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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Gospel on this one is Mike Swick by Decision.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Gospel is Maia by late third-round submission

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gospel: Frank Trigg by unanimous decision

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

This leads us to the much talked about main event.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fighters.com and UFC Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2) and fifth-ranked “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6) are set to battle for the top spot at UFC 111 in Newark March 27.  Predictions range far and wide, from Hardy has one foot in the grave to Hardy is the man to upset St. Pierre like “The Terror” Matt Serra (9-6) di at UFC 69 in Houston in 2007.

Fighters.com doesn’t worry about Hardy’s health, but think he’ll be easily handled by the champ.

An exciting rematch between second-ranked “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4) and third-ranked Jon Fitch (20-3) has also been rumored for UFC 111.  Fitch TKO’d Alves at UFC Fight Night 5 in 2006 and claims he gets a rematch versus St. Pierre if he stops Alves.

Fourth-ranked Paulo Thiago (8-1) and ninth-ranked “Quick” Mike Swick (14-3) of American Top Team will matchup at UFC 109 in Las Vegas Saturday.  Thiago is 1-1 versus ATT, knocking out seventh-ranked Josh Koscheck (14-4) and losing a decision to Fitch.

Koscheck will take on “Semtex” Paul Daley (20-9-2) at UFC 113 in Montreal May 8.

Eigth-ranked Matt Hughes (41-7) and and PRIDE veteran Renzo Gracie (13-6-1) will fight at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi April 10.

Tenth-ranked “Killa B” Ben Saunders (8-1-2) and “Hitman” Martin Kampmann (16-3) will matchup at UFC 111.

Sixth-ranked Jake Shields (24-4-1) has moved to middleweight as the champion in Strikeforce.

Fighters.com’s February Welterweight Top Ten

1. “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2)

2. “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4)

3. Jon Fitch (20-3)

4. Paulo Thiago (8-1)

5. “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6)

6. Jake Shields (24-4-1)

7. Josh Koscheck (14-4)

8. Matt Hughes (41-7)

9. “Quick” Mike Swick (14-3)

10. “Killa B” Ben Saunders (8-1-2)

Forrest is coming off a win against “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-7-1) at UFC 106 bringing his UFC record to 8-4.

Nogueira made his UFC debut the same night his current opponent was winning a split decision against Tito. Antonio fought seventh-ranked “Banha” Luiz Arthur Cane (8-2) stopping him via strikes in the first round.

Forrest has had his share of hard to handle losses in the UFC and is hell-bent on trying to get back the title he once held. Standing in his way is Antonio who is not only a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt but happens to be a good striker as well. Griffin has had problems with heavy handed strikers in the past.

This fight added to the card that already includes seventh-ranked welterweight Josh Koscheck versus Paul Daley and Fighters.com and UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida versus third-ranked Mauricio Rua makes UFC 113 the best card of the year to date.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You can join me on MMA Gospel Radio each Wednesday from 8-10 PM EST to discuss my articles here and listen to the best MMA interviews in the business. Join us at www.blogtalkradio.com.mmagospel where we have a live “Cageside Chat” room or call in and be a guest by dialing 347-857-1337.

If Hardy wants to win he has to be aggressive, unlike second-ranked “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4) was when he turned into a poodle in the Octagon versus St. Pierre at UFC 100 in Las Vegas last July.

Now, it’s likely…  No, let me correct myself.  St. Pierre is going to slam Hardy to the mat every time Hardy throws a combination.  But, St. Pierre is going to do that anyway.

So, my message to Hardy, if he’s reading, is this: Go ahead and let me know now whether you’re going to be satisfied with going five rounds on your back just so you can claim you went the distance.  That way I can save $44.95.

However, if you want to take the slim chance that you can connect on GSP and, if not finish him, at least reset the dynamics of the fight and give yourself an oppotunity for an upset, then you can have my $44.95.

On the undercard of UFC 111, newly tenth-ranked “Killa B” Ben Saunders (8-1-2) and “Hitman” Martin Kampmann (16-3) will matchup.

Saunders made the list this month and Hardy jumped from ninth to fifth after Hardy’s disqualification loss to “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-4) in 2007 expired from Hardy’s two-year record.  Yoshida will need to prove himself to return to the welterweight top ten.

Fighters.com’s January Welterweight Rankings

1. “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2)

2. “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4)

3. Jon Fitch (20-3)

4. Paulo Thiago (8-1)

5. “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6)

6. Jake Shields (24-4-1)

7. Josh Koscheck (14-4)

8. Matt Hughes (41-7)

9. “Quick” Mike Swick (14-3)

10. “Killa B” Ben Saunders (8-1-2)

The fight had been renegotiated as a 172-pound catchweight fight after Daley couldn’t make the 171-pound welterweight limit Friday.

Among hardcore American UFC fans, the fight was to be a second coming out for Hazelett, considered one of the best MMA submission grapplers in any division.  But, for Daley and his English fans, it was a coming out for the explosive kickboxer instead.

Hazelett utilized his four-inch height advantage with jabs and teep kicks to keep Daley outside early.  And, Hazelett launched a snapping high kick to keep Daley honest, though Daley blocked the brunt of the kick.

But, 15 seconds or so after the two minute mark of the co-main event, the jiu-jitsu blackbelt, Hazelett, and Muay Thai champion, Daley, stood toe-to-toe in an exchange that ended with a Daley looping left hook flooring Hazelett.  Daley pounced, but it was academic as Hazelett was finished after the big shot and the referee ended the fight.

The win for Daley is marred by his inability to make the 170-pound limit and therefore doesn’t count towards the division rankings, though he was awarded the $50,000 Knockout of the Night award denied to “Rumble” Anthony Johnson (8-3) after he missed weight then KO’d eighth-ranked welterweight “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-3) at UFC 104 in Los Angeles October 24.

Ironically, UFC President Dana White announced after the fight that sixth-ranked Josh Koscheck (14-4) is a likely next opponent for Daley.  Koscheck was Johnson’s follow-up to Johnson’s overweight KO performance and Koscheck tapped Johnson in a rear naked choke at UFC 106 in Las Vegas November 21.

Daley is without question an exciting kickboxer, but Fighters.com remains skeptical Daley will be able to compete at the top of the division due to his lack of basic grappling skills.  He’s been submitted five times, most recently in an armbar by second-ranked Jake Shields (24-4-1) at EliteXC Heat in October 2008.  Though the UFC’s emphasis on exciting stand-up fights has benefitted Daley in his two knockout wins, Daley will be put on his back eventually like “Assassin” Houston Alexander (9-5) before him.

The loss is particularly disappointing for Hazelett.  It was his second time stepping up in competition and again ended in Hazelett layed out on his back.  And, it’s the third consecutive disappointment to come out of the Cincinnati-based camp headed by Jorge Gurgel (13-6).

MMA Gospel Radio (MGR): We are excited to have you on the show. You are on of the biggest up and coming fighters right now. Everyone is talking about Dustin Hazelett. You earned your black belt under Jorge Gurgel, you have three submission of the night honors. People see you as a jiu jitsu guy. Tell me about your stand up game because I know you have been working on it.

Dustin Hazelett (DH): I have been working really hard on my stand up for a long time. I have been helped out a lot by my thai coach Dorian Price who is an excellent coach. Also he is built a lot like me so I can utilize alot of the same moves, tricks and tools that he uses. It has been a huge help. I have been looking forward to fighting since I have been working so hard on it for so long and putting so much hard work into it. I am looking forward to kind of showing it off.

MGR: We talked about your submission game. You are being touted as having one of the best submission games in MMA. How does it feel to be compared to guys like Demian Maia and Jacare?

DH: It is awesome to be compared to people like that because they are obviously so great at jiu jitsu and I really don’t think of myself like that so it is cool to see other people think of me like that.

MGR: I asked our previous guest Luke (Zachrich) a similar question, having earned your black belt under Jorge, I know it frustrates me, I know Jorge and it frustrates me watching him fight at times knowing he is going against his strong point. Is it frustrating for you as well?

DH: You mean to watch him stand there and brawl instead of using his jiu jitsu?

MGR: Exactly!

DH: (laugh) Yeah, it’s kind of frustrating but I have talked to him about it a couple times at length. He says he just has fun standing and MMA is one of those things that you can’t get into for the wrong reasons. You can’t get into it if you don’t love doing it. I am a firm believer in that and you should have fun doing it. If you have fun standing and brawling then I guess you should stand and brawl.

MGR: I guess so. Honestly, I scream at the TV when I watch Jorge fight sometimes.

DH: You and me both (laugh)

MGR: Getting back to you, you hold wins over Josh Burkman, Tamdan McCrory. Of those two who do you feel was the most difficult opponent for you?

DH: I would say Burkmann was the more difficult opponent for me. It is tough to say. I caught Tamdan off guard with that head kick and when we hit the ground I believe he was barely conscious so that made my job a lot easier catching the submission

MGR: I watched your fight with Josh Koscheck. I thought for sure you were going to take that fight, it looked like you got clipped on the back of ear. You were doing well with your distance in the fight, moving well. How important is it for you to get that fight again, I know it was a big fight for you.

DH: Obviously I would like a rematch with him but it is not one of my top priorities. I am looking no further than Paul Daley. That is my main priority and I am not looking past that right now

MGR: You mentioned Paul, he is your next opponent at UFC 108. Everyone knows Paul is a striker, the guy has heavy hands. They call him Semtex for a reason. I personally thought in his last fight with Martin (Kampmann) Martin made the mistake of not taking the fight to the ground. Can you scout Daley for us from what you have seen thus far?

DH: I think you pretty much summed it up. He is a great striker. I think his ground game is a weaker point.

MGR: I am looking forward to this fight but all the fans I talked to wanted you to fight Karo Paryisian in the jiu jitsu versus judo battle. Karo seemed to be disrespecting jiu jitsu a little bit. I know he has some personal issues but do you hold a grudge against him?

DH: No I don’t hold any grudges against him. Obviously the things he said about jiu jitsu and eating jiu jitsu guys for breakfast upset me but at the end of the day there are more important things than fighting and he has some of those to deal with. When I found out I was obviously very disappointed and shocked but I was not as upset as I thought I would be. It is fully because and believe in God’s plan. You never know when something like that is happening why it is happening but I believe that if you continue to have faith then good things will come out of it. Now I have this fight with Daley that is the co-main event so I think good things will come of it.

MGR: I have always been a fan Dustin and I guess I was screaming Dustin Hazelett before most knew who Dustin Hazelett was so I am looking forward to you getting to make your mark at UFC 108. My co -host Gary wanted to know what is more exhausting for you when training, striking or jiu jistu?

DH: I am starting to get more comfortable with my striking now so I am not getting as tired doing it now but in the past it had been the striking.

MGR: Let’s step away from fighting for a second. I know you used to be social networking sites like MySpace. It seems like you have dropped away from those. Is there a reason you have gotten away from them while so many fighters are using them to promote themselves these days?

DH: I am not a big fan of hyping up fights or anything like that. I am more of a shy person, not a people person. I have never been a people person, never been overly charismatic or good with large groups of people or anything. My whole life I have been the outcast, never talked to a lot of people and I kind of gotten used to that throughout the course of my life. Once I started getting a little famous everybody wanted to talk to me and it is very odd for me. I feel like all that stuff promoting the fights and stuff, all the smack talking I am firmly against. I feel your previous fights should hype up your next fight. If your last fights aren’t good enough to hype up the next fight then you should be put back on the  under card until you get more exciting fights. That is kind of where I stand on that. Basically all I do all day is train, play video games and read. That is about it.

MGR: One of the listeners in our live chat, Cageside Chat, wanted to know what kind of beard you would be rocking at UFC 108?

DH: I am not sure. I kind of wing it. I go by how I feel and right now I have the thick beard. I don’t strategically plan it out. MGR: So it is not part of your training camp to grow the beard out?

DH: No,actually a lot of times I end up having to trim it because it gets to long and starts getting caught and it is very unpleasant having pieces of your beard ripped out.

MGR: Not looking past Daley, where would you like to be in this sport in two years?

DH: The obvious answer to that would to be the champion, ultimately that is my goal. That is why I got in to this. If I did not believe I had what it took to be a champion then I probably wouldn’t be doing this because just fighting around and losing fights and never making it to the top doesn’t sound very appealing to me. I firmly believe I have the ability to become a champion someday so that is my goal.

MGR: My co-host Gary wanted to know, since you mentioned you like to read, what have you been reading recently?

DH: Recently I have been trying to read the bible cover to cover. I have always wanted to do it, I grew up in church and stuff and I am a christian. I have never actually read the bible cover to cover. I have read a lot of excerpts. Right now I am working on that and it is a massive undertaking. I still read other books on the side to take a break from it. Just today I was reading “As A Man Thinketh” I am really into psychology. I believe the stronger I can make my mind the better fighter I will be so I read a lot of psychology books.

MGR: IF you get a title shot what do you feel it would take to beat GSP? Do you see something you could exploit?

DH: I feel I match up better against St. Pierre than many of the fighters in the division right now because his wrestling is so good. The welterweight division is so wrestler heavy. There are a lot of great wrestlers like Koscheck, Fitch and that is to just name a couple. None of them can take him down and when they get put on their backs, most grapplers are better top guys. I am one of the better guys off their back with jiu jitsu in mma. I think that gives me a distinct advantage over the other challengers to the title, that is to be able to fight off my back.

MGR: I wish you the best of the luck. I am a big fan. Maybe you will get another sub of the night at UFC 108. Any sponsors you would like thank before we let you go?

DH: I would just really like to thank everybody at JG MMA Academy for helping me out. It is tough training through Christmas and the holidays. It is good to have the support of my team there. Also Ecko.

It was brash, exciting, and the attitude that pathed Florian’s return to a UFC title fight versus Fighters.com and UFC Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-5-1) at UFC 101 in Philadelphia August 8.  And, for the most part, Florian kept his promise, finishing exciting fights that left no question he was the top contender in the division.

Now take third-ranked welterweight Jon Fitch (20-3) who won a unanimous decision over Mike Pierce (6-2) at UFC 107 in Memphis December 12.  It was Fitch’s sixth consecutive fight that ended in a decision.  Pierce was undoubtedly the lowest level of competition Fitch has faced in two years and it’s beginning to feel like the UFC is using Fitch as a threshold for young fighters with potential.

Fighters.com and UFC Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2) has called Fitch his toughest challenge since earning the championship.  But, it’s unlikely Fitch will ever get a rematch until he begins finishing fights.  Not because Fitch can’t beat the other top contenders at 170 pounds, but Fighters.com doesn’t think the UFC will match Fitch versus the top contenders to earn another title shot until Fitch starts finishing fights.

I’ve met Fitch and he’s one of the most thoughtful, humble, and friendly fighters I’ve met.  But, I’ll be honest, I could miss his fights and not be too disappointed.  They’re sometimes as grueling to watch as they are for his opponent in the Octagon.

Fitch has to adopt the attitude Florian had when Florian earned a second title shot.  Fitch has to finish fights.  For Fitch, I think there’s a crossroads before him.  Again, Fighters.com doesn’t think the UFC will grant him another title fight until he starts finishing fights; so, Fitch has to realize that, in order to get his second title shot, he has to change his style.  Otherwise, Fitch will be forced into the role of threshold to prospects and, eventually, Fitch will come up short and be a stepping-stone to one of those prospects.

Fighters.com’s December Welterweight Rankings

1. “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2)

2. “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4)

3. Jon Fitch (20-3)

4. Paulo Thiago (8-1)

5. Jake Shields (24-4-1)

6. Josh Koscheck (14-4)

7. Matt Hughes (41-7)

8. “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-4)

9. “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6)

10. “Quick” Mike Swick (14-3)

After Hardy’s victory in Manchester, St. Pierre entered the Octagon to graciously acknowledge his next challenger, but also seemed bored by the prospect of fighting Hardy. St. Pierre’s last loss was at a similar peak of dominance with the prospect of defending his title versus an underwhelming challenger, “Terror” Matt Serra (9-6).  At UFC 69 in Houston in April 2007, St. Pierre was TKO’d in the first round versus Serra.

Like Serra at the time he beat St. Pierre, Hardy had a confident calm standing in the Octagon having earned a challenge versus St. Pierre.  Hardy simply said, “I’m excited,” but looked more interested in celebrating his victory over Swick with his team.

The situations aren’t analagous on many levels, most significantly in St. Pierre’s commitment to MMA.  But, would you blame St. Pierre for becoming complacent with the welterweight division?  He’s already dominated second-ranked “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4), third-ranked Jon Fitch (19-3), sixth-ranked Josh Koscheck (14-4), and seventh-ranked Matt Hughes (41-7).  Fourth-ranked Paulo Thiago (8-1) couldn’t step-up versus Fitch to earn the shot, but frankly it wouldn’t have been a much more compelling matchup than St. Pierre versus Hardy.

St. Pierre’s next best challenge at 170-pounds is fifth-ranked Jake Shields (24-4-1), but Shields is contracted to Strikeforce.  Ironically, if St. Pierre dominates Hardy, perhaps it’s time for St. Pierre to follow Shields into the middleweight division for new challenges.  UFC President Dana White has said he’d let St. Pierre fight at 185-pounds when St. Pierre clears out the division.  With a win versus Hardy, can we consider the division cleared?

Fighters.com’s November Welterweight Rankings

1. “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2)

2. “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4)

3. Jon Fitch (19-3)

4. Paulo Thiago (8-1)

5. Jake Shields (24-4-1)

6. Josh Koscheck (14-4)

7. Matt Hughes (41-7)

8. “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (11-4)

9. “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6)

10. “Quick” Mike Swick (14-3)

Topping the bill is the return of former UFC light heavyweight champion “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) as he is set to face former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin (16-4) in a rematch of the 2006 fight that was Griffin’s first loss in the UFC.

Although a winner of the inaugural Ultimate Fighter reality show, to many observers Griffin’s loss to the veteran Ortiz was the fight that catapulted the Xtreme Couture fighter into the deeper ranks of professional MMA. Now currently coming off a two fight losing streak, Griffin has a lot to win and a lot to lose when he faces Ortiz for the second time.

For Ortiz, UFC 106 will be a triumphant return to the promotion following over a year of bad blood with the organization. His last appearance in the Octagon was a losing effort at the hands of current UFC light heavyweight champion “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (13-0) at UFC 84 in May, 2008.

UFC 106 will also feature two heavy-handed welterweights as Josh Koscheck (13-4) is set to clash against “Rumble” Anthony Johnson (8-2) in the co-main-event. Johnson is recently coming off a devastating win over “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-3) in 41 seconds of a catchweight bout at UFC 104.

The fight card is rounded out by a series of bouts that set a theme of old versus new when veteran of the UFC and PRIDE Fighting Championship “New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni (13-11) returns to the Octagon for the first time since UFC 51 in 2005 to face off against The Ultimate Fighter 7 champ Amir Sadollah (1-1).

Fighters.com seventh-ranked light heavyweight “Banha” Luis Arthur Cane (8-1) and fellow Brazilian ”Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (12-3) continue the theme of veteran versus up-and-comer. Nogueira makes his UFC debut following a near decade-long career worldwide.

Remaining main card bouts for UFC 106 include UFC veteran and Judo superstar “The Heat” Karo Parisyan (18-5) as he meets Dustin Hazelett (11-4). “Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis (14-4) is set to fight American Top Team’s “KIlla B” Ben Saunders (5-0-2 ). And the Ultimate Fighter 3 winner, “Da Spyder” Kendall Grove (9-6) will take on wrestler and WEC alumnus Jake Rosholt (6-1).

UFC 106 is rounded out by Paulo Thiago (7-1) versus Jacob Volkmann (9-0), Brock Larson (27-3) versus Brian Foster (9-12), Caol Uno (25-11-4) versus Fabricio Camoes (6-0), and George Sotiropoulos (10-2) versus Jason Dent (29-9).