First up is a report over at MMA Weekly that confirms that Guillard/Lauzon have agreed to meet in a major Lightweight showdown at UFC 136. Lauzon was one of the many fighters that Guillard has recently set his sights on, and one of the few to respond with a “let’s do it”.

We then head to MMA Mania for a report that states that Kenny Florian will challenge Jose Aldo for the UFC Featherweight Championship at UFC 136.

And rounding out the trilogy of major match-ups, MMA Fighting recently released a report stating that UFC 136 is also being targeted as the event that will host the third and likely final fight between Frank Edgar and Gray Maynard, with the UFC Lightweight Championship on the line.

Frank Edgar and Gray Maynard have quite a history with one another. Maynard is the only man to ever beat Edgar, and earlier this year at UFC 125, the rematch with Edgar’s title on the line was an early contender for “Fight of the Year”. After absorbing a near-inhuman amount of damage in the earlier rounds, Edgar would end up rallying and the fight would be ruled a draw.

When Kenny Florian fights Jose Aldo at UFC 136, it’ll either be “third time’s the charm” or “three strikes and you’re out”. Florian has already fought for a championship on two separate occasions, and has lost both bouts in humbling fashion. He also lost a potential third shot at the UFC Lightweight Championship via an equally-humbling loss to Gray Maynard. Florian recently dropped to Featherweight for the first time in his career and earned a tough win over Diego Nunes.

Joe Lauzon is currently 2-2 in his two most-recent fights, but he can take solace in the fact that he’s been fighting some pretty tough opponents. Lauzon can also take pride in the fact that when he does win, he tends to do so in almost frighteningly-dominant fashion.

His opponent, Melvin Guillard, is widely regarded as the premiere finisher in the UFC’s Lightweight division. Guillard is currently on a five-fight win-streak with three stoppages, and has won eight of his last nine fights.

All I can really say is… wow. Wow, it only took one day for UFC 136 to become mostly-complete. I mean, with these six fights announced, you’ve got to think that the UFC 136 Pay-Per-View card is now locked up. And wow, WOW, does this look like an amazing card.

First off, two title fights! You know it’s a stacked card when they give you two title fights. You’ve also got Guillard/Lauzon, which should be a great fight considering how both fighters love to dramatically finish their opponents.

And let’s not forget: way before everyone was falling over themselves to praise Edgar/Maynard 2, back when everyone thought it would be a boring snooze-fest, I was out there practically shouting from the rooftops that it would be an epic fight. Turns out I was right, and with that said, I can’t wait for this trilogy to come to a close.

I’m also very excited for Aldo/Florian. This is Florian’s last shot at some gold, I truly believe this, and I think that’s going to bring out the best in him. But Jose Aldo is a destroyer, and he could humble Florian.

All in all, UFC 136 and 137 have both become “can’t-miss” events almost in the blink of an eye. And that makes me a very, very, very happy MMA fan.

Next for Donald Cerrone: Cerrone both needs and deserves a top Lightweight now that he’s firmly established himself as a destroyer in the UFC. I’ve got high hopes for “Cowboy”, and I think he’s going to get a pretty big opponent in his next fight. He may get someone like Anthony Pettis or Benson Henderson, or he could get a UFC product like George Sotiropoulos. Either way, look for Cerrone to continue to take the UFC by storm.

Next for Dave Herman/Joey Beltran: Each other, which is why I’m grouping them together. Joey Beltran is a sloppy brawler through and through, but I found his bout at UFC 131 pretty entertaining. Dave Herman is more of a technical brawler, but judging on his UFC 131 performance, he loves to throw down as well. So this is really the natural match-up to make.

Next for Demian Maia: Demian Maia is destined to be the next great Middleweight gatekeeper. He’ll probably get a few wins under his belt, he’ll send some hot prospects back down the pecking order, but I don’t think Demian Maia will ever again challenge for the UFC Middleweight Championship.

Next for Mark Munoz: What do you do with a journeyman that’s finally stepping out of that role? That’s a tough question. I really don’t know what’s next for Mark Munoz, he’s in too precarious of a position for me to tell. I’ll say this, though: Munoz did take the first step out of his gatekeeper role by beating Maia, but he’s going to need to win a few more before he emerges out of that shadow completely.

Next for Kenny Florian: Kenny Florian looked like a different man at Featherweight. Notice how I said “different” and not “new”. Florian is immensely skilled, and that skill carried him through what looked like an absurdly difficult weight cut. Florian was still Florian, but the added benefits of cutting weight, namely more power and better cardio, just weren’t there. Florian’s cardio has always been great, but his punching power took a major hit at UFC 131 because he’s cutting so much weight. During Florian’s fight at UFC 131, UFC commentator Joe Rogan mentioned that eventually, the weight cut simply doesn’t work anymore and the negatives outweigh the benefits. I think that’s a lesson that Kenny Florian will learn very soon if the UFC does go ahead and give him Jose Aldo.

Next for Shane Carwin: Shane Carwin is far from done, and as I said earlier, he regained some of my respect at UFC 131. I think Carwin would be a great opponent for some of the UFC’s up-and-coming Heavyweights. If Matt Mitrione wins his next fight, if Brendan Schaub wins his next fight, if Pat Barry wins his next fight… I think all three of those fighters would be great opponents for Shane Carwin.

Next for Junior dos Santos: Cain Velasquez and a shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship. This is the fight we’ve all been clamoring for, and it’s definitely going to happen. I can’t wait for this fight, and to this day I still think it’s too close to call. So all I’ll say is that we’re going to be in for an epic war and an amazing fight.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends.

Junior dos Santos defeats Shane Carwin by Unanimous Decision. Kenny Florian beats Diego Nunes by Unanimous Decision. Mark Munoz beats Demian Maia by unanimous decision. Dave Herman beats Jon Olav Einemo by TKO (strikes) at 3:19 of Round 2. Donald Cerrone beats Vagner Rocha by unanimous decision. Sam Stout defeats Yves Edwards via KO at 3:52 of round 1. Chris Weidman defeats Jesse Bongfeldt via submission (guillotine) at 4:54 of round 1. Krzysztof Soszynski defeats Mike Massenzio by unanimous decision. Nick Ring defeats James Head by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:33 of round 3. Dustin Poirier defeats Jason Young by unanimous decision. Joey Beltran defeats Aaron Rosa by TKO (strikes) at 1:26 of round 3. Darren Elkins defeats Michihiro Omigawa by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).

UFC 131 had a very unfortunate start: in one of the worst robberies of the year, perhaps even one of the worst robberies in MMA history, Darren Elkins defeated Michihiro Omigawa by unanimous decision. One judge even scored the fight 30-27 for Elkins, which is an outright abomination. For just a brief moment, that fight made me question why I bother being an MMA fan if the judges are so inept that they can’t clearly tell who should have won. Luckily, things got a lot better.

I enjoyed the war between Joey Beltran and Aaron Rosa, almost as much as I enjoyed the war between Dustin Poirer and Jason Young. Chris Weidman proved he’s a big can’t-miss prospect with his first-round submission win, while Sam Stout gave us one of the best knockouts of 2011. All in all, this “UFC Prelims LIVE” special definitely lived up to past “sleeper hit” specials, so long as you’re able to look past the all-out robbery that was the Michihiro Omigawa fight.

Much like I predicted, Vagner Rocha just wasn’t prepared for Donald Cerrone. Cerrone seemed a bit upset about his performance, but I thought he put on a great show. As I predicted, only the best will be able to beat Donald Cerrone in the UFC. I also really enjoyed the war between Dave Herman and Jon Olav Einemo. It wasn’t pretty by any stretch of the imagination, and both men could afford to lose a few pounds, but a great brawl is a great brawl even if it’s sloppy.

I think we now have to unfortunately and finally close the book on any hope of Demian Maia’s return to a Middleweight Championship contender. Munoz took him to the limit, and although the fight was close I personally think Munoz definitely deserved the win. It’s strange when you think about it: Mark Munoz has now risen from the ranks of a perennial gatekeeper by beating Demian Maia, and in losing to Mark Munoz, it looks like Maia will be a perennial gatekeeper for quite some time.

Kenny Florian looked like a very different fighter at Featherweight. I think the weight cut did affect Florian’s performance, and to be honest, I think it’s just too much. Florian won, but it wasn’t easy for him. Not by a long shot. That says a lot about Diego Nunes, but it also says that Florian has lost too much power at 145 even though his cardio looked great. I just don’t see how Florian beats Jose Aldo based on what I saw at UFC 131.

And in the main event, I lived up to my promise to never again bet against Junior dos Santos and I was fully rewarded for doing so. It went a lot longer than I and practically everyone else predicted, but the outcome was somewhat similar: JDS was just too fast, too precise, and had too much power. Shane Carwin was a bloody and beaten mess, but he showed a tremendous amount of heart. Thanks to his performance at UFC 131, I think I’m finally ready to forgive Shane Carwin. It’ll certainly be interesting to see what Carwin does next. And of course, I absolutely can’t wait for Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez.

All in all, I think this was a solid event and I really enjoyed myself at times.

Junior Dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin: I believe in Junior dos Santos. It’s as simple as that. Shane Carwin lost me as a believer when he displayed atrocious cardio against Brock Lesnar, he lost me as a fan when he was tied to a steroid scandal. If Shane Carwin lives up to his promise that he’s a completely new fighter, then I will admit that he can beat “Cigano”. But I think at least part of Carwin’s recent hype is just that: hype. Junior dos Santos is the future of the UFC Heavyweight division, while Shane Carwin will be a perennial contender at best. Junior dos Santos wins by KO in Round 1.

Kenny Florian vs. Diego Nunes: I’m generally against favoritism, so I don’t like that UFC President Dana White has practically guaranteed that Florian will be next in line for a title shot if he beats Nunes. Then again, this is the type of “contender eliminator” fight that makes a lot of sense: Florian is a multi-time championship challenger, while Nunes is 16-1 with eleven stoppages. But the fact that two of Nunes’ last three wins have come by Split Decision has led me to tip the scales in Florian’s favor. I think Florian is going to win by submission in Round 3.

Jon Olav Einemo vs. Dave Herman: Einemo is a bit of an enigma, but I like enigmas. Einemo will be fighting an MMA fight for the first time in over four years when he steps into the Octagon at UFC 131. Still, the man is a master at Brazilian Jui-Jitsu. Herman has a great record of 20-2, though. Call me crazy, but I’ve just got this gut feeling that Einemo is going to surprise a whole lot of people and win by first round submission. The smart money is on Herman winning by Unanimous Decision, but there’s my pick and I’m sticking to it.

Demian Maia vs. Mark Munoz: I was a small Demian Maia fan back when he was submitting people with ease, so I do feel a bit bad for what I’m about to say: Demian Maia’s potential has completely eroded. His submission skills are awesome, but everyone knows his tricks now. And his striking game, while improving, was never good. I think Munoz will send a message to just about everyone in this fight. Mark Munoz wins by TKO in Round 2.

Donald Cerrone vs. Vagner Rocha: Rocha does have a good record for someone so new to the sport, and he does have large-promotion experience with fights in both Bellator and Strikeforce. But with all that said… Vagner Rocha is not prepared for Donald Cerrone. I’m predicting that only the best fighters in the UFC have a shot of beating Cerrone, and with that prediction comes this one: Donald Cerrone will win a one-sided Unanimous Decision most likely, although it’s possible that he’ll win by TKO in either Round 1 or 2.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends.

5. Five free fights on Facebook or YouTube. Pick your online video sharing poison.

For the first time, the UFC’s preliminary fights will be available through YouTube as well as through Facebook. And unlike the UFC’s Facebook stream, watching the YouTube stream doesn’t require a YouTube account nor any sort of “like” button. Even better, with several interesting fighters scheduled to compete, these prelims seem like they could be another sleeper hit in the grand tradition of many “UFC Prelims LIVE” shows being sleeper hits.

4. An intriguing match-up between Demian Maia and Mark Munoz.

This fight strikes both men at very interesting points in their careers. After debuting in the UFC and being hyped as the next Royce Gracie, Maia has vanished from the title picture altogether. He’s about as much of a non-entity as it can get. Meanwhile, Mark Munoz is trying very hard to overcome his status as a journeyman. Both men need big wins to revitalize their careers, and if that brings out the best in both fighters, then we’re in for a good fight.

3. The always-entertaining Donald Cerrone.

Donald Cerrone is a very controversial man, but he’s also one heck of a fighter. Cerrone is currently on a three-fight win-streak with two submissions, having successfully made his UFC debut in a “Fight of the Night” fight against Paul Kelly. Cerrone faces the relatively unknown Vagner Rocha, so you’ve got to think that Cerrone won’t take kindly to this step back in competition. Cerrone always turns it up a few notches when he’s angry, and judging by his recent verbal tirade where he accused several fighters of being afraid to fight him… Donald Cerrone is a very angry man right now.

2. Does Kenny Florian choke in big fights?

How many more chances at a championship does Kenny Florian deserve? If you ask some people, they’ll answer “not many” or even “none”. Others say “however many until he finally gets one or gets on a high enough losing-streak to get released”. Florian has fought at many different weight classes and hasn’t found a way to get the gold in any of them. This could be his last resort, and if it doesn’t work out for him, we may see Florian crowned as one of the best lighter-weight UFC fighters to never hold a championship.

And the number-one reason to watch UFC 131 is…

1. The main event, of course.

Junior dos Santos has never fought a striker like Shane Carwin, and Shane Carwin has promised that he has undergone several drastic changes and is now deadlier and more focused than ever. Likewise, Shane Carwin has never fought a striker like Junior dos Santos, and Carwin’s big bombs may not add up to much if he can’t find the head of his elusive, lightning-quick opponent. It may not be as big as Brock Lesnar vs. Junior dos Santos… but it certainly comes close.

So there you have it, fans and friends: five great reasons to tune in and see UFC 131.

The Event: UFC 131 “Dos Santos vs. Carwin”, currently scheduled for June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Five free preliminary fights will be shown on both Facebook and YouTube starting at 5:50 PM ET. Two additional fights will be shown on Spike TV starting at 8:00 PM ET. The main Pay-Per-View card will air live starting at 9:00 PM ET.

Why You Should Care: Several fights on this card have serious championship implications, chief of which is the main event. It doesn’t get much bigger than Junior dos Santos taking on Shane Carwin, with the winner more than likely getting the next shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Kenny Florian also fights at Featherweight for the first time and will likely earn a title shot if he’s able to beat Diego Nunes.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: Someone is going down… hard. This is a fight where you’d be surprised not only if it went past the first round, but if it went past the first handful of minutes. These are two knockout artists that are very, very good at what they do. Cardio problems aside, Shane Carwin left a path of destruction on his way to becoming UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion. Likewise, no one has been able to stand up against JDS’s excellent striking, superb takedown defense, and incredible hand speed. It’s going to be an all-out war with both men swinging bombs from the get-go.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: This fight will prove once and for all whether or not Kenny Florian chokes in big fights. It doesn’t get much bigger than “win this and you get a title shot”. Part of me wonders if that’s not a sign of blatant favoritism, but a larger part of me is very interested in seeing how Kenny Florian looks and fights at Featherweight. This is a drastic move for Kenny Florian, but it’s a drastic time for him as well. Florian will either show up at his best or Diego Nunes is going to make his name off of spoiling Florian’s Featherweight debut.

Why You Should Watch This Card: The main event is definitely a must-watch, since so many questions will be answered. Is Junior really ready for a title shot? Can Carwin live up to the hype of being a new man and a better fighter? Plus, you’ve got several match-ups that sound pretty interesting on paper.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: Other than the main event, no one fight in particular screams out to be watched, at least in my opinion. Florian/Nunes does have potential, but Florian’s star status has taken several big hits recently. You’ve also got the relatively-unknown Jon Olav Einemo fighting, as well as Demian Maia, who is nowhere near the star status he once held when he was submitting guys left and right. As much as I wish it wasn’t this way, this does seem to be a one-fight show, at least on paper.

Closing Thoughts: UFC 131 isn’t the strongest event I’ve ever seen the UFC put together, but it does have potential. Perhaps it’ll be the breath of fresh air I was hoping UFC 130 would be. That was a show that I said would be good and I ended up being wrong. This could end up being one of those shows where I don’t have any real strong opinion on it except for one or two fights, and then the quality of all the fights ends up pleasantly surprising me. I’m certainly willing to give the UFC the benefit of the doubt, so I’ll be watching this one.

Whether it be his first-round submission victory over former title challenger Joe Stevenson, his dominant decision victory over Roger Huerta, or his third-round submission win over former PRIDE champion Takanori Gomi–Florian has an impressive body of work in the 155-pound class.

However, as Florian prepares to make the drop to the featherweight division, he was so bold as to ask his friend and employer, UFC President Dana White if he will be next in line for a shot at the title, to which White answered in the affirmative.

Twice has Florian earned a title shot in the lightweight division. First it came against Sean Sherk at UFC 64 in October of 2006, where both men battled for the then vacant-155 strap. Kenny was unsuccessful at claiming gold when the wrestling powerhouse was able to nullify all Florian’s offense by grinding out a five-round decision win. Next, Kenny would go on a six-fight win streak to earn another crack at the title in 2009, which was now held by the legendary BJ Penn. After a competitive first few rounds, Penn was eventually able to cinch in a fourth-round rear-naked choke.

Now, after having failed at his bid to earn another shot at the title at 155-pounds when he was bested by current number one contender Gray Maynard last August, Kenny decided to make the move to the featherweight class in order to put himself in a position where he can quickly become a contender for the title.

With his name value and experience in the UFC, Florian would be an easy sell as a top contender in the division, especially if he proves successful in his next outing. Kenny will be taking on Nova Uniao product Diego Nunes at UFC 131 this June in Vancouver, Canada. While the featherweight strap is contested this weekend between champion Jose Aldo and challenger Mark Hominick, Florian took the opportunity to throw his name in the hat for the title picture when he had UFC head honcho Dana White on ESPN’s “MMA Live” show, which Kenny often co-hosts with Jon Anik and Franklin McNeil.

“…and Dana, I’m going to put you on the spot because I can. Will I get a shot? If I get by (Diego) Nunes, and (Jose Aldo) get’s by (Mark) Hominick, will I get the next shot after that?”, asked Florian.

“Oh here we go”, said White in his not-so subtle sarcastic tone.

“This is usually what the reporters would ask me, and now you’re the reporter asking me and the fighter…as far as you getting the title shot after (the UFC 129 fight)—everybody who’s watching knows where you stand in the sport and obviously if you can get in there then yes. If you make that weight Kenny, and then yeah, you’re probably going to get the next title shot.”

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the news? Does Florian deserve the shot at the title? Sound off in the comment section below.

In a luxury suite high above the cage in the Prudential Center at the recent Strikeforce show featuring Antonio Silva Vs. Fedor Emelianenko in New Jersey, one the card’s fighters had his boss looking on intently with a vested interest.  It was not Scott Coker, the leader of Strikeforce who signs the checks, rather it was the weekday boss of John Cholish, who sheds his daytime suit and tie working as a New York City energy broker to transform, at night, into one of the most promising young lightweights in MMA.  Cholish shined on the undercard of the marquee heavyweight clash, taking out former UFC Ultimate Fighter standout, Marc Stevens.  He recently sat down with Fighters.com to talk Strikeforce, foot stomps, and the rising price of oil.

Click through to watch the video.

In a new interview with the Boston Herald, Florian recently said the following when asked what the future holds for him at Featherweight: “It’s hard to predict any of that because I’ve never been at 145. All things considered, I think I’ll be able to do it right… Anytime you’re going into unknown territory, you have to plan for a lot of variables. These are things I’m not familiar with, but I’m confident that I’ll be fine on fight night… 145 is going to be tough with different challenges with fast, speedy guys and very active fights… This is another great challenge.”

Even though a lot of people continue to debate whether or not Kenny Florian really does choke in major fights, I’ve honestly never had a problem with Florian as a person. I admit I rolled my eyes when he gave his big “Kill the master, I want BJ’s belt” speech, but other than that, I’ve always seen Florian as a pretty gifted and very down-to-earth fighter. I think any fighter takes a gamble when they drop down in weight, but a lot of fighters have made a very successful run of it once they do, so I’m certainly pulling for Florian and hoping he makes the most out of this new opportunity.

He’s definitely got some tough competition ahead of him, that’s for sure. Not only did the UFC bring over all the best Featherweights in the world when the WEC and UFC merged, Florian is still a big name in the UFC and a lot of 145-pounders are going to want to make their name by beating him. Diego Nunes is definitely a great first test, he’s on a three-fight win-streak and most recently beat former WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Brown. In fact, Nunes is 16-1 with six submissions and five (T)KO’s. Whoever wins this fight will certainly find themselves on the shortlist of possible championship contenders.

But then, of course, Florian will have to get through the current Featherweight kingpin, Jose Aldo. If Aldo beats his current challenger, Mark Hominick, Aldo is easily Florian’s biggest threat at Featherweight. 145 is Aldo’s home, not Florian’s, and Aldo has staked his claim by brutally assaulting any that stood in his path. I’d hate to see Florian go up against Aldo and lose, because it would most likely finally confirm that Kenny Florian does indeed choke in big fights. And to be perfectly honest, part of me just can’t see Florian getting past Aldo.

But I wish Florian all the best, and I look forward to seeing how he handles the significant challenges of this new division. “KenFlo” is far from done, his book is wide open and waiting for new chapters to be written. It will certainly be interesting to see what 2011 holds for Kenny Florian.

Malki Kawa, Kenny Florian’s manager, recently spoke to MMA Weekly and had this to say regarding the situation: “Whoever the No. 1 contender is at that point is the guy I’d like to get. What would be my ideal situation for me is for him to get a fight in June, whoever the No. 1 contender is, win that fight, and then hopefully set something up for Brazil with (Jose) Aldo if the UFC’s up for it.”

Florian and UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo already have a bit of a rivalry based on a planned fight between the two at Lightweight that never came to fruition. Back when the WEC was still alive, news surfaced that Aldo had been offered a UFC fight at Lightweight against Kenny Florian and then turned it down because Aldo’s camp felt that Florian wasn’t a big enough name.

To be honest, I don’t think one fight is going to be enough to launch Florian to top contender status. First and foremost, this is an entirely new division with a host of hungry, young, world-class fighters. As a WEC super-fan, I know how these Featherweights fight, I know the kind of wars they can put themselves and their opponents through. Florian is going to have a tough hill to climb if he wants to ascend to top-contender status, and I think the UFC’s new Featherweight division is already stacked with possible contenders. Considering how many good fighters are in the division, I just don’t see Florian being able to springboard past the competition with one single fight. And I certainly don’t like the idea of him vaulting over the competition solely due to his name value.

I also don’t know how successful Kenny Florian could be at Featherweight. He tends to be a really hit-and-miss fighter. When he’s at his best, he’s a force in any division, and he’s arguably one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC. But then he suffers a very deflating, usually one-sided loss. It makes me wonder what would happen if Florian ever did fight Aldo. Now that the fight is in Aldo’s weight class, does Florian stand a chance against the Featherweight wrecking machine? There are no easy answers to that question.

However, at the end of the day I think this is a step in the right direction for Kenny Florian. I just don’t like how Florian’s manager seems to be underestimating the UFC’s Featherweight division. Florian is in for several tough tests at Featherweight, which includes but is not limited to a potential fight with Jose Aldo. Whether he rises to the occasion or crumbles under the pressure is anyone’s guess. Right now, though, given his recent performances, the odds have got to be pretty even. The future is in Florian’s hands… I sincerely hope he doesn’t waste this opportunity.

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

I’ve already talked at length about Tyson Griffin, for my early reaction on his recently-announced decision to drop down to 145, please click here.

For Kenny Florian, I also think a drop down would be just the change he needs in order to get a big comeback going. I think everyone, from fans to cynics to Florian himself, realizes that more and more people are putting Florian into the “what could have been bin”. Many are already talking about his championship aspirations in the past-tense, and let’s not forget this controversial statement uttered by Dana White that swept through the internet like wildfire: “Kenny Florian chokes in big fights”.

Florian could really use some stable footing right now, and I think a drop down to Featherweight is exactly the type of change Florian should attempt as he explores this latest avenue of his career. I think Florian could make 145 without too much difficulty. Florian has always displayed good cardio and stamina in many of his Lightweight fights (including those that went or nearly went the distance) in spite of the fact that Florian once competed all the way up at Middleweight.

Also, both men are great match-ups for each other. For Tyson Griffin, this is the big win over the established star that he’s been chasing for a long, long time. Griffin has yet to beat a true top-division athlete, and no matter what, Florian’s two title shots speak volumes about his status as a fighter that’s perennially at or near the top of the division. With a big win over Florian, Griffin would officially emerge as a threat in the UFC Featherweight Division, and would have a lot of big fights to look forward to in the immediate future.

For Kenny Florian, beating Tyson Griffin would be an important first step on yet another comeback trail. Griffin may not be a top-division athlete, but he’s a tough opponent nonetheless and he’s a veteran of the Octagon, having more than ten fights inside the world’s most prestigious Mixed Martial Arts organization. Griffin may send a bigger message by beating Florian, but Florian also sends a pretty clear message if he beats Tyson Griffin: don’t give up on me yet, because I’ve still got plenty left to give and lots of fight left in me.

And on top of all of that, the fight itself should be a very entertaining encounter. Griffin is a talented all-rounder that poses a threat to anyone in most areas of the MMA game. Florian is a good striker and a pretty good submission specialist. Griffin’s wrestling is a threat to Florian, Florian’s ability to finish is a threat to Griffin. It would probably be a pretty close encounter and one of the best fights of the night.

Overall, I wish both these men the best and if they do make good on their promise of dropping down a weight class, I definitely hope it’s against each other.

However, “The Ultimate Fighter” veteran has always struggled when trying to ascertain his goal of becoming a world champion, twice dropping the ball when trying to claim ufc gold against former titleholders Sean Sherk and then BJ Penn.

Most recently, Florian lost an uninspired decision to top contender Gray Maynard at UFC 118 last August. Kenny must once again start from the bottom of the weight-class and work his way back to the top, or perhaps a new change is in order, in an effort to reinvigorate his career.

“We’ll see that the future holds,” said Florian speaking with MMAJunkie.com about the possibility of dropping down to the 145-pound class. “I guess that’s all I can say right now. They say, ‘Never ever say never ever.’

Interestingly enough, Kenny was actually presented with a fight against the reigning featherweight kingpin in Jose Aldo not too long ago, however the Brazilian’s camp declined the match-up shortly thereafter. It’s not hard to believe that Florian could be more effective in the lighter weight class, granted he has problems in his career against larger men working him to the ground. While high-level wrestler may always be his Achilles heel, the issues of being overpowered to the ground would greatly diminish should he chose to seek lighter pastures.

“I’m not sure if it would be a total lifestyle change,” said the 34-year-old. “But yeah, it’d probably be another lifestyle change. We’ll see. I’m not, well – we’ll see.”

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the possibility? Would you like to see “Ken-Flo” try his luck in the featherweight division? How well do you think he would fare? Sound off in the comment section below.

Here’s what “KenFlo” had to say over at Pro MMA Radio, with transcription courtesy of MMA Mania: “It doesn’t make sense… If Melvin thinks he deserves a shot over me, he should fight me and beat me… Who has he beaten? What has he done? …Losing to Joe Stevenson in the first round isn’t gonna get you that shot. You have to be consistent… I would take that fight.”

I think Kenny Florian makes an interesting point about Guillard, although I also think he’s being a bit too harsh on the man. In a way, Florian tossed some stones while inside a glass house with his comments about Guillard. It’s a valid point to bring up Guillard losing high-profile fights, like the one he lost to Joe Stevenson. That loss was definitely one of the fights that set the precedent that Guillard only comes close but never fully realizes the dream of being a world-class competitor, a precedent that Guillard has been trying his hardest to shatter in his last several outings.

But if you bring up that point, you also have to bring up that Florian’s record is spotty against top-flight competition too. Dana White landed himself in a large amount of controversy (which is nothing new for the UFC President, let’s be honest) when he famously said, “Kenny Florian chokes in big fights”. Some people fiercely disagreed, others fully sided with White’s statement. I think the reason Dana’s comments became so controversial is that you really can make a case, however small, for Kenny Florian not being able to reach that championship level no matter how many opportunities he gets.

This is why I think this would be an excellent fight for both men. Both men are more or less faced with the same dilemma: they’re consistently marketable and always dependable for a good fight, but every time they get a good win-streak going, someone comes along and spoils it in a big way. If Florian beats Guillard, it would keep Florian alive as a top-division athlete. If Guillard beats Florian, Guillard will officially ascend to the level of a top-division athlete. Either way, one of them would gain a huge amount of credibility and championship relevancy if he was able to beat the other.

And who would win in a fight between Kenny Florian and Melvin Guillard? That’s a very good question. Florian’s ground game is under-rated, but he does struggle against powerful wrestlers: his losses to Sean Sherk and Gray Maynard are proof positive. Nevertheless, Florian has ten wins by submission and Guillard’s biggest weakness is undoubtedly his submission defense: seven of Guillard’s eight losses have come by way of submission. It would definitely be a very interesting fight between two dynamic Lightweights, so I do hope this match comes to fruition.

And what about you, fans and friends? What are your thoughts on a possible showdown between Kenny Florian and Melvin Guillard?

Former title challenger Kenny Florian and former interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin are both set on a collision course for potential returns at UFC 131, a rumored pay-per-view event which is said to take place at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C., Canada on June 11.

Both men are on the mend from sidelining injuries, and hope to return soon in order to climb back up the ladder of their respective divisions, where both fighters have reached the pinnacle of their divisions.

Kenny Florian was last seen in action on the losing side of a unanimous decision loss to current title challenger Gray Maynard at UFC 118, in his own backyard of Boston, Massachusetts. The fight was pitted in order to determine the number one contender to the lightweight title, something that Florian is all too familiar with, since he has contested for the 155-pound strap on two separate occasions, losing both times to former champs Sean Sherk and BJ Penn (respectively). Despite his short-comings, Florian is a gamer and has finished most of his competition inside the octagon and currently holds a respectable 11-4 record in the cage with stoppage wins over Din Thomas, Joe Lauzon, Joe Stevenson and Takanori Gomi.

Florian was recently sidelined with with a knee injury sustained in practice when he was gearing up for a fight against top-ranked fighter Evan Dunham at “UFC Fight for the Troops 2″ on Jan. 22. Melvin Guillard has since stepped up for “The Ultimate Fighter” veteran.

Carwin’s injury, however was a but more severe then his Peruvian friend. After failing to unify the heavyweight titles (with his then interim title he earned in defeating Frank Mir at UFC 111) when he lost to Brock Lesnar at UFC 116 last July by second-round submission, Carwin was scheduled to face former IFL and “TUF” champion Roy Nelson at UFC 125 on Jan. 1. The Greg Jackson fighter was pulled from the event after the 36-year-old suffered a back injury, which later translated to invasive surgery which has since sidelined him for the time being. Before the loss to Lesnar, “The Engineer” was undefeated in his mixed martial arts career, clocking a 12-fight win streak which all translated into first-round stoppages.

No opponents have been mentioned for either men, though more news should be brought to attention in the next few days. UFC 130 has also been discussed as a potential return for both men, which is targeted for May 28 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, though the June pay-per-view event seems all but a lock.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the news? Who would you like to see either Carwin or Florian face next when they return inside the cage? Sound off in the comment section below.

5. Donald Cerrone

I think this would be a great fight in all areas of the MMA game. If it goes to the ground we’ll probably see so many transitions and sweeps and counters that our heads may start spinning. If it stays standing, both men swing with authority and precision, so it has all the elements of a great brawl. Cerrone is on a two-fight win-streak and really wants to prove his relevance in the crowded Lightweight scene, while Anthony Pettis could use a good victory over a former WEC main star in order to really set the stage for his unification bout. So long as both men show up at their physical and mental best, this fight could easily approach “Fight of the Year” quality.

4. Kenny Florian

This fight would once and for all prove whether or not Kenny Florian chokes in big fights. At one time I thought that Kenny Florian would be a dominant UFC Lightweight Champion if BJ Penn simply didn’t exist. Of course I was wrong, but that doesn’t change the fact that Florian remains one of the biggest, most consistent threats that any UFC Lightweight could ever face. If Kenny Florian is a gatekeeper, he’s the MMA equivalent of Cerberus. Not only would this be an amazing fight, it would also be a huge proving point for both fighters.

3. Jim Miller

It appears as if Jim Miller just can’t catch a break. He’s only lost to Frank Edgar and Gray Maynard, he’s won his last six fights, and yet he still gets mostly middle-of-the-road competition. Miller’s intensity has really been amping up lately, since he thinks a lot of people don’t take him seriously, and against Pettis he’d likely be at his best. It would be a very dynamic, fast-paced fight, even for Anthony Pettis. And that’s definitely a fight I’d like to see.

2. Ben Henderson

Before the legendary “Showtime Kick” rocked Ben Henderson and shook the MMA world, “Bendo” was having a classic and ultra-close encounter with Pettis that just has to see a second chapter. Will history repeat itself? Would Pettis be able to land another insane kick? Would either one manage to finally lock in the submissions they constantly hunted for throughout their five-round war of attrition? All these questions would likely be answered it what would surely be an amazing second encounter.

But my number-one opponent for Anthony Pettis just had to be…

1. George Sotiropoulos

There seems to be no stopping Sotiropoulos, but then again, there seems to be no stopping Anthony Pettis. Sotiropoulos continues to improve by leaps and bounds every single time he competes, but once again, so does Anthony Pettis. I think this fight would prove once and for all who the can’t-miss prospect of the Lightweight division truly is. I don’t think any fight will ever fully measure up to what should have been the WEC/UFC Championship Unification bout, but this fight definitely comes closest.

And what about you, fans and friends? Who do you think Pettis should face when he makes his UFC debut?

5. Both men are high-level wrestlers. There are two things, one bad and one good, that usually happens when two gifted athletes who share the same top attribute (in this case, it’s both men’s wrestling) meet each other for a fight. The first and worst is that they nullify each other and we’re left with a rather mundane fight. But sometimes two gifted athletes get into an amazing war and push each other’s skills to the limit. People are wrongly associating Maynard/Edgar 2 with the first scenario and not the second. Based on both men’s recent performances, the second scenario seems far more likely.

4. Edgar performed brilliantly in his most recent fight. Has anyone ever out-worked BJ Penn like Frank Edgar out-worked BJ Penn? Penn has had to deal with tough losses in the past, but who else dominated Penn like Edgar? Only Georges St. Pierre in his second fight with BJ Penn comes anywhere close, and that fight was mired in the whole “GreaseGate” scandal. In Penn/Edgar 2 there was no scandal, no question as to who won, and Penn was beaten and humbled in his own weight class. Edgar/Penn 2 proved that Frank Edgar can compete and dominate at the highest level, and I see no reason to believe that that’s a trend that’s going to end.

3. Edgar has the confidence necessary to stay at the top. Confidence always seems to be the “X” factor that can change the outcome of a fight no matter how uneven the fight looks on paper. Edgar knows he can compete against the best in the world, and he knows he can beat them. With this knowledge, he’ll continue to improve and look to dominate his opponents. When you know you’re the best, you perform at your best, so long as you take your opponent seriously. And based on their history, Edgar is taking Maynard very, very seriously.

2. Maynard has the confidence necessary to make a serious run to the top. Confidence swings both ways, and in the case of Gray Maynard, how can you not have all the confidence in the world going into this title fight? Maynard has beaten Edgar once before, when it comes to confidence-building, nothing else really comes close. And based on his recent destruction of Kenny Florian, Maynard also knows that he can compete at a high level and dominate.

1. There’s a very real, decidedly bitter rivalry here. For Frank Edgar, it’s all about getting revenge on the only man that’s ever beaten him in his entire career. But make no mistake; revenge is also a huge motivating factor for Gray Maynard. Edgar lost to Maynard yet Maynard was passed by and overlooked, while Edgar rocketed to the top and began headlining Pay-Per-Views. Bitter rivalries sell fights, and while this rivalry stems from professional reasons rather than personal vendettas, it’s still remarkably bitter and both men are still very eager to pound each other’s faces in. And that always makes for an awesome fight.

So there you have it, fans and friends: five reasons why this fight should be one to remember. But what about you? What are your feelings on Maynard/Edgar 2?

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt was expected to face rising contender Evan Dunham in the main-event of the evening, however has since backed out of the lightweight match due to injury.

Florian was last seen in action when he took on wrestling powerhouse Gray Maynard in his backyard of Boston, Mass. at UFC 118 last August. “Ken-Flo” dropped a unanimous decision victory to Maynard in a bout that was to decide the number one contender to current champion Frankie Edgar’s 155-pound title.

MMAJunkie.com first reported the news of Florian’s injury through sources close to the UFC, however no official word has been handed down from the head honchos.

The injury as well has been undisclosed and no official time length has been disparaged as far as when “The Ultimate Fighter” veteran may return.

Dunham is still expected to remain on the card, though no opponent has been discussed as a possible replacement to stand opposite of the Xtreme Couture product. Evan was last seen in action when he took on former lightweight champion Sean Sherk on the main card of UFC 119, which took place in Indianapolis, Ind. last September. The previously undefeated lightweight prospect lost a controversial split-decision to the former champ, however picked up “Fight of the Night” for his spirited performance.

UFN 23 is taking place in Fort Hood in Killeen, Tex. before our armed forces who will be enjoying the nights festivities.

UPDATE: Melvin Guillard has been tapped as a replacement for the main-event. Guillard was on the preliminary portion of the card, expected to take on former UFC lightweight contender Yves Edwards, but MMAWeekly.com has reported that now the rising 155-pound star will fill in for Florian against Dunham.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the news? Who do you think would be a suitable opponent to replace Florian? Will Guillard suffice? Sound off in the comment section below.

According to Sherdog, the official “Fight for the Troops 2” card now stands as follows: Kenny Florian vs. Evan Dunham, Matt Mitrione vs. Tim Hague, Mark Hominick vs. George Roop, Pat Barry vs. Joey Beltran, Cole Miller vs. Matt Wiman, Yves Edwards vs. Melvin Guillard, Mike Swick vs. David Mitchell, DaMarques Johnson vs. Michael Guymon, Chan Sung Jung vs. Rani Yahya, Waylon Lowe vs. Willamy “Chiquerim” Freire, and Amilcar Alves vs. Charlie Brenneman.

UFC “Fight for the Troops 2” is scheduled to take place January 22, 2011 from the Fort Hood military post in Killeen, Texas.

The more and more I look at this card, the more and more I think that this will be a standout event in its own right. Despite the problems he’s had in the past with facing top-level competition, Kenny Florian is and perhaps always will be one of the most entertaining fighters in the UFC Lightweight division. Florian looks amazing in most fights, and this fight should be no different. Evan Dunham will also likely show up in top shape and top form after getting a taste of the top when he fought (and many would say “beat”) former UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk recently.

The undercard has several great fights as well. I’m particularly looking forward to Matt Mitrione vs. Tim Hague, I think Mitrione has the potential to take a lot of people by surprise and go far in the increasingly-competitive UFC Heavyweight division. You’ve got WEC stars like George Roop and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, you’ve got Mike Swick and Melvin Guillard, and you’ve even got DaMarques Johnson and Pat Barry. If it all goes according to plan, we may be in for a  great night of non-stop action.

And don’t forget the most important aspect of this card: this is all being put on to raise money for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. The IFHF is a non-profit charity that raises money for veterans with traumatic brain injuries. The first “Fight for the Troops” event raised an estimated four million dollars for the organization.

While I’ve been known to criticize the UFC in the past (but, hey, I criticize everyone eventually, it comes with the territory), I’ve got nothing but good things to say about “Fight for the Troops 2”. It’s a great cause, it’s a great card, and it should be a great night of fights. And I’d like to encourage all of those who can give, to give generously.

And what about you, fans and friends? What’s your opinion on “Fight for the Troops 2” and what fights are you looking forward to?

According to the official press release, Kenny Florian, Mike Swick, Matt Mitrione, Melvin Guillard, and DaMarques Johnson have all been confirmed for the event. Once again, the event is being held in order to raise awareness and money for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which is a non-profit organization that “provides assistance to our nation’s military heroes who have been critically injured in the performance of their duty, and their families.”

UFC President Dana White had this to say regarding the event: “It’s always a great honor for us to entertain the men and women of the military by bringing them some great fights while raising money for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. It’s the least we can do for the people who are defending this country and making so many sacrifices for our freedom, and this is a cause the UFC will always support.”

The first “Fight for the Troops” event raised a staggering four million dollars for the IFHF. Ironically, the first “Fight for the Troops” show also became infamous for the string of grisly injuries it produced. Several fighters had to be hospitalized after the event, and Corey Hill had to endure one of the most horrific injuries ever seen in the Octagon when his leg basically snapped in half after his opponent Dale Hartt checked a kick.

All in all, I’m really looking forward to this show. I think the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund is a great cause, and I’m glad that the UFC is determined to continue raising awareness and funds for the organization. As the son of a veteran myself, I can proudly and strongly say that I think that all veterans deserve our nation’s help and support in whatever way they can get it, regardless of your personal world views or political orientations. It doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree with whatever conflict is going on, the sacrifices these brave men and women make on a daily basis should never be overshadowed, overlooked, or taken for granted.

The great thing about this event is that not only does it raise awareness for a great cause, it’s also a pretty good event in and of itself. Florian vs. Dunham is a very, very worthy headlining attraction for a Spike TV show, with both men coming off of a loss but still being “in the mix” thanks to their spirited performances in the past. It looks like some real effort is being put into making this show one worth watching, so I’ll definitely be tuning in and looking forward to a fun night of fights that benefits a great and worthy cause.

And what about you, fans and friends? What kind of fireworks do you think “Fight for the Troops 2” will produce?

Team leader André Pederneiras recently spoke to TATAME and had the following to say: “Aldo fighting Ultimate’s champion, the fourth in the world, is one thing… But the [proposed fight with Florian] was not interesting… I think he’s an excellent athlete, but he’s coming from a bad result and, unfortunately for him, he was never [a UFC] champion… I couldn’t see why this fight should happen… Aldo wanted to fight, but who turned it down was me… It wasn’t because we were afraid of the other guy, it was because I thought [it] wasn’t worth it.”

If we’re being brutally honest, I can see where Pederneiras is coming from. The time to make Aldo/Florian happen has passed, Florian really isn’t that big of a name now that Gray Maynard outworked, outmaneuvered, and generally outshone him in their recent three-round scrap at UFC 118. That fight famously caused UFC President Dana White to say “Kenny Florian chokes in big fights”, which quickly caused its fair share of controversy around the web. Putting it plainly, Kenny Florian’s one-sided loss to Gray Maynard caused him to tumble back down the Lightweight rankings, and Florian fighting Aldo would ultimately have been far more beneficial to Florian than to the man who holds a major belt in another promotion and would have been jumping up in weight.

Whenever Aldo does make the transition to Lightweight (and I think it’s inevitable that he will), he deserves to immediately get the UFC’s best athletes. Kenny Florian is occasionally considered one of the UFC’s best, but right now there are a lot of questions surrounding him. He’s 0-2 in battles for the belt, and a lot of people are wondering what kind of future Florian has in the Lightweight division. Florian is an established name, but that name has been damaged by his recent high-profile losses. Despite all the negative press and fan backlash they received for their decision, ultimately I’m siding with Team Aldo. I truly believe that declining the Florian fight was the best option available to Jose Aldo as he moves forward and transitions into the UFC.

I will say one thing, though: it’s very tough to side with a camp and a fighter when he refuses fights. Aldo only gets a pass because the exact right circumstances fell into place: Aldo is a dominant champion, Aldo would have moved up in weight and switched organizations before it was ever revealed that the two organizations would be merging, Florian’s status had taken a sizable hit in his loss to Maynard, etc. etc. If Aldo keeps turning down fights, his reputation will quickly sour and his credibility will plummet. I’m willing to let Aldo and his camp off with a warning, but it’s a stern warning: champions aren’t made by turning down fights.

And what about you, fans and friends? Do you think Aldo’s camp was justified in turning down the Florian fight now that these new details have surfaced?

The event takes place on January 22, at Fort Hood in Killeen, Tex.

Florian, a two-time challenger to the lightweight title (and unsuccessful in both attempts) is recently coming off a unanimous decision loss to current title challenger Gray Maynard at UFC 118, which was held in Florian’s backyard of Boston, Mass.

Riding a two-fight win streak heading into the bout and likely looking at his third shot at the 155-pound title, UFC President Dana White shared the same sentiments that everyone in attendance felt as well, that Kenny “choked” during the bout. Hardly any offense was made, and the undefeated powerhouse wrestler in Maynard controlled every round of the fight, taking “Ken-Flo” down at will and dominating him from there. The win for Maynard helped set up a rematch against current champion Frankie Edgar. Gray remains the only man to defeat Frankie in his mixed martial arts career.

Dunham is on the heels of a spirited and somewhat controversial performance against former UFC lightweight champion, Sean Sherk. At UFC 119, the two battled it out with Sherk displaying his superior wrestling skills early in the first round. Successful in a takedown attempt against Dunham in the first, Sherk was able to drop a massive elbow, opening up an early cut and taking the first stanza.

Then, it was all Evan. The Xtreme Couture product was able to nearly submit “The Muscle Shark” in the second round and rocked him several times in the third, seemingly walking about with a decision victory. However, after three hard fought rounds, a split-decision victory was delivered to Sherk and Evan’s first loss in turn as a professional.

He can take some solace in the loss. He proved himself against a former champion, picked up “Fight of the Night” (along with a fat check) for his efforts, and is still viewed as a top contender. He’s gained more than he’s lost in the bout.

The bout pitting Florian and Dunham against one another will vaunt the other right back in the title hunt.

Heavy.com first reported the change.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think about the match up? Who do you favor? Sound off in the comment section below.

While Jose takes the reigns of the WEC featherweight division, where he rests proudly as the promotion’s champion, many have already speculated that there simply aren’t enough challenges that exist in his weight class.

Aldo began his career as a lightweight, even as low as 135-pounds in the bantamweight division, however found his best suit for him at 145 pounds, where he hasn’t ran into any problems, going an amazing eight wins in a row under the WEC banner.

In a recent interview with Tatame.com, Aldo expressed interest in fighting in the lightweight division, and even stated that talks with the UFC (both the UFC and WEC are both under the Zuffa umbrella) to setup a match pitting himself and former title challenger Kenny Florian was in the works for a December event, however, his manager, Ed Soares, ultimately vetoed the bout.

“They made the (Kenny Florian) proposal. I wanna fight, it can be at WEC or in the UFC”, stated Aldo of his desire for the bout, though his managers eventually had the say-so.

With Florian out of the picture, unfortunately, it looks like Mark Hominick will be on deck next for the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu phenom.

Hominick, in his last outing came away the victor in an exciting match up against fellow striker, Leonard Garcia. The bout settled into Mark’s pace early on, where the Canadian striker was able to dictate the action with his effective counters and his pin-point precision when striking. Eventually, the Shawn Tompkin’s pupil walked away with the unanimous decision victory, and put himself in line for a title shot.

Both talented strikers, there’s no doubt that the match up, should it come to fruition, would produce nothing but fireworks.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the featherweight match up? Would you have rather seen Aldo face Florian? How would that bout have went? Sound off in the comment section below.

While the event, which was to be a pay-per-view card, was under consideration by the promotion, has now been dubbed null altogether.

UFC 125, which is expected to be headlined by current lightweight champion Frankie Edgar defending his title in a rematch against fellow wrestler Gray Maynard, will be taking place on January 1 of the new year, and now what was originally considered to be UFC 127, will now become 126.

Somewhat confusing, I know.

But, UFC 126, which will be taking place on February 5. at the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., is expected to be a star studded affair, and one of the largest events coming up in the immediate future. A middleweight title fight, which has been anticipated for sometime, is expected to pit Brazillians and former teammates against one another, when current 185-pound kingpin Anderson Silva attempts to defend his title for a record 8th time opposite of former light heavyweight champion, Vitor Belfort.

The two talented strikers are expected to take headlining duties over the super bowl weekend card, according to MMAJunkie.com which first reported the news of the canceled Jan. 29 event.

Also on the card, former champions Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin will meet in a light heavyweight match up, which will propel the winner closer to title contention. The bout is expected to be the co-headliner of the evening.

Talented wrestlers and budding contenders Ryan Bader and 205-spitfire Jon Jones will also grace the card alongside an explosive lightweight match up between Evan Dunham and former lightweight title challenger, Kenny Florian.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the mix up? For those having planned to attend the Jan. 29 event, you might want to recall your travel agent. Sound off in the comment section below.

Although his in-ring antics against Mizuto Hirota at “Dynamite!! 2009″ would inidicate otherwise, the grappling ace usually keeps to himself and refrains from doing a lot of outlandish things. Maybe that’s why the Japanese have embraced him as their leading man in the world of mixed martial arts.

However, most recently, the famed Judoka has stepped out of his shell and lit the MMA world abuzz once again, with his almost brutal honesty, on how he views the Western MMA scene (um…us) and how they can benefit by tuning into DREAM, once in a while.

Here is a transcript from a short interview Aoki, the DREAM lightweight champion, had done with Grappling Dummy, in an official DEEP affiliated gym, in Tokyo, Japan. Props to MiddleEasy for the find.

If you’d like to read the transcript in it’s entirety, the tread along, otherwise, if your looking for the meat and potatoes, what he thinks about the UFC, his favorite fighters, etc, then scroll on down towards the end.

GD: Are you any closer to achieving the “ideal self” you talked about in recent interviews?

SA: Yes… by practicing everyday, I get closer to my ideal self. It’s the training itself, every day.

GD: Amateur Wrestling is helping out a lot of fighters win fights. Do you think you can counter it by training more wrestling?

SA: I am not a wrestler, so… But I do have elements of wrestling in my style. I don’t think I’m going to change what I do that much.

GD: Now that prize money is offered in grappling competitions like Abu Dhabi Pro, would you compete in jiu jitsu again?

SA: Abu Dhabi Pro… What’s the prize money?

GD and Associates: (scuffling, and some back and forth) Do you have any idea? No, I don’t know. Maybe it’s like… five thousand dollars. Pretty small.

SA: Multiply that by ten and I might do it!

GD: How do you feel about the western fighters comparing themselves to the samurai of Japan?

SA: Samurai are the guys with the chon-mage haircut and swords… They aren’t walking around today. It’s probably a misunderstanding of the Japanese culture.

GD: Are martial arts just fighting or do they teach you to be a better person?

SA: Well, it’s my job. I don’t really know if it would benefit me… A lot of people say that fighters are good people, but I’m not sure how useful it is for a professional fighter to be a nice guy.

:::: Free conversation, starting with BJ Penn‘s loss to Frankie Edgar ::::

SA: BJ lost the fight, but… I am a really huge fan of BJ Penn. In fact, he’s my favorite fighter. Technically he lost, but… Real martial arts means a knockout or a submission. I still think he is the “number one”. I think the problem in the fight was that BJ didn’t try hard enough to get the submission and finish the fight. I think that was the problem. Maybe technically it was a good game, but not very interesting.

GD: Do you want to see Gray Maynard vs Frankie Edgar?

SA: I don’t! (laughs).

:::: Free Conversation Concerning Western MMA; Specifically, the UFC ::::

SA: I am a really big fan of the UFC. I love it. But the wrestling style of take down, holding… Standing, a little boxing, then another take down… It’s boring. Going for the submission, the KO, is much more interesting. That’s what Japanese MMA is all about. Lately, in the UFC, there are some amazing fighters, but… It’s not always exciting.

:::: Favorite Fighters ::::

SA: My favorite fighters are BJ Penn, Joe Stevenson, Kenny Florian, Melvin Guillard, Nate Diaz. I like aggressive fighters. All this wrestling is boring.

:::: The Gilbert Melendez fight in Strikeforce, last April; his last loss ::::

SA: (In the Melendez fight) it had nothing to do with the cage. I was simply weak. I can’t really explain it in words, but… Step by step, I’m improving. It will be fine.

:::: His opinion on the top 4 fighters in the lightweight division ::::

SA: BJ Penn, Eddie Alvarez, Gilbert Melendez, Frankie Edgar… Anyway, there’s four (top lightweights). With BJ as number one. The most aggressive is Eddie Alvarez. The most defensive is Franke Edgar. Gray Maynard!…He’s a…(hesitating) good wrestler.

:::: MMA Promotions Aoki watches ::::

SA: I watch all the American MMA shows. From Elite XC, then Strikeforce, the UFC… Basically I watch everything. When a fighter get’s released from the UFC, they move down to a local promotion. Sometimes they win, sometimes they lose. With tough fighters coming up, it’s good.

GD: How much weight do you cut?

SA: Five or Six kilograms (which translates to 11 to 13 pounds). (Cutting lots of weight) is not good for the body. American fighters train so hard, they use a lot of supplements. So their fighting peak is pretty small.

(except Randy Couture)

SA: (Smiles and nods)

I encourage everyone to watch the video when they have a chance. I’m sure the little nuances and such would be much better translated on video instead of me writing it all out, inch by inch.

So, MMA peeps, what’s your take on Aoki now? Have your views changed? Do you agree with his assessment of the Western MMA scene? Sound off in the comment section below.

The headliner, a rumored bout pitting UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva against former teammate Vitor Belfort is tentatively scheduled for the event, as well as light heavyweight bouts pitting former champions Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin against one another, as well as Ryan Bader versus phenom, Jon “Bones” Jones.

Said lightweight match up, which will be Kenny Florian against Evan Dunham, is a fight that no true mixed martial arts fan would want to pass up.

Florian was last seen in action when he faced the talented and suffocating wrestler in Gray Maynard, in Kenny’s own backyard of Boston, Mass., for UFC 118. Against Maynard, “Ken-Flo” never pulled the trigger, and was taken down almost at will, over and over again. The uninspired loss snapped a two-fight win streak for Kenny, and also had him elude a third run at the lightweight title. He was unsuccessful in his initial attempt to capture the gold at UFC 63 against Sean Sherk, for the vacant title, then lost against former kingpin BJ Penn at UFC 101, by fourth-round rear-naked choke.

Dunham, meanwhile, is on the upswing of his career, despite coming on the heels of a loss in his last UFC outing–his first loss in his MMA career at that.

Undefeated as a professional heading into UFC 119, Dunham had impressed many, by seemingly coming out of nowhere with his rise above the heap in the lightweight division. Wins over season 8 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter”: Efrain Escudero, Marcus Aurelio, and perennial contender Tyson Griffin cemented his spot as the next big thing in the 155-pound ranks. With the very controversial loss to Sean Sherk, which saw the Xtreme Couture product dominate the former champion standing up with effective combination’s (kicks and knees galore) as well several submission attempts, his star has only grew brighter.

Florian, albeit “choking” in big fights (ala Dana White), is talented nonetheless. An adept Muay Thai striker with a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Kenny has been a thorn in the side of several up-and-coming fighters in the lightweight division, including notables Clay Guida, Joe Lauzon, and former PRIDE champion Takanori Gomi–all of whom, the Boston native has finished.

The part-time ESPN personality announced the news on “MMA Live” just yesterday, saying “We’ve verbally agreed to fight Evan Dunham, which is great news. Phenomenal opponent, which I’m very excited about, and it looks like it may happen on Super Bowl weekend”.

UFC 127 takes place on February 5th, at the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the match up? Who do you think takes this fight, in what has the potential to be an early candidate for “Fight of the Night”. Sound off in the comment section below.

Perhaps the most unlikely champion in years, Frank Edgar shocked the world at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi when he defeated top-ranked pound-for-pound darling BJ Penn in a semi-controversial fight that was quickly given an immediate rematch. At UFC 118, “The Answer” left nothing to the imagination, defeating “The Prodigy” yet again in a five-round blowout that left absolutely nothing to the imagination and saw absolutely no one question his Unanimous Decision victory.

Gray “The Bully” Maynard has slowly been working his way towards a title shot since entering the UFC in 2007, and remains undefeated both in the UFC and his professional MMA career as a whole. The lone blemish on Maynard’s record came in his first official fight in the UFC, a No Contest that occurred when he accidentally KO’d himself trying to slam Rob Emerson, a slam which Emerson tapped to. Maynard was last seen beating up former top-ranked Lightweight and two-time championship contender Kenny Florian. Maynard also holds the only victory over the current UFC Lightweight Champion: when he and Edgar met in 2008, Maynard wrestled his way towards a Unanimous Decision win.

This is going to be a great rematch for a number of reasons. First and foremost, both men are at radically different points in their careers and both men seem to be very different fighters. There are no more arguments left to make: Frankie Edgar is the best Lightweight Mixed Martial Artist in the world right now. And when it comes to his opponent, Maynard’s undefeated record and lopsided manhandling of “KenFlo” makes “The Bully” a very worthy championship contender. When they first met both men were fighting for Lightweight legitimacy. Now they’ll be fighting for Lightweight dominance. It’s a great story, and it should make for an entertaining fight.

However, I have to at least grudgingly admit that the cynics could be right. The potential is there for this fight to be boring. I disagree wholeheartedly with the assertion that this fight will be an abysmal stall-fest, but I’m not going to ignore that claim and pretend that it has no merit. At its absolute worst, this fight could be atrocious. But you can say the same thing about any fight. And that’s my point: I think both men are being unjustly criticized just because they’re wrestling-based fighters with a large amount of wins by decision.

A fight can still be entertaining even if it goes to the judges, even if both men are wrestlers, even if we’d rather see fighters like BJ Penn or Kenny Florian in the Octagon fighting for that big hunk of gold that means so much. I think both men will put on a fantastic performance, and I honestly believe that this early criticism will do nothing except make Edgar and Maynard want to win that much more. So lighten up and don’t worry so much, fans and friends. I’ve got a feeling that this is going to be a good one.

But what about you? What do you think we’ll see when Edgar/Maynard 2 finally happens?

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

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

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

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

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

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

In a recent interview with Sherdog.com, Florian had this to say: “Losses are blessings in disguise. I’ve never been more motivated in my life. I kind of feel like this was one of the most frustrating losses that I’ve ever had and it was a fight I definitely learned a lot from. I’m very motivated and I had to come back to training quickly. I’ve already started training… I’m just motivated to work very hard and get right back into it. I need to make sure my game is capable of beating everybody in every aspect and it wasn’t. ”

Here’s what I think. I think Kenny Florian does have all the necessary skills for true UFC greatness. Some just need a lot of honing, others are right at championship-caliber. In his fifteen fights within the world’s best MMA promotion, he’s grown and matured by leaps and bounds. He has fantastic submissions, crisp striking, he’s faced fighters of all shapes and sizes and he’s won far more than he’s lost. And perhaps most importantly, in a world growing increasingly rife with decision-heavy fighters, Kenny Florian finishes fights.

But I really do think that Kenny Florian’s worst opponent in big-value fights is himself. Florian seems unable to cope with the limelight, and despite his epic victories in the past, he put on incredibly weak performances in the three fights where he had a shot at true greatness: Sean Sherk outwrestled him, BJ Penn outclassed him, and Gray Maynard outmaneuvered him. In all three fights, Kenny Florian quickly became lost and unable to cope when his opponent took him out of his gameplan and forced him to readjust his strategy. Florian’s physical toughness is unquestioned, but his mental toughness leaves a lot to be desired whenever he’s put in a situation that he does not have absolute control over.

Despite all that, I’m rooting for Kenny Florian to make one last comeback, the one that will finally stick this time, and become the UFC’s Lightweight Champion. I think the division has been blown wide open now that Frank Edgar is on top. If Florian works hard at improving his abilities as a defensive fighter, his abilities as an offensive fighter should be able to finally get him the belt he’s wanted for so long. “KenFlo” isn’t done yet, and I look forward to seeing where he goes from here. And no matter where this next path in his career leads him, I’ll definitely be watching and supporting.

And what about you, fans and friends? What changes do you think Florian needs to make in order to finally capture UFC gold? And as far as future opponents go, what do you think would be a good next fight for him?

Nick Osipczak was suspended for 30 days with no contact for 21 days for precautionary reasons. Greg Soto was suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons. Amilcar Alves was suspended for 30 days with no contact for 21 days for precautionary reasons. John Salter was suspended for up to 180 days due to a possible left hand fracture, pending X-ray results, with a minimum suspension of 30 days with no contact for 21 days. Dan Miller was suspended for 30 days with no contact for 21 days for precautionary reasons.

Gabe Ruediger was suspended for 30 days with no contact for 21 days for precautionary reasons. Nate Diaz was suspended for a maximum of 180 days due to a possible nasal fracture, pending X-ray results, with a minimum suspension of 60 days with no contact for 60 days. Marcus Davis was suspended indefinitely due to possible head trauma, pending a CT Scan, with a minimum suspension of 60 days with no contact for 30 days. Kenny Florian was suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons. Gray Maynard was suspended for 30 days with no contact for 21 days for precautionary reasons.

As is the case with most medical suspensions, most of the fighter’s suspended won’t really be affected. Many fighters take a month off to rest anyway, and since most UFC fighters only fight a handful of times a year, it’s not like they’ll be missing any opportunities. I was surprised at Nate Diaz’s suspension, though, the barrage Davis hit him with at the beginning of their fight must have done a lot more damage than it looked like. Then again, Davis has always had some very powerful hands. Here’s hoping Nate is cleared by his doctors and gets back into the Octagon soon, because I think he’s quickly becoming a great addition to the UFC’s welterweight division.

Speaking of Marcus Davis, I wish him the best and hope that nothing goes wrong with his CT scan. I want to say that the athletic commission may have over-reacted based on how gruesome Davis’ face looked after the Diaz fight, but then again, you can never really be too careful when it comes to head trauma. I still think much of the damage Diaz did was superficial, though. What I mean by that is: Nate put a real hurting on “The Irish Hand Grenade”, but I don’t see Davis developing any sort of lasting trauma because of it. It sure looked nasty, but it’ll heal up fine. Davis is a tough guy, and I have a pretty good feeling that he’ll bounce back from this.

With only a few major suspensions that will likely be reduced pending a full examination by a doctor, I’d say the UFC 118 fighters pulled through pretty well.

In an interview with SB Nation, Gray Maynard said the following: “Who is stopping them? Name a name and I’ll bow down, but who is stopping these guys? That’s why I can’t pay attention to these people. If you’re a true sports fan who enjoys MMA and really try to understand it, you’ll get it. Look at Edgar. He’s only ever lost to myself. Huerta has never been stopped. Pretty much the same thing with Nate Diaz. Florian did get stopped by Penn, but you see what I mean. It’s an excuse, but that’s just how it is. I’m asking for the top guys. The decisions are just part of it.”

I agree with Maynard in theory, but not in practice. I think getting a decision win should absolutely not be held against you. You did your job, you won your fight, you deserve your acclaim. How backwards does it sound that fighters who tough it out and fight hard all three rounds are getting ostracized like they had a Scarlet Letter? Fighters should be praised for having the cardio, mental fortitude, toughness, and heart to go the distance, and those that do so and still dominate their opponents deserve even more praise. That’s the theory.

In practice, though…people want to see fights finished! You simply can’t ignore what the mainstream wants, and the mainstream wants to see awesome KO’s or slick submissions. We’ll even settle for a wild brawl or an active ground game. But these no-stoppage shut-outs are unappealing to fans who crave action in their sports. You can call it backwards thinking all you like, but the mainstream MMA fan holds true to one core belief: “intricacies be damned, we’re here for a fun show”. There will always be fans, especially MMA fans, that go in just for the blood, guts, and glory. You can hold your head high with the knowledge that true fans appreciate what you do and respect your ability to do it, but at the end of the day, exciting fighters sell Pay-Per-Views.

Perhaps this wouldn’t even be such a big issue if Maynard was correct in his belief that most Lightweights don’t finish their fights. But that’s the thing: they do! There are a lot of Lightweight fighters (and fighters that had runs at Lightweight) known for their stoppage victories: Kenny Florian, BJ Penn, Sean Sherk, Shinya Aoki, Jamie Varner, Donald Cerrone, Ben Henderson, Josh Thomson, KJ Noons, Anthony Pettis…just to name a few! They may not dominate the division, but they’re out there.

I’ll make one thing clear before I go: I don’t have a problem with Gray Maynard. I think he’s a fantastic athlete, and I think his rematch with Edgar will be far more entertaining than what any of the doomsayers are predicting it to be. I just don’t like that Maynard answered the question of why he doesn’t finish anybody with another question, which was “Does anybody finish anybody at Lightweight?” Because the simple answer is: yes. Yes they do. And if you really want people to stop calling you boring, why not try and finish a fight every once in a while? It couldn’t hurt.

And what do you think, fans and friends? How important is it to you that fighters finish fights, and are you excited for Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 2?

One of the UFC’s biggest team players, Kenny Florian is very much endeared by the UFC President. Their ties go back to season one of “The Ultimate Fighter”, where Florian was personally asked to appear on the show once White saw the now debonair ESPN personality, in a fight with former UFC veteran Drew Fickett some 5-6 years ago.

After losing in the finale of his season of TUF to Diego Sanchez at middleweight, Florian hit the ground running. After a brief stint at welterweight, Kenny made another stop at his new home at 155-pounds, where he run into his first title shot opposite of former champion Sean Sherk. Florian would go on to lose a lopsided 5 round decision to Sherk, but was “seemingly” undeterred.

He rallied back with an impressive 6-fight win streak, which included victories over Joe Lauzon, Roger Huerta, and Joe Stevenson to earn a second bid at the lightweight title against then champion BJ Penn. And at UFC 101, a full two-plus-years after earning his initial shot at the belt, Florian–a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, was submitted by Penn in the fourth round.

Dana White asserts that it’s part of Kenny’s character to flop when a big opportunity looms his way.

“I love Kenny Florian, I’ve known him since season one of The Ultimate Fighter”, said Dana to a small group of reporters following UFC 118.

“He’s one of the best fighters in the world, but in the big fights, he chokes in the big fights. He’s here in his hometown (Boston, Mass.), another shot at title and he sits in front of Gray Maynard for three rounds. He couldn’t let anything go”, he continued.

“Gray Maynard fought his fight, did what he wanted to do, and dominated him”.

White made no illusions of how he felt about the fight otherwise, and stuck to his guns. You can’t fault him for speaking his mind. And among other things, it’s hard to argue the facts.

Do you think Florian is predetermined to lose when a big opportunity is set in front of him, or is it simply the worst case scenario for Florian–fighting a talented wrestler, which looks to be his Achilles heel. You be the judge.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Next for Nate Diaz: A fight with another good technical striker: Dan Hardy. Even if it’s not Hardy, look for Diaz to get a shot at a top-tier opponent. Perhaps even Thiago Alves should be the next challenge for Nate.

Next for Marcus Davis: Once again Davis has been stopped in dominating fashion. While I don’t see him losing his job anytime soon, if ever, I also think that this fight permanently moved Davis to mid-level gatekeeper status. Look for him to receive a steady stream of UFC newcomers for his next several fights.

Next for Kenny Florian: He needs to come to grips with the fact that he’s a divisional gatekeeper if he doesn’t improve his ground game from the bottom. When fighters are able to take “KenFlo” out of his element, Florian has always looked downright lost in the Octagon. Florian is still one of the best fighters in the Lightweight division, but his inability to come back when the odds are stacked against him is a real hindrance.

Next for Demian Maia: In Maia’s continued quest to regain his Middleweight relevancy, his domination of Mario Miranda was a big step in the right direction. I think Maia is ready for a rematch with Nate Marquardt. If not Marquardt, I say give Maia another good striker, like Chris Leben, in order to highlight the submission skills that made him so famous and/or to highlight his admittedly improving striking.

Next for Randy Couture: Why not Jon Jones? Couture has had nothing left to prove for the last several years and he’s still had more wins than losses. Now that he’s got a three-fight win-streak under his belt, why not welcome Jon Jones to the UFC’s elite in a big way with a very tough opponent? I think it would be amazing to see how Jones’ wrestling holds up to Couture’s, and if Couture can stand up to the dynamic striking of Jonny Bones.

Next for James Toney: Kimbo Slice in a boxing ring. I don’t see James Toney going anywhere near an Octagon for at least a couple of years. If he ever does return to the UFC, he’ll likely face a predominantly striking-based fighter, someone like Cheick Kongo. I think Kimbo vs. Toney is very likely if only because the fight will generate a lot of interest and make everyone involved a boatload of money. Look for Toney to take the KO, by the way.

Next for BJ Penn: It’s tough to say. Has the Lightweight division finally caught up to BJ Penn, or is Frankie Edgar simply his kryptonite? If BJ stays at Lightweight, he’s got to learn how to deal with today’s version of the dominant wrestler, as opposed to someone like Sean Sherk, who Penn outright dominated. This issue is even further heightened if Penn moves to Welterweight, since it’s practically controlled by dominant wrestlers. Tough times are ahead for BJ Penn, whether he or his fans or anyone else wants to admit it or not.

Next for Frank Edgar and Gray Maynard: Each other, obviously. Look for this to be heavy on the wrestling, with Maynard trying to nullify Edgar’s impressive speed and off-the-charts cardio by holding him constantly and trying to grind out a decision. I think Edgar will be a wholly different fighter for this rematch, so I’m betting that Edgar evens it to 1-1. Maynard impressed against Florian and I have no doubt that he’s ready for his shot at the gold, but Frankie Edgar simply impressed me far, far more.

But what do you think, fans and friends? Where do people like Penn, Edgar, Couture, Florian and Maynard go from here?

Penn vs. Florian 2 would be interesting for a number of reasons. Penn and Florian share the unique characteristic of coming back better than ever whenever they face adversity. The Kenny Florian that fought Sean Sherk is vastly different from the one who faced BJ Penn, and he’ll be vastly different if he faces BJ Penn again. Likewise, Penn will likely be a completely different fighter if he takes on Florian one more time. I once said “in a world without BJ Penn, Kenny Florian would be a dominant UFC Lightweight Champion”, and I still firmly believe that. Of course, this means that Penn would take the rematch, which is something I also firmly believe.

This is why I think Edgar vs. Florian honestly has more potential than Penn vs. Florian 2. Florian is a rarity in the Lightweight division: he finishes fights. Frankie Edgar’s decision victories outnumber his (T)KO and Submission victories combined. Florian’s ground game has been consistently under-rated, but Frankie Edgar’s striking has always been under-rated as well. Florian needs to close the distance and continuously go for broke, and if he does so, he may just become the first person in history to ever stop Frankie Edgar. If Edgar can keep his wits about him and strike smarter, not harder, he’ll be on his way to another Unanimous Decision victory.

To be perfectly honest, I’m not really looking forward to the possibility of a Frankie Edgar/Gray Maynard rematch, simply because it isn’t the most exciting fight on paper. Like Edgar, Maynard has made the Unanimous Decision win his home, and he seems willing, able, and even content to live there for the foreseeable future. I think both men would come out looking to finish, but I’m not sure that either man has the striking power to finish the other. After all, the only man to ever KO Gray Maynard was Gray Maynard himself, and it’s been three years since either man had a (T)KO on his record. Of course, both men have a penchant for making their decision victories pretty entertaining, so I’m not totally against a rematch.

Penn vs. Maynard does interest me a bit more. However, I don’t see how Maynard could win this one. Yes, yes, I know: no one could see how Edgar would beat Penn either. But both on paper and deep down in my heart of hearts, I think Maynard is going to have to do a hell of a lot more than he’s done in any of his UFC fights so far in order to take down “The Prodigy”. Nothing is impossible, but I think Penn’s striking and grappling are a couple of levels above Maynard’s.

Ultimately, I’m going to pick against Penn, one of my favorite fighters ever, and say that Kenny Florian vs. Frankie Edgar interests me the most out of all the possible match-ups. It would have the biggest contrast of both styles and techniques, and should make for a very interesting fight. Regardless of who wins Penn/Edgar 2 or Florian/Maynard, I think it’s going to be very interesting to see what the future holds for the Lightweight division in the next several months.

And what about you, fans and friends? Which of the four possible fights would you most like to see, and why?

First up is Damien Maia, since I think this rematch finds both men at radically different points in their careers. Following Mai’s first-round submission victory over Sonnen, people were flipping their lids and calling Maia the next Royce Gracie. Then Nate Marquardt knocked him out in twenty-one seconds. Then Dan Miller completely nullified all of Maia’s vaunted takedowns and ground game, even though Miller would go on to lose the fight. Then Anderson Silva proceeded to clown on him for five rounds. Meanwhile, Chael would go on to win three straight and dominate Anderson Silva like he’s never been dominated before. Sonnen’s confidence has never been higher, and Demian Maia’s stock has never been lower. A victory over the man who defeated him so easily in the past would be a big step forward on Sonnen’s comeback trail, while another fast submission by Maia would go a long way towards reestablishing his aura.

Another person that would make a very exciting match-up for Sonnen’s comeback is Wanderlei Silva. Wanderlei may have lost a little finesse since his glory days in PRIDE FC, but he’s still got serious power in both hands and a pretty under-rated ground game. I have a feeling that this one would turn into a serious slugfest, and if Sonnen is able to dominate Wanderlei on the ground the same way he dominated Anderson, he’ll have sent a clear message that he wants the belt back bad. If Silva were to knock out Sonnen or beat him by decision, it would prove that Sonnen still has a lot to work on despite his fantastic performance at UFC 117, and that Wanderlei Silva may be preparing a pretty decent little comeback of his own.

My final match-up for Sonnen is quite the long shot, but I can dream, can’t I? A lot of chips would have to fall into place for this to happen, chief amongst them being Sonnen’s opponent getting off of his lazy ass, getting off of whatever drugs he’s smoking or snorting or otherwise doing, and rededicating himself to his Mixed Martial Arts career before it’s too late and he squanders all of his natural, quite extensive abilities. If he ever gets his act together, I’d love to see Paulo Filho take on Chael Sonnen for a third and final time. This may sound weird from the man that inducted their second encounter into a running series called “Infamous Moments in MMA History”, but I just can’t help but wonder…could Chael Sonnen really beat Paulo Filho at his best? A dominant performance over a rejuvenated Paulo Filho would erase the damage the two previous encounters did on Sonnen, where he was submitted in the first fight and was unable to finish an out-of-his-mind Filho in the second fight. A win over Sonnen would prove once and for all that Filho’s darkest days are behind him, and he’d once again be one of the most dangerous Middleweights in the world. It may never happen, but it would be an epic grudge match.

And what about you, fans and friends? What (or who) do you think is next for Chael Sonnen?

3. Sean Sherk

Sean Sherk has always had a tough career. After a long time spent attempting to get at the UFC Welterweight Championship, Sherk hit the highlight of his career after dropping down to Lightweight and winning the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship with an incredible, blowout performance over Kenny Florian. Tough times were still ahead, though, as he would go on to be stripped of his title and then lose to BJ Penn. Before Edgar’s win against Penn, his win over Sherk was the only win over a legitimately high-level name Frankie Edgar had on his record. I think a rematch would be worlds apart from their first fight, both because Edgar has progressed a lot since that fight, and because Sherk would likely go back to his dominant wrestling given that the first fight clearly proved that Edgar was the better striker. There’s always a certain excitement that comes with any big rematch, but since I think both men will bring many different things to the table this time around, this rematch is particular is one I can definitely get behind.

2. Gray Maynard

Now this is the kind of rematch rivalries are made out of. When both men were trying to break through to the top of the UFC Lightweight division, Gray Maynard was the first man to ever beat Frankie Edgar. Now that Edgar is holding the belt and Maynard is hovering near the top of the division, this rematch is a no-brainer. There’s even a possibility of a third match if Edgar manages to beat the man that was the first to beat him. Much like a possible rematch with Sean Sherk, this rematch has so much appeal because both men would be very different fighters if they were ever to once again step inside the Octagon against each other. With the added grudge that Maynard was the first man to ever beat Edgar, we’re looking at an intense rivalry that would develop into an intense, awesome fight.

But the fighter I’d most like to see challenge Frankie Edgar is…

1. Kenny Florian

I’ve said it in the past, and I’ll say it again: in a world without BJ Penn, Kenny Florian would be the UFC Lightweight Champion. In his four years at Lightweight, Florian has only lost twice, and both fights had the title on the line. After both losses, Florian improved tenfold and is currently one of the most exciting fighters in the entire UFC. I think Florian is destined for another shot at the gold, and I think the third time would finally be the charm, especially if it’s against Edgar. Kenny Florian has developed both his striking game and his ground game to the point where he’s one of the most complete, versatile fighters in the entire UFC. Aside from BJ Penn, I think Kenny Florian would be the toughest test Frankie Edgar would ever have as UFC Lightweight Champion. No matter who wins, this fight has “Fight of the Year” written all over it.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. Who are some fighters you’d like to see take on Edgar? And do you think Penn will beat him, or will Edgar once again pull off the upset?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The addition of Caol Uno (25-13-5)to the UFC seems to have become a failed venture. His loss last night to Gleison Tibau (18-6) was one sided and will likely cause the release of Uno from the UFC. Uno offered up nothing in the way of offense and was an easy and much needed win for Tibau.

“The Real Deal” Ross Pearson (16-5-1) looked very sharp in his decision victory over Dennis Siver (15-7). Ross has been known to step in and engage in a slug fest but against Siver, a very dangerous fighter, he had a good game plan. He moved in and out and never stayed engaged to long. He had great head movement and his feints kept Sivers off guard and somewhat confused.

My only critique of Pearson’s performance was his lack of killer instinct. He seemed to hurt Dennis a couple times in the fight and rather than push forward and try for a finish he sat back playing it a bit safe. Granted he got the win but as he moves up in the division he will need to use a similar strategy but also be able to incorporate that finishing instinct. He could go a long way in the UFC given ample amount of time.

While I thought Joe Rogan was a little off his game last night and flat out wrong about a couple of things I will discuss later, he was dead on about Jorge Rivera (18-7). I have never seen Jorge look so good in a fight. He dominated the guy I picked to win the fight, “Rock” Nate Quarry (12-4). He picked him apart in the fight once he found his range. Nate did land some solid leg kicks but again, once Jorge found the range he unloaded on Nate with power shots that seemed to rock the “Rock” each time. I also thought Jorge looked lighter on his feet and seemed to take some solid punches better than he has in the past. This could be the start of a new fight life for Jorge and I am excited to see where he goes from here.

Then there was MMA Gospel fan favorite “Skyscraper” Stefan Struve (16-4) taking on “Big Country” Roy Nelson (15-4) in the co-main event. I think Struve can be a top contender in the heavyweight division in the future. He is young and the sky is the limit for him, no pun intended. Although in order for him to reach his full potential he will need to learn to utilize his height and reach advantage to his fullest. There is no reason Nelson should have gotten inside on Struve with very little effort. Struve needed to use his jab to keep Nelson at bay and instead of the leg kicks he should be using the front kick to the body. These are weapons a man of his size should be using to keep the shorter opponents outside their range so he can pick them apart.

Having said that I don’t feel he gave that fight to Nelson. I think Nelson worked hard and knew exactly what he had to do in order to win. It is hard to judge his performance because the fight only went 39 seconds but that is two big knock outs for Roy, a man many said was to fat and to slow for the UFC.

Now we move to the main event between Fighters.com seventh-ranked “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (12-4) and “The Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-6). This is where my critique of Joe Rogan comes in to play.

If you listened to Joe and Mike Goldberg you would think Kenny was destroying Gomi and that just was not the case. Granted Florian did a very good job in the first round using his jab to throw off Gomi’s plan of attack. That and his fast movement in and out of the pocket kept Gomi from unleashing anything substantial but then again Gomi has never been much of a defensive striker.In the past he has eaten plenty of punches in order to get inside to deliver his death blow. However in the first round he was blanked.

The second round told a different story though. Gomi was able to slip Florian’s jab and use a very effective one-two counter that had KenFlo putting on the brakes when working his own counter. It did not fully stop Kenny but it was working and proved to me that if Gomi were to take his training more seriously he could very well make a come back.

In the end though his ground game is still just awful as it always has been and Kenny’s seems to be getting better. The worst part for Florian is that he is stuck in a division where the champion is seemingly heads and tails above the rest.

All in all the Fight Night was full of exciting fights and fantastic finishes. Some shocking and others, well, not so much.

Florian weighed the limit at 156 pounds and Gomi weighed 155 pounds.

The Ultimate Fighter 10 champion “Big Country” Roy Nelson (14-4) and 6? 11? heavyweight prospect “SkySkraper” Stefan Struve (23-3) both also made weight for their matchup.  Nelson weighed 263 pounds while Struve weighed 248 pounds.

Fight night 21 will air live on SpikeTV at 8:00 PM EST.  The rest of the weights below:

Nate Quarry (186) vs. Jorge Rivera (186)
Ross Pearson (156) vs. Dennis Siver (156)
Rafaello Oliveira (156) vs. Andre Winner (156)
Ronys Torres (155) vs. Jacob Volkmann (155)
Rob Emerson (154) vs. Nik Lentz (155)
Gleison Tibau (156) vs. Caol Uno (156)
Lucio Linhares (184) vs. Yushin Okami (184)
Gerald Harris (186) vs. Mario Miranda (186)
Charlie Brenneman (170) vs. Jason High (170)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Joe said “It is awesome that people are starting to talk about me maybe fighting for the title again. But I don’t want it whisper in the wind that I maybe get a title shot. I want to keep on winning, and winning big, so the fans are like ‘Give Joe Daddy his second title shot already!’ I was asked by BJ if I wanted to train with him for this fight but, as great as would be, I had to say no because I think I am going to be fighting him again at the end of the year.”

So he could have trained with BJ for the fight with Edgar while he was preparing to fight George Sotiropoulos (11-2) at UFC 110. Instead he believes he will get another title shot. Joe, how do you see that happening?

Maybe the UFC has told him something we do not know but since his utter destruction at the hands of Penn at UFC: 80 he has posted a 3-2 record inside the Octagon. This is not a record that gets you a title shot. Especially when there are other fighters waiting in the wings for that shot he feels he is going to get.

Many believe the man that should be fighting BJ Penn at UFC 112 is sitting on the sidelines waiting and will more than likely get the next shot. “The Bully” Gray Maynard (9-0) is that fighter and he will be watching closely as BJ faces off against Edgar. Of course Gray could get passed over yet again depending on what happens during Ultimate Fight Night 21 on March 31.

The main event of that night will pit “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (12-4) versus “The Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-6). Kenny has faced BJ once before at UFC 101 and lost. This will be Gomi’s first fight in the UFC coming over from Japan. Gomi has also fought BJ Penn and lost. This was back in 2003 at Rumble on the Rock 4 where Gomi lost in the third round due to rear naked choke.

The Gomi fight with Florian could be a tune up fight with a fighter I am now considering the gate-keeper to BJ’s title. I don’t see Florian getting another shot anytime soon but would not be shocked to see Gomi get a second crack at beating BJ if he can find a way to finish Florian in devastating fashion.

That gives us two fighters that could possibly be in line for a shot well before Joe Stevenson. I don’t see anyway he gets a second chance before the end of the year. I am not sure he will see a shot anytime soon.

He was beaten and bloodied by BJ during their fight and he would have to do something extraordinary in order to get back there. Joe should have taken the chance to train with BJ, learn some things and use that as motivation to get another shot in a year or more. Bad move Daddy!

Florian had been publicly denying the rumors, but the Fighters.com reported last week that the matchup was inevitable.

In November 2008, Florian told Fighters.com, “I would love to [fight lightweights from Japan].  You know, there are so many great lightweights out there.  There’s a ton in the UFC already; so, it’s not like it’s not competitive right now.  But definitely, I’m always looking for new and exciting fighters to compete against; and, definitely there’s a lot over in Japan, and I’d love to be able to compete.  I just want to keep competing against the best and whether they’re in Japan or in the United States, then that’s great.”

After losing his second title shot to Fighters.com and UFC Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-5-1) at UFC 101 in Philadelphia August 8, Florian is focused on cementing his legacy.  Bagging a Gomi is more for historical posterity than contemporary competition.

Gomi has won consecutive fights, most recently a unanimous decision over “Lionheart” Tony Hervey (11-6) at Vale Tudo Japan in Tokyo October 30.  But, he’s also suffered recent losses to Sergei Goliaev (9-6) at Sengoku in November 2008 and Satoru Kitaoka (24-9-7) at Sengoku in January 2009.  And, Gomi had even hinted recently that he was considering retiring from fighting to focus on surfing.

The matchup is expected to be the card’s main event.

MMA Junkie also reports that The Ultimate Fighter 9 lightweight champ “Real Deal” Ross Pearson (15-5-1) will fight at UFC Fight Night 21.

Pearson of England beat American Aaron Riley (28-12-1) by doctor’s stoppage at 4:38 of round two UFC 105 at M.E.N. Arena in Manchester Saturday.

His opponent is not yet known.

In November 2008, Florian told Fighters.com, “I would love to [fight lightweights from Japan].  You know, there are so many great lightweights out there.  There’s a ton in the UFC already; so, it’s not like it’s not competitive right now.  But definitely, I’m always looking for new and exciting fighters to compete against; and, definitely there’s a lot over in Japan, and I’d love to be able to compete.  I just want to keep competing against the best and whether they’re in Japan or in the United States, then that’s great.”

But, the UFC has chosen to build lightweight talent domestically and from within the organization rather than sign already established fighters from abroad.  Fifth-ranked “Bully” Gray Maynard (9-0) and sixth-ranked “The Answer” Frank Edgar (11-1) are the best examples of American fighters who have come to prominence with the UFC.

But, earlier this month the UFC brought some fresh blood and established foreign talent to the division with the signing of Gomi.  It’s an interesting choice for the UFC because, though Gomi is an established name as the long-running PRIDE champion, he’s suffered losses to Sergei Goliaev (9-6) at Sengoku in November 2008 and Satoru Kitaoka (24-9-7) at Sengoku in January 2009.  And, Gomi had even hinted recently that he was considering retiring from fighting to focus on surfing.

But, Wednesday Florian’s brother and head coach, Keith, told MMA Weekly, “I think Gomi would be a great fight for Kenny. He’s one of those people who was No. 1 in the world for a long time, and I think that would be a great fight for us.”

After losing his second title shot to Fighters.com and UFC Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-5-1) at UFC 101 in Philadelphia August 8, Florian is focused on cementing his legacy.  Bagging a Gomi is more for historical posterity than contemporary competition.

Florian could also matchup versus Maynard, and Keith told MMA Weekly, “I think Gray Maynard would be a great fight with Kenny’s new wrestling, and we can still expose those tools that Firas [Zihabi] has, he has Olympic level wrestlers, and we could form a really nice strategy against him.”

It seems Maynard is being skipped over for a title shot again by UFC President Dana White in favor of Edgar.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fighters.com January Lightweight Rankings

1. “Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-5-1)

2. “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4)

3. Eddie Alvarez (16-2)

4. “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-7)

5. “Bully” Gray Maynard (8-0)

6. “The Answer” Frank Edgar (11-1)

7. “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (12-4)

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

9.  “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (21-3)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fighters.com’s October Lightweight Rankings

1. “Prodigy” BJ Penn (14-5-1)

2. “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4)

3. Eddie Alvarez (16-2)

4. “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (18-7)

5. “Bully” Gray Maynard (8-0)

6. “The Answer” Frank Edgar (10-1)

7. “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (11-4)

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

9. “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-4-1)

10. Katsunori Kikuno (5-0-1)

“These six athletes provide a strong, varied base for our first UFC series,” said Damon Lau, Round 5 co-owner. “There are established champions like Chuck Liddell and George St. Pierre, popular up-and comers like Rashad Evans and Kenny Florian and guys like Clay Guida and Lyoto Machida who have loyal, growing followings.”

“We think fans will really connect to these collectibles through their detail and the enhanced packaging,” said Barron Lau, Round 5 co-owner. “We want them to feel that by owning a Round 5 figurine, they, in a sense, own a piece of that fighter.”

The UFC-themed packaging accompanying each figure will include action photos of each fighter’s most memorable moments and a short bio.

The fight card from Philadelphia includes:

“Prodigy” B.J. Penn (13-5-1) v “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (11-3) for the UFC lightweight strap

Fighters.com’s third-ranked light heavyweight Forrest Griffin (16-5) v UFC middleweight champ ““Spider” Anderson Silva (24-4) in 205-pound matchup

The Ultimate Fighter 7 champ Amir Sadollah (1-0) v John Hendricks (5-0)

“Cacharrao” Ricardo Almeida (10-3) v The Ultimate Fighter 3 champ “Spyder” Kendall Grove (10-5)

“Batman” Kurt Pellegrino (14-4) v “Dentist” Josh Neer (25-7-1)

Aaron Riley (27-11-1) v Shane Nelson (11-3)

“Doomsday” John Howard (11-3) v “Barn Cat” Tamdan McCrory (11-2)

Thales Leites (14-2) v “Legionarius” Alessio Sakara (13-7)

Dan Cramer (3-0) v Matt Riddle (2-0)

George Sotiropoulos (9-2) v George Roop (9-2)

“Indio” Danillo Villefort (7-2) v “Ox” Jesse Lennox (13-1)

Penn also made a good point! Thirty-three year old Florian challenged previous titlist “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-4-1) at UFC 64 in 2006, lasting all five grueling rounds, but dropping a unanimous decision.

In his defense, Florian offered, “I wasn’t training like a professional athlete.” Florian hasn’t lost since, winning six consecutive, five by stoppage, but none against first-tier competition like Sherk or Penn. “One of the most important things is to be honest with yourself and say, “Look at all these mistakes I made,’” Florian added.

And Penn acknowledged the improvements Florian has made: “Without a doubt I see a better fighter.”

At UFC 84 in 2008, Penn TKO’d the same Sherk in a one-sided beating. In the post-fight press conference, when it seemed Florian was Penn’s likely challenger for his new title, Penn matter of factly said he couldn’t get excited for a fight versus Florian. He considered himself in a different league and doesn’t seem any more impressed with Florian’s challenge today, saying his motivation to win has “got to be the previous fight. The whole GSP fiasco.”

Instead of defending his title from Florian, Penn challenged UFC welterweight champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2) at UFC 94 last January in his “dream fight” and was TKO’d, but accused St. Pierre of greasing to slip passed Penn’s guard on the ground. Penn implicated Florian in his accusation, claiming Florian text messaged Penn’s business associate Dave Weintraub before the fight, “Watch out! St. Pierre is a greaser. Good luck!”

Florian admits wishing Penn good luck via text to Weintraub, but denies accusing St. Pierre of greasing and claims he was talking about his own opponent at the time “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-2-1).

“So, you were wishing me good luck and, ‘Oh, by the way, Huerta is a greaser!’” Penn retorted on the conference call. He added, “I didn’t like when Kenny lied. I don’t know how I get caught up in this stuff. [UFC President Dana White] goes and talks about stuff he doesn’t know about, tells people I’m surrounded by yes-men. But, these are small things. I’m just trying go out and defend my title and walk out of the cage the 155-pound champion.”

Florian agreed he’s just focusing on what could be his final UFC title shot, though his distrations are compounded by fighting in Philadelphia, close to his native Boston.

“There’s just a huge craving from everyone here on the east coast to see more UFC events,” Florian described. And, when quizzed about ticket requests from friends and family, Florian said, “I just tell everybody to go to Ticketmaster.”

“I want to come out here and make a statement,” Florian announced after the fight.  “I want B.J.’s belt!”

UFC President Dana White had promised the winner a title shot versus UFC and Fighters.com’s Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” B.J. Penn (13-4-1).

For Florian, it’ll be his second shot at the UFC belt.  Florian lost a unanimous decision to fifth-ranked “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-3-1) for the UFC title at UFC 64 in October 2006.

Florian started the action with a left low kick.  Both fighters were quick on their feet as they exchanged blows.  Florian caught Stevenson with a high kick; but, Stevenson stalked him after landing a few punches.

Stevenson pinned Florian to the cage, picked him up, and slammed him; but, Florian cushioned the impact by grabbing the fence, earning him a warning from the referee.

They got back up and separated.  Florian threw a couple of jabs and a high kick to the head; but, Stevenson advanced aggressively, putting on some pressure of his own.

Avoiding the clinch, Florian tripped Stevenson to the mat.  Passing Stevenson’s guard into full mount, Florian dropped fists into Stevenson’s face.  As Stevenson tried to avoid, he gave up his back.

“I just made a small mistake,” Stevenson admitted after the fight.  “I tried to come to my feet when I shouldn’t have, thought that I was going to be able to just come up.  He had a figure-four body lock.  That was a bad idea.”

Florian capitalized and sank in a tight rear naked choke.

“He made me pay for it,” said Stevenson.  “My fault.”

Florian and Stevenson are featured on Saturday’s UFC 91: Couture vs Lesnar card in Las Vegas.

White said the opportunity would come after Penn’s fight versus Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (17-2) at UFC 94 in Vegas 31 January.

Both Florian and Stevenson had a chance at the lightweight belt before, but Florian lost a unanimous decision to fifth-ranked “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (33-3-1) in October 2006, and Stevenson was submitted via rear naked choke by Penn in January.

Florian has won all five of his fights since then, most recently earning a unanimous decision over Roger Huerta (20-2-1) in August.

Stevenson won his last fight, submitting Gleison Tibau (14-5) with a second-round guillotine in July.