In what will go down as one of the better fights in 2010, Sonnen put up an almost savage-like beat down on the reigning defending middleweight champion, however the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt battled back from adversity after being taken down and pummeled for four-and-a-half rounds, and submitted his rival with a triangle choke.

Why the stoppage was marred in controversy for a short period of time, Sonnen’s post-fight drug test will blemish his career for the rest of his life. Following the loss, a spirited one at that, the former Olympic wrestling hopeful, was found to have under the influence of performance enhancing substances due to highly elevated testosterone levels, according to the California State Athletic Commission.

Sonnen has since refuted the claims and will be appealing the suspension handed out by the Commission, which if sustained will render him unable to fight until September 2 of next year.

Silva, though, a true sportsman, believes that it’s innocent until proven guilty, and doesn’t necessarily buy into all of the allegations.

“I’d give him the benefit of the doubt. I let the people decide”, said the UFC middleweight champion in a recent interview with Marcelo Alonso on behalf of Sherdog.com.

“I’m an athlete; he’s an athlete. We worked hard for the sport, so giving him the benefit of the doubt would be better than for me to speak any nonsense”, which is an stark contrast to Sonnen’s pre-fight hype leading to the pair’s August 7th affair, where Chael berated the champion with insults dating back to March of this year, even prior to his bout with former opponent Nate Marquardt–UFC 109.

With that said, though, Silva admires that Sonnen put up such a performance against him, but if he couldn’t get it done within 20 or so minutes he was given, than he doesn’t deserve a rematch, which prior to his failed drug screening, Sonnen had gained an immediate rematch slated for sometime next year. Silva is reportedly now facing former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort, tentatively scheduled for UFC 127 on February 5 of next year in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“In my opinion, he never deserved a rematch”, said Silva. “He stayed in the same position all fight. I don’t think he deserves a rematch. If he couldn’t win in 30 minutes with me injured, could he win in a rematch”, stated Anderson, who competed against the Team Quest product with fractured ribs leading into their bout. “Maybe, maybe not. But I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt”.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of Silva’s position against Sonnen? Should Chael become resolved of all allegations stemming from his post-fight drug test, should he be entitled to a rematch? Sound off in the comments section below.

Vitor injured his shoulder training for the fight and when the news hit the social media sites were on fire trying to pick the next opponent for Silva. Twitter lit up with many thinking the only viable solution was for Silva to move to the light heavyweight division. The problem with that was that many of the top guys in the division were booked with other fights or injured.

That led us back to the middleweight division. The current number one contender is now Chael Sonnen (24-10-1) after his dominant win over fourth-ranked “The Great” Nate Marquardt (29-9-2). Sonnen however is currently under a medical suspension after his fight at UFC 109. So what was the UFC to do in order to keep Silva on the card?

They stunned the MMA world by announcing today that sixth-ranked Demian Maia (11-1), who was also on the UFC 109 pay-per-view, will now get his shot at the title. Maia is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt that may just have the best set-ups and submissions in all of mixed martial arts. He was on track to get a title shot until his plan was derailed by Nate Marquardt at UFC 102 by brutal first round knock out.

He rebounded at UFC 109 by beating hardcore fan favorite Dan Miller (11-3) by unanimous decision using a new found stand up game. That striking game will not work so well against Silva who has pin point accuracy with his Muay Thai based striking.

Demian Maia now has the chance of a lifetime and it is up to him to make the best of it against a man some are calling unbeatable.

Maybe the term hiding is a bit harsh and slightly inaccurate but we will get into that later.

Sonnen was last seen inside the Octagon at UFC 109 where he shocked many in the mixed martial arts (MMA) world by putting on a very dominate performance in route to a win over fourth-ranked “The Great” Nate Marquardt (29-9-2). Nate was in line to get a shot at current Fighters.com and UFC middleweight champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4) if he were to defeat eighth-ranked “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8). Although according to reports from Tatame today, Vitor has injured his shoulder and looks to be out of the fight with Silva at UFC 112. As I write this Dana has just confirmed this fact.

Chael Sonnen derailed Nate’s title run and has now positioned himself as the top contender for the title. He is also a contender for the State Representative in House District 37.

Today’s major media still looks at mixed martial artists as thugs and neanderthals, bar brawlers if you will. This is always fought with mentioning fighters such as “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5) who at one time was the UFC middleweight champion and has a masters degree and was a high school math teacher before becoming a full time fighter. Imagine the 180 the press would have to do, and men like Bob Arum, if Chael does what his training partner and friend came up just short of doing.

“The Law” Matt Lindland (21-7)recently ran in the last cycle and finished in second. Now we see another Team Quest fighter making a stand for Oregon.My problem is his lack of information on his site about his real carreer.

Sonnen is not offering up the information on his website devoted to his political career. While searching through www.votesonnen.com I found no mention of him as a fighter until the recently added video from “Fox and Friends” and this concerns me. Chael needs to find a way to incorporate his career in the UFC into his political aspirations. I know some will say he needs to separate them a bit so that he does not turn away potential voters who may feel MMA is barbaric but I think this is a way to show them that he is not a Gladiator in the Coliseum but a professional athlete who trains hard and is on the same level as any NBA or NFL star.

Chael Sonnen gaining a shot at the title only helps his political aspirations in my opinion and he could go a long way in helping to legitimize our sport in the eyes of the uninitiated.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I was very excited to see another Gracie step inside the Octagon but that fight was hard to watch. I am shocked the UFC actually showed the fight. I would have probably ended the broadcast early before showing that to awful display of MMA to fans. Neither fighter was worth watching and rarely, if ever, do I say that.

“The Terror” Matt Serra (10-6) had me eating crow as I called for “Twinkle Toes” Frank Trigg (19-8) to use his wrestling to dominate the smaller Serra. Frank did not look for the shot and ended up getting knocked out by Serra.

Fighters.com sixth-ranked Demian Maia (11-1) has been working his striking and it was very evident in his fight with Dan Miller (11-2). Let’s not jump the gun here though. He could never stand with a clean striker but his improvement shows he is serious about trying to become the UFC champion.

This is the worst I have done with picks on any fight card,ever! Fighters.com ninth-ranked “Quick’ Mike Swick (14-4) did not help me out any. His loss to the man I am now calling the “AKA Hunter”, fourth-ranked welterweight Paulo Thiago (9-1) made a statement to the division. Paulo is a fast rising star in the division and his D’arce choke was very well set up.

Phil Davis (5-0) showed why he is such a great prospect. While his striking was sloppy, his speed and athleticism shined through. He moved from dominant position to dominant position during the fight. The UFC will need to bring him along slowly and allow his stand-up and submissions to improve before throwing him into the deep end of the division. He will be one to watch in the future.

After watching UFC 109 and thinking about the last Strikforce card, the UFC production team does a very good job of moving seamlessly from one thing to another. Plus they get prelim fights on the pay-per-view. Strikeforce will need to work harder to provide a painless broadcast like we saw last night.

A card that many mocked ended up with some entertaining fights, a knock out, great submissions and some shockers. All this and I did not have to sit through painful post-fight interviews by the fight professor.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Gospel on this one is Mike Swick by Decision.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Gospel is Maia by late third-round submission

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gospel: Frank Trigg by unanimous decision

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

This leads us to the much talked about main event.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Today’s UFC 109 presser gave us this news and according to Dana, he has always considered a co-main event a number one contender’s bout. “We always had it in mind,” White said. “These are two of the top five [middleweights] in the world depending on what you look at.”  I don’t think anyone can argue that Nate is deserving of a shot.

White told those at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino’s Mizuya Lounge in Las Vegas his thoughts on Nate. “Nate’s been deserving it for a while,” This is an assessment I can agree with as Nate is 4-1 since he lost to Fighters.com and UFC middleweight champion “The Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4). His lone loss since that time was a split decision loss to Thales Leites (15-3) that many feel should have gone to Nate.

What I don’t understand is the Sonnen getting a shot with a win. I know many will say that if he can beat Nate then he deserves a shot at Silva but let’s look at what he has done since his second arrival in the UFC shall we?

After coming over from the WEC he was matched against submission wizard Demian Maia (10-1) at UFC 95: Sanchez versus Stevens. Chael found himself on the losing end of a triangle choke in the first round. His next two fights, while both wins, were hardly performances befitting of a title shot. He ground out decision victories over hardcore fan favorite Dan Miller (11-2) as well as Yushin Okami (23-5).

Okami was on a three fight win streak until the Sonnen fight but those three wins were not against what I would call quality opponents. Dan Miller was on a four fight win streak until being derailed by Chael. Looking at the fact that he killed the win streaks of two fighters might lead one to believe he is worthy of a shot. The only thing that would make him worthy would be a very convincing win over Nate.

If he were to grind out a decision win over Nate is that spectacular enough to put him in the Octagon with Silva? Does it matter how you win as long as you win? The latter is a tough question as many believe you need to finish fights or at the very least dominate them in order to gain a title shot. I have long been of the opinion that a win is a win and racking up a string of victories should be enough to get you a fight for the title. Chael Sonnen in a title fight with Anderson Silva just does not scream pay-per-view main event to me.

Before I go any further I should say that I feel the likely-hood of Sonnen winning this fight is slim to none. Having said that, I find it hard to believe anyone other than Sonnen actually believes he could beat Anderson Silva. This would be a fight that did nothing but add another highlight reel knock out to the already long list the UFC has thanks to the champion.

What was once a stacked division has become a division of one with all others not being on quite the same level. I do believe that we will see Silva lose in a years time but I can tell you it will not be at the hands of Chael Sonnen.

As the host of MMA Gospel Radio, I offer you the chance to join us in our live chat room to discuss this topic or any other MMA story you would like to discuss. The show airs each Wednesday from 8-10 PM EST. Head over to www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel and join in the debates.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fighters.com’s February Welterweight Top Ten

1. “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2)

2. “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4)

3. Jon Fitch (20-3)

4. Paulo Thiago (8-1)

5. “Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-6)

6. Jake Shields (24-4-1)

7. Josh Koscheck (14-4)

8. Matt Hughes (41-7)

9. “Quick” Mike Swick (14-3)

10. “Killa B” Ben Saunders (8-1-2)

According to MMA Weekly, Gracie would face a different opponent if Al-Turk is unable to obtain a visa.

Al-Turk would be returning to the Octagon after a TKO to “Cro Cop” Mirko Filipovic (23-6-2) at UFC 99 in Cologne last June.

Gracie tapped Peter Graham (0-3) in an arm triangle at Art of War 14 last September.

Fighters.com seventh-ranked welterweight Matt Hughes (43-7) and PRIDE veteran Renzo Gracie (13-6-1) will also matchup on the undercard.

Zuffa, LLC, parent company of the UFC and WEC, has sold a 10% stake to Abu Dhabi government-owned Flash Entertainment, Zuffa earlier this month.

The event will be the UFC’s first outdoors.

Also announced, the UFC will collaborate with Sohu.com to stream UFC pay-per-views live to China beginning at UFC 109 in Las Vegas February 6.

Fighters.com fourth-ranked middleweight “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2) is a man many should take notice of as he is not only a great fighter but an amazing human being. Nate was just recently named the Sharon Antcliff Foundation’s “True Warrior” for 2009.

The Sharon Antcliff Foundation (SAF) is a charity that  works to help families who have a loved one suffering from young-onset Alzheimer’s.

As you read this, there are roughly 500,000 diagnosed cases of young-onset Alzheimer’s in the United States. Those families face a battle every day, not just against the disease, but against the impact it has on their family, their relationships, their finances, and their way of life.

Young-onset Alzheimer’s can strike those in their 50s, 40s, and even their 30s. This disease does not care who it attacks. It doesn’t care if you’re under 65. It doesn’t care if your grandchild was just born. It doesn’t care if you still want to travel. It doesn’t care if you’re making the money that supports your family. It doesn’t care if you still have kids at home that need a parent full time. And it doesn’t care that there are nearly no programs set up to help these families. SAF does and works towards these goals each and every day.

Kevin Antcliff, whose mother Sharon passed away due to this disease, formed this organization to help those families struggling. He then set up the SAF Warriors program with the purpose of finding others willing to stand in the corners of young-onset victims and caregivers as they fight the effects of this cruel disease every day of their lives. Nate is one of these Warriors.

Nate was approached by the director through Facebook on what he admits was nothing more than a shot in the dark. He asked Nate to help promote a local cause with national aspirations and amazingly Nate agreed.

Nate was named the winner of the Tequilla Cazadores Spirit Award before his fight at UFC 102. At this time Nate named SAF as the recipient of a grant on his behalf. Nate’s involvement with SAF Warriors and the Sharon Antcliff Foundation has allowed them to gain access they otherwise may not have had to the MMA community. Within the MMA community the foundation has found people willing to spread their message, seek donations, seek volunteers and help them to foster relationships. Perhaps the most important aspect of all is that Nate is doing this an has asked for nothing in return. Something we rarely find anymore, a straight from the heart act of kindness and generosity.

Today as MMA looks to move forward and become one of the top sports in the world, men like Nate are needed more than ever. These are the stories we should be telling rather than allowing the main stream media to focus on the post-fight antics like we saw at UFC 100 with UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (4-1).

Nate truly is a hero and an unsung one at that. Nate will get plenty of press for his fight with seventh-ranked middleweight Chael Sonnen (23-10-1) at UFC 109 on February 6 and sadly this story, his involvement and the Sharon Antcliff Foundation will likely go unnoticed.

The sport of MMA can use this type of publicity and can take a lesson from the NFL who is always spotlighting players and the charities they work with.

If you would like to learn more about SAF Foundation or SAF Warriors you can visit them at http://sharonantclifffoundation.org and http://www.safwarriors.org/. Let’s all take the time to thank Nate for being a true hero a positive role model in mixed martial arts.

There are many fans and journalists of MMA that look at men like Randy and Mark and see old guys that are to stubborn to know when to tap out of a sport they have been apart of for over a decade. I see men who still have that drive to fight and believe that they can still stand inside the Octagon with the men half their age.

Randy has shows time and time again that you can never count him out. He lost at UFC 57 to Fighters.com eighth-ranked light heavyweight “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-7) and after that fight many thought Randy was done and that he should retire. His next fight saw him move up to the heavyweight division to fight for the title against”Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia (25-6) in Columbus, Ohio at UFC 68. His detractors said he was old, had not done well at heavyweight in the past and that Tim was just to much for the old guy. Then as if out of spite, Randy shocked the world by knocking Tim done in the first exchange of the fight. Nationwide Arena was on their feet and rocking and through five rounds became what I believe to be the loudest crowd at an MMA fight in the history of the sport. Randy won a unanimous decision, the UFC heavyweight title and some respect that night. Moments like this are what sports are all about.

Mark Coleman is a legend in the sport as well and has had some of the best fights in the sport in Pride and the UFC. His return to the Octagon was one many cringed at due to the fact that Mark looked run down, only a fraction of the fighter he was once. He changed some training methods and decided to get back in the Octagon once again. He lost his “Welcome Back” fight at UFC 93 against third-ranked “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (18-4)in a fight that ended in a TKO but was very lackluster in that both fighters seemed to be running on empty after the first round. It was back to the drawing board for Mark and fans spoke loudly about his inability to compete in the UFC at his age. UFC 100 rolled around and Mark was facing The Ultimate Fighter fan favorite Stephan Bonnar (11-6). Shocking almost everyone in the sport, Coleman won a via unanimous decision. He was back and ready for war once again.

This week we have heard rumors of yet another legend in MMA coming back to the UFC to do battle inside the Octagon. The always rousing “The Predator: Don Frye (20-8-1) was talked about by Dana White in a report from the Bleacher Report. Dana said “I’m not saying Don Frye’s coming back to fight in the UFC,” What I’m saying is, Don Frye’s coming back to dominate the UFC. I called Don Frye and asked him if he was in fact coming back to the UFC. He told me he could not lie to a man of the cloth (although my title is Reverend it is merely for the sake of marrying friends) so he would not comment on that question. Don’s silence on the issue leads me to only one conclusion, he will be back inside the Octagon if for nothing else than for a one fight deal. I can see Don stepping inside the Octagon after the Coleman and Couture fight to challenge Coleman. After all, he did lose to him back at UFC 10: The Tournament via TKO due to punishment.

Don is such a popular fighter amongst the hardcore fans that many will love seeing him back as he is a fighter that displays true grit and told me on MMA Gospel Radio that it is a fighters job to not tap. You fight until you lose and never give up. How will the casual fan that may not remember Don Frye see his return?

Yet another fighter in his middle 40s trying to hang with the boys or as a grizzled veteran hungry for more and ready to once again go to war? Guys like Don Frye, Mark Coleman and Randy Couture dominated the sport at one time and I feel they still have that fight like Randy versus Tim Sylvia in them to bring the crowd to their feet and make us rethink our opinion of legends getting back to action. They have been the elite in the sport at one time and in my opinion they always will have that level of commitment and the shear will to keep fighting and hold on to that status.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This fighter grappled to a draw with former UFC two division champion “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-8) in a 2006 submission grappling contest and has only lost to fifth-ranked “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (23-2-1) in MMA since 2003.

Souza’s climb up the ranks, second-ranked Jake Shields‘s (24-4-1) hold on the top contender spot, and Strikeforce’s signing of third-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7) gives Strikeforce four fighters in the 185-pound top ten.  (Of course, Mousasi has abandoned the division to take the Strikeforce 205-pound title.)

It’s likely Shields and Hendo’ will settle the top contender spot and fight for Strikeforce’s title in April, with the winner legitimately claiming the rank of best matchup for Fighters.com and UFC Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4).

Silva will fight tenth-ranked “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8) at UFC 109 in Las Vegas February 6.  Belfort can’t be overlooked at 185 pounds with Silva coming off of elbow surgery and five months hiatus.

Fourth-ranked “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2) and seventh-ranked Chael Sonnen (23-10-1) will battle the same night for the next title shot.

And sixth-ranked Demian Maia (10-1) will test strong prospect Dan Miller (11-2), making a trio of UFC 109 fights with maximum impact on the division rankings.

Also in December, ninth-ranked “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-1) submitted Tatsuhiko Nishizaka (3-5-1) at Bitetti Combat 5 in São Paulo December 12.  If Filho can get his act together, Fighters.com wouldn’t be surprised to see him in Strikeforce soon.

Fighters.com’s December Middleweight Rankings

1. “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4)

2. Jake Shields (24-4-1)

3. “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7)

4. “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2)

5. “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (23-2-1)

6. Demian Maia (10-1)

7. Chael Sonnen (23-10-1)

8. “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (9-2)

9. “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-1)

10. “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8)

Lightweight Danzig has had a rocky road since winning TUF 6 in 2007.  He’s on a three-fight skid, most recently losing a unanimous decision “Mongoose” Jim Miller (15-2) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas July 11.

Danzig will matchup versus Justin Buchholz (9-3) who was TKO’d by “Li’l Heathen” Jeremy Stephens (9-4) at UFC Fight Night 19 in Oklahoma City September 16.

Tuchscherer, training partner of Fighters.com’s second-ranked heavyweight and UFC champion Brock Lesnar’s (4-1), will matchup versus “Thrashing Machine” Tim Hague (8-2).

Tuchsherer lost his UFC debut to “Napão” Gabriel Gonzaga (11-4) at UFC 102 in Portland August 29.

The same night, Hague was at the wrong end of a historical highlight reel knockout versus American Top Team’s Todd Duffee (5-0).

Thiago TKO’d Koscheck in the first round at UFC 95 in London in February, skyrocketing the previously unknown Thiago into the top ten welterweight rankings.

Koscheck submitted “Rumble” Anthony Johnson (8-3) in the second round at UFC 106 in Las Vegas November 21.

At the same event, Thiago won a unanimous decision over Jacob Volkmann (9-1).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Belfort announced the new date to the Portugese-language Terra magazine’s “Mano a Mano” blog. Originally scheduled for UFC 108 in Las Vegas January 2, the bout was delayed due to slow recovery from elbow surgery by the champ Silva.

Although currently in the verbal agreement process, the fight is still contingent upon Silva’s recovery process. However, Silva’s recovery has proved promising as reported previously at the beginning of November when manager Ed Soares told the media that the champion’s healing was going extremely well with no need for long-term concern.

Not yet officially announced, UFC 109 is expected to take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The fight card will air on pay-per-view as the UFC’s annual Super Bowl weekend card.

Hughes, a future UFC Hall-of-Famer, recently climbed from beneath consecutive losses to Fighters.com and UFC Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2) and second-ranked “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (16-4).  The Illinois native and Miletich Fighting Systems alumnus put his record back on track with a unanimous-decision win over “Terror” Matt Serra (9-5) at UFC 98 in Las Vegas May 23.

Hughes also owns a win over legendary former UFC champion Royce Gracie (14-3-3) at UFC 60 in Los Angeles in May 2006.  Renzo Gracie, also a member of the famed Gracie clan, is the son of Robson Gracie and the grandson of Carlos Gracie.

Renzo Gracie has not entered a cage since February 2007 when he defeated former Strikeforce champion Frank Shamrock (23-9-2), though by disqualification. Prior to his meeting with Shamrock, Gracie scored a pair of victories over Matt Huges’ former coach, Pat Miletich (28-7-2) as well as “Ronin” Carlos Newton (13-13) in bouts for the now defunct International Fight League. Gracie was also a coach of the IFL’s New York Pitbulls.