The UFC is the crème de la crème of mixed martial arts and they possess a wealth of talent as a result. It is also where the potential of fighters is tested the most and the ultimate proving ground for up-and-comers. Some have wilted under the pressure, many have thrived off it, but this article will look at those fighters who look destined for greatness.

Disclaimer: I’ve omitted the likes of Chris Weidman and Anthony Pettis as they’re now contenders rather than prospects and they’ve finally been awarded their title shots in the immediate future. Rory MacDonald, Glover Teixeira and a couple of others have also been avoided as they have proven themselves against top competition – Penn, Pyle and Diaz for MacDonald; Jackson, Te Huna and Maldonado for Teixeira. They’ve also built a solid run to the title and could be just one or two wins away from a title shot in their respective divisions.

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Jacob Cooper
MMA Crypt Writer
May 13, 2013

So it's finally been proven that Vitor Belfort is the greatest middleweight not named Anderson Silva. With a first round spinning heel kick KO against Strikeforce import Luke Rockhold, Belfort has put himself well on track to another shot of Silva (or Weidman)'s belt. For Rockhold, this is a major blow as the last Strikeforce Middleweight champ could have been in a similar position to Vitor with a win but in the middleweight division it may take just two or three successive wins to get a #1 contender fight.

Jacare did what many thought he would, submitting Chris Camozzi in the first stanza with the American not putting up much of a fight. Jacare has put himself in the upper echelon at MW and will hope for a top-10 guy or a fight with title implications next. Camozzi, on the other hand, has shown that he may always lose to the creme de la creme, but will be competitive against anyone without top-10 status. Rafael dos Anjos bested Evan Dunham in a close decision and has put himself up there with the best at 155. Rafael Natal did what Rafael Natal does, win an unimpressive decision against a no-namer, mer.

Here are some matches I'd like to see on the back of the UFC on FX 8 event.


Vitor Belfort - Belfort is deserved of a middleweight title shot, no questions asked. Beating two guys that are arguably top 5 via head kick is impressive to say the least. The only thing that may stop the UFC from setting up a rematch against Anderson Silva - if he gets past Chris Weidman - is the fact that Victor Conte has stated that the Nevada State Athletic Commission will not let Belfort fight in Las Vegas. Bummer. However, the bout may be set up in a Brazil soccer stadium in the imminent future so it isn't all bad news.

The Phenom may alternatively look to go back up to 205 and work his way up to a rematch with Jon Jones. With the short notice given on his bout with Jones and how close he was to an armbar, don't be surprised to find that Vitor will have to win one or two matches to set up a title fight in the division. There are many options for Belfort at light heavyweight - the Wanderlei Silva vs. Chael Sonnen winner, Lil' Nog vs. Shogun Rua winner or the winner from the Dan Henderson vs. Rashad Evans bout. My preferred choice would be to see Belfort fight the winner from UFC 160's light heavyweight scrap between Glover Teixeira and James Te Huna which could possibly be labelled a number one contender fight.

Preferred Choice(s): Teixeira/Te Huna winner(205) or Weidman/Silva winner (185)


Luke Rockhold - Rockhold suffered a massive blow in his loss to Belfort, a fight which many betting odds showed the former Strikeforce champ as favourite. I don't think it's necessarily the case that LR needs to work his way back up again due to his win over Jacare, but he could opt to fight a smaller name in order to impress the UFC's fan base. For that reason, I'd prefer to see Rockhold against a named fighter coming off a loss-or-two in order to showcase his skills. Alternatively, a guy coming off a couple of wins against relatively obscure fighters may be a preferred option (see Francis Carmont, Brad Tavares...)

For me, I'd like to see Rockhold come up against Alan Belcher. If Belcher is able to get past Luke, it would show he is not the real deal everyone stated he is. If Rockhold beats Belcher, he has a win in the UFC over a guy who was once dubbed a future contender and can use this to build momentum and climb his way to the top of the division.

Preferred Choice(s): Alan Belcher


Ronaldo Souza - The Alligator swallowed up another helpless victim. In another short notice bout, Souza made easy work of Chris Camozzi - who had previously won four-in-a-row. Jacare showed no signs of Octagon jitters and has set himself up for a bout with one of the best that the middleweight division has to offer. One thing that goes under the radar about Jacare is the fact the Brazillian has a black belt in Judo to compliment his black belt in Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu, showing that he is capable of getting the fight to the ground without needing to pull guard. That's a scary thought.

Although a bout with Rousimar Palhares would be a grappler's dream, the fight makes zero sense. Instead, a fight with the winner of Tim Boetsch vs. Mark Munoz may make some sense and get the winner in line for a number one contender fight. Although both Boetsch and Munoz are coming off losses, whoever can come out best out of that bout can be put back in the firing line. Tim Boetsch would be the preferred option as he has an impressive resumé including wins over contenders such as Yushin Okami and Hector Lombard, and his loss to Phillippou seemed to be as a result of an unfortunate eye poke in conjunction with a hand injury.

The bout that was originally set for this card between Souza and Phillippou could now make sense, but that is all dependent on the extent of Costa's injury. Instead I'd like to see Jacare fight Japanese star Yushin Okami to set up a number 1 contender fight for the winner.

Preferred Choice(s): Yushin Okami


Rafael Dos Anjos - RDA faced a tricky test in Evan Dunham but managed to come through with a unanimous decision victory. Many contended the decision, but the fact remains that Dos Anjos has been on a tear as of late and has shown a versatile and well rounded game to boot. I expect big things from the Brazillian who has won four-in-a-row in arguably the most competitive division in the UFC, and a bout with a top contender may be the best option for him.

There are many fighters that would make great opponents and prove to be tough tests for the Brazilian, who deserves a shot at one of the upper echelon at 155. Fights with Jamie Varner, Josh Thomson or a rematch against Gleison Tibau would all be decent matches that would show whether the hype is justified, though Thomson seems set to fight Diego Sanchez, a rematch against Tibau may not thrill fans and Varner may look for a guy a little further down in the division before facing a tough test like Dos Anjos.

I'd like to see a bout between Dos Anjos and the winner from the John Makdessi vs. Edson Barboza fight which would set up a possible number one contender fight in the imminent future. However, if Dos Anjos opts to get back in the cage sooner rather than later, a fight against Ross Pearson would also be very watchable.

Preferred Choice(s): Makdessi/Barboza winner or Ross Pearson


Nik Lentz - Lentz once again showed that his move to featherweight was an incredibly successful decision. After getting past Diego Nunes at the last Brazil event, Lentz was put against another Brazilian prospect in Hacran Dias who had won nine in a row including an impressive decision over Yuri Alcantara.

The Carny has now shown his worth in the Featherweight division and a bout between the winner of the Cub Swanson vs. Dennis Siver bout would be justified. Although a fight against Clay Guida would make sense from a rankings standpoint, it may prove to be a snooze fest that would leave both fighters hard to market in the future. Chad Mendes is another option for Lentz but the UFC may look to re-book the Mendes vs. Guida fight that was set for UFC on Fox 7.

I'd opt for a bout between The Carny and the winner from UFC 160's Frankie Edgar vs. Charles Oliveira bout. As the Chan-Sung Jung vs. Ricardo Lamas winner should go on to fight for the belt, perhaps the loser of that fight would also make sense but UFC usually prefer to book two fighters coming off wins, especially a fight with such implications.

Preferred Choice(s): Edgar/Oliveira winner


Other Bouts to Make
NB: those emboldened featured at the UFC on FX 8 event.

Lucas Martins vs. Francisco Trinaldo
Jussier Formiga vs. Joseph Benavidez
Chris Cariaso vs. Illarde Santos (Santos is a natural flyweight)
John Lineker vs. John Dodson or Ian McCall
Fabio Maldonado vs. Craig/Leben winner (185), Jimi Manuwa or Matt Hamill (205)
Yuri Alcantara vs. Takeya Mizugaki
Paulo Thiago vs. Patrick Cote
Michel Prazeres vs. Bobby Voelker
Gleison Tibau vs. Stout/Vallie-Flagg winner or Masvidal/Chiesa winner
Mike Rio vs. Al Iaquinta
Hacran Dias vs. Hatsu Hioki or Dustin Poirier
Rafael Natal vs. Alessio Sakara or CB Dollaway
Joao Zeferino vs. Thiago Perpétuo
Evan Dunham vs. Matt Wiman or Edwards/Fisher winner
Chris Camozzi vs. Buddy Roberts or Lorenz Larkin


The Cut List

Roger Hollett (0-2 in UFC)
Asamat Gashimov (0-2)
John Cholish (1-2) - Tweeted before the fight that the Tibau bout would be his last: win, lose or draw.

CooperJacob
MMA Crypt Writer
May 13, 2013

Here's an article I wrote for WhatCulture:

Once in a blue moon a fighter arises from nowhere who really catches the eye of the MMA community. The cliché of the hype train is a term that best describes this. On occasion, they are very accurate and warranted – see Jon Jones, Lyoto Machida etc.

Sometimes fans like to claim that they saw fighters rise from obscurity to stardom, and the gargantuan rise of the aforementioned Jon Jones is hard to put into words; from a middle of the card scrap to short notice title fight in little over a month. Jones won the light heavyweight belt with an impressive victory against Shogun Rua, going on to defend his belt 5 times and clinching a Nike sponsorship deal in the process. Hype well and truly granted.

However, this article will look at those occasions when a fighter has a heap of potential and hype but has not been able to deliver. I have decided not to consider those who have been forced to retire due to injury (David Terrell), been victim to painkiller addiction (Mark Kerr & Karo Parisyan) or been the mastermind of a £53million robbery (Lee Murray).

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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.

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?

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.

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!

From looking like one of the best of the year, to one of the worst of the year; UFC 137 has been a train wreck from the start.

Firstly, Sam Stout was forced to pull out of his bout with Dennis Siver - but was replaced with a more-than-respectable opponent in Donald Cerrone.

Then, it all went wrong...

The muchly-anticipated title fight between Nick Diaz and Georges St-Pierre was scrapped when Diaz failed to turn up to the press conferences. Diaz was then replaced with Carlos Condit, and was put into a bout with BJ Penn.

Dubbed "The Natural Born Killer", Condit was slated as being St-Pierre's worst nightmare and that he would knock him out. Unfortunately, this was not the end of the train wrecked event, as St-Pierre was injured during training and forced to pull out of the bout.

So, Penn and Diaz were put into the main event - a three-rounder with title implications. It's still a great bout, and one that I've wanted to see for a long time being a big MMA fan for so long. The co-main event is also an awesome bout: Matt Mitrione, an unbeaten knockout artist facing Cheick Kongo, a UFC veteran with a great résumé. I'm also very excited to see Cro Cop face Big Country - a fight that could be the last for one of these big heavyweights. Siver vs. Cerrone is also a great bout, as is Palaszewski and Griffin in the Featherweight division. Hatsu Hioki will also be introduced to some of the UFC's finest, a man dubbed the #2 Featherweight in the world.

All-in-all, this is still a good card - albeit a very altered one. It still has all the makings of a classic, and one that should not be missed.

Something very much debatable and in the balance, but something I think is worth discussing. So, let me start off from what I know and my viewpoint...

I believe that it's hard to call Frankie Edgar the greatest Lightweight of all time, but hard not to at the same time. The Lightweight division is a very complex and interesting one.

Frankie Edgar: Great, great wrestler with a well rounded game. He beat BJ Penn in a tight decision in Abu Dhabi then demolished - that word being very important - BJ in their second encounter in Boston. Does that make him the greatest LW of all time though? He's beaten Sean Sherk, - okay, perhaps a declined and old version - Jim Miller and Tyson Griffin, but lost (and drew incidentally) against Gray Maynard.

BJ Penn: A top echelon fighter who has such impressive wins. The only thing that makes me re-consider labelling him the GOAT in the Lightweight division is his two losses to Edgar - one of which made Penn look amateur. He does however have impressive wins over Florian, Sanchez, Sherk, Stevenson et al.

Sean Sherk: At 36-4-1, the injury plagued American has a more than respectable record, notching up wins over Kenny Florian, Nick Diaz and Hermes Franca, amongst others, along the way. Due to the failure of a drug test, Sherk was stripped of his belt, but then went on to lose to both of the above. Is it harsh to define someone with a great record on two performances? Perhaps. But that's the way it has to be.

Takanori Gomi: For a Japanese fighter who spent a lot of time in Pride fighting respectable dudes, the Fireball Kid has a terrific record. Of late, he hasn't been too impressive, but on his day I wouldn't like to be on the end of one of his right hooks. He was the last ever Pride Lightweight champion and holds notable wins over Marcus Aurelio, Hayato Sakurai and Jens Pulver.

Gray Maynard: Undefeated (professionally) and a complete and utter savage. With wins over Jim Miller, Roger Huerta, Kenny Florian and Frankie Edgar, Maynard is a more than considerable candidate - but he has never held a belt.

Shinya Aoki: Such an impressive fighter. At 28-5-0-1, Aoki has a great record and wins over Joachim Hansen and Eddie Alvarez reiterate his greatness, but the loss to Melendez means Aoki needs a couple more wins over high echelon guys to be in the top-3. A move to the UFC could do just that!

Gilbert Melendez: The great thing about Gilbert is that he's ever-improving; the bad thing is that he's in Strikeforce. I'm afraid that the fact Melendez rarely scraps with the cream-of-the-crop means he can't be considered too highly amongst the best. Nonetheless wins over Guida and Aoki are impressive - very impressive infact - he needs to be fighting guys the likes of Ben Henderson, Frankie Edgar etc. to be considered one of the very greatest.

In summary, Maynard vs. Edgar III could be the deciding factor in this debacle, but until then the jury is out.

Anyone got any comments - anyone I should have included, or any way to place one LW above another?

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UFC 139 took a big blow to it's card when Velasquez vs. Dos Santos was moved to the UFC on Fox 1 card, so the UFC are trying to find a replacement.

It's already looking like a great card, but with a title fight just a week prior to the event, it's hard to see the likes of Anderson Silva appear on the card. I do believe, however, that the UFC could make this a card of future title contenders - with the Faber vs. Bowles bout leading to a shot at Cruz's title.

I would like to see Machida vs. Davis for a future shot at the Light Heavyweight title, or a showdown between Ben Henderson and Clay Guida with a shot at the Lightweight belt on the line. I wouldn't like to see Franklin vs. Ortiz however, as I think this isn't the right time for this fight to happen - Ortiz needs to take a break from fighting and Franklin should be fighting an up-and-coming fighter to determine whether he could climb the ladder once again (i.e. Alexander Gustafsson).

Kyle Kingsbury vs. Stephan Bonnar has great potential to be a 3-round stand up war, Martin Kampmann vs. Rick Story is an interesting fight as both are trying to get back on track in the Welterweight division, and Gleison Tibau vs. Rafael Dos Anjos is a really exciting fight between two rising UFC veterans. The card also sees Chris Weidman - an up-and-coming middleweight - face off against Tom Lawlor, who always has great entrance. Ryan Bader vs. Jason Brilz is also interesting as the loser has the potential of being cut, making both fighters hungry for victory and doing all they can to obtain it.

Any thoughts on the card? I think it's shaping up to be an interesting one!

In my opinion, the best way to replace JDS vs. Cain at UFC 139.

A five-round war with title ramifications makes perfect sense to headline a card a week after a title fight, that already has names such as Faber, Kampmann and Story featured on.

The first contest between the Brazilians were simply a joy to behold. Although the decision wasn't agreed on by many, it was still a great fight displaying great stand-up.

I believe that if the fight is promoted a lot in the UFC on Fox broadcast the week prior to it, showing clips of the first two fights, it could get a great amount of viewers despite being a non-title fight.

Due to the stacked Light Heavyweight division, it could make things a lot clearer title shot-wise. For instance, there are a lot of guys that may or may not be ready to take the step up against the winner of Rampage and Jones. If the UFC be smart about this dilemma, we could see Machida-Shogun, Davis-Rashad and Gustafsson-Matyushenko, just to see who should be considered top 5 and who shouldn't. Although I believe this is unfair on Rashad, he wouldn't be able to challenge for the title for at least a few months as Jones already has a match lined up.

Should the winner of Machida and Shogun fight for the belt? Possibly. But I know for damn sure that it will separate the men from the dogs and also solve whether Rua should go down to Middleweight or not - I personally don't believe he should.

Also, now Rua has overcome ring rust and is more active inside the octagon, I could see him giving Jones/Rampage a great challenge, possibly capturing the belt; and Machida and his elusiveness would be tricky for Jones, and Rampage vs. Machida II makes a lot of sense also.

I found this image most suitable for those who don't know the sort of guy BJ Penn is. 'The Prodigy' is the kind of fighter that fans love to watch, simply because he can make his opponent bleed like a stuck pig, and after wins he licks blood off his gloves. Pure savage!

To sum up BJ Penn in a few words is a very hard task - as he is so complex. He purely loves to fight, and this love and determination to put on a show for fans can sometimes see him on the losing side of things. At lightweight, he was never dominated in such a way until he fought Frankie Edgar in Boston at UFC 118. It was a shock to many, but BJ came back with a vicious first round KO against Matt Hughes.

Now, BJ is in a limbo so to speak. He decided to make the move from lightweight to welterweight due to Edgar's dominance; he has lost twice to both the Welterweight and Lightweight champions respectively, and I cannot see a title shot for him in the near future.

So, my argument against a title shot for Penn is, if the Prodigy does defeat Carlos Condit, whilst Georges St-Pierre defeats Nick Diaz on the same night, should there be another showdown between the two? My argument against it is that Penn has lost twice to GSP, and rubber matches such as that do not regularly happen. One example of such a trilogy would be Shamrock vs. Ortiz - where Ortiz destroyed Ken on all three occasions and fans were left bitterly disappointed.

But my argument for it is that the first defeat to Georges St-Pierre was a split decision early on in his career, his second defeat was when he was in his prime at lightweight and due to this his diet may have been different.

I believe a win against a top echelon opponent such as Carlos Condit would be a real eye opener for Dana White, but a second encounter against Jon Fitch is needed before a fight against GSP.

I would even go as far as saying that a move down to featherweight could even be possible due to BJ's size, as he is not a big welterweight or even lightweight - imagine a showdown between Aldo and BJ! That would be huge.

cooperjacob - Crypt Writer at :
http://www.mmacrypt.com

This is of course subject to opinion. Below is my list of who I believe are the top-10 greatest heavyweights of all time. I've decided not to include Brock Lesnar as I don't believe he's experienced enough or has achieved enough, Bas Rutten as the majority of his wins were in Pancrase and Josh Barnett as he's an arsehole.

10 - Igor "Ice Cold" Vovchanchyn: Usually forgotten in such lists as this, but with a record of 54-10-1 he is a very decent fighter. It's a shame that injuries forced him to retire, as he was always a top contender in the division.

9 - Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski: Similar to Fedor, Arlovski has suffered a few defeats recently and fans have forgot just how good he was in his prime. The dude was a great striker, winning the UFC heavyweight title and beating notable fighters such as Tim Sylvia, Fabricio Werdum and Cabbage Correira along the way.

8 - Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia: In his prime, a great fighter. I just wish he stayed in the shape and stuck with the UFC instead of seeking competition elsewhere. Notable wins: Andrei Arlovski, Ricco Rodriguez and Jeff Monson.

7 - Frank Mir: The ultimate comeback story. This dude needs a film made after him! He was the first fighter to beat Tim Sylvia, the first to knock Minotauro Nogueira out and became the UFC heavyweight champion on two occasions. Also, he's still just 32 and has put together two wins over respectable opponents. Could there be another twist in the Mir story?

6 - Dan "The Beast" Severn: True legend of the sport. With 99 wins in MMA, including fighters such as Forrest Griffin, Tank Abbott and Ken Shamrock; Severn is truly a pioneer of MMA.

5 - Mark "The Hammer" Coleman: The first UFC heavyweight champion, 2x UFC tournament winner and 2000 Pride Openweight GP winner. Needn't I say more?

4 - Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic: "Right leg, hospital; left leg, cemetery"; say no more. This man has the most frightening kicks in MMA of all time, and is arguably the best ever fighter to never hold a major belt. He did however win the 2006 Pride Openweight GP and held notable wins over Josh Barnett, Mark Coleman and Wanderlei Silva.

3 - Randy "The Natural" Couture: His record of 19-11 doesn't seem too incredible, but any avid MMA fan will realise just how important Couture was to the sport. He came back from retirement to beat Tim Sylvia in a fight everyone ruled Couture out in, capturing the heavyweight title and then went on to defend the belt against Gabriel Gonzaga before losing to a far younger and stronger Brock Lesnar. This was his fourth UFC heavyweight title win, and Couture also won the UFC 14 heavyweight tournament. A truly remarkable fighter.

2 - Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira: It was close between Nogueira and Couture, but due to Antonio's win against Couture and his story, he gets second place. Minotauro was run over by a truck at the age of 9, falling into a coma for 25 days and was unlikely to ever be able to walk again. He defied all odds, and went on to become the first ever Pride heavyweight champion and the interim UFC heavyweight champion. Truly amazing stuff.

1 - Fedor Emelianenko: People may contradict due to his recent form, but Fedor is by far the greatest ever in the division. Before his three fight losing streak, he beat every top echelon guy that stood across the cage from him - including Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Mirko Cro Cop.

This is just my opinion, and I had spare time on my hands. If anyone fancies doing a list or making comments about mine, please do. Fire away... ;)

cooperjacob - Crypt Writer at :
http://www.mmacrypt.com

I admire Anderson Silva and some of the wins he's had in the UFC, but when looking further into the Brazilian's career, I don't believe he is the greatest of all time as he is usually described as.

Silva has had a UFC career full of ups and downs. His first three title defences and LHW win against James Irvin were unquestionably impressive. Following these wins, his defence against Patrick Cote was finished by an unfortunate injury, and the Spider then participated in a 5-round bore fest against Thales Leites.

His title defence against Leites at UFC 97 left Silva needing to prove himself again - something the "greatest of all time" shouldn't need to do - and he was later matched up in a Light Heavyweight scrap against Forrest Griffin. The Spider made Griffin look silly with his rapid movement and strikes, knocking Forrest out in the first round.

Anderson Silva moved back down to middleweight and faced Demian Maia, in a bout Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fans were left dribbling at the thought of, at UFC 112. Silva mocked Maia throughout with a series of physical and verbal taunts throughout the first few rounds, then making fans question his conditioning in the later rounds of the fight. This performance left Dana White fuming and considering the prospect of even cutting the champion. Once again, Silva needed to prove himself...

The Spider then faced Chael Sonnen, a trash-talking wrestler, at UFC 117. Sonnen made many claims of how he would destroy Silva and win the belt, and was 2 and a half minutes away from doing so. Sonnen controlled the action on the feet and on the ground for four and a half rounds, until Anderson caught the American in a triangle choke and shocked the world. Did Anderson Silva prove himself? Perhaps - but Sonnen most certainly impressed everyone with his performance, most definitely Anderson himself, and made fans realise how dominant wrestlers can be against Silva. The heavily awaited rematch never occurred due to on-going money laundering issues and drug test failures from Chael. This match-up was the first that saw the champion face a strong wrestler and the outcome was almost deadly for the challenger; could this be the key to defeating Silva? The champion later went on to defending the belt against Belfort, with a deadly front kick, and Okami, by brutal TKO.

The Brazilian is undeniably a great fighter, a character, an icon to the sport, but he is also a very questionable man. You never know which Anderson Silva will show up - albeit a mocking, boring embarrassment; or a lethal, exciting idyllic figure.

I believe that Georges St-Pierre would be more than a tough test for Anderson Silva, and with his consistency, great submission defence and well-rounded skill assets, Rush would most probably continue where Chael Sonnen left off and grind out a decision. The Spider may indeed be left venomless.

cooperjacob - Crypt Writer at :
http://www.mmacrypt.com