disagree with what Dana White says. It just comes with the territory, considering how White loves to shout his opinion from the rooftops and how he feels that a controversial subject just isn’t complete without his opinion. However, this is one of the rare times where I wholeheartedly agree with Dana White. Even as a big Josh Koscheck fan and supporter, I don’t think we’ll ever see Koscheck/St. Pierre 3, and for good reason.

Josh Koscheck had three years to prepare for another encounter with GSP. In those three years he improved in all facets of his game, in some cases he improved by leaps and bounds. Koscheck’s biggest strength, his wrestling, continued to improve. Koscheck began developing his hands to the point where he actually started having KO power. Koscheck’s stamina and cardio carried him through several tough three-round wars, his heart and determination gave him another shot at the title. In the end, there was only one thing that kept Josh Koscheck from becoming the new UFC Welterweight Champion: the fact that Georges St. Pierre also had three years to grow as a Mixed Martial Artist.

What a different world it would be if Georges St. Pierre never existed. But he does, and at UFC 124, he proved that he’s one of the best that’s ever been inside the Octagon. I honestly don’t think anything would change if these two met for a third time. GSP would obviously not employ the same strategy, his first fight with Koscheck in comparison to his second fight with Koscheck proves that. But it would be the same basic principle: GSP would control the fight in every facet, and end up dominating Koscheck. And as a Josh Koscheck fan, that’s not something I want to see happen for a third time.

But what about you, fans and friends? Will we ever see GSP/Koscheck 3? And if not, what’s left for Josh Koscheck to do in the UFC’s Welterweight division?

According to MMA Weekly, UFC 124, emanating from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, now holds the record for the largest audience in North American history: 23,152 fans filled the arena to the brim. The gate receipt, while massive, did fail to break the current record. The live gate ended up being around 4.6 million dollars.

And according to a new report coming from MMA Junkie, two huge fights may make Montreal’s gate receipts and attendance figures pale in comparison to the UFC’s debut show in Toronto. UFC 131, which is currently scheduled to take place in the 69,000-seat Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on April 31, could see Georges St. Pierre defend his championship against current top contender Jake Shields. GSP has already expressed interested in fighting in April, UFC President Dana White was noncommittal about the fight. However, the article also states that Cain Velasquez could also end up defending his newly-won UFC Heavyweight Championship against current top contender Junior dos Santos at UFC 131, but once again, White would only give a tentative “maybe” regarding the bout.

I would love to see both fights happen, and to be honest, I think it’s highly likely that Georges St. Pierre will be good to go by April. If GSP takes a month off to heal, that would still basically give him three whole months (considering the exact date of the card) to prepare for Jake Shields. And that’s even assuming that GSP takes any time off to begin with: with absolutely no disrespect meant to Josh Koscheck, GSP came out of his UFC 124 fight with barely a scratch on him.

I’d also love to see Cain Velasquez take on Junior dos Santos, I think that’s an epic match in the making and I’d watch it no matter where it takes place. Both men have basically been engines of destruction from the moment they stepped into the Octagon; this fight could end up being one of the best in recent history, and even one of the best UFC Heavyweight fights of all time. I’ve got that much faith and respect for both men: they’re both incredible athletes with amazing win-streaks.

All in all, I think Montreal’s new record will be positively shattered by Toronto’s if the UFC can bring these two huge fights together for UFC 131. And despite Dana White only giving us a few glimmers of hope, I think the UFC knows exactly what they’re doing and will milk Canada for all it’s worth. I have a very strong feeling that, before all is through, we will indeed be getting Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos and Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields at UFC 131. It’s going to be an amazing, amazing card.

And what about you, fans and friends? Do you think the UFC will bring these two bouts to Toronto, or like Dana, do you think it’s too soon to say?

Based on the fan vote, Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck received “Fight of the Night”. Both men ended up taking an extra $100,000 home with them, thanks in no small part to their rampant popularity, or in Josh Koscheck’s case, “infamy” would probably be a more appropriate term. For his highlight-reel KO over Joe Stevenson, Mac Danzig earned “Knockout of the Night” and an additional $100,000 as well. The $100,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus was split into two $50,000 chunks and given to both Jim Miller and Mark Bocek. Bocek caught Dustin Hazelett in a wicked Triangle Choke while Miller snatched up a leg and ultimately tapped out the highly-regarded Charles Oliveira.

According to UFC President Dana White, fans were allowed to select “Fight of the Night” for one night and one night only. Here’s what the always-controversial UFC head honcho had to say over at MMA Weekly: “[The fans are] always chirping about how we messed it up, and here we are… They blew their chance. That’s it… [Sean Pierson vs. Matt Riddle] was the ‘Fight of the Night’ in my book.”

I have to admit, fans and friends, I too was baffled by the decision to give the main event “Fight of the Night”. GSP certainly gave the best performance of the night, but to have a one-sided five-round domination be awarded “Fight of the Night” when Pierson and Riddle fought their hearts out and gave us an awesome three-round war? It doesn’t make sense, at all, and I think Dana White is perfectly right to abandon the fan vote.

I hate to come down so harshly on the viewing public, but I think the whole vote was nothing more than a popularity contest. Considering the winners, how can you really say anything different? With absolutely no disrespect meant to Georges St. Pierre, his fight was not the most entertaining on the card. It was a brilliant performance and a one-sided beatdown, but one-sided beatdowns that last twenty-five minutes just don’t hold up in terms of overall fight quality and entertainment value when compared to a three-round war of attrition that saw constant action and several almost-finishes.

Other than that, though, I think everyone else got the right reward. Danzig’s KO of Stevenson will probably go on and stay on his highlight reel for the rest of his career. Jim Miller and Mark Bocek both pulled off crazy “blink and you’ll miss it” submissions that I really enjoyed. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for all three men, including Mac Danzig, who I never really followed or bought into in the past.

All in all, UFC 124 was a great event. But the fans dropped the ball in giving GSP and Koscheck “Fight of the Night”. Then again, that’s just my opinion. What about you, fans and friends? How do you feel about UFC 124’s post-fight awards/bonus winners?

Next for Thiago Alves: It’s going to take one more fight for everyone to stop hounding him about going to Middleweight. I think it’s great that he came in at weight and put on a classic performance, but this was simply the first step in a process. I still think Thiago Alves could make Middleweight with his eyes closed, so I’d like one more great performance before I can firmly call his new weight-cutting regiment a success. As it stands, though, I’m more than willing to admit that we may just have witnessed the start of an epic comeback.

Next for Jim Miller: With this big win, Miller has taken a firm, large step into title contention. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if the UFC made a fight between Jim Miller and George Sotiropoulos to determine the next man in line to challenge for the UFC Lightweight Championship after the winner of Frank Edgar vs. Gray Maynard and the winner of Ben Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis fight. If not Sotiropoulos, perhaps Kenny Florian. Either way, look for Miller’s next fight to be a high-profile one.

Next for Charles Oliveira: Charles made the classic mistake of being too overconfident in the area of the game he thought he was best at. As 2010 has proven in abundance, no one is unbeatable and your greatest strength could end up being your biggest weakness against the right opponent. I think this loss will be a great thing for Oliveira, it’s going to motivate him considerably and we’re going to see a much better Charles Oliveira the next time he steps into the Octagon. He may not be the next young gun to skyrocket to the top, but his future is still quite bright.

Next for Stefan Struve: Let’s see if the third time really is the charm: I think Struve is ready for another top-division UFC Heavyweight. Perhaps he could face the down-on-his-luck Cheick Kongo in a Heavyweight tilt that would either help re-establish Kongo’s relevance or prove that Struve can hang against the upper-division talent. Even if it’s not Kongo or a top-division fighter, look for the UFC to show a renewed focus on Struve, since it was a gamble putting him in the main event and he responded by putting on a great performance and pounding his opponent’s face in.

Next for Josh Koscheck: It’s tough to say, really. How does any fighter come back from that kind of outclassing? Some are never able to get over it, but others, BJ Penn for example, respond by KO’ing their opponent in under half a minute in their next fight. Despite what anyone else says, I honestly think it’s simply too soon to say whether or not Koscheck will rise from the ashes or whether this defeat will haunt him for the rest of his career.

Next for Georges St. Pierre: Jake Shields, of course. In Shields, GSP faces a great grappler and a decent striker. Shields is a force to be reckoned with on the ground, and he’s shown an uncanny ability to get someone to the ground and beat them on the ground no matter how good their takedown defense is or how good of a wrestler they are. However, based on the performance he gave last night, I just don’t see Jake Shields beating Georges St. Pierre. It’ll be another amazing performance turned in by one of the best Welterweights of all time, and after that I think GSP’s heavily-hyped move up to Middleweight will finally happen.

So those are my predictions, fans and friends. What about you? What do you think the future holds for the big winners and losers of UFC 124?

Georges St. Pierre defeats Josh Koscheck via Unanimous Decision to retain the UFC Welterweight Championship. Stefan Struve defeats Sean McCorkle via TKO (Strikes) at 3:55 of Round 1. Mac Danzig defeats Joe Stevenson via KO (Strikes) at 1:54 of Round 1. Thiago Alves defeats John Howard via Unanimous Decision. Jim Miller defeats Charles Oliveira via Submission (Kneebar) at 1:50 of Round 1. Dan Miller defeats Joe Doerksen via Split Decision. Mark Bocek defeats Dustin Hazelett via Submission (Triangle Choke) at 2:33 of Round 1. Sean Pierson defeats Matt Riddle via Unanimous Decision. John Makdessi defeats Pat Audinwood via Unanimous Decision. Jesse Bongfeldt and Rafael Natal Ends in a Majority Draw. Ricardo Almeida defeats T.J. Grant via Unanimous Decision.

From the very beginning, this fight was loaded with quality. Thiago Alves vs. John Howard was an excellent match, and proved once and for all that Thiago Alves is far from done as a premiere-level Welterweight. It seems as if Alves has finally put all the pieces back together after dealing with weight issues for his last several fights, as his performance against Howard mirrored his epic 2008 run that saw him dismantle Josh Koscheck, Karo Parisyan, and Matt Hughes. Not only did Alves ensure that his spot as a Welterweight is secure, he also gave his career the shot in the arm it so badly needed ever since losing to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100 back in July 2009.

I never bought into Mac Danzig’s hype, not for one second… but maybe I should have. I really can’t say anything negative about the man, he saw an opportunity, timed it picture-perfectly, and scored an amazing knockout. Danzig’s career was in need of a good shot in the arm even moreso than Thiago Alves’, and Danzig also managed to deliver. Not only did Danzig keep himself gainfully employed, he also put his career back on the upswing for the first time in what feels like forever.

I was really impressed by the performances of both Jim Miller and Stefan Struve, who both won after pulling off epic counter-moves. It was literally a pair of “blink and you’ll miss it” moments: one second it looks like Oliveira is going to lock something in, the next it’s “Do Bronx” that ends up tapping out. One second I think Struve’s chances are looking bad, the next he’s in mount and pounding McCorkle’s face into mush. I think Jim Miller took a huge step “into the mix” with this win, while I think Stefan Struve may have proven that he’s once again ready to test the waters as a top-division athlete.

In regards to Josh Koscheck being utterly dismantled… I guess it’s once again time to sit myself down and enjoy what seems to be my favorite dish: a nice big serving of humble pie. But you can hold the sour grapes: no excuses, no regrets, GSP was GSP and once again proved why he’s one of the best of all time. I suppose this is what I get for picking against Georges St. Pierre. Make no mistake, fans and friends… that’s definitely not happening again. So I hereby throw myself at the mercy of the GSP bandwagon and humbly request to be reinstated amongst its ranks. Because no one is beating Georges St. Pierre. Not for a long, long, long… long time.

So that’s it, fans and friends. UFC 124 is now a thing of the past. And what about you? How do you feel about the card?

Click through for the Fighters.com Radio interview with Duke Roufus.

5. Jon Fitch will move up to Middleweight.

Like before, I’m starting this list out with what I think will be the most likely thing to happen. And this one is practically guaranteed: both men have repeatedly refused to fight each other. In fact, Josh Koscheck recently said (only half-jokingly) that he would rather cut off one of his legs and move down to Lightweight rather than have to face his good friend and training partner Jon Fitch. With no title shots on the horizon so long as the belt hangs around Koscheck’s waist, look for Fitch to get one, maybe two more fights at 170 before making a permanent (at least until Koscheck loses the belt, that is) move to the land of 185.

4. GSP will do everything in his power to get another shot at the championship, including postponing a move to Middleweight.

You thought GSP fought like a man possessed when he was working his way back up to title contention after losing to Matt Hughes and Matt Serra? As the saying goes: you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. The GSP that will emerge if Josh Koscheck beats him will be downright scary. If Koscheck does end up taking the belt from GSP, look for GSP to hit the comeback trail hard and go on a string of epic victories. GSP will do everything in his power to wear the gold again, and that includes continuing to postpone a move to 185 despite the fact that Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre would break all kinds of attendance and gate receipts records.

3. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, will be lining up to take on Josh Koscheck.

Just try and imagine it. Everyone is going to want a piece of Josh Koscheck if he beats GSP. In the eyes of many, Koscheck beating GSP and becoming the UFC Welterweight Champion would be the equivalent of Lex Luthor being elected President of the United States. Expect Josh Koscheck to be inundated with challengers from every corner of the world, even from different promotions! There’s going to be an avalanche of challenges and a stampede of fighters looking to get into the Octagon with Josh Koscheck if he does end up wearing the gold.

2. Josh Koscheck will KO Jake Shields.

I hate to come out so harshly against Jake Shields, since I’m actually a fan of the man, but I just don’t see the former EliteXC and Strikeforce champion beating Josh Koscheck, just like I don’t see him beating Georges St. Pierre. Koscheck is simply too good of a wrestler to get taken down and kept down for any prolonged period of time by someone like Jake Shields, who is naturally a smaller fighter. Koscheck will make Shields pay for every takedown attempt, and eventually, he’ll clip Shields and finish him in a manner very similar to Dan Henderson’s almost-finish of Shields.

1. The UFC will scramble to find Koscheck worthy challengers.

Unless something controversial happens, GSP won’t be granted an immediate rematch. BJ Penn will most likely have been beaten by Jon Fitch, Fitch himself will have moved up to 185. And as I just said, Koscheck will more than likely KO Jake Shields. So who’s left? Carlos Condit? Thiago Alves? Dan Hardy? Paulo Thiago? Martin Kampmann maybe? It all depends on how they win, who they beat, and how marketable a match-up with Koscheck would be. Look for the UFC to spend the next few months figuring out where their welterweights stand if Koscheck is able to do the seemingly-unthinkable and beat GSP.

And so that’s it, fans and friends. We’ve reached the end of “Top Four Top Five”. And now it’s your turn: what do you think will happen in the near future if Josh Koscheck ends up defeating Georges St. Pierre?