UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has undergone successful knee surgery this past June, and is still in recovery mode. According to UFC President Dana White in a recent interview with Sportscenter revealed that he intends on making Rua’s return in the Spring or early Summer of next year.

Dana also made a mention on the champ’s proceedings towards his knee surgery, which marks Shogun’s third in just under three years, that he had Rua come to the states to have the surgery done. The first two surgeries took place in his native Brazil, though some might remember Rua’s sluggish returns to the octagon post-knee surgeries. His initial UFC debut against Forrest Griffin at UFC 76 in Anaheim, California in 2007, did not go quite as easily as most fans and media alike had predicted. “The Ultimate Fighter” veteran submitted the former Pride champion with a third-round rear naked choke.

Over a year later, at UFC 93 in Dublin, Ireland, “Shogun” returned on the winning side of things when he rallied back against then UFC fighter Mark Coleman, defeating the former heavyweight champion with strikes in the third round. However since those sluggish performances, Shogun is red-hot.

Despite sporting a subtle 3-2 record inside the cage, his actions speak volumes. After earning his bid for a title shot after knocking out former champion and UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell at UFC 97, Rua then went the distance with then champ Lyoto Machida at UFC 103 and on all accounts beat “The Dragon”, but in a surprising turn of events, lost by unanimous decision, much to the dismay of the fans and press alike, who were all left scratching their heads.

The rematch was set, and at UFC 113 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in May of this year, the Brazilians battled it out and “Shogun” exacted revenge when he knocked out Machida inside of the first round, to claim Number One supremacy.

The knee surgeries were taxing on the Brazilian, but the UFC head honcho is more optimistic about Rua’s recovery time and methods of returning back strong this time around. With what looks like a year-long layoff for both “Shogun” and challenger Rashad Evans–who was last seen in action in May as well, with a unanimous decision win over heated rival Quinton Jackson at UFC 114.

Do you think the fight being pushed to a later date would benefit both fighters on a stint with “TUF”? Rashad was an excellent coach, “Shogun” is the man–though his English is limited.

Im my opinion, the longer this fight is pushed, the less attention it will receive and the less relevant it will become, even if it is a title fight. So to keep both competitors in the public eye, a visit towards a possibility with “The Ultimate Fighter” should be addressed.

The ceremony took place during the UFC Fan Expo on the main stage at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. UFC President Dana White made a presentation of Matt’s achievements and then presented Matt with the award. Matt Hughes thanked the fans for the award.

“To be honest, it’s you guys that pay that admission that write my check, so I’ve got to take my hat off to you guys,” Hughes said.

Dana stated that Matt could have taken other offers to move to other promotions but he chose to stay in the UFC all these years.

“He’s acting very humble here; he’s been a great partner and been one of the people who have helped build this sport and the UFC to what it is today,” White added.

Hughes’ first fight inside the Octagon came at UFC 22 before Zuffa purchased the company. He defeated Valeri Ignatov (0-2) via unanimous decision. Since that time he has fought 22 more times in the UFC going 17-5.

His most recent fight came at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi where he beat Renzo Gracie (13-7-1) in the third round via TKO. This is his second win in a row after defeating former Renzo student and rival “The Terror” Matt Serra (10-6).

Matt’s next fight will be against another Gracie pupil as he steps inside the Octagon to take on “Cacharrao” Ricardo Almeida (12-3) at UFC 117 in Oakland, California.

Matt holds the record for the longest welterweight title run in UFC history with five consecutive defenses from UFC 34 to UFC 45. He lost the belt to “The Prodigy” B.J. Penn (15-6-1) before regaining the title with a submission win over current UFC welterweight champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (20-2) at UFC 50 and defended it another two times before Georges avenged the loss at UFC 65.

Matt Hughes joins Fellow UFC Hall of Famers Royce Gracie (14-3-3), “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock (27-14-2), “The Beast” Dan Severn (93-16-7), “The Natural” Randy Couture (18-10), “The Hammer” Mark Coleman (16-10), “The Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-7) and Charles “Mask” Lewis Jr.

How do you feel about current fighters being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame and who do you feel should have been inducted?

The first fight went the full five rounds and was left in the hands of the judges. What transpired was, in my opinion, highway robbery. The judges gave the fight to Machida despite the fact that Shogun constantly attacked the legs of Machida which effectively took away his ability to attack. He used Octagon control and effective striking yet lost the fight.

Shogun was visibly stunned by the loss and the UFC agreed to an immediate rematch between the two men. Shogun used that 25 minute fight as a learning experience and came into this fight determined to not let the fight get in the hands of the judges.

“For my first fight, I trained and studied Lyoto Machida‘s game and tried to fight according to his style – in a safer way,” Rua said. “For this fight, I knew him better, so I tried to exploit him and to take more risks and take more chances and go to try and finish the fight.”

This is exactly what happened as he pushed forward from the start of the fight. Machida used that aggression to take Rua down but the often talked about yet seldom seen ground game of Rua’s allowed him to get back to his feet. Then the aggressive Shogun of old paid a visit to the Octagon. He used strikes to push Machida against the cage, unleashing a flurry. Machida slid his way out and they stood in the center of the Octagon, Rua pushing forward and Machida delivering a good body shot. Then Shogun caught Machida with what appeared to be a glancing shot off his head that sent the champion to the mat. Shogun wasted no time following him, achieving full mount and unloading powerful shots. The “Dragon” had been knocked out cold and before the referee could even stop the fight, Shogun was already standing up to celebrate. Things were suddenly right in the world as the man many called the champ had just become the champion.

All of this came from his new gameplanning which is an added component to his approach to fights. This is the reason he seems to be a much smarter fighter than during his streak back in 2005.

“I think now I’m a different fighter than I was back then,” Rua said. “I think now I train much more based on my opponent because I think this is the evolution of MMA nowadays.”

There are many journalists and fans alike that had given up on any of the old Pride fighters, especially on Shogun. His loss to Forrest Griffin (17-6) at UFC 76 followed by his abysmal performance at UFC 93 against “The Hammer” Mark Coleman (16-10) led fans to believe he was finished in the sport. However there were a select few who still believed in the man that was once one of the most feared strikers on the planet. Those who supported him through thick and thin were given a gift unlike any other. The gift of redemption as their fighter came back from the dead to become a world champion.

The comeback of a lifetime even had Dana White singing the praises of Rua. “To go out and knock out Lyoto Machida in the first round in the way that he did, I mean to say it’s impressive is stupid,” White said. “It’s unbelievable. It’s incredible.

“When [Rua] first came over into the UFC and I was talking about the ring rust – he had had the back-to-back knee surgeries – I always believed that once this kid got back in and was active, he had the possibility to do some great things again. Let me tell you what: ‘Shogun’ Rua is back. Not only is he the champion of the light heavyweight division, he is back.”

Trigg was laid out in the first round by “Terror” Matt Serra (10-6).  Coleman was dominated and eventually submitted by fellow HOFer “Natural” Randy Couture (18-10) in the main event.

For Trigg, it was his second consecutive first-round knockout loss since returning to the UFC for the first time since exiting on consecutive first-round rear naked choke submission losses in 2005.  It seems clear to Fighters.com that Trigg is not a UFC-level talent any longer and giving him his walking papers is justified.

But, Coleman got a raw deal and so did fans.

After winning a unanimous decision over “American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar (11-6) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas last July, Coleman was hyped by the UFC into a main event versus Couture.  That was a ridiculous stretch.  Bonnar has lost four of his last six fights in the UFC’s 205-pound division, only managing wins over Mike Nickels (8-3) and “Ravishing Red” Eric Schafer (12-5-2).  Couture was coming off a narrow, but legitimate win over “Truth” Brandon Vera (11-4).  Coleman and Couture should’ve never been matched to begin with because Coleman hadn’t earned victories in the division at the same level Couture had.

And the fans got to pay for the bad matchmaking.  I asked a casual fan last night if they had watch UFC 109 and he said, “That was Couture-Coleman?  Psht… No!”  And after I described the result of the main event, he said, “Well, of course…”

And, you know, that’s about the right reaction.  The rest of us though, the core MMA fans were going to buy UFC 109 anyway.  And, we were shorted on a true main event, because Couture-Coleman surely wasn’t.

This furthers the pattern of bad matchmaking in the UFC Fighters.com has been writing about over the last year or so.  It’s disappointing particularly because UFC President Dana White has promised he wouldn’t let mixed martial arts devolve into the mess that professional boxing is in because of bad matchmaking.  However, White is doing precisely that.

But, Coleman also suffers from the UFC’s bad matchmaking.  Coming off the win over Bonnar, Coleman probably could’ve earned another couple of UFC wins at Bonnar’s level and a little above, putting together a nice run either back into legit main event status or into retirement.  But, because he was overmatched versus Couture, the UFC is de facto forcing him into retirement off the loss.

It seems the bad matchmaking will continue too.  As Reverend Turk Vangel wrote at Fighters.com Tuesday, now Couture is being overhyped as a potential 205-pound title contender.  Just think about this.  Couture beat a guy whose most illustrious win in the last four years is over a guy who is 2-4 over his last six fights.  As was expected, Couture dominates that guy so thoroughly the UFC cuts him.  And, that earns Couture talk of title contention?  Dominating Coleman, who himself is only 1-3 in the last four years? Dominating a guy whose only win in the last four years is a guy who is two for his six?  Dominating a guy who the UFC has conceded by cutting him that he doesn’t even belong in the UFC 205-pound division?  This earns Couture talk of a title shot?

Under that logic, should Serra now be back in the 170-pound title picture after his knockout of Trigg?

UFC and White need to take the UFC back to it’s matchmaking principles and return to merit-based matchmaking, not WWE-, professional boxing-style overhyping of fighters creating poor value for fans and shorting fighters like Coleman of a chance to win in legit matchups.

Randy Couture is a fighter that I admire and have a hard time picking against but he is not near the top of the division. How can a fight against Coleman, a man not in the top ten of the light heavyweight division, suddenly put Randy in the top five? If Mark had beaten a top tier fighter in his last fight then I might be able to see an argument for it but his win was over Stephan Bonnar (11-6) whose last win inside the Octagon was in October of 2007.

The light heavyweight division is not a weak division. If it was not so stacked with guys ready to make title runs then putting Randy in their makes sense.

Currently you have guys like “Little Nog” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (17-3) and “Bones” Jon Jones (9-1) making a splash in the division and the top spots held by Fighters.com and UFC light heavyweight champion “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (16-0) and “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (18-4). Rounding out the top five is “Sugar” Rashad Evans (14-1-1) in my opinion. This leaves Randy on the outside of the top 5 at the very least. That does not include the fact that Fighters.com and UFC middleweight champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4) has fought a few fights in that division and has to be considered a contender.

I can easily put Randy in the top ten of the division but that would be it for now. He has slowed a bit with age and doesn’t get his punches off as fast nor are his take downs as explosive. The only way to see exactly where he fits in the rankings is to put him in a fight with someone like “Bones” Jones, “Little Nog” or even Anderson Silva.

Silva has a fight coming up against “The Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8) and with Randy fighting as often as he has been this fight would be to far out for it to be the next fight for Randy. It is a fight that would bring in massive pay-per-view numbers though. The man many feel is the pound-for-pound best in the world versus Captain America is an easy sell.

Who should Randy fight next in order to keep moving toward a title shot in the future? Would Jones be to much for him? Maybe a fight with Thiago Silva (15-2) who is coming off a loss to Evans at UFC 108 would be smart.

No matter who Dana White and Joe Silva find for Randy to fight, I am sure many will say it is a fight Randy can’t win but history shows it is never smart to count out Randy Couture.

Coleman was submitted by “The Natural” Randy Couture (18-10) in a rear naked choke at 1:09 of round two.  Though he dotted Couture’s jaw with sporadic punches, backing up his fellow UFC Hall of Famer, Coleman was never really at an advantage in the fight.  Couture hit Coleman more often during exchanges, controlled Coleman in the clinch, and submitted him on the mat.

“He’ll always be a part of this organization,” added White. “I just think he’ll have a hard time competing with the guys at the top level. Age is a factor with him.”

Coleman came into the fight from a unanimous decision over “American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar (11-6) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas last July, his biggest win since 2006 when he TKO’d Fighters.com’s third-ranked light heavyweight “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (18-4) at PRIDE 31 north of Tokyo. Rua suffered a broken arm during a Coleman slam and the fight was ended.

But, White didn’t like what he saw of Coleman versus Couture.  He said, “[Coleman] went in there, and he wasn’t able to do anything. He didn’t get off. Randy pretty much beat him everywhere.”

At 45-years old, Coleman is obviously still competitive at a certain level, as he demonstrated versus Bonnar.  Coleman hasn’t spoken out about White’s comments to clarify his future.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Gospel on this one is Mike Swick by Decision.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Gospel is Maia by late third-round submission

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gospel: Frank Trigg by unanimous decision

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

This leads us to the much talked about main event.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The first fight that sticks out is “The Filipino Assassin” Phillipe Nover (4-2) versus “The Saint” Rob Emerson (9-8). This is a fight that has big consequences for both fighters. Both fighters are coming off of back to back losses staring at the three strike rule. When you have a fight in which one fighter must win to stay in the UFC, it tends to bring out the best in them. This is special because both men are trying to avoid getting the dreaded pink slip from Dana White and Joe Silva.

Emerson is a very aggressive fighter that loves to stand and trade shots with his opponent. Nover is no stranger to striking as he has trained in one martial art or another since he was ten years old. He has been focusing on his jiu jitsu for a while now and may want to try and end this fight early with a take down and submission. Now matter where the fight goes you can be sure that these two will leave it all in the Octagon in hopes of keeping their job with the most recognized MMA organization in the world. Fireworks should go off inside the Octagon during this one and sadly we may not see it.

The next intriguing match up you may not see is between Mostapha al Turk (4-4) and Rolles Gracie Jr. (3-0). Mostapha is a man who has not been able to have any success since his arrival in the UFC. He has been TKOed in both fights which I don’t think he will have to worry about in this match with UFC newcomer Rolles Gracie. Rolles is undefeated with all wins coming via submission which is not surprising being that he is a Gracie. I am always intrigued by the chance to see a Gracie step inside the Octagon. After all, it was another Gracie that many of us watched eyes glued to the television, as he submitted much larger men with moves most of us had never seen before. Now we have yet another Gracie entering into the UFC. Rolles has been splitting his time training between Greg Jackson’s MMA and Team Renzo Gracie (13-6-1). It will be interesting to see how far along his stand up game has evolved as most of the Gracie’s have lacked solid striking. However going against an admitted submission wrestler in al Turk, we could see the fight hit the mat very fast and witness the newest generation of Gracie pull off a submission reminding us all of Royce Gracie (14-3-3) and the start of the UFC.

The last fight that I wish was on the main card features “All American” Brian Stann (8-2) welcoming “Mr Wonderful” Phil Davis (4-0) to the UFC. I know Brian Stann has not come in with guns blazing since he came over from the WEC but the fact that he has transferred to Jackson’s Academy should intrigue anyone. Jackson has a knack for making average fighters become top ten fighters. Brian is very athletic and Greg Jackson is sure to have given him some new tools for his tool belt. Brian is also a fan favorite due to his hero status as a recipient of the Silver Star while serving in the Marine Corps.

Phil is one of the world’s top prospects in the sport being a four time All-American wrestler at Penn State University, a national champion and finishing his college career with a record 0f 116-20. These are major accomplishments that have the MMA world watching and waiting to see how he will fare in the sport. Training out of Alliance Training Center in San Diego he has managed to keep his record perfect even if it was only four fights.

All Star wrestler and world class prospect debuting against the Marine Corp Captain who many call an American hero. Intrigued yet? I don’t know about you but I get very excited to see fighters making their UFC debuts, especially when the guy happens to be such a major prospect. If he beats Stan his status of prospect becomes set in stone and he will sky rocket in popularity. That is if anyone other than those attending the event actually were to see the fight.

Those are three most intriguing fights we may not see at UFC 109. Is there a fight I did not mention that you feel belongs here? Maybe a fight I mentioned that you laughed out loud while reading about here? As always you can join me on MMA Gospel Radio every Wednesday from 8-10 PM EST by logging into www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel. We have the “Cageside Chat” open where you can talk with our other listeners as well as myself and co-host. Hope to see you there.

DiSabato told MMA Weekly, “Better now than never!”

The two MMA legends have never fought during their storied careers.

Forty-six year old Couture narrowly won a three-round unanimous decision over “Truth” Brandon Vera (11-4) in Couture’s return to 205-pounds at UFC 105 in Manchester Saturday.

Forty-four year old Coleman won a unanimous decision over The Ultimate Fighter 1 light heavyweight “American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar (11-6) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas July 11.

The match-up is the oldest in the UFC’s history at a combined 90-years.

Forty-six year old Couture narrowly won a three-round unanimous decision over “Truth” Brandon Vera (11-4) in Couture’s return to 205-pounds at UFC 105 in Manchester Saturday.

Forty-four year old Coleman won a unanimous decision over The Ultimate Fighter 1 light heavyweight “American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar (11-6) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas July 11.

The match-up is the oldest in the UFC’s history at a combined 90-years.

“I’ve grown up. I’ve really, really grown up,” Ortiz stated on MMA Weekly Radio regarding DiSabato’s slur. “I’ll take the high road.”

In the the Tweet a month ago, DiSabato called Ortiz’s wife and former adult film star Jenna Jameson “a whore”. But, in recent days, DiSabato has put forth an apology of sorts according to a recent report by Cage Potato.

“When I said what I said, I was very emotional. DiSabato recently stated to the media. It was me responding without thinking, and that’s not really my style.”

Ortiz replied to the apology and situation on MMA Weekly Radio by saying, “I feel sorry about Mark Coleman having him [DiSabato] as a manager. There’s some really monstrous things that should have never been said about my family.” Ortiz continued, “I would have never said anything about Mark Coleman‘s family.”

Following Coleman’s withdrawal from his previously scheduled UFC 106 bout with Ortiz due to a torn MCL, Ortiz is now scheduled to face former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin (16-4) in UFC 106 on Nov. 21 in Las Vegas, but left the door open concerning a future bout with Coleman.

Ortiz told said, ” Hopefully he’ll [Coleman] get his knee healed up and hopefully they’ll still be able to stick me in that fight because there’s some really bad blood there.”

“Coleman, Coleman, Coleman…to bad he sissies out,” Ortiz posted at Twitter Tuesday morning.  “Who’s next?  I’m kicking someone’s ass on Nov 21st!”

MMA Weekly has since reported that it has “confirmed” Coleman’s withdrawal with “sources close to the bout”.

With the possibility of a replacement getting in a full six weeks of training before the November 21 fight versus Ortiz, it shouldn’t be difficult for the UFC to find a willing replacement.

Though a match-up between Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked light heavyweight “Banha” Luis Arthur Cane (8-1) and “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (15-3) has been speculated for 106, it hasn’t been officially announced.  Either fighter could step-in to fight Ortiz in a legitimate co-main event.

Other light heavyweights who could step-in to a co-main event versus Ortiz include “Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (14-5-1) and Forrest Griffin (16-5).  Griffin is unlikely to take the rematch with Ortiz on somewhat short notice after his embarrassing knockout loss to “Spider” Silva at UFC 101 in Philadelphia August 8.  Jardine, however, should be fresh after his first-round loss to Thiago Silva (14-1) at UFC 102 in Portland August 29.

Another possibility, though unlikely, is eighth-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (24-7) finishing-up his contract negotiations with the UFC immediately and taking on the challenge.

Deep into the UFC’s 205-pound list, top prospect “Bones” Jon Jones (8-0) is expected to fight Ortiz’s former pupil “Hammer” Matt Hamill (6-2) at The Ultime Fighter 10 finale in Las Vegas December 5, but could be drafted to step-up versus Ortiz in a pickle.

UFC champ and Fighters.com’s second-ranked heavyweight Brock Lesnar (4-1) will defend his title versus sixth-ranked Shane Carwin (10-0) in the UFC 106 main event.

Also on the card, light heavyweights “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) and “Hammer” Mark Coleman (16-9) will fight in a battle of UFC legends.

Lesnar beat the pulp out of Frank Mir (12-4) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas in July.

Carwin knocked out former UFC title challenger “Napao” Gabriel Gonzaga (10-4) last March in Columbus at UFC 96.

Also officially announced is a light heavyweight bout between former UFC light heavyweight champion “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) and former UFC heavyweight champion “Hammer” Mark Coleman (16-9).

Ortiz lost a unanimous decision to Fighters.com and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion “Dragon” Ryoto Machida (15-0) at UFC 84 in Las Vegas in May 2008.

Coleman won a unanimous decision over “American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar (11-6) at UFC 100.

“It’s a revenge, and Coleman will be ready,” Rua told Tatame.

Coleman won their original match-up in Saitama, north of Tokyo, in February 2006 by TKO when Rua broke his arm bracing himself for a Coleman slam.

“We fought once; and, I think this fight isn’t over yet.  If I were him, I’d never celebrate a victory like that, but let’s see it now,” Rua challenged.

Both fighters will return from injuries causing them to bail on their previous match-ups.

The original UFC Heavyweight Champion and UFC Hall of Famer Coleman was pegged to challenge Brock Lesnar (2-1) in Minneapolis 9 August, but tore his MCL training for the fight and was replaced by “Texas Crazy Horse” Heath Herring (28-14).

Rua was to challenge sixth-ranked “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-6) in London 7 June but ruptured the ACL he had had surgery on after losing to Forrest Griffin (16-4) in Los Angeles in September 2007.

“In my last fight I did some mistakes in the detail and I’ll be 100% prepared now, stronger than ever,” Rua told Tatame.  “I’m training hard Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu and wrestling and I have a new weight program.”

Coleman won the first fight in Saitama, north of Tokyo, in February 2006 when Rua broke his arm after being tackled in a scramble.

Rua lost his Octagon debut in September 2007, tapping in a rear naked choke to Fighters.com’s Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin (16-4).

Coleman, a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, hasn’t fought in the Octagon since 1999 and hasn’t fought at all since tapping in an armbar to Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (28-1) in 2006.

The fight between world’s best welters will replace the previously announced main event featuring Brock Lesnar (1-1) versus “Hammer” Mark Coleman (15-8).

Forty-three-year old Coleman withdrew from the fight after tearing his MCL in training.

The “Godfather of Ground’n'Pound”, as coined by UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan, was brought back to the UFC for his first fight in the Octagon since UFC 18 in 1999 to give Lesnar a name, but manageable opponent.

Lesnar debuted in the UFC in February with a first-round kneebar submission loss to Frank Mir (11-3).

“Rush” recaptured the UFC title in April in a revenge rout of “Terror” Matt Serra (9-5).

Fitch won a slog by unanimous decision UFC debuting Chris Wilson (13-4) in March.

Lesnar will remain on the card versus an opponent to be determined.

CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights will be the North American broadcast television unveiling of our sport.

“This is more than a spectacular opportunity for Kimbo to be in front of a potential audience of 100-million plus eyeballs,” said EliteXC Live Events President Gary Shaw, also on Thursday.

“I think it sucks,” White concluded.  “Kimbo Slice isn’t a mixed martial arists.  This is a guy who was fighting in your back yard three months ago.  Now he’s headlining on CBS.”

For those behind White, the argument runs: MMA has gone from groin strikes to Unified Rules since UFC 1, from Kevin Rosier (2-6) to “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (16-2).  Kimbo Slice erases the last 15 years of the sport’s evolution.

How many years does Brock Lesnar (1-1) erase?  At least 12, back to the beginning of the powerful Hammer House era.

Lesnar headlines the UFC’s August card in Minneapolis versus Hammer House’s original “Hammer” Mark Coleman (15-8).

But, an argument that either Slice or Lesnar is going to convince the mainstream that MMA peaked in 1996 is misguided.

That’s what they already think.

We’re blinded inside the MMA bubble to the reality that Slice and Lesnar still represent what the mainstream thinks MMA is.

A backyard brawler or former pro wrestler sell tickets and PPV buys because that’s still the mainstream expectation of MMA.

Despite the last three years of North America  MMA eruption, the mainstream still considers MMA a blood-thirsty, no-holds-barred duel of brutes.

Few minds will be changed, but continued mainstream ignorance may be encouraged.  There’s still so many to educate about the sport.

Notes From Around MMA

* Last Wednesday on TAGG radio, “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-1-1) became the latest UFC fighter to complain about his compensation, saying, “It’s kind of sad, you know, when the company comes out on the cover of Forbes, and then you definitely just know where all the money is going to. It’s kind of like, ‘What the hell?’”

* TUF 7 cast member Jesse Taylor (6-2) told the North County Times, “”Let’s just say I’m undefeated so far,” about his record on the SpikeTV reality competition show.

* When asked by Eastside Boxing what his most satisfying moment was, “Stitch” Jacob Duran said, “For MMA the most satisfying moment came during the Forrest Griffin/Mauricio Rua fight.  I was working Forrest’s corner during this fight when he received a lightning bolt gash on the center of his forehead.  It was a really bad cut and the fight was close to being stopped.  I managed to get it under control for about four minutes, and Forrest went out and submitted Rua.”  Fifth-ranked light heavyweight Forrest Griffin (15-4) thanked Duran with a card and gift certificate to an upscale restaurant.

* “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (31-8-1) is urging UFC President Dana White to make a fight between UFC Welterweight Champion St. Pierre and UFC Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (21-4), the top-ranked welterweight and middleweight respectively.  “If Dana can make that fight, I’ll be in the line to buy a ticket,” Silva told Yahoo!Sports.

* “Techno Goliath” Hong Man Choi (1-1) was discharged from the South Korean military two days after reporting for mandatory service.  Officials cited Choi’s brain tumor pressing against his optic nerve as the reason for his dismissal.

The kickboxer from Curitiba vanquished former PRIDE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Champion “Hollywood” Dan Henderson in a rear naked choke at 4:52 of the second round.

The first round illustrated why Henderson, 22-7, was pegged as Silva’s last great challenge at 185-pounds.

The wrestler from California nixed the champion’s world class stand-up with lateral movement that prevented Silva from setting and delivering his laser-like strikes.

Henderson grabbed hold of the “Spider” and dumped him to the mat in an awkward half guard that allowed “Hollywood” to smother Silva while peppering him with hammer fists.

The frustrated champion endured to the second frame.

In a sloppy Thai clinch, Silva slammed a knee to Henderson’s chiseled chin, causing the the top contender to crumble.

Silva pounced!  A barrage of strikes convinced Henderson to give up his back, the fatal flaw leading to a rear naked choke submission with just eight seconds to spare in the round.

While UFC broadcasters Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan wondered allowed who could challenge the champion, Silva seemed to indicate a third tussle with former UFC Middleweight Champion “Ace” Rich Franklin was due.

In the broadcasted card’s only heavyweight rumble, “The Texas Crazy Horse” Heath Herring tumbled into a split decision “W” over Cheick Kongo of France.

The Parisian kickboxer insisted on wrestling, to the surprise of everyone including Herring.  Kongo dumped the Texan by force of will, but never capitalized on his advantageous ground positions as Herring consistently swept and reversed into safer territory.

In the end, Herring’s pitter-patter of pounding and Kongo’s cluelessness on the mat served Herring the “W” and a possible rematch with current interim UFC belt holder Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, whom Herring came within a hair of beating last year.

In untelevised heavyweight action, former UFC titlist “The Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski wrapped-up his current UFC contract and possibly his Octagon career with second round TKO of Jake O’Brien.

Arlovski has openly entertained the idea of quitting the UFC for greener opportunities.

Another pair of middleweights made the PPV broadcast when former UFC Middleweight Champion Evan Tanner was knocked silly…er with a knee from the Thai clinch by Yushin Okami.

The fight was Tanner’s first since April 2006 and the vet seemed to gas late into the first round before eating the death blow at 3:00 of the second.

18-4 Chris Leben TKO’d 185-pound newbie “Legionarius” Alessio Sakara of Italy at 3:16 of round one.

“The Crippler” Leben knocked Sakara to his back with a left hook behind the ear, then pounced on the Roman with six unanswered punches before referee Herb Dean waved the affair closed.

Welterweights Josh Koscheck and Dustin Hazelett lit each other up for a round before a Koscheck kick found the button behind Hazelett’s ear a minute into round two.  Koschek pummeled the fallen fighter until the referee called it a TKO for Koscheck.

The PPV opened with the longest three rounds of my life between welterweight contender Jon Fitch and UFC-debuting Chris Wilson of Team Quest.

Wilson spent most of his Octagon initiation on his bicycle while Fitch tried to chase him down.  The judges awarded Fitch a unanimous decision for aggression and superior wrestling positioning.

The rest of the untelevised portion of the card included a unanimous decision  “W” for 12-3 welterweight Luigi Fioravanti over Luke Cummo, who falls to 6-5.

“Nightmare” Diego Sanchez was tossed a bit of red meat in Sweden’s David Bielkheden after dropping two consecutive fights.  Sanchez devoured Bielkheden in a first round strikes submission.

Lightweight Jorge Gurgel took a unanimous decision over John Halverson to improve to 12-3, 3-2 in the Octagon.

 UFC 82 sold out Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The “Godfather of Ground’n'Pound”, as christened by UFC big mouth Joe Rogan, also re-upped for a return to the Octagon at 44-years young and after a nine-year absence.

The tetralogy begins 9 August in Minneapolis versus 1-1 former collegiate and pro wrestling champion Brock Lesnar.

“I’m going to dedicate my life to this,” claimed Coleman at UFC 82.

The 15-8 former NCAA wrestling champion and Olympian spent most of his post-UFC run in PRIDE where he posted a Grand Prix championship and wins versus Mauricio Rua, Igor Vovchanchyn, Don Frye, and Kazuyuki Fujita.

In the UFC, Coleman developed the strategy known as “ground’n'pound” and took UFC 10 with a TKO of Don Frye, UFC 11 with a tapout on strikes versus Brian Johnston, and was crowned UFC Heavyweight Champion at UFC 12 with a neck crank submission of Dan Severn.

He last fought Fedor Emelianenko in October 2006 at PRIDE’s American debut, tapping to the Russian in an armbar at 1:15 of round two in front of his two young daughters.

His return to his UFC roots seems fueled by the promotion’s desire to find soft but marketable heavyweight competition for high-dollar headliner Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar lost his UFC debut in February to Frank Mir in a round one leg lock.

Coleman warned, “I’m going to bring something for Brock Lesnar.”

And, if Coleman does post the conceivable “W” over Lesnar, where does that take the MMA elder?  Where does that leave the athletically-gifted rookie?