A lot of catching up to do

After a month long hiatus, (due to technical problems) UFC TKO is back and lets waste no time in breaking down a lot of notable fights, as well as preview some on the horizon.

• First off, how good did Vitor Belfort look in his dominating win over Rich Franklin? Dana White must have been impressed enough, as it appears he is ready to give the Phenom a shot at Anderson Silva's belt. That has all the makings of a great brawl, except there are two very ( if not more) deserving middleweights who want a shot at Silva. Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt have both done more then enough to earn another fight with Silva. Belfort has put together a nice winning streak, but has done so outside of the UFC. Hendo and Nate appear to be set to square off sometime in 2010, that is unless Henderson moves back up to 205. There is a jumbled mess at 185 with no lack of talent whatsoever. Maybe the Spider gets another 205 fight after his elbow heals up, while Dan and Nate decide the number 1 contender? Where does that leave Belfort? All questions to be decided by Dana White and Joe Silva.

• Whats next for Rich Franklin? Does he stay at this catch weight of 195, which seems to suit him best? Or does he make the permanent jump to 205? Losing to Belfort doesn't hurt him too much as Vitor is by no means a weak fighter. He has a plethora of opponents at 205 to choose from. Ryan Bader, Jon Jones, and maybe Tito Ortiz all strike me as intriguing match ups. We will have to wait and see what Ace decides to do, hopefully we see him fight before February.

• I have to ask, what the hell is wrong with Rampage Jackson? He gets into a heated exchange with Rashad Evans and sets up what should be an incredible fight in the process. Jackson then decides to decline a title shot against Machida and instead coach on TUF opposite Evans. The stage is set, Rashad vs Ramapage, and all over the Internet people are buzzing with anticipation. Rampage fans going on and on about how he will smash Rashad, And fans of Evans saying they are doubtful Rampage could land on Rashad. Pair that with Kimbo Slice and a crew of other colorful heavyweights, and Dana White couldn't have asked for a better storyline on TUF to get people to tune in. What happens next? Rampage declines to go through with the fight with Rashad on December 12th ( In Rampage's home town!) to instead star in "The A-Team". Now even if this movie is a mind blowing cinema magic, will MMA fans be satisfied knowing that they could have seen a classic all time great fight between two great LHW in their prime? HELL NO! There are so many different reasons why what Rampage is doing is selfish, stupid, and downright disrespectful to his fans. We all love watching you fight Rampage, make your movies do whatever you want. But back up your talk and give the people that pay your salary a show. Being a coach on TUF comes with obligations, and one of them is fighting the opposing coach on a decided date. However talented an actor he might be, he will never come close to how talented a fighter this guy is. Hopefully he screws his head on straight and takes care of his business.

• Tomorrow look for a story on Frank Trigg, and whats next for Paul Daley. Thanks for reading, Peace world

Carwin to get first shot at Brock Lesnar??

Report- Several sources have said that Heavyweight brawler Shane Carwin will get the first shot at Brock Lesnar's belt at UFC 106. This is the card that also features the return of Tito Ortiz. Carwin had been scheduled to meet undefeated Cain Velasquez at UFC 104, but that bout may be changed if Carwin is to take this title shot. The UFC has not commented yet on the validity of these reports but word should come soon.

Matt Serra looking for rematch with Matt Hughes

Report- Matt Serra was not happy about how his long awaited fight with Matt Hughes went. He now appears to want a rematch with the 35 year old former welterweight champion. This fight, if confirmed, would take place in 5 to 6 months. If Hughes declines then Frank Trigg has been mentioned as a replacement.

Tito Ortiz is set to fight at UFC 106

Report- Tito Ortiz vs Mark Coleman became official earlier today, as the Huntington Beach Bad Boy will return to the octagon at UFC 106 in November. This is also the date that Ricardo Almeida will make his welterweight debut against Jon Fitch.

*** I just read that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has told reporters that his younger brother, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will fight in the UFC. No official signing has been announced, but it is expected soon

News and Notes 8/18/09

There are many developing stories and potential fights in the works in the upcoming cards for the UFC. Looking ahead at some fights that have not been confirmed, MMA fans can not help but hope that some of these come to fruition.

At UFC 104, Anthony " Rumble " Johnson is rumored to take on Yoshiyuki Yoshida, who you may remember as the man Josh Koscheck viciously knocked out. Yoshiyuki has great Judo skills, and decent standup. It will be interesting to see if Yoshida will be able to contend against Johnson's great striking, but this has the look of a great fight.

Another rumoured bout at 104 is Spencer Fischer vs Joe Stevenson. Personally I would love to see this fight because these are two very entertaining fighters who can brawl. Stevenson is the more well rounded fighter, but anything can happen in the UFC, and this would be a fight worth watching.

Then we have the fight I am most looking foward too if it happens. Wanderlei Silva making his 185 debut against Mike Bisping would be an awesome fight. Both fighters need this win, but for Silva this could be it. After a decision loss to Rich Franklin at UFC 99 the "Ax Murderer" will need a good showing to remain relevant in the UFC. While he is an all time legend, whispers of him being on his way out have been out there since his loss to Chuck Liddell. Those whispers will get awfully loud if he loses this fight. Bisping is of course coming off one of the most brutal knockout losses you will ever see to Dan Henderson. Bisping is the face of MMA in the UK and if he wants to remain so, he will need to get back on the winning track. This bout is rumoured to be at UFC 105 in November.

All of these fights are hypothetical, but would be great to see. Make sure to also check out the preview blog for UFC 102, and to keep reading as more is to come.

Peace

Can anyone dethrone BJ Penn at 155?

Excellent striking
World class BJJ
Amazing takedown defense
.... And now rededicated champion

All these can describe BJ Penn as a martial artist. The question to ask yourself now is who is going to beat this guy? When you think dominant champion, GSP or Anderson Silva usually come to mind. But with both fighters pondering a change in weight class, the MMA fans out there will see that at the end of the day BJ Penn could very possibly be more dominant then either Silva or St Pierre. Days after thrashing Kenny Florian to retain his belt, the BJ Penn we all saw fight is not someone who looks like he can be beat. We all know this man has the skill set very few possess and was able to make a name for himself on talent alone. Now that he has gotten serious about his conditioning program there really are no weaknesses to his game. Many were quick to write him off after his last loss to St Pierre, but he showed us all that he is back and doesn't appear to be going anywhere soon. Lets take a look at a few fighters that can be considered contenders to his belt, and the chances they stand.

1. Diego Sanchez- An excellent wrestler and Penn's next opponent, Diego Sanchez has the skills to make this a much closer fight then Penn's beatdown of Kenny Florian. If he is able to take Penn down ( which no one at 155 can consistently do ) he will have to stay out of the web that is BJ Penn's guard and avoid the slew of submissions that can be thrown at him. He has the standup ability to hang with Penn, but is definitly disadvantaged in that aspect too. He has to gameplan perfectly and hope he doesn't make the first mistake. When you fight someone as dominating and skilled as BJ, you need to have almost a perfect fight to even make it competitive. The fight has all the makings of a classic, and Sanchez's chance of victory banks on him being able to do what only GSP could, which is using smart ground striking to smother BJ and neutralize his guard.

2. Frankie Edgar- Edgar showed good standup and smart gameplanning in his last fight, a win over Sean Sherk. At this point in his young career, expecting him to be able to take on a veteran like Penn might be a little to ambitious. The reason he is considered is simply because he has exceeded expectations and done very well in his UFC career. His only loss comes to Gray Maynard in a decision, and he has all the potential to be a force in this division. Anything can happen once those octagon doors close ( Matt Serra anyone?) but at this time most would agree Edgar is a little too green to take on Penn. His shot at the title is likely a little down the road, but if he continues to pile up wins it may be sooner then later we see these two square off.

3. Gray Maynard- Maynard will be on display soon, as he takes on Roger Huerta at a UFC fight night next month. So far in his undefeated career, he has won in dominant fashion, with his last 4 wins coming by way of unanimous decision. He holds wins over Frankie Edgar, Jim Miller, and Rich Clementi, all solid fighters at 155. His title hopes depend on how he fares in his next bout, along with how Frankie Edgar does in the coming months. Assuming Penn defends his belt against Sanchez, Edgar and Maynard will arguably be the top two contenders in this division. Maynard's wrestling can be a problem, but against the takedown defense of Penn, it will take more then that to beat him.

4. Sean Sherk- Sherk is a great fighter who has proven himself countless times in the UFC. That being said, his last fight was a lackluster loss to Frankie Edgar at UFC 98 which left many wondering how much he has left in the tank. During the fight he made almost no attempt to implement his style into the fight. His usual lightning fast takedowns and brutal ground and pound were no where to be seen against the relatively inexperienced Edgar. His next fight comes at UFC 103 against Gleison Tibau. A win does by no means get him a title shot, but a loss can put him into obscurity in this division. You also have to take into account that when Sherk and Penn met at UFC 84, Sherk was soundly beaten and battered in spectacular fashion. Sean Sherk will go down as one of the greatest fighters at 155 pounds, but unless he gets back to his winning ways, the career may be over for the Muscle Shark.

I feel that after the four fighters mentioned, there really is no one at the time that can challenge Penn. All four of these great fighters have a mountain to climb if they even want to make this fight competitive. It is no slight on their ability but they are engaging into a battle with a man who seemingly has no flaws. After looking at the fighters who could potentially fight for the title, it is easy to see how Penn can build up several title defenses here, where he can then move up in weight or retire as the greatest 155 pound fighter the UFC has ever seen.

The choice is his

Who can stop Anderson Silva??

After watching the destruction Anderson Silva put on Forrest Griffin, I began to wonder if there was a conceivable matchup out there that Silva could lose. He is undefeated in the UFC and has destroyed some top flight competition at 185. The Spider's next fight looks to be against Dan Henderson for the middle weight title. Hendo can cause problems for Silva, but is still a heavy underdog. So can anyone beat this man? Here are a few fighters that I think could take out the number one fighter on the planet.

1. Rashad Evans- I picked Rashad because the only round Silva has lost in the octogon was against Dan Henderson, a great wrestler. Not only is Evans an awesome wrestler, he has the power in both his hands and feet to trade with Silva. The fact that Rashad is bigger, stronger, and faster then Hendo makes the argument that he can beat Anderson even stronger. I think it would be a tough fight, and i would be shocked to see Silva put his hands at his sides and taunt Rashad.

2. Rampage Jackson- See the trend here? Big, strong, powerful strikers who can trade with anyone in the world. Rampage would give Anderson a run for his money. Some may look at the loss to Forrest Griffin as a reason he would lose to Silva, but don't let that fool you. Few people on the planet can trade with Jackson, and he is another fighter that could potentially beat Silva.

3. Lyoto Machida- This is the dream super fight that everyone seems to be waiting for. It actually happening is a whole different story that requires many pieces to fall into place before it can be done. The two men are friends who appear to not want to fight which is why many are skeptical about the fight ever happening. Machida also has a title defense against Shogun Rua in October which would push this fight into 2010. Anderson would either have to be awarded a chance to hold two belts in different weight classes, or give up his belt at 185. But the Dragon has amazing counter punching skills, and a solid karate base. He could be the man that has the tools to beat Anderson, but a lot has to be done for UFC fans to ever get to witness it.

These three fighters are all very capable of handing Silva a loss, but is it going to happen? We dont know, and if it does it wont be in the near future. As mentioned before, Machida has a title defense, and Rampage is gearing up to take on Rashad at UFC 107 in December. Dan Henderson has a shot as well, but that is really the only person who dented Silva's armor at 185. And he didnt even make it out of the second round! Well lets hear it, who do you think can beat this man? Can anyone? Leave your comments, I am interested to know what people think about this.

Peace