Rashad Evans defeats Tito Ortiz by TKO at 4:48 of Round 2. Vitor Belfort defeats Yoshihiro Akiyama by KO at 1:52 of Round 1. Brian Ebersole defeats Dennis Hallman by TKO at 4:28 of Round 1. Costas Philippou defeats Jorge Rivera by split decision. Rory MacDonald defeats Mike Pyle by TKO at 3:54 of Round 1. Alexander Gustafsson defeats Matt Hamill by TKO at 3:34 of Round 2. Chad Mendes defeats Rani Yahya by unanimous decision. Ivan Menjivar defeats Nick Pace by unanimous decision. Johny Hendricks defeats Mike Pierce by split decision. Mike Brown defeats Nam Phan by unanimous decision. Rafael Natal defeats Paul Bradley by unanimous decision.

As I expected, the preliminary fights further proved that I was in the right in crowning the “UFC Prelims LIVE” specials my new “dark horse favorite”. It appears that I may have misjudged Mike Brown, he may yet have a worthwhile future in the UFC. I wasn’t surprised that Chad Mendes won his fight, I’m glad he did and I think he definitely deserves the next title shot, I even think he deserves it more than Kenny Florian does. As a fan of Matt Hamill, it really hurt to see him so resoundingly defeated.

I think Rory MacDonald is going to be a real force in the UFC by the middle of next year at the latest. He simply looks better and better on a per-fight basis. Rivera/Phillippou was a very interesting bout as well. I also enjoyed the Ebersole/Hallman fight, and I think Ebersole did a fantastic job of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. And speaking of “snatch” (excuse the bad joke), I along with many found it cringe-inducingly ridiculous that Dennis Hallman showed up to fight in a speedo. UFC President Dana White almost-instantly took to Twitter and said that that’d be banned from now on, and I have to say I agree with him.

I absolutely, positively knew that Vitor Belfort would win by stoppage against Yoshihiro Akiyama… I just didn’t think he’d do it as quickly as he did. Unfortunately for “Sexyama”, this loss can be seen as further proof that most Japanese MMA stars nowadays just don’t have what it takes to compete in high-level MMA promotions like the UFC. There are some notable exceptions to the rule, but realistically, Akiyama has lost three fights and his only win inside the Octagon was a very controversial decision. As entertaining as he’s been, I think Akiyama is gone after this fight.

And in the main event of UFC 133, Rashad Evans did what I knew he could have done, what I knew even Ortiz could’ve done… he channeled his inner champion. Tito, meanwhile… he just didn’t. He seemed like the old Tito, and not the good kind of old Tito, not the “old-school” Tito that destroyed everyone… the old Tito that hadn’t won a fight in about five years. The Tito that was tentative to engage in all areas, with a lack of confidence that was only made worse by his advancing age and declining skill. Ortiz breathed some new life into his career with his win over Ryan Bader at UFC 132, but Evans’ total all-out domination of Ortiz is all the proof I need to know that Ortiz is only a few fights away from retirement.

Overall, UFC 133 was quite the solid event and perhaps even a “dark horse candidate” for some sort of “Sleeper Hit Of The Year” award.

5. The preliminaries on Facebook all look interesting.

As always, you’ve got virtually nothing to lose when you check out the UFC’s free preliminary fights streamed through Facebook. A novel concept when it first started, the Facebook stream has become so (pardon the pun) streamlined that it features production values almost as good as the main UFC Pay-Per-View show. It even allows high-definition audio/video quality. And to top it all off, these particular fights features entertaining fighters like Mike Brown, Johny Hendricks, and more.

4. The preliminaries on Spike TV feature some pretty big names.

The last fight Matt Hamill competed in was the main event of a major UFC Pay-Per-View. Furthermore, Hamill has a huge following of loyal supporters, both as a deaf athlete and a great fighter. Meanwhile, Chad Mendes was supposed to be fighting Jose Aldo, and Mendes has looked virtually unstoppable so far. These two may be fighting on the Spike TV preliminaries, but they’re both good enough fighters that they probably should’ve been fighting on the main card.

3. The main card is loaded with veteran fighters.

Brian Ebersole is an entertaining veteran with over sixty professional fights on his record. Dennis Hallman is an entertaining veteran with over sixty professional fights on his record. Mike Pyle is an entertaining veteran with almost thirty fights. Jorge Riva, Vitor Belfort, Tito Ortiz… the list goes on and on. If you’re a fan of long-time fighters and respect veteran talent that remain entertaining to this day, this card is a real treat.

2. Seeing Belfort either bounce back into title contention or Akiyama save his job.

Vitor Belfort has looked amazing at Middleweight except for the one time where he got caught and stopped with a spectacular KO kick that absolutely no one saw coming. Meanwhile, Yoshihiro Akiyama has impressed in all three of his UFC fights but has yet to win a fight conclusively and has lost two straight. This is a “make or break” fight for both men, but two very different things are on the line. Nonetheless, that should motivate both men to bring out their best and this fight has serious “Sleeper Hit of the Year” potential.

And the number-one reason to watch UFC 133 is…

1. The all-out war that Rashad Evans/Tito Ortiz will likely be.

Rashad Evans is a former Light Heavyweight Champion, but so is Tito Ortiz. Ortiz just recovered from a string of losses… but Evans has been sitting on the sidelines for over a year and he’s got no one to blame for that but himself. With so many different factors leading into this bout, there’s at least a dozen ways that this fight could end up playing out. If you’re even a moderate fan of either of these two, this is a must-see fight.

The Event: UFC 133 “Evans vs. Ortiz”, currently scheduled for August 6, 2011 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Four free preliminary bouts will be streamed on the UFC’s Facebook page starting at 5:45 PM ET. Two additional free preliminary bouts will air on the Spike TV network starting at 8:00 PM ET. The main card will air live on Pay-Per-View starting at 9:00 PM ET.

Why You Should Care: Although this event has seen a host of high-profile injuries wreak havoc on the card, UFC 133 is a solid event with many fights having “sleeper hit” potential. You’ve got grudge matches, you’ve got hot prospects, you’ve got veterans with over sixty professional fights. It isn’t as good as it could have been, but the overall quality could end up really surprising us all by the time the show is over.

What to Look Forward to in the Main Event: Rashad Evans is fighting to preserve his title shot, while Tito Ortiz is fighting to continue the resurrection of his career. The first time these two met, it was a close back-and-forth war of attrition. The same should hold true for the rematch: both men have their weaknesses and face interesting problems coming into this fight, but their heart and skill is unquestioned.

What to Look Forward to in the Co-Main Event: If he loses at UFC 133, this will be Yoshihiro Akiyama’s third straight loss. Even though Akiyama is a very entertaining fighter, he will more than likely be fighting for his job against Vitor Belfort. Hopefully that brings out the best in Akiyama, because he’ll have to be at his best to deal with Belfort, who still packs a powerful punch after all these years and has the experience necessary to remain a threat in any division he chooses to compete in.

Why You Should Watch This Card: On paper, the matches sound very interesting. You’ve got stars and former champions on the prelims like Matt Hamill, Chad Mendes, and Mike Brown. On the Pay-Per-View, you’ve got hot prospects like Ryan MacDonald and Costantinos Philippou fighting tough veterans like Jorge Rivera and Mike Pyle. Plus, both the co-main and main event fights should be very entertaining.

Why You Shouldn’t Watch This Card: This was supposed to be the latest UFC mega-event, instead it’s the latest UFC card that comes so close to self-imploding due to injuries that you simply have to marvel at the UFC’s perseverance. I won’t sugar coat this: this card could have been a lot better… a whole lot better. Compared to what could have been, UFC 133 is a shadow of its former self.

Closing Thoughts: Even as a shadow of its former self, I think this is going to be a good card. Not great, not astounding, not the best event of the latter half of the year… but good nonetheless. None of these fights scream “must watch” at me, but a lot of them are using their “inside voices” and telling me “it’ll probably be fun”.

The man known on the underground as “Sexyama” has been having a tough time getting on a win-streak in the UFC since making his high-profile debut on the star-studded UFC 100 card. Before ever stepping into the Octagon, Akiyama was already a major star and even a sex symbol in his native Japan, with a solid record of 10-1-0 with two No Contests backing him up. Unfortunately, his debut was filled with controversy as he beat Alan Belcher by Split Decision in a fight where Joe Rogan famously repeated “Alan Belcher got robbed” several times.

From there, Akiyama sat out almost a year in hopes of facing Wanderlei Silva. That fight never ended up happening, and Akiyama would end up losing to Chris Leben thanks to a third-round Hail Mary Triangle Choke. Following that performance, Akiyama fought Michael Bisping in his native England in the headlining attraction of UFC 120, once again losing the bout. Akiyama can probably take solace in the fact that although he’s 1-2 in the UFC, all three of those fights have earned “Fight of the Night” bonuses.

Akiyama faces arguably his toughest test in the UFC when he faces former champion Vitor Belfort. Belfort is far removed from the cocky young stud we saw win the UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament, he’s even far removed from the battle-hardened veteran we saw win the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in 2004. The new Vitor Belfort is a Middleweight, with fiery power in his hands and plenty of cardio that gives him the stamina to always remain a threat.

From 2007 to 2009, Belfort went on quite a rebirth and strung together five straight wins, with four (T)KO victories. He then sat on the sidelines in hopes of securing a fight with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. Injuries from both men led to Belfort’s hiatus lasting well over a year, and when the bout finally happened, Anderson Silva KO’d Belfort with a spectacular Front Face Kick that many people considered one of the greatest “kick KO’s” of all time.

I hate to pick against Yoshihiro Akiyama, I really have nothing negative to say about him and I think he’s a very entertaining fighter. I also empathize with him fighting for his job against Belfort, since the UFC’s dreaded “three losses and you’re out” unwritten rule has been applied to everyone both up and down the card lately. But against Vitor Belfort, I’m going to have to pick against Akiyama.

Vitor Belfort is hungry, determined… he’s found that old fire again. Anyone can get caught, Belfort just happened to get caught with one of the greatest KO strikes I’ve ever seen. Belfort has the cardio and intelligence to not rush right out of the gate and spend all his energy trying for the quick KO. Belfort will tactically attack Akiyama, wearing him down and looking for that big bomb. Akiyama will be able to put up a defense and it’ll be a great fight, but in the end, Akiyama’s striking just isn’t as good as Belfort’s.

The only chance Akiyama has is to take this fight to the ground constantly, and while that’s possible, I just don’t see it happening. Unless Belfort catches lightning and nails that bomb, it’ll be a three-round war of attrition and Belfort’s striking will prevail.

The news was confirmed on the UFC’s official Twitter account. In addition to Belfort vs. Akiyama being the new co-main event, a fight between Brian Ebersole and Dennis Hallman has been promoted to the main card.

“Little Nog” was coming into his fight against Franklin on the heels of a tough two-fight losing-streak. It’s been almost two years since the smaller Nogueira brother entered the UFC and knocked out Luiz Cane, leading many to wonder if maybe “Little Nog” could be a championship contender. A close win over Jason Brilz and losses to both Ryan Bader and Phil Davis would follow.

Rich Franklin was also coming off some tough losses, having gone 1-2 in his three most-recent fights. A “Knockout of the Night” performance against an aging Chuck Liddell currently lies sandwiched between a 2009 TKO loss to Vitor Belfort and a recent Unanimous Decision loss to Forrest Griffin.

Vitor Belfort is returning to the UFC after losing to Anderson Silva in one of the most spectacular KO’s of the year. Silva would employ a front face kick he says was taught to him by Steven Seagal in order to give Belfort the first stone-cold KTFO loss of his career. Before the long-awaited and often-delayed encounter with Silva, Belfort was on a five-fight win-streak.

Yoshihiro Akiyama is currently 1-2 in the UFC with all three fights earning “Fight of the Night” accolades. Akiyama debuted at UFC 100 and won a very close decision against Alan Belcher, then sat on the sidelines for roughly a year in hopes of challenging Wanderlei Silva. Akiyama would eventually fight Chris Leben instead, and lose via a great third-round Triangle with only twenty seconds left in the fight. Akiyama most-recently lost a tough decision to Michael Bisping back in October of last year.

I really, really hate to see a main-attraction fight get pulled this close to UFC 133’s scheduled date. I think I would’ve liked Nogueira/Franklin a whole lot. I thought both men would’ve come out swinging, with neither backing down an inch until someone got knocked out. And you’ve just got to be a fan of fights like that.

Even though Belfort/Akiyama isn’t as big of a fight, I still think it’s o.k. as far as co-main events go. While they’re both coming off of losses, they’re also both entertaining performers and both are quite popular. I think that this is a good “clash of styles” fight, and with Akiyama wanting to avoid the dreaded three-fight losing-streak, we should see a super-competitive fight.

It’s always tough whenever a big fight gets pulled, and I hope this is the last we hear of major fights getting pulled for at least the next few months. As amazing as UFC 136 and UFC 137 are shaping up to be, I’d hate to see them suffer the same fate of UFC 133. I think UFC 133 will still be a good event, but in comparison to what it could have been… it’s just really unfortunate that things went down this way.

Courtesy of Sherdog, the UFC 133 card now stands as such: Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis, Rich Franklin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama, Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara, Rory MacDonald vs. Mike Pyle, Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Alexander Gustafsson, Chad Mendes vs. Rani Yahya, Dennis Hallman vs. Brian Ebersole, Ivan Menjivar vs. Nick Pace, Johny Hendricks vs. Mike Pierce, Mike Thomas Brown vs. Nam Phan, Rafael Natal vs. Constantinos Philippou

In discussing UFC 133, I think I’ll start from the bottom and work my way up.

Mike Brown vs. Nam Phan is a match-up that really interests me. Phan has been on the sidelines since December, when he was frankly robbed of a victory courtesy of a horrendous judge’s decision. Meanwhile, Mike Brown has been struggling to find his footing in the UFC but has stayed employed as an Octagon fighter thanks to taking two fights back-to-back. I do think Brown will be gone if he loses to Phan, though. Part of me hopes that the former WEC champion gets the big win he needs, another part of me would love to see Phan win in order to keep hope alive for a rematch with Leonard Garcia.

I think it’s pretty interesting that Brian Ebersole will more-than-likely lead the main event of UFC 133’s Facebook broadcast. After a huge win over Chris Lytle, I thought the UFC would simply do a little more with Ebersole. But I do partly agree with putting him on the undercard: he may have shrugged off the role of “sacrificial lamb” in the bout with Lytle, but there are still a lot of questions hovering around him. If he beats Hallman, though, I do think Ebersole will have earned a spot on the main card for his next bout.

I think it’ll be interesting to see what Jorge Rivera does against Alessio Sakara. That’s a battle of tough veterans that should be pretty entertaining. Also, is anyone else excited for Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama? I know both men have lost lately, but that seems like a great “clash of styles” fight. I’m also really pumped for Rich Franklin vs. “Little Nog”. Hopefully, that fight turns into the great brawl that the Forrest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin fight should have been.

And for the main event, Rashad Evans dug his own grave and now needs to lay down in it. I’d actually consider myself a semi-fan of Rashad Evans, but even I have to point out the irony of the situation, with Evans sitting out all this time only to get injured, then the champion he was supposed to face gets injured, and now he’s doing what he tried not to do and has to put his shot at the championship on the line.

And to be honest, I think “ring rust” will play a significant factor in this fight, with Evans sitting out for over a year simply because he chose to do so. It’ll play an even bigger factor than usual, given how hungry Phil Davis is and how eagerly he wants to knock off some serious contenders. I’m not saying Davis will come out and dominate Evans, but I do think Evans will have a tough time both due to Phil’s toughness/technique as well as the fact that Evans has gone so long without stepping inside the Octagon.

Overall, UFC 133 may not be the best card, but a lot of the fights look very fun on paper and the event has plenty of “sleeper hit” potential.

We head to MMA Weekly for the scoop. According to their sources, the UFC is pursuing a match-up that would pit former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin against PRIDE standout Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

Since 2008, former champion Rich Franklin has embarked on an interesting but only moderately-fruitful run at Light Heavyweight. Franklin has won one and then lost one, in that pattern, for nearly three years. Currently, Franklin is 2-3 in his last five fights, with big wins over Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva sandwiched between deflating losses to Dan Henderson by Split Decision, Vitor Belfort by TKO, and most recently a very disappointing loss to Forrest Griffin in a fight that failed to realize almost all of its potential for greatness.

The man known as “Little Nog” has found it equally as difficult to secure his footing in the UFC’s super-competitive Light Heavyweight division. His UFC debut, a fantastic KO win over Luiz Cane, was immediately followed by a controversial win over Jason Brilz. After that, Nogueira would embark on his current two-fight losing-streak, losing big in matches against dominant wrestlers Ryan Bader and Phil Davis, both of whom were able to take down Nogueira repeatedly in their bouts while avoiding any of Nogueira’s formidable submissions.

Currently, the following six fights have all been tied to the UFC 133 card: Rich Franklin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama, Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara, Michael McDonald vs. Nick Pace, Rafael Natal vs. Riki Fukuda, and Dennis Hallman vs. Brian Ebersole.

I’m a fan of this card so far, and I definitely like the sound of “Little Nog” vs. Rich Franklin. I think both men have had some pretty grinding fights lately, and I think they’ve not performed at their best for several reasons. For Rich Franklin, I simply think he’s been facing a very, very high quality of opponent… former champions, knockout artists, etc. Let’s not forget that he also had a few fights at catchweight.

For Rogerio Nogueira, I think his main problem has been that he’s facing a lot of young guns, with many of them being dominant wrestlers. And while Nogueira does have the strength and speed to hang with these guys, he’s still human, and the Achilles Heel of any submission specialist, even someone as great as a Nogueira brother, will always be the dominant wrestler that can keep his opponent down while defending against submissions and/or sweeps.

So, in a way, I hope these two bring out the best in each other in the way the Rich Franklin vs. Forrest Griffin fight should have brought out the best in both those fighters. Looking forward, I also think that Akiyama vs. Belfort will be great, and I’m very interested to see what Brian Ebersole brings to the table coming off his huge win over Chris Lytle. And what about you, fans and friends? Any thoughts on this match-up or any of the other rumored match-ups for UFC 133?

The Brazilian was hoping to be added to the “UFC: Rio” card which will be taking place in his native country, however the UFC brass had other things in mind for “The Phenom”, as he will now be partaking in a middleweight bout against the always exciting Yoshihiro Akiyama.

UFC 133 takes is rumored to take place at the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 6.

Belfort was last seen in action when he was attempting to snatch the middleweight crown from pound-for-pound best Anderson Silva, a former teammate of Belfort’s out of Team Nogueira. Since their days as teammates, Belfort has relocated to Las Vegas, training with Xtreme Couture, while Silva has remained loyal to the Nogueira brothers in Rogerio and Rodrigo, whom are both notable fighters in the UFC. Vitor was unsuccessful in his attempts to take the title when he was knocked out inside of the first-round of the championship bout. The KO loss was the first of Vitor’s career. Now looking to get back on the winning track, when he takes on K-1 and DREAM veteran, Yoshihiro Akiyama.

“Sexyama”, as he is more commonly known as by the hardcore mixed martial arts enthusiasts, was said to make his return to the cage in March at UFC 128, however with the recent tragedies that have ravaged his native Japan, Akiyama was forced to respectably withdraw from his scheduled bout with Nate Marquardt. Now making his return in August, Akiyama will have a tall task before him as he takes on Belfort who is among one of the best fighters in the weight-class. Yoshihiro always seems to rise to the occasion. All three of his UFC appearances have garnered “Fight of the Night” bonuses for the talented Judoka, though he finds himself on a two-fight skid inside the octagon with an overall record of 1-2, with his lone victory coming by way of a controversial split-decision win over Alan Belcher at UFC 100 in July of 2009.

Both men are in need for a win here to remain viable contenders in their weight-class, especially in the case of Akiyama, who with another loss could see himself be exited from the promotion, despite taking on some of the best in Belcher, Chris Leben, and most recently Michael Bisping at UFC 120.

UFC President Dana White announced the match-up himself to ESPN.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the fight? Belfort should be the clear-cut favorite, however regardless of the outcome, it should prove to be nothing less than an exciting fight. Sound off in the comment section below.

The two middleweight fighters were originally scheduled to meet on the main-card televised portion for the pay-per-view event “UFC 128: Jones vs. Shogun” which takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey next Saturday.

In Akiyama’s place, UFC veteran Dan Miller will now be meeting with the Greg Jackson product in an effort to record possibly the biggest win of his career, that would undoubtedly catapult him up the middleweight ladder.

UFC President Dana White released a statement concerning the new match-up and had this to say:

“New Jersey native Dan Miller proves once again that he will fight anyone, anywhere, any time by agreeing to step up from the prelims to face Nate Marquardt…Marquardt has long been a top-10 ranked middleweight, and Miller jumped at the opportunity to face him.”

According to recent tweets by the UFC head honcho, Akiyama and his family are fine following the recent earth quakes and tsunami’s that have errupted in Japan, however no time table of his return has been confirmed.

Miller is currently riding a two-fight win streak inside the cage, where he most recently picked up a split-decision win over tested veteran Joe Doerksen this past December. The recent positive stretch helped snap a disappointing three-fight losing streak, though those losses came against some of the division’s best in Chael Sonnen, Michael Bisping, and Demian Maia–all by decision.

So, MMA peeps, what do you think of the new match? Of course, Marquardt will be heralded as the early favorite heading into the bout, though Miller is competitive in all of his contests and should not be overlooked. Sound off in the comment section below.

According to MMA Weekly, two new bouts have been made official for UFC 128 “Shogun vs. Evans”. A planned match-up between Nate Marquardt and Yoshihiro Akiyama is now a full-fledged fact rather than a mostly-confirmed rumor. Also, former WEC Featherweight Championship contender Manny Gamburyan will be taking on Rafael Assuncao at UFC 128 in the other recently-announced match-up.

Currently, the UFC 128 fight card stands as follows: Mauricio Rua (C) vs. Rashad Evans for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland, Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian Loveland, Mirko Filipovic vs. Brendan Schaub, Jim Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus, Nate Marquardt vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama, Raphael Assuncao vs. Manny Gamburyan, Ricardo Almeida vs. Mike Pyle, Kurt Pellegrino vs. Gleison Tibau, Anthony Njokuani vs. Edson Barboza Jr. Dan Miller vs. Nick Catone, and Luiz Cane Jr. vs. Karlos Vemola.

As a perennial Nate Marquardt fan, I really do hope that “The Great” comes back strong after another deflating loss. I think Yoshihiro Akiyama is a great test for Marquardt as it stands right now. Akiyama needs a win and needs it badly, so he’ll likely fight Marquardt as if his job was on the line, because if Akiyama loses three fights in a row (Akiyama went winless in 2010, losing both times he competed)… it most likely will be. At the very least, it should be an entertaining scrap between two gifted high-level performers.

I think this card is shaping up to be a real can’t-miss attraction. I’m already hooked due to the main event (more on that later), but it seems as if the UFC’s undercards just keep getting better and better. Of course, that’s thanks in no small part to their merger with the WEC. Nevertheless, there’s a difference between merging with a company and effectively merging with a company, and the UFC 128 fight card is a great example of a card that’s top-heavy with big UFC names while having plenty of exciting undercard bouts thanks to scrappy WEC performers hungry to make their mark in the Octagon.

And just in case you forgot, fans and friends, I’d like to once again loudly and proudly proclaim that this event will see the downfall of Mauricio Rua. Rashad Evans is simply too well-rounded for “Shogun”, and if Evans keeps his mind focused and his wits clear, he may even be able to finish Rua in the first round. Evans is a world-class wrestler with real KO power, and he trains with one of the best MMA camps on the face of the planet. You can doubt all you want, but Evans is taking home the gold for a second time at UFC 128.

And of course, if I’m wrong I’ll be more than happy to eat another serving of humble pie. But in a world where Evans is constantly disrespected and “Shogun” fans are shouting from the rooftops that their favorite son is “back”, I’ve got no problem just as loudly voicing my opinion that Evans is going to become a two-time UFC champion before UFC 128 is through. And what about you, fans and friends? What’s your opinion on these latest developments, and the UFC 128 fight card in general?

The former King of Pancrase and former UFC title challenger, Nate Marquardt will return to the octagon on March 19 when he meets with K-1 veteran Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 128, which takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Marquardt was last seen in action when he dropped an uninspired unanimous decision to now number one contender Yushin Okami at UFC 122 this past November.

Sonnen’s suspension comes on the heels of his most recent escapades, when the Team Quest product had recently plead guilty to money laundering charges stemming from 2010. The felony comes with a potential 20 year sentence along with a fine of up to $500,000, though it has been reported that with Sonnen’s guilty plea, he will be on a two-year probation and has succumbed $10,000 along with his Realtor’s license.

Marquardt will now look to move towards title contention yet again should he claim victory against Japanese star, Akiyama.

The Judoka expert was last inside the octagon when he dropped a decision to season three winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” in Michael Bisping. Yoshihiro went out on his shield, striking big throughout the bout, however was unable to connect on the proper knockout blow, though he staggered the Brit several times on the feet. The loss signaled his second consecutive defeat inside the cage, with his first coming at the hands of another TUF vet in Chris Leben last July. Akiyama was controlling “The Crippler” early, however Leben was able to work from his back and lock up a triangle choke to end the fight in the waning moments of the third-round, in a bout Akiyama was edging on the judges score cards.

Yoshihiro is now 1-2 under the UFC banner, with his lone win coming over former top contender Alan Belcher via close split-decision in July of 2009 at UFC 100.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the new match up? I think it’s safe to say that Marquardt should be the decided favorite, and what makes things more interesting is that both competitors are trained under the tutelage of Greg Jackson, though Akiyama just came into the New Mexico fold in his more recent performances. Yoshihiro’s claim to a win here would be if he could work Nate “The Great” to the mat, though his cardio would come to question once again–only time will tell. Sound off in the comment section below.

While news of a reduced sentenced off of an original 12-month suspension handed down by the California State Athletic Commission following a post-UFC 117 drug screening would be generally good news after a tumultuous period of time spent contemplating his mixed martial arts career, it looks like Sonnen will now have time to reflect on what was a burgeoning career as a realtor–well, that’s all down the drain now.

It has been reported that Sonnen has plead guilty to federal charges of Money Laundering just early today and could be facing jail time. All this comes after the Oregon native is scheduled to face PRIDE veteran Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 128.

MMAJunkie.com first reported the new middleweight affair which takes place at UFC 128 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey–however, the match up pitting Sonnen against Akiyama has now been gravely over shadowed by the recent news of Chael’s new escapades as a potentially convicted felon.

Charges of Money Laundering can cost Sonnen a maximum of 20 years in prison in addition to a $500,000 fine, if convicted. Chael has reportedly plead guilty, and as such has reached a plea bargain, that is according to The Oregonian, which acts as a news beacon for the entire Oregon area. Along with the deal, The District Attorney’s office has contended that Chael will face a two-year probation as well as a $10,000 fine and have his Realtor’s license revoked for his actions.

And what action’s exactly might you ask? MMAJunkie.com has done a great job keeping up with the story, and this is what they have been able to gather:

“The District Attorney states Sonnen conducted a financial transaction that was “designed to conceal or disguise the ownership and control of the proceeds of wire fraud.”

As part of his plea deal, Sonnen agreed to give up his Realtor’s license and pay a $10,000 fine, said Michelle Holman Kerin, the assistant U.S. attorney handling the case.”

The 33-year-old will face sentencing just 10 days after his proposed match with Akiyama on March 19.

So, MMA peeps, is everyone excited for Akiyama and Sonnen?! That was a rhetorical question, of course. How do you think this will effect Chael in the long run? All political aspirations have now definitely gone out the window with the kind of bad luck that the middleweight fighter has run in the last several months, and now it looks like Sonnen has only fighting to fall back on. Sound off in the comment section below.

According to MMAWeekly, UFC 120’s prime-time tape-delayed showing on Spike TV was watched by an average of 1.9 million fight fans. The report also lists some humbling figures when compared to this event: both UFC 105 and 95, two other British cards shown via tape-delay in the UFC, out-performed this event considerably. 95 had an average of 2.4 million viewers, while 105 saw a big 2.9 million viewers tune in to see Randy Couture take on Brandon Vera.

And in a case of the UFC perhaps being too over-zealous, all twenty UFC 120 performers were handed medical suspensions after the bout according to Sherdog. The UFC controls fighter suspensions from British cards since Britain lacks an athletic commission of the kind that oversees UFC events and handles things like these. The shortest suspension was for only 14 days, with several of those being handed out. Several fighters were suspended for thirty and forty-five days. The report also states that Mike Pyle, Travis Browne, Cheick Kongo, and Rob Broughton have all been handed down six-month suspensions, pending various medical check-ups to properly diagnose the severity of some of the injuries they sustained at the event. Of course, just like normal athletic commission suspensions, these six-month suspensions will be reduced substantially if the fighters are medically cleared.

I’m a bit disheartened that “Bisping vs. Akiyama” under-performed, for the most part I enjoyed the show and was hoping that it would deliver in the ratings. I usually enjoy the UK shows a lot, they’ve got a great atmosphere and a lot of the fighters put on a good performance even if the actual Pay-Per-View card isn’t filled with top-name UFC talent. I suppose some of this could be blamed on the rampant spoilers that were posted online, with ESPN being the main culprit, but still, that kinda sweeps the pre-existing issue with this show under the rug. I think this event is further proof that UFC fans are a fickle bunch and want big stars to justify tuning in, even if the show is free.

In regards to the medical suspensions, I do think that the UFC is being a bit over-protective. However, ultimately that’s a good thing. The UFC is proving that when they’re in charge of taking care of their fighters, they can react accordingly and ensure that no one rushes back into training before their body is fully healed up. Most of the suspensions were brief, so I think the medical suspensions of UFC 120 would have basically flown under the radar had there not been the fact that everyone on the card got suspended.

Overall, I’m thinking UFC 120 was more of a success than a failure even with some lackluster ratings. The UFC once again raked in the green and were rolling in it by the time UFC 120 was over, based on the live attendance and gate attendance numbers. It may not have performed as well in the US, but still, it firmly established that the UK still wants as much UFC as they can get. And in the grand scheme of the UFC’s rapid push for international expansion, that’s a very good thing.

And what about you, fans and friends? What do you make of UFC 120’s ratings and medical suspensions?

According to Sherdog, the UFC was able to draw 17,133 fans for UFC 120. According to the report, that number is big enough to crack the top ten list of the most-attended UFC events in UFC history, placing at number nine. The event also made in the area of 1.6 million pounds.

Also courtesy of Sherdog, here are the performance bonuses handed out after the event to the standout stars of UFC 120. Carlos Condit earned “Knockout of the Night” for his thunderous KO’ing of Dan Hardy, who had never been KO’d before. Preliminary fighter Paul Sass earned “Submission of the Night” for his win over Mark Holst. “Fight of the Night” went to the three-round war between Michael Bisping and Yoshihiro Akiyama in the night’s main event. All four fighters were given $60,000 bonuses in addition to their awards.

I think all the ingredients were there for the UFC to deliver another sold-out house, and I’m glad to see that that’s just what they did at UFC 120. The UFC had it all: two big-name British stars, two up-and-coming British stars, and a long layoff from their last event in the UK. I think this show once again demonstrates the crazy drawing power Michael Bisping has in the UK. Love him or hate him, the man has become a boon to the UFC’s international expansion. Expect to see him stay at or near the main event for any and all UK UFC cards for quite some time.

Speaking of Michael Bisping, I wholeheartedly agree with him and his opponent getting the “Fight of the Night” award. Both Bisping and Yoshihiro Akiyama put on a great performance, and it was by far the night’s most competitive fight. Both men left it all out there in the Octagon, and I’m glad to see that their hard work was rewarded.

I also fully agree with Condit’s KO getting “Knockout of the Night”, I don’t think anything else even came close. In fact, that win was the highlight of the show for me. Honestly, who thought Condit had enough power in his hands to KO Dan Hardy? Hardy had displayed an awesome jaw in every fight beforehand. Condit needed a good win and he got a huge win, this is one KO that’s going onto his highlight reel and staying there forever.

Overall, UFC 120 was a good show and I’m glad it was a resounding success. And what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of the UFC’s (and Michael Bisping’s) drawing power in the UK? And do you disagree with any of the “Of the Night” bonuses?

Next for James Wilks: If it weren’t for the fact that he won a season of “The Ultimate Fightter”, I’d say that James Wilks should begin worrying about whether or not he’ll still be a UFC fighter by 2012. But the UFC has given their TUF winners a lot of second chances, so I think Wilks will head back to the drawing board, get off the main card, and face a step down in competition. Look for Wilks’ next fight to be the opener to a “Fight Night Live” event or on the preliminaries of a PPV card.

Next for Travis Browne: Someone like Antoni Hardonk, a bottom-level UFC Heavyweight that Browne will look good against if he runs right through him. I hate to paint Hardonk in such a negative light, but Browne needs another stepping stone to erase his bad performance at UFC 120. He seemed right on the verge of KO’ing Kongo, but he never fully pulled the trigger. When Kongo started attacking his legs, Browne had no defense and it severely diminished his punching power. Browne is still a work-in-progress, he needs an opponent to reflect that.

Next for Cheick Kongo: Even with a Draw instead of a Loss on his record, I think this fight firmly establishes Cheick Kongo as a divisional gatekeeper. It honestly struck me as one of the worst performances he’s ever given in the UFC. His tentativeness after getting rocked was bad enough, but his blatant cheating was just inexcusable. Kongo needed a big win to remain relevant, what we got was further proof that he’s best used as a warm-up fight for surging Heavyweights with championship potential.

Next for John Hathaway: I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: sometimes a rookie is just a rookie. This loss doesn’t prove that Hathaway was just hype. I still believe that John Hathaway has a bright future in the UFC. This is just a temporary stumbling block. I don’t have any idea who his next opponent might be, but I do think he’ll rebound with a big win. Hathaway has an incredible amount of potential, and while he didn’t realize much of it against Pyle, I think Hathaway’s next fight will firmly set him on the comeback trail.

Next for Carlos Condit: Somebody big, I’m thinking maybe Thiago Alves. Condit has earned his shot at another top-division talent with his thunderous KO of Hardy. I think this fight proved that Condit still has a lot left to give and a lot of gas left in his tank, and I don’t think it’s impossible for him to continue this epic comeback and even challenge for the UFC Welterweight Championship before 2011 is over and done with.

Next for Dan Hardy: A mid-level talent looking to establish himself with a big win over a big name like Hardy. Now that “The Outlaw” has lost two straight, look for the UFC to put him in the role of a divisional gatekeeper in his next fight. If he loses again, he may find himself in an unemployment line. If he wins, it’ll be the first step on what I think will be a long road back to divisional relevancy.

Next for Yoshihiro Akiyama: If Akiyama loses again, he’s fired. Of that I have no doubt. Despite how popular he is, the man has consistently had problems with his cardio. I think Akiyama’s job will be in danger even if he wins his next fight, what “Sexyama” needs more than anything right now is to get a huge and incredibly dominant KO or submission on his record. The man is a great fighter that usually produces great fights, but even that isn’t enough to save your job in the UFC nowadays.

Next for Michael Bisping: He wants a rematch with Wanderlei Silva, I say give it to him. I think Bisping can beat Wanderlei Silva, even knock him out, if he just stays focused and isn’t forced into playing Wanderlei’s game. If Bisping can hit smarter and not harder, he can beat Wanderlei. If not Wanderlei, look for Bisping to receive another big name to once again see if he’s ready for top-division fighters.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. Now it’s your turn: what’s next for the winners and losers of UFC 120: “Bisping vs. Akiyama”?

Michael Bisping defeats Yoshihiro Akiyama via Unanimous Decision, Carlos Condit defeats Dan Hardy via KO due to strikes at 4:27 of Round 1, Mike Pyle defeats John Hathaway via Unanimous Decision, Travis Browne and Cheick Kongo fight to a Draw (Kongo was deducted a point for holding Browne’s shorts), Claude Patrick defeats James Wilks via Unanimous Decision, Alexander Gustafsson defeats Cyrille Diabate via submission due to a Rear Naked Choke at 2:41 of Round 2, Rob Broughton defeats Vinicius Quieroz by submission due to a Rear Naked Choke at 1:43 of Round 3, Paul Sass defeats Mark Holst by submission due to a Triangle Choke at 4:45 of Round 1, Spencer Fisher defeats Curt Warburton by Unanimous Decision, and Fabio Maldonado defeats James McSweeney via TKO due to strikes at :48 seconds of Round 3.

I think UFC 120 had a bit of a slow start but really found its niche towards the end. Claude Patrick didn’t put on the performance of a lifetime in his win against James Wilks, but he did seem very dominant and I think he certainly has a bright future in the UFC now that he quite easily dispatched of an “Ultimate Fighter” winner.

However, the second Pay-Per-View fight was a huge black mark on the event. Cheick Kongo put on a downright horrendous performance and blatantly cheated in order to stave off the serious punching power of Travis Browne. Kongo’s knee strikes did sap Browne’s power and succeeded in leveling the playing field after Browne rocked Kongo early on in the fight, but those smartly-timed and very vicious strikes were overshadowed by Kongo constantly holding Browne’s shorts in order to land them. To be bluntly honest, I think both men wilted under pressure and I think dark times are ahead for both fighters.

While I’m sure nobody liked him due to his apparent mile-a-minute mouth leading up to the fight, I was very impressed by Mike Pyle and his downright domination of John Hathaway. In today’s UFC the whole “young gun vs. old warrior” type of fight tends to overwhelmingly favor the young, talented rookie, but sometimes no amount of pure talent can overcome years and years of hard-earned experience. John Hathaway is still jam-packed with potential, but sometimes a rookie is a rookie no matter what his future may hold.

Carlos Condit knocking out Dan Hardy was easily the highlight of the night for me. I think both men were a bit tentative in the early minutes, but they definitely started swinging for the fences and we definitely looked to have on awesome war on our hands. However, Condit simply caught Hardy at the right time, the right moment, and with the right punch. All the ingredients were there, and I think Condit’s stock rose considerably with this win. I think Dan Hardy is down but not out, although it will be interesting to see how his chin reacts to a hard shot going into the future now that Condit has proven that it’s not made of steel.

While Condit vs. Hardy was my favorite moment, Bisping vs. Akiyama was my favorite fight. Bisping’s cardio, heart, and determination once again pulled him through some scary moments in Round 1, to the point where I think Bisping decisively won the last two rounds of action. However, I think it’s very debatable that Bisping won Round 1. It was a very close round, but although I can kinda-sorta see why the judges seem to have believed that Bisping did enough at the end of the round to steal it, I personally had it 29-28 Bisping, with Akiyama winning Round 1.

Overall, I think this was a solid event and a very good UK card. I even think this would have been a good “Fight Night Live” card. It probably wasn’t good enough to be a UFC Pay-Per-View, but for the most part, I found myself consistently entertained. Other than Kongo/Browne I’ve got no major complaints. But what about you, fans and friends? What did you think of UFC 120?

James Wilks vs. Claude Patrick: Patrick may have more experience, more wins, and fewer losses, but Wilks is well within shouting distance of his record. I also think that Wilks has faced better competition, although I wouldn’t say that either man has ever been fully tested against a world-class athlete. I’m going to favor the TUF winner for this one, I think Wilks has a good future ahead of him in the UFC. Wilks will take a Unanimous Decision.

Cheick Kongo vs. Travis Browne: Much like every single fight Cheick Kongo has ever been in; this fight all depends on how quickly Browne puts him in a disadvantageous position. If Browne can dominate Kongo early and often, I think Kongo has a track record of ultimately wilting under pressure. I don’t see him getting knocked out or submitted (at least, not by Travis Browne), but I can see Browne taking a Unanimous Decision. But I think it’s far more likely that Kongo’s crisp striking and power punching will give him the KO in Round 1. Kongo is simply the more experienced striker, and while that experience proved to be null and void when he lost to Cain Velasquez, I think it will apply itself wholeheartedly against Travis Browne.

John Hathaway vs. Mike Pyle: I honestly haven’t gotten too caught up in the apparent rivalry between these two, but I’m still picking John Hathaway to win with a blowout performance. I think Hathaway really set himself apart by beating Diego Sanchez at UFC 114, a win that extended his undefeated streak that’s lasted since the start of his career in 2006. Meanwhile, Mike Pyle is 2-2 inside the UFC, although I will say that he has faced worthwhile competition. Unless Pyle pulls off a crazy submission in Round 1, I think John Hathaway walks away from UFC 120 with another Unanimous Decision win on his record.

Dan Hardy vs. Carlos Condit: On paper, this has all the makings of a “Fight of the Night” fight. I think both men need and want wins very badly, so we’re going to see fireworks from the opening bell to the final second, if it lasts that long. And I honestly think it won’t- someone is getting finished in this fight. Neither man has ever been (T)KO’d before, and I’m thinking that will change once the dust from this fight settles. Condit is by far the more well-rounded fighter, but Hardy hits hard, won’t tap out, never gives up, and has been in there with the best and impressed. I’m picking Hardy to score a second-round (T)KO.

Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama: I have to admit, it’s pretty much a toss-up at this point. Yet I’m still picking Michael Bisping, a pick I made over a month ago. I think Bisping isn’t given enough credit and is a good fighter with inklings of the fantastic. Akiyama is also a good fighter, but just hasn’t hit his stride in the UFC. Now that he’s not combating a year-long layoff, I think Akiyama will really hang in there for all three rounds and give us a great fight. But Bisping has more Octagon experience, better striking, and the hometown advantage. Still, it will be a very, very close fight. Look for Michael Bisping to take a Split Decision.

And that’s where I stand, fans and friends. But what about you? We’re down to the wire here, so it’s your last chance: who’ve you got winning and losing at UFC 120?

Michael Bisping (185) vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (185), Dan Hardy (171) vs. Carlos Condit (170), John Hathaway (171) vs. Mike Pyle (170), Cheick Kongo (228) vs. Travis Browne (251), James Wilks (170) vs. Claude Patrick (171), Cyrille Diabate (204) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (204), Rob Broughton (257) vs. Vinicius Kappke de Quieroz (239), Paul Sass (155) vs. Mark Holst (155), Spencer Fisher (155) vs. Curt Warburton (154), and James McSweeney (205) vs. Fabio Maldonado (204).

I think it’s interesting to note that several fighters took advantage of the one-pound-over allowance, including Dan Hardy. One pound likely won’t make a bit of difference against someone as skilled as Carlos Condit, but Hardy always struck me as a rather lanky welterweight. He’s buff, sure, but he’s no Georges St. Pierre. Other than that, nothing of note seems to have occurred at the weigh-ins, and that’s a good thing more often than not.

While I can’t say it has me as excited as the next UFC event, UFC 121: “Lesnar vs. Velasquez”, I can say that I will most definitely be giving UFC 120 a watch. Some of the fights, both on the main card and the preliminary card, seem to be loaded with potential. I always enjoy watching Michael Bisping fight, win or lose he usually puts a lot of heart and determination into his performances. It’s true that he’s been very hit-or-miss in his UFC tenure, but I still think Bisping can be a force to be reckoned with if he can just find the right formula.

The same holds true for Dan Hardy, who I’m not that big of a fan of although he definitely earned my respect after his refusal to tap several times during his recent loss to current UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre. Dan Hardy is also a fighter that produces a lot of entertaining fights, and with his rivalry with Condit reaching a fevered pitch, we’re almost guaranteed some excellent exchanges and a really enjoyable fight.

And to top it all off, we’ve even got Cheick Kongo, who always seems one step away from a title shot before he’s knocked back down in the rankings. Once again, I’m not a huge fan of the man but I am a fan of the way he fights. I’ll be the first to admit that the man is little more than a dying turtle if he’s put on his back, or in just about any disadvantageous position for that matter, but his striking has always looked good and he’s hung in there with some of the UFC’s best. It will be interesting to see if Cheick Kongo still has something left for the UFC’s elite, or if Travis Browne knocks Kongo down to gatekeeper status once and for all.

And that’s it on my end. Check back here tomorrow for my official “Picks and Predictions” post where I detail who I think will win the main card matches and why. But what about you, fans and friends? What do you think of UFC 120, and will you be tuning in to watch it?

Read on for questions 2-7…

2. How will Carlos Condit fight in the first round vs. Dan Hardy?  Why is this important? Because, “The Natural Born Killer” has been extremely slow to get going in his last two fights vs. Jake Ellenberger and Rory MacDonald, needing big comebacks to pull victory from the jaws of defeat.  Against Hardy, if he is slow to fire, he may never get his chance in the third round, instead falling prey to Hardy’s heavy hands.

3. Has Dan Hardy truly developed a sturdy takedown defense?  I am interested to see, not how good his wrestling and Jiu Jitsu have become once on the mat … I want to see if he has improved his takedown defense.  This is the most important element in his growth. No matter how good he gets on the ground, his bread and butter will always be his standup.  His long-term success requires he keep fights standing against all the great wrestlers he will face going forward.  He needs to stay on his feet to leverage his greatest asset.  Chuck Liddell is the best example of this.  He became a master at stopping takedowns to keep fights in his sweet spot.

4. Can Michael Bisping finally deliver a thrilling offensive performance from start to finish?  In his last several fights we have seen a tentative, strategic Bisping unable or unwilling to let all his artillery fly.  He needs to win, first, but then be exciting to capture back the idea that he is title contender worthy, provided he keeps winning.  UFC suits would love for him to thrill so they can leverage his UK fan base and keep growing “The Count” into an international star.

5. Will Yoshihiro Akiyama display the crisp and crunching standup weapons we saw in the first three minutes of his fight against Chris Leben?  This version of “Sexyama” should be able to dispatch the UK’s Michael Bisping.

6. Will Mike Pyle finally show the UFC a dominating performance?  Pyle has long been lauded as one of the more talented mixed martial artists in the game to those around the sport. He has been a core cog in team Randy Couture and a Couture MMA trainer in Las Vegas.  However, his UFC performances have been hot and cold.  He has impressive career wins against Jon Fitch, Dan Hornbuckle, Shonie Carter, and Matt Horwich, but has gone 2-2 in the UFC alternating wins and losses recently.  Yes he beat Fitch, and not only did he beat him way back in 2002, but is the only man to ever submit the UFC welterweight star.  I have a gut feeling on Pyle at UFC 120 that he is ready to let loose a decisive performance.

7. Has Cheick Kongo diversified his MMA tool kit?  Before losing to Cain Velasquez, Cheick Kongo had started 7-2 in the UFC and was on a three fight win streak and starting to be in title discussion.  But the losses to Velasquez and Frank Mir set him back into more of grizzled seasoned veteran role.  Can he start another run?  Has he evolved to a new level?  We shall see in his fight against Travis Browne.

Bisping has much to gain from a stylish win on Saturday.  Not only would he move closer to a title shot, but the UK card will be beamed live over free Spike TV in America, so a huge stateside audience will be watching which never hurts the sponsor cash flow.  Additionally, a Bisping win would further solidify his standing as the face of MMA in the UK and much of Western Europe as the UFC continues to emphasize international expansion.

So, much is on the line in Bisping vs. Akiyama come Saturday, but the Ultimate Fighter-3 winner has expressed no doubts in the lead up.

“I am improving all the time, I am a much better fighter than one year ago and feeling like I am maturing now and coming into my peak as a mixed martial artist … I am preparing for a hard fight, but a fight I know I am going to win, but it is going to be tough.”

His opponent, Yoshihiro Akiyama is coming off a disappointing loss to Chris Leben at UFC 116.  In preparation, he has spent part of his training camp with famed MMA coach and strategist, Greg Jackson, in New Mexico.  Bisping is not concerned.

“I couldn’t care less who he is training with.   What I am focusing on these days is what I do.  He can worry about what I bring to the table.  My training is going fantastic.  I feel in the best shape.  I have improved all my areas, regardless of who he is training with. To answer your question, I could care less.”

Bisping vs. Akiyama may just be the 2010 UFC bout with the greatest international appeal. Akiyama is a crossover star in Japan with a model girlfriend, Nike footwear deal, and a long history as a MMA star in Japan.  Bisping will have most of the UK tuned-in as well to see if he can overcome what may be his most diverse opponent to date.

While the career stakes will rise quickly if “The Count” stops “Sexyama,” Bisping feels his small town roots will keep him grounded.

“I live in a small town in northwest England, live with same friends and family I have grown up with my whole life, and to be honest nothing has changed.  Ultimately, I am the same guy, I still live in the same place, same small town, not a lot has changed, and am able to train and continue with my regular lifestyle.”

—

Are you ready for UFC 120.  Bisping or Akiyama?  Who are you betting on?  Sound off.

In a video posted on the YouTube channel of MMACanada.net, here’s what the former PRIDE FC Middleweight Champion  had to say: “My plan [is to be back in] March. I want to try to make my next fight in Las Vegas or in Canada. I think Chris Leben is my next opponent. Nothing is official, but I’m thinking it probably is him.”

Directly after his winning performance against Akiyama, Chris Leben loudly called out Silva in his UFC 116 post-fight interview, shouting out “Come on Wanderlei, I’ll take you out, too!”. After serving a hefty suspension for testing positive for steroids following a loss to Michael Bisping in 2008, the future looked bleak for the notorious “Ultimate Fighter” bad boy, as he lost his return bout in 2009 against Jake Rosholt. Since then Leben has been on a tear, winning three straight and getting the victory over Akiyama with little less than two weeks to prepare for the fight. Leben’s next opponent is Brian Stann at UFC 125 on New Year’s Day.

I think the fight with Silva is inevitable, and it’s one that all the fans want to see. If Silva does return in March, it would give Leben about two months to prepare for their fight. As active as he’s been lately, I think it’s very possible that we’ll see this one go down sooner rather than later. And even if it doesn’t, this is a fight that simply needs to happen. Even if Dana White has shown some hesitation to making this fight in the past, you just don’t keep two of your best strikers in the division away from each other for long. Sooner or later they’ll have to trade wits and fists.

And it’s going to be epic. I’ve been a fan of Wanderlei Silva for a very long time, and like my recent turnaround concerning Nick Diaz, I’ve begun to appreciate Leben as a fighter even if sometimes I still don’t fully respect him as a person. If Silva wants to prove once and for all that he’s still a force to be reckoned with in Mixed Martial Arts, he needs to become only the second person in history to ever KO Chris Leben (the first being long-reigning and record-breaking UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva) . This fight will be all strikes from the first bell to the final second, and as far as wild brawls go, this has potential to be one of the wildest in recent history.

And what about you, fans and friends? How do you feel about Leben/Silva, and who do you see winning the showdown?

The 2009 event opened up to a large audience, and has become a propellant in the mixed martial arts world, opening up the eyes to a mainstream audience, by the community taking leaps and bounds in order to legitimize itself as not only a legitimate sport, but one that deserves that same sort of recognition that most others receive, here in these United States.

While some categories have changed, in order to be politically correct, must stay the same. Voting continues until November 26, where till then you can cast your votes online at All winners are determined by a fan vote, and ballots can be cast through Nov. 26 at www.worldmmaawards.com.

The full list, which was formatted by MMAJunkie.com, of finalists includes:

CHARLES “MASK” LEWIS FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Anderson Silva
* Brock Lesnar
* Frankie Edgar
* Jose Aldo
* Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

FIGHT OF THE YEAR

* Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 117
* Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin at UFC 116
* Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung at WEC 48
* Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116
* Jorge Santiago vs. Kazuo Misaki at Sengoku 14

KO OF THE YEAR

* Anthony Njokuani vs. Chris Horodecki at WEC 45
* Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 110
* Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Lyoto Machida at UFC 113
* Mike Russow vs. Todd Duffee at UFC 114
* Rich Franklin vs. Chuck Liddell at UFC 115

SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR

* Matt Hughes vs. Ricardo Almeida at UFC 117
* Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116
* Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon at UFC 108
* Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 118
* Fabricio Werdum vs. Fedor Emelianenko at “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum”

BEST PROMOTION

* Bellator
* DREAM
* Strikeforce
* UFC
* WEC

LEADING MAN OF THE YEAR

* Bjorn Rebney, Bellator founder and CEO
* Dana White, UFC president
* Joe Silva, UFC VP of talent relations
* Michael Schiavello, HDNet broadcaster
* Scott Coker, Strikeforce founder and CEO

INTERNATIONAL FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Alistair Overeem
* Dan Hardy
* George Sotiropoulos
* John Hathaway
* Shinya Aoki

BREAKTHROUGH FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Charles Oliveira
* Evan Dunham
* George Sotiropoulos
* John Hathaway
* Jon Jones

FEMALE FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos
* Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii
* Miesha Tate
* Sarah Kaufman
* Zoila Frausto

COACH OF THE YEAR

* Cesar Gracie
* Firas Zahabi
* Greg Jackson
* Rafael Cordeiro
* Shawn Tompkins

GYM OF THE YEAR

* American Kickboxing Academy
* American Top Team
* Black House MMA
* Greg Jackson’s Submission Fighting
* Wand Fight Team

RING GIRL OF THE YEAR

* Arianny Celeste
* Brittney Palmer
* Chandella Powell
* Natalie Skyy
* Rachelle Leah

BEST LIFESTYLE CLOTHING BRAND

* Affliction
* Fight Chix
* RVCA
* Silverstar
* TapouT

REFEREE OF THE YEAR

* “Big” John McCarthy
* Dan Miragliotta
* Herb Dean
* Josh Rosenthal
* Mario Yamasaki

MOST MEMORABLE RING ENTRANCE

* Anderson Silva
* Clay Guida
* Jason “Mayhem” Miller
* Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal
* Tom Lawlor

BEST TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT BRAND

* Everlast MMA
* Fairtex
* Hayabusa
* TapouT
* Venum

BEST TECHNICAL CLOTHING BRAND

* Bad Boy
* Hayabusa
* Jaco
* TapouT
* Venum

MEDIA SOURCE OF THE YEAR

* “Inside MMA” on HDNet
* MMAjunkie.com
* MMAWeekly.com
* MMAFighting.com
* Sherdog.com

MMA JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

* Aaron “Tru” Teweles, Freelance
* Ariel Helwani, MMAFighting.com/Versus.com
* Conner Cordova, MMAReligion.com
* Gareth A. Davies, Telegraph.com
* John Morgan, MMAjunkie.com

So, MMA peeps, any surprises here? Anyone you would have liked to seen in some of these categories? Who do you think will take home some of the honors of the night? Sound off in the comments section below.

5. Chris Leben

Admit it: you could see Chris Leben leading a pack of raiders. Sometimes only the lawless survive in a world without law. With his iron chin, bad-boy status, and that “I’ll fight anybody” mentality of his, Chris Leben would have no problem getting together a gang of…well, he’d have no problem forming a gang. Look for Leben at a deserted highway or shopping mall near you…wearing tight leather, riding a motorcycle, carrying a shotgun, and shouting insane gibberish.

4. Clay Guida

Guida is already famous for being the closest thing to a caveman the UFC will ever see, but when the sky rains nukes, look for Guida to actually become a caveman. The decay and death of society will cause groups to go back to simpler, more primitive times: hunting and scavenging, migrating with any food source, eating their meat raw and killing it with sharpened sticks. Guida’s ability to absorb punishment would be a great advantage when trying to kill an evening meal, so look for him and his ever-growing tribe to burp, belch, fart and growl their way to a decent life even in the harshest of circumstances.

3. Yoshihiro Akiyama

Women want him. Men want to be him. None can stand up to the power of Sexyama. After both sexes turn to Sexyama in droves for comfort, look for Akiyama to establish a large harem of men and women that travel the lands seeking to comfort weary travelers and relieve them of their money. Now unquestionably the biggest pimp in the world, Akiyama would control both his hoes and his customers with an iron fist, judo-throwing non-payers to the side of the road while pimp-slapping any skank who dares question his authority. With unequaled sexiness and virtually unchallenged fighting prowess, Akiyama may end up being one of the most successful businessmen to ever set up shop amongst the wastes.

2. Georges St. Pierre

GSP seems to have the entire country of Canada on his side nowadays, so look for him to gain a sizable following once the Canadian government fails, just like all governments will fail, when the nuclear apocalypse begins. With his natural charm and intense fighting ability, I see GSP becoming King of Canada in about a month. GSP will probably have a tough time controlling his new domain, though, since the inevitable global warming will likely make livable the 80% of Canada that is currently nothing but frozen tundra, inviting a host of new fiefdoms and warring city-states. But when the time comes, I see all Canadian men and women bowing to the Riddum.

And my #1 fighter most likely to survive a Nuclear Apocalypse is…

1. Randy Couture

Everyone loves Randy Couture. Honestly, try and find someone that legitimately hates him and has a legitimate reason to. Couture is already a pretty big symbol of hope in the UFC, when the apocalypse happens, he’ll become a symbol of hope to humanity as a whole. “Captain America” will become a champion of the little people, inspiring pride and confidence in all, driving men to realize their potential, lifting civilization out of its crumbling depths and into a bright new future. Look for Couture to establish a haven that all men flock to, but only he can control. Plain and simple, Randy Couture is humanity’s savior. With him at your side, even a nuclear apocalypse doesn’t seem so bad.

So if/when the nuclear apocalypse does happen, seek out for any one of these five and you should be set. But what about you, fans and friends? Which MMA fighters do you see thriving, and not just surviving, after a nuclear holocaust?

The former Pride champion revealed his plans during a Q & A session during the Fan Expo in Boston, for UFC’s first trip into the new market.

MMAJunkie.com was the first to report the news, where reporters were on-site to pick up some quick tad bits from the MMA legend. According to Silva, he’s looking for a February or March return to the octagon, and he’s not looking for any tune-ups. He’s looking towards the top of the heap, and hopes to make an immediate impact upon his return.

The UFC star was last seen in action, when he defeated perennial contender and UK star Michael Bisping, by unanimous decision at UFC 110, in Sydney, Australia. It marked his first win at 185-pounds after a lengthy and storied career at 205.

“I had surgery on my knee,” said Silva, who was originally scheduled to face Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116 last July before bowing out due to a rib injury. “In this last year, I repaired my face, I repaired my knee, and I feel better now. I think I’m going to fight for another six years. I want to fight into my 40s.”

As hungry as ever, Silva 2.0 is ready to make his return, and has added Chris Leben (who defeated Akiyama in Silva’s place), Chael Sonnen, and Vitor Belfort on his hit list.

“I saw Leben’s fight with Akiyama. It was a great match. He’s a real tough guy. I think he’s a perfect opponent for my next fight.”

While a bout with Leben seems like the next logical step, Silva is still gunning for a shot at Vitor, a rematch from their bout in 1998, which was Silva’s initial UFC debut.

“I want to fight with (Belfort) soon,” continued the Brazilian. “He’s a good opponent, and I know we’re going to have a good match. I’m going to try to beat him.

“Vitor Belfort is a good opponent. I want to fight with him in the future.”

And the infamous Chael, who whether you like him or hate him he gets your attention, says that it’s Sonnen’s sharp tongue and witty comebacks that would make a fight with him all the more interesting and motivating, should the bout materialize.

“I like to fight with guys like that because it makes more motivation for training,” proclaimed the 34-year-old.

“Sometimes you fight a guy that’s so respectful. That’s good because this is our job. But sometimes when you fight guys that talk a lot, it’s great.”

Hoping that his best days are not behind him, Silva is looking onwards towards his career, gearing for another shot at a coveted UFC title to anchor his already sterling career.

“I was world champion in 2003,” Silva said. “Those days were the best days of my career. Now, I think my best days are going to be back soon.”

So, who would you like to see Silva match up with next? Is Belfort on deck for a classic rematch? Will Leben be willing to wait for the Las Vegas resident in order to propel his own career? Or perhaps the Politician/Realtor/Fighter/Comedian will descend his thrown and throw Silva a bone.

I think the main problem with Michael Bisping is that his attitude overshadows his attributes. I don’t want to call anybody xenophobic, but maybe we should admit to ourselves that it’s easier to hate a cocky Brit than a lot of other cocky fighters? Some people loved Chael Sonnen’s antics, some people loved Brock Lesnar’s. But it seems like almost every American fan is unified in hating Michael Bisping for his cocky, brash attitude. It’s very easy to embellish the losses and understate the victories of a fighter you passionately hate, and quite a lot of people really can’t stand Michael Bisping.

But Bisping has far more experience inside the Octagon than Akiyama. It’s true that both men started fighting in 2004, but Bisping has a whopping twelve UFC fights to Akiyama’s two. Bisping’s record stands at 9-3 inside the world’s best and biggest MMA promotion, Akiyama’s is 1-1. And if you argue that Bisping should be 8-4, resurrecting the zombified corpse that is the Matt Hamill vs. Michael Bisping fight, then you must also take into consideration that Akiyama should be 0-2, as his debut win against Alan Belcher at UFC 100 was not without its own fair share of controversy. Bisping has fought some of the best Middleweights and Light Heavyweights in the UFC, and even if he’s lost a time or two, that experience has propelled him to continually refine himself and emerge a better overall performer each time he’s faced adversity. Now that Akiyama has tasted defeat in a big way via a loss to Chris Leben’s fight-stealing Triangle Choke at UFC 116, it will be interesting to see if Akiyama has such rebirths in him.

I’d also argue that Michael Bisping has better striking than Yoshihiro Akiyama. It’s true that, in the eyes of many, Akiyama got the better of heavy-handed striker Chris Leben in their recent fight, but Leben and Bisping have very different styles. And did you know that, despite being known for his striking far more than Michael Bisping, both Bisping and Leben actually have the same number of (T)KO’s on their records? And after the particularly humbling KO loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 100, Bisping’s striking has gone up several levels. Against Dennis Kang it looked unstoppable, against Dan Miller it looked inescapable, and despite it failing him in the Wanderlei Silva fight, Bisping held his own in a predominantly stand-up fight with one of the best strikers MMA has ever seen.

Now, this is not to say that Michael Bisping is invincible, or that Akiyama is without skill. The title says “probably beat”, not “will beat”. In fact, if this article convinces you that Bisping has at least some chance, rather than none, then I’ll consider it a success. In truth, I like both of these guys. I think this will be an awesome fight, and while I can grudgingly admit that it’s a less-than-stellar main event for a PPV card, it’s a very solid fight and a great main event for British fans, where Bisping is most famous. Bisping is simply deserving of a lot more credit than I see being given to him leading into this fight.

But what do you think, fans and friends? How good of a chance does Bisping have to beat Akiyama?

Let’s start with the basics: everybody loves a comeback, and Belfort’s latest career comeback is perhaps his best, as the fourteen-year veteran hasn’t been beaten since 2006 and has finished all but one of his fights since that loss by (T)KO, including fantastic victories over Matt Lindland and the aforementioned Rich Franklin. Belfort has fought and at times excelled in three different weight classes: Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, and now Middleweight. His eight losses were all humbling for one reason or another, but they also all happened to be against some of the greatest Mixed Martial Artists ever: Kazushi Sakuraba, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, etc.

So I honestly can’t wait to see Vitor Belfort back in the UFC. Even with the Anderson Silva fight still a distant (though not hopeless) possibility, there are a lot of great fights for Vitor Belfort at Middleweight. Chael Sonnen vs. Vitor Belfort would kill two birds with one stone, besides the fact that it would also be an excellent fight. Should he win, Belfort would have a big win at Middleweight, which is what many people think he needs to have before getting a shot at the Middleweight Championship. If Chael wins, he would also have a big win over a very credible opponent, which is what some people think he needs to get before he gets a rematch. Fights with Michael Bisping, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Chris Leben would also be all-out wars that would cement Belfort’s status as a worthwhile competitor.

But I think the best match for Vitor Belfort’s return to the UFC would be a Middleweight mega-fight against another Silva: “The Axe Murderer”, Wanderlei Silva. It’s been over a decade since these two stone-fisted warriors met at “UFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil”, and it would be a sad understatement to say that both men have changed a lot since that first fight. Despite being one of the most popular fighters of all time (and with damn good reason, I say), Wanderlei Silva needs to continue winning at Middleweight to prove that he’s still got a lot left to give the UFC. If Vitor Belfort were to win, it would prove that he’s still a threat to anyone and everyone in the UFC’s Middleweight division, including the man that was once thought of fondly as the most dangerous man walking the planet. I think Belfort/Wanderlei is a fight the fans would love to see, a fight that would both impress many and prove quite a lot, and it may just steal the Fight of the Year award when all is said and done. But regardless of who he fights and when, look for Vitor Belfort to put on some amazing performances when he returns to the UFC.

And what do you think, fans and friends? Will Belfort make an example of someone and prove that he does deserve a shot at Anderson Silva? If not, who do you see as being the one that brings Vitor’s comeback dreams crashing back down to earth?

I think the argument can be made that the UFC’s continuing international expansion has relied heavily on their continued success in the United Kingdom. Had the UFC struggled to find success in key international markets like England, we may have been many years away from an event in Germany or Abu Dhabi, and years may have been spent further developing the brand’s recognition at home rather than the UFC’s current path, which is to pave the way to actual international shows by continuously and aggressively acquiring foreign television deals. The UFC’s success in the Canadian market certainly helped build their global brand, but continually packing arenas in key European markets not only contributed to the UFC’s brand, it practically opened up all of Europe to potential UFC events in the future.

But looking back on the United Kingdom’s best cards, which ones really stand out? Chris Leben vs. Michael Bisping? Brandon Vera vs. Randy Couture? Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Stevenson? I don’t want to take anything away from any of those men, who have all displayed some amazing talent in their careers (especially Couture), but let’s be honest here. Do any of those matches scream “main event of a major PPV” to you? Or are you like me in thinking that these fights belong in the co-main event, or in some cases, a Fight Night Live special? I think it’s time for the UK to stop showing up to every MMA event just because they’re thankful that a major MMA promotion is holding an event where they live. I think it’s time for the UK fans, who have given back so much to the UFC, to start to demand a little more from the UFC.

I’ll even go as far as saying that the UFC has been downright two-faced in its approach to PPV cards in the UK. The UFC, and UFC President Dana White in particular, have continuously expressed their gratitude to the UK market and their interest in putting on more and more shows in the UK, and yet they continuously put together lackluster cards that, were they in the US instead of the UK, would be ostracized as not being worthy of Pay-Per-View status. Even with the first-ever UK Fan Expo set to coincide with UFC 120, it appears that the UFC is saving all its top fighters for cards in the US or Canada, or “gateway” cards like their first event in Abu Dhabi.

If the UFC is truly dedicated to the UK market, it’s time to bring some of the big players to our foreign friends, because I think that the UK fans are finally beginning to realize that they’re letting the UFC slide with their lackluster cards simply because it’s a UFC show in their backyard. As the UK fans begin to demand more star power and bigger main events, it will be quite interesting indeed to see how the UFC responds to their highly-valued market.

And what do you think, fans and friends? Are you satisfied with the UK cards, or do they leave you wanting more? Should the UK fans be glad to be getting the UFC, period, or are they entitled to the big names and major players?

To start, I think Michael Bisping has always been very under-rated due to his status as a cocky Brit. Very few UFC fans seem able to look past his brash attitude to the quality fighter that is beneath. Despite going 2-2 in his last four fights, Bisping still has only three losses in a career that has seen him face top-level competitors like Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, Dennis Kang, Matt Hamill, Chris Leben… I could go on and on. Even in losing, Bisping always turns in some very spirited performances. He’s near the top of the division, and a win over Akiyama could cement his status as a possible contender. Should Bisping win, I’m predicting another showdown with Chris Leben to possibly determine a #1 contender to the UFC Middleweight Championship.

Yoshihiro Akiyama has yet to truly find his stride in the UFC’s Middleweight division. After winning a fight against Alan Belcher that caused Joe Rogan to famously say “Alan Belcher got robbed”, Akiyama took a year off only to come back and lose to Chris Leben in the dying minutes of their fight. Up until then, however, Akiyama looked pretty good in the Octagon, despite some cardio problems. Both men had each other in lots of trouble at several points in the fight, but for the most part Akiyama controlled the pace and scored some very impressive takedowns. With a shorter layoff and the desire to prove that he’s ready for a main event, “Sexyama” should come into the fight with Bisping at his absolute best. If he wins, Akiyama will likely need one more fight with a hard-working fighter (Demian Maia, Dan Miller, Alan Belcher, etc. etc.) in order to truly prove that he belongs in the UFC.

And what about the fight itself? Even if Bisping and Akiyama sounds like a co-main event at best, the simple fact is that Michael Bisping is huge in England. It’s hard to fault the UFC for being so transparent in their booking: they’re giving their audience what they want, and the Brits love Bisping. Before the show is over, I think this fight will have a good shot at earning main-event status. Bisping and Akiyama have shown a willingness to bang and, even with his knockout loss to Dan Henderson, Bisping’s chin has proven relatively strong. The key factor in this fight will likely be the ground game: Bisping’s ground game is better than Leben’s, but probably not as good as Akiyama’s.

That’s not to say that Akiyama will look to take this fight to the ground from the word “go”. As seen in the Leben fight, he leaves himself open to frequent submissions even while dominating his opponent on the ground. Akiyama may look to come into this match with improved ground control, or he may come in looking to brawl, comfortable with his striking now that it’s undeniably been put to the test. However, Bisping’s striking has looked better and better in each one of his fights. If it turns into a brawl, Bisping may have the advantage.

For now, it’s too close to call. Both men have lots of skill and really match-up well with one another. If styles make fights, then this one should be very entertaining, and it may even become a dark horse candidate for Fight of the Year.

So what do you think, fans and friends? Who wins this one, and how? And where do you think this will leave both Bisping and Akiyama in the rankings, win or lose?

Other additions to the main card were “Sexyama” Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-2) versus ninth-ranked light heavyweight “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (34-10-1) and “The Experiment” Krzysztof Soszynski (20-9-1) and Stephan Bonnar (11-7) rematch.

Fights for the un-aired prelim card were also made official. Brendan Schaub (4-1) versus Chris Tuchscherer (16-2), “Da Spyder” Kendall Grove (11-7) versus Goran Reljic (8-1), “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (28-17-5) versus Matthew Brown (11-8) and Jonathan Madsen (3-0) versus Karlos Vemola (4-0).

Rumors had been flying around about Akiyama and Silva meeting inside the Octagon for well over a year. This fight is one the MMA hardcore are very excited about and a fight that will have the casual fan on the edge of their seats. This very well could win “Fight of the Night” at UFC 116.

The MMA world was buzzing after the fight between Bonnar and Soszynski ended in a TKO victory for “The Experiment”. Bonnar suffered a nasty cut on his head that came from an inadvertent headbutt but the referee ruled the cut stemmed from legal strikes. Bonnar appealed the decision and shockingly the Combat Sports Authority of New South Wales decided not to overturn the decision even though there was clear evidence of the headbutt. Now they get the chance to go back to war and the fans are hoping the result will be much different this time.

Bonnar needs a win here as he has lost three straight and five of his past seven. His opponent is 7-1 in his past eight fights with only one loss in the UFC. That loss came via a unanimous decision to “Truth” Brandon Vera (11-5)back in 2009 at UFC 102.

The entire UFC 116 card as of this release:

MAIN CARD

Champ Brock Lesnar vs. interim champ Shane Carwin (heavyweight title-unification bout)
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Wanderlei Silva
Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
Kurt Pellegrino vs. George Sotiropoulos – rumored
Cheick Kongo vs. Roy Nelson- rumored

PRELIMINARY CARD

Brendan Schaub vs. Chris Tuchscherer
Matt Brown vs. Chris Lytle
Kendall Grove vs. Goran Reljic
Jon Madsen vs. Karlos Vemola

Silva won a unanimous decision over “Count” Michael Bisping (18-3) at UFC 110 in Syndey February 21, Silva’s debut in the middleweight division after a long run in the top ten at 205 pounds, including a PRIDE belt in that weight class.

Akiyama won his UFC debut with a split decision over “The Talent” Alan Belcher (14-6) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas last July.

The matchup has been rumored for UFC 115 in Vancouver in June, but according to Fighters Only and MMA Junkie, the fight is now pegged for UFC 116.

Silva had been matched versus Bisping for UFC 105 in Manchester November 14, but had to pull out of the fight because of surgery to remove scar tissue from his face.  Silva was then rumored to be matched versus Fighters.com’s tenth-ranked middleweight “Sexyama” Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-2) at UFC 110.

But, according to Fighters Only, that matchup has been scrapped in favor of the original Silva versus Bisping fight.

Silva lost a unanimous decision to “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5) at UFC 99 in Cologne June 13.

Bisping TKO’d Canadian middleweight Denis Kang (34-11-1) by punches at UFC 105.

White told MMA Junkie Radio that the matchup would occur in February, but not at UFC 109 in Las Vegas February 6.  That leaves only UFC 110 available.

White also told MMA Junkie radio that the previously rumoured matchup between tenth-ranked middleweight “Sexyama” Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-2) and “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1) might not occur at UFC 110 as thought.

“That one might change. We’re moving some things around and doing some stuff,” White said.

AOL Fanhouse reported Friday that welterweights “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (27-17-5) and “Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim (9-4-1) will fight at UFC 110.

Lytle won a three-round unanimous decision over Kevin Burns (7-3) at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale in Las Vegas June 20.

Kim won a three-round UD over T.J. Grant (12-2) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas July 11.

Shields reminded Fighters.com of Welterweight Champion “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (19-2) during his relentless press on the mat versus Miller.  Of course, Shields doesn’t have St. Pierre’s striking skills, and no one is in Silva’s striking league.  But, Shields shows no pretense of fancying himself a striker either.

At the opening bell Saturday night, Shields put Miller right on his back.  Both fighters were working their game plan.  Shields is going to put every opponent on their back.  Knowing that, Miller relented and hoped to wear Shields out by going rag-doll while defending Shields’s submission attempts.  But, Shields never wore down Saturday night and walked away with a UD and the Strikeforce title.

Now, if Silva has an exploitable weakness, it’s been on his back.  Versus “Serial Killer” Travis Lutter (10-5) at UFC 67 in Las Vegas in February 2007, Lutter briefly took control of the fight from top position before wearing down and succumbing to Silva’s barrage of elbows.  Third-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (24-7) was the first UFC fighter to win a round versus Silva and he did it from top position in the first round at UFC 82 in Columbus in March 2008, before fancying himself a striker and getting knocked silly and choked out in the second round.  That mistake still stings Henderson to no end.

But, Shields wouldn’t make the mistake Henderson made versus Silva.  Nor would he be so intimidated to shoot like former UFC title challenger Thales Leites (14-3) was at UFC 97 in Montreal April 18 that he’d just lay down and invite Silva into his guard.  Shields would take the fight to Silva and put him on his back.

Obviously, that guarantees nothing at all.  Despite looking beatable on his back at times, Silva has always regained his superiority and won in the UFC.  However, it’s interesting to note that two of Silva’s losses in the mysterious time before he emerged as the greatest middleweight in MMA history were by triangle choke to Daiju Takase (7-12-1) at PRIDE 26 in Yokohama in June 2003 and by flying scissor heel hook to “Piranha” Ryo Chonan (16-10) at PRIDE Shockwave 2004 in Tokyo on New Year’s Eve 2004.

I’m not ready to predict that Shields would beat Silva.  Only that Shields has the best shot at beating Silva among the current field of top ten middleweights.

And that field thinned in November as previously ninth-ranked “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5) dropped out of the top ten for the first time since Fighters.com began ranking divisions. In his place, and the place of previous perenial top tenner “Sexyama” Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-2) who also fell out of the rankings this month, “Ely” Paulo Filho (15-1) skipped up to the eighth spot, “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (8-2) moved into number nine, and “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8) claimed the final position.

Third-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (25-7), fourth-ranked “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2), fifth-ranked “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (23-2-1), sixth-ranked Demian Maia (10-1), and seventh-ranked Chael Sonnen (23-10-1) all held steady.

Fighters.com’s November 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. “Ely” Paulo Filho (15-1)

9. “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (8-2)

10. “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8)

Rua confounded and flustered Machida with kicks to Machida’s legs and body for at least three out of five rounds in Los Angeles October 24, and some have argued Rua won four rounds.  But all three judges scored the fight 48-47 in favor of the champ.

Across the great South American nation from which both fighters have travelled around the world to entertain and awe fight fans, familiar lines are being redrawn because of the controversial UFC 104 main event.

Second-ranked “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4) of Black House, a team made-up largely of former Brazilian Top Team members, told Tatame, “In my opinion, Lyoto won every round.”

And, ninth-ranked “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1), formerly of Chute Boxe with Rua, declared to Tatame, “[Rua] is the new champion.”

Years ago Brazilian Top Team and Chute Boxe played out one of MMA’s greatest camp rivalries in the now defunct PRIDE promotion.  The hot blood between the two camps was thought to have cooled after many of the greatest fighters from both camps moved on to other camps or started their own gyms.

But, the title fight between Machida and Rua has heated up the old adversaries and reignited excitement about MMA in Brazil.

UFC President Dana White promised an immediate rematch between Machida and Rua; and, Since UFC 104, Machida has announced he will undergo surgery on his left hand, postponing the rematch in 2010.

Brazil deserves the rematch!  It would be a huge UFC return to Brazil since their only Brazilian event in São Paulo in October 1998.

And, besides the top three spots in MMA’s most competitive and popular division being held by Brazilians, three other Brazilians are also ranked among the top ten at 205.

Of course, Anderson Silva will defend his Fighters.com and UFC Middleweight Championship from Brazilian “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8) sometime in 2010.  That previously UFC 108 slotted main event could also be postponed until the UFC can put on a show in Brazil next spring, making a Brazilian card with two all-Brazilian title fights at the top.

Seventh-ranked Brazilian “Banha” Luis Arthur Cane (8-1) will fight countryman “Minotoro” Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (15-3) at UFC 106 in Las Vegas November 11.

Wanderlei Silva is expected to lead the UFC into Australia at UFC 110 February 20, 2010 in a middleweight fight versus tenth-ranked middleweight “Sexyama” Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-2).

Newly tenth-ranked Brazilian Thiago Silva (15-1) will get a chance to step-up versus fourth-ranked “Sugar” Rashad Evans (13-1-1) at UFC 108 in Las Vegas January 2.

Fifth-ranked American Forrest Griffin (16-6) will welcome former UFC light heavyweight champion “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) back to the UFC at UFC 106 in Las Vegas November 21 in a rematch Ortiz won the first time.

Sixth-ranked “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-7) remains retired; but, eighth-ranked “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-7) is expected to come out of retirement in 2010.

Fighters.com’s November Light Heavyweight Rankings

1. “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (16-0)

2. “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4)

3. “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (18-4)

4. “Sugar” Rashad Evans (13-1-1)

5. Forrest Griffin (16-6)

6. “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-7)

7. “Banha” Luis Arthur Cane (8-1)

8. “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-7)

9. “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1)

10. Thiago Silva (15-1)

Belfort earned the title shot by upsetting ninth-ranked “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5) in just over three minutes in a 195-pound catch weight bout at UFC 103 in Dallas September 19.  Due to the catch weight, the victory over Franklin doesn’t earn Belfort a ranking in Fighters.com’s middleweight top ten.

After former champ Cung Le (6-0) stepped aside to focus on another film role, second-ranked Jake Shields (23-4-1) will fight for the vacant Strikeforce 185-pound title versus “Mayhem” Jason Miller (22-5) in Chicago November 7.

Seventh-ranked Chael Sonnen (22-10-1) will fight “Thunder” Yushin Okami (23-4) on the untelevised undercard of UFC 104 in Los Angeles October 24.  Fighters.com thinks it’s outrageous to relegate this battle of contenders to the untelevised undercard.

Tenth-ranked “Sexyama” Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-2) is rumored to follow-up his victorious UFC debut versus “The Talent” Alan Belcher (14-6) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas July 11 versus tenth-ranked light heavyweight “Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1) at UFC 108.  Silva will be debuting at middleweight.

Third-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (24-7) is a free agent and in negotiations to return to the UFC, but Hendo’ told Sherdog negotiations aren’t going well.

Fourth-ranked “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2) and Hendo’ will probably fight for the next UFC title shot if Henderson and the UFC can agree to a contract soon.

Fifth-ranked “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (22-2-1) has stated he won’t return to the middleweight division and now holds the Strikeforce light heavyweight title; but, Fighters.com has met Mousasi and he’s a small 205er.  If Mousasi decides to compete at the top of the 205-pound division, he’ll be at a severe disadvantage.

Sixth-ranked Demian Maia (10-1) will look to rebound soon from his first-round KO loss to Marquardt at UFC 102 in Portland August 30.

Eighth-ranked Dan Miller (11-2) is recovering from an injury which kept him from fighting “Doberman” CB Dollaway (8-2) at UFC Fight Night 19 in Oklahoma City September 19.

Franklin is in limbo after losing to Belfort and continues to contemplate his future at 185- and 205-pounds.

Fighters.com October Middleweight Rankings

1. “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4)

2. Jake Shields (23-4-1)

3. “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (24-7)

4. “Great” Nate Marquardt (29-8-2)

5. “Dreamcatcher” Gegard Mousasi (22-2-1)

6. Demian Maia (10-1)

7. Chael Sonnen (22-10-1)

8. Dan Miller (11-2)

9. “Ace” Rich Franklin (26-5)

10. “Sexyama” Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-2)

Tuesday in Montréal St. Pierre will have an MRI to determine the extent of the injury that will keep him from fighting again until 8 January unless cleared by doctor, according to a suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Regardless, the NSAC has instructed St. Pierre not to engage in full-contact training until 2 August.

Middleweight “Sexyama” Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-2) came away from his Octagon debut versus “The Talent” Alen Belcher (14-6) with a split decision victory and fractured orbital bone that will keep him from returning also until 8 January unless cleared by an ophthalmologist.

Lightweight “Mongoose” Jim Miller (14-2) was ordered to have an x-ray of his right shoulder and clavicle after a unanimous decision over Mac Danzig (17-7-1) and is also suspended until 8 January unless cleared by a doctor.

Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked lightweight “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (15-3) will face third-ranked Eddie Alvarez (13-1), and heavyweight Mark Hunt (5-2) will face Jerome LeBanner (4-1-1).

A fight with Aoki had been offered to fifth-ranked middleweight Yoshihiro Akiyama (12-2), but he decided not to fight at all NYE.

“I’m tired of negotiating with [Akiyama],” said FEG executive Sadaharu Tanikawa.

“He doesn’t understand what fans expect from him and his position.  I don’t know the reason why he turned down the offer.  I’m very disappointed in him.”

Aoki last fought at DREAM.6 in September, submitting “Maniac” Todd Moore (10-3) with a neck crank in round one.

Alvarez made it to the Lightweight Grand Prix finals at DREAM.5 in July with a first-round TKO of “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (23-5), but was unable to compete due to injury.

Alvarez is also scheduled to fight a yet-to-be-announced opponent 23 January at Extreme Challenge in Atlantic City.

Hunt has lost three consecutive fights, submitting to “Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem’s (27-10) keylock at DREAM.5.  The other two losses were to Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (28-1) and seventh-ranked “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (19-5).

LeBanner most recently fought in March 2006 when he KO’d “Titan” Jimmy Ambriz (12-8) in the first round.

Aoki told Fighting Talk of the Treasure House radio show Sunday that he wants to fight only Akiyama at Dynamite!! 31 December in Saitama.

“It seems to me that Mikey (Akiyama) is making fun of our event,” Aoki said.

“His demand [to fight WVR’s Hidehiko Yoshida (8-6-1)] is nothing but self-centered.  I won’t fight anybody except Mikey on New Year’s Eve.  I’ll defeat him without gaining any weight.”

Aoki added, “If he doesn’t take this offer, I will consider that he is afraid of fighting me, and runs away.”  (Translation by Suki from MMA Fighting.)

DREAM producer Keiichi Sasahara is working to make the fight happen.  He said, “We were thinking about Badr Hari (1-0) and [“Techno Goliath”] Hong Man Choi (0-2) as Aoki’s opponent, but now we are only negotiating with Akiyama.”

Fighters.com reported 2 October that ninth-ranked lightweight “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (18-3) had called out Akiyama; but, Akiyama had declined the fight.

In an interview with Kamipro (translated by Suki at MMA Fighting), Sadaharu Tanikawa, President of DREAM’s parent company, FEG, said, “I’m interested in what Aoki said.  He fully understands what kind of fights DREAM wants to present.  I want to watch Aoki v Akiyama.”

But, another DREAM star, Middleweight GP champion Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1), wants a piece of Akiyama too.

On DREAM’s website, Mousasi said, “I have defeated three top Judo specialists before and I won them all.  I say I have an 85% chance to win [versus Olympic judoka Akiyama].”

Mousasi also criticized Akiayam’s recent choices in opposition, saying, “I heard that he had been avoiding to fight someone competitive, and chosen easy opponents in his last two fights.  If that is true, I think he is a good fighter, but he is not professional.  As a professional fighter, he should fight someone who our fans wanted to see.”

Tanikawa expressed a similar sentiment to Kamipro, saying, “I wish…Akiyama chose someone stronger [at DREAM.6].”

The custom in DREAM is for the promoter to offer their stars a choice of three opponents and the fighter chooses his opponent.

It should be noted that Aoki didn’t criticize Akiyama for fighting Masanori Tonooka (1-2) at DREAM.6, perhaps because Aoki fought “Maniac” Todd Moore (9-3), who was coming off two consecutive losses in his short stint in the WEC.

At the event’s post-fight press conference, Aoki commented, “I wouldn’t mind fighting [Akiyama].  I’m always here to fight anybody.”

Akiyama responded, “I appreciated [Aoki's] statement.  I’m very happy to be respected by Aoki; however, I’m not interested in fighting him at all.”

Aoki interjected, “Wait!?  Wow, he is such a positive thinker!  I didn’t mean that [I respect him].  I wonder who he thinks he is.”  Aoki even joked, “I actually got nervous when he sat next me…  He was sweating a lot and I thought he had hyperhidrosis.”

Then, in Aoki’s 29 September blog entry for Kamipro, he wrote, “In the last event, a fighter said he wanted to fight someone who belonged to the other event.  He added that he wouldn’t mind fighting in the other event.  I wonder why he could say that in front of DREAM fans who love this event and want to watch exciting events in DREAM.  He always only care about his own convenience.”  (Translation by Suki MMA.)

Although Aoki did not name Akiyama, he was obviously referring to Akiyama, who called out rival promotion World Victory Road’s Hidehiko Yoshida (8-6-1).

“I’m very mad,” Aoki continued.  “I’m proud to fight in DREAM.  I believe in DREAM, both staff members and fighters work together to create the best MMA event.”

Akiyama will face karate-trained Masanori Tonooka (1-1).  Akiyama had been given a choice between three opponents.

Akiyama submitted Katsuyori Shibata (2-5) with a Gi choke at July’s DREAM.5 event.

Tonooka’s last fight was a first-round KO victory over Hidehira Yabu (1-3) at DEEP in July.

The zainichi judoka has been given a choice between three unnamed opponents, according to Japanese website SportsNav.

Akiyama returned from a seven-month layoff 21 July in Osaka to tap puroresu star Katsuyori Shibata (2-5).

Also added Thursday, welterweight “Mach” Hayato Sakurai (32-8-2) will fight UFC vet Kuniyoshi Hironaka (12-5), not Nick Diaz (18-7) as originally planned.

Sakurai tapped in a guillotine to Frenchman David Baron (16-2) in Tokyo 3 May, subsequently earning Baron a UFC contract.

Hironaka followed his 1-3 stint in the Octagon with a TKO of Motoki Miyazawa (4-1) in his DREAM debut in Osaka.

Former UFC welterweight “K-Taro” Keita Nakamura (14-3-2) will face Adriano Martins (9-3).

Nakamura ended his three-fight UFC run with a split decision loss to Robert Emerson (8-6) in Las Vegas 2 February, going 0-3 in the Octagon.

Brazilian Martins was kayoed by Roni Torres (13-1) in Amazonas in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest 7 April.

Japanese heroes “Minowaman” Ikuhisa Minowa (40-28-8) and Masakatsu Funaki (38-13-1) will battle.

“Minowaman” slayed another MMA god in Okayama 16 August when he tapped “Predator” Don Frye (19-7-1) in a kneebar.

Funaki has weathered a dismal return to MMA after seven-years’ absence, tapping in a Kimura to “Gracie Hunter” Kazushi Sakuraba (24-11-1) and most recently TKO’d in 57 seconds by Kiyoshi Tamura (32-13-2).

Trigg also welcomed a son, Stone, to his family in September.  Congratulations from Fighters.com.

The remainder of the Middleweight Top Ten was on holiday last month…well, at least at middleweight.

Top contender “Ace” Rich Franklin (23-3) made a successful return to light heavyweight in Atlanta 6 September.  He remains wishy-washy about his future in either division.

But, before Franklin could move-up to 205, Fighters.com’s Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (22-4) beat him there.  Franklin must wonder whether Silva is going to move to Cincinnati and start teaching high school math too.

Silva is preparing to defend his Fighters.com and UFC titles versus “Predator” Patrick Cote (13-4) in Chicago 25 October.

Third-ranked “Ely” Paulo Filho‘s (16-0) WEC title defense versus Chael Sonnen (20-9-1) was postponed from tonight to 5 November due to Hurrican Ike.

Fourth-ranked EliteXC champ “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (16-4) is rumored to be considering a rematch versus Joey Villasenor (26-6), whom Lawler KO’d in 22 seconds in 2006.

Seventh-ranked “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (9-1) will fight “Benkei” Zelg Galesic in DREAM’s Middleweight GP semi-final in Saitama 23 September, then, if Souza wins, the winner of Gegard Mousasi (22-2-1) versus “Marvelous” Melvin Manhoef (22-4-1) in the final the same night.

Ninth-ranked “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (20-8-2) will fight “Diesel” Joe Riggs (28-10) in Beverly Hills, north of Los Angeles, 20 September.

Fifth-ranked Yoshihiro Akiyama (11-1), sixth-ranked “Thunder” Yushin Okami (22-4), nor tenth-ranked “Mayhem” Jason Miller (20-5) have fights on their dockets.

September Middleweight Rankings

1. “Spider” Anderson Silva (22-4)

“Spider” fights like he’s hacked the matrix, making top-tier opponents look like they’re clumsily swatting at a web. In March he choked out former PRIDE champ Hendo’. His two-year record has both volume and quality with a “W” next to each challenger.

2. “Ace” Rich Franklin (23-3)

Despite two stoppages to Silva, Franklin is still the best of the rest, even according to Silva himself. “Ace” finessed from a Travis Lutter armbar to pick the TUF champ apart in April and outwrestled notoriously powerful Okami for a decision last year.

3. “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-0)

Filho’s perfect rap sheet lists solid foes, but only an ’06 KO of Misaki among top-tenners. Chael Sonnen gave him hell in a controversial stoppage, but Filho missed the March rematch. A strong comeback in the November rematch will solidify Filho’s ranking.

4. “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (16-4)

“Ruthless” rides a five-fight “W” streak since being choked out by Miller in ’06, including a KO of Trigg and stoppages of solid fighters Scott Smith, Murilo Rua, and Joey Villasenor.

5. Yoshihiro Akiyama (11-1)

The Zainichi judoka ran the gauntlet of weight-mismatched spectacles before bursting into 185-pound contention with a KO of Denis Kang. Akiyama drew Misaki on NYE, but the the result was a NC. He choked out Katsuyori Shibata in his July comeback.

6. “Thunder” Yushin Okami (22-4)

Okamihas been most active among the top ten in the last two years and comes off a knockout of former UFC champ, the late Evan Tanner.  His only UFC loss was to Franklin, but could’ve conceivably been a “W” had he went after “Ace” before the final two minutes.

7. “Twinkle Toes” Frank Trigg (17-6)

With all Trigg does, you may have missed his comeback at middleweight the last two years, starting with a TKO of Miller and a UD over Misaki. Lawler iced him at Icon, but he’s returned with a quick stoppage of Edwin Dewees and UD of Makoto Takimoto.

8. “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (9-1)

“Jacare” finally fulfilled the hype surrounding the BJJ world champion by overwhelming Miller on the way to a UD in June, but besides “Mayhem” his record needs bolstered with two big wins to take the DREAM GP.

9. “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (20-8-2)

Misaki has made successful hits on Denis Kang and Hendo’, but also dropped decisions to Trigg and Hendo’ and a stoppage to Filho. Regardless, he’s won and lost among the division’s best, and may have added a “W” versus Akiyama if PRIDE rules ruled K-1.

10. “Mayhem” Jason Miller (20-5)

Always entertaining “Mayhem” has thrown in a stoppage over Lawler, a stoppage by Trigg, and a lost decision to Souza into a mixed bag of competition the last two years.

The UFC seemed intent that sixth-ranked “Thunder” Yushin Okami (21-4-1) miss his de facto UFC top contender challenge of Silva, marketing Cote versus “Cachorrao” Ricardo Almeida (9-3) in Las Vegas 5 July as an eliminator fight even before Okami pulled up lame with a broken hand.

Cote won by split decision.

Okami, who holds a DQ “W” over Silva from 2006, dropped a rank for August on the ascension of fourth-ranked EliteXC Middleweight Champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (16-4).

In Stockton, east of San Francisco, 26 July, Lawler erased the ellipsis left at the end of his May No Contest with “Hands of Steel” Scott Smith (13-5) and etched in a exclamatory second-round TKO over Smith.

To make the scattering of middleweights across promotions more frustrating, the entire top three – Silva, second-ranked “Ace” Rich Franklin (23-3), and third-ranked “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-0) – are throwing their hats into 205-pound bull ring.

Filho, who announced in February that he intends to move to 205-pounds, will rematch Chael Sonnen (20-9-1) in Hollywood, north of Miami, 10 September.

Perhaps Filho’s announcement was amidst his mysterious malaise, for which he’s been successfully treated; but, the WEC will shit-can their middleweight division before the end of 2008 and Filho, who signed with the WEC to avoid a confrontation with his pal Silva, will have to make a decision about which UFC weight class to compete in: the middleweight division Silva rules or the light heavyweight division Silva’s getting his kicks in.

Fifth-ranked Yoshihiro Akiyama (11-1) returned from an eight-month holiday to tap woefully mismatched Katsuyori Shibata (2-5) in Osaka 21 July.

Sixth-ranked “Twinkle Toes” Frank Trigg (16-6) will return from a nine-month holiday to fight Olympic judoka Makoto Takimoto (4-4) at Sengoku in Saitama, north of Tokyo, 24 August.

Trigg’s deal with Sengoku could lead to a rematch versus eighth-ranked “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (20-8-2), but not before Misaki makes his North American debut versus a yet-to-be-named opponent at Strikeforce 19 September in Los Angeles.

Ninth-ranked “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (9-1) has drawn legit kickboxer “Benkei” Zelg Galesic (9-3) in DREAM’s Middleweight GP, to be fought in Saitama 23 September.

“Mayhem” Jason Miller (21-6) holds steady at tenth without any announced or rumoured bouts.

August Middleweight Rankings

1. “Spider” Anderson Silva (22-4)

“Spider” fights like he’s hacked the matrix, making top-tier opponents look like they’re clumsily swatting at a web. In March he choked out former PRIDE champ Hendo’. His two-year record has both volume and quality with a “W” next to each challenger.

2. “Ace” Rich Franklin (22-3)

Despite two stoppages to Silva, Franklin is still the best of the rest, even according to Silva himself. “Ace” finessed from a Travis Lutter armbar to pick the TUF champ apart in April and outwrestled notoriously powerful Okami for a decision last year.

3. “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-0)

Filho’s perfect rap sheet lists solid foes, but only an ’06 KO of Misaki among top-tenners. Chael Sonnen gave him hell in a controversial stoppage, but Filho missed the March rematch. A strong comeback in the September rematch will solidify Filho’s ranking.

4. “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (16-4)

“Ruthless” rides a five-fight “W” streak since being choked out by Miller in ’06, including a KO of Trigg and stoppages of solid fighters Scott Smith, Murilo Rua, and Joey Villasenor.

5. Yoshihiro Akiyama (11-1)

The Zainichi judoka ran the gauntlet of weight-mismatched spectacles before bursting into 185-pound contention with a KO of Denis Kang. Akiyama drew Misaki on NYE, but the the result was a NC. He choked out Katsuyori Shibata in his July comeback.

6. “Thunder” Yushin Okami (22-4)

Okami has been most active among the top ten in the last two years and comes off a knockout of former UFC champ Evan Tanner.  His only UFC loss was to Franklin, but could’ve conceivably been a “W” had he went after “Ace” before the final two minutes.

7. “Twinkle Toes” Frank Trigg (16-6)

With all Trigg does, you may have missed his comeback at middleweight the last two years, starting with a TKO of Miller and a UD over Misaki. Lawler iced him at Icon, but he’s returned with a quick stoppage of Edwin Dewees. He’s my division wildcard to watch.

8. “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (20-8-2)

Misaki has made successful hits on Denis Kang and Hendo’, but also dropped decisions to Trigg and Hendo’ and a stoppage to Filho. Regardless, he’s won and lost among the division’s best, and may have added a “W” versus Akiyama if PRIDE rules ruled K-1.

9. “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (9-1)

“Jacare” finally fulfilled the hype surrounding the BJJ world champion by overwhelming Miller on the way to a UD in June, but besides “Mayhem” his record needs bolstered with better opponents.

10. “Mayhem” Jason Miller (20-5)

Always entertaining “Mayhem” has thrown in a stoppage over Lawler and a stoppage by Trigg into a mixed bag of competition the last two years.

Hansen was originally eliminated from the tournament at DREAM.3 11 May after dropping a decision to Eddie Alvarez (15-1), but was drafted into the final after slapping an armbar on “Black Mamba” Kultar Gill (10-8) at 2:33 of round one in the tournament’s reserve fight Sunday.

Ironically, Hansen replaced Alvarez after Alvarez knocked out “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-5-2) at 7:35 of round one in a thrilling slugfest.  A right hook, right uppercut combo floored “Crusher” and Alvarez pounded the Japanese fighter out, but sustained a cut over his right eye in the action that would prevent him from fighting for the title.

Tournament favorite “Tobikan Judan” Shinya Aoki (17-3) contorted himself into the final versus Hansen in a unanimous decision over “Uno Shoten” Caol Uno (25-11-4), throwing everything in the “Judan” book at Uno: armbar, triangle choke, heel hook, rear naked choke, gogoplata, etc.  Though Aoki wasn’t able to stop Uno, he dominated for the decision.

The final was set: Aoki v Hansen; and, in most people’s minds, already settled in favor of the Japanese favorite.

Aoki quickly pressed his advantage and put Hansen on the mat, running through his repertoire of locks and chokes.  Hansen defended and worked into top position inside Aoki’s guard.

Pow!  Hansen tore into Aoki with punches from the top and a big left stunned the “Tobikan Judan”.  Hansen quickly finished off the helpless favorite with strikes at 4:19 of round one to win DREAM’s first Lightweight Championship.

Akiyama Has Something Up His Sleeve

Yoshihiro Akiyama (11-1) returned from an eight-month stint on the DL to choke out Katsuyori Shibata (2-5) with the sleeve of his gi at 6:34 of round one.

Shibata held his own for the first half of the round as he exchanged with the heavily-favoured Akiyama.

However, once the fighters went to the mat, Akiyama was able to get on top, get into mount, and put Shibata to sleep.

Overeem Taps Hunt

“Demolition Man” Alistair Overeem (28-11) accepted the challenge from Kiwi kickboxer Mark Hunt (5-4) on three-days’ notice and gave little notice to Hunt before tapping him in a keylock at 1:11 of round one.

It was Hunt who took Overeem to the mat to begin the fight; but, Overeem used the position to his advantage.

Hironaka Wins DREAM Debut

Fresh from a poor showing in the Octagon, Kuniyoshi Hironaka (12-5) stopped a two-fight losing streak with a solid straight that gashed  Motoki Miyazawa‘s (4-1) left eye.

The fight had been a fairly even stand-up war; but, the cut prompted a doctor stoppage in favor of Hironaka at 8:57 of round one.

Other Fights

Featherweight Joseph Benavidez (8-0) remained undefeated after tapping “Kodo” Junya Kudo (6-2-2) in a guillotine choke at 2:42 of round one.

Welterweight Daisuke Nakamura (15-9) followed a straight right to Andy Ologun (1-1) into a takdown and slick armbar to tap Ologun at 3:41 of round one.

Though issued a yellow card for low blows, featherweight Hideo Tokoro (22-13-1) won a unanimous decison over Takeshi Yamazaki (14-8-2).

Yoshihiro Akiyama (10-1; 2 NC) v Katsuyori Shibata (2-4)

“Hellboy” Joachim Hansen (17-7-1) v “Black Mamba” Kultar Gill (9-7)

Kuniyoshi Hironaka (11-5) v Motoki Miyazawa (4-0)

Mark Hunt (5-3) is also slated to fight, but no opponent has been named.

Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked middleweight Akiyama has not fought since New Year’s Eve, when he faced eighth-ranked “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (20-8-2; 1 NC).  Akiyama was KO’d by an illegal soccer kick, ending the fight in a No Contest.

Shibata lost his last four fights, to Ralek Gracie  (2-0), “Gracie Hunter” Kazushi Sakuraba (24-11-1; 2 NC), Min Suk Heo (2-5), and most recently to tenth-ranked “Mayhem” Jason Miller (21-6) at DREAM.3 in May.

Hansen, a PRIDE and Shooto veteran from Norway, is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Eddie Alvarez (14-1) at DREAM.3.

Gill, from Canada, last fought at DREAM.1 in March where he lost to “Crusher” Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-4-2) in a unanimous decision.

Hironaka hopes to recover from a two-fight losing streak, both second-round TKOs in the UFC by “Pitbull” Thiago Alves (15-3) in September and Jonathan Goulet (22-9; 1 NC) in April, although that fight earned him a $75K “Fight of the Night” bonus.

Miyazawa has won all four of his fights at the Greatest Common Multiple events.

PRIDE veteran Hunt was submitted in his last two fights, in 2006, via first-round kimura, first by Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked heavyweight “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (27-1), then to fifth-ranked “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (22-5).

But, the cold, hard ledger reveals Hendo’ hasn’t had a win at 185-pounds in two years.

Hendo’s previous rank was filled by tenth-ranked “Mayhem” Jason Miller (20-6), falling a notch to newly ninth-ranked “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (9-1).

Souza debuted in the top ten after pulling off a tight two-round unanimous decision over Miller in DREAM’s Middleweight Grand Prix 15 June.

Also in June Japanese action, “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (20-8-2) cemented his seventh ranking with a UD over “Pink Pounder” Logan Clark at Sengoku.

Misaki now seeks revenge over new Sengoku add-on, seventh-ranked “Twinkle Toes” Frank Trigg (16-6).

No Sengoku match-up has been announced for Trigg; but, one would assume Misaki’s home nation promotion wants to match the old enemies as soon as Trigg is ready.

Sixth-ranked “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (15-4) was pulling away from “Hands of Stone” Scott Smith (13-4) in the third round of their EliteXC title fight 31 May in Newark, west of New York City, when a thumb to Smith’s eye rendered the result a No Contest.

Lawler held steady in June, as did the entire middleweight top five.

Fighters.com’s Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (21-4) wisely avoided a move to 205-pounds to fight fourth-ranked light heavyweight “Iceman” Chuck Liddell (21-5) in September.

The UFC’s July match-up between “Predator” Patrick Cote (12-4) and “Cachorrao” Ricardo Almeida (9-2) is being marketed as winner-get-Silva.

Baffling, since the UFC’s obvious top contender is fifth-ranked “Thunder” Yushin Okami (22-4), who seems to be lingering in limbo after knocking out former UFC Champion Evan Tanner (32-7) in March.

Fighters.com predicts Okami will draw “Hitman” Martin Kampmann (16-2).

Fourth-ranked Yoshihiro Akiyama (10-1) continues to flirt with DREAM and will probably be the Middleweight GP champion’s first mandatory.

Third-ranked “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-0) is out of rehab and training for a September WEC title defense rematch versus Chael Sonnen (20-9-1).

Second-ranked “Ace” Rich Franklin (22-3) is being pressured by the UFC to move to 205-pounds to clarify their middleweight rankings, but Franklin is resisting.

June Middleweight Rankings

1. “Spider” Anderson Silva (21-4)

“Spider” fights like he’s hacked the matrix, making top-tier opponents look like they’re clumsily swatting at a web. In March he choked out former PRIDE champ Hendo’. His two-year record has both volume and quality with a “W” next to each challenger.

2. “Ace” Rich Franklin (22-3)

Despite two stoppages to Silva, Franklin is still the best of the rest, even according to Silva himself. “Ace” finessed from a Travis Lutter armbar to pick the TUF champ apart in April and outwrestled notoriously powerful Okami for a decision last July.

3. “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-0)

Filho’s perfect rap sheet lists solid foes, but only an ’06 KO of Misaki among top-tenners. Chael Sonnen gave him hell in a controversial stoppage, but Filho missed the March rematch. A strong comeback in the September rematch will solidify Filho’s ranking.

4. Yoshihiro Akiyama (10-1)

The Zainichi judoka ran the K-1 gauntlet of weight-mismatched spectacles before bursting into 185-pound contention with a KO of Denis Kang. Akiyama drew Misaki on NYE, but the end was deemed illegal and the result a NC. He also needs a strong comeback.

5. “Thunder” Yushin Okami (22-4)

Okami has been most active among the top ten in the last two years and comes off a knockout of former UFC champ Evan Tanner.  His only UFC loss was to Franklin, but could’ve conceivably been a “W” had he went after “Ace” before the final two minutes.

6. “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (15-4)

“Ruthless” rides a four-fight “W” streak since being choked out by Miller in ’06, including a KO of Trigg and stoppages of solid fighters Murilo Rua and Joey Villasenor. Upcoming versus Scott Smith won’t prove much unless he loses.

7. “Twinkle Toes” Frank Trigg (16-6)

With all Trigg does, you may have missed his comeback at middleweight the last two years, starting with a TKO of Miller and a UD over Misaki. Lawler iced him at Icon, but he’s returned with a quick stoppage of Edwin Dewees. He’s my division wildcard to watch.

8. “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (19-8-2)

Misaki has made successful hits on Denis Kang and Hendo’, but also dropped decisions to Trigg and Hendo’ and a stoppage to Filho. Regardless, he’s won and lost among the division’s best, and may have added a “W” versus Akiyama if PRIDE rules ruled K-1.

9. “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (9-1)

“Jacare” finally fulfilled the hype surrounding the BJJ world champion by overwhelming Miller on the way to a UD in June, but his besides “Mayhem” his record needs bolstered with better opponents.

10. “Mayhem” Jason Miller (20-5)

Always entertaining “Mayhem” has thrown in a stoppage over Lawler and a stoppage by Trigg into a mixed bag of competition the last two years.

Likewise, Fighters.com’s fourth-ranked middleweight Yoshihiro Akiyama (10-1) will debut in DREAM on the same card.

No opponent has been named for Akiyama; but, “Kid” will fight undefeated Joseph Benavidez (7-0), a training partner of the other hand on the top featherweight title, “California Kid” Urijah Faber (21-1).

Yamamoto TKO’d Rani Yahya (11-4) in the second round in December in K-1 Dynamite!!

Benavidez tapped Maurice Eazel (3-8) in a first-round rear naked choked in May at Palace Fighting Championships.

In April, second-ranked “Ace” Rick Franklin (23-3) finessed out of an armbar executed by TUF champ “Serial Killer” Travis Lutter (9-5) to pick apart the Texan in two rounds, but Franklin has no where to go after two stoppages to Silva.

As mentioned in 3 May’s Bushido Sheet, Franklin was offered a main event versus tenth-ranked “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (22-7) at UFC 85, but turned down the fight.

Franklin continues to consider interesting match-ups at 205-pounds.

Hendo’ dropped a rank in May after his 2006 UD over eighth-ranked “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (19-8-2) fell from his two-year record leaving “Hollywood” without a win at 185-pounds in two years.

His March stoppage to Silva leaves him with few good match-ups but for Franklin.  At this point, Hendo’ just needs a win in the Octagon.

The trail on the “Hitman” Misaki has gone cold since his March submission of Siyar Bahadurzada (13-2-1) at Sengoku.

Third-ranked “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-0) is recovering from a substance abuse problem in Brazil.

He’s scheduled for a rematch with Chael Sonnen (20-9-1) to defend his WEC title, but don’t hold your breath for a Silva versus Filho title unification bout.

Filho and Silva are friends and refuse to fight each other; and, Filho plans to move to 205-pounds win, lose, or draw to Sonnen.

Fourth-ranked Yoshihiro Akiyama‘s (10-1) run at the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix championship ended before it began when he re-injured a nasal bone fracture in training, causing him to withdraw.

Fifth-ranked “Thunder” Yushin Okami (22-4) remains the most likely candidate to take a swat at “Spider”, but no official word yet.

Sixth-ranked “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (15-4) may be the face of the division when his EliteXC title defense versus “Hands of Stone” Scott Smith (13-4) is broadcast on national television across North America at the end of May.

Ninth-ranked “Mayhem” Jason Miller (21-5) debuted before the Nipponese in May with a first-round TKO of Katsuyori Shibata (2-4), but the “W” does little to propel him forward in the division.

May Middleweight Rankings

1. “Spider” Anderson Silva (21-4)

“Spider” fights like he’s hacked the matrix, making top-tier opponents look like they’re clumsily swatting at a web. In March he choked out former PRIDE champ Hendo’. His two-year record has both volume and quality with a “W” next to each challenger.

2. “Ace” Rich Franklin (23-3)

Despite two stoppages to Silva, Franklin is still the best of the rest, even according to Silva himself. “Ace” finessed from a Travis Lutter armbar to pick the TUF champ apart in April and outwrestled notoriously powerful Okami for a decision last July.

3. “Ely” Paulo Filho (16-0)

Filho’s perfect rap sheet lists solid foes, but only an ’06 KO of Misaki among top-tenners. Chael Sonnen gave him hell in a controversial stoppage, but Filho missed the March rematch. A strong comeback and top-ten challenge will solidify Filho’s ranking.

4. Yoshihiro Akiyama (10-1)

The Zainichi judoka ran the K-1 gauntlet of weight-mismatched spectacles before bursting into 185-pound contention with a KO of Denis Kang. Akiyama drew Misaki on NYE, but the end was deemed illegal and the result a NC. He also needs a strong comeback.

5. “Thunder” Yushin Okami (22-4)

Okami has been most active among the top ten in the last two years and comes off a knockout of former UFC champ Evan Tanner.  His only UFC loss was to Franklin, but could’ve conceivably been a “W” had he went after “Ace” before the final two minutes.

6. “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (15-4)

“Ruthless” rides a four-fight “W” streak since being choked out by Miller in ’06, including a KO of Trigg and stoppages of solid fighters Murilo Rua and Joey Villasenor. Upcoming versus Scott Smith won’t prove much unless he loses.

7. “Twinkle Toes” Frank Trigg (16-6)

With all Trigg does, you may have missed his comeback at middleweight the last two years, starting with a TKO of Miller and a UD over Misaki. Lawler iced him at Icon, but he’s returned with a quick stoppage of Edwin Dewees. He’s my division wildcard to watch.

8. “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (19-8-2)

Misaki has made successful hits on Denis Kang and Hendo’, but also dropped decisions to Trigg and Hendo’ and a stoppage to Filho. Regardless, he’s won and lost among the division’s best, and may have added a “W” versus Akiyama if PRIDE rules ruled K-1.

9. “Mayhem” Jason Miller (21-5)

Always entertaining “Mayhem” has thrown in a stoppage over Lawler and a stoppage by Trigg into a mixed bag of competition the last two years.

10. “Hollywood” Dan Henderson (22-7)

“Hollywood” served Silva his first losing round in two years, but couldn’t follow-up in round two.  Yo-yoing between weight classes has resulted in a mixed record for the last PRIDE champion in two weight classes.  If he wants 185, he’ll have to commit.

The judoka re-injured a nasal fracture originally suffered in a New Year’s Eve No Contest with “Grabaka Hitman” Kazuo Misaki (19-8-2).

At a press conference in Tokyo Monday, DREAM’s producer Keiichi Sashahara announced, “Even a slight blow will cause such heavy bleeding that will have every doctor stop the fight.”

Though DREAM continues to list an opening round Grand Prix match-up between Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked 185-pounder “Twinkle Toes” Frank Trigg (16-6) and “Jacare” Ronaldo Souza (7-1), Trigg denied to MMA Junkie that he’s agreed fight for DREAM.

With both Fighters.com top ten middleweights pulled from the Grand Prix, the favorite to win is Canadian Denis Kang (29-9-1); but, Kang is 1-2 in his last three fights.  In the first round, he battles surging Armenian Gegard Mousasi (20-2-1), who has won seven straight.