Now that 2011 is already halfway through, multiple websites and even the UFC have released their fair share of “Best of the Half-Year” awards. I recently got in on the fun as well, but recently an additional thought hit me: there’s a lot of good fights heading our way! So since I’ve already looked back on the best moments of 2011, I think it’d be great to take a look forward at what will probably be some of the defining moments of the rest of the year. So here we go: these are my top five most-anticipated fights for the rest of 2011. ...

We’re only five months into the 2011 calendar year, and already the UFC has celebrated several firsts. And in the summer, they’ll celebrate another: their first event in Brazil in over a decade. It’s a long time coming, considering that many of the UFC’s top fighters and most popular athletes all call Brazil home, while Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of the cornerstones of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Recently, four fights have been confirmed for “UFC: Rio”, with several other bouts nearing completion. Read on for all the details. ...

It's finally happening. UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will be defending his title for a record setting ninth time as he will be taking on rival Yushin Okami this August. The event in question will take place on August 27, where the organization will revisit Brazil for the first time in a long time as the company will be returning to the infamous city, Rio de Janiero. The main-event of the evening will most likely be the aforementioned title tilt, with Silva, the native Brazilian, undoubtedly being the favorite heading into the title clash. ...

Everybody says they want a piece of Anderson Silva, but I'd have to imagine after this past Saturday, I'm not so sure if anybody else would want to tangle with "The Spider". At UFC 126, which took place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas before a sold-out crowd, Silva successfully defended his title for a record eight-time inside the octagon when he knocked out former training partner and former 205-pound titleholder Vitor Belfort in one of his most impressive finishes in his career. The win helped Silva extend a fourteen-fight win streak which began in April of 2006, and has solidified not only as the best middleweight fighter in the world but arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. So, does Georges St. Pierre or Yushin Okami deserve to challenge this prestigious athlete? ...

Yushin Okami has been the red headed step child of the middleweight division. You know it's there, but something about him makes you cringe. Perhaps it was his not so flashy start into the promotion. His formula worked for a while, takedowns coupled with ground-and-pound attacks, that is until he faced top level competition in the likes of Rich Franklin and Chael Sonnen. Since then, Okami has been able to rattle off three-consecutive wins over the likes of Mark Munoz and perennial contender Nate Marquardt, which cemented Okami as the next immediate contender for the middleweight title, which will be contested tomorrow night when champ Anderson Silva takes on former teammate Vitor Belfort. ...

In the here and now, the future remains a mystery for one-time UFC Middleweight Championship challenger Nate Marquardt. Nate “The Great” continues to look like a dominant force against most mid-level opponents, yet he also continues to choke in big-opportunity fights. Marquardt most recently lost another championship challenger eliminator fight against Yushin Okami. Marquardt is looking to rebound from this loss in the biggest way possible, as he’s recently joined the growing list of fighters hoping to welcome PRIDE FC legend Wanderlei Silva back into the Octagon. Here are all the details. ...

Underwhelming. Quite the inauspicious opening to an article, isn’t it? But that one word perfectly summarizes my feelings on the recent ufc 122: “Marquardt vs. Okami” event. It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t good, it had some decent fights, it had some boring moments… compared to the gold standard of the UFC’s efforts in the United States and Canada, “underwhelming” hits the nail right on the head. But apparently I’m in the minority here, as the ratings for UFC 122 have recently been made public, and the show has in fact done quite well. Here are all the details. ...

I’ve said it a lot recently, but it bears repeating: it’s tough to be a fan of Nate Marquardt nowadays. Nate “The Great” has once again hit a major stumbling block on his three-year journey towards another championship opportunity: he recently lost a #1 Contender match to Yushin Okami at ufc 122 in Germany. Marquardt’s situation now closely mirrors the one he found himself in when he lost to Chael Sonnen back in February of this year: many are wondering where he stands in the Middleweight division. Marquardt, however, remains confident in his abilities, even while UFC President Dana White recently speculated that (much like his controversial feelings on Kenny Florian) Nate Marquardt chokes in big fights. ...

UFC 122: “Okami vs. Marquardt” went off without a hitch yesterday despite a negative German media presence that forced the event off of television and onto the internet. While the preliminary card was loaded with finishes, the main televised card saw an abundance of decision victories. Nevertheless, I hesitate to call UFC 122 a “bad” event. Recently the UFC handed out their traditional post-fight bonuses, so here’s what everyone walked away with. Also included is a quick mini-review on the event itself. ...

The UFC’s return to Germany is now in the history books, and UFC 122: “Marquardt vs. Okami” gave us several interesting bouts before completing its run. In the main event, top Middleweight stars Nate Marquardt and Yushin Okami battled it out to determine the next UFC Middleweight Championship  contender, with Okami winning what some consider to be a title shot that is long, long overdue. As is customary for the day after a big event, here are my predictions on what’s next for the big winners and losers of UFC 122: “Marquardt vs. Okami”. ...

While the tape-delayed broadcast on Spike TV isn’t set to air for another several hours, the UFC recently wrapped up UFC 122: “Marquardt vs. Okami” in Germany. It was a night that had an even number of finishes as well as fights that went the distance, with the main event perhaps not quite living up to expectations. For those who don’t want to wait, here are the full and complete results to UFC 122: “Marquardt vs. Okami”. ...

Later today the UFC will present its second event in Germany, UFC  122: “Marquardt vs. Okami”. Despite a hostile media and government presence that saw the UFC get banned from German television, the world’s biggest and most important MMA promotion continues to move forward with its international expansion. In tonight’s main event, former title challenger Nate Marquardt faces the last man to have ever beaten Anderson Silva (even if it was via DQ) in a fight that will more than likely determine the next UFC Middleweight Championship contender. As is customary for a big night of fights, here are my picks and predictions for UFC 122: “Marquardt vs. Okami”. ...

Tonight, ufc 122, which features a middleweight title eliminator between Nate Marquardt and Yushin Okami, will all go down as planned. The two 185-pound fighters, along with the ten other bouts scheduled for the Spike TV broadcast (five taking centered stage on the live feed, with the other five taking place on the nights preliminary un-aired broadcast) all made weight with no problem. UFC 122 serves as the promotion's second venture into Germany. After a lot of backlash and noise from the countries' governing bodies coupled with the media alike, made it seem relatively impossible for the worlds leading mixed martial arts promotion to enter back into their new market. However, they made good on their promise, and the Zuffa owned promotion puts on their second show in a 17-month span. ...

UFC middleweight Nate Marquardt may say he won’t be fighting with pressure on his shoulders against Yushin Okami at UFC 122, but some may find that hard to believe.  If he wins, he gets a title shot – a rare second title shot.  It’s that simple.  All that is left to do in his career is to take home the UFC middleweight strap, which clarifies just how much is on the line in Germany for Marquardt.  “Nate the Great” shared with Fighters.com that his focus for Okami – and a title shot, will be razor sharp, something that wasn’t the case when he lost to Chael Sonnen at UFC 109. ...

November is a busy month.  We have a big political election this week, something called the World Series - was a big hit - in San Francisco at least, a menu full of pro and college football, and then Thanksgiving to round out the month.  What should not be lost amongst the chop chop of daily life, is a plate full of spectacular MMA this month.  Rampage is back at it, Matt Brown fights for his UFC career survival, and Joe Lauzon may have the toughest opponent of them all this month.  Check out five fights you MUST watch in November. ...

It’s been over three years since Nate Marquardt unsuccessfully challenged Anderson Silva for the ufc Middleweight Championship, and he’s poised to finally earn a rematch with the long-reigning champion if he can win his next fight at UFC 122 in Germany. Standing in his way is Yushin Okami, a fighter who some fans believe is long overdue for a title shot of his own. Heading into this key Middleweight showdown, Nate “The Great” recently told MMA Weekly how he’s approaching such a critical moment in his career. Here are the highlights. ...

The ultra-successful "ufc Prelims" special, which has served as a lead in to the Pay-Per View portion of UFC bouts, will be returning on Nov. 20, when the organization visits Auburn Hills, Mich. for UFC 123. Headlining the nights festivities will be former light heavyweight champions Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida in a non-title bout, with a trilogy between former welterweight champions Matt Hughes and BJ Penn being completed that night, serving as the co-main event of the evening. Prior to these bouts, a pair of middleweights and 170-pound fighters will be in action as part of the Spike TV special, which will have the potential to reach 96.1 million people at home in these United States. ...

Well, it isn't the New Years show at UFC 125 as most expected, but it's a championship fight none-the-less. Vitor Belfort recently announced via his twitter account that he is expecting to face Anderson Silva for the middleweight title, on Super Bowl weekend, for UFC 127 on February 5. The event is expected to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, though no venue has been tapped yet for the event. ...

Another twist--turns out middleweight contender Vitor Belfort is not injured. In fact, he was pulled from his headlining duties against Yushin Okami and will now be taking on the champ, Anderson Silva in early 2011. The Okami-Belfort bout was to serve as ufc 122's headliner, the organizations second foray into Germany which is taking place on November 13 via-tape delay on Spike TV, however since Belfort had been pulled the bout, most speculated that the Brazilian was injured when former title challenger Nate Marquardt stepped up to the plate to face the Japanese star. ...

You read that right, fans and friends. First seen on MMAWeekly, Vitor Belfort has once again pulled out of an upcoming bout with an injury. This time his opponent was scheduled to be Yushin Okami, in a match that would have determined the next challenger to Anderson Silva’s UFC Middleweight Championship. Belfort has been plagued with injuries for the majority of his latest UFC tenure, and it now looks as if Nate Marquardt will step in on short notice and face Yushin Okami in the main event of UFC 122. ...

It’s a highly-anticipated dream match that MMA fans and insiders have been looking forward to for over a year…but two big obstacles may prevent it from happening. Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort should be an epic money-making fight when/if it ever finally happens, but in order to make the dream match a reality, Silva will have to get through Chael Sonnen once again while Belfort will have to beat the super-tough Yushin Okami. In an interview with RedeTV, “The Phenom” recently spoke on his future, the possible fight with Silva, and more. ...

Former UFC light heavyweight champion turned Middleweight contender, Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort returns to the cage this November. While speculation ran rapid, including who, when, and where Belfort would fight next, wait no longer--because the Brazilian has ended all speculation via his Twitter. ...

It seems that Vitor Belfort’s path to the ufc Middleweight Championship is taking yet another detour. The former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion was tentatively penned as the next challenger to Middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva all the way back in September 2009, when he made his return to the promotion by scoring a huge knockout over former Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin in a catchweight bout. Since then, injuries (both Belfort’s and Silva’s) have ping-ponged this fight back and forth from one event to another. Now it may not even happen. MMAJunkie.com recently reported that Vitor Belfort is moving forward with plans to return in November…but against Yushin Okami. Everything is still pure speculation at this point, since nothing has been officially announced, but here’s what’s known so far. ...

Former UFC light heavyweight champion and current middleweight contender Vitor Belfort will be returning to action in November, but against who--who knows. The news, which was highlighted previously on Fighters.com , where according to Vitor himself on Twitter, “this year I am not going to fight for the title because the champion (UFC Middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva) is hurt but November we will be in action for sure that is what I can say.” ...

While Gomi may have picked up his biggest win in recent memory, he also picked up the biggest pay-day of the "ufc Live on Versus 2" card, held on August 1, last Sunday, in San Diego, Cali. ...

The plight of Yushin Okami is familiar to virtually any and all fans of the man: Okami is a man that consistently finds himself hovering around the top of most people’s Middleweight rankings but is virtually absent from any and all discussions about potential challengers to current UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva’s throne. An eight-year veteran of the sport, Okami actually has a better record than current #1 contender and mile-a-minute trash-talker Chael Sonnen. And as always, fans of the man will be more than happy to tell you that Okami was the last person to defeat Anderson Silva, even if it was because Silva threw an illegal kick and got himself disqualified. As Okami heads into his eleventh UFC fight at today’s UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko event, is the time finally right for Silva/Okami 2? ...

Fighters.com’s seventh-ranked lightweight “KenFlo” Kenny Florian (12-4) and former PRIDE champion “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (28-6) both made the lightweight limit for their matchup at Fight Night 21 in Charlotte Wednesday night. ...

The winner of the co-main event fight that pits "Great" Nate Marquardt (29-8-2) against Chael Sonnen (23-20-1) at UFC 109 will get a title shot according to UFC President Dana White. While I believe Nate deserves a shot at the title I shiver at the thought of Sonnen getting a title shot. ...

Fighters.com and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (15-0) weighed in two-and-a-half pounds under the 205-pound light heavyweight limit Friday, a day before he'll defend his titles from sixth-ranked “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (18-3) at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles Saturday. ...

Fighters.com and UFC Middleweight Champion “Spider” Anderson Silva (25-4) will defend his titles from unranked “Phenom” Vitor Belfort (18-8) at UFC 108 in Las Vegas January 2. ...