Pretty crazy picture here featuring former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra, current UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, former TUF competitor and Elite XC killer Kimbo Slice, and former TV talk show host and former governor Jerry Springer. We have no idea what there doing together or why Jerry’s posing at all.

Former boxing champion James Toney seems to be taking his upcoming bout with UFC legend Randy “The Natural” Couture seriously, and M-1 has the pictures to prove it. Toney was recently in California training at M-1 Global’s facility for his UFC 118 debut on August 28. Here’s a few pics:

There’s no doubt that Toney’s 72-6-3-2 boxing record makes him the best and most experienced boxer to ever enter the Octagon but most fans only give him a lucky punchers chance of winning. However stranger things have happened just ask Matt Serra.

Press Release

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – For nearly four years, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has ruled the 185-pound weight class with an iron fist. On August 7th, at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, he will look to add to his record six title defenses when he takes on the one man brash enough to call him out, number one contender Chael Sonnen. This championship bout, which is the main event of UFC 117: SILVA vs. SONNEN presented by Tequila Cazadores, headlines the first UFC® event in Oakland.

UFC 117 also features former Ultimate Fighting Championship® welterweight champion and recent inductee into the UFC® Hall of Fame Matt Hughes against 170-pound contender Ricardo “Big Dog” Almeida, and an explosive lightweight bout pitting Clay “The Carpenter” Guida against Rafael dos Anjos.

“When we offered Chael Sonnen this shot at the title, he promised us one thing: that he was going to make this a fight,” said UFC President Dana White. “I know he means it, and after beating three legit contenders in Nate Marquardt, Yushin Okami, and Dan Miller, he’s definitely going to bring the best out of Anderson Silva on August 7th. And as far as Anderson is concerned, he wants to remind everybody why he’s considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”

“We are very excited about this event coming to Oakland and have been receiving many inquiries about the match,” said Mark Kaufman, SMG’s GM at Oracle Arena. “We anticipate seeing many more fights in years to come.”

Tickets for UFC 117 will go on sale Friday, June 11 at 10am PT and will be priced at $400, $300, $200, $150, $100 and $50. Tickets are available either online at www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, by visiting the Oracle Arena Box Office or at any Ticketmaster outlet. The Oracle Arena Box Office is open Monday thru Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday 10am-2pm. Prices do not include service charges.

UFC® Fight Club™ members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, June 9 starting at 10am PT via UFCFightClub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers on Thursday, June 10 starting at 10am PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.

UFC 117 will be available live on Pay-Per-View on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for standard definition or high-definition broadcasts (where available).

Undefeated in the UFC and one of the most dominant champions to ever grace the Octagon™, Anderson “The Spider” Silva (fighting out of Curitiba, Brazil / professional record – 26-4) made his sixth successful title defense against Demian Maia at UFC 112, a streak that dates back to July of 2007. Known for his striking abilities, Silva is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under the world-renowned Nogueira brothers and a dynamic fighter who can do it all in the Octagon. His length often causes problems for his opponents, as only two of his last 11 victories have gone to the scorecards. But the champion now faces a fighter that believes he has figured out a way to stop The Spider.

“Chael is a very good fighter,” Silva said. “I am training very hard with my team, and Minotauro Nogueira and Lyoto Machida, and I will be ready. This is a title fight and I expect him to be ready because I know I will be. If the guy wants to talk that’s fine. It’s a lot different inside the Octagon.”

Unbeaten in his last three UFC fights over top-level competition, Chael Sonnen (fighting out of West Linn, Ore. / 26-10-1) is an experienced fighter, with a high pedigree in wrestling. Sonnen is a former U.S. Olympic team alternate, as well as a two-time National Champion in Greco-Roman wrestling at the University of Oregon. Sonnen, who is known for putting constant pressure on his opponents, is coming off impressive wins over Dan Miller, Yushin Okami, and Nate Marquardt, and he wants to make it four in a row by adding the name of Anderson Silva to that list.

“He’s been ducking me for four years,” Sonnen said of the UFC middleweight champion. “This fight is a large part about the title and a large part about him. We’re not going to be friends. He’s not my kind of guy. But this fight is also to prove a point to the rest of the guys in the division. One guy has challenged him in four years and it’s been me.”

Matt Hughes (fighting out of Hillsboro, Ill. / 45-7) is perhaps the greatest welterweight the UFC® has ever seen, having defended the UFC® welterweight title an unprecedented seven times over two reigns. Hughes has beaten some of the biggest names in MMA, such as Georges St. Pierre, BJ Penn and Royce Gracie, and is riding a two-fight winning streak with victories over Matt Serra and Renzo Gracie. One of Hughes’ strengths is his wrestling ability, stemming from his college career where he was a four-time collegiate wrestling All-American, and he will bring that talent to the Octagon to face Almeida in August.

After winning his debut fight in the welterweight division at UFC® 111 against Matt Brown, Ricardo “Big Dog” Almeida (fighting out of Hamilton, N.J. / 12-3) looks to further prove he is a contender at his new weight. Almeida looked impressive with his submission of Brown, which is no surprise since he takes pride in his ground game. Along with that, Almeida is a third degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a four-time Brazilian national champion. Almeida has been victorious in his last three fights, but his match against Hughes will have added meaning given the fact that the former welterweight champion defeated his jiu-jitsu professor, Renzo Gracie, in April.

Known for his solid chin and relentless endurance, Clay “The Carpenter” Guida (fighting out of Johnsburg, Ill./26-8) has helped create some memorable fights for the UFC, garnering ‘Fight of the Night’ honors three times, most recently versus Diego Sanchez at The Ultimate Fighter®: US vs. UK finale. Every time Guida steps into the Octagon, he is almost guaranteed to be in one of the most exciting fights of the evening. The Illinois native has won four of his last six fights, with his submission victory over Shannon Gugerty being his most recent victory.

Rafael dos Anjos (fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/14-4) is riding a wave of momentum, having won his last three fights. The experienced Brazilian has fought five times in the UFC and has proven to be a worthy contender in the lightweight division, most recently defeating Rob Emerson, Kyle Bradley, and Terry Etim.

For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit UFC.com, UK.UFC.com, Germany.UFC.com, UFCJapan.jp or UFCEspanol.com. All bouts live and subject to change.

Press Release

Las Vegas, NV – It’s not every day that you get a chance to learn a jump shot from LeBron James. Nor does the opportunity present itself to be taught how to throw a football like Peyton Manning. However, for mixed martial arts fans, the ability to learn strategy and techniques from the sport’s most influential figures presents itself at this year’s UFC® FAN EXPO™.

At this year’s Expo, fans will have the opportunity to learn from the sport’s best athletes and coaches on Friday, May 28th and Saturday, May 29th at the UFC Fan Expo. From jiu-jitsu techniques with former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra to explosive takedowns with former WEC featherweight titlist Urijah Faber, the UFC Fan Expo’s Training and Development sessions offer fans the ultimate mixed martial arts experience.

“This is a chance for fans to learn MMA from the best,” White said. “Whether you have been training for a long time or just beginning the sport, there is something for everyone at these Training and Development Sessions.”

Training & Development Sessions to feature Brandon Vera, Frank Mir, Jens Pulver, Matt Serra, Randy Couture and Urijah Faber

Renowned jiu-jitsu coach Eddie Bravo, Muay Thai legend Mark DellaGrotte, and striking instructor Shawn Tompkins to also lead seminars.

Tickets for UFC® FAN EXPO™ and Training & Development sessions are on sale now and can be bought exclusively at UFCFanExpo.com. Please note that audience seating for each Training & Development Session is limited; the cost to participate in a session is $150 per person, per session.

Training & Development Session Schedule (All Times Pacific)

Friday, May 28
9am-11am – Frank Mir
10am-12pm – Brandon Vera
12pm-2pm – Urijah Faber
1pm-3pm – Jens Pulver
3:30pm-5pm – Matt Serra
5pm-7pm – Eddie Bravo

Saturday, May 29
9am-11am – Shawn Tompkins
10am-12pm – Kru Mark DellaGrotte
12pm-2pm – Randy Couture

This year’s UFC Fan Expo leads into UFC® 114: RAMPAGE vs. EVANS, featuring the long-awaited grudge match between former light heavyweight champions Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans. For more UFC Fan Expo information and to purchase tickets, visit UFCfanexpo.com. For companies interested in reserving space at this premier event, contact Ed Gallo, Event Director at 1-203-840-5546 or email egallo@ufcfanexpo.com.

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes (44-7) will return to the octagon as part of UFC 117 to face Ricardo Almeida (12-3).

Both men have confirmed the signing of bout agreements for the fight and will meet at the unofficially announced UFC 117 event on Aug. 7 ath the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif.

Hughes confirmed the bout on his own personal website Matt-Hughes.com.

“The UFC hasn’t told me I can release this yet, but I’m going to go ahead and say that I’ve done my paperwork to fight Ricardo Almeida on August 7th, in Oakland, CA,” he wrote. “A lot of you know my history with the UFC, I’ve never turned down a fight and this is who they asked me to fight next.”

While Almeida confirmed his signing during a recent appearance on “The Daily Line” on the Versus Network.

Hughes has since come back from a 1-3 stretch that saw him lose the UFC interim welterweight title to win two straight bouts. He defeated Matt Serra at UFC 98, earning both men the “Fight of the Night” honor, and is fresh off his victory over Renzo Gracie at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, Almeida, a former middleweight, has won three straight including his first win as a welterweight against Matt Brown at UFC 111 in his last fight. Almeida, who was awarded his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt by Renzo Gracie, asked for the fight after Hughes victory last month.

Both men have met once before but not in MMA, Hughes defeated Almeida during an ADCC grappling match in 2000.

A reminder to fans, that Spike TV will be broadcasting a special telecast of 2010’s best fights of the year so far. Featured bouts include the heavyweight showdown between Shane Carwin and Frank Mir and the unforgettable slugfest between Leonard Garcia and Chan Sung Jung (aka “The Korean Zombie”).

“UFC’s Ultimate Fights” airs tonight at 10:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. PT).

Featured bouts include:

o Shane Carwin vs. Frank Mir (UFC 111) in a battle for the interim UFC heavyweight crown


o Leonard Garcia vs. “The Korean Zombie”, Chan Sung Jung (Aldo vs. Faber) in “The greatest fight I’ve ever seen!” according to Joe Rogan


o Mark Munoz vs. Kendall Grove (UFC 112) in a matchup of middleweight contenders that earned “Fight of the Night.”


o Terry Etim vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (UFC 112) in a hard-fought contest between rising lightweights


o Matt Serra vs Frank Trigg (UFC 109) in a match between two veterans.


o Nate Diaz vs Rory Markham (UFC 111) in Diaz’ debut at welterweight


o Paulo Thiago vs Mike Swick (UFC 109) in a fight that moved one man up the ladder of the welterweight division.

The UFC's second Fan Expo, scheduled for May 28 and 29 at the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center in Las Vegas in conjunction with "UFC 114: Rampage vs.
Evans" (which takes place at the nearby MGM Grand Garden Arena), is
beginning to shape up with several recent announcements.

With more details to come, training sessions with Frank Mir, Brandon
Vera, Urijah Faber, Jens Pulver, Matt Serra, Eddie Bravo, Shawn
Tompkins, Mark DellaGrotte and Randy Couture, as well as autograph
sessions with more than UFC and WEC fighters and personalities have been
announced.

Tickets for all events are on sale now.

This weekend two live pay-per-view events will happen on Saturday night. Shine Fights will be putting on their “Worlds Collide: Mayorga vs. Thomas” event, while Strikeforce will be putting on their “Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery” event which will be shown on Showtime.

The UFC and Spike TV have teamed up to make your choice that much easier, or harder, depending on your view.

Starting at 10 p.m. EST (7 p.m. PST) on Spike TV will broadcast the “UFC’s Ultimate Fight’s” special and will feature some very big fights from previous UFC, as well as WEC events.

The big two that top the list is the unforgettable WEC 48 fight between Leonard Garcia and Chan Sung Jung, as well a UFC 111 interim heavyweight title fight between Shane Carwin and Frank Mir.

For fans who may have missed out on the Garcia vs. Jung bout, now is their chance to see what everyone else has been talking about.

Other bouts slated for the special include Mark Munoz vs. Kendall Grove (UFC 112), Terry Etim vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (UFC 112), Matt Serra vs Frank Trigg (UFC 109), Nate Diaz vs Rory Markham (UFC 111) and Paulo Thiago vs Mike Swick (UFC 109).

Shine Fights 3 “Worlds Collide: Mayorga vs. Thomas” will air their ppv starting at 9 p.m. EST (6 p.m. PST) features the mma debut of former WBA/WBC Welterweight champion and the former WBC Junior Middleweight champion Ricardo Mayorga, who faces Din Thomas.

“Strikeforce St. Louis: Heavy Artillery,” which also airs at 10 p.m. ET/PT, features five main-card bouts, including headliners of heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem vs. Brett Rogers and ex-UFC champ Andrei Arlovski vs. former EliteXC champ Antonio Silva.

While not specifically targeting the Shine Fight 3 event, the Spike TV special will certainly draw fans to the free show rather than paying for another.

New York, NY, May 7, 2010 – UFC® welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre (20-2-0) will serve as one of the coaches on the twelfth season of Spike TV’s most popular original series ever, “The Ultimate Fighter®”. One of the most dominant fighters on the planet, St-Pierre will be coaching against the number one contender in the welterweight division, either Josh Koscheck (16-4-0) or Paul Daley (23-8-2), who square off for that honor this Saturday at UFC 113 in St-Pierre’s hometown of Montreal. The new season premieres Wednesday, September 15 at 10:00 PM ET/PT featuring some of the best unsigned fighters in the world in the lightweight division. The new season goes into production in June 2010 in Las Vegas and will last six weeks. The cast will be announced later this summer.

A native of Montreal, QB, Georges St-Pierre began training in martial arts at the age of 7, when he began learning Kyokushin karate in order to defend himself from a bully at school. He earned a black belt in this discipline before he began to expand his MMA training, achieving a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and become well versed in wrestling, boxing and Muay Thai. St-Pierre began his amateur fighting career at the age of 16, and, since then, has established himself as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the history of mixed martial arts. A two-time UFC welterweight champion whose current reign includes four consecutive title defenses, St-Pierre’s career boasts wins over the likes of Matt Hughes, BJ Penn, Sean Sherk, Matt Serra, Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves and Dan Hardy. He was named Fighter of the Year 2009 by Sports Illustrated.

A trainer on the fourth season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” St-Pierre is one of mixed martial arts’ biggest mainstream stars holding major national endorsement deals and having appeared in two movies, “Death Warrior” and “Never Surrender.”

St-Pierre’s potential opposing coaches on the show are Josh Koscheck, an alumnus from the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” and member of the famed American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, CA who is looking for a rematch with St-Pierre after dropping a decision to him in 2007 at UFC 74; and Paul Daley, a devastating striker that trains with Team Rough House in Nottingham, UK that has knocked out his opponents in 18 of his 23 mixed martial arts victories. The two meet this Saturday in Montreal in at UFC 113 with a date with St-Pierre on “The Ultimate Fighter” and, later, inside the Octagon™, on the line.

Spike TV is available in 98.6 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press.

Should Anderson Silva take more risks to become a better champion? Does BJ Penn deserve an immediate rematch? Should Frank Edgar be ranked as the #1 lightweight? Which title fight at this weekend’s Strikeforce has you most excited? Does Jake Shields need to go to the UFC?

UFC 112 is over, Strikeforce: Nashville is this weekend, and we’ve got issues that need grappling with. As always, esteemed colleagues Adam Tool and Brendhan Conlan have plenty to say about the hot topics of the week. Each will have their say, and then it’s your turn to sound off in the comment box below.

Now, in the immortal words of Cecil Peoples…let’s dance!

Would Anderson Silva be a BETTER champion/fighter if he lost taking unnecessary risks to please fans/management rather than taking a more intelligent, less aesthetically pleasing approach to opponents?

Adam Tool: The only thing that makes Anderson Silva a better champion is defending his belt and winning fights. That’s his job. Yes the sport of MMA serves as entertainment for the millions of fans that watch it, but no mixed-martial artist is going to list “entertainer” on their resume (well, Jason “Mayhem” Miller and Akihiro Gono might). The excessive showboating in the first half of the Silva/Maia fight coupled with the complete lack of action in the second half left everyone with a bad taste in their mouth, but we can’t pretend to know what was going on in Silva’s head. The win may not have gotten him any new fans, but Silva did the job he was supposed to do: win the fight.

When there’s a fighter like Silva, who breathes such rarified air in the MMA world, people have a different set of expectations for how he should perform. He didn’t meet those expectations, and as a consumer you have the right to be dissatisfied with his performance. The fact remains though that this is a sport, and these athletes are going to do whatever they can (within the defined rules of engagement) to win.

Brendhan Conlan: I am surprised by Tool’s response but in a good way, because I completely agree with his viewpoint and felt I was probably one of the only folks in MMAville who hadn’t already sharpened his pitchfork in response to Silva’s antics against Demian Maia. As such, I’m prepared for the comment section to be riddled with posts from people with torch-in-hand, but it would be dishonest of me to wag my finger at “The Spider” for his behavior because I truly wasn’t upset by it. The overwhelming vibe I got in the aftermath of UFC 112 was people being okay with his showboating as long as it results in a finish (Forrest Griffin, Rich Franklin II) but feeling it is horribly disrespectful if not (Maia, Thales Leites, and to an extent Patrick Cote). It’s a hypocrisy I refuse to subscribe to, and furthermore I don’t think any Mixed Martial Artist needs to perform up to any standards beyond the ones he sets for himself.

I understand people feel like Silva owes them something. Yes, a small percentage of the money we fork out for events makes its way into his pockets. However, in reality the UFC benefits from the fans’ patronage to a far greater extent than any fighter, and while our business gives athletes a larger platform to perform on it is still the individual fighter at risk in the ring, i.e. our money being at stake pales in comparison to their actual health or even consciousness being on the line. Why should Silva press the issue of a finish if Maia, who realistically didn’t deserve the opportunity to begin with, refused to throw the same caution to the wind? The champion certainly has more to lose than the challenger, does he not? And would people have been heaping praise on him had he unnecessarily charged in, got caught in guard, and then ultimately submitted? He shouldn’t have, he does, and there would have been a huge uproar about Anderson’s susceptibility on the ground instead of supposed cockiness or lack of interest in fighting. I’d rather he just keeps being other-worldly in the Octagon, not change things up to satisfy others’ wishes.

Should BJ Penn get an immediate rematch with Frank Edgar after such a close fight and semi-questionable decision?

Tool: This past weekend there was a fight that was closely contested, and when the judges’ scores were read some people disagreed with the verdict. I know, this sort of crazy thing never happens in MMA, but I think we can all somehow move on past this.

Last week when everyone was still making predictions for how UFC 112 would go down, nobody was giving Edgar the slightest chance to pull off the upset. Okay there was one guy, but his opinions don’t really matter. Since Edgar wasn’t able to win in thoroughly convincing fashion, it seems that a lot of people want to see him do it again before they can get behind the idea of him as champion. For some reason Zuffa has this thing where if a fighter scores a major upset they have to do it again in order to prove that it wasn’t a fluke. They did it to Matt Serra, they did it to Mike Brown, and they could do it again to Frank Edgar.

You may disagree with the decision but even if you could make the most convincing argument for Penn getting an immediate rematch, I believe there’s a more convincing argument to be made for Gray Maynard getting the first shot at Edgar’s title. Maynard was already in consideration before Edgar got the nod, so it’s not as though he isn’t a legitimate contender. The storyline is already built in with Edgar’s lone career loss coming against Maynard, and both fighters have stated that it’s the match-up they want. Edgar vs. Maynard II may not be the most appealing fight to headline a PPV, but it’s the right fight to make. Have Penn take on another upper-level fighter and give him the next shot if he wins, but for now let’s enjoy the fact that a once-stagnant division has now been blown wide open.

Conlan: I didn’t think the decision was horrific (certain scoring aside) because Edgar buzzed around Penn like a gnat the entire time, scored a few takedowns, and dished out fairly similar damage to what he received. However, I would still like to see Penn get an immediate rematch, and I think it’s short-sighted to say the only reason the UFC would book it is simply because the result of their first pairing was considered an “upset”.

For starters, the fight makes sense for competitive reasons. The first bout was closely contested throughout all five rounds and it’s hard to say either man definitively won in the allotted time period. A lot of people would argue a champion needs to be beaten convincingly in order to lose and that simply didn’t happen. Even the actual per-round statistics back up the case for a questioning the judges’ decision to award Edgar the UFC Lightweight Championship. Also, though talk about humidity and illness feel a little like excuses from Penn’s camp after a loss, Hilo’s favorite son definitely didn’t appear to be the same Mixed Martial Artist who’d shown up so many times before at 155-pounds so I think there’s something to be said about what condition he showed up in regardless of reasoning.

Beyond the in-ring aspect detailed above, the rematch also makes sense for business reasons. Penn is one of the biggest draws in MMA and easily the UFC’s top name at lightweight. Essentially, Penn vs. Edgar II headlines a PPV while Maynard vs. Edgar II plays second-fiddle to a bigger match-up. Gray is an exceptional wrestler with solid boxing, but he hasn’t exactly set the world ablaze with his style by winning six in a row via decision. Penn, on the other hand, hadn’t seen scorecards in the four years prior to UFC 112. There’s nothing wrong with fighting smart, and “The Bully” has compiled a very nice record in the UFC, but in terms of marketability there will always be an emphasis on promoting guys with a propensity for finishing fights.

Which of the three Strikeforce title fights are you most looking forward to?

Tool: This one isn’t hard for me to answer. All three title fights have some level of intrigue to them, but the light heavyweight bout is the one I’ll be paying most attention to. Both Gegard Mousasi and “King Mo” Lawal have a large amount of hype behind them, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. Mousasi is a lethal striker with a huge advantage in experience, while Lawal is a powerhouse wrestler facing the biggest test of his career. It’s easy to pick Mousasi to win because that’s the safe bet, but at the same time we still don’t really know exactly how good “King Mo” is. There are plenty of questions hanging over either man’s head and I’m very much looking forward to getting some answers on Saturday night.

Conlan: I think Mousasi vs. Lawal is the toughest bout to pick regardless of the vast difference in both their experience and overall technical ability, so I can see why Tool is excited about either seeing the current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion continue his ascension to greatness or watching “King Mo” finally sit atop a promotional throne when they throw down tomorrow night. However, I’m more geeked about Gilbert Melendez locking horns with Shinya Aoki in hopes of shaking up the lightweight rankings yet again as they were last weekend at UFC 112. It’s nice to finally see Aoki in action before 4:00 AM Central Standard Time courtesy of his American debut at the show, and I’m optimistic it won’t be the last time his colorful personality and choice of attire are seen by a live audience outside of Japan. The clash between Melendez’s wrestling/striking style and Aoki’s wizardry on the ground should play out nicely, and though I personally think “El Nino” will use his power to either TKO or grind out a win, it won’t be surprising to see him tapped out for the first time in his career because Shinya is so supremely talented when things hit the mat. It’s that sort of parity, as well as the promotional flag attached to each in this DREAM vs. Strikeforce showdown, that has me anticipating this particular championship fight more so than either of its counterparts on the card.

Which option appeals most to you for Anderson Silva’s next fight: defending his title against Vitor Belfort or Chael Sonnen, taking a showcase fight at light heavyweight, or dropping down to 170 for a super-fight with Georges St. Pierre?

Conlan: Even though it has since been announced Silva is set to face Sonnen at an upcoming event, the question posed asks which of those scenarios I find to be the most appealing one, and as such I would have preferred to see “The Spider” take on a top level light heavyweight rather than defend his middleweight championship against another opponent with questionable contendership credentials. Sonnen’s trio of victories since losing to Demian Maia at UFC 95 featured impressive grappling and ground control on his part but nothing to merit any real confidence in his ability to compete against Silva. The UFC is risking another five-round, pick-and-pepper fest by throwing Anderson in the ring with yet one more adversary needing to get inside, and to the mat, to do any significant damage rather than someone who is both comfortable and a threat in the striking department. Then again, perhaps the UFC’s point in making the match is to do just that and see how Silva responds since he’s apparently at risk of release if he behaves similarly to how he has in the past when unimpressed by what an opponent brings to the cage.

Rather, I would have preferred to see the enigmatic Brazilian face a 205-pounder who can press for a finish while standing, is athletic enough to match Silva’s speed, and has enough of a grappling base to make things interesting on the ground if necessary. Two names fitting that bill are Jon Jones and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (assuming Lyoto Machida retains his title at UFC 113). I also think Quinton Jackson’s concrete jaw, aggressive nature, and powerful striking would be an interesting test for the UFC Middleweight Champion, but ultimately I think “Rampage” might be a little too slow to avoid a forcible nap at the hands, feet, knees, and elbows of Silva.

Tool: There’s no shortage of interesting fights waiting for Silva at 205, and any one of the fights mentioned by Brendhan would be appealing. I also wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of Silva moving even further up, as he’s expressed an interest in doing exactly that. Frank Mir has already stated that he’s willing to fight “The Spider” at a catchweight of 235, and there’s little to no chance that the resulting fight would possibly be labeled “boring.” I also don’t want to see Dana White giving up on the idea of a Silva/GSP super-fight, as that bout needs to happen at some point sooner or later.

At the end of the day I’m pleased to see Silva stepping up to another title defense, although I’m not exactly pleased with the opponent. It is truly a sad day in mixed-martial arts when people are looking to Chael Sonnen to deliver an exciting fight. While Sonnen may have earned his spot in the contender’s list, the more appealing bout at this point has to be Silva vs. Belfort. Don’t bother filling the comment box with statements on how Belfort hasn’t earned his shot, as the fact of the matter is that he should have fought Silva this past Saturday. Had the fight gone down as originally intended the story of UFC 112 would have played out much differently. You want Anderson Silva to have an exciting fight? Put him in with an aggressive striker that won’t get scared when the cage door closes, then sit back and watch the fireworks.

Buy/Sell – Regardless of whether he wins or loses on Saturday, Jake Shields needs to leave Strikeforce for the UFC.

Conlan: Definitely a “buy”. And, as it turns out, Dan Henderson is actually the perfect opponent to help facilitate the transition between organizations. There’s no shame in losing to someone with Henderson’s credentials, and if such takes place it might remind Shields he seems to be best served by fighting at 170-pounds instead of against larger guys. The UFC’s roster of welterweights far eclipses that of Strikeforce so it’s naturally the place he should want to solidify his legacy in. On the other hand, if Shields beats “Hendo” he’ll have earned a win over a highly respected veteran with roots in the UFC and who recently had a less-than amicable falling out with the company. I’m confident a few Zuffa representatives with upstairs offices will be tuning in Saturday night, and if they like what they see they may try harder than ever to sign the Californian in hopes of finding a marketable threat to Georges St. Pierre’s welterweight championship. Shields is the only 170-pound gunslinger for hire who hasn’t tested his skills inside the Octagon with a list of past accomplishments impressive enough to make people believe he actually has a chance to dethrone GSP. I appreciate the credibility Shields has lent to Strikeforce with his name, as well as the publicity they’ve given him in the process, but as far as I’m concerned there’s no question it’s time for the vegetarian fighter to finally head towards greener pastures.

Tool: I can’t go with anything else but “buy” here as well. Let’s say Shields does manage to upset Henderson, then what? Does he continue defending a title outside of his natural weight class? Does anybody want to see Shields vs. Smith? He can’t go after the Strikeforce Welterweight Championship, as that currently resides around the waist of his good friend Nick Diaz.

It makes far too much sense for Shields to go to the UFC. For one, the UFC could always use more high-level welterweights that they can get who aren’t members of American Kickboxing Academy. I think he would match up well with a lot of the premier fighters in the division, as his mix of wrestling and jiu-jitsu could provide a stern challenge for just about anyone he faces. If Shields signed with Zuffa in the near future I’d love to see him matched up with the winner of Paulo Thiago vs. Martin Kampmann, or you could throw him right into the deep end and match him up with the winner of Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves. Let’s not forget his recent victory over surging UFC contender Paul Daley either.

The biggest factor though is the way that Shields has made it very clear that he wants a fight with St. Pierre. This always seemed like posturing before, but now things are actually in motion to make that happen. Should Shields join the UFC and get a top-level opponent right away, he could conceivably be fighting for the title after one or two wins. Obviously this benefits the UFC, as they’re desperate for any and all credible challengers to St. Pierre’s seemingly endless reign of dominance.

Do you believe that Frank Edgar deserves to be ranked as the #1 lightweight in the world, or should that honor go to the winner of this weekend’s Aoki/Melendez fight?

Conlan I think a case can be made for Shinya Aoki if he beats Melendez, as he hasn’t been defeated at lightweight since being knocked out by Joachim Hansen in July 2008 and even that loss came in Aoki’s second fight of the night (his first was a hard fought decision over Caol Uno). Melendez also hasn’t tasted defeat at 155-pounds since mid-2008 but has only racked up three wins since last losing in comparison to Aoki’s six over that same span of time.

As far as Edgar goes, he clearly deserves a place towards the top of the rankings after coming away with a win against BJ Penn, but it’s hard to put him on the peak of the 155-pound mountain when it could be argued Penn didn’t appear to be at his best in the bout and still should have arguably won the fight. Additionally, Edgar has shown an inability to finish his opposition and looked relatively poor in his loss to Gray Maynard (mid-2008 as chance would have it).

Aoki is consistently a threat to end in-ring action before letting the likes of Douglas Crosby or Cecil Peoples influence a bout’s outcome, and, if he adds Melendez to a group of fallen foes already including fighters like Uno, Hansen, JZ Calvancante, Eddie Alvarez, “Shaolin” Ribeiro, he deserves consideration as the top lightweight in Mixed Martial Arts.

Tool: Say what you will about Penn’s performance this past weekend and the scoring controversy that came about as a result, to me this question was answered by Edgar in his post-fight interview. “BJ Penn is the best lightweight in the world, and I just beat him.” On that basis (along with Edgar’s other notable wins) I see no reason why he doesn’t deserve the top spot in the lightweight rankings. His spot at #1 is much more tenuous than Penn’s, as Edgar has not achieved the same level of dominance in the division as the now former champ did. However until someone beats him I believe it is the right decision to place Edgar at the top.

As for Aoki, I’m already skeptical of him being the #2 guy in the division. He’s been impressive (for the most part) but he hasn’t faced the level of competition to merit such a high placement. Truth be told, there are at least five UFC lightweights that I would pick to win in a hypothetical bout with Aoki. I reserve the right to change my tune if Aoki can pull off an impressive win over a top 10 opponent (something he has the opportunity to do this weekend) but for now I can’t justify having him at the very top.

I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Melendez and will be firmly rooting for him to successfully defend his Strikeforce Lightweight Championship this weekend. However, much like Aoki, Melendez has not faced enough members of the lightweight elite to warrant a spot at #1. Give him time and he may find himself in the upper echelon, but for now he’ll have to be content with the (possible) title of the best lightweight outside of the UFC.