Vitor Belfort recently announced via his twitter account that he is expecting to face Anderson Silva for the middleweight title, on Super Bowl weekend, for UFC 127 on February 5.

The event is expected to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, though no venue has been tapped yet for the event.

Just a few hours ago, “The Phenom” and former UFC light heavyweight champion made it known to the public of his title bout with champion Anderson Silva, stating “Hey guys look like I will be fighting on (February) on superbowl week”, said the Brazilian.

No other bouts have been rumored for the event as of yet, but the 185-pound match up is expected to be the main event of the evening.

Originally rumored for the January card in Las Vegas, which will feature a lightweight title bout pitting wrestlers Frankie Edgar (champion) against top contender Gray Maynard, however the change should come as no surprise. Prior to his bout with former top contender Chael Sonnen, who was recently believed to have been linked to steroids post-UFC 117, “The Spider” suffered rib injuries which he is now recuperating from.

The champion is healing up correctly at home in Brazil, where he will begin his training regime once his body is back in full form.

Belfort, mean while was pulled out of a number one contenders bout with Yushin Okami for the Spike TV live broadcast event for UFC 122, when Sonnen was found to have come in positive for Steroids, sidelining the Team Quest fighter for one full year since he will be serving his suspension.

Vitor was originally granted his shot at the title after a knockout victory over Rich Franklin back UFC 103 in September of last year, however pulled out of a scheduled UFC 112 meeting in April of this year when he had a shoulder injury. Now fully recuperated, Belfort will be waiting for Silva to be on the mend before the two explosive strikers meet, come February 5.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the timing of the card? It was originally believed that Silva-Belfort was to help generate numbers for the Maynard-Edgar fight in January, since no one believes that that particular fight can rightfully carry a Pay-Per-View. Sound off in the comments section below.

When he claimed the 170-pound title from then pound-for-pound great Matt Hughes, it was the pinnacle of his career at that point. After an disappointing run in the UFC’s 155 pound division, Penn moved to the welterweight division and immediately challenged Hughes for the title. Little gave Penn a chance to win, but win he did. He submitted the grappling ace with a rear-naked choke inside of the first round and claimed immediate celebrity amongst his peers in the MMA community.

The glory days weren’t all that long ago. After moving back down to 155, “The Prodigy” claimed the ever elusive title at UFC 80 against perennial contender Joe Stevenson, before going on to defend the title against the likes of Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian, and Diego Sanchez (respectively). Then, he met Frankie Edgar.

The two initially met at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi last April, which played host to another title fight: pitting Anderson Silva against Demian Maia for the middleweight title. While many penned BJ to defend the title and possibly move back up to the welterweight division to explore his dominance there once again, somebody probably forgot to give Edgar the memo, saying that he was supposed to lose.

The native of Toms River, New Jersey earned a close and debated unanimous decision from the Hawaiian in a stunning upset, claiming the title that BJ had defended for a lightweight record setting three times.

Penn had his chance at reclaiming gold some months later at UFC 118, however fell short in his attempts and was thoroughly dominated throughout the fight by Edgar, who went on to win a shutout unanimous decision victory, with all three judges scoring the contest 50-45 in his favor.

Initially unsure of his next move (while making a mess of things in the lightweight division he was marketed to dominate)and at an obvious loss of words after losing back-to-back fights to Edgar , Penn went to the internet and set the MMA world a buzz once again.

“I’ve just been hanging out these last couple days,” said BJ on Tuesday in a video which can be seen on his website, BJPenn.com, “but I’m gonna stick to what I said about being as active as I can. We’re gonna try to contact the UFC, get a fight as soon as possible.

“I got no injuries. I can still build off what I built in the last camp.”

Wanting to get back into the fold as soon as possible, a bevy of opponents will be at BJ’s disposal. While he is a long ways away from another title shot after losing twice to the current champion, match up’s against former for Takanori Gomi, former training partner Nate Diaz, and of course Clay Guida all come to mind, but before any of that happens, Penn needs to address the biggest issue there is–his training camp. Losing two in a row is a cry for help; something needs to change, and BJ knows it, too.

“A lot of people have been asking about the camp, we’re still figuring that whole thing out,” said Penn, suggesting a change of scenery will be in order shortly. “But while we figure that whole thing out, I’m gonna jump back in the gym.”

No time line has been set yet for his return, but a BJ Penn coming off of two losses, seemingly backed into a corner where his legacy is at stake…well, I feel sorry for the next guy.

So, my MMA peeps, who do you think should be on deck next for Penn? And do you think the Hilo, Hawaiian still has it in him to be a champion once again? Let your opinions known below.

Maia was last seen in action over the weekend when he out-pointed fellow Brazilian, Mario Miranda en route to a unanimous decision win, at UFC 118.

Maia, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu phenom who was coming off of a bizarre loss to Anderson Silva in Abu Dhabi last April, nearly submitted the fellow BJJ Black Belt on several occasions, often times favoring an elusive arm bar that Maia found open on several occasions, but was never able to secure the maneuver.

Demian has been nothing short of impressive in most of his UFC appearances. He holds a 13-2 record overall, with 7 of those victories coming inside the octagon–five of which were submission finishes. His lone two losses come to the aforementioned Silva, and fellow former title challenger Nate Marquardt.

While his original opponent Alan Belcher pulled out due to injury and Miranda was tapped as a late replacement fighter who prior to the bout held a sub par UFC record of 1-1, Maia had high praises for his fellow Brazilian.

“It ended up not being Alan Belcher, but he was an opponent up to par, as his record shows”, said Maia in regards to UFC 118 opponent Miranda, while speaking with Graciemag.com.

“He’s tall, well-rounded, very hard to finish. He’s strong for his weight and I feel it was a good return fight for me. Thank God it all worked out and I managed to do what I trained to do.”

“He defends really well, and in really sticky situations, where you have to defend taking blows. Sport Jiu-Jitsu is one thing, MMA is really different. He defended really well in difficult positions”, he continued.

“I didn’t try to finish him from his back that much and I think I could have been more incisive there. Now I tried to get his arm several times, but he really did escape. It’s something I need to fix, but credit to him, too.”

While he has seen a lot of success at 185, Demian suggests that the middleweight field in of itself is a mess, and wants to find immediate resolve and make his way back to the top, sooner rather than later.

“Things are all mixed up at this weight (middleweight). At this weight, in my 15 fights, I only have two losses and to excellent athletes. I feel it’s a bit of an illusion thinking dropping weight will be easier. Who knows, I might try it out some day, but I’m not stuck on that. But for the time being, I don’t intend to.”

So, would you like to see Maia at Welterweight, or should he continue to try his hat at the Middleweight division and make his way back to the top? He holds a key victory over top contender Chael Sonnen, who is on deck next (again) for Anderson Silva.

“The UFC contacted us yesterday, and I think they want to put a rematch together, so I think a rematch is in the works,” Penn went on to say “I think the next three months, four months at the most,”

This is would seem to put the fight at at either the August 1 Versus show in Oakland or the August 28 fight that takes place in Boston. After the main event disaster at UFC 112 it might make sense to give the fans this fight for free by putting it on Versus. Then again a Boston event is close enough to the home of the new UFC lightweight champion “The Answer” Frank Edgar (12-1) that it may be the best option.

There are those out there that felt BJ won that fight even though he did not look himself. Gone was the killer instinct we usually see from him. This may be attributed to what his trainer Rudy Valentino said when talking to Cage Potato. “He was also battling a sinus infection and was on antibiotics, so he was not one hundred percent. I’m not making any excuses, that is just what happened.”

According to Rudy BJ had a fever in the week leading up to the fight and the infection he had prevented him from training as hard as he should have for a couple of weeks. Originally I contribute Penn’s lackluster performance to him deciding to keep his camp in Hilo, Hawaii rather than coming to the RVCA training facility in California.

Penn  has stated in the past that he had troubles training as hard as he should have in Hawaii due to the distractions and the laid back attitude. The laid back attitude is all part of the Aloha spirit and “Island Time”, where you do things at your own pace with no real sense of urgency. I thought he looked the best we had seen him in his past two fights where he came to California and got away from the things that took him away from hard training.

While nothing is official yet, expect BJ to push for this rematch rather than UFC matchmaker Joe Silva and president Dana White offering it to the only man to have beaten Edgar, fifth-ranked lightweight “The Bully” Gray Maynard (9-0).

Stay tuned to Fighters.com as this story develops further.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do to him right now,” White told the post-fight press conference.  “I don’t know.  I honestly don’t know what to say.  I’m so blown away and disgusted and saddened.”

But, Fighters.com thinks both White and Silva are being coy about the origin of Silva’s antics when defending his 185-pound title.  There’s a quiet war going on between White and Silva behind the scenes and it’s all about Silva boxing legendary boxer Roy Jones, Jr.

Recall that after Silva beat former PRIDE middleweight champion and third-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7), Silva began to publicly talk about purusing his dream of boxing Jones.  White, though, assured Silva and the public that he would kaybash any matchup between Silva and Jones under Marquess of Queensberry rules.

Starting with his next title defense versus “Predator” Patrick Cote (13-5) at UFC 90 in Chicago in October 2008 and through his defenses versus Thales Leites (16-3) at UFC 97 in Montreal in April 2009 and Maia Saturday, Silva’s title defenses have been full of antics and disappointment.  After each, Silva has apologized and promised MMA fans a better performance next time, as he did Saturday.

Fighters.com suspects Silva is intentionally sabotaging his UFC title defenses and White knows it.  That’s why White couldn’t sit through the entire main event in Abu Dhabi.

But, what about Silva’s devastating first-round knockouts in light heavyweight matchups versus “Sandman” James Irvin (14-6) and Fighters.com fifth-ranked light heavyweight Forrest Griffin (17-6)? Exactly!  Those are the exceptions that convince Fighters.com that Silva’s performances at middleweight are intentional.

Fighters.com has previously reported that Silva’s UFC contract is written such that if Silva retires as a UFC champion, he’s essentially perpetually bound to the UFC if he ever wants to fight again in any combat sport.  So, even if Silva retired as UFC champion, White can veto a Silva-Jones boxing matchup.  And, Silva can’t voluntarily vacate his title under his contract, nor can he practically throw a fight without ruining his reputation and any potential Silva-Jones boxing match.  Silva has to legitimately lose at middleweight before he could retire and box Jones, but a loss would also kaybash the Silva-Jones matchup.  Catch-22!

Fighters.com thinks Silva’s antics in his last three title defenses is Silva’s plea to White to let him vacate the 185-pound title so he can retire and box Jones.

Fighters.com can’t read Silva’s mind, of course.  But, the facts reported here have been verified by sources.  With those, Fighters.com is just putting two and two together.

That’s right, the UFC president walked out when the man he calls the pound for best was still fighting, if that is what you want to call what Silva was doing inside the Octagon.

Silva came out doing some serious show-boating and taunting for the first three rounds of the fight. He went so far as to actually kneel a couple of times. He danced, juked and jived around Maia hurting him a few times and kept taunting Maia instead of doing what a champion should do, finish his opponent.

The final two rounds had Silva doing his best imitation of Kalib Starnes (9-4-1) as he ran around the Octagon avoiding Maia. He ran so much that referee Dan Miragliotta halted the fight in the final round and warned him that if he kept running and did not engage he would deduct a point. This would have been the perfect time to see the yellow card from Pride FC that deducted ten percent of a fighter’s pay. Joe Rogan made a similar comment moments after I tweeted the same thing.

According to Rogan, at the end of the fourth round Dana walked up to Ed Soares and “had a few words” with the man known for managing Silva. Dana having words with you while your fighter is still fighting can’t be a good thing.

Another report from Yahoo correspondent Kevin Iole stated that White threw down the title belt in and walked out of the arena. You really can’t blame Dana for showing the fighter disrespect as he was showing zero respect for Maia, the UFC or for the fans.

Dana brings the UFC to Abu Dhabi for the first time with plans on expanding throughout the middle east and this is how the champion behaves? How can a company build a new fan base when their middleweight champion who they are billing as the best in the world acts like a child inside the Octagon and taunts an opponent that he was unable to finish?

In the aftermath of the awful performance Dana said “This one took the cake. I am blown away, disgusted and saddened” Dana was then asked about the potential super fight with Fighters.com and UFC welterweight champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (20-2). His response was very interesting; “I don’t want to see GSP vs. Silva after tonight. Silva might be the first champion fighting on a prelim. I don’t want to see that [expletive]”

Those are very harsh words from the UFC president that obviously come from his frustration. The very same frustration fans and journalists were sharing on Twitter this morning. Many were giving Georges a hard time for his last fight but in that fight he actually pushed and tried to finish the fight, Silva never once came close and yet acted like he could have at anytime.

We as fans of MMA know that not every champion can finish their fights but I think it is reasonable for fans to to expect them to at least try and put away their opponent.

During the post fight presser Anderson said he wanted to punish Maia for disrespecting him. I am unaware of any disrespect that he has shown Silva but if that was the case, would he not want to knock him out to make a point? Nothing Silva can say at this point will make a difference. Dana is angry, the fans are livid and the journalists and bloggers have plenty of material to keep them busy for a while.

The actions displayed inside the Octagon today by Anderson Silva should not be tolerated in a sport built around respect. Dana has every right to be angry and it is nice to see him feeling the same way as the fans. Anderson Silva lost quite a few fans due to this fight and I am sure many will now hope that anyone he fights knocks him out.

Welcome to the ranks of another UFC champion Silva, heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (4-1).

Matt Hughes was one of the most dominant fighters the UFC welterweight division. Matt has stepped into the Octagon 21 times and only tasted defeat a total of five times with three of those coming in the last four years.

The former champion controlled the Octagon like no other before him using his far superior wrestling which included highly dominant top control. That dominant control lead to a UFC record nine straight title defenses in which he beat a legend in Royce Gracie (14-3-3) at UFC 60.

I know that for many the fight between Royce and Hughes was hard to watch. It is difficult to watch the man many give credit to for bringing them into the sport and falling in love with jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts (MMA) get thoroughly beaten. Enter Renzo Gracie to defend the family name.

Renzo has been involved in MMA for a long time now and as a Gracie, he feels the need to defend the family name. This is something we have seen time and time again from the Gracie family. When one man goes down another steps up to take his place. Renzo very well could be on the verge of revenge.

Royce was dominated in his fight with Hughes but that was almost four years ago. The Matt Hughes then is not the same Hughes we see today. This is a fight many would think would end up being a stand up war like so many fights between wrestlers and jiu jitsu guys. They cancel each other out and end up trading. I don’t think this is how this fight will go down though.

Hughes has said he needs to get back to what got him the title in the first place. That would be his wrestling and even though he seems to have lost a step, I believe he can get Renzo down. The problem is that Renzo works very well off his back unlike a former opponent Matt faced.

Matt fought “The Terror” Matt Serra (10-6) at UFC 98 where he won a unanimous decision. During that fight Hughes put Serra on his back often. Serra is a jiu jitsu black belt but rarely have we seen him work well off his back. Yet in that fight he did well off his back and some believe Serra could have won that fight. Renzo is a different beast altogether though.

Renzo will work to not just tie up Hughes on the ground but will be looking to use the infamous Gracie jiu jitsu to submit the man that beat his cousin.

This may be a fight between two men who are past their primes but how can one not be intrigued by another Gracie inside the Octagon looking to defend his families honor against a dominant ex-champion? Regardless of age or recent defeats, drama can be found in this fight and should be rather than be dismissed as a battle between two men who have no significance in the division at this time.

You also have to take into consideration that if Renzo wins this fight he will be looking to drop down to 155 so that he can work to avenge his own loss to the top-ranked and UFC lightweight champion “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-5-1) which came at K1: World Grand Prix in 2005. Renzo dropped a decision in that fight and has talked of dropping down after this fight. A win will allow him to do that while a loss makes that possibility very slim even though BJ has talked about moving to 170 once again if he can get past “The Answer” Frank Edgar(11-1) on the same night.

As fans we must be willing to look past age, significance of the fight in the division and many other factors. We can always find something that makes the fight worth watching and something to look forward too.

Saturday will be round two in the battle between Gracie versus Hughes and I am one that is excited to see the results.

Dana White has said he does not believe they will receive any rain but that the wind could be an issue. Dana was not very keen on holding an outdoor event and it took much convincing to get him to buy into it.

“I’ve always been terrified of doing an outdoor show,” White said during a recent interview with Rogers Sportsnet.

What has shocked me is that with the risk of rain and wind the UFC has not put together a back up plan. “If it starts raining and the wind starts blowing..right now there is no Plan B” said White.

While it may not rain on the UFC’s parade in Abu Dhabi, it very well might kick up a nasty wind storm. Dana stated “Wind could be a factor. It’s very dusty and sandy there. I’m worried about the wind”

If the wind does start to kick up this could be a major problem for Dana and the UFC. The last thing they or the fans want is any sort of controversy with fighters. Imagine a fighter losing as the wind had picked up and stating he had sand in his eye and could not see. This could happen mid-fight and a fighter turn due to this and similar to an unseen eye-poke, the fight could get stopped.

Not only that but you have to worry about fighter safety inside the Octagon. If the floor of the Octagon becomes covered in sand, even the smallest amount, it would wreak havoc on fighters who are trying to fight off their back. It is enough to be on your back, avoiding some vicious ground pound but to also have to deal with what amounts to sandpaper taking off layers of skin on your back, that is to much to ask of any fighter.

According to many, the fighters should only feel a breeze as the design of the venue reportedly minimizes the concern. The facts remain, fighter safety must come first, weather is unpredictable and titles are on the line.

UFC 112 will see two title defenses as Fighters.com and UFC middleweight champion “The Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4) defends his crown against sixth-ranked middleweight Demian Maia (11-1). The other title up for grabs belongs to none other than top-ranked and UFC lightweight champion “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (15-5-1) as he does battle against sixth-ranked challenger “The Answer” Frank Edgar (11-1).

One of the other concerns raised by many is the religious climate. A country that is known for being predominately Muslim but also tolerant of other religions is a new aspect for a UFC crowd. All across the internet I have talked to fans who seem to wonder what type of crowd the fighters will be dealing with during UFC 112. Will the crowd be like a pumped up, loud and rabid group of fans here in the states or will they be more like the calm and quiet Japanese MMA fans?  Really it is difficult to try and predict anything in the way of crowd reaction.

I feel certain that the crowd will see less of the booing we tend to see here in the states when a fight hits the ground due to the rich history the region has with Jiu Jitsu and submission grappling but other than that I have no idea what to expect.

Will the crowd be tolerant of the swimsuit clad UFC ring girls in a country where the burka is common place? There are many questions lingering about this foray into a new country and the reaction the UFC gets could very well determine if they push into some of the other countries they are looking to explore in the middle east.

Saturday all of this will be answered if the entire event is not wiped out by a massive sandstorm.

If you want to discuss more about UFC 112 you can join myself and Gary Friedman tonight on MMA Gospel Radio from 8-9:30 PM EST/ 5-6:30 PT as we will be joined by Keith Florian and Jake Rosholt. We can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/mmagospel. Come kick back and listen or join in the live chat during the show.

UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi is where the fight will take place and many seem to be writing off Maia. While Maia has obvious weaknesses in his stand up game there are other points we must take into consideration. Before doing that though we need to examine Silva and what he brings to the table as one of the most dominant champions in the history of the UFC.

Anderson Silva busted onto the scene by systematically destroying everyone they put inside the Octagon with him. If he should beat Maia he would hold the all-time record for title defenses in a single reign. His next record should he win at UFC 112, would be the most wins in title matches for a career. That record is currently held by both Matt Hughes (41-7) and “The Natural” Randy Couture (18-10) who have nine and Silva sits at six currently. Since his introduction to the UFC he has finished every fight except for one and has yet to taste defeat inside the Octagon. Other than a disqualification back in 2006 for an illegal upkick, his last loss was in back in 2004. Dominant is a word that seems to fit perfectly when discussing Silva.

Maia is stepping into the Octagon with a man whose biggest strength is his biggest weakness. We were able to witness just how behind Maia is in the striking game when he decided to stand in his fight with “The Great” Nate Marquardt (29-9-2) at UFC 102. Maia came out looking to use some kicks and in :21 seconds the fight was over after Nate put him out cold with one punch. However after that fight it became very clear that Maia was focusing on his striking when he fought Dan Miller (11-3) at UFC 109. Dan is another fighter in the UFC with very good jiu jitsu but just not on the same level as Maia. Most, including myself, expected Maia to get back to his bread and butter and take the fight to the ground and show Miller just what elite level jiu jitsu is all about. That was not the case in the least bit. Maia actually kept the fight standing and used much improved head movement and a jab that before was nowhere to be found. I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea and think that due this I believe Maia can stand and trade with Silva. Miller’s striking is much different than Silva’s and light years apart. However it is a part of the game Maia has improved on and will need to use in order to avoid the big shots from Silva.

The only way I have heard that people think Maia can win is if he can get it to the ground. I think that is pretty obvious but I am shocked by those that think his chances of taking Silva down are slim to none. Silva will easily be the bigger man in this fight but that does not mean Maia can’t take him down.”Hendo” Dan Henderson (25-7) took Silva down and controlled him from top position until he got away from his own game-plan. I know that Maia is not the wrestler Hendo is but look at his fight with another top contender in the division, Chael Sonnen (24-10-1). Maia came out and shocked people by out wrestling Sonnen. There is no question what happened in that fight. He takes his shot, works off of Chael’s whizzer attempt and then uses better wrestling to gain the dominant top position.

This is what people seem to be glossing over when discussing Maia’s chances of taking Silva down. Anderson Silva does have a long reach and strikes from odd angles and Maia will have to avoid that brutal shot to get inside and take this fight to the ground. Yet Maia has much better wrestling than he is being given credit for and I feel he will be able to put Silva on his back. Once there he will have to make sure to not get locked up in the body triangle Silva loves to work off his back and this is where the fight could become quite the battle.

Demian Maia will surprise a lot of people by being able to do what only a could have been able to accomplish thus far, putting Silva in a spot where he is least comfortable. Will Maia walk away the champion this Saturday? I have no idea but I do know Maia should be as easily dismissed as he is being right now from other media outlets.

MMA Weekly reports Penn as saying, “If everything goes well on April 10, I definitely would consider moving up to 170. Not that I’m – not that it’s 100-percent guaranteed.”

And, Penn will be taking his time moving up.  He added, “If I do make that move I’m going to move slow. I’m not going to try to rush anything. Maybe I would think about it more as testing the waters. I’d talk to [UFC President Dana White] and see if he would want me to vacate the belt, but maybe try do something like [Anderson Silva] is doing, test the waters, see how everything is going and see how everything plays out.”

Penn is 1-3 in the UFC’s welterweight division, beating seventh-ranked and then-champion Matt Hughes (43-7) for the title at UFC 46 in Las Vegas in 2004 before vacating to fight outside of the UFC.

Davis debuted in the Octagon with a grueling beat-down of former WEC light heavyweight champion “All American” Brian Stann (8-3) leading to a unanimous decision at UFC 109 in Las Vegas February 6.

Gustafsson debuted in the Octagon with a 41-second TKO of Jared Hamman (9-2) at UFC 105 in Manchester November 14.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

“I thank Anderson for all the time we spent working together. He’s a champion, a born striker, but we won’t continue working together in this partnership due to lack of tune in some moments. I decided to let the way open or him to work his Muay Thai with anyone he decides,” Woirin told Tatame.

Woirin had worked with Silva in his last four victories, through his utter destruction of former UFC light heavyweight champ and sixth-ranked Forrest Griffin (17-6).

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)

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.

That sums it.

Until last year, UFC President Dana White boasted that his top-down authority over MMA led to matchups between the two best fighters in any division, unlike boxing where fighters were matched according to marketability wich has led to the unmarketability of boxing.  And, until November 2008 White was right.  But, in the past year-and-a-half or so, the matchups in the UFC have been determined by market more than sport.

The top challenger to Fighters.com and UFC Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4) is second-ranked Strikeforce champion Jake Shields (24-4-1).  And, it’s a good matchup on paper too, Silva being the best striker in the sport and Shields being at the top of his grappling game.

But, I understand the business and give White a pass for not collaborating on big fights with competing promotions.  So, the next best matchup for Silva in the UFC was third-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7).  But, White wouldn’t pony up the cash to keep Hendo in the Octagon to make the fight.  Henderson abandoned White and the UFC and signed with Strikeforce.

It happens.  Then, the next best matchup for Silva is fourth-ranked “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2), whom Silva himself calls the next king of the division.  But, Marquardt was passed over.

Instead, eighth-ranked “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8) will challenge Silva at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi April 10 in a more marketing stand-up war between two big names.  But, Marquardt is right.  Belfort has been in and out of the middlweight division and his most recent TKO of “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5) at UFC 103 in Dallas September 19 was at 195 pounds.

But, as the hype behind Silva-Belfort barely simmers, a better matchup between Shields and Henderson at Strikeforce boils hot.

Shields is expected defend his Strikeforce title from newly-signed Henderson on CBS in April.  That’s the biggest fight in the division, bigger than the UFC’s title fight the same month.

The champion, Shields, is a long-time holdout from the UFC who has managed nonetheless to put together an outstanding record versus established talent.  Henderson was to be Silva’s next challenger in the UFC and, therefore, even White can’t talk-down Henderson’s ranking.  So, whichever fighter leaves the cage with the Strikeforce title in April is the legitimate world’s top contender to Silva.  And, he’s not in the UFC.  It’s a better matchup on paper, it’s a better matchup in the division rankings, and there’s a lot more on the line.

Fighters.com’s January Middleweight Top Ten

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. “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8)

9. “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (9-2)

10. “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-1)

According to the Brazilian magazine, Emirates Team leader Carlos Santos has been contacted by both fighters to use his training facility in Abu Dhabi in the days leading up to UFC 112.

The fight was originally scheduled for UFC 108 in Las Vegas January 2, but Silva required surgery on his elbow forcing the rescheduling.

In the meantime, Fighters.com and UFC lightweight champion “Prodigy” B.J. Penn (12-4-1) also announced in a video at his website his expectation to fight at UFC 112, though no fight has been agreed to.

Recent UFC signee and former PRIDE champion “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-6) has been speculated as a potential opponent for Penn.

UFC 112 already features amatchup between Fighters.com seventh-ranked welterweight Matt Hughes (43-7) and PRIDE veteran Renzo Gracie (13-6-1).

“I see that Dana has let the cat out of the bag,” Hughes said, referencing UFC President Dana White’s hint Thursday in Memphis about the matchup. “So I can tell you what I know, on April 10th I will be fighting Renzo Gracie in Abu Dhabi. I haven’t signed any paperwork and I don’t think Renzo has either; but I think this fight is going to happen.”

The 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.

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.

Hughes, the longest-serving welterweight champion in UFC history, called the date “possible”.

The 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.

In November, Heavy.com reported that Hughes will fight PRIDE veteran Renzo Gracie (13-6-1) when Hughes returns to battle.

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.