UFC TKO: 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.