Return Of Top Five Friday: Top Five Favorite MMA Fighters

It's the "long-awaited" return of Top Five Friday tonight here at the B-Spot as I celebrate the happening that is UFC 100 with a MMA-themed list...

My Top Five Favorite MMA Fighters!

5. Wanderlei Silva

One of the most dangerous strikers in MMA, the "Axe Murderer" takes the #5 spot in this one. He may not be as dangerous as he once was as he seems to have lost a bit in the move from Pride to the UFC [you can speculate all you want as to why] but he's still one of the most entertaining fighters in the world. The man will throw down from Minute One and not stop until someone is laid out. I have to admit though, I DO miss the head kicks and stomps from Pride Silva.

4. Brock Lesnar

The current UFC World Heavyweight Champion

come a long way from his days throwing around

the WWE's finest. One of my favorite things about

Brock in MMA is that the so-called "purists"

absolutely despise him being there, let alone him

being the champ. It's a beautiful thing to see. To

me, the only thing that would be better is if Brock

used his natural arrogance to the fullest and

embraced his pro wrestling roots while running

down the UFC guys as being "not as tough" as the

WWE folks. It'd make for amazing television as

fighter after fighter stepped up to "protect the

honor of MMA." Vince McMahon is obviously a

huge influence on Dana White - you'd think Dana

would pick up on some of the storyline aspects of

the biz too.

3. BJ Penn

This is a weird one for me because I have a really difficult time explaining why I like BJ Penn so much. There's just something about a guy who talks a ton of trash about people who looks like there's no fucking way he can back it up inside a cage... and then goes in there and does it. Plus, you toss in things like licking the blood off his fists after a fight and well... it's just kinda cool. I'm still pissed he lost to GSP. Fucking Frenchy.

2. Mirko Cro Cop

Fuck yes! CroCop is coming back to the UFC for more! I was so disappointed when I thought he was jumping back to Japan because ever since I stumbled upon MMA, Cro Cop has been one of my favorites. From the Pro Wrestler Hunter gimmick to the "the right leg sends them to the hospital, the left to the morgue" quote - this man oozes badassedness. Plus, he's in Croatian Special Forces so he really could fuck up someone's world. I still think Brock vs Cro Cop in Japan would be a golden ticket for the UFC to do whatever the fuck they want in the Land of the Rising Sun.

And my #1 favorite fighter in MMA...

ANDERSON SILVA

I still remember the first time I saw Anderson Silva fight in Pride. He seemed... interesting. There was nothing amazing about him but I found the spider guard to be pretty impressive as no one else was able to do something like it. When he jumped to UFC, I wasn't excited because all I could remember was the guard. Then he took on Chris Leben - who was one of my favorites at the time... and absolutely KEEEEELED HIM DEAD! It was a beatdown of epic proportions that cemented Anderson Silva as a rising star. The two fights with Rich Franklin put him over the top as someone who was potentially MMA's version of Mike Tyson in the late 80s/early 90s - the guy you would pay big money to see because you wanted to see how badly he'd knock someone the fuck out. Sadly, the shine has come off him a bit with a few unimpressive showings but to me, Silva remains the top dog in MMA.

Now That's Interesting

Yesterday, MMA sites were all aflutter with the news that Anderson Silva had signed for his next fight. He'll be fighting at Light Heavyweight later this year against the former LHW Champ Forrest Griffin.

Wow.

Just when I think the UFC doesn't have many more fights that I'd pay to see, they somehow manage to dig one up. The mere thought of this one makes me a little giddy. Silva's taken a lot of heat over the past six months or so since he's had two fights in a row that were less than explosive - and far less than entertaining. We miss the Silva who decimated Rich Franklin - twice. Oh, and by the way, how weird is it that Franklin is training with Anderson Silva? Bizarre.

Anyways, in my humble opinion, a fighter like Griffin who will go balls-out to throw down in every fight he's in is exactly what Anderson Silva needs. Plus, it's a top LHW contender for Silva in what many think is babysteps towards Silva going after two titles.

Personally, I still want to see him destroy GSP but after his last couple fights, I'm less convinced that would happen. But the fight is apparently still being discussed. They want another GSP defense and at least one more Silva win before they look at it seriously.

A Silva win over Griffin might just pave the road into what is, on paper, the biggest fight that the UFC can deliver right now.

SILVA!

Haven't written much about MMA lately cause there hasn't been much of interest to write about. I've given up on The Ultimate Fighter after last season's disaster with that jackass Junie so that's been removed from my DVR permanently. I did see the Strike Force show on Showtime last week and I did dig that quite a bit. It had some definite highlights and was a fun show to watch.

But this weekend on the other hand...

SILVA!

Ahhh, the return to the cage of my favorite MMA fighter. I love me some Anderson Silva. The comparisons they write to Silva being like Tyson was in the 80s seems to ring true to me. I can totally picture people gathering nationwide waiting to see just how badly Silva's going to outclass his opponent. He's the most explosive striker in the sport and a true joy to watch in the cage.

And then there's Chuck.

Chuck's at a major crossroads in my opinion. Another loss has GOT to make him seriously consider retirement. He needs a win and an impressive one because at the moment, I have no desire to see him fight anymore. It's becoming kind of sad actually. Chuck was once the UFC's biggest draw - but how much longer can that last if he can't win a fight convincingly?

It should be a fun night of fighting.

Chinese Food, Bad Service, & Small Town Racism

Tommy's Wok was amazing! I quite honestly think it was the best Chinese food I've ever had in my life. We had the Crab Cheese Puffs for an appetizer. Those are a common appetizer that you see at almost every Chinese food place - even the fast food places like Panda Express - but these were bar none the best I've ever had. We followed that up with the Tommy's Chow Mein and the Sesame Beef. The Chow Mein had chicken, BBQ Pork, and shrimp in it - all of which were amazing. But the crown jewel of the meal was the Sesame Beef. The perfect amount of breading, not overly saucy, and just the right hint of spice - I'm drooling right now thinking about it. Luckily, we had a small box of leftovers for later. So, obviously, I thought the food was awesome. The service was lacking a bit as there was only one server for the whole place. But since the place is on the small side to begin with, I guess can understand why. Super friendly staff though and I highly recommend this place to anyone who happens to be in Carmel.

With plenty of time to go in the UFC show, we crossed the parking lot over to Ody's - a local bar that had a review on Yelp that a] mentioned they show UFC shows and b] likened it to the Regal Beagle - two requirements for an amazing bar. We walked in to find a pretty light crowd and took a side table away from the bar. Again, a very small place not much larger than our living room. It's a far cry from the typical sprawling Orange County bar. I didn't see much that reminded me of the Regal Beagle so I was a little disappointed in that though. We got quick service as we settled in to watch the Clementi/Maynard fight. Some nice slams in that one to get some people in the crowd buzzing.

There was a high level of intoxication in the air as some guy at the bar drunkenly slurred to me about if we were there to see "Anderson Silva against that other guy in the Main Event." I said we were which apparently made me the bar's MMA expert as every once in a while, he'd shout a question in my direction. At the other end of the bar, a group of older former veterans were screaming about Obama being a socialist - a conversation that made us laugh because we had discussed the whole socialism debate at dinner. Oh, and they later started marching in place shouting cadence - a good time had by all.

But my favorite by far was the little old man about ten feet away taking photos with his iPhone. The female bartender shouted at him, asking what he was doing and if he had remembered what she told him. Apparently the week prior, he was "taking photos of her tits and ass" and had been warned that if he did it again, he was going to be kicked out. She actually sent another bartender over at one point to check his phone to see what he was taking photos of. She was quite spunky as she got attitude with several customers throughout the night. One of the benefits of a small town, I guess, is that you know the customers have no other place to go and will always come back so you can do whatever you want. It's like the opposite of an Orange County bar where the bartenders can afford to be rude because they know there's always someone coming to replace you soon enough.

The Koscheck/Alves fight brought some cheers from the crowd for the brutal kicks of Alves. Lots of cheers for Koscheck which made me a little nauseous. I did enjoy a really drunk guy yelling, "He's a soldier! He's a soldier!" when Koscheck didn't crumple like a bitch from the beating he was taking. I was glad to see Alves take the win but the lack of a KO disappointed me.

Oh, and I was still on my first drink even though it was sitting empty on the table. I didn't care that much or I would have just gone to the bar but I did find it kind of odd that the bartender wasn't coming back to see if we wanted anything else. Again, only two servers for the whole place though.

Did I mention they had a Wii hooked up to the TV too? That seemed absolutely brilliant to me. Imagine a bunch of drunk guys playing Wii Sports? Pure comedic gold.

So, the Silva match comes on. The people with the slightest bit of MMA knowledge seemed to be very solidly behind Silva but the others... For a long time, there's been live reports from UFC shows saying that non-white fighters got lower amounts of support than white fighters at the shows. The writers always implied that there was a very clear level of racism present at the shows. I never really saw it because I don't watch many shows with the "unwashed masses" but now that I have, I understand it a little better. There were quite a few comments about "I'm rooting for the white guy!" although they were a little uncomfortable with Cote getting kisses from his corner - not surprising considering all the "Yes On 8" signs I've seen up here.

Anyways... it was a little uncomfortable to hear how angry some of them were at Silva, especially when he started showboating a bit. "Kill that arrogant fucker!" is a comment that comes to mind. I think these guys would've fit in well at a McCain/Palin rally actually.

The finish was deflating for the whole bar - and the bartender made it worse by running around implying that Cote was faking it because he was "being a bitch." Eh... whatever. I would've obviously preferred a finish but we paid our bill and were on our way [oh yeah, they finally brought me a second drink] - sixteen bucks for two Jack and Cokes - YIKES!

Some crazy fog on the way back to the hotel but we made it. We're already running late this morning because the Missus is feeling a little under the weather but we've got to get going soon to make it to the concert by 2 PM. On the way up, we decided we're going to do a joint review of the show when we get home but until then, I'll probably still do a little bit of liveblogging at the concert.

I know you're excited for that!

On The Road Again

Just a quick note to let you all know that the Missus and I are headed out of town this morning for the Bridge School show up in Mountain View. We're making stops on the way up and back so this is a little mini-vacation for us before the holidays arrive.

That being said, expect this blog to be a bit of a travel blog over the next few days. Lots of pictures and short posts, I'd imagine. But I may liveblog [sorta] between sets from the show thanks to the wonders of my new iPhone! Look forward to that, kiddies!

As always, I'll make my very best effort to at least spit out some random rambling every day.

Now someone find me a sports bar in Carmel so I can watch Anderson Silva!

These Words Are My Own

I saw The Dark Knight last night. I plan on doing a full review in a few days but until then, there's only three words needed to describe it.

HO. LEE. SHIT!

Easily my favorite movie of the year and I can't wait to see it in IMAX.

I saw the Anderson Silva fight last night.

HO. LEE. SHIT!

The man is so much fun to watch. Now I know what Tyson fans during his streak of quick KOs felt like. Easily my favorite MMA fighter to watch right now.

The Dodgers are back in a tie for first place after scoring five runs in the ninth to win today. Wait. The Dodgers scored 5 in the ninth? My Dodgers? The ones who've been 0 for infinity with RISP most of the year?

HO. LEE. SHIT!

Taking 2 of 3 from the first place team is an awesome way to start the second half. Let's hope they can keep things going.

Fedor puts his name back in the debate of the best fighter in the world with a 36 second demolition of former two-time UFC champ Tim Sylvia.

HO. LEE. SHIT!

The man is no mere mortal. He was sent back in time by John Conner to dominate the world of MMA with his cybernetic strength and Skynet-influenced mind and skillz.

Shannon Doherty's back for the new 90210!

HO. LEE. SHIT!

Well, okay, that's not as exciting as the rest but I wanted a nice even five. And it IS pretty exciting, right? Oh, come on. You know you're gonna watch it. Even if it's because it has the chance to be so bad it's good.

Random MMA Discussion

At the Wrestling Observer, they had a post where several MMA "experts" discussed a few issues going on in that world at the moment. So, I figured "What a fantastic post idea to steal!"...

...or something like that.

UFC vs Affliction
In case you haven't heard, the UFC decided to put on another free show on Spike. This one will be held on July 19th - the same night, of course, that Affliction is having their debut PPV.

I'm actually of mixed opinion on this. On one hand, it seems like the UFC is getting dangerously close to watering down their own product. It just seems like there's so much UFC on TV now, it's getting a little excessive. You just had a PPV with a shoddy lineup and a very weak main event that you made people drop $40 for and now you're giving out a free show with Anderson Silva? Something's wrong there.

On the other hand, cross-promoting your own show against the competition's has been a long-standing tradition in all sports - especially combat sports. Vince McMahon and Jim Crockett [later Ted Turner/Eric Bischoff] did it to one another to varying degrees of success for years. Affliction is the first promotion that looks like a legitimate threat [talent-wise] to the UFC so why not go for a kill shot before they get going?

Me? I'm still more interested in the Affliction show. Not sure I'm $40 interested but interested nonetheless.


Anderson Silva: 205
Again, if you're unaware, the aforementioned UFC show is going to be headlined by Anderson Silva making his debut in the Light Heavyweight division against James Irvin. Personally, I think this is a bad, bad idea. I understand that the well is running dry for legit Middleweight contenders for Silva to face but you're not having him vacate the Middleweight title so that situation is still unresolved.

I think this is a very risky move. You have a dominant Middleweight Champion that many people tune into to see the wild knockouts. The guy is getting some Mike Tyson-esque buzz. He has gotten so much attention, even the boxing world has taken notice of him. He seems like an opportunity to create a lasting, unique superstar for your promotion.

There was a rumored Silva/Liddell fight for a while. I didn't think that was a good idea either but I liked it better than this. If you do that fight, you promote it as a one-off fight for Silva, testing himself. You draw a MASSIVE buyrate and really don't lose anything no matter the winner. In the Irvin fight, it's a lose-lose situation. If Silva wins, he beat a nobody in the division and proved nothing more than he would have if you'd fed him another Middleweight. If he loses, uh oh... you potentially killed a cash cow.

Honestly, I would have rather seen Silva go the other way, dropping down in weight to take on GSP. Arguably the two best pound for pound fighters in the world going at it? That's a money match too. But maybe they're going to actually let BJ Penn make that challenge now.

Anyways, I usually think Dana is pretty smart with the matches they choose to promote - this isn't one of them.


TUF Finale
Eh. TUF has lost a lot of the magic for me over the past few seasons. At this point, almost none of the fighters do anything to distinguish themselves from the rest. That first season had characters that you could love/hate - hell, I still hate Koscheck and Bobby Southworth to this day when I see them fight. Most of the seasons since then have just been dry in that respect. For a show like this to succeed, not only do the fights need to be interesting - but the people in them need to be interesting too. And lately, they just don't have the kind of characters that you can get behind.

Granted, the two finalists are probably the most interesting. You can get behind Amir because he's inexperienced and looks to be way in over his head. You can rally behind a guy who looks like he should have no chance in hell yet somehow keeps on winning. And CB is a dick. No doubt about that. So, you can root against him.

But there's just something missing. I can't quite put my finger on it but I just don't feel a strong attachment to anyone from this show.

Oh, and last night's show with that jackass getting kicked out of the UFC after the show was over was just ridiculous. Does the UFC realize they don't do themselves any favors when they show these guys get drunk and act like idiots destroying the house every season? The first couple of seasons it was interesting - now it's just embarrassing to watch. There's a reason a lot of people look down on MMA competitors and when the people striving to be the next big MMA star do shit like that, we can see why.

UFC Picks

Man, it's been a nutty few weeks for MMA. Before we get to the picks, a little recap.

*** Randy/Mark Cuban and the UFC trading lawsuits. UFC won the first battle on this front as they got an injunction to prevent Randy from appearing at the IFL show [which I'm watching right now.] The Cuban one is the interesting one as it calls for a court to determine when Randy is free and clear to fight Fedor.

*** EliteXC had the big Kimbo/Tank show. The show was a lot of fun as I believe 5 of the 6 shows that made air had a KO [and some of those KOs were damn cool] which is really what the casual MMA fan is looking for. Kimbo/Tank was a total freak show fight but it was a fun one. And of course, EXC landed the big news of getting their shows on CBS. That's going to be huge for them and it'll be a big fork in the road for MMA as a sport. Success there opens a lot of doors for MMA on network TV. Failure cements them as "only good enough for cable." Kimbo'll be main eventing their first show on CBS in April so hopefully they can find an opponent that will play huge to the press.

*** Strike Force had a show broadcast on HDNet with Bob Sapp in the main event. That show bombed. I was bored, I fell asleep... I woke up in time to see Sapp attempt a Ric Flair entrance that lasted longer than he did in the fight. Bad, bad show.

Anyways... Picks time. Let's see where we were the last time this happened.

Picks Average For The Year: 13 out of 27 fights for a .482
Money For The Year: +$21

Here goes nothing...

Date: March 1, 2008
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Venue: Nationwide Arena


PRELIMINARY CARD
****************

Andrei Arlovski vs. Jake O’Brien
ODDS: Arlovski -270, O'Brien +210
This is one of the most loaded shows that I can recall in the UFC. When you've got guys like Diego Sanchez and Arlovski on the non-televised card, you know the card is stacked. The rumors are strong that this may be Arlovski's final UFC fight but Dana White announced today that he plans to re-sign him. We'll see, I guess. Arlovski is 11-5, a former UFC Heavyweight Champion coming off a decision win over Werdum in April of '07. O'Brien is 10-0 coming off a decision win over Heath Herring in January '07. Sigh.
PREDICTION: Arlovski by KO in Rd 2
BET: None

Luke Cummo vs. Luigi Fioravanti
ODDS: Cummo -160, Fiorvanti +130
I really like Luke Cummo so I wish he'd made the main card. Cummo is 6-4 coming off a couple of wins last year. Fioravanti is 11-3 but I'm not too impressed with the people he's beaten. I'll go with Cummo.
PREDICTION: Cummo by decision
BET: None

Dustin Hazelett vs. Josh Koscheck
ODDS: Hazelett +300, Koscheck -450
Koscheck is another one I'm surprised to see not make the main card - not disappointed mind you since I hate the motherfucker... but surprised. Hazelett is 10-3 coming off a three fight win streak. Koscheck is 9-2 coming off a loss to GSP after running off 5 in a row. He really should only have one loss but he had that bizarre KO loss to Drew Fickett. I hate picking Koscheck but I can't imagine he'd lose. He'll stall it out at worst. The odds are enough to take a flyer on Hazelett though.
PREDICTION: Koscheck by decision
BET: $10 on Hazelett to win $30

David Bielkheden vs. Diego Sanchez
ODDS: Bielkheden +300, Sanchez =450
Bielkheden is 12-5 and making his UFC debut. Diego is 17-2 coming off two decision losses. You've gotta imagine this poor bastard is being fed to Diego to try to get him back on track. He was supposed to be the Ultimate Fighter Golden Boy... the easy lock for the first UF contestant to win gold. If Diego can get back in his game, this should be an easy fight for him. But the odds are too long not to take a chance.
PREDICTION: Sanchez by TKO in Rd 2
BET: $10 on Bielkheden to win $30

Jorge Gurgel vs. John Halverson
ODDS: Gurgel -200, Halverson +160
Jorge is 11-3 coming off a decision loss last October. Halverson is 16-5 on a three fight win streak but in his first UFC fight since losing to Roger Huerta last February.
PREDICTION: Gurgel by RNC in Rd 2
BET: None


MAIN CARD
*********

Jon Fitch vs. Chris Wilson
ODDS: Fitch -550, Wilson +350
Fitch is... are you ready for this? He's 15-2... on a 14 fight win streak! Chris Wilson is 13-3 on a four fight win streak. A 14 fight win streak? How do you pick against that? But at those odds, you gotta take a chance to bet against it.
PREDICTION: Fitch via RNC in Rd 2 to get the next title shot at 170
BET: $10 on Wilson to make $35

Yushin Okami vs. Evan Tanner
ODDS: Okami -240, Tanner +190
Okami is 20-4 and was running off quite the nice win streak until he had a decision loss to Rich Franklin. So, now he's trying to get back on the winning path and see if he can get a shot at the winner of tomorrow's main event. Tanner is 12-6 but will be in his first fight in two years. This is a win-win for Dana. A win by Okami puts him back in line for a shot at Silva/Henderson. A win by Evan gives another marketable fighter in that division that looks like it will need some fresh blood after tomorrow night.
PREDICTION: Okami by decision
BET: $10 on Tanner to win $19

Chris Leben vs. Alessio Sakara
ODDS: Leben -165, Sakara +135
Leben is 17-4 coming off a great KO win. He just signed a new contract and tends to be one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC often to his own detriment. Sakara is 11-6 coming off a win. This should be a fun fight. Both guys tend to either KO their opponent or get KOd so expect the fists to fly.
PREDICTION: Leben by KO in Rd 2
BET: $10 on Leben to win $6

Heath Herring vs. Cheick Kongo
ODDS: Herring +145, Kongo -175
Herring is 27-13 and is one of those fighters that kinda hold a gatekeeper role. They have pretty good records but usually lose to the big names. He's got wins over guys like Mark Kerr and Gary Goodridge but losses to Cro Cop, Fedor, Noguiera, etc. Kongo is 11-3-1 coming off two wins and I suppose can be credited as running Cro Cop out of the UFC. He's one of my favs but I think he needs more polish to challenge for the title. Noguiera's too much for him to handle. But I think he can get past Herring and probably will be a sacrificial lamb title defense for Nogueira.
PREDICTION: Kongo by decision
BET: $10 on Herring to win $14.50

Middleweight Title Match: Anderson Silva vs Dan Henderson
ODDS: Silva -160, Henderson +130
The final time that a PRIDE championship will be defended essentially ending a major era in the sport's history. This should be an incredible match. Ever since Silva debuted with the impressive KO over Leben and then totally destroyed Rich Franklin twice, many have wondered just who stands between Anderson Silva and cleaning out the division. That's gotta be Dan Henderson. If Silva gets past Henderson, Dana's going to have issues in finding a sellable opponent for Silva. He just looks dominant out there. If he can convince Matt Hughes to go up in weight for it, he could see it but no one will give Hughes a chance. If he can get Wanderlei to drop down to face Anderson, that'll sell a ton. If Hendo wins, you've got more options. Hendo's got a great chance in this one. Since it was announced, this has been my most eagerly anticipated fight of the year. My heart says Silva gets another huge KO after Henderson gets worn down a bit trying to G and P. My head says Henderson follows the Rampage gameplan and does enough on the ground to get it to the judges. I'm going with my heart on this one.
PREDICTION: Anderson Silva by TKO in Rd 4.
BET: $40 on Silva to win $25


And that's that. Enjoy the fights, people!

Top Five Friday

Ay yo!

It's time for the second edition of Top Five Friday... and in honor of it being a big MMA weekend [the first IFL show of the year is tonight & the UFC PPV is tomorrow night] I've decided on an MMA-themed Top Five and thus...

My Top Five MMA Dream Matches Of The Moment

5. Kimbo Slice vs Bob Sapp
Let's start with the Mother of All Freak Show Fights. Bob Sapp, the man who has made a living off being a freak show fighter in Japan, who incidentally got his ass knocked the fuck out last weekend in no time flat, taking on the YouTube King, Kimbo Slice. So, Kimbo vs Sapp... it soooooo needs to go down in Japan. For one, it'll draw the best there since they love the freak show fight, they love Sapp, and I can't imagine they wouldn't adore Kimbo. For two, since it'd require a weight class change that would probably be a bad idea for both [although Kimbo could probably do it] so you'd need the "relaxed" rules of Japan. It'd be over in no time flat probably but it'd be a fun first round.

4. Chuck Liddell vs Forrest Griffin
This would be better if Chuck was the champ as you'd have the great story of the heavily favored champ taking on his former student, the huge underdog, in what would be a great brawl. Forrest shows no fear and would stand and throw with Chuck. The UFC screwed this one up by booking Forrest vs Rampage but... oooh, fantasy booking hat on! Forrest vs Rampage... Forrest takes Rampage to the limit but ends up losing by controversial decision. In the match, Rampage hurts Forrest pretty bad at some point... maybe a tweaked neck or something from a big slam. Chuck takes up his former student's mantle to go after Rampage... and wins the title. Forrest comes back but instead of being grateful to Chuck... he immediately challenges him for the title. It's beautiful!

3. Mirko CroCop vs Brock Lesnar
I said it a month or so ago... this really is a fantastic dream match but only if it goes down in Japan. This match has lost some luster for me since Brock lost his first fight and CroCop's heading back to Japan to get back in the groove before his UFC return. If CroCop can string together some wins and Brock gets on track, this could be a fantastic match sometime in '09 though.

2. Fedor Emiliananko vs Randy Couture
Couldn't go without everyone's favorite dream match, right? Arguably, the two top heavyweights in the world going toe to toe for the undisputed World Championship. Of course, with Noguiera stopping Sylvia while Randy could only take him to the limit [and with Sylvia having a bad back during the fight], there probably is some "dispute" to it. This fight may happen this year... depending on how the UFC contract scenario shakes out. It's got a limited shelf life though so it needs to happen quick. And preferably before Fedor ends up fighting real competition and loses.

1. Wanderlei Silva vs Anderson Silva
Okay, Wanderlei made a little noise recently about dropping down in weight class if Hendo wins the title tomorrow night... so he could do the same to face Anderson. Two of the best strikers in the world colliding would make for one of the most exciting fights in ages. This is a long shot because I believe they are on the same fight team but it would be awesome.

Okay, that's that. UFC Picks to come tomorrow.