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I was watching Amazon Forest Combat 2 today, and two of the fighters that won are two that I believe should be back in the UFC, so I thought I'd compile a list...

1) Thales Leites: Okay, okay, his fight with Anderson Silva was boring, but he lost one fight after that - a split decision against Alessio Sakara. I don't believe he should have been cut in the first place and, since his stint in the UFC, Thales has picked up 6 wins with just 1 loss - being to Matt Horwich, who he has just avenged this loss to. He's beat veterans like Jeremy Horn and Dean Lister along the way too, and during his spell in the major leagues he beat the likes of Nate Marquardt and Ryan Jensen. Call him up Dana, please.

2) Patrick Côté: He's on a 4-fight win streak since getting cut and finally seems to be back to the old Predator. Also, these four wins haven't been against bums (okay, maybe one win was) so Paddy has definitely made a statement since his departure. He's beaten the likes of Grove, Almeida and McFederies during his time at the UFC, and I could see him being in the top-10 if he shows the same form he has recently - if he does indeed get called up, that is. With an upcoming Canada event, this could be the time for Mr. Côté to be back in the UFC.

3) Gerald Harris: I don't see why he got cut in the first place. 1 loss against a beast like Falcao is hardly cutable - made up word, I know - and he stopped all 3 of his opponents prior to the boat with Maiquel at UFC 123. He's since compiled a record of 3-1 with solid wins in respectable organisations. I'd like to see him come back and fight dudes like Tim Boetsch and Rich Franklin for sure.

4) John Alessio: 10-1 in his last 11 is simply too impressive to go unnoticed. He's 0-3 in the UFC, but this is against beasts like Pat Miletich, Diego Sanchez and Thiago Alves - hardly something to be ashamed of. At 32, he is certainly in his prime and could make an impact in the already stacked Welterweight division.
5) Antonio Banuelos: I normally stick by Joe Silva's choices and regard him highly as a matchmaker, but putting Banuelos up against Torres was a poor decision. And a decision that effectively cut Banuelos as he was never likely to get past the reach advantage of Torres, let alone beat a guy of his calibre. Banuelos was recently in the final of the Dream Bantamweight GP losing to one of the best in the world at 135, Bibiano Fernandes. He deserves another chance in the UFC, that's for sure, and he matches up nicely against guys like Menjivar, Barao et al.

6) Brian Foster: He got cut due to medical issues, but before that he looked very solid. He's never been to a decision, has notched up a four-fight win streak, and - should he prove he is at full health - we should see him in the Octagon again very soon. And at just 27 years old, he could make serious impact to the 170lbs division.

7) Nate Marquardt: Dana needs to admit he made a mistake, take it on the chin and just sign Nate already. He's now back at Strikeforce and if he can get a win over his next opponent, he may get another call up. He justified his reason for a failed drug test, looked very good at 170 and should get another fight in the UFC soon, hopefully.

8) Paul Daley: If Dana can let bygones be bygones, and Daley can kiss Dana's shoes, he could be a big signing for the UFC. He was on an absolute tear prior to his three-round dry humping at the hands of Koscheck, and his first round loss to Diaz was one of the best one round fights ever. I believe he beat Misaki in his last bout, and he showed awesome elbows and wrestling in the bout to prove he's getting more well-rounded. His knockout power means it can all be over in a matter of seconds for his foes, and he's very sellable for the UK market and beyond. He's also beat very good fighters like Masvidal, Acacio and Shirai since being cut for his antics. One thing is for sure, if Semtex gets a second shot, there will be fireworks.

9) Junior Assuncao: After a very close decision loss against Ross Pearson in which Assuncao showed Machida-esque elusiveness, Jr. got cut for very mysterious reasons. He beat former Tachi Palace champ Eddie Yagin prior to the bout with Pearson, his 7th win in 7, and the decision to cut the Brazilian has always mystified me. It's not as though the Featherweight division is so stacked that it can afford to have fighters cut after one close loss, so this makes no sense to me. He didn't miss weight, didn't test positive to any form of drugs and put on an exciting fight. Hopefully if he wins one or two outside of the organisation, he will get another call-up shortly.

10) Tim Sylvia: Just so he can shut up and stop making videos.

Rampage has turned into Quinton inside the octagon…

I never thought that he would just give up on his UFC career the way I feel he has but pose an argument against the fact that Rampage just “ain’t the same OG” that KO’d his way to the UFC 205 strap.

I admit that I saw the KO of Chuckie Ly-dell coming but I've never seen what I’m seeing Page do right now… Quit!

He comes in out of shape, not even prepared for a 3 round fight, no less a 5 round WAR to reclaim what he constantly calls “his belt”.

I’ll tell it like I see it… he will never will hold the UFC gold again. He’s just another fighter in a long line that has refused to evolve into an “MMA” fighter. He’s a one trick pony that will never take the time or put in the work that will allow him to gain the skill set that would at least put him in the top 5 Light-heavy weights in the UFC.

Yup... I’m saying that Page is not a top 5 UFC 205’er. He never will be again… Ryan Bader brought to light a very painful truth for the “Page fans” out there. He has been lapped by the younger crop of UFC fighters and he does not have the hunger to change that. He’s been out worked, out hustled and ultimately out fought by kids in the MMA world that frankly put should not be able to beat him.

Never the less, he’s losing to these fighters and has truthfully taken himself out of the discussion for UFC gold. My point is this… if Jackson ever wants to win a strap ever again, he needs to go into Dana White’s office and ask to be demoted. He needs to ask to be traded to the “B” team. He needs to ask to be let out of his UFC contract and ask for a nice, cushy “Strike force” contract.

Yup boys and girls I’m saying Page has lost it and should be sent to SF. He’s done it to himself... He’s never been the same fighter that pushed Dan Henderson to a 5 round trashing taking Hendo down and controlling the ground game. He’s never been the same fighter that KO’d the Knock out Rembrandt-Chuck-E Ly-dell.

I love his personality and I know, I know… he’s good for MMA as one of our sports main figures but c’mon people… he’s done in the UFC.

He’s an afterthought... he’s almost Keith Jardine. He’s a gate keeper at best now in the UFC’s 205 pound division. Ask Ryan Bader… he just took the gate key away from him and walked right into the title discussion. That’s where Quinton ‘Rampage” Jackson use to live... USE to.

When the WEC folded up it's operations, and their LW's absorbed into the UFC, I recall many a keyboard "expert" saying how these guys coming over from WEC to the big show of the UFC, would get exposed. The WEC guys were decent fighters in a small pond, but on the grand stage of the big time UFC, they would soon be exposed for being inferior fighters.

In the 16 or so months since the merger of the WEC LW's into the UFC, we have seen a few of the WEC guys rise to the occasion, none more so than Benson Henderson last night in Japan. The former WEC 155 champion, who many said couldn't swim with the sharks is now the UFC Lightweight Champion, and the number one 155'er in the world, beating a guy Dana White has been calling the number 3 or 4 pound for pound guy.

Anthony Pettis was the last WEC champion and was supposed to get an immediate title shot at the winner of Edgar/Maynard, alas, we all know the rest of THAT story, but the truth is when the unification match was first introduced, Pettis was given little chance of beating either Maynard or Edgar, and after the Edgar/Maynard draw, and Pettis was overlooked in favour of an immediate rematch, it was seen by many in the MMA reporting industry as a slight against Pettis, and by virtue, the WEC caliber.

Again, last night in Japan, we witnessed the complete destruction, utter domination of Joe Lauzon by one, Anthony Pettis. A win that has vaulted Pettis into the number 1 contenders spot. Lauzon, after his win against Guillard, a guy who was only that fight away from a probable showdown with Edgar for the title, was himself positioned for a possible shot at the championship with a win against Pettis. Pettis derailed those dreams from Lauzon in 81 seconds.

Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone had come over to the UFC via the merger as well, with little fan fare after a couple failed attempts at winning the WEC LW strap. Little was realisticaly expected from Cerrone at that point; but after the merger, Cerrone reeled off 4 consecutive wins, 3 of which were in very impressive fashion. Cerrone was right in the mix of things in the talk of the next title contender when he was scheduled to face Nate Diaz in December of 2011, a win against Diaz, and Cerrone was a likely next contender for the title. Diaz ended up wining that fight, but Cerrone is still arguably a top 10 guy.

Which brings me too Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez, and Michael Chandler, are these guys in the same boat as Henderson and Pettis were, are they really big fish in a little pond, with little to no chance of beating the big bad UFC LW's????
Now it may not be fair to include Melendez in this conversation, as he does sit at least number 3 on most lists, but the facts remain, too many so called experts see guys outside the UFC as inferior, even though those fighters are world champions in their own world.

It can be argued that 6 of the top 10 LW's in the world right now, were not UFC fighters a mere 12-15 months ago, some still aren't. Were the experts prooven wrong, have Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis shown that you can be the absolute best fighter in the world in your weight class, and not fight within the UFC boundaries?

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I personally believe the 185lbs division is easily one of the most stacked divisions at the moment and is completely underrated in that aspect. Just because AS is so dominant, it doesn't therefore mean the division is worthless - far from it in fact.

The thing people forget to consider, is that Silva has beat only three of (in my opinion) the top 10 middleweights - one of which he was dominated by in the first four and a half rounds.

10. Brian Stann: I like Stann at MW. He may not have yet established himself as a real contender, but solid wins against Santiago, Leben and Massenzio surely show that he is a good fighter. A step back from the number one contender is no bad thing and I'm sure he will look even further improved against Sakara.

9. Demian Maia: I know he didn't look too impressive against Weidman in his last fight, but credit where it's due he is still a great fighter. I fondly believed he beat Munoz in their outing, and he looked good against Santiago. He is also far more well rounded but needs to try to go back to his superlative BJJ game in order to get back into title contention. I'd like to see Ronaldo Souza come to the UFC and fight Maia next; a fight that BJJ fans would dribble at the prospect of, I am sure.

8. Hector Lombard: I wish this dude would be in the UFC, already - or even Strikeforce for that matter. Anyway, he has established himself in wins over Prangley, Vitale, Shlemenko et al and remains Bellator MW champ. He should really be ambitious enough to step up in competition, but if Marquardt goes over to Bellator, a fight between the two could be one to test Hector's top-10 status. One thing that makes me doubtful about Lombard is that his two fights in Pride were both losses, which may imply that he isn't the sort of big stage fighter and could "do a Fedor" so to speak.

7. Chris Weidman: Alike Maia, Chris looked rather slopping in his last outing. Even with an 11 days notice, I did expect his stamina to be spot on as he claims to train every day regardless of an upcoming fight. However, I'll avoid negativity and state that this was the best win (not the least impressive) of his career and shows the dude is for real. Both dudes looked bad, but Weidman most certainly had a valid excuse for that and earned kudos for stepping up to the plate and getting the W. To solidify his status, he needs one more good win against the likes of Stann or Belcher.

6. Yushin Okami: I've never been a big fan of the Japanese fighter, in all honesty. He was demolished by Sonnen and Silva with ease, and has only had two impressive wins in his UD over Marquardt and split decision win against Munoz (which I believed the Fillipino won anywho). If he loses to Boetsch in his up-and-coming fight, Tim will be given a top-10 spot and Yushin will have to win at least 5 in a row for another shot at the belt. As it stands, a win in his next fight and a sequential 2 or 3 could set up another fight at Silva (or Sonnen)'s belt.

5. Mark Munoz: He was unfortunate to have been ruled out of his bout with Sonnen, and I feel sorry for Munoz. He looked great against Leben, Dollaway and Simpson, but as I've said I scored his bout against Maia in favour of the Brazilian. Despite this, he is still a major threat in the division and I'd love to see a bout with Rousimar Palhares in his return from injury to see whether his contender status is correct. Perhaps avoiding Chael due to injury could work out for the better, as Munoz has more time to prepare for a no.1 contender bout.

4. Michael Bisping: If I had told myself on Friday night that I'd be putting Bisping as no. 4 in a list of top-10 middleweights, I'd have asked what my Mum put in my dinner the night before. But this is not even arguable now. Bisping was absolute brilliant against Chael, and anyone who disagrees is nothing short of an idiot. He stuffed many takedowns from the best P4P wrestler in the sport, and showed superior boxing against Sonnen. He may not be liked personality-wise, but he damn well earned a hell of a load of respect from the fight. I've learned that there is a big difference between respect and favouritism, and even Chael showed a great deal of respect towards the Brit after the fight. Hats off to him.

3. Vitor Belfort: Two in a row with wins over Rumble Johnson and Yoshihiro Akiyama proved that Belfort deserved his shot at the belt afterall. If he wins impressively against Wanderlei, expect another fight against Anderson Silva in the near future - unless Sonnen has beaten him beforehand. His record is remarkable, his hand speed is impressive to say the least and he's been in the octagon with the best in the world. I predict that we'll see a good 5 years more from the Brazilian, with possibly another belt around his waist in the meantime.

2. Chael Sonnen: I wasn't impressed with Chael against Bisping. There, I said it. However, he has all the credentials to dismantle Silva (again?) and the third round of the Fox bout reiterated that. Furthermore, he looked very good against Brian Stann at 136 after a long and hard layoff. He deserves another shot, that's for sure. One thing that's different about Bisping to Silva, is that Bisping has a great wrestling background and is arguably more well-rounded whereas Silva is stick thin and would struggle to get up if he is held down by the much larger guy in Chael. I think he will be champ by the end of 2012. It's just meant to be.

1. Anderson Silva: Needn't I say more?

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There are gatekeepers in every division. For anyone unfamiliar with this term, gatekeepers are experienced fighters who are used to test whether an up-and-comer is ready to fight a top 10 guy. They are usually also guys who have fought tough competition and come out short, but have beaten solid guys.

Here's my list of the divisions gatekeepers, and who I believe will never be any better than that...

Bantamweight
Takeya Mizugaki - perhaps the perfect example of a gatekeeper. He's lost to Faber, Jorgensen, Torres and Bowles who have all fought for the WEC or UFC bantamweight title, whilst beating guys like Cole Escovedo and Rani Yahya: two guys I believe will never be in the upper echelon of the division.

Featherweight
Leonard Garcia - in my eyes the most entertaining fighter in the sport. Even a guy like Jon Fitch (yes I know he's in a different weight class) would be forced into a good ol' fashioned scrap with Garcia, and that's saying something! You can't help but love Bad Boy, who has perhaps lost fights to lesser competition, but lost in a style that will not see him cut in the foreseeable future. Furthermore, he has won fight of the night 4 times in his last 6 fights; but I doubt he'll ever fight for the featherweight belt anytime soon.

Lightweight
Gleison Tibau - for anyone unfamiliar with Tibau, he is a guy who puts on about 30lbs in the short time between weigh-ins and fight night. There is only one word to describe Tibau - animal. He's beaten tough guys in Kurt Pellegrino, Caol Uno and, most recently, Rafael Dos Anjos; but all at a time where these dudes are nowhere near title shots, or top-10 ranking for that matter. It's arguable whether Gleison is only a few fights away from a shot as the lightweight division is packed full of talent, but with 3 wins in a row he's certainly making a step in the right direction. Who knows what the future holds for the 28-year-old Brazilian.

Welterweight
Chris Lytle - a man who puts on a show whatever the occasion, and could go down as the best gatekeeper of all time. Throughout his illustrious career, Lytle has beaten Matt Serra, Dan Hardy and Brian Foster amongst others and is well known for his large amounts of FOTN, SOTN and KOTN awards. However, after a four fight win streak that saw Light Out at possibly the peak of his career, Brian Ebersole dominated Lytle en route to a unanimous decision victory which left Chris on the verge of retirement. After announcing that his August 14 affair with Dan Hardy would be his last in the octagon, he promised to put on a show, and that he did against Hardy with a third-round submission victory. Perhaps his aggressive style was the reason he never went on to get a title shot, but who knows.

Middleweight
Chris Leben - I have huge respect for Leben, he's another guy who throws fists at will and tries to give the fans what they want to see. However, after the loss to Mark Munoz at UFC 138, the first time Leben has been just a shot-or-two away from a title fight, he needs to long hard think about where to go from here. His 27-second KO of Wanderlei Silva, and FOTN performance in his win over Yoshihiro Akiyama were very impressive indeed, but it is perhaps clearer than ever that Leben will always be destined for gatekeeper status.

Light Heavyweight
Stephan Bonnar - Such an exciting and great fighter, Bonnar has beaten respectable opponents in Keith Jardine, Krzysztof Soszynski and Kyle Kingsbury, and has finally got a three fight winning streak to his name for the first time in five years, but The American Psycho will forever be outside the top 10 I fear. Famous for his exciting battles against Forrest Griffin and trembling clinch work, Stephan regularly puts on a good display; however he has never beaten a fighter in the higher tier of the LHW division and for this reason has never been known as a 'contender'. With the exception of his loss due to a cut to Soszynski back in February of last year, the only losses of Bonnar's long career have been to past-or-future champions. With a good run of form, maybe it's time for a top-10 fight once again to test just where the American is in the division.

Heavyweight
Cheick Kongo - Cheick is maybe just a win or two away from a title shot, but he's been in a similar position before and flawed. His comeback win over Pat Barry was superb in a fight many around the world thought would end in Pat's favour, but he looked less than impressive against Matt Mitrione in his UD victory. However, Kongo has not lost in his last four and with a couple more wins against tough opponents, he could be on his way to title contention.


Anyone believe there are better gatekeepers than this? I tried to steer clear of fighters who have fought for the belts in their divisions, with the exception of Mizugaki who was put into the bout with Torres at late notice.

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This is without a doubt one of the fights I've been most looking forward to all year. I'm personally a big fan of the lighter divisions, but I know a lot of people aren't! :confused

Anyway, I thought I'd use my spare time wisely and break down what I think may be one of the fights of the year...

Ben "Smooth" Henderson (14-2): Former WEC lightweight champ who has a strong wrestling background, and is a black belt in Taekwondo whilst also holding a brown belt in BJJ. Ranked #6 lightweight in the world by Sherdog, Fight Magazine and #7 by MMA Weekly - but personally I'd say he's #4-5. His only loss prior to his third professional bout was against the final WEC lightweight champion, Anthony "Showtime" Pettis; who consequently lost against Guida; however many claim this loss to Pettis was only due to the 'showtime kick' and could have so easily been a win for Henderson. In his last outing, "Smooth One" outwrestled Jim Miller en route to a unanimous decision victory, breaking Miller's 7-fight winning streak.

Clay "The Carpenter" Guida (29-8): Former Strikeforce lightweight champion who holds notable victories over Anthony Pettis, Takanori Gomi, Rafael Dos Anjos and Nate Diaz, Guida is a true fan favourite. A man who is renowned for his relentless pace and a neverending cardio, Clay is renowned for putting on exciting fights - with the exception of his fight with Pettis. "The Carpenter" is also a great wrestler, and arguably better than Henderson at that aspect, and also possesses a great chin. In fact, Guida has never been knocked out throughout his 9-year career!

Analysis: This is such a great, and tight fight. Henderson and Guida are both great wrestlers but if the fight is to go to the ground, don't expect it to be down there for long. Both are known for great cardio levels and relentless pace, something that is shared amongst a lot of the lighter fighters. I think the key to this fight is Smooth one's submission defence, as I don't see Henderson getting submitted, whilst Guida is susceptible to rear naked chokes. I'm going to predict a relentless pace throughout the first two rounds with Benson getting the better of Clay en route to a 3rd round submission victory. Edgar vs. Henderson? Yes please!