UFC News: Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell May Fight in June

It does not appear to have taken long to determine Randy Couture’s next opponent.  It is very possible that he could next take on Chuck Liddell for a fourth time inside the octagon.  I do not know if I like this fight.  It would be exciting, but why a fourth match?  And why put your two biggest stars who are both knocking on retirement’s door against one another in the octagon?  A loss would essentially end the career of the a guy.  The rumor is that the fight would occur at heavyweight and would take place at a June event in Germany.  The fight may very well happen, but I am surprised that it is going to be June and not sooner like April or May.   Also, this could silence the rumors of a potential Liddell vs. Anderson Silva match in February. Check out what MMAJunkie had to say

After competing in three legendary light-heavyweight fights, former UFC champions Randy Couture (16-9 MMA, 13-6 UFC) and Chuck Liddell (21-6 MMA, 16-5 UFC) could now meet during a heavyweight encounter at a June 13 event in Cologne, Germany.

The report comes from the U.K.-based The Sun, which cites UFC officials as saying Liddell has been offered the heavyweight main event.

Couture recently lost his heavyweight belt to Brock Lesnar at UFC 91. Liddell, meanwhile, has dropped three of his four past fights at light heavyweight, but he’s made no public statement regarding a potential move up to heavyweight.

A source told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Couture is open to a fourth Liddell fight, but we’ve been unable to confirm is the fight has been offered to Liddell.

With the event apparently in the works for Germany, it should come as little surprise that the UFC invited a small contingent of German press to UFC 91 to see Couture’s main event with Lesnar. The 45-year-old Couture speaks German and has long been considered a likely headliner once the UFC does head to Germany, a market UFC officials have continually mentioned as a site for future expansion.

Couture and Liddell took part in a popular trilogy of fights that played out between 2003 and 2006. Couture scored a third-round TKO at UFC 43 to win the first match-up for the interim heavyweight title (former champ Tito Ortiz had been stripped of the title), but the 38-year-old Liddell won back the belt and made a successful title defense over Couture with knockout wins at UFC 52 and UFC 57.

Breaking Down the UFC Light Heavyweight Division

The Champion: Forrest Griffin

The Top Contender: Rashad Evans

The Next Tier:

·         Wanderlei Silva

·         Quinton “Rampage” Jackson

·         Lyoto Machida

·         Thiago Silva

·         Rich Franklin

·         Dan Henderson

·         Keith Jardine

·         Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

·         Chuck Liddell

·         Luis Arthur Cane

·         Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

 

On the Rise: 

·         Luis Arthur Cane

 

Other Notables:

·         Brandon Vera

·         Mat Hamill

·         Stephan Bonnar

·         Jon Jones

·         Tim Boetsch

·         Steve Cantwell

·         Brian Stann

·         James Irvin

·         Eric Schafer

 

Scheduled Fights:

·         Steve Cantwell vs. Razak Al-Hussan at UFC Fight Night 16 on December 10

·         Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans @ UFC 92 on December 28 (For Title)

·         Quinton Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva @ UFC 92 on December 28

·         Matt Hamill vs. Reese Andy @ UFC 92 on December 28

·         Rich Franklin vs. Dan Henderson @ UFC 93 on January

·         Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Mark Coleman @ UFC 93 on January 17

·         Andre Gusmao vs. Antonio Mendes @ UFC 93 on January 17

·         Ivan Serati vs. Tomasz Drwal @ UFC 93 on January 17

·         Jon Jones vs. Stephan Bonnar @ UFC 93 on January 17

·         Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva @ UFC 94 on January 31

 

Match Ups I’d Like to See:

·         Luis Cane vs. Keith Jardine

·         Brandon Vera vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

 

Other Thoughts:

·         There are rumors of a Anderson Silva vs. Chuck Liddell match up at UFC 95

·         There are a lot of light heavyweight contenders and the match ups are being set.  The winner of Wanderlei vs. Rampage should get the next title shot, although the winner of Lyoto Machida and Thiago Silva should be considered as well. 

·         We are waiting for the debut of rumored UFC signee Glover Teixeira who has been having visa troubles in Brazil. 

·         The UFC could sign former EliteXC light heavyweight Rafael Feijao, which would be a big time contender.

·         The UFC has a clear monopoly on the light heavyweight division.  There are only a few fighters worth a  dime in this division not in the UFC (Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Vladimir Matyushenko, Ricardo Arona, Tito Ortiz, and Renato “Babalu” Sobral)

·         I looks like two solid light heavyweights have dropped to middleweight in Goran Reljic and Wilson Gouveia

·         The Ultimate Fighter 8 which featured light heavyweights is sure to place a few good fighters in the divison, but it will take time for them to climb the ladder.  Watch out for guys like Ryan Bader, Vinny Magalhes, Kryztof Soszynski, and Eliot Marshall.

·         It is somewhat possible to see Randy Couture take a few fights at light heavyweight and also to see Anderson Silva fight at 205 more often in 2009

 

MMABlog’s Light Heavyweight MMA Rankings

 

Here are my 205’ers.  The UFC clearly has the deepest and best pool of 205 lb fighters.  I only see a couple of non-UFC fighters being top 25 material. 

Rank	Name	Organization	Next Fight
1	Forrest Griffin	UFC	Evans (#6), 12/27
2	Quinton Jackson	UFC	W. Silva (#4) 12/27
3	Lyoto Machida	UFC	T. Silva (#10) 1/31
4	Wanderlei Silva	UFC	Jackson (#2) 12/27
5	Mauricio “Shogun” Rua	UFC	Coleman (NR), 1/17
6	Rashad Evans	UFC	Griffin (#1), 12/27
7	Dan Henderson	UFC	Franklin (#12), 1/17
8	Keith Jardine	UFC
9	Chuck Liddell	UFC
10	Thiago Silva	UFC	Machida (#3), 1/31
11	Antonio Rogerio Nogueira	Affliction	Moisa (NR), 11/3
12	Rich Franklin	UFC	Henderson (#7), 1/17
13	Brandon Vera	UFC
14	Vladimir Matyushenko	Affliction
15	Luiz Cane	UFC
16	Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou	UFC
17	Ricardo Arona
18	Renato “Babalu” Sobral	Affliction	Southworth (NR), 11/21
19	Matt Hamill	UFC	Andy (NR), 12/27
20	Tito Ortiz
21	Rafael Feijao	EliteXC?
22	Steve Cantwell	UFC	Al-Hussan (NR), 12/10
23	Stephan Bonnar	UFC	Jones (NR), 1/31
24	James Irvin	UFC
25	Brian Stann	UFC

Also considered: Jon Jones, Tim Boetsch, Bobby Southworth, Mark Coleman (Didn’t include him because he hasn’t fought again.  He probably is top 25 material)

UFC 88 Fighter Salaries

Chuck Liddell – $500,000

Dan Henderson – $250,000

Rashad Evans – $180,000 (Includes $60,000 KO of the Night Bonus and $60,000 win bonus)

Jason MacDonald – $104,000 (Includes $60,000 Submission of the Night Bonus)

Rich Franklin – $100,000

Kurt Pellegrino – $84,000 (Includes $60,000 Fight of the Night Bonus)

Thiago Tavares – $73,000 (Includes $60,000 Fight of the Night Bonus)

Nate Marquardt -$56,000

Dong Hyun Kim – $46,000

Ryo Chonan – $30,000

Jason Lambert – $17,000

Tim Boetsch – $16,000

Martin Kampmann – $15,000

Matt Hamill – $10,000

Roan Carneiro – $9,000

Matt Brown – $8,000

Rousimar Palhares – $7,000

Mike Patt – $5,000

The Title Picture in the UFC Light Heavweight Divison

In my previous post about the title picture in the UFC heavyweight divison I mentioned how the UFC’s match making has caused problems in the title picture.  The same is true of the light heavyweight divison.  Okay, Forrest Griffin is now the light heavyweight champion.  The question should be who gets the next title shot and what is the order of contenders.  The UFC made clear that if Chuck Liddell beat Rashad Evans at UFC 88 then he would fight Forrest Griffin in December for the title.  However, Rashad Evans played spolier and ruined the potential blockbuster fight.  Very quickly, the UFC gave Rashad the title shot for December.  Kudos to rashad for a big win, but most people would agree that even with the win over Liddell he was not the number one contender.  I believe that distinction has to go to Lyoto Machida who has notable UFC victories over Sokoudjou and Tito Ortiz.  I have no problem with saying Machida needs one more win, but he better not be ignored.  I have heard that he isn’t getting the shot first because guys don’t want to fight him and secondly because he has limited marketability.  So, what other options are there?  Here are my rankings in order of who I feel the contenders are right now.  I see 4 guys right now at the top of the heap that could get a title shot without much complaint from me.  Some like Rich Franklin may need one more win…

1. Lyoto Machida

2. Quinton Jackson

3. Wanderlei Silva

4. Rich Franklin

Needs one more win…

4. Rashad Evans

5. Thiago Silva

6. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

7. Chuck Liddell

Guys who could earn their way into contention soon…

8. Brandon Vera

9. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

10. Keith Jardine

The problem is booking.  Several of these guys are booked for fights.  It seems Quinton Jackson and Wanderlei Silva will square off November 15th, surely the winner of that fight will get a title shot.  Lyoto Machida was to face Thiago Silva, with the winner surely getting a title shot soon, however Silva pulled out leaving Machida opponent-less.  Shogun is waiting for a December opponent…possibly Chuck Liddell.  Keith Jardine is fighting Brandon Vera and Sokoudjou is fighting Luiz Cane at UFC 89.  That leaves Rich Franklin, Lyoto Machida, and Rashad Evans available for the title shot in December.  The UFC chose Evans, the weakest of the possible opponents for Griffin.  The heap is big and growing.  Contenders need to keep winning.  It looked like 2009 will see Machida get his title shot, but he may need two more wins.  Wanderlei or Jackson may get the next shot in the spring of ’09.  Rich Franklin could work his way in the mix too.  The picture won’t clear up either with a lot of solid guys in the top 15.

Why Did Chuck Liddell Lose to Rashad Evans?

I believe there are several answers people might give as to why Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell got beat by Rashad Evans.  Chuck would just say that he “got caught”.  I would say there is more to it than that. 

Perhaps Chuck Liddell lost because he is a one dimensional fighter who is a legenday striker.  Perhaps Chuck Liddell lost because of his age.  Perhaps Chuck is over the hill.  I might point out that Liddell has struggled recently.  He lost to Rampage, he lost to Keith Jardine, and he beat Wanderlei Silva.  Maybe the Chuck of old is gone.  He hasn’t finished a fight in quite some time.  I would defintley suggest that Rashad Evans speed has something to do with it.  Perhaps as of today Rashad Evans is simply a better fighter than Chuck Liddell.  Perhaps it has to do with training.  Rashad has shown a willingness to learn from new trainers such as Greg Jackson.  Whereas, Chuck Liddell has been at “The Pit” with Hackleman for years.  Perhaps Liddell should be willing to try some new trainers, such as Xtreme Couture well he can develop new striking techniques and more diverse MMA skills.  Perhaps Liddell lost because of the nagging hamstring injury.   I don’t think that it is an issue, some may use it as an excuse, but it isn’t the reason.  Perhaps other fighters have Chuck Liddell’s number.  I think this is a great problem.  Liddell has one way to win and he has done well with it, but maybe he has been figured out.  Greg Jackson seems to have his number.  Leg kicks are effective on Chuck, just ask Keith Jardine.  Frustrating Chuck and making him come to you rather than allowing him to KO you while going away may work too.  Maybe Chuck needs a new game plan.  Perhaps my biggest suggestion has to do with the mental aspect of fighting.  Perhaps Chuck Liddell has gotten too big and that has in turn gone to his head.  I seriously question when fighters are more worried about careers outside the ring than fighting.  Chuck is the face of MMA.  He is a legend. He is super popular.  That in turn has led to endorsments, books, interviews, sponsors, and many other opportunities.  Perhaps Chuck has been distracted by all those things.  Perhaps he needs to refocus and not worry about advertising through human signs for his sponsors and focus more on his fighters.    Perhaps the problem is in the fact that he partys way too much, he loves the party scene.  Some say it doesn’t affect him, and maybe it didn;t before when he was younger and on top, but maybe it does now.  Maybe the fame, popularity and fun side of fighting has become his passion to the neglect of performance in the octagon.  Perhaps he has lost his drive and passion which made him so effective before in his career.  We can give numerous reasons why Chuck lost to Rashad.  Perhaps some people more knowledgable than me can give technical reasons as to why Rashad’s game plan was so effective.  However, let’s not take away from Rashad.  There may not be a clear answer.  Perhaps the answer is that Rashad just fought better, was faster, and better that night.  Give Rashad some credit.  He is super underrated.  However, I do think there are several things Chuck could do differently to still be effective in his late 30’s and even into his early 40’s.  I know some won’t like this post, but it is the truth.  I know Chuck is a fan favorite, but even his fans have to question some things about his career.  Matt Hughes loses two fights to Georges St. Pierre and Thiago Alves and everyone thinks he is done and should retire.  Chuck Liddell has lost 3 of 4 to lesser competition in his divison.  I am not saying Chuck is done.  I am saying he needs to re-think some methods.  The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.  Perhaps the problem is in Chuck’s pride.  Maybe he thinks he is better than Jardine, better than jackson and better than Evans, but he just got caught or just had a bad night.  Maybe though the reason is deeper than that.  Liddell can still be effective as a fighter in the UFC, but he will need to reevaluate his career, training, styles, game plans, and training methods.  Rashad Evans was indeed the spoiler.  Chuck was to leap frog Lyoto Machida and get the title shot against Forrest Griffin in December with a win over Rashad.  The UFC longed for the pupil vs. teacher storyline.  Now they will get the TUF 1 winner against the TUF 2 winner.  Well done Rashad, you just beat a legend of the UFC in highlight reel form and earned a title shot.

UFC 88 Thoughts and Recap

Quick Results:

Rashad Evans def. Chuck Liddell by KO in round 2

Rich Franklin def. Matt Hamill by TKO in round 3

Dan Henderson def. Rousimar Palhares by unanimous decision

Nate Marquardt def. Martin Kampmann by TKO in round 1

Dong Hyun Kim def. Matt Brown by split decision

Jason MacDonald def. Jason Lambert by submission in round 2

Tim Boetsh def. Mike Patt by TKO in round 1

Kurt Pellegrino def. Thiago Tavares by unanimous decision

Ryo Chonan def. Roan Carneiro by split decision

Fight of the Night: Kurt Pellegrino vs. Thiago Tavares

Submission of the Night: Jason MacDonald

Knockout of the Night: Rashad Evans

My Predictions: I went 6 of 9 (I missed the Rashad Evans vs. Chuck Liddell, Martin Kampmann vs. Nate Marquardt and Kurt Pellegrino vs. Thiago Tavares fights)

My Thoughts on UFC 88:

• Rashad Evans was impressive as heck.  I was utterly shocked.  I thought after round 1 Chuck would finish it.  Rashad looked good all round 2.  He was winning that fight even before the KO.  By the way, that was one of the most vicious KO’s I have ever seen in one punch.  That will be a highlight reel KO for years to come.  That will be knockout of the year candidate.  Rashad Evans showed he was no joke.  I don’t know if he deserves the title shot he was granted in December, but I won’t complain about it too badly.  I still think Machida deserves it.
• Rich Franklin is back.  I love Rich Franklin.  He is a class act fighter.  He is super talented and always improving.  His striking is world class.  He is a threat in the light heavyweight divison.  There are some guys he would lose to, but I think he would beat Forrest or Rashad right now.  I am glad to see him back on track.
• Matt Hamill looked good in the loss.  He showed he is improving his striking.  I think he still needs to rely on his bread and butter more of take downs and ground and pound, but he wants to show his striking.  Rich was just too experienced for him and found a weakness in his game and exploited it.  Hamill will be back and in my opinion he is still a top 15 light heavyweight.
• Dan Henderson looked alright, but nothing special.  I think that is because Palhares is that good.  Palhares has a solid chin and superior submissions.  Keep his name in mind because he will be back too.
• The most impressive performance to me was Nate Marquardt.  Nate has always had excellent grappling and submissions, but he showed versatile and skilled striking against a dangerous Kampmann.  He looked crisp and solid.  He is in the top heap at 185.  I’d love to see him fight Dan Henderson or Michael Bisping with the winner getting a title shot.  However, it may be that after Cote, Silva will get Okami.  Then Bisping is likely the next guy in line.  Then perhaps a re-match with Marquardt or Henderson. 
• Some people think Matt Brown should have gotten the decision over Dong Hyun Kim, but I don’t think so.  I think Kim won round 1 due to submission attempts and a near finish and I think he won round 3 due to the take downs and big elbows out the end.  I think Kim looked really good against a tough as nails Matt Brown who showed some improvement.  Kim is a contender at 170 and though many people think he shouldn’t have won, and though I am sure he would have rather finished the fight, a win is a win and he will climb the ladder.
• Tim Boetsh looked impressive against UFC newcomer Mike Patt, and I think if he can gain some cardio he can be a contender at 205.

UFC News: Liddell vs. Griffin Possible at UFC 92

It looks very likely that Chuck Lidell’s next fight is in the works.  Of course his next fight will be determined by his fight at UFC 88 against Rashad Evans, however it is being reported that if Chuck beats Rashad that he will get a crack at Forrest Griffin at UFC 92.  I would be curious as to what would happen if Liddell loses to Evans.   IcemanRX, on of Liddell’s sponsor’s leaked this news. 

I know the UFC wants that Liddell vs. Griffin match, but I don’t know if it is fair to a guy like Lyoto Machida, who with a with at UFC 89 would undoubtedly get a title shot.  Liddell better not look past Rashad Evans who is a great wrestler and dangerous striker.  Some people will be picking Evans to win this fight.

UFC News: Anderson Silva vs. Patrick Cote at UFC 88 Possible

It has neen no secret that the UFC and Anderson Silva hoped to work out a title defense for Silva’s middleweight belt in September.  The expected fighter was to be Yushin Okami.  Dana White made clear that if Silva go out of his fight with Irvin injurt free then he would most likely fight September 6th and then again in December.  Here is what Dana White said now:

Okami’s out of that fight. He broke his hand. If (Silva) fights in September it’ll be (Patrick) Cote,” stated White at Saturday night’s post-fight press conference at the Palms in Las Vegas.

Patrick Cote is coming off a lackluster win over Ricardo Almeida. The fight was billed as determining who would geta  shot at the title.  It looks like Cote will get that shot and get it earlier than expected.  Okami’s hand is broken and that will allow for Cote to fight for the title.  I am sorry, but Patrick Cote is way out of his league here.  At least it will be one more step before Silva cleans out the divison.  I presume he has 3-4 more fights to officially clean out the divison.  I would say he needs to beat Kampmann, Bisping, and maybe Quarry to officially clean out the divison.

 There seems to be more plans for Silva than any other fighter in the UFC.  Why not?  He is the best and his popularity is growing quickly.  Dana White added more speculation…

“(Silva) said he wants to defend his 185-pound title. He said he wants to test the waters at 205. He did (on Saturday night),” continued White. “He’s going to defend his title again in September and then probably try to take another fight at 205.I think he wants to take his time. I think he wants to stay at 185 and completely clean out that division, go from there. (Silva) took the fight (with Irvin) on short notice, moved up to 205, wants to fight all the best guys in the world at 185 pounds, wants to fight all the best guys at 205 pounds, wants to fight every three months… uh, yah. It’s a little difficult for us to move things around, but when a guy has that mentality… I love it.”

I believe Silva’s win over Irvin means he is not done at 205.  I kmow Silva is very close to Machida and feels right now the belt is Machida’s at 205, I respect that and I really like Machida, however many people don’t like Machida.  The UFC’s worry about Machida is his marketability.  He has a upcoming bout with Thiago Silva, and a win there makes a title shot inevitable.  Perhaps Machida and Silva will never fight, but there are appealing fights out there for Silva, more than Silva-Cote.  We can think of a move of WEC middleweight champ Paulo Filho to the UFC and get a title shot, but he has to get through Chael Sonnen in September first.  We can think of a dream match at 205 between Liddell and Silva, but Liddell has to get through Evans first and he would call for a title shot if he does.  We could imagine Wanderlei vs. Anderson.  The list goes on and obviously there are more appealing fights for Silva at 205 than 185.  For now, it looks like it is right back to the grind for Anderson as he prepares for a possible Sept. 6 fight with Patrick Cote at middleweight, no sweat. 

Mid Year MMA Awards

Best Knockout

Honorable Mention: Luis Arthur Cane KO Jason Lambert, Shane Carwin KO Christian Wellish, Murilio Rua TKO Tony Bonello, Matt Wiman KO Thiago Tavares

5. Anthony Johnson KO Tommy Speer

4. Wilson Gouveia KO Jason Lambert

3. Brian Stann KO Doug Marshall

2. James Irvin KO Houston Alexander

1. Wanderlei Silva KO Keith Jardine

Best Submission

Honorable Mention: Antonio Nogueira submits Tim Sylvia by Guillotine, Yoshiyuki Yoshida submits Jon Koppenhaver by Anaconda choke, Nate Diaz submits Kurt Pellegrino, Cole Miller Submits Jorge Gurgel by Triangle Choke

5. Demian Mia Submits Ed Herman by Triangle Choke

4. Frank Mir Submits Brock Lesnar by Kneebar

3. Rousimar Palhares Submits Ivan Salaverry by Armbar

2. Dustin Hazelett Submits Josh Burkman by Armbar

1. Shinya Aoki Submits Katsuhiko Nagata by Aokiplata

Best Fight

Honorable Mention: Shinya Aoki vs. Gesias Calvancante, Cung Le vs. Frank Shamrock

5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Tim Sylvia

4. Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver

3. Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith

2. Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin

1. Miguel Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda

Best Fight Card

5. WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver

4. UFC 80: Rapid Fire

3. UFC 81: Breaking Point

2. DREAM 4

1. UFC 84: Ill Will

Upset of The Year:

Honorable Mention: Jason Day over Alan Belcher,

5. Thiago Alves over Karo Parisyan

4. Kevin Burns over Roan Carneiro

3. Fabricio Werdum over Gabriel Gonzaga

2. Josh Thomson over Gilbert Melendez

1. Forrest Griffin over Quinton Jackson

Fighter Of The Year:

Honorable Mention: Anderson Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Michael Bisping, Georges St. Pierre, Diego Sanchez

5. Miguel Torres

4. Forrest Griffin

3. Thiago Alves

2. Shinya Aoki

1. B.J. Penn (2 Impressive wins over Sean Sherk and Joe Stevenson)

Best UFC Newcomer:

Honorable Mention: Shane Carwin, Brock Lesnar

5. Rousimar Palhares

4. Dong Hyun Kim

3. Yoshiyuki Yoshida

2. Goran Reljic

1. Cain Velasquez

Worst Calls By A Ref. or Judges

5. Forrest Griffin over Quinton Jackson –  Not just that Forrest got the win, but that it was unanimous.  Many, including me scored the fight either a draw or to Jackson

4. Brandon Vera vs. Fabricio Werdum- Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight in round 1 when Werdum was mounted on Vera throwing down punches.  There was just 10 seconds remaining and Vera seemed to be defending himself well. 

3. Nate Marquardt vs. Thales Leites — Leites got the win, but lost the fight.  He lost the fight due to two points taken away from Marquardt.  One point was justified, but the other was due to elbow to the back of the ehad that wasn’t to the back of the head.  I will confess, that another point could have fairly been deducted for an illegal slam, but I hated to see Marquardt get a loss on his record that I feel he won

2. Phantom split decisions — How was Evan Tanner vs. Kendall Grove a split deicsion?  How was Heath Herring vs Cheick Kongo a split decision?  The right person got the decision, but how was it split?

1. Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson – Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight in the 3rd round while Thompson was still standing and failed to stop it when Thompson was mounted on Kimbo raining down elbows

What’s Next For Forrest Griffin?

The new UFC light heavyweight champion of the world is Forrest Griffin.  While Rampage is beloved and great for the UFC and for marketing, Forrest Griffin has been billed as perhaps one of the most beloved and popular mixed martial artists in the world.  Forrest’s win was great for the UFC.  It was great the The Ultimate Fighter.  And it brings up the question as to who will Griffin fight next?  I do not know how bad Griffin was hurt, but I would have to think the UFC would love to see him fight in September in Atlanta.  He is a Georgia native and it would be awesome.  I do not know if the timing is right and that card already has one huge main event fight with Chuck vs. Rashad.  I still look to see him fight again by year end.  In my opinion there are 4 fights that could happen for him at his next fight…

1. A Re-Match with Quinton.  Quinton is now the number one contender.  I am sure he would love the re-match and would love to get his belt back.  The question for him will be 2 things. 1. How is his leg?  2. Will the UFC want him to win a fight before he gets a title shot?  I would say a re-match would make tons of money and people would run to see it, but I’d kind of like to see it built up a while and see Quinton win a fight to earn it.  If you do that you make for 3 blockbuster fights rather than one because Forrest would get one title defense, Quinton would fight once and then ideally you woul follow up with the re-match. 

2. Chuck Liddell.  A Liddell vs. Griffin fight would be a huge blockbuster.  You could market it as the coach vs. the student of the Ultimate Fighter.  You could bill it as the two most popular light heavyweights.  That fight would be huge, and if I was Dana I would hope that somehow Rashad gets out of that UFC 88 fight and you could make a huge fight in Griffin’s backyard.  I doubt it will happen like that, but some have suspectd a Liddell vs. Griffin year end fight.  Chuck has to get through Rashad first. 

3. Lyoto Machida. He has earned a top 3 spot in the divison.  However, many people feel like his fights won’t sell.  He is an awesome fighter and is feared by many.  He deserves a shot, but Forrest is on record as saying he wants nothing to do with Machida.  I don’t look for this to happen, but I do look for Machida to be scheduled for a big fight soon.

4. Anderson Silva.  If and only if Anderson Silva steam rolls through James Irvin you could see this fight happening.  Silva wants to fight more and this could be his ticket.  His next fight is July 19th and after that he is expected to fight Yushin Okami at UFC 88 for the middleweight title defense.  A December fight between Silva and Griffin could happen, but I don’t look for it.  The reason: I doubt the UFC would sacrifice Forrest that readily even to Anderson Silva. 

The UFC could shock us and put Griffin against some other good contender.  I never expected Forrest to get the title shot and he did.  It won’t be Wanderlei Silva. They could pull out someone like Dan Henderson, Thiago Silva, or Sokoudjou, but I doubt it.  We could see someone like Keith Jardine come in and fight him for a re-match or Shogun, but I doubt it.  I think Forrest’s next fight will be between the four names I mentioned above (Jackson, Machida, Liddell, or Anderson Silva).

What’s Next For Quinton “Rampage” Jackson?

The question that many people have following Rampage jackson’s decision loss to Forrest Griffin is what is next for the outgoing UFC light heavyweight champion?  There are many people that feel that Griffin should not have won the fight and many people scored the fight either a draw or for Jackson.  However, that is not what happened, Griffin won and is now the champ.  Rampage vowed never to stay out of the octagon for as long as he has again.  So, we will probably see Quinton again by year’s end, but against who?  And where does he stand as a contender in a stacked divison?  First off, I believe that Quinton is the number one contender in the divison today.  As to who he will fight, the most likely candidate is that he will re-match Forrest Griffin.  A lot of what Rampage does next will depend on his leg and I think that there are several scenarios out there for Rampage and 3 fights that could take place for him before the end of the year.

1. The Re-Match.  Many people willc all for the re-match with Forrest.  I wouldn’t be against this as I thought Jackson won the fight anyways, however the light heavyweight strap has been on hold for a long time due to the Griffin/Jackson fight and the Ultimate Fighter stints.  I have a feeling that the UFC may look to market Griffin vs. Someone not named Jackon.  More on this later…  Both guys said they would like the re-match and Dana isn’t against it, and the fight could happen, but the question is will they make Rampage win a fight to get another title shot?

2. Wanderlei Silva.  This is the fight I want.  This has to be a fight Rampage wants.  Wanderlei is a top 5 light heavyweight, but he wasn’t next in line for the title, so if Jackson would have won the fight would have been hard pressed to take place as the next title defense.  With Jackson losing this fight could take place as the fight for the title shot.  The line is long in contention at 205.  You have Machida, Liddell, Wanderlei Silva, Anderson Silva, and Rampage all in the mix for the next title shot with Thiago Silva, Brandon Vera, and Rashad Evans looking to get into contention.  I am sure the Wanderlei fight would be huge, and Rampage wants to avenge those losses to Silva.  This fight really could happen.

2. Shogun.  Shogun should come off his injury and be ready to fight in November or December.  That would give Rampage plenty of time to recover and be ready.  Also, it would be a chance for Rampage to avenge a loss in his career.  I don’t look for this fight to happen although it would be great with both at their best.  It won’t happen because it is too dangerous for both of them.  Shogun is 0-1 in the UFC.  He needs a win and I have a feeling he may get a good, but beatable opponent next.  Rampage is very important to the UFC and him losing his next fight would drop him out of the top 3 and move him towards the back of the line for the title.

In my opinion, although a Rampage fan, I think he needs to win a fight to get another title shot.  I hope Dana gives someone else a shot at the belt as there are so many people who could be deserving.

UFC News: Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill at UFC 88

Yesterday MMAblog reported that Rich Franklin was set to fight at UFC 88 in a Light Heavyweight match.  I threw out a couple of options for his opponents, and one of the ones I mentioned was Matt Hamill.  Well, go ahead give me the props I deserve.  It seems to be a reality.  Rich Franklin and Matt Hamill will square off at UFC 88 in Atlanta. MMAblog confirmed from reliable sources that the fight will indeed take place. 

     I don’t know about this fight for Rich my friends.  I think Rich Franklin is a top 3 middleweight in the world.  I understand his predicament.  He is probably the #2 guy in the UFC and the world.  He can beat everyone in the divison except for the number 1 guy.  He is stuck.  A light heavyweight fight is not a bad idea, in fact, I like the move to light heavyweight for Rich.  There are 10-15 great figths for him there.  However, out of all the top 15 light heavyweights he could have fought, Matt Hamill may pose more danger to him than most.  Matt Is big.  Matt is strong.  Matt is big for a light heavyweight.  Matt has amazing wrestling.  I still think Rich can win this fight if he keeps it standing, but personally I don’t like to see two of my favorite fighters fight each other.  It means one will rise and one will fall in the divison.  Both those guys are good guys and class acts.  I still think that most will consider Rich the favorite in this fight, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Hamill beats Franklin in this fight.  Oddly, the fight most people called for was Franklin vs. Dan Henderson at middleweight.  Dan Henderson is on the card, fighting at middleweight against Rousimar Palhares.  Personally, I was hoping for Rich Franklin vs. Forrest Griffin. UFC 88 is looking decent so far with Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans to headline. Stay tuned for more. 

UFC News: Rashad Evans to Face Chuck Liddell

It was recently announced that Chuck Liddell would in fact headline the UFC 88 card in September in Atlanta, Georgia.  When rumors began swirling about Anderson Silva jumping up to Light Heavyweight bloggers everywehre salivated, hoping for a super match between the two.  It looks like the two will not fight, but Chuck Liddell will fight Light Heavyweight up and comer Rashad Evans.  According to ESPN the Magazine:

Evans will have his chance to break through in September. According to a UFC source, he will be Chuck Liddell’s mystery opponent in the organization’s debut in Atlanta. The fight has been agreed to in principle—the only thing left is the paperwork. Any kind of win over the Iceman would probably vault Evans into light heavyweight title contention and be a defining moment for him and MMA fans. They’d have to embrace him, right? Right?

We knew that Liddell was fighting in September, but there were many rumors as to who he would fight.  Some people suggested that he would fight his original opponent in Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.  Others expected a Liddell vs. Silva II fight.  I think both of those fights could eventually happen, but now it appears it is Rashad Evans.  I am not sure about this one.  Rashad is good and this may eb a dangerous fight for Chuck due to his hamstring injury.  However, a win here gets him into the title picture real quick.  The problem with this fight is that it does not remove the crowded top 5-6 of the divison.  Evans is a top ten guy and a win moves him into the heap.  If I was the UFC I would want to uncrowd that loaded top 5 or 6 of Jackson, Griffin, Wanderlei, Lyoto, Chuck, and Shogun.  I would guess they are looking to cement a few guys at the top. 

The UFC Light Heavyweight Possibilities

With rumors of Anderson Silva moving up to an already stacked light heavyweight divison this is what the divison could look like.  Anderson is not the only rumored guy to move to the divison. Not likely that this pans out like this, but it is possible.

1. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson

2. Anderson Silva

3. Chuck Liddell

4. Lyoto Machida

5. Wanderlei Silva

6. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

7. Brandon Vera

8. Dan Henderson

9. Rich Franklin

10. Forrest Griffin

11. Thiago Silva

12. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou

13. Keith Jardine

14. Rashad Evans

15. Matt Hamill

16. James Irvin

17. Goran Reljic

18. Wilson Gouveia

19. Stephan Bonnar

20. Andre Gusmao

21. Luis Arthur Cane

22. Jason Lambert

23. Houston Alexander

Talk about stacked full of contenders!