On Saturday July 5, Patrick Cote will enter the cage at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and will stare down one of his toughest opponents to date, Ricardo Almeida.

The Quebec native is starting to make his presence known in the UFC middleweight division. However, Cote is not taking his opponent, Almeida lightly.

"This guy is no joke. I respect him a lot, but this is my time now and I'll do what I have to do to win this fight," Cote told MMAMania.com. "I'm so confident right now."

The fight will see a stand-up fighter in Cote against a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (or ground) fighter in Ricardo Almeida. Cote has confidence in his stand-up and believes he can keep the fight up.

"I train with the national wrestling team here. Some guy who's going to the next Olympic games and I both do very well," Cote said. "But if the fight go on the ground I'll fight, I'm not scared to go on the ground, it's not a BJJ fight, it's MMA battle."

A win over Almeida gives Cote a clear road to a middleweight title shot.

"We'll see how I'll beat him," Cote said in reference to Almeida and the title picture. "But I don't think about that. It's all about Almeida now."

Cote's last fight went well. "The Predator" scored first round technical knockout victory over Drew McFedries. Cote was slated again to fight at UFC 83 against Alan Belcher, but bowed out because of a knee injury after it was reported that he slipped on some ice.

"My knee is 100 percent. Don't worry I'll sprawl on him like if I had bionic knees," Cote jokes.

With no injuries during training, Cote says that training has been perfect and that it has been one of his best training camps ever. Cote is eager to get back in the cage to face Almeida.

Cote has had the opportunity to work with such talents as Fabio Holanda at Brazilian Top Team Canada, as well as famed Muay Thai coach Mark DellaGrotte.

"I trust these guys so much and they work very well together," Cote said. "They believe in me so bad than I can't disappoint them."

Cote has a 13-4 career MMA record. He's won four straight fights (three of them in the UFC), since his he lost his last fight, which was against Travis Lutter in the middleweight final at the Ultimate Fighter season four finale.

Cote originally made his UFC debut in 2004 at UFC 50, fighting Tito Ortiz. Cote took the fight on short notice after Guy Mezger had to drop out of the fight. Despite the unanimous decision loss, Cote showed signs of promise by sticking it out with Ortiz.

"I made my name with this fight," Cote said. "You can't refuse a opportunity like that if you have balls."

This Saturday night, we will see if Cote has what it takes to defeat Almeida and take one step closer to a UFC middleweight title shot. This is Cote's greatest opportunity to shine on the Vegas stage.

Marcelo Garcia, Demian Maia and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza are among a handful of insanely talented and decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialists who have recently made the transition to mixed martial arts.

Their skills are off the charts -- "top of the food chain" as Joe Rogan would say -- and it is clear that these grapplers are on a totally different level when their fights go to the ground.

It's a reality that has not been lost on Robert Drysdale -- perhaps the most dangerous jiu-jitsu player on the planet today. And he was born in the United States.

For close to 10 years now, Drysdale has been tearing up the world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, winning medals and finishing some of the best in the business in countless international tournaments. Now the world champion looks to take on a new challenge ... mixed martial arts.

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On one night in February, Miguel Torres went from being a relatively unknown fighter from East Chicago (Ind.), to being the WEC bantamweight champion and being considered one of the top pound for pound fighters in the world.

His first real introduction to most casual fans was at WEC 32, when Torres defeated then-champion Chase Beebe via submission (guillotine choke) to win the 135-pound title. However, the scrappy Mexican-American has been beating people up -- sometimes grown men who outweigh him by more than 25 pounds -- for years in sanctioned and unsanctioned bouts for close to a decade .

His nearly perfect professional record (46-1), which includes just about every submission and finishing result in the book, is nothing compared to his unbelievable "amateur" accomplishments.

That number might seem different to you because Sherdog's Fight Finder has Torres listed as 33-1. Torres acknowledges that they were small time fights that were unsanctioned

"They were fights that helped build my career," Torres told MMAMania.com. "They were the ones that got me into the sport. They weren't weight classed, they were open rules."

Those early fights earned him a cult-like following on the underground Midwest MMA scene, as well as the respect of his peers such as UFC veteran and The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) star, Stephan Bonnar.

"When we were coming up, Miguel had the entire Chicago scene by the balls," said Bonnar. "He could sell more tickets than anyone. He turned events into such a show, complete with Mariachi bands and everything."

Torres has had many influences on his life, which have helped get to where he is at right now. But it's his father, Arnulfo Torres, who has had the biggest impact on the younger Torres' life. Torres' father is here in the United States on a work visa, after the family business he was working for in Mexico went under because of the struggling economy.

Torres' father made sure to send back a portion of his check to the rest of his family in Mexico. At times, it would be a struggle for their family in the states, because Torres' father was the only one to really be relied upon and he had to also take care of his wife, Elisa and their three children, including Miguel.

"A guy with three kids and a wife, a house and all this stuff, a thousand bucks a month is hard and he was doing it without asking any questions," Torres said.

The elder Torres made sure that his son went to college and indeed he did. The younger Torres graduated from Purdue University.

"He made me go, he wanted me to go. I was the first one to graduate from my family and he was the one that wanted me to do that," Torres said. "I wanted to do that to make him proud."

The apple doesn't fall to far from the tree. Torres is renowned for his intense work ethic and endless amount of energy. It's something that certainly does not go unnoticed by his peers.

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Coaches are literally a dime a dozen in mixed martial arts, but one stands quietly among the handful of elite teachers in the sport: Brazilian jiu-jitsu guru Marc Laimon.

Laimon has proven himself to be one of the more intelligent coaches in the sport of MMA. Laimon's been in the sport for more than 12 years, when he went to his first jiu-jitsu class at the Gracie Academy. His desire to fight got Laimon interested in learning more about the discipline ... the rest is history.

"I always wanted to know how to fight and I didn't really know what was the best," Laimon told MMAmania.com. Laimon saw his first MMA event (UFC 4), which featured Royce Gracie defeating Dan Severn in the finals to win his third tournament.

Laimon was impressed and knew that jiu-jitsu was what he wanted to do.

"I saw UFC 4 and I saw Royce fight and I was like wow," Laimon said. "What he did made sense to me."

At the time, Laimon was going to college and looking to be a chiropractor, but he dropped out to practice jiu-jitsu full time. Laimon had a 3.87 GPA when he dropped out.

"I immersed myself in college and I wanted to succeed in that," Laimon said. "I pretty much did the same jiu-jitsu. I immersed myself in trying to be successful and understanding as much of it as possible."

Laimon views jiu-jitsu as much more than fighting. He views it more as a science.

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Demian Maia will make his return to the eight-sided-cage this Saturday night in Montreal. He will clash with middleweight fighter and The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season three runner-up, Ed Herman, at UFC 83.

Maia, who has won his first six career fights, will be in only his second in the UFC.

"I feel pretty good. I love the Octagon," Maia told MMAMania.com. Maia made his UFC debut at UFC 77: "Hostile Territory," when he tooled Ryan Jensen, submitting him via rear naked choke in the first round.

Herman will be one of Maia's tougher opponents. Since losing to Jason MacDonald at UFC Fight Night: "The Final Chapter," in fact, Herman has three straight UFC wins, including a knockout against Joe Doerksen at UFC 78: "Validation." Herman also has wins against Dave Menne and Nick Thompson.

Maia acknowledges that "Short Fuse" will be a tough battle.

"He's a very tough opponent, with good takedowns and ground game," Maia said. "To win I need to play my best ... and I'll do it."

Maia is certainly no slouch at the ground game. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner has won four of his six career fights by submission.

"BJJ is my life and if I never lost it's thanks to my background," Maia said.

Maia is also a 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Submission Wrestling World champion and a runner-up in 2005. Maia would like to win the ADCC Title again in 2009.

"ADCC is the grappling world cup, the most important tournament with no gi in the world," Maia said. "After UFC, the ADCC is the most important event for me. I want to win again in 2009." Maia has also defeated UFC heavyweight fighter Gabriel Gonzaga in a jiu-jitsu match, among others.

Maia considers Rickson Gracie to be one of his biggest influences in his MMA career. He considers Gracie to be inspirational.

"He is one of the biggest BJJ icons, nowadays. He influences me not just a fighter but as person too," Maia said. "I know him personally and he is a great person that gives me a lot of inspiration."

With Herman on the horizon, a win would certainly make Maia more noticeable in the middleweight division. UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva has had a death grip on the division and appears to be holding on for just a while longer.

Maia would love an opportunity to fight Silva down the road.

"He is the best in the world," Maia said. "A fight with him one day is gonna be a great honor. I respect him a lot."

What's important for Maia now is to leave Montreal on Saturday night with a win over Herman.

"It s very important," Maia said. "I wanna get the title one day."

His journey toward that goal will have to go through the Bell Centre this weekend ... and Ed Herman.

One medieval throw of David Heath to the mat turned light heavyweight fighter Tim Boetsch into an overnight sensation in the UFC. Now Boetsch has the opportunity to go 2-0 in the UFC -- in a span of two months -- when he takes on Matt Hamill at Ultimate Fight Night 13, next Wednesday, at the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colo.

"The Barbarian" took this fight on short notice, much like he did for his Octagon debut at UFC 81: "Breaking Point," when he stepped in for Tomasz Drwal to face Heath.

Once again, Boetsch is a replacement, stepping in for Stephan Bonnar, who was injured during training. Boetsch took the fight on eight weeks notice and believes that he will be ready to go come next Wednesday a winner.

"I don't think it's too soon," Boetsch told MMAmania.com. "As long as I stay injury free, I wouldn't mind fighting every two-three months."

Boetsch boasts an impressive record (7-1) in MMA. In fact, his only loss was a decision to Vladimir Matyushenko at the 2007 IFL Semifinals, which took place last August.

He now looks for his second straight win and knows this is a huge opportunity against Hamill if he wants to climb the long ladder in the UFC light heavyweight division.

"I think it's a huge opportunity. He's got a real strong following from being on the Ultimate Fighter show," Boetsch said. "He's had a lot of success in the UFC already and has already improved his game from when he started. He's a very good athlete."

Boetsch is aware that he is the underdog coming into this fight against Hamill.

"I'm quite the underdog coming into this fight and that's fine by me," Boetsch said. "I'm really excited to get the opportunity and show people what I can do in there."

Boetsch has been fighting in the sport of MMA since fall 2006. He made his debut against Demian Decorah at Madtown Throwdown -- A Wisconsin-based promotion. Boetsch won the fight by submission via strikes in the third round.

After his fight with Matyushenko, Boetsch saw he had a chance to get into the UFC and took full advantage.

His first fight in the UFC was against Heath. And he wasn't concerned about jitters of fighting for the first time inside the eight-sided cage.

"Everybody talks about those first time in the Octagon jitters and of course being in Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, you don't get much bigger than that," Boetsch said. "I kept my head on straight, stayed focus and didn't get caught up in the hype. Nerves really weren't a factor for me that first fight."

Boetsch defeated Heath by TKO (strikes). Boetsch finished the fight by kneeing Heath and then throwing him to the mat. Boetsch was stunned, much like the rest of the fans watching at Mandalay Bay and at home that night.

"It was like, holy cow, he went down hard," Boetsch said. "He was rocked from taking some knees and some other shots, his equilibrium was off a little bit and then on top of the big throw, his head bounced off the floor and that just sealed the deal for me."

Boetsch does not expect to throw Hamill down, like he did with Heath.

Hamill is fighting in the UFC for the first time since his controversial decision loss to Michael Bisping at UFC 75. Boetsch expects Hamill to come out swinging and ready to go.

"I expect him to come out guns blazing, throwing heavy hands and firing some big takedowns," Boetsch said. "I'm ready for him."

Boetsch is on the second fight of a three fight contract. If all goes well for him next Wednesday night, Boetsch will certainly be a star in the UFC for a long while.

Especially if history can somehow repeat itself.

On Saturday, March 29, Cung Le will be in the fight of his mixed martial arts (MMA) life when he takes on legendary middleweight fighter and current Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, Frank Shamrock, in front of a sellout crowd at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif,. for Strikeforce: "Shamrock vs. Cung Le."

Le is undefeated (5-0) in MMA, with all five wins coming in the Strikeforce cage. He realizes that this will be one of the biggest fights of his career up to this point.

"It's a big step up for me, but I like the challenge, I'm looking forward to it," Le told MMAMania.com.

The two will be going at it for the Strikeforce Middleweight championship, which Shamrock won last June when he defeated Phil Baroni at a Strikeforce event. Le, who will be 35 in May, knows that he has an excellent opportunity to win the Strikeforce Middleweight title and is very excited for the shot, which will come two years after making his debut in MMA.

"My first MMA fight was in March 2006. I'm two years into it and now I'm fighting for a title. That means a lot to me," Le said. "It's a great opportunity and I'm looking forward to March 29th."

Both fighters will get to square off in San Jose, where both fighters live. Le is thrilled about the chance to fight for the Strikeforce title in San Jose, but also knows that it will be a hometown fight for Shamrock as well.

"It's always special when I fight in front of the hometown crowd, but it's Frank's hometown crowd as well," Le said. "When the smoke clears, we'll see who's the one standing."

Le is a former San Shou fighter, compiling a 17-0 record as a San Shou fighter with 12 knockouts. He believes his style can give him an advantage in the fight.

"I believe my style gives me a lot of advantages because there's a lot of kicks and strikes combinations that Frank as an MMA fighter is not use to," Le said.

Le use to be a training partner with Shamrock a long time ago. And he thinks it will be more of a factor for Shamrock than himself. Regardless, Le knows he needs to be on the top of his game if he wants to leave the HP Pavilion next Saturday night as the Strikeforce 185-pound champion.

"I gotta fight smart, don't rush anything and realize that there's plenty of time to get things done," Le said.

Le has had to prepare a little differently for Shamrock because of how great a fighter he is. He has been working with former kickboxing coach for Shamrock, Javier Mendez.

"My whole training camp is just preparing for what Frank will do, what he might do,what his plan A, plan B, plan C, plan D would be," Le said. "So, we have to prepare for all of his gameplans and just be ready."

In Le's first five fights he has recorded one knockout and four technical knockouts. His last fight was at Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives, in November. Le defeated Sam Morgan via technical knockout after a liver kick forced Morgan to stop.

Le makes it a point not to predict what might happen in the fight.

"I don't predict any knockouts, I don't predict how a fight will end, but I predict that it will be a classic fight," Le said.

This will be Le's second on his six-fight contract with Strikeforce. Le is content with being in Strikeforce and his main focus at this point will be on Shamrock.

"I really don't think about anything else except Frank Shamrock," Le said.

Le is happy with where he's at right now and looks forward to walking into the Strikeforce cage in the HP Pavilion and fighting Frank Shamrock.

"I'm happy to be alive, I'm happy to wake up this morning, I'm happy to be apart of this event and I hope everybody tunes in to watch because there's going to be fireworks," Le said.

On April 2, Josh Neer will make his return to the Octagon after almost two years away from the promotion when he takes on lightweight division veteran Din Thomas at UFC Fight Night 13 in Broomfield, Colo.

The Des Moines-based fighter out of Iowa is eager to get back in the eight-sided cage.

"It feels good to be back in the UFC," Neer told MMAMania.com. "It's just a different atmosphere then the other shows."

"The Dentist" recently inked a three-fight deal with the UFC and looks to take full advantage of his opportunity when he takes on Thomas.

"My goal is to win and see how far I can get," Neer said. "I think before I went in there thinking 'if I lose oh well as long as I make it exciting.' Now I want to be exciting but I also want to win."

Neer has fought in smaller promotions between his stints in the UFC. His last fight was in October, when he defeated Nick Sorg at a Cage Combat Championship show. He won that fight via arm bar submission in the first round.

Neer also competed once in the IFL, fighting as a replacement on behalf of the Quad Cities Silverbacks. Neer lost to Mark Miller in the first round via knockout. His current MMA record is 23-6-1 (2-3 in the UFC). His last UFC fight was against Nick Diaz at UFC 62 during which he lost via submission in the third round.

Neer makes his return against a tough fighter in Thomas who last fought in September against Kenny Florian at Ultimate Fight Night 11. The American Top Team fighter lost the bout and suffered a knee injury in that fight. With Thomas looking to get back on winning ways, Neer knows this fight will be a challenge.

"I think Din Thomas is a tough opponent," Neer said. "Anyone who has wins over Clay Guida, Jens Pulver and Matt Serra is certainly no push over."

Neer has focused on improving his stand-up during his time away from the UFC.

"One thing I've been doing differently is moving my head and cutting angles," Neer said. "I think I got caught up in just straight boxing for awhile. I'm trying to do everything now with the kicks, knees and elbows."

Neer is not worried about his time away from the UFC. He's confident that he has fought well enough to not worry about the time away from the Octagon.

"I think I've fought pretty well outside of the UFC. Pretty much all the guys I fought were pretty decent," Neer said. "I beat T.J. Waldburger pretty quick, who turned around and beat Pete Spratt his next fight. I beat a game Paul Rodriguez in the first round. My only set back was against Mark Miller when I got caught with a punch I didn't see. When I'm motivated I can beat about anyone."

He sure sounds motivated for his UFC return. And a win over Thomas will certainly make Neer a relevant fighter in the UFC lightweight division.

When Chris Wilson enters the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, this Saturday night at UFC 82: "Pride Of A Champion," he will be stepping into the famous Octagon for the first time in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career.

However, his ultimate goal is to walk out of Columbus with a win over top 10 welterweight fighter and UFC title contender, Jon Fitch. Wilson is thrilled to have an opportunity to fight in the UFC.

"It means a lot to me," Wilson told MMAmania.com. "I always put a lot of pressure on myself to perform well. In that sense, there is some pressure to perform well."

The Team Quest fighter replaced Japanese fighter Akihiro Gono on the UFC 82 card and he plans on taking full advantage of his opportunity.

"I'm coming in kind of as the underdog, kind of the unknown guy, not unknown completely, people who follow the sport might know a little bit about me," Wilson said. "Being in the UFC, for the reach that the UFC has, the general public may not know who I am nearly as much as they know Fitch is, so I'm definitely the underdog."

"To me, it's really just a great opportunity to go in there and show my skills and show that I'm competitive at the top-level and just because you haven't heard of me doesn't mean I'm not a threat to your career. It's a great opportunity for me and it really couldn't be any better."

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Next Saturday night at UFC 82: "Pride of a Champion" Jon Fitch will continue his climb up the welterweight mountain when he takes on Chris Wilson, who will be making his debut inside the Octagon.

Fitch goes into this fight with 14 straight wins, seven of those in the UFC. And he acknowledges that going through Wilson -- who is on a hot streak of his own -- will be no easy task.

"He's pretty lanky, long and has a pretty good one-two combination, good stand-up, he's pretty dangerous in that regard," Fitch told MMAmania.com. "His ground is okay, it's not great, but he's dangerous on the ground because he is long and a lot of times the long guys are pretty tricky with their positioning and can do things most guys can't, so it's important to keep your game tight with guys like that."

Fitch is well-aware that Wilson is confident going into this fight and views this as a good thing.

"I only want to fight the toughest guys out there and if you're afraid to fight somebody or are not really confident going into a fight, then I don't want to fight you," Fitch said.

Originally, Fitch was slated to take on former Pride FC fighter, Akihiro Gono. However, a Gono injury forced him out and brought in Wilson.

Both Gono and Wilson are two different fighting styles and Fitch has had to prepare differently for Wilson than he would have for Gono.

"Akihiro is kind of in-and-out, picks his spots to fight, while Chris tends to move a little bit more, also the size makes a difference, a shorter Gono compared to a longer Wilson makes it a big difference," Fitch said. "I've been changing things up with different grappling partners and sparring partners, to match up size and striking ability."

Fitch knows what he must do to walk out of UFC 82 in Columbus with his 15th straight victory.

"I need to keep my game really tight, don't get loose, because that's when he tends to catch people," Fitch said. "I have to keep it tight and keep the pressure and try to break him with my pressure."

With Fitch now being among the elite, it's only a matter of time until he gets a shot at the welterweight title.

Fitch has UFC wins over Brock Larson, Josh Burkman, Thiago Alves and most recently, Diego Sanchez. Fitch believes that he has been in the UFC long enough and has won enough to earn a title shot.

"I think that I've put in the work to deserve a title shot. I've never heard of anybody with the record in the UFC that I have not getting some kind of title shot. I don't understand why I wouldn't or what the deal would be for me not to get it," Fitch said.

"I don't get a control say unfortunately. Otherwise, I would have had all marquee match-ups against named fighters instead of against guys who people haven't heard about who are just as tough as those marquee guys."

It's going to be hard to deny Fitch a chance at the title if he wins at the Nationwide Arena this Saturday night. His long win streak is unheard of in this division and in the sport itself. He gives credit to hard work and having fun.

"It's hard work, just keeping your eyes on the work in front of you and getting done and having fun along the way. I really enjoy the workouts," Fitch said. "I enjoy learning new techniques and I don't let any of that other stuff get to me. I'm not here to be famous. I'm not here to be a rock star."

That might be inevitable, however, if everything goes according to plan for Fitch in 2008.

Travis Lutter will make his long-awaited return to the UFC on April 19 at UFC 83: "Serra vs. St. Pierre 2", in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His opponent will be a challenge as he takes on former UFC middleweight champion, Rich Franklin.

Lutter -- The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season four middleweight winner -- will fight in the Octagon for the first time since his non-title submission loss to 185-pound champion Anderson Silva at UFC 67: "All or Nothing" more than one year ago. For Lutter though, Octagon rust will not be an issue.

"I train everyday, it's just one of those things that I'm not too worried about," Lutter said.
Lutter was slated to fight Ryan Jensen at UFC 74: "Respect" back in August 2007, however, he was unable to compete because of a neck injury. He's acknowledged that his neck is all better and will be ready to go come April.

"It feels good right now, so I'm happy," Lutter said.

"The Serial Killer" is aware that he has a big opportunity going up against Franklin. And he's eager to get in there and win.

"He was the UFC champ for a reason. He's a tough tough guy ... This is the type of fight that motivates me," Lutter said. "It's a chance to go out there and prove I am as good as I think I am."

Lutter, who has a 9-4 record in MMA, believes he can defeat Franklin and knows what he needs to do if he wants to leave Montreal with a victory. His plan for Franklin is simple.

"I have to take him down. If I can take him down, I think I'll win the fight," Lutter said. "First thing I need to do is make weight, next thing I need to do is take him down."

Lutter failed to make weight for his middleweight title opportunity at UFC 67 against Silva.

Both fighters are coming off losses to the same fighter, current UFC Middleweight champion, Silva. Lutter lost at UFC 67 and Franklin lost the rematch to Silva at UFC 77: "Hostile Territory" back in October 2007.

Lutter says he learned a lot from both fights.

"I've got a whole bunch of respect for Rich, he's a great fighter. There's a reason he was the the UFC middleweight champion for a long time. He presents a lot of problems to a lot of different people," Lutter said. "One of those he matches up with poorly is Anderson Silva."

Lutter felt confident getting in the Octagon with Silva at UFC 67 and proved his worth. He now believes that he can hold his own with the "Spider."

"I didn't win that fight, but you know I went in there and I felt like I won seven minutes of that fight, right up until I got submitted," Lutter said. "I felt like I belonged in the Octagon with Anderson."

There's no telling what might happen if Lutter defeats Franklin at UFC 83. Once you get past Silva, Franklin and Dan Henderson, there's not much more competition in the middleweight division.

With the strong return of Ricardo Almeida and the comeback of former middleweight champion, Evan Tanner, the division has received some relief, but not even close to enough. Some have suggested bringing up current WEC Middleweight Champion, Paulo Filho, or even bringing back former top contender in the division, Matt Lindland.

For now though, outside of Henderson, there is no clear-cut contender in the middleweight class. There's nobody who can really step in and go toe-to-toe with Silva.

Yushin Okami does have an opportunity to be Silva's next opponent. However, that is assuming that Okami beats Tanner and Silva beats Henderson.

If the cards fall right, it is not out of the realm of possibility for Lutter to take on Silva.

"That's up to the UFC, I don't get to control who I fight," Lutter said. "If they ask me to fight Anderson, I'm going to fight Anderson. That's who I want to fight. If they give me Rich and Anderson immediately afterwards, I'm down with that. If they make me wait two years, they make me wait two years. It all depends on what happens between (Anderson) and Henderson and I think it depends on how I do against Rich."

Right now though, Lutter is not concerned with who he might fight next. Instead, his intentions are on Franklin.

"I'm just concerned about going out there and getting Rich right now," Lutter said.

Only time will tell if Lutter gets another opportunity at the middleweight crown. One thing is for certain, however: He controls his own destiny in a division that is desperate for contenders.

It begins all over again for Lutter on April 19.

Side note: Lutter is picking Silva to defeat Henderson at UFC 82 and retain the title.

When Tyson Griffin enters the Octagon on Super Bowl weekend, he will be doing so with one goal and one goal in mind:

Climbing higher up the ladder of the exciting, fast-paced lightweight division.

And for Griffin to come out on top at UFC 81: "Breaking Point," he will need to go through rising lightweight star Gleison Tibau.

"I need to fight to my gameplan, keep doing what I've been doing, fighting hard paced and try to break Gleison's spirit," Griffin said.

Since losing to Nick Diaz in his UFC debut at UFC 65: "Bad Intentions," Tibau has won three straight fights inside the Octagon. His last victory was against Terry Etim at UFC 75: "Champion vs. Champion."

"I think he is a tough jiu-jitsu guy like Thiago Tavares," Griffin said. Griffin outpointed Tavares on all three judges scorecards his last time out at UFC 76: "Knockout" back in September 2007.

"Like I said, I need to put some pressure on him, break him and try to turn a black belt into a white belt by punching him in the face."

As for Griffin, the Xtreme Couture fighter has won his last two fights in the UFC and three of four since his debut at UFC 63: "Hughes vs. Penn" in 2006.

Griffin also has wins against Clay Guida, David Lee, Duane Ludwig and WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber earlier in their careers -- it's his biggest win to date.

You always get your 'bang for a buck' when watching a Tyson Griffin fight and one thing is always true, his fight will always be a 'Fight of the Night' contender.

In fact, all three of Griffin's fights in 2007 earned the prestigious honor.

"It's the pure sport of it, pure competition, I've been after it my whole life ," he said. "I love to compete, I love to train hard. The harder you train, the harder you can go out there."

Griffin would like to finish Tibau early, but he is willing to go all three rounds if it means winning at UFC 81.

"I always try to press my opponents and finish them early, but you never know, these guys are tough in the UFC," Griffin said.

What was once considered dead several years ago, the UFC lightweight division is now booming with many talented fighters like Griffin, Guida, Sean Sherk, Frankie Edgar, Kenny Florian and UFC lightweight champion, BJ Penn.

Griffin is satisfied with how the division has grown.

"I think it's awesome, with the level of competition and so many tough guys," Griffin said.

Griffin feels that he still needs to prove himself in the lightweight division. And he knows that if he one days wants to win the UFC 155-pound title that he must go through the gauntlet.

"I still feel I haven't tested myself against true UFC veterans," he said. "I fought a lot of up-and-comers like myself and I've separated myself as being one of the top up-and-comers but I'd like to fight against some of those veterans and really put myself up there with the names in the UFC."

No doubt, a win over Tibau will open a floodgate of UFC fighters and veterans looking to take on this rising star.