1) Strikeforce is toast on CBS. Ratings have been declining and there's no way CBS was happy with the post-fight brawl. 

2) Did you guys know what Mousasi is really awesome at upkicks? I mean, really really awesome at upkicks. Awesome. Really. At upkicks.

3) EliteXC Strikeforce needs a new DJ. I'm pretty sure I heard the Kevin Casey/Spencer Pratt hip-hop classic "No Surrender" during the broadcast. Pathetic.

4) King Mo has a great personality, but he's also a pretty smart guy. Kudos to him for sticking to a gameplan that consistently kept Mousasi in bad positions. It's a bit refreshing to see a wrestler actually focus on wrestling rather than his newfound striking skills.

5) 4/17/2010 will go down as the worst day in Dan Henderson's career. He took a big risk by leaving the UFC for Strikeforce and he got dominated by a natural 170-pounder in his first fight.

6) I don't care who threw the first punch in the big brawl. Yes, it looks bad for the sport and it will probably knock Strikeforce off CBS, but the endlessly "funny" Mayhem Miller got what he deserved for ruining the best moment of Jake Shields' MMA career. He wanted attention and he got it.

7) MIller vs. Diaz? I'll watch.

Poll

Will CBS Broadcast Another Strikeforce Show?

28%

Yes

46 votes

48%

No

78 votes

23%

I Don't Care

38 votes

162 votes | Poll has closed

In my opinion, the WEC consistently puts on the best cards in MMA in terms of sheer fight quality.

But even factoring out the DirecTV/Versus mess, WEC ratings have been on a slide and aren't likely to get better now that the Urijah Faber and Miguel Torres have lost their status as invincible members of the top P4P fighters list.

I also don't see the pay-per-view doing well. Lighter-weight fighters just don't generate big numbers if they aren't named BJ Penn. And BJ Penn is a bigger draw than the entire WEC roster combined.

Now I will agree with many critics that the WEC isn't looking so hot.

But Zuffa is not in trouble in any way, shape, or form.

Let's look at recent history. The UFC has had a string of lousy PPV numbers due to a shocking number of injuries to key fighters, including four of the promotion's five champions.

When guys beat the sh*t out of each other for a living, they're going to get hurt. That's life.

And do I even need to bring up the fact that these PPV numbers are UNVERIFIED?

Furthermore, the UFC is a growth company, and like any growth company, there will be peaks and valleys along the way. Google and Apple didn't grow into giants in a perfectly straight line. And don't forget the economy - consumer confidence is in the crapper, and that's not good for pay-per-view buys.

Lorenzo Fertitta recently testified to Congress that the UFC gets about half its revenue from pay-per-views. So it also makes plenty of dough from TV deals and licensing, which offset the inherently cyclicality of the PPV business. The video-game deal alone probably generates as much profit as several PPV events put together.

The UFC is also bright enough to compensate its big names with bonuses based on PPV buys, which means the company doesn't make huge payouts for events that bomb. 

As for UFC on Versus, who cares if it doesn't do well? Versus is a network most people can't even find in their channel guides, and it's crippled by not being on DirecTV. 

Are you really going to judge the strength of the most-successful company in the history of MMA on how a string of events with no title fights or reliable PPV draws does? Or how the WEC is doing?

The only real disaster was UFC 106, which should have done better with Tito on the card. And we can all agree that there are way too many PPV events these days. I'd rather see one a month, with each one being a really big deal.

Look at the big picture. 

If the UFC was strictly interested in short-term profits, they would not be holding as many overseas events as they do. Cards in the UK and other places don't do that much business because of the time-zone difference, but Zuffa is making long-term brand power the priority.

Dana White and the Fertitta brothers want to build MMA into the biggest sport in the world, with the UFC as the only big boy in town. 

That's a completely irrational goal. But if these people were remotely rational, they wouldn't have bought the UFC in the first place. 

********************

P.S. I am a proud UFC/Zuffa fanboy. They're not perfect but I truly fear the alternatives.

Poll

Is Zuffa in trouble?

7%

Yes

13 votes

82%

No

153 votes

10%

I don't care

19 votes

185 votes | Poll has closed

The UFC took its usual promotion efforts to a new level with its 3-part PrimeTime series leading up to UFC 94: St. PIerre vs. Penn 2. Though there's not much of a difference in screen time between a one-hour All Access Show and a three-part, 90 minute, PrimeTime series - the latter takes a quantum leap in production values and media attention.

So like you, I'm scratching my head over the UFC's decision to utlize the rare PrimeTime format to build up George St. Pierre's title defense at UFC 111.

I can't find many fans, except sadists perhaps, that are looking forward to the GSP/Hardy fight. While Hardy had the best fight of his career in a dominant win over Mike Swick at UFC 105, he didn't exactly blow anyone away in his prior performances.

It's not that Dan Hardy brings nothing to the cage. He is a solid, heavy-handed striker, and is highly motivated in terms of taking his skills to the next level. Hardy is also quite simply a very game fighter - very-well composed in the cage, and unlikely to be mentally psyched out before this fight.

But let's face facts, GSP is on another planet skills-wise. He is the best wrestler in the history of the sport, a very skilled striker armed with a huge variety of attacks, and absolutely brutal once he takes the top position. He's faced and destroyed the best welterweights in the sport. And he will not make the mistake of underestimating Dan Hardy.

There is no drama in this fight. Fights become huge for two reasons - bad blood (Lesnar vs. Mir, Tito vs. Ken), and when people are dying to see what happens (GSP vs. Penn 2).

GSP vs. Hardy offers neither.

The UFC 94 PrimeTime special had a real story to sell. It was a rematch between two current champions and future Hall-of-Famers. Guys who fought to a split decision earlier in their careers, one of whom was aiming to become the first fighter to hold belts in two different weight classes at the same time. And another guy who wants revenge at the smack-talking challenger. 

What will this new special show us? Two guys that work hard? A big underdog who's going to throw it all on the line? It's all forgettable cliche. The only explanation I can come up with is that it's part of a general marketing scheme for George St. Pierre.

So where should the UFC be spending it's PrimeTime dollars? Here are five ideas:

1) Brock Lesnar's Comeback Fight

Like him or not, Brock Lesnar is the biggest name in the sport and we all follow his every move. When he does make his comeback from his health complications, his reappearance in the Octagon will be a monumental event.

More importantly, Brock is just plain great on camera, even though he obviously hates it. He's irritable as all hell and great at talking smack. 

Plus, no matter who Lesnar fights next, whether it's Mir, Carwin, Velasquez, or Nogueira, each one introduces a great story of their own. The guy seeking tevenge, up-and-comers, and a crafty old vet that was counted out - they all work.

2) BJ Penn's Inevitable Move to Welterweight

Joining up with the Marinovich's was the best move of BJ Penn's career. He looked like a monster in his last fight with Diego Sanchez, so much so that it's starting to look unfair for BJ to fight at 155. Seriously Dana, BJ's somebody's gonna get hurt!

 

In all likelihood, BJ will move up to welterweight after his bout with Frankie Edgar. The wild arc of BJ's fight career might end after one more run at the welterweight title. The story of the charasmatic Penn taking that run with his head and body finally in shape is one that really deserves the PrimeTime treatment.

3) Shogun vs. Machida 2

Need I say more? The Shogun/Machida rematch is the most highly-anticipate fight of 2010 and is tailor made for PrimeTime - even though both combatants' Engilsh isn't the best.

You have Shogun, a guy who that people were completely counting out, a guy that got a title shot only because no other name light-heavyweight had two wins in a row at the time. And you have Machida, who has looked unstoppable throughout his MMA career, and who never even lost a round in the UFC on his way to winning the title.

What happened? The underdog came out and put on the performance of his career, only to lose a very controversial decision on the judge's scorecards. Is there a better story in MMA this year?

4) Rashad vs. Rampage

Do I really need to go into the TUF drama between these two?

The UFC could zero in on the question of whether Rampage really wants to be a fighter. It's a story a lot of fans are interested in. It would also further build up Rashad as a draw, who's been on a roll with fans since TUF and that impersonation of Mike Tyson.

5) Georges St. Pierre Moving Up To Middleweight/Anderson Silva Moving up to Light Heavyweight

See #2 - I put BJ up top because he's far more charismatic and entertaining to watch.

Poll

Does GSP vs. Dan Hardy Deserve the PrimeTime Treatment?

33%

Yes

125 votes

47%

No

179 votes

19%

I don't care

74 votes

378 votes | Poll has closed

Josh "Negative Nancy" Gross' latest article is out there making some waves. Kid Nate calls it "compelling." The commenters are basically calling it poop. I call it full of holes, but let me give you my reasons in my break-down of Josh's work.

I understand the difference between journalism and commentary, but Josh ignored something vitally important regarding business: the proof is in the pudding.

Anyone can throw out coulds and shoulds and what-ifs but no rational person can dispute that in its current state, the UFC is incredibly successful, and by all indications, highly profitable. Josh's lack of appreciation for this point makes his article lame.

Frankly, any editor with knowledge of MMA would have sent this back to him requesting MANY revisions, as many of Josh's assumptions and predictions don't jive with reality.

Josh is in the highlighted text, I'm in plain text. Game on!

UFC president Dana White may have prophesied that his company will drive MMA to become the biggest sport in the world by 2020, but there aren't any guarantees its rise will continue at all, let alone at the rate it has since 2005.

Dana White is a PROMOTER and thus prone to hyperbole. There's no reason to pretend that you don't get that.

Nothing grows in a straight line. Every business, no matter how fast-growing it is, has its ups and downs, including revolutionary world leaders like Google. It's completely normal for things to slow after a period of hyper growth, such as the post TUF-1 boom. And think about all the crazy stuff that happened in MMA in 2009. Dying promotions, crazy injuries, Rampage in the movies, etc. The post-injury rebound alone could help the UFC, and thus the sport, generate significant growth in the second half of 2009.

Concerns of oversaturation on American television will be met head on in 2010.

There is some oversaturation of UFC PPV events. I think we can all agree on that. But the numbers still look pretty damn good, don't they? More often than not, the numbers are defying skeptics, including yours truly. But free MMA on TV doesn't hurt anything. In fact, it increases the growth potential of the sport because more people can be reached.

The impact of collective bargaining for fighters could begin to play out in a real way.

Actually, it can't without the cooperation of the sport's biggest stars, who need it the least. Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz were outspoken about fighter pay and treatment - until they signed their big fat new contracts with Zuffa, LLC. Randy's sh*t-eating grin at the UFC 102 press conference said it all. Nothing changes until a bunch of the big boys refuse to fight, and that aint happening.

A dire need for competent regulation and judging is underscored each time fighters step in the cage. 

I will agree on this point - the sport needs to do a better job of recruiting and training judges and refs. It would also be nice to find a doctor that can detect major injuries BEFORE a guy gets into the cage.

And on the home front, a promotional war between the UFC and Strikeforce is likely to intensify.

It's not much of a war. Strikeforce still doesn't have enough fighters to fill out all of their cards, and their belts are relatively meaningless. I hear that Mousasi uses his belt to prop up his coffee table.

Between Spike TV, HDNet, Showtime, Versus, CBS, Fox Sports and pay-per-view, MMA fans will have the ability to watch more than 100 live fight cards in 2010.

Seriously, as long as there are plenty of free fights, where's the problem? If promotions lose money showing fights, they'll simply cut back.

I've often wondered about the point of it all if the game isn't rooted in seeing the very best fight the very best. How much longer will mixed martial arts remain palatable to Americans if the premise is skewed more toward watching a good fight, rather than determining who's No. 1?

The fact that the sport is rooted in "watcing a good fight" is actually beneficial to the sport's long-term health. It's good for people to attach themselves to the sport just as much as the athletes. It keeps them watching. There were probably just as many Mike Tyson fans as boxing fans in the 1980's. But who's still watching boxing today? (no jokes, it's too easy!)

The way the sport is structured, with UFC running as its own independent "league" -- though that's hardly the word for it -- too many important fights are in jeopardy of not getting made. Plenty do, of course. But we've already seen several major matchups get tossed aside, such as Fedor Emelianenko vs. Randy Couture, and, down the road, perhaps B.J. Penn against Shinya Aoki. There's little reason to believe that won't be a trend.

Yes, it would be nice to see Fedor and BJ destroy Randy and Aoki, but exclusivity also has its benefits. UFC-signed guys don't waste time fighting freakshows in Japan when they could be battling legit contenders. UFC fighters also don't ignore their belts (cough, Overeem, cough) Of course there are matchups I'd like to see that can't happen, but I can live with it.

In the beginning, White and Lorenzo Fertitta spoke of ensuring that the best fights were made, and spoke highly of the idea of co-promotion. Not anymore. Now they consider the idea counter to everything they hope to accomplish.

And what did co-promotion ever give the UFC? The UFC put then-rising star Chuck Liddell in the 2003 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix and got NOTHING in return. Again, Josh is making himself looking extremely biased by not listing the many benefits of a closed promotion.

Where has it led us? An increasing pattern of championship fights with contenders perceived to be weak. That may be a result of dominant champions planting themselves at the top, but it could also be the start of a disappointing trend.

Yes, some guys, like BJ, Anderson, and GSP look unbeatable now. But so did Lyoto Machida until his run-in with Shogun. New contenders will slowly emerge, and all three of the UFC's dominant champions could move up in weight class, where they could face greater challenges.

And is it the UFC's fault that these guys are so damn good? What do you want? Maybe Dana White should tell GSP to only go for three takedowns per fight to give the other guy a shot at winning?

Have you heard the complaints about Frankie Edgar challenging Penn ahead of Gray Maynard, who defeated Edgar? (Many fans say it doesn't matters much, as neither guy has a chance against Penn.)

And those many fans are right. Aoki is an interesting opponent but BJ is likely to crush him. And if the UFC ever did co-promote, it wouldn't be for a guy like Aoki!

With major organizations such as Strikeforce and Dream proponents of making fights across promotional lines, 2010 will be a true test as to which business model is better for the sport.

No it won't. The UFC has already proven that it has the best business model in the history of the sport. And as others are pointing out, where did co-promotion get boxing? Cough, epic Floyd/Pac-Man fail, cough...

I'm firmly in the camp that co-promotion makes sense. MMA is an individual sport. Is it realistic to think any one entity will control every top fighter?

And yet co-promotion failed in boxing, and hasn't worked in MMA either. The answer is obviously no because Fedor doesn't care about the UFC, and there are enough good guys that don't feel compelled to sign. But the UFC doesn't need every top fighter - it just needs to consistently put on good fights.

Is it fair to tell a mixed martial artist he or she must be attached to a specific promoter in order to be considered the best?

No, but the reality is that the UFC has more top fighters under exclusive contract than any other promotion, and the #1 fighter in each of 4 weight classes. You want to be considered the best, you fight the best. That means the UFC.

Certainly there are flaws to co-promotion. Reputations, big money and egos often get in the way. But it allows for the possibility of important fights fans want to see. If the demand is high enough, things will get done unless the people doing business are suicidal.

Agreed, there are flaws to co-promotion, just like there are many many benefits to having control under one roof. The more @ssholes in a room, the more messed up things become. You know what's great about having two guys controlling the UFC, and by default, much of MMA? $hit gets done.

Unfortunately, as Mike Brown knows, the standard is different in MMA. Winning isn't enough, or at least it isn't always important enough in determining who gets what. Urijah Faber will fight Jose Aldo in April or May because the WEC feels he's more marketable. Apparently, it doesn't matter that Faber is 0-2 against Brown. Perhaps that's residue from MMA's early roots in the U.S. as a pay-per-view spectacle, or the conflation between sport and pro-wrestling in Japan (and the U.S., too, in recent years). Regardless, determining the best must supplant entertainment if MMA is going to be as relevant as it should.

I agree that Faber does NOT deserve the title shot, but let's face facts: MMA is just as much entertainment as it is sport. Hardcore MMA fans will watch pretty much whatever's thrown at the wall. Casual fans, however, have a much greater chance of being reached by a 'marketable' guy like Faber.

*****************************

I'm done.

Poll

Does Josh Gross hate the UFC?

75%

Yes

292 votes

24%

No

93 votes

385 votes | Poll has closed

 

After a string of injuries and disappointing main events, the UFC is looking to turn things around this Saturday at UFC 107, which features BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez in a headlining lightweight championship match.

Let's break down one of the most anticipated matches of the year.

While he has a mixed record at higher weight classes, Penn is the most dominant 155-pound fighter in the history of the sport. At lightweight, BJ sports a record of 10-1-1 with notable wins over Sean Sherk, Joe Stevenson, Takanori Gomi, and Kenny Florian.

BJ's history at lightweight is even more impressive when you consider the following:

1) BJ debuted in the UFC and so he has only fought top competition. BJ has never been given an easy opponent, though his second fight with Pulver was clearly a mismatch.

2) His only loss at LW (Jens Pulver) came very early in his career and was later avenged in brutal fashion.

3) In his 10 wins at lightweight, Penn finished 9 of his opponents.

BJ's strengths are well known to most MMA fans. He is an amazing grappler with a brutally-efficient top game and a very slippery guard. He is also an excellent boxer with serious punching power.  BJ also possesses some unique physical characteristics - namely his flexibility and balance, which contribute to his uncanny takedown defense. God even blessed BJ with a strong chin and tough skin, all the better for absorbing strikes.

BJ's fatal flaw has historically been a lack of motivation and focus. While he has looked good in recent fights, he has clearly come into some past fights without the proper preparation.

Diego Sanchez sports an overall MMA record of 23 and 2. After going 6 and 2 in the UFC's welterweight division, Diego dropped to 155 to pursue his goal of becoming a UFC champion. Diego's losses to Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch were a clear indication that he just wasn't big enough to compete with the 170 pound division's stable of powerful wrestlers.

At lightweight, Diego has had two fights, earning decision victories over Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida. His notable wins at welterweight were decision victories over Nick Diaz and Karo Parisyan, and a knockout of Joe Riggs.

The Nightmare is best known for his cardio, aggressiveness, and fighting spirit than technical acument. He is, however, a fairly strong wrestler and grappler, having been awarded his BJJ brown belt by Saulo Ribeiro. Most importantly, his desire to win can't be questioned. Even if Diego falls behind early against BJ, there is little chance that he'll break mentally as some of BJ's past victims have.

But is Diego's heart and desire enough to take down The Prodigy?

The answer is no. Here's why.

Diego will come into this fight in fairly good shape and should have a cardio advantage over BJ.

However, look at Diego's two recent performances against Clay Guida and Joe Stevenson.

Diego didn't look bad in either fight, but ask yourself this question - if he's really good enough to take out BJ Penn, shouldn't he have been able to finish, or at least dominate fighters like Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida? Both are quality fighters, but not nearly as technically sound or dangerous as BJ. I'd also argue that Diego's gas tank is just a bit smaller at lightweight.

Technically, BJ is just far more dangerous in every position, standing or on the ground. If Diego comes out swinging the way he did against Guida, he's going to get hurt very quickly. He just doesn't have the punching power to stand and trade with the iron-chinned Penn.

And if Diego manages to overcome BJ's patented one-legged, hopping takedown defense, he won't be able to deliver much damage on the ground. BJ is very good at defending from his back and getting up to his feet. And If BJ takes the top position, Diego is going to take some punishment. BJ ate Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson for breakfast on the ground. Diego may be trained by Saulo and Xande Ribeiro, two of the best grapplers and BJJ practitioners in history, but BJ's MMA grappling skills are far more advanced.

Diego may come into this fight in better shape, but I'll take the guy who is :

1) Better at everything from a technique perspective except offensive wrestling

and

2) Has fought, beaten, and finished better competition.

My Prediction: Penn by submission, round 3.

Poll

BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez - What's Gonna Happen?

24%

BJ Penn Wins by TKO/KO

71 votes

48%

BJ Penn Wins by Submission

142 votes

8%

BJ Penn Wins By Decision

26 votes

7%

Diego Sanchez Wins by TKO/KO

22 votes

2%

Diego Sanchez Wins by Submission

8 votes

7%

Diego Sanchez Wins By Decision

21 votes

290 votes | Poll has closed

As an enthusiastic, gregarious guy that's been around the fight game for quite a long time, Renzo Gracie's always been a great interview subject.

However, in his recent interview with The FightWorks Podcast, he took things to a whole new level after being asked about some sensitive topic, notably the long-running Gracie family feuds.

TFWP graciously provided a transcription of their conversation with Renzo, but I recommend listening for the full flavor.

Here are some highlights:

On Rorion Gracie:

"One thing I feel sorry about, is Rorion’s kids. They are very good kids, but their father feeds them nonsense. So, they could be unbelievable fighters, but they are going to end up as mediocre fighters, mediocre people. They are going to go through life as great businessmen. If I was them, I’d be selling self-help books, that’s what they should be doing. There is more money in that, instead of claiming that they are real fighters.

They are far from being real fighters. Far. Believe me. When they created a competition, when my cousin Rorion created a competition and created the rules, so his kids could win, and then tells that his kid is going to win, they couldn’t even win that. Not even the pure jiu jitsu rule that he claims he created, which was nonsense rules. Next thing I see, his kids could win nothing. They were losing to guys on the second tier, like Marc Laimon, he was beating them up. Guys who could not even feature in a world championship! People who could never compete in an Abu Dhabi and do well!"

You know, its become a joke. Let me tell you what the real jiu jitsu is: the real jiu jitsu is the one that doesn’t back away from a challenge. It goes at the obstacle and defends its flag. It’s like, if you want to claim that you have the best fighting style, you should be in the UFC kicking some ass. That’s where the best competition is.

So when people call me, saying "this is the real jiu jitsu," the next thing they are going to say is "I cannot use it, because I could kill you!" [laughs] You know, that’s what I heard my whole life, from those fake martial artists who claim they were better than everybody else. So believe it my friend, I live my whole life watching this and seeing this. We were always against that, and now suddenly one branch of my family is turning into that! It’s claiming that, but doesn’t go on the proving ground to prove it, does not step into the place where he should actually be representing jiu jitsu, to do it.

On the "Who made GJJ?" controversy:

You have to understand, my uncle Hélio was one of the most amazing jiu jitsu fighters I have ever seen. He was responsible for developing a lot of the defence aspect. The fact that he was very weak, physically, but he was able to develop sharpness on the defence.

But, my uncle Hélio never had a chance to meet the Japanese person who actually taught my grandfather. Uncle Hélio never met him, never lay his eyes on Mitsuyo Maeda. So before Uncle Hélio, there was my grandfather Carlos Gracie, there was Jorge Gracie, there was Osvaldo Gracie and there was Gastao Gracie. Those four were fighting before my Uncle Hélio. Uncle Hélio had the chance to represent. Was he an important link on the chain? Yes he was. He was the Einstein, he spent his whole life on the mat, developing and working to make jiu jitsu better. But to claim that he was the creator? He was far from that.

*****UPDATE*****

According to a FWP Twitter update, Rener Gracie, son of Rorion Gracie will respond to Renzo's comments in a podcast to be released this coming Sunday. Should be entertaining.

Gonna keep this one short and sweet:

There's some minor grumbling out there about the judging of the Forrest/Tito fight, whether Tito's back and skull were in fighting shape, not to mention the wacky stuff that happened in the Koscheck/Rumble fight.

But nobody's talking about the REAL controversy at UFC 106 - the fact that Josh Koscheck received the submission of the night award.

Kendall Grove's lightning-fast, come-from-behind triangle choke finish of Jake Rosholt was WAY more impressive than Kos' comparatively boring rear-naked choke of Anthony Johnson. Koscheck simply muscled a worn-out Rumble to get the choke. I don't see how anyone can deny that Kendall's finish was both far more technical and exciting than Koscheck's, and just plain cooler to see.

I would also argue that George Sotiropolous' armbar submission of Jason Dent was way more impressive than Kos' RNC. 

Maybe Josh has pics of Dana White dancing around in ladies' underpants, but there's no way he deserved to win submission of the night over Kendall or George.

Am I crazy? Vote in the poll!

Poll

Who deserved to win submission of the night at UFC 106?

9%

Josh Koscheck

89 votes

56%

Kendall Grove

527 votes

34%

George Sotiropolous

322 votes

938 votes | Poll has closed

(even the Google agrees!)

I normally don't complain much about close decisions. If a fight's close enough to go either way, odds are that I didn't remember every little thing that could have swayed the judges one way or the other. So why go crazy?

But tonight, there was zero doubt in my mind that Mauricio "Shogun" Rua beat Lyoto Machida. Shogun clearly won rounds 1, 4, and 5 by outstriking Machida. Round 2 was close and could have gone either way, and Shogun probably edged out Round 3.

Bottom line, Shogun won at least 3 rounds and the decision was crap. Machida's facial expressions said it all.

Shogun, you may not hold the light heavyweight belt, but tonight you proved that you are a true champion and a legend of the sport. After a loss to Forrest Griffin, two knee surgeries, and an underwhelming performance against Mark Coleman, just about everyone counted you out.

But you did the unthinkable tonight - you made the invincible Machida look not only human, but bad. And with that, you now have a bigger fan base than you ever did before. The judges may have made you a loser on the scorecards, but the fans know who the real champ is.

Dana, thank you for making an immediate rematch. (Dana seemed to make it clear that it will happen during the press conference)

And Shogun, you'll have the people on your side next time.

Poll

In your opinion, who won the Lyoto Machida/Shogun Rua fight?

9%

Machida

42 votes

10%

Too Close to Call

49 votes

79%

Shogun

359 votes

450 votes | Poll has closed

I recently wrote 10 Fights I Want the UFC to Make Happen, a Fanpost now famous for its revelation that 110 BE readers can't live without seeing Dustin Hazelett fight Paulo "Silva" Thiago.

In the spirit of that post, here are 10 more fights I want the UFC to make happen:

1) Forrest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin - After being finished two straight times, Forrest needs a big win to get back into the title mix, and Rich Franklin would be a perfect fit. Franklin has a name among casual and hardcore MMA fans, and would surely like his own chance to defeat a marquee 205-pounder.

2) Joe Lauzon vs. Nate Diaz - This is the fight I really wanted to see on Season 5 of The Ultimate Fighter. Joe is a wild, wide-open type of fighter, but Nate has proven he can capitalize on overly-aggressive fighters. This would be perfect to headline an Ultimate Fight Night, and would almost certainly lead to a Fight of the Night award.

3) Kenny Florian vs. Hermes Franca - At times, Kenny's practiced a diet-Machida sort of elusiveness, but Hermes would push straight forward and make it a brawl. Can Kenny catch Hermes overextending himself? There's only one way to find out.

4) Randy Couture vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson - Randy wants to go back down to 205, and he likes "interesting" fights - so why not put him up against Rampage? Randy may have come up short against Nogueira at UFC 102, but he still put on one hell of a show that night. Would Randy try to outwrestle Rampage? Stand and bang? Who the hell knows, but the anticipation for this bout would be incredible.

5) Thiago Silva vs. Brandon Vera - Is "The Truth" for real? After yet another lackluster performance at UFC 102, I say no. But against an aggressive striker that's only been out of the first round once  in his UFC career, Vera would be forced to prove that he's not just taking up space on the main cards of PPV events.

6) BJ Penn vs. Josh Koscheck - One of my favorite fights of all time was BJ Penn/Matt Hughes 2. An in-shape BJ against a bigger, strong wrestler could be a recipe for an equally exciting bout. Koscheck isn't well-rounded enough to massacre Penn GSP-style. Rather, he's good enough to give the Prodigy one hell of a fight. If BJ gets tired of the lightweight division after the Diego fight, a fight with Koscheck is a definite possibility.

7) Tito Ortiz vs. Dan Henderson - You have one big wrestler and one smaller wrestler, with the latter having KO power that can end a fight at any time. Tito wants his world title back, and a win over Hendo would put him in the running. However, there's not much chance of this happening.

8) Eddie Bravo vs. Royler Gracie - In a stunning upset that some call a fluke, Eddie Bravo submitted Gracie by triangle choke at the 2003 ADCC tournament. Eddie would like to prove 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu critics wrong by fighting Royler in an MMA match. The UFC should try to make it happen. Casual MMA fans wouldn't care, but the BJJ world would go crazy for this fight.

9) Thiago Alves vs. Paul Daley - If both guys beat their next opponents (Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampmann), they should fight each other. Dana loves a good stand-up war, and there is no way these guys take it to the ground. Daley will have a hard time with Kampmann, but with his power, anything can happen.

10) Kurt Pellegrino vs. Roger Huerta - I'm beginning to think that Roger "I Want to Be An Actor But You Couldn't Tell By Looking At My IMDB Page" Huerta will sign a new deal with the UFC after his upcoming loss to Gray Maynard. Hollywood hasn't been kind to Huerta, and he still has a name in MMA. The aggressive Pellegrino would probably love to take it.

****************************

Special Strikeforce Bonus:

11) Nick Diaz vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller - Nick's gone on record saying he doesn't think fighters should do things like dye their hair and paint their toenails, and has complained about guys getting more publicity than him. Well, then he'll love to fight Mayhem, a guy with pink hair AND a show on MTV! The smack talk would be epic...

Poll

Can you live without seeing Kurt Pellegrino fight Roger Huerta?

89%

Yes

171 votes

10%

No

21 votes

192 votes | Poll has closed

Like many MMA fans, my aptitude test indicates that I'd be a good UFC matchmaker. What could possibly be more fun than coming up with great fights for the world to see? So in no particular order, here are ten fights I want to see happen in the UFC:

1) Anderson Silva vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic - The Spider is interested in fighting at heavyweight, so why not put him up happen against one of the best heavyweight strikers of all time? Sure, Cro Cop is past his prime, but he still packs a whallop with that left leg of his. This matchup could be especially hot if UFC pull of a show Japan. I also wouldn't mind seeing Anderson take on Cheick Kongo.

2) Randy Couture vs. Cain Velasquez - Randy likes interesting fights, and one with Cain would fit the bill. Cain is young, strong, aggressive, and one of the hottest heavyweight prospects in the sport. If Cain gets past Ben Rothwell, a match with the Natural should be on everyone's mind.

3) Brock Lesnar vs. Roger Gracie - Obviously, Roger Gracie isn't in the UFC, and there are rumors that he's ducked some fights, but just close your eyes and imagine seeing the headline UFC 1XX: Gracie vs. Lesnar. Like Lesnar, Gracie doesn't have a lot of MMA experience (2-0 with both wins by submission), but he is one of the greatest grapplers in history with record-setting performances at the BJJ Mundials and ADCC.  It would be the biggest BJJ vs. wrestling match of all time.

4) Brandon Vera vs. Jon Jones - Brandon Vera's gone from hot prospect to big question mark. His lackluster victory over a slower and clumsier Krzystof Soszynski couldn't have pleased UFC management, who have already cut his reported fight purse by 70%. Does Brandon want to be a f*cking fighter? Let's find out by putting him up against Jon Jones, one of the hottest prospects in the light-heavyweight division.

5) Matt Hughes vs. Karo Parisyan - Due to injuries suffered a few years back, Karo never got his desired title shot against former welterweight champ Matt Hughes. Since then, Karo's star has taken a fall due to a knockout loss to Thiago Alves and a positive drug test after UFC 94. At the same time, Hughes' wrestling-focused game is clearly losing its effectiveness. This is a perfect "who still has it?" matchup.

6) Dan Henderson vs. Nate Marquardt - There's a big debate over which guy is more deserving of a title shot, and there's only one way to settle it - let them fight. Dan vs. Nate is more interesting than either guy taking on Anderson Silva anyway. This could be a perfect co-main event to the BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez fight in November.

7) Diego Sanchez vs. Kenny Florian 2 - Kenny Florian's improved quite a bit since he appeared on The Ultimate Fighter, where he fought at middleweight. But just how much has he improved? The best way to find out is to put him up against Diego, who creamed him at the original TUF finale.

8) BJ Penn vs. Gray Maynard - Gray is probably a couple of wins away from a title shot, but this dominant wrestler may be the only lightweight capable of giving the Prodigy a run for his money. BJ is worlds above Gray in terms of technique, but Maynard has outstanding physical strength and takedown ability. If Maynard murderizes Roger Huerta with an impressive finish at UFC Fight Night 19, his name should come up in title contention talk. The UFC could also work a student vs. teacher storyline - Gray got his start in the sport as a training partner for BJ, and was on Team Penn during TUF Season Five.

9) Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 2 - Frank Mir doesn't like people discounting his victory over Big Nog, who came into their UFC 92 contest with some serious injuries. Now that Minotauro is back on track with a big win over Randy Couture, let's give Frank Mir a chance to shut the naysayers up. I mean, I'm still trying to find somebody who cares about his upcoming bout with Kongo.

10) Dustin Hazelett vs. Paulo Thiago - I want to see these BJJ experts take it to the ground and attempt to tie each other in knots. Grappling wars with guys who go for the finish are awesome. They could even try a reverse Marcus Davis/Chris Lytle vow - the first guy to throw a punch is a pussy. We'd also get to see Thiago fight someone at his own level - not a top-5 title contender.

Joe Silva, you hiring?

Poll

Can you live without seeing Dustin Hazelett fight Paulo Thiago?

75%

Yes

357 votes

25%

No

119 votes

476 votes | Poll has closed

Let's give some props to Kenny Florian. For nearly four rounds, he hung in with the best lightweight fighter in the history of MMA. There's no shame in losing to BJ Penn, but watching Kenny's fruitless attempts to outwrestle BJ led me to one thought:

Did Kenny Florian and Sean Sherk mix up their game plans for BJ Penn?

At UFC 84 last May, BJ dominated Sean Sherk in what was essentially a boxing match. It was expected that Sherk would use his dominant wrestling to wear down the Prodigy. After all, BJ was a superior striker with excellent head movement, big power, and a rock of a chin - not to mention a reach advantage.

BJ has the best takedown defense in the game, but Sherk could tire out Penn and eventually begin scoring takedowns to squeeze out a decision. And if he exhausted BJ, a TKO victory wasn't out of the question.

It wasn't to be. Sherk stood and traded with Penn for the entire fight. At the end of round three, Sherk succumbed to a flurry of strikes and the Prodigy returned to Hawaii, lightweight belt and Sherk's blood in hand. 

Bizarrely, this past Saturday at UFC 101, we saw Kenny Florian try to outwrestle BJ - precisely what the MMA world thought Sean Sherk would do

The best possible strategy for Kenny was to try to outpoint and frustrate BJ with kicks, and potentially go for a finish late in the fight when BJ wasn't so fresh and sharp. Kenny certainly had little chance of knocking out or submitting BJ - and even less of a chance of outwrestling him.

When Matt Hughes has trouble taking a guy down, that guy is a damn good counter-wrestler. Even GSP, the best wrestler in the history of MMA, had difficulty in taking a fresh BJ down. (of course that would change as BJ tired...)

But instead of playing Machida, Kenny tried to play GSP - a fatally flawed strategy for a guy who's just not a wrestler. Kenny' supposedly superior camp may have failed him strategy-wise by giving him a game plan fit for Sean Sherk.

I didn't give Kenny Florian a snowball's chance in hell of beating BJ Penn. But in MMA, there's always a chance, especially when a guy is well-trained and hungry to win.

Kenny couldn't exactly stand and bang with BJ given the disparity in punching power. But a focus on scoring points rather than physical domination would have made for a more competitive bout.

Poll

Did Kenny Florian Have a Bad Game Plan for BJ Penn?

75%

Yes

128 votes

24%

No

41 votes

169 votes | Poll has closed

THQ delivered its first-quarter earnings report yesterday after the stock-market close, and as expected, UFC 2009 Undisputed was the main topic of discussion.

Here's what we learned:

1) Undisputed has sold 2.9 million units to date, echoing recent statements made by Lorenzo Fertitta. The game was the best-selling video-game title in the June quarter.

2) THQ is taking the UFC franchise to new gaming platforms including handheld ones, and possibly the Nintendo Wii. I personally feel the PS2 would make much more sense because of its huge installed base and the fact that third-party Wii games are a total crapshoot.

3) Just 30% of Undisputed sales were to international markets (Canada probably did well here), vs. about 50% for THQ's WWE franchise. Given the UFC's efforts to expand internationally, that 30% figure should grow significantly.

All in all, it's obvious that the UFC is THE hottest game franchise in the sports category. EA will have an awfully tough time coming up with something to match the UFC/THQ juggernaut, especially if the UFC signs some of the better free agents out there.

It's also worth nothing that the impressive 84 Metacritic rating given to Undisputed could go up next year - further boosting sales. This year's game was impressive but there is plenty of room for improvement by cleaning up the interface and menu systems, further finetuning the gameplay, and adding new fighters and features.

For example, it would be awesome to connect with other gamers online the day of a pay-per-view event to play through that night of fights. THQ could post the results to see how the results of simulated fights compared with the real ones. I'd also love to see a reasonably-priced WEC add-on, fighter entrances, more classic fights, and maybe even a Pride mode (not holding my breath on that last one).

Read more about THQ's results here.

Poll

Do you own the UFC game?

81%

Yes

190 votes

11%

No, but I plan on buying it

26 votes

7%

No, and I don't plan on buying it

17 votes

233 votes | Poll has closed

If you're like me, you receive plenty of Twitter updates from MMA fighters. Normally, I don't pay too much attention to them, but one from Kenny Florian took me by surprise:

Kenny_Florian View my new spoof film "Don't Pull Half Guard" Pt 1 - http://tinyurl.com/mwfz4u Pt 2 - http://tinyurl.com/nxydez19 minutes ago from web

Of course, I clicked through to the videos, and what did I see?

A spoof film starring Kenny, and well-known BJJ trainer Dave Camarillo of the American Kickboxing Academy, in black face no less.

That struck me as pretty odd, since Dave is known to be buddies with BJ Penn, Kenny's opponent at UFC 101. They both came up in Ralph Gracie's BJJ academy in California, and even authored a book together, "BJJ Closed Guard" which you can see here.

Camarillo also briefly appeared in the Renzo Gracie Legacy documentary, helping BJ train for the Renzo fight.

So does it strike anyone else as odd that Kenny and Dave are so buddy-buddy right before UFC 101? Could Kenny have enlisted Dave for help with combatting BJ's monster ground game? Perhaps they were just goofing around after taping Time Warp, but you never know...

"We've got a lot of what it takes to get along!"

The Las Vegas Sun was kind enough to provide a transcript of a Q&A Session with UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta from the Fan Expo. He had some interesting things to say about UFC Undisputed: 2009:

Fertitta: "There is no such thing as banned, but this is something that does get under my skin and Dana's skin because when we had the opportunity to go out and build a video game who do you think the first people we called was? EA Sports… We sat in the room with them and I would have cut a worse deal just to be with EA Sports. I wanted them so bad. They looked at them and they told us they didn't think MMA was a sport. This was three years ago. They said the UFC was irrelevant and that we were wasting their time. So we went down the street and did a deal with THQ and they thought MMA was a sport. So we stick with the guys who stick with us. Now the UFC video game has been a massive success with three million copies sold. And guess what EA wants to do? They want to do an MMA game now… If you are young fighter coming up, it just makes sense to stay under the umbrella of UFC companies, sponsors and marketing to ensure yourself a cut of the action for the rest of your life."

So Lorenzo basically leaked out information that UFC Undisputed has sold a whopping three million copies sold, an amazing number. If you recall, Wall Street analysts predicted the game would move two million units in THQ's fiscal year, which ends next March. But the UFC and THQ have beaten that number by 50% in just a couple of months!

It's also notable that like Dana, Lorenzo is stressing loyalty over all else - this means that when the current UFC/THQ licensing deal ends in 2011, it will almost certainly stay with THQ. This lends credence to my view that EA should acquire THQ for the runaway success of the UFC Undisputed (it certainly doesn't hurt that THQ has some other very solid licenses and properties). EA's not going to get the license and not having a major brand name like UFC will hurt them big time in MMA.

As for my title, Zuffa is making a TON of money from UFC Undisputed. This game has already crossed the $100 million mark for THQ, and as with any video-game licensing deal, Zuffa is entitled to a piece of the action. One industry analyst pegs Zuffa's cut as 17%.

But even if its share is lower than that - Zuffa's going to make tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of dollars from the video-game license over the long term.

Licensing dollars tend to be extremely profitable. Lending out trademarks, copyrights, and patents for money does not require much work or effort on Zuffa's part. That means the majority of that licensing revenue flows right down to Zuffa's bottom line.

Zuffa is a private company whose three owners keep what's left in the register each day. That means a huge chunk of the coming hundreds of millions of dollars in video-game licensing revenue will go right into the pockets of Dana, Lorenzo, and Frank.

So if you were wondering Frank is going to afford his new pad, the mystery is now gone!

Hi guys, I recently wrote an article for the popular investment web site Minyanville.com that MMA fans would find interesting. I argue that EA should acquire THQ, primarily to get its hands on the enormously lucrative UFC license.

EA has a mountain of cash in the bank collecting dust, while THQ is an extremely cheap company with some incredible assets that is being weighed down by some product-management snafus. We know what EA wants in on the growth of MMA, and the easiest, lowest-risk way to do it is to simply buy THQ.

Sure, EA has a shot at making a good MMA game, but it doesn't have a brand like the UFC to go with it. Among the general public, UFC is a MUCH better known term than MMA. And the UFC certainly isn't making things easy by laying out threats to fighters considering going with EA.

Here are some highlights of my article:

But the real kicker would be THQ's Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) license. The UFC is the leading brand in mixed martial arts (MMA) -- a sport combining fighting disciplines such as boxing, wrestling, and jiu-jitsu. Once derided as human cockfighting by John McCain, the sport has become increasingly mainstream to the point that Bud Light and Harley-Davidson grace the UFC's famous octagonal cage.

Luckily for THQ, the 18- to 34-year-old male demographic that makes up a great deal of the UFC fan base likes video games. A whopping 2 million units of UFC 2009 Undisputed were shipped within 2 weeks of its May 19 release. And since this sport is still illegal in New York and Massachusetts, there's still plenty of room for growth.

EA is planning a rival title comprised mostly of non-UFC fighters. But according to a Sports Illustrated report, UFC president Dana White put the word out that fighters considering signing with EA had better think twice -- an ominous warning given the company's virtual monopoly on the sport in North America.

In fact, an extremely conservative free-cash-flow model indicates that the UFC license alone is easily worth hundreds of millions of dollars over the long term. Moreover, EA would be getting its hands on other THQ licenses -- including the cash cow WWE, and some valuable intellectual properties such as Company of Heroes.

I'd love to hear what you guys think, and if you could Digg this article for me, I'd really appreciate it!

via fightticker.com

***********************

Fighters Only Magazine has the scoop:

Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia would like to appear in the next season of hit MTV show Bully Beatdown.

Sylvia (24-6) wants the show to let him face two of his childhood tormentors. He says he would donate the prize money to charity.

"I was bullied all through high school, where I was never a big guy. I grew and became a big guy. I still have a chip on my shoulder for all those assholes who picked on me and beat me up," he told Fighters Only recently.

As improbable as it seems now, Sylvia says he was "picked on a lot" in school. He also had a traumatic youth due to alcoholism in the family home.

"If everything goes right, I will be on the second season of Bully Beatdown. What I want to pitch to them is, bring in one or two bullies that bullied me, and what I want to do is take the money - the ten or twenty thousand dollars you win - and donate it to charity, I don’t need it," he revealed.

You'd think that the success Tim has achieved in MMA would be the best revenge against his tormentors. Even with his dramatic knockout loss to Ray Mercer, he has a lot to be proud of. With few discernible natural athletic abilities beyond sheer size, he managed to become a UFC champion with a 24-6 MMA record in MMA. That's nothing to sneeze at.

However, this revelation doesn't look good for Tim's future MMA, because it shows that his eye is off the ball. When an MMA fighter 1) assumes he can waltz into multi-million dollar big-time boxing matches with no effort and 2) cares about going on a silly TV show to even scores from decades ago, he's just not focused on moving back up in the heavyweight division.

Poll

Does Tim Sylvia Want to Be a F*cking Fighter?

18%

Yes

26 votes

81%

No

111 votes

137 votes | Poll has closed

Just got done watching Strikeforce, and I thought I'd put down the first 10 thoughts/questions/ideas that popped into my head tonight. Overall, the fights were entertaining but the production came off as amateurish and tacky.

Okay, here we go!

1) Gus Johnson needs to go. He reminds me of myself when I was 18 years old - ready to kill myself because I couldn't stand my job.  I'd rather have Bill Goldberg back for the pure insansity. Gus doesn't seem to be all that interested in MMA as he probably dreams of working Monday Night Football. Can they not find an actual MMA fan and supply media training?

2) Strikeforce needs more/better cameras on the action. There were some truly awful camera angles in there that were incredibly distracting - almost as bad as the BJ Penn/Rodrigo Gracie fight at Rumble on the Rock when the cameraguy decided to follow the fight in the crowd instead of the one in the cage.

3) What the f*ck is a Bar Arm Choke?

4) Nick Diaz is truly the top P4P jackass in the sport. He dominated his fight, but crapping all over Scott Smith's camp crossed a line that I don't think has ever been crossed before. So I guess I'm an even bigger Nick Diaz fan today than I was yesterday.

5) Gina/Cyborg is coming, but at what weight? Will one/both of them fail to make weight for the biggest fight in the history of women's MMA?

6) I feel really bad for Andrei Arlovski. He really needed an impressive win to get his career going, and getting KO'd twice in a row won't do much for his fledgling boxing career. And the stoppage was 100% on the money.

7) Nick Diaz vs. Joe Riggs seems like an awfully good idea to me. They have some of the baddest blood in the history of MMA.

8) Strikeforce needs some new middleweights. Two of their top guys were finished by two fighters coming UP in weight to fight them, and champion Cung Le is out shooting movies. Jason McDonald might be interested...

9) Jake Shields needs to finish out his contract and come to the UFC. There is no competition for him in Strikeforce, and it's time for him to step into the cage with the UFC's top welterweights.

10) Fire Gus Johnson. NOW!

Gosh darn it I'm exhausted and drunk but the news regarding Kimbo Slice appearing on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter is just boggling my mind right now.

Here are my 10 immediate thoughts:

1) Kimbo Slice + Rashad/Rampage feud + NFL Veterans = Huge Ratings

2) Gary Shaw must be PISSED. He destroyed EliteXC by betting the company on Kimbo Slice, and now Dana White will reap all the benefits of Kimbo's notoriety.

3) Now we know why there is no eliminator round - the UFC wanted to guarantee Kimbo would be on the show.

4) Did the UFC cut Kimbo a special deal? He made some big paydays with EliteXC - I assume the standard TUF contract doesn't apply to him.

5) If Kimbo somehow wins the season, he'll be the next big PPV draw for the company. Either way, he'll be on the TUF finale.

6) The UFC will likely influence the coaches to delay Kimbo's first fight as long as possible to keep people interested in the show.

7) Could Kimbo be the newest member of the Jackson camp? Rashad will likely be bringing those guys in to be his assistant coaches. What can the maestro Greg Jackson do with Kimbo Slice should he end up on Rashad's team?

8) Dana White is officially the master of the calculated freakshow risk. Brock Lesnar has been a huge PPV success and at the very very very least, Kimbo Slice will keep TUF going strong for one more season and guarantee a big fat ratings pop for the finale.

9) With Rampage, Rashad, and now Kimbo, the UFC could make some ratings breakthroughs with the African-American community.

10) There will be 15 other guys hungry to make a name for themselves in the sport. They will all be gunning to fight him - should make life in the TUF house interesting.

Goodnight!

Continue reading this post »

As you may know, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson announced via Twitter that he will be one of the coaches on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter:

about to watch myself in the movie midnight meat train & packing my stuff to move to vegas to coach TUF!!

We'll find out in early June (maybe tonight on the Spike VGA's if we're lucky) who the other coach is but there are three possibilities that come to mind:

1) Lyoto Machida - Dana White said that Rampage will get the first shot at Machida's belt, so this would be an obvious choice. However, Machida's manager Ed Soares indicated to Sherdog that this is unlikely for now:

"I don’t think he’s going to be coaching [TUF]," Machida’s manager Ed Soares told the Sherdog Radio Network’s "Beatdown" show Wednesday. "There’s a lot of things in the works to be honest with you and things are already set in stone."

So to get Machida to coach and keep the LHW division from exploding in confusion, Dana might have to break out the almighty checkbook.

2) Rashad Evans - Given his intense rivalry with Rampage, Rashad would be an ideal choice. Their post-UFC 96 staredown combined with Rampage's intonation that Rashad ducked him equals bad blood, and bad blood gets the fans interested. Of course, this would mean we'd have to wait for Rampage to fight (and beat) Rashad before taking on Machida for the belt.

3) Shogun Rua - Shogun is obviously the dark horse here, as aside from the fact that he demolished Rampage in Pride, there's no good reason to put him on TUF. This is especially true since his English skills are fairly limited.  However, he was at Zuffa's offices yesterday with a big smile on his face, so maybe he signed something. (Fight with Rashad?)
**********************

While I am eager to see Rampage fight Machida, I also don't want to wait 6 months to see it happen. So what could happen here?

Machida makes his first title defense against Shogun?

Rashad coaches against Rampage on TUF and Rampage/Machida goes on hold indefinitely?

Forrest fights Machida if he beats Anderson Silva? (you never know!)

Any ideas folks?

MMAJunkie has the scoop:

Veteran fighter Frank Trigg (19-6 MMA, 2-3 UFC) is returning to the Ultimate Fighting Championship after signing a four-fight deal with the organization.

Trigg, who's a daily host for MMAjunkie.com Radio, today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) about the signing, which took nearly nine months to complete.

Trigg, who recently turned 37, went 2-3 in his first UFC stint from 2003-2005, but he's perhaps best remembered for two unsuccessful attempts at Matt Hughes' UFC welterweight title.

The Xtreme Couture fighter is expected to fight in late fall or early winter, though no specific date or opponent has yet been determined for his UFC return. Although he's competed as a middleweight in some recent fights, he'll remain at welterweight in the UFC.

As far as this "no specific date or opponent has yet been determined for his UFC return" business goes, there is a good chance that the UFC is planning Matt Hughes/Trigg 3..

There was serious bad blood between the two during Trigg's first tenure with the UFC, and their second match produced one of the most exciting moments in UFC history when Hughes slammed Trigg to the canvas after recovering from a groin shot.

Given the outcome of their past two matches, both of which Hughes won, giving them a third go at it could allow Hughes to exit the UFC on a high note.