While the match up has been discussed for as far back as UFC 107, nearly ten months ago, the 170-pound division standouts will finally opposite one another, on Saturday night.

Apparently, with a little more at stake, it was confirmed at the Pre-fight press conference by a Mr. Dana White, the UFC head honcho.

While some might be confused by the decision, as Alves has only just returned from a lengthy layoff that dates back nearly 13-months ago, when he was last seen in action in a losing effort to welterweight kingpin, Georges St. Pierre, at UFC 100, both we’re promised the title shot, without any discrepancies as to who may win, as some may view Jon Fitch as the more worthy number one contender.

The fight is actually a rematch that date’s back to 2006, which saw Fitch and Alves battle it out, with the AKA product gaining the upper hand in the second round, landing a vicious up-kick before following Thiago to the ground and finishing him off with Fitch’s now rarely seen ground and pound.

So, who doe’s everyone think will take this bout, and earn number one contender status (again)?
To me, I feel like Alves has been the more diverse fighter, who has really stepped up and evolved his game, and done well against top-competition (with the exception of Georges St. Pierre, but no shame there).

Meanwhile, Fitch has employed a more safe approach to most of his fights, and was even in trouble early against a lower tier fighter in Mike Pierce, after Pierce landed a strong hook, staggering Fitch in the latter part of the fight.

He’s not.  He never has been.

Fighters.com and UFC Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” BJ Penn (13-4-1) kicked a third eye in Sanchez’s forehead in the form of a three-inch slit above Sanchez’s left eye in the fifth round at UFC 107 in Memphis Saturday night, prompting referee Herb Dean to call for the doctor, who stopped the fight at 2:37 of the final round.

Sanchez never stepped-up to Penn’s level throughout the four-and-a-half rounds; and, Fighters.com has contended since the fight was announced that Sanchez shouldn’t have been exposed to Penn after only two wins in the division versus non-contenders.

After Sanchez characteristically exploded from his corner in round one only to be quickly dropped by a short Penn right hook, Sanchez fought timidly in his first UFC title fight.  Sanchez’s offense consisted of a high left kick that Penn consistently shrugged off and a single-leg shot that Penn used as an excuse to crank short punches and elbows into Sanchez’s head.

Eventually, the Memphis crowd began booing Sanchez, of whom UFC President Dana White said pre-fight, “Diego Sanchez never fights a boring fight.”  He did in Memphis.

Penn plain out-boxed Sanchez with affective countering of Sanchez’s stand-up and takedown attempts.  Penn fought calmly, like it was heavy sparring day in Hilo.  Marv Marinovich draws more sweat and blood from Penn on a random Thursday than Sanchez did in the five round UFC title fight Saturday night.

Sanchez did land an elbow breaking the clinch in round four and a sloppy takedown in round five.

But, Penn was as dominant as he’s ever been, leaving open the question of which top contender Sanchez leaped over will get the next shot: fifth-ranked “Bully” Gray Maynard (8-0) or sixth-ranked “The Answer” Frank Edgar (11-1)?

Fighters.com contends that if White and UFC matchmaker Joe Silva choose based on merit rather than their own hype, as in Sanchez’s case, the next UFC lightweight title fight won’t be as disappointingly uncompetitive as Saturday night’s fight.

For Sanchez, the fight exposed him again as an exciting fighter versus top mid-tier competition, but unable to make the step up to an elite level.  Quite simply, like “El Matador” Roger Huerta (20-3-1) before him, Sanchez just doesn’t live up to the hype propelling him since he won the first season of SpikeTV’s The Ultimate Fighter.

Read Edward’s preview of tonight’s fight in Penn’s home state newspaper:

Sanchez to test Penn’s ‘gas tank’

Gospel Radio: How is your training going?

Stefan Struve : Training went good. I heard I was fighting Paul after my last fight and started training a week after that fight once I got home.  So, I feel even better for this fight than for my last one.

GR: Tell our listeners where you train out of and who your coach is.

SS: I train out of the Netherlands in a town called Wormer, near Amsterdam. My coach is Bob Schrijber. He is a Dutch fighter that has fought a lot of fights in Japan and Europe. He is one of the biggest names in European MMA.

GR: You’re pretty tall at 6’11″. Can you think of any disadvantages you may have when it comes to being so tall?

SS: People ask me that a lot. I don’t have any disadvantages because of my height. I am a pretty athletic guy you know. When your not as athletic as I am, you can have trouble with your height but I have no trouble at all.

GR: I know it is also probably an advantage when it comes to the ground game.

SS: You need to learn how to deal with it you know. You need to learn to use it an advantage and I think I am doing pretty good so far.

GR: I saw your fight with Yuji Sakuragi in M-1 and the way you setup that triangle, I don’t think a guy with shorter legs could have done that.

SS: Yeah, it is difficult but it was a pretty straight move that he didn’t expect and those long legs really help with triangles. You can lock it up way quicker than anybody else. It’s a good thing.

GR: You are only 21 years old, you have already had over 20 MMA fights, do you feel having so many fights at such a young age has been a positive and do you no longer have that same nervousness  prior to a fight that you may have had when you first began?

SS: I have been fighting since I was 16 years old. It’s normal for me. I am not that nervous before fights. you learn how to deal with it better every time. I am feeling good, looking forward to Saturday and ready to rock.

GR: In you fight with Junior Dos Santos we saw you got rocked, you kind of disputed the stoppage a little bit, is that a rematch you would like to have?

SS: Yeah, I would love to have a rematch for sure. Junior is a really good fighter, but I don’t think I have shown yet in the UFC what I can do on my feet. We are working on that and getting my stand up better every time but yeah, a rematch would be great.

GR: Do you think you underestimated his power a little bit?

SS: I didn’t underestimate him. I thought he was a really good fighter. I think it was the UFC jitters, just learning how to deal with fighting in the UFC. I basically didn’t know what to do when I got in the cage and that’s it.

GR: You are a striker. You have studied kick boxing which was your intro into the sport but a lot of your victories have been by choke with a bunch of submissions on your record. How is your striking game coming as opposed to your submission game? Do you think one is a little bit ahead of the other?

SS: I am finishing a lot of fights by submission, you know, but that is because until Junior no one really wanted to stand up with me because of my height, my reach and my kickboxing. If someone takes me down I know how to get into a good position to finish the fight.

GR:  You are fighting Paul Buentello this Saturday at UFC 107. He is a great striker that’s has been around a long time , a veteran in the sport. Do you expect him to goad you into a slug fest?

SS: No, Paul is more of a technical and a clean striker. He likes to show his jab and set something up with his jab. It will be difficult for him to do with me, but I am pretty curious as to what his game plan is because, if he wants to start jabbing with me he is not going to win the fight is what I think.

GR: Paul has been banned from AKA, which is where he had been training. Do you feel something like this will have an effect on this fight?

SS: Changing gyms can have an effect on your fight but Paul is an experienced fighter who has been in the game a long long time and I am sure he is in great shape and is ready to fight. I don’t think it will be a big factor for him

GR: Let’s change gears a bit, what do you do for fun when you are not fighting?

SS: I am 21 so I like to go out and have fun with my friends, go out on the weekends. I basically love all other sports as well, so when I am not training, I like to do other sports and playing Xbox

GR: Some women in the chat wanted to know if you are currently single?

SS: Yes I am.

GR: You train in a great camp in Holland but have you ever thought about coming to the US to train with one of the elite camps here?

SS: I am not going to leave here for sure. I love my home country, I love my friends and family and being around me when I am training. You can learn all kinds of stuff from everybody. I am training very hard in Holland right now with, in my opinion, one of the best stand up coaches in the world, so I don’t see why I wouldhave to move to improve my game. Maybe my wrestling, it is better in The States, but the rest, I am fine with Holland.

GR: When you get outside the U.S ., wrestling is not as big as it is here. Would you take the opportunity to train with a team here in the U.S. for a little bit to improve that aspect of your game?

SS: Yeah, I would love to go train with a good wrestling team for a couple of weeks.  It would probably improve my game, but I am primarily a striker and my ground game is primarily BJJ so that is my style. I don’t really need wrestling with my style, in my opinion. I don’t need to take people down. I like to stand and trade and, when someone takes me down, I know what to do.

GR: Another non fight related question. What is your favorite movie?

SS: Today I watched “Law Abiding Citizen” and that is a good movie.

GR: What is your weight like right now?

SS: When I came in on Monday I was 254, I think.

Gr: Wow!

SS: Yeah, I am getting bigger.

GR: If you win this fight, who would you like to see as your next opponent in the UFC?

SS: I am fine with anybody. I am not in a rush. I have all the time in the world. I could give the real tough guys in the division a good fight. I am not saying I would win those fights, but give me some time and I will be a top contender in a couple of years.

GR: We appreciate you coming on MMA Gospel Radio and good luck to you Saturday.

SS: Thanks for having me. It was my first radio interview here in, the states so it was fun.

GR: Any sponsors you want to thank before we go?

SS: Tokyo Five, Hyabusa.

At the young age of 14, Struve was introduced to the MMA world by his older brother, and was instantly drawn to the sport. After completing middle school Struve made the decision to train full time and dropped out of school; the decision seems to have paid off thus far. At 21 Struve sports a 22-3 record, his only loss in the UFC coming by way of TKO from Junior Dos Santos (9-1). Struve looks to defeat Buentello, solidifying his place in the UFC Heavyweight Division by taking out a proven veteran.

Also on the show today from Spike TV’s The Ultimate Fighter 10, Demico Rogers (4-0). Rogers, a stand out athlete in high school, got his Master Technician Certification from Wyo-Tech in Laramie Wyoming, and still holds a job as a Mercedes Benz Technician while he trains with Mark Messer at Ring Sports United. Although Rogers didn’t make it to The Ultimate Fighter Finale to win the UFC contract, he still looks to make his mark as a legit heavyweight in the MMA world.

Myrriah, from Tap That MMA and Velvet Industries, will also be stopping in to talk about her company and its growing popularity.

Join The Reverend Turk and Gary today on MMAGospel Radio for a great show on their first Wednesday broadcast. MMA Gospel Radio will air tonight from 7:30 – 9:30PM ET. Listen to the show or join in the live chat at www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel .

UFC 107 takes place in Memphis Saturday headlined by Fighters.com and UFC Lightweight Champion “Prodigy” BJ Penn (12-4-1) versus tenth-ranked “Nightmare” Diego Sanchez (19-2-0).  A fight we are not scheduled to see is undefeated Johny Hendricks (6-0) versus UFC newcomer Ricardo Funch (7-0) as it is slated for the prelims. This is robbery at it’s finest.

Johny Hendricks was brought into the UFC after the WEC eliminated the welterweight division. His first fight was the coming out party for The Ultimate Fighter 7 winner Amir Sadollah (2-1). Amir had dropped out of two previously scheduled fights due to a leg infection and a broken clavicle respectively. So at UFC 101 in Philadelphia August 8, Amir was set to make his post-TUF debut.

Enter Hendricks, who has been on my personal radar for some time now. He was a two-time NCAA Division 1 national champion wrestler at Oklahoma State University as well as being a two-time All American and three-time Big 12 Conference champion. His amazing wrestling worked for him when he worked to get a D’Arce choke against Richard Gamble (2-3) at Extreme Fighting League on HDNet.

Against Amir, wrestling would not play a part. It would be the hands of Johny that would spoil the return to the Octagon for Amir Sadollah. The fight would end in 29 seconds as Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight due to strikes. Many criticized the stoppage as you can see Amir start to get back up in the replay, but his words to Dan were the telltale sign. He asked Dan what happened and only a fighter that was rocked would ask that question.

Whether you believe the stoppage was correct or not, Hendricks came away with the win and in outstanding fashion. Amir lost and yet his next fight was on the main card of UFC 106 against “New York Badass” Phil Baroni (13-12).While Phil may not be an elite fighter, he has fought the best in the business and always puts on a show, even if it only lasts for one round. Yet, Hendricks, the man who crushed Amir, is stuck on the prelims against a UFC newcomer. Shouldn’t beating the TUF winner so decisively warrant a spot on the main card?

With that TKO of Amir, the UFC has all the ammunition it needs to promote Hendricks as a star in the welterweight division. This is a time when the UFC finds itself in a situation with marketable stars at a premium with fighters such as second-ranked, UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar (3-1) out with illness indefinitely.

Some may wonder how he can be marketed with such a small body of work. His wrestling background is a start. We have seen the UFC market many fighters simply by touting their wrestling pedigree. Hendricks has proved to not be the prototypical wrestler though. Wrestlers take time to develop a striking game and yet Johny currently has four stoppages via (T)KO in 6 fights. All of this by a wrestler who most seem to expect to work for a take down and work ground and pound. He is becoming a complete fighter in short order and an exciting one at that. WEC footage of his “Fight of the Night”, the fast slaughter of a TUF champ and his wrestling background would make it easy to push him up the ranks. He is more than marketable and this fight makes no sense when they are looking to build new stars to fill what has recently been lackluster pay per views.

UFC President Dana White and UFC Matchmaker Joe Silva have done a fantastic job thus far when it comes to building stars. Usually I have no issues whatsoever with who they bring up through the ranks, but I see this as a misstep of epic proportions. A victory over Funch really adds nothing to his resume other than another “W”, while a loss cripples his chances at getting on the televised portion of a pay-per-view in the future. This is all risk and zero reward for the UFC as well as for Hendricks.

One must strike while the iron is hot so to speak and right now, Johny Hendricks is as hot as War Machine is wanted by the police.

Maybe I am not seeing the entire picture and somehow I have missed where Hendricks deserves to be on an under card against a fighter that is not equal to an Amir Sadollah in name recognition. Then again maybe I am right and Johny Henricks has been robbed of stardom thanks to Joe Silva and the UFC.

The announcement was made on Jackson’s website Thursday.

Jackson had been matched versus fourth-ranked “Sugar” Rashad Evans (13-1-1) for UFC 107 in Jackson’s hometown of Memphis December 12 and the pair coached on the recently concluded tenth season of SpikeTV’s The Ultimate Fighter; but, Jackson landed the role of BA Baracus in the forthcoming “A-Team” movie and pulled out of the fight.

UFC President Dana White began criticizing Jackson for taking the acting gig over the fight versus Evans in Jackson’s hometown.  Jackson accused White of releasing false information about Jackson’s payment for the film.

On September 22, Jackson posted on his website, “I feel like my second career could be in jeopardy…so I’m done fighting.  I’ve been getting negative reviews from the dumb ass fans that don’t pay my bills or put my kids through college.  So, I’m hanging it up.”

Of course, Fighters.com never doubted Jackson was bluffing his retirement; and, what better time for Jackson to announce his return than during a big stretch of consecutive UFC events beginning Saturday in Las Vegas with The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale and followed up in Memphis, where Jackson and Evans were to settle their score.

Emelianenko’s fallen foe at M-1 Global/Strikeforce, fifth-ranked “Grim” Brett Rogers (10-1), wants to comeback versus Strikeforce heavyweight champion “Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem (29-10).  And, Overeem seems ambivalent about who he fights and whether or not he’s defending his title or not.

And so,  four men makeup what Strikeforce and M-1 Global might call “a good problem to have” atop the Strikeforce heavyweight division.  Especially since the UFC is finding it hard to find four top heavyweights who are healthy enough to fight.

Second-ranked UFC champion Brock Lesnar (4-1) is out indefinitely after minor intesting surgery, but is excpect to return versus sixth-ranked Shane Carwin (10-0).

Fourth-ranked “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1) has had to postpone a fight versus Cain Velasquez (6-0) for the interim UFC title until UFC 110 in Sydney February 21 due to a staph infection.

And, seventh-ranked “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (9-1) lost his UFC 108 opponent, “Napão” Gabriel Gonzaga (11-4), due to Gonzaga’s staph infection.

Third-ranked Frank Mir (12-4) will fight Cheick Kongo (14-5-1) at UFC 107 in Memphis December 12.

Eighth-ranked “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) is negotiating a return to Pancrase in 2010 to defend his heavyweight King of Pancrase title.

Tenth-ranked “The Natural” Randy Couture (17-10) has moved down to light heavyweight.

Fighters.com November Heavyweight Rankings

1. “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (31-1)

2. Brock Lesnar (4-1)

3. Frank Mir (12-4)

4. “Minotauro” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1)

5. “Grim” Brett Rogers (10-1)

6. Shane Carwin (10-0)

7. “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (9-1)

8. “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5)

9. “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (12-4-1)

10. “The Natural” Randy Couture (17-10)

AOL FanHouse reported Alves’s injury is a torn knee ligamant.

Five Ounces of Pain reported that a replacement will be sought for Alves.

Fighters.com hasn’t confirmed the reports.

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)

Fighters.com has not confirmed the report and the UFC has not announced the matchup.

Hendricks whipped The Ultimate Fighter 7 champ Amir Sadollah (1-1) in 29 seconds at UFC 101 in Philadelphia August 8.

Funch will debut in the UFC after winning a three-round unanimous decision over Denis Grachev (3-1) at Cage Fight MMA 2 in Manchester, New Hampshire in August 2008.

Funch trains at Team Link with fellow Brazilian “Napão” Gabriel Gonzaga (11-4).

Fighters.com hasn’t confirmed the date of the fight and no contracts are signed.  If the matchup is in December, it’s likely to occur at UFC 107 at the FedExForum in Memphis December 12.  However, according to unconfirmed reports, that card is already stacked with pay-per-view quality matchups.  UFC 108 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas January 2 and is also a likely event for the matchup.

“Cigano” forced once-feared “Cro Cop” Mirko Filipovic (25-8-2) to quit at 2:00 of round three at UFC 103 in Dallas September 19.  Gonzaga TKO’d Chris Tuchscherer (15-2) in 2:27 at UFC 102.  Dos Santos’s only loss is by armbar submission while Gonzaga is a notoriously skilled and powerful submission grappler, making the matchup keenly interesting.

The matchup also continues a trend in the UFC of Brazilians fighting Brazilians in big fights. 

The UFC 104 main event in Los Angeles October 24 will pit Fighters.com and UFC light heavyweight champion “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (15-0) versus sixth-ranked “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (18-3), both Brazilians.  At UFC 106 in Las Vegas November 11, Big Nog’s brother, “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (15-3), will debut in the UFC versus seventh-ranked light heavyweight “Banha” Luis Arthur Cane (8-1).  Second-ranked welterweight “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4) and fellow Brazilian fifth-ranked Paulo Thiago (7-1) will fight at UFC 107 along with a middleweight matchup between “Toquinho” Rousimar Palhares (11-3) and “Spartan” Lucio Linhares (12-3).  Finally, at UFC 108 Fighters.com and UFC Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4) will defend his titles from “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8).

Perhaps the sudden trend of Brazilian-on-Brazilian violence in the UFC is simply the result of the increasing prominence of Brazilian fighters.  However, it could also be preparation for the UFC’s promised return to Brazil.

At UFC 102, UFC President Dana White promised an upcoming UFC event in Brazil, the first since 1998.  “What we’re starting to do is ramp up down in Brazil right now.  We just hired this big PR firm, we got a television deal down there.  The ratings are kicking ass.  We’re going to start getting a lot of these guys who deserve to be seen and known by the Brazilian fans.  That’s what we’re working on now.  That’s our footprint.  We go in there, we start on free televsion, and then we bring a live event down,” White told Tatame.

Fighters.com has learned Rogers has trained at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose for the fight, where UFC contender Cain Velasquez (6-0) and “Headhunter” Paul Buentello (27-9) train full-time.

In September, seventh-ranked “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (9-1) cemented his ranking for October when he forced once-feared “Cro Cop” Mirko Filipovic (25-8-2) to quit at 2:00 of round three at UFC 103 in Dallas.  The win wasn’t enough to push dos Santos ahead in the rankings though.  Let’s face the fact that Cro Cop is a shell of the fighter he once was.  Still, the “W” further justifies dos Santos’s place among the elite heavyweights.

The heavyweight “Cigano” forced from the top ten with a first round KO at UFC 90 in Montréal last October, “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1), returned to the elite list in October at the nine spot.  He tapped “MAK” Mike Kyle (11-7-1) in a guillotine in 1:24 at Strikeforce in San Jose August 15.

Second-ranked Brock Lesnar (4-1) will defend his UFC title from Shane Carwin (10-0) UFC 106 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas November 21.  The hype around this monster fight has been strangely muted, hasn’t it?

Former UFC champ and recent challenger, third-ranked Frank Mir (12-4) will fight Cheick Kongo (14-5-1) at UFC 107 in Memphis 12 December.

Tenth-ranked “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-10) has evidently followed through on his intimations to leave the heavyweight division and return to 205 where he’ll fight “Truth” Brandon Vera (11-3) at UFC 105 at M.E.N. Arena in Manchester November 14.

“Minotauro” Rodrigo-Nogueira”>Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1) and “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) are waiting in limbo for potential title shots, Nog’ versus the winnner between Lesnar and Carwin and Barnett possibly versus “Junior” Antonio Silva (13-1) for a Sengoku title.

Fighters.com October Heavyweight Rankings

1. “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (30-1)

2. Brock Lesnar (4-1)

3. Frank Mir (12-4)

4. “Minotauro” Rodrigo-Nogueira”>Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1)

5. “Grim” Brett Rogers (10-0)

6. Shane Carwin (10-0)

7. “Cigano” Junior dos Santos (9-1)

8. “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5)

9. “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (11-4-1)

10. “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-10)

In a blog post at his website, “Rampage” explained, “My body has been getting so many different injuries that I wont be able to fight until my forties and neither do I want to fight that long.  So, I feel like my second career could be in jeopardy…so I’m done fighting.  I’ve been getting negative reviews from the dumb ass fans that don’t pay my bills or put my kids through college.  So, I’m hanging it up.”

Jackson’s threatened second career is acting and he recently postponed a fight versus third-ranked “Sugar” Rashad Evans (13-1-1) scheduled for UFC 107 in his hometown, Memphis, December 12 to take the iconic role as BA Baracus in “The A-Team” movie.

UFC President Dana White is evidently the threat to Jackson’s acting career and has been outspoken with his criticism of Jackson for taking the movie role and postponing the fight.

Jackson explained, “Then this movie role came about that I have been trying to get for over a year and as soon as I found out I was close to getting it, I called Dana right away and asked to push the Memphis fight back just a month or so.  I told him what this movie role meant to me.  I told him that I used to bond with my father watching the TV show as a kid when my parents were still married and it represents the memories I had with my father when we lived together.  My dad became an alcoholic and addicted to drugs and we grew apart.  But after my dad got his life back together, I was so proud of my dad and I told him I would always take care of him in the future and make him proud of me.  My dad and I are still very big fans of the show and I am basically doing this for the childhood memories I had spending time in front of the TV with my dad.  Dana went on the Internet and mocked me because of that and I still did nothing.  Dana and I finally talked and we made up and then after that he went back on the Internet and said some bullshit and he was talking bad about the movie when information is not even supposed to be released and talking about payments which is not even true could really hurt my future acting career, which could very well last longer than my fighting career.”

Bear in mind that the back and forth between Jackson and White and Jackson’s latest threat does nothing to hurt the ratings of The Ultimate Fighter 10, currently playing Wednesdays at 10:00 PM EST on SpikeTV.  Nor does it hurt pay-per-view buys should Jackson suddenly change his mind and decide to return to the Octagon to fight Evans.  And, all of this of course helps promote “The A-Team” film Jackson will star in.

Buentello TKO’d “Baby Fedor” Kiril Sidelnikov (6-3) when the cageside doctor ended their fight at Affliction in Anaheim January 24.  Versus Duffee will be Buentello’s first fight in the Octagon since TKOing “El Peligro” Gilbert Aldana (6-2) at UFC 57 in Las Vegas in February 2006.

Duffee KO’d “Thrashing Machine” Tim Hague (8-2) in seven seconds at UFC 102 in Portland August 29, breaking the UFC record for fastest KO.