But perhaps nobody personifies that notion more then the top-10 ranked lightweight, Eddie Alvarez.

After a fairytale run through DREAM’s 2008 lightweight grand prix was cut short when the ring side doctor’s claimed Alvarez unable to continue due to large swelling around his right eye, despite defeating Tatsuya Kawjiri to claim the final spot in the tournament run.

We would later return to the states after a brief stint in Japan, and signed with Bellator Fighting Championships.

From there, even the initiated who weren’t familiar with Eddie Alvarez and his punching prowess, were going to get a rude introduction to the punch-face-spectrum.

At Bellator 33, in front of adoring hometown crowd in Philadelphia, Eddie Alvarez displayed some of his best striking to date. Devastating low kicks, “dart” right hands and mixed in with some takedown’s, it really looked like just a matter of time before Huerta would go. However, the tough Mexican fighter displayed the kind of heart and pride that fans have become familiar with from Roger, and he didn’t go without a fight.

It was a ringside doctor that halted the October tussle at the end of the second round, after Alvarez’ right hands had taken their toll on Huerta’s right eye (ironically enough) and called a halt to the bout. And just like that, Eddie got the super fight that him and the fans had wanted to see since Roger’s inception in Bellator earlier this year, and made the lightweight champion only the second man in “El Matador’s” near 30-fight career to finish him.

However with the loss, according to Huerta’s manager Jeff Clark who spoke with MMAFighting.com recently, Roger also suffered to broken orbital bones, one for each eye.

“He’s a little beaten up but how long he stays out really depends on the breaks,” Clark told MMA Fighting. “The doctors are looking at it.”

Roger’s downtime is unknown at this point, but we will know more within the coming days.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the news? When Huerta is fully recovered, who would you like to see him in there with? Does the win validate Eddie as a top player in the lightweight division not just in Bellator, but in the world?
Sound off in the comment section below.

Bjorn Rebney, the CEO of Bellator, said the following over at Sherdog: “There aren’t promotional issues… There aren’t any hurdles… We’ll do it on Showtime… Let’s do it in San Jose. The answers to the questions are very simple. There’s no reason that fight shouldn’t happen but for the fact that the promoter of Gilbert Melendez doesn’t want it to occur.” In the same article, Alvarez himself accuses Scott Coker, CEO of Strikeforce, of protecting his champion when he said the following: “(Scott Coker)’s trying to obviously protect his champion. I guess he has every right to.”

Now, I’m not a conspiracy theorist by any stretch of the imagination. But it does strike me as a bit odd that Bellator is basically willing to give Strikeforce all the power and promotional exposure in making this match while Scott Coker is still saying that it’s a fight that needs to have a lot of questions about it answered before it becomes a reality. Bellator is willing to serve up Eddie Alvarez on a silver platter, he’ll go to Strikeforce’s base of operations and he’ll fight on their network. Really, what more could Scott Coker ask for?

Eddie Alvarez is certainly deserving of a fight with Melendez, and it’s certainly not like the belt is too prestigious for Alvarez to get a shot at it in his first fight with the promotion. I mean, this is a belt that has just barely found itself on stable ground, at one time we saw an Interim Champion defend his Interim Championship. Gilbert Melendez is an incredible fighter, but the Strikeforce Lightweight Championship lacks the prestige required to just sweep Alvarez under the rug and pretend that he’s not worthy.

However, I’ll admit that the opposing side has their points. Coker has every right to protect his champion, if that is indeed what he’s doing. Strikeforce as a whole is still very much a work-in-progress, establishing credibility in each and every one of their divisions is a huge priority right now. How would it look if a (supposedly) unknown fighter from another organization received an immediate title shot and then humiliated your champion? With Showtime and CBS breathing down your neck, it wouldn’t look good at all, that’s for sure.

So, at the end of the day, do the risks outweigh the rewards? I certainly think so. Both Strikeforce and Bellator could use all the help they could get. There are precious few “dream fights” outside of the UFC and outside of Strikeforce’s Heavyweight division, and this encounter has “dream fight” written all over it. If Strikeforce is afraid that fans won’t know who Eddie Alvarez is, trust me, they’ll know who he is by the time round 2 starts.

And what do you think, fans and friends? Is Strikeforce and Scott Coker really ducking Bellator and Eddie Alvarez? And who would win this fight if it ever happens?

Eddie Alvarez defeats Roger Huerta via TKO due to a Doctor’s Stoppage at the end of Round 2. Ben Askren defeats Lyman Good by Unanimous Decision to become the Bellator Welterweight Champion. Rick Hawn defeats LaVon Maynard via TKO due to strikes at 4:53 of Round 1. Wilson Reis defeats Deividas Taurosevičius via Split Decision. Tim Carpenter defeats Jamal Patterson via Split Decision. Kenny Foster defeats Lester Caslow via Unanimous Decision.  Luiz Azeredo defeats Eduardo Guedes via Unanimous Decision. Nick Cottone defeats Tuan Pham via Unanimous Decision. Fran Evans def Lewis Cassner via submission due to a Triangle Choke at 3:20 of Round 1.

With this win, I think it’s undeniable that Eddie Alvarez has entered into “Top 5” status. Where he belongs in that list is open to debate, and I’m sure we’ll get some of that started soon, but I think Alvarez definitely deserves to be talked about in the same sentence as Frank Edgar, BJ Penn, Shinya Aoki, and Gilbert Melendez. Eddie Alvarez hasn’t lost a fight since 2008, he’s on a six-fight win-streak, and he’s finished every single one of those fights. The man is a phenomenal athlete, and I think big things are in store for him in 2011.

However… with absolutely no disrespect meant to Bellator, a promotion that I’m not too knowledgeable of but have no major problems with, I think Eddie Alvarez has become too big for Bellator FC. Alvarez needs world-ranked opponents, and right now Bellator has set itself up as the go-to place for aspiring rookies rather than top-level talent. Aside from a few bright examples, with Alvarez himself being one of them, Bellator FC doesn’t have a lot of recognizable, world-tested fighters. If Alvarez doesn’t move on to greener pastures, he may honestly begin to stagnate at Bellator.

If Scott Coker and Strikeforce keep stalling in their attempts to make an Eddie Alvarez vs. Gilbert Melendez “Champion vs. Champion” fight, then I think Alvarez should leave Bellator outright and join with Strikeforce. The competition is fiercer, the names are bigger, the pay is higher, and the exposure is greater. I think Eddie Alvarez could become one of Strikeforce’s biggest assets and would be a huge step in the right direction as Strikeforce still struggles with filling its ranks with worthy contenders.

In regards to Roger Huerta, I honestly empathize with the man. It’s pretty plain to see that his brawling, “eat two just to give one” style has ran its course. Huerta finds himself in a very difficult predicament: he needs to completely change his style in order to be truly successful as a Mixed Martial Artist, but his style is what got him his fame and popularity in the first place. I don’t know where Roger Huerta goes from here, but I’ll certainly be pulling for him and I wish him nothing but the best.

And what about you, fans and friends? What did you think of Bellator 33? And where do you see Eddie Alvarez and Roger Huerta ending up in the future?

After a strong run in the UFC, where Roger racked up an impressive 6-2 record, he left the worlds largest organization in favor of the upstart promotion, Bellator Fighting Championships.

An early favorite to become the second season lightweight tournament finalist, Roger’s rise to the top was cut short by lightweight prospect Pat Curran (UFC and WEC veteran Jeff Curran‘s cousin).

Now, losing the last 3 of his last 4 fights, Huerta knows that his next scheduled bout against Eddie Alvarez, in a non-title fight on Oct. 21 is either do-or-die for his career.

“I’ve been really in a slump where it’s been kind of up and down, up and down”, said Huerta in a recent interview with Sherdog.com.

“Like where I’m at in life, what things mean to me in life. It’s been more than just competing and fighting, (but) I think I’m over that now.”

Now over the mental hurdle of expectations, Huerta now takes in the second chance he has received in his career. Shortly after receiving his bid to a title shot to face Alvarez, Pat Curran had suffered injury, and in his place stepped in Huerta, though the fight will not be contested for the belt, nonetheless, it’s a fight (which takes place in Alvarez’ backyard of Philadelphia at Bellator 33) that Roger has fantasized about.

“It’s a dream come true for me, to be honest,” Huerta said. “Something that I was looking forward to when I signed on with Bellator. This is a guy who I’ve been eying, and all of a sudden here it is. It’s happening now and it’s going to be good.”

A win vaunts him back among the best in his class, a loss, which would spell 4 losses in 5 tries, could mean an end to his career.

“I feel like if Eddie wins, he ends up killing my career,” Huerta said. “I can’t take another loss. This is really personal for me. This is my life.”

5. Increased exposure across several television networks.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker recently stated that TV issues were the main reason holding back Melendez/Alvarez. I actually think this is a blessing in disguise. No matter who ends up with which fighter, promoters get their fighters on another network representing their brand. It’s a great way to drive up brand interest, and everyone benefits from increased TV exposure.

4. Strikeforce goes viral.

If any MMA company currently operating can be said to truly “get” viral marketing, it’s Bellator. The upstart promotion has started several successful viral marketing campaigns, the highlight of which was a video showcasing an insane Reverse Triangle Choke by Toby Imada on Jorge Rivera that earned numerous “Submission of the Year” awards. For a promotion that’s still trying to enter into the mainstream, that video alone has close to a million views. Strikeforce could only benefit from Bellator’s knowledge of how to crank out online videos that are viewed by hundreds of thousands of potential fans and customers.

3. Both promotions compliment each other’s rosters so well.

That was basically my point in the introduction to this piece, so of course this one registers high on my list. Both promotions benefit from each other’s rosters because both rosters fill each other’s gaps. Bellator would get some big names that would really drive the push to mainstream acceptance, Strikeforce would move out of the shadow of having big-name stars and, for the most part, only big-name stars. Aside from Eddie Alvarez and Roger Huerta, name a Bellator star that everyone really talks about with regularity. Aside from the champions and big-name stars, name a good low-level or mid-level talent in Strikeforce that performs with regularity and has an actual fanbase. There are examples in both cases, some of them quite obvious, but for the most part they’re few and far between. By mixing rosters, both promotions get the “best of both worlds” treatment.

2. The chance for epic dream-matches.

Alvarez vs. Melendez is the most obvious example, but why stop there? Why not Roger Huerta vs. Nick Diaz if Nick ever does make good on his promise to one day go back down to Lightweight? Bellator has a lot of weight divisions, they’ve even got a female MMA division. Moving forward, as more fighters begin to gain steam and get noticed, there’s going to be a lot of potential big-money fights available if both companies pool their resources. I wholeheartedly believe that Alvarez/Melendez would be just the tip of the iceberg.

But above all else, my #1 reason why this partnership would work is…

1. Everyone loves a rivalry.

Back in the day, do you know what would happen if you started a “UFC vs. PRIDE” argument? You’d get people laughing at you, laughing with you, siding with you, and criticizing you. You’d get arguments, debates, flame wars, trolls, and fantasy matches. Everyone would come out of the woodwork, everyone had an opinion, everyone wanted to get their words in. And do you know why that is? It’s because everyone loves a rivalry. It’s one of the most basic reasons to look forward to a fight, but it’s also one of the most enduring and most profitable. If Alvarez/Melendez kick-starts a promotional rivalry, both promotions will benefit hugely. Sides will be picked, battle lines will be drawn, and the war will rage. Strikeforce and Bellator fans will do whatever they can to support their promotion of choice, while those interested in why so many people get riled up over the rivalry end up checking out both promotions to see what the fuss is about. Everyone benefits.

And that’s what I think fans and friends. Now it’s your turn: what did you think of my list, and what would you add/subtract from it?

“El Matador” recently spoke on Inside MMA, and had this to say (text recap courtesy of MMA Mania): “I’m putting this in my mind that he’s trying to go out and kill me, kill my career. I’m not going to let that happen. He’s going to bring the best out of me and I’m going out there to try to knock him out and to finish him.”

I certainly respect Huerta for being so motivated for this match with Alvarez. If I’m being honest, I think there’s a real argument to be made that Huerta hasn’t been really motivated for a fight since losing to Kenny Florian. He’s looked great win or lose, but I it honestly felt like his heart wasn’t in it anymore. I think Huerta knows he’s in a do-or-die situation when it comes to being a highly-ranked Lightweight, and I think being a highly-ranked Lightweight means something to “El Matador” again. I don’t doubt that we’ll see the best Huerta possible when he faces Alvarez.

But Huerta may be selling himself short if he thinks that another loss will kill his career. I don’t see Roger Huerta going anywhere anytime soon. His popularity may even be at the highest it’s ever been since his days competing in the UFC and becoming the first Mixed Martial Artist to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Nothing gets your name out there, for better or for worse, quite like a viral video. Huerta will always have a home in MMA, so long as he commits to it. He’s built like a GQ model and possesses an amazing amount of heart, skill, and tenacity. There’s a reason why everyone was thinking he’d be the next big thing sooner rather than later. And I think he can still get to that level one day.

He’ll have a tough time of it against Alvarez, though. That’s a fight that everyone wants to see, and I’m glad that it’s happening even though it’s not for the title and Huerta is coming off of a loss. Eddie Alvarez is a phenomenal fighter, and may just be the best fighter in the whole of the Bellator FC promotion. He’s 20-2 and hasn’t lost since 2008. When people speak about the UFC having most but not all of the best talent in the world, they’re talking about fighters like Eddie Alvarez.

And if you want my opinion? My gut says it’s too close to call, my heart says Huerta, my head says Alvarez. Both men are so evenly matched: they both have eleven (T)KO’s. They’ve both been submitted. Alvarez may be on a five-fight win-streak with all wins coming by way of submission, but he actually has only two more submission victories than Huerta. You could argue that Huerta has been in there with better competition, but you can also argue that Alvarez in a better position career-wise and that being in a do-or-die scenario that forces you to rise to the occasion can be as big of a curse as it can be a blessing. The more and more I try to examine this fight, the more and more I think it’ll be a toss-up. So for now, I’m just going to wait and see how it all goes down. And I’m sure that no matter who wins, we’ll be treated to a Fight of the Year-caliber showdown.

And what about you, fans and friends? Who’ve you got for Huerta/Alvarez, and why/how?

In an episode of TMZ Live, Huerta had this to say regarding the entire situation: “I approached the man and said, ‘You don’t do that.’ The video doesn’t show what happened next, but he said, ‘**** you.’ The tape also doesn’t show that he swung at me two or three times right after that. All you see is me bouncing up and down, he’s already swung at me at that point. Then the guy takes off running. I chased him down and you saw what else happened. If the same thing occurred, I would do it all over again. I have no regrets.”

Now, I can understand why some have come out against Huerta’s actions. He’s a highly-trained, highly-skilled Mixed Martial Artist. It doesn’t matter that the guy outweighed him, a drunken idiot is no match for a guy that’s competed and even won several fights in the biggest and best MMA promotion in the world. Huerta should have restrained himself and let the authorities handle the situation. No matter how much you attempt to justify it, vigilantism is still vigilantism.

I get that. I can grudgingly admit it: that argument has a point, most would consider it valid. But here’s the thing, though: do you honestly feel sorry for the guy who got knocked out? He was a drunken idiot that thought he was King of the World and wanted to prove it by knocking out a defenseless woman by attacking her from behind and hitting her in the back of her head. If anyone deserves to eat Roger Huerta’s boot for dinner, it was this guy.

It remains to be seen what effect this will have on Huerta’s career. To this day, no arrests have been made, and no statements have been given by the local police department other than the original, which was that the situation was “under investigation”. Huerta’s next fight is scheduled to be a dream-match against Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez at Bellator 33 in October.

In the end, I don’t regret supporting Huerta back when I first wrote about the situation. I don’t have any pity for the man he took down, took out, and stomped on. I don’t generally endorse going out and picking fights in bars, no matter how justified that fight may be, but if there’s one thing that truly reveals you to be the scum of the earth, it’s hurting a defenseless woman. I said it in the first article, and I’ll say it again: hopefully the time this loser spent in the hospital was time spent thinking about what a classless ass he was being.

And what do you think, fans and friends? Has your opinion changed at all from when this story first broke? And if it has, why? And if it hasn’t, why not?

Eddie Alvarez, the reigning and defending Bellator lightweight champion and DREAM veteran, will be facing UFC veteran and now-internet-sensation, Roger Huerta at Bellator 33.

The news was first reported during the broadcast of tonight’s Bellator 25 card, which was headlined by 185-pound champion Hector Lombard against former NFL player Herbert Goodman, in a non-title affair.

Pat Curran, the 155-pound season 2 lightweight tournament champion, earned the right to face current champion Eddie Alvarez while beating the aforementioned Huerta and Toby Imada along the way to the finals. However, a shoulder injury will sideline Pat Curran for the unforeseeable future, and in the interim steps in Huerta.

Roger made headlines recently as he was featured in a video popularized my TMZ, vindicating a woman who had been knocked out by a much larger african american male. Huerta approached the man, and one thing lead to another, and the video later showed said assailant on his back, bloodied and unconsciousness.

Eddie Alvarez rose to fame with his run through DREAM’s inaugural lightweight tournament. And with win’s over the likes of Tatsuya Kawajiri, Joachim Hansen, and Katsunori Kikuno anchoring his résumé, Alvarez has made himself a formidable opponent as well here in the states, and is widely recognized as a top-5 lightweight.

So, is this the fight fan’s would more like to see, or we’re we all banking on a title fight between Curran and Alvarez, more so, over this non-title affair?

Coming into his first fight in the UFC, former WEC Featherweight Championship contender Leonard “Bad Boy” Garcia was a 9-1 relative unknown, cast in the role of hometown (or at least “homestate”) hero, given that UFC 69 took place in Texas and Garcia was born in Plainview. Garcia also seemed to be cast in the role of “sacrificial lamb”, as his opponent, Roger Huerta, was on a seven-fight win-streak, his last two fights both being in the UFC, and his most recent fight ending in only 19 seconds. Coming into this fight, Huerta had proven that he was a fighter through and through despite his pretty-boy looks, and he seemed destined for a bright future in the UFC. Garcia looked to be easy pickings…until the bell rang to start the fight.

There’s no easy way to say that Leonard Garcia was more or less dominated by Roger Huerta, but Garcia put up the fight of his life and what was the best performance of his career until his recent fight with “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. Garcia never missed a step or lost his focus despite the heavy hurting Huerta put on him, and it seems that Garcia actually gained strength and speed as his situation became more do-or-die by the second. To this day, I can picture almost perfectly Huerta’s angry look of frustration at not being able to finish Garcia, as well as Garcia’s unflinching and unchanging ability to smile through the pain. At the end of the match, both men engaged in a prolonged show of sportsmanship that proved that both men were all class as well as all heart. While Huerta would go on to receive the Unanimous Decision win, ultimately both men won in that fight, as it gave Garcia the confidence to compete at an elite level and got people talking about Roger Huerta as a serious potential challenger to the UFC Lightweight Championship.

Both men would go on to have some tough times in their respective careers. After going 1-2 in the UFC, Garcia seemed to find success in the WEC’s Featherweight division, going 4-2-1 and always producing entertaining fights. However, Garcia is still a long way from getting another title shot since being submitted by then-champion Mike Brown at WEC 39. Huerta’s ascension to the Lightweight championship was cut short by a loss to Kenny Florian and, after taking a year off to pursue a film career, another loss to Gray Maynard. Huerta now competes in Bellator FC, which focuses more on developing young talent rather than signing major-name fighters, and yet still seems unable to find success, most recently losing to Pat Curran in the Bellator Lightweight Tournament Semi-Final.

However, none of that will ever take away from what both men accomplished in this fight. It was an all-out war of attrition between two men with heavy hands and serious heart. Huerta never let up, and Garcia never backed down. Huerta displayed incredible speed and power, Garcia displayed incredible spirit and durability. If you’re a fan of wild brawls, you owe it to yourself to watch and re-watch this match. There’s just no way you won’t be entertained, and that definitely makes this fight a “Great Moment in MMA History”.

The video begins right as an earlier scuffle was beginning to die down, only for a large man to be seen punching a woman in the back of the head, knocking her out. Upon viewing said cheap-shot, the nearby Huerta immediately begins shoving the man and calling him out for punching a woman. Roger quickly becomes incensed, taking off his shirt and hat while a nearby friend of Huerta attempts to prevent him from attacking. When it becomes clear that the man that attacked the woman isn’t backing down and actually tries to hit someone else, Huerta pounces on him and the camera attempts to track what happens.

While much of the gory detail is left out due to the chaos that ensues, the end result is crystal clear: the man is next seen unconscious and lying on the pavement, with blood covering his shirt, as Roger Huerta gets in a face-stomp for good measure. Assorted people rush to aid the fallen man, who eventually does get up off of the pavement…but only with the help of about five other people. Hopefully the creep learned a harsh lesson and will think twice before striking a woman and picking a fight with a UFC fighter.

And honestly, how stupid can you get? Most men already consider striking a woman one of the lowest things you could ever possibly do, but hitting her from behind? Also, he must have been a special kind of drunk to pick a fight with someone who’s been a professional fighter for seven years and has eleven (T)KO’s to his name. Put plainly: this man clearly deserved one hell of a beatdown for such a classless act, and “El Matador” was more than willing to serve up several steaming cans of whoop-ass.

So far, Austin PD has said that no arrests have been made following the altercation. Huerta’s manager also recently chimed in on the brawl, saying “I have not spoken to Roger yet about this incident, but I can say that it’s in his nature to be very protective of women.” It remains to be seen what effect, if any, this will have on Roger Huerta’s continuing career as a professional Mixed Martial Artist.

The response so far to this brawl has been overwhelmingly in support of Huerta, and I find myself on the same side as the majority. Huerta gave a little street justice to someone who was both drunk enough and moronic enough to both hit a woman and fight anyone who tried to call him on it. Hopefully the time this loser spent in the hospital was time spent thinking about what a classless ass he was being, and how thoroughly he got destroyed by a man he must have outweighed by at least fifty pounds. In an era where fake, wannabe fighters always try to pick fights at bars or clubs just to prove their own masculinity, it brings a smile to my face knowing that one such man ate a heaping helping of humble pie, while at the same time eating a heaping helping of Roger Huerta’s boot in his face.

And what do you think, fans and friends? Was this “bully beatdown” completely justified, or should Huerta face criminal and/or civil charges?

The talk of this fight taking place all started when Melendez appeared on “Inside MMA” on HDNet. Melendez recently beat Shinya Aoki (19-5), a man many believed to be a top three fighter in the lightweight division. Now Melendez believes the fight between him and Alvarez could be for the number one ranking.

“I think he’s an amazing fighter, and that’s why I call out Eddie Alvarez,” Melendez said. “Let’s unify those titles. I’d love to fight that guy and test myself. I think if I could beat him, I could be No. 1 and vice versa.”

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney jumped behind Melendez seeing the chance for a major fight that indeed would have major implications in the divisional hierarchy.

“I will do everything I can to get Gilbert what he asked for,” Rebney stated. “Gilbert wants the fight, Eddie wants the fight, and I want the fight. All we have to do is get Scott Coker on board, and together, we can make this happen. Eddie wants to fight the best, and Gilbert wants to fight the best, and there is no reason why any promoter or network should stand in the way of that.”

Scott Coker agreed that they need to put this fight together for the benefit of the fans and since Bellator and Strikeforce have already worked together it should not be hard to make come to terms.

“We’ve lent them three or four fighters already, and we had a brief conversation about (loaning) Roger Huerta, but the terms, conditioning, time just weren’t right,” Coker said. “But we’d love to work with them.”

This all hinges on Eddie winning his first title defense this fall when he will fight the winner of Toby Imada (26-14) versus Pat Curran (11-3).

Eddie Alvarez may just be the most underrated fighter in all of MMA. He keeps knocking down everything put in front of him and Fighters.com feels it is time he gets the recognition he deserves.

Recognition that would come from a cross-promotional super-fight fans have been waiting to see. When Pride FC was still around talk always surrounded Pride champs versus UFC champs. The fans and media alike wanted this to happen and we never truly got to see it unfold. Now these fights are starting to take place with fights like the aforementioned Aoki versus Melendez.

Fighters.com believes that if anything can save the inevitable sinking ship that has become Strikeforce it will be fights like this. Scott Coker needs to continue to work with Dream and Bellator in order to give fans match-ups that will not only put butts in the seats but also bring in the viewers. Something they have not been able to do their last two events.

Fighters.com hopes for the sake of the sport we get to see this fight at the beginning of next year. Stay tuned for further updates.

The winners of these fights will face each other in the Season Two finals in June with the winner earning the right to face Fighters.com third-ranked and Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez (17-2) in a title fight.

Rebney made the announcement today at a presser at the Wang Theatre, where he was joined by Curran and Alvarez, whose much-anticipated Bellator Super Fight with former UFC contender “The Dentist” Josh Neer (27-9-1) headlines the May 6th Boston card.

“As a fan, I can’t wait for our May 6th show in Boston,” Rebney said.  “Alvarez vs. Neer should be explosive, with Eddie making his first appearance in the U.S. since he won our lightweight title last summer.  Huerta vs. Curran just got really interesting coming off of Pat’s one punch KO of previously undefeated Mike Ricci. Toby’s world class submission wrestling vs. Carey’s world class wresting should be a great fight as well.”

The fallout from recent lightweight fights has the rankings in a mess right now and leaves Alvarez in a position to take the number one spot after the consensus one and two both lost. “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-6-1) lost his title at UFC 112 while second-ranked “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (19-5) lost in his American debut on the Strikeforce: Nashville card.

Fighters.com believes that Alavarez is one of the most overlooked fighters in the lightweight division. His only two losses come at the hands of Aoki in 2008 and “The Goat” Nick Thompson (38-11-1) back in 2007.

Bellator has been putting together tough fights in this highly anticipated season and fans are flocking to the tournament format to recapture some of the nostalgia from the early days of the UFC and of Pride Fighting Championships.

Huerta enters the tournament on a two-fight slide from the pinnacle of his career, losing to Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked lightweight “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (12-4) at UFC 87 in August 2008 and to fifth-ranked “Bully” Gray Maynard (9-0) at UFC Fight Night 19 last September.

Thirty-eight year old Hinton has won all six of his professional fights, all in the two Cincinnati-based promotions ICF and MMA Big Show.  At ICF 16 in Cincinnati last October, he knocked out Justin Moore (6-5) for the ICF lightweight strap.

Huerta will obviously be a quantum leap in competition for Hinton; but, Huerta has suffered from a lack of focus to match his immense physical and fighting capabilities. Hinton faces the biggest opportunity in his career in a no-lose situation while Huerta faces questions about whether he’s committed to fighting.

MMA Junkie is reporting that Huerta received his formal release from the UFC this week and is now finalizing the deal with Bellator and MMA Gospel Radios’s guest this past week, Bjorn Rebney. Bjorn is Bellator’s CEO and gave us one of the best interviews we have ever done.

Signing Roger Huerta is another big step for the small promotion making huge waves in mixed martial arts (MMA) news week in and week out. This would make Huerta the seventh lightweight added to the second season of Bellaor which kicks off April 8 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The season will run for twelve weeks and will air live on Fox Sports Net on Thursday nights. A highlight episode will air on NBC and Telemundo on the weekend. The second season focuses on tournaments in the featherweight, lightweight,welterweight and middleweight classes with the winners getting a shot to face the season one tournament champions.

This could be very big for Huerta as the winner of each division wins $100,000 over three fights in three months. If he wins the eight-man tournament he then gets a shot at current Bellator champion and Fighters.com third-ranked lightweight Eddie Alvarez (17-2).

When MMA Gospel Radio talked with Bjorn about Alavrez he was obviously excited to have what I consider one of the most under-rated fighters in all of MMA as his lightweight champion and spokesperson. Eddie was in one of the best fights I have ever witnessed when he faced fourth-ranked “Hell Boy” Joachim Hansen (18-8) at Dream 3 in the lightweight Grand Prix Quarter Finals. He won that fight via split-decision and the thought of him facing Roger Huerta is one to relish.

Time will tell what the future holds for Huerta and for Bellator but I am sure all MMA fans are excited to for the imdeiate future for both fighter and promotion.

Huerta fulfilled his contract with the UFC with split decision loss to Fighters.com’s fifth-ranked lightweight “Bully” Gray Maynard (8-0) at UFC Fight Night 19 in Oklahoma City in September and has entered a one-year matching period during which the UFC has the right to match any offer made to Huerta by competing promotions.

Before losing to Maynard, Huerta had claimed he would retire from fighting to pursue an acting career.  Howver, after the loss, he indicated he had reconsidered and told Sherdog he would like to return to MMA in February or March.

Huerta’s manager, Jeff Clark of NCFC Management, told Sherdog, “We’ve had a lot of interest from different parties.”

Huerta expressed specific interest in fighting second-ranked “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-4), Strikeforce champ “Punk” Josh Thomson (15-2-1), and interim Strikeforce champ “El Niño” Gilbert Melendez (16-2).

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)

The opening round set the theme of this fight as a tenacious and fast-paced affair.  The fighters measured one another up with leg kicks and punch flurries.  Huerta threw a healthy dose of lower legs kicks with Maynard answering with an equal helping of overhand right.  A minute in, Maynard attempted a Greco-style clinch, but Huerta escaped. During the exit, Maynard landed a big overhand right punch. Shaking the heavy right hand off, Huerta charged forward.  A second overhand right by Maynard knocked Huerta off balance, landing partially to the ground on one knee. Maynard, a three-time All-American college wrestler seemed more interested in throwing his trademark right hands. Huerta attempted to confuse Maynard’s boxing barrage by continously switching stances to southpaw. But the change of stances by Huerta was no obstacle as Maynard continued to deliver overhand rights with accuracy. Maynard followed his pinpoint right hand shots with a heavy left punch. With the clock ticking down and Maynard in momentum, suddenly “The Matador” caught “The Bully” in a furious exchange. Maynard visibly shaken bravely stayed in the fight charging back into the mix. Maynard grabbed a single leg and attempted a takedown but Huerta stuffed it pushing off the cage followed by a flurry of punches to the head of Maynard.

The second round began quickly with no measuring or calculations on the part of either fighter.  Huerta opened with a combination head and leg kicks.  Maynard answered with a solid right hook.  Maynard threw a heavy left overhand that missed opening the door for Huerta to answer with a fast flurry of left and right punch combinations.  Maynard countered with a strong left and right flurry of his own.  Huerta landed another lower leg kick but Maynard caught his willing opponent with yet another another heavy overhand right punch. Maynard suddenly shifted into stalking mode and buckled Huerta with a powerful straight jab.  But in exciting fashion, Huerta shook off the sting of Maynard’s jab and moved forward.  Huerta landed a leg kick as Maynard answered with a tough right hook.  Mayanrd seemingly in command of the momentum again landed a brief clinch tagging Huerta with a knee to the chin.  Maynard, moving forward in determination, pounded Huerta with another of his trademark overhand right punches.  Huerta answered by rushing forward with a fast flurry of punches backing Maynard into the fence.

The fight seemed really close on the cards and still quite fast paced as the final round began.  Maynard landed a bombing overhand right to Huerta’s jaw just as Maynard’s own nose began to spout blood from the three rounds of back-and-forth bruising.  Maynard rushed in for a double leg takedown and powerfully slammed Huerta to the floor. Maynard suddenly on top of a kneeling Huerta landed a few hammerfists for good measure.  Maynard sprawled in an attempt to win top-control over Huerta.  Huerta battled to foil Maynard’s wrestling superiority.  Scrambling, Huerta bravely avoided being taken down.  In the midst of Huerta’s respectable defense, Maynard suddenly grabbed a very strong Kimura from half guard.  Huerta in trouble from the submission hold tenaciously scrambled forcing Maynard to roll over on his back.  But Maynard refused to let go of the Kimura.  Huerta, still in visible trouble but refusing to tap out, landed some short shots to the ribs of Maynard.  Huerta scrambled again to avoid being pinned while Maynard continued to bully Huerta like his namesake.  Huerta eventually escaped to an upright clinch but Maynard landed some tough Greco-style punches to Huerta’s chin as the final bell rang.

Diaz and Guillard cross paths moving in opposite directions.

Diaz is on a two-fight losing streak, most recently getting manhandled in a UD loss to a relentless “Daddy” Joe Stevenson (30-9) at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale in Las Vegas last month.

Guillard is on a two-fight win streak, most recently pulling ahead in a split decision over Gleison Tibau (16-6) at the same event.

However, Diaz’s recent losses are against notably better competition than Guillard’s recent wins.

Sports Illustrated cover boy Huerta returns from being simply out-classed in a UD loss to UFC title challenger “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (11-3) at UFC 87 last August. This fight represents the final fight on his UFC contract, after which Huerta evidently plans to retire to pursue an acting career.

That’s not a healthy mindset to have when facing down Maynard, who will make his sixth Octagon appearance. At UFC 96 in March, Maynard defended his perfect record with a unanimous decision over “Mongoose” Jim Miller (13-2).

The card will air in the United States on SpikeTV and represents the UFC’s return to Oklahoma City after a 15-year absence.

“Hellboy” shocked Osaka 21 July by TKOing former Fighters.com Lightweight Champion “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-3) in the first round of the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix final.

Aoki spirals down eight wrungs to ninth on the loss, taking vanquished rival tenth-ranked “JZ” Gesias Calvancante (14-2-1) with him.

Penn takes the Championship from the second rank, but is torn between moving to welterweight to fight Fighters.com Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (17-2) or defending his Fighters.com and UFC titles from seventh-ranked, top UFC contender “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (10-3).

In Minneapolis 9 August, Florian cleared-up the UFC’s lightweight picture with a dominant UD over “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-2-1).

Hansen seems destined to defend his DREAM title from third-ranked Eddie Alvarez (15-1), who won a UD over Hansen in the second round of DREAM’s tournament.

Alvarez TKO’d “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-5-2) to earn the fight versus Aoki in the DREAM GP final, but sustained injuries that allowed Hansen to replace him.

Second-ranked “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-3) will fight DEEP Lightweight Champion Sung Hwan Pang (5-1) in Saitama, north of Tokyo, 24 August.

August Lightweight Rankings

1. “Prodigy” B.J. Penn (13-4-1)

“Prodigy’s” return to lightweight quickly resulted in UFC gold with two second-round stoppages over Joe Stevenson and Jens Pulver. In May, he dominated the best the UFC had to offer in a TKO of Sherk.  Will he stay at 155-pounds?

2. “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-3)

Gomi avenged a 2006 blip to Marcus Aurelio with a stoppage on NYE the same year followed by a stoppage of Mitsuhiro Ishida.  A year-long layoff keeps Gomi from ichi-ban, but he returned in March with a stoppage of Duane Ludwig.

3. Eddie Alvarez (15-1)

Since dropping from welterweight for the DREAM Lightweight GP, Alvarez has been relentless in a stoppage of Amade, UD over Joachim, and TKO of Tatsuya Kawajiri.  Only an injury prevented him from securing the DREAM title.

4. “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (19-7-1)

“Hellboy” shocked Aoki with a TKO in a rematch of the fight that introduced the gogoplata to MMA.  He also holds a UD over Boku, but decision losses to Alvarez and Mitsuoka hint at inconsistency.

5. “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (32-3-1)

“Muscle Shark” had been on the shelf for nearly a year since decisions over Franca and Florian.  In his return, Penn outclassed the wrestler to a TKO, leaving both top UFC lightweights with slim competition within the promotion.

6. Eiji Mitsuoka (13-5-2)

Mitsuoka followed up a majority decision over Hansen in Shooto by handing SpiritMC 155-pound champ Kwang Hee Lee  his first loss in Sengoku.  Only a SD loss to Boku in Cage Force tarnished his two-year record.

7. “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (10-3)

Florian is a finisher since losing a UFC title challenge to Sherk by UD. “KenFlo” is ready for a second title challenge after a dominant UD over top UFC contender Roger Huerta.

8. Kotetsu Boku (13-5-1)

Boku risks being labled a fluke.  After a SD over Mitsuoka, Boku has dropped consecutive decisions to Artur Oumakhanov and Hansen.

9. “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-3)

Aoki had eleven straight wins, including MMA’s first gogoplata stoppage over Hansen, topped only by MMA’s first gogoplata stoppage from the mount over Katsuhiko Nagata.  But, Hansen exacted revenge with a TKO in the DREAM GP final.

10. “JZ” Gesias Calvancante (14-2-1)

“JZ” has brushed Andre Amade, Vitor Ribeiro, and Nam Phan off his shoulders with stoppages since a MD over Caol Uno in ’06, part of 13 straight without a loss until losing a UD to Aoki in April.

The win facilitates an apparent New Year’s Eve champion-versus-champion rematch between St. Pierre and Fighters.com’s Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn (13-4-1), who was invited into the Octagon after the main event to challenge St. Pierre, saying, “I want to put this fight together.”

St. Pierre accepted Penn’s challenge, proclaiming, “I’m a proud champion.”

In the co-main event, Brock Lesnar (2-1) dominated a three-round unanimous decision over Fighters.com’s eighth-ranked heavyweight “Texas Crazy Horse” Heath Herring (28-14) by scores of 30-26 three times.

“I fell off the horse,” Lesnar told the 15,082 spectator hometown crowd referring to his Octagon debut loss to former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir (11-3), “but, tonight I got on that stallion and rode it out of town, baby! Wooo!”

Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked lightweight “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (10-3) won a blow-out unanimous decision over “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-2-1) by 30-27 on all three judges’ score cards in a UFC top contender bout.

“I trained to not got to the judges,” a somber Florian confessed after the fight. “A little disappointed in myself, but I’m going to learn from this.”

An even more disappointed, but dapperly dressed Huerta in vest and tie insisted after his loss, “I played into his gameplan. I made mistakes and I’ve got to fix those things.”

Florian’s victory and presumed ascension to the UFC’s top lightweight contendership spot leaves the Boston native in limbo after the UFC’s promotion of a champion-versus-champion showdown between St. Pierre and Penn.

One got the feeling Florian knew before his victory that a win didn’t earn him an immediate title shot when he replied to UFC commentator Joe Rogan’s question about a title fight, “We’ll wait and see.”

Florian beat Huerta walking away, literally.

In round one, Florian ducked under Huerta’s unwieldy haymakers and put “El Matador” on the mat, then mounted him. Huerta rolled into a Florian rear naked choke, but defended successfully.

In round two, Florian continued to let Huerta come to him, backpedaling and tagging Huerta with right hooks as Huerta marched aggressively forward.

“I was chasing him in the fight and that’s something I shouldn’t have done,” admitted Huerta, then he chided Florian, “If I wouldn’t have chased him, there wouldn’t have been a fight.”

In round three, Florian zapped Huerta with a front kick to the face, the second one Florian connected in the fight.

Florian praised, “I had him in some tough positions, had him rocked a few times, but he came back. He has a heart of a champion. That’s what I expected.”

St. Pierre’s vanquished challenger, American Kickboxing Academy’s Fitch, showed the heart of a champion too in his first title fight.

Despite being floored in the first round by a St. Pierre straight right as Fitch launched a leg kick, Fitch, bloodied and stunned, battled into round two through an onslaught of punches and elbows from a mounted St. Pierre.

“I rock him,” St. Pierre said after the fight. “He’s got a very good chin.”

St. Pierre yanked the reigns in a paced round two, which Fighters.com scored 10-9 for Fitch after Fitch pummeled St. Pierre’s body and landed a clean left hook to St. Pierre’s head.

“I was not in trouble,” St. Pierre insisted. “I was trying to pace myself because after the first time I rock him and I couldn’t finish him, I was like, ‘Man, this guy, I’m going to have to almost to kill him to win.’”

Round two would be the last round in which Fitch would challenge St. Pierre.

St. Pierre took Fitch down at will throughout the five rounds and, in round three, replayed the G’n'P onslaught that Fitch endured in round one.

The damage accumulated; and, Fitch’s stand-up, which, ironically, produced the former wrestling All-American’s best offense, grew sloppier.

St. Pierre began to land cleaner shots and more often, including a spinning backfist in round four that drove Fitch to the cage.

Round five was dominated on the mat by St. Pierre; but, both fighters were spent and produced little meaningful offense in the round.

“This loss is maybe the best thing that happened to [Fitch],” said St. Pierre. “It will only make him stronger.”

In heavyweight undercard action, Cheick Kongo (12-4-1) out-classed Octagon debuting Dan Evensen (10-3) in a first-round TKO at 4:55, then presumptuously asked the UFC for a title shot.

Welterweight Chris Wilson (14-4) won his UFC second chance over Steve Bruno (11-4) by unanimous decision.

“I’d like to not start waiting five and six months. I need to fight more often,” Wilson revealed after his UD. “So, if Uncle Dana [White] is willing to put me in sooner… He’s the boss.”

Lightweight Robert Emerson (8-6) knocked out TUF 5 runner-up “Pitbull” Manvel Gamburyan (8-3) in twelve seconds with a right overhand, followed by a left to Gamburyan’s temple as he fell to his back.

“I saw him throwin’, so I threw. You know, luckily mine landed first,” described Emerson after his impressive second UFC win. “Things are lookin’ up for me.”

Middleweight Abu Dhabi champion grappler Demian Maia (8-0) tapped a game, but out-classed “Athlete” Jason MacDonald (20-10) in a rear naked choke at 2:44 of round three in a dramatic back-and-forth mat battle.

“I just go and fight,” Maia said matter-of-factly after the stoppage.

TUF 6 middleweight “Berserk” Ben Saunders(6-0-2) remained undefeated with an armbar submission of Ryan Thomas (9-2) at 2:28 of round two.

“People go for the takedown, get a leg. I swung around to almost like a half-back type position. Did my homework, figured out exactly what I can do from there and [the armbar] was one of them, man,” described Saunders after the fight.

Welterweight “Barn Cat” Tamdan McCrory (9-1) won a unanimous decision over TUF 2 finalist Luke Cummo (6-6).

“I thought I broke his arm [in an armbar],” McCrory said after the fight. “I felt a little ring rust, but, I mean, I felt pretty good for nine months off. I’m ready to get drunk, man.”

Light heavyweight Jon Jones (6-0) won a unanimous decision over Andre Gusmao (5-1) in his Octagon debut.

“The win feels great,” Jones said. “I thought about this many nights, dreamin’ about it.”

Jackson’s is already home to Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked light heavyweight ”Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine (13-4-1), WEC featherweight title contender “Bad Boy” Leonard Garcia (11-3), and light heavyweight “Sugar” Rashad Evans (11-0-1).

Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (16-2) also makes regular tune-ups in Albuquerque with Greg Jackson and his crew.

Jackson’s publicist Ricky Schroder confirmed the commitment of Huerta and Parisyan early Tuesday morning, but would not discuss any more details.

Huerta will finish training for his 9 August lightweight challenger dispute with seventh-ranked ”KenFlo” Kenny Florian (9-3) in Albuquerque.

Parisyan is rumored to be matched versus tenth-ranked welterweight “Zenko” Yoshiyuki Yoshida (10-2) 6 September in Atlanta.

Fighters.com never questioned Penn’s talent, just his recent body of work at 155-pounds.

Though Penn fought unquestionably tougher competition last month, “Tobikan Judan” stole the show in the division by pulling a gogoplata from the mount out of his hat to tap Katsuhiko Nagata (4-3) 15 June in Tokyo.

It seems impossible for DREAM’s magician from Tokyo and the UFC’s warrior from Hilo to settle the cross-Pacific lightweight question; but, UFC President Dana White is desperate to keep Penn’s eyes from wandering out of the young UFC 155-pound division.

Penn told the post-UFC 84 press conference that, after out-boxing Sherk, it’s hard for him to get motivated to fight the winner of seventh-ranked “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (9-3) versus “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-1-1) to be fought in Minneapolis 9 August.

Penn wants Fighters.com’s Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (16-2).

White wants Penn to focus at 155-pounds.

Fighters.com predicts White is committed enough to the division and keeping Penn in it to sign some of the top lightweights not already in the UFC.

Maybe Aoki. Maybe not.

Maybe sixth-ranked Eddie Alvarez (14-1), who draws “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-4-2) in DREAM’s Lightweight GP in Tokyo 21 July.

Alvarez is on loan to DREAM from Adrenaline MMA, run by Alvarez’s manager Monte Cox.

Cox has a good relationship with the UFC and and his fighters.

Fighters.com speculates Cox would gladly send Alvarez to the big show for awhile if he feels like Adrenaline can’t give Alvarez the fights that best capatalize on Alvarez’s success in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Aoki fights on the same card as Alvarez in July, matched versus tenth-ranked “Uno Shoten” Caol Uno (25-10-4).

Third-ranked “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-3) returns versus a yet-to-be-named foe 24 August in Tokyo, keeping Fighters.com questioning why we’ve seen so little of the former PRIDE Champ since losing to Nick Diaz (17-7) in February 2007.

Eighth-ranked Hermes Franca (18-6) returns in Las Vegas 19 July from his suspension for testing positive for banned substances. He’s matched versus rising talent “The Answer” Frank Edgar (8-1).

Third-ranked “JZ” Gesias Calvancante (14-1-1) and ninth-ranked “Dida” Andre Amade (6-3-1) are both on the shelf after losing in DREAM’s Lightweight GP.

June Lightweight Rankings

1. “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (15-2)

Aoki has eleven straight wins, including MMA’s first gogoplata stoppage over Joachim Hansen, topped only by MMA’s first gogoplata stoppage from the mount over Katsuhiko Nagata.

2. “The Prodigy” B.J. Penn (13-4-1)

“Prodigy’s” return to lightweight quickly resulted in UFC gold with two second-round stoppages over Joe Stevenson and Jens Pulver. In May, he dominated the best the UFC had to offer in a TKO of Sherk. Will he stay at 155-pounds?

3. “The Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-3)

Gomi avenged a 2006 blip to Marcus Aurelio with a stoppage on NYE the same year followed by a stoppage of Mitsuhiro Ishida. A year-long layoff keeps Gomi from ichi-ban, but he returned last month with a stoppage of Duane Ludwig.

4. “JZ” Gesias Calvancante (14-1-1)

“JZ” has brushed Amade, Vitor Ribeiro, and Nam Phan off his shoulders with stoppages since a MD over Caol Uno in ’06, part of 13 straight without a loss until losing a UD to Aoki in April.

5. “The Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (31-2-1)

“Muscle Shark” had been on the shelf for nearly a year since decisions over Franca and Florian. In his return, Penn outclassed the wrestler to a TKO, leaving both top UFC lightweights with slim competition within the promotion.

6. Eddie Alvarez (14-1)

Since dropping from welterweight for the DREAM Lightweight GP, Alvarez has been relentless in a stoppage of Amade and a UD over Joachim Hansen.

7. “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (9-3)

Florian is a finisher since losing a UFC title challenge to Sherk by UD. “KenFlo” is ready for a second run at the title, but will first face Roger Huerta for the UFC top contendership.

8. Hermes Franca (18-6)

Despite a year suspension, Franca has been busy the last two years with stoppages of Spencer Fisher, Nathan Diaz, and new WEC champ Jamie Varner. He’s only dropped a UD to Sherk and returns 19 July versus Frank Edgar.

9. “Dida” Andre Amade (6-3-1)

Since a UD over Uno, Amade has been stopped consecutively by top tenners Alvarez and Calvancante. In the last two years, “Dida” has also stopped Artur Oumakhanov and Hiroyuki Takaya.

10. “Uno Shoten” Caol Uno (25-10-4)

Uno splashed into the top ten with a submission of former PRIDE title contender Mitsuhiro Ishida. The former UFC and K-1 star now begins a run in DREAM that leads to Fighters.com Champ Aoki in July.

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.

After two false starts, “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (15-2) and “JZ” Gesias Calvancante (14-2-1) finally fought for the Fighters.com top ranking in Tokyo at the end of April.

Aoki came out on top with a unanimous decision and now tops Fighters.com lightweight rankings, but suffered injuries that have postponed his DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix quarter final match-up versus Katsuhiko Nagata (4-2) until DREAM.4.

Calvancante fell to number three, allowing “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-3) to claim the second ranking.

Gomi is rumoured to be joining the 8 June Sengoku III card in Tokyo, but no opponent has been leaked.

Fourth-ranked “Prodigy” B.J. Penn (12-4-1) and fifth-ranked “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (31-2-1) will tussle for the UFC lightweight title 24 May in Las Vegas.

Eddie Alvarez (14-1) debuts in the lightweight top ten at number six after dominating “Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (17-7-1) in the quarter final of DREAM’s Lightweight GP.  He’ll fight in the semi-finals (and perhaps the finals) at DREAM.5 21 July.

Seventh-ranked “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (9-3) and eighth-ranked Hermes Franca (18-6) both hop two spots after “Endless Fighter” Mitsuhiro Ishida (16-4-1) got tapped in a rear naked choke in “Uno Shoten” Caol Uno‘s (25-10-4) DREAM Lightweight GP quarterfinal debut.

Florian is scheduled to fight “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-1-1) 9 August in Minneapolis for the UFC’s top contender spot, while Franca lingers in suspension after testing positive for banned substances last July.

Uno advances to the DREAM Lightweight GP semis (and maybe finals) with Alvarez, but against an unknown opponent.

“Dida” Andre Amade (6-3-1) also debuts in the lightweight rankings at number nine, mostly on the strength of his unanimous decision victory over Uno last September.  Recently, though, Dida has been dominated by Calvancante and Alvarez.

May Lightweight Rankings

1. “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (14-2)

Aoki has ten straight wins, including MMA’s first gogoplata stoppage over Joachim Hansen.  A UD over Calvancante in April cemented him atop Fighters.com’s rankings.

2. “The Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-3)

Gomi avenged a 2006 blip to Marcus Aurelio with a stoppage on NYE the same year followed by a stoppage of Mitsuhiro Ishida.  A year-long layoff keeps Gomi from ichi-ban, but he returned last month with a stoppage of Duane Ludwig.

3. “JZ” Gesias Calvancanti (14-1-1)

“JZ” has brushed Amade, Vitor Ribeiro, and Nam Phan off his shoulders with stoppages since a MD over Caol Uno in ’06, part of 13 straight without a loss until losing a UD to Aoki in April.

4. “The Prodigy” B.J. Penn (12-4-1)

“The Prodigy’s” return to lightweight quickly resulted in UFC gold with two second-round stoppages over Joe Stevenson and Jens Pulver.  He defends his title from Sherk at the end of May.

5. “The Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (31-2-1)

“The Muscle Shark” has been on the shelf for nearly a year since decisions over Franca and Florian.   He was the UFC’s first lightweight titlist since the division was reinstated and challenges Penn for title he was stripped of.

6. Eddie Alvarez (14-1)

Since dropping from welterweight for the DREAM Lightweight GP, Alvarez has been relentless in a stoppage of Amade and a UD over Joachim Hansen.

7. “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (9-3)

Florian is a finisher since losing a UFC title challenge to Sherk by UD.  “KenFlo” is ready for a second run at the title, but will first face Roger Huerta for the UFC top contendership.

8. Hermes Franca (18-6)

Despite a year suspension, Franca has been busy the last two years with stoppages of Spencer Fisher, Nathan Diaz, and new WEC champ Jamie Varner.  He’s only dropped a UD to Sherk.

9. “Dida” Andre Amade (6-3-1)

Since a UD over Uno, Amade has been stopped consecutively by top tenners Alvarez and Calvancante.  In the last two years, “Dida” has also stopped Artur Oumakhanov and Hiroyuki Takaya.

10. “Uno Shoten” Caol Uno (25-10-4)

Uno splashed into the top ten with a submission of former PRIDE title contender Mitsuhiro Ishida.   The former UFC and K-1 star now begins a run in DREAM.

“It’s not signed yet,” Florian said of a match-up pitting him against Sports Illustrated cover boy Huerta, “but, I’m confident it’s going to happen. The UFC is finishing up the contracts right now.”

Florian issued a challenge to Huerta after his second-round TKO of “J-Lau” Joe Lauzon (16-4) in Denver at the beginning of April.

Florian had entered that fight with two bulging discs and a herniated disc in his lumbar spine, as if anyone – least of all Lauzon – could tell.

“I felt like the old lady in the commercial where you’ve fallen and you can’t get up,” Florian told the Boston Herald. “It was a nightmare. I couldn’t get up; I couldn’t get to a phone.”

Florian admits, “I was having fun. There were a lot of guys in camp preparing for [UFC 83] and I was taking advantage of the sparring.”

Too much advantage!

“A lot of the guys were middleweights, so they’re walking around at 200-pounds,” Kenny explained. “[My team] won’t let me do that anymore. They’re holding me back.”

After a dominating finish of Lauzon, he could’ve just as legitimately called out the UFC Lightweight Champion to be determined 24 May in a fight between current titlist “The Prodigy” B.J. Penn (12-4-1) and former champ “The Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (31-2-1).

“It’s a promise I made. Before I fight for the title again, I want there to be no doubt that I’m the number one contender,” Florian explained. “It’s nothing personal. Roger is a good kid.”

After losing his 2006 title challenge to Sherk by unanimous decision, Florian made another promise. He promised to be “a finisher”.

Since that loss, “KenFlo” was become a dual stoppage threat, finishing Dokonjonosuke Mishima (17-6-2) and “Dinyero” Din Thomas (22-8) by submission and “Kid” Alvin Robinson (9-3) and Lauzon by TKO.

Florian also finished Huerta’s vacation after “El Matador” fought five times in 2007.

“It could be an advantage; but, I know Roger is going to be ready. I know he’s been training since his last fight,” Florian said.

The fight is expected to be added to the Minneapolis fight card, where Huerta lives and trains.

“We can fight in his hometown. We can fight in my hometown. I don’t care. Getting booed doesn’t bother me,” Florian said. In fact, Florian admitted, “It could be advantage depending on how Roger handles the pressure and the spotlight.”

When not training for a fight, Florian stays busy for the UFC. At UFC 83, Florian filled in for broadcaster Joe Rogan.

“It was Joe Silva’s idea,” Kenny said. (Silva is the UFC’s matchmaker.) “When they suggested I do the post-fight interviews, I jumped at it. I was finally able to tell my mom and dad that my college degree didn’t go to waste.”

Florian also showed-up for a recent Boston tryout for the eighth season of the show that Florian nearly won, The Ultimate Fighter.

“I hate to be an MMA snob, but it just amazes me some of the guys who show up to try out. I mean, guys who don’t even know what guard is or can’t even thrust forward a punch,” Florian said.

However, in a coy, non-committal explanation, Weinberg explained, “Kenny wants to fight Roger.  Kenny is also eager to fight again soon.  So, August 9th would seem logical.”

Sources had informed Fighters.com that Huerta was in fact training with UFC Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (16-2) in Montréal with a 9 August Florian fight in mind.

Thursday, in an interview with Arianny Celeste at MMA Rated, Huerta confirmed he’s training in Montréal with “Rush”.

“It’s possible,” Huerta commented on a fight with “KenFlo”.  “What better than to fight in August, in Minneapolis, Minnesota?  It’s where I live.”

Though Huerta seemed to shy away from confirming the fight, he ended the interview claiming, “I’ll be ready to fight Kenny in August.”

Florian issued the challenge to Huerta after his second-round TKO of “J-Lau” Joe Lauzon (16-4) in Denver at the beginning of April.

Huerta had planned to take a long break after a rear naked choke submission of “The Carpenter” Clay Guida (23-9) in Las Vegas last December.