Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz January 31st

The UFC announced that Anderson Silva will fight Nick Diaz, in his first fight back in the UFC, on January 31 in Las Vegas. 

Silva is coming off a disgusting injury while Diaz has been away from the UFC for years.   I'm excited about the fight, but a small part of me fears rust. This could be one of the best fights of all-time.  Or maybe it's gets hyped up beyond belief and can't live up to it. 

How will Silva respond to the injury?  Is Diaz still elite?  Either way, I'll be watching to find out.  

Easy one of the most anticipated fights I can remember.  

Do we need another countdown timer?

Anderson Silva's Leg

WARNING: Graphic Pictures Below

Brutal night for Anderson Silva as he snaps his leg in the 2nd round of his title fight against champion Chris Weidman.   This could spell the end for the greatest fighter I have ever seen.  

I went back and forth all week long and ultimately thought The Spider would get this win to set up a trilogy fight. But it was not to be.  He got dominated in the 1st round.  He looked better in the 2nd before snapping his leg in disgusting fashion. 

Here are a few intense pictures. 

Anderson Silva AND UFC Fans Lost

Anderson Silva lost to Chris Weidman by TKO in the 2nd Round at UFC 162.  Congrats to Weidman, who took advantage of Silva spending the majority of the fight taunting him with his hands down by his waist or resting on his hips.  It cost him.  In his 11th title defense, Anderson Silva finally lost in the UFC.

But perhaps the bigger loser?  The fans.  

For years now we have wanted to see the super-fight between Silva and [Welterweight Champ] Georges St. Pierre...(scroll down to hear my interview with GSP on one of the worst phones of all-time) and if that wasn't going to happen (lots of feet dragging here, "after the Shields fight, well after the Diaz fight, Condit, etc, etc), there was another super-fight rumor emerging and that was Silva vs. [Light-Heavyweight Champ] Jon Jones.  And now?

Silva's loss takes a ton of luster out of either potential dream match up.  You wait too long in this sport, and even the unbeatable lose.  It's a shame.  Silva should have fought GSP last year AND set up a fight with Jones.  The Weidmans (and in the case of GSP, Hendricks, will always be there.)

You remember how badly fight fans wanted Wanderlei Silva vs. Chuck Liddell?  They ultimately fought, and it was a solid bout, but what if it was 5 years sooner?  We'll never know.  

We had a chance to see history with either Silva mega fight.  We lost that last night.  

Inside The Cage with Georges St. Pierre

Keefe had a chance to talk with UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre prior to UFC 162. His phone sucked, but there was still some good stuff in there.

UFC Title Fights

Announcement day in the UFC, clearly up some of the title fight questions.  Here is what we know now...

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION

Champ Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustaffson - UFC 165, September 21, Toronto


HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION

Champ Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos - UFC 166, October 19, Houston


WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION

Champ Georges St. Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks - UFC 167, November 16, Las Vegas


Other match ups that have been set.

MIDDLEWEIGHT: Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman (UFC 162, July 6)

LIGHTWEIGHT: Benson Henderson vs. T.J. Grant (UFC 164, August 31)

FEATHERWEIGHT: Jose Aldo vs. Anthony Pettis (UFC 163, August 3)

FLYWEIGHT: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga (UFC on Fox 8, July 27)

UFC on Fox 2 Thoughts and 143 Predictions

Before I get into my breakdown and picks for tonight's UFC 143 PPV card, I want to start with a quick op-ed on the 2nd installment of the UFC on Fox series.

I didn't watch the fights live. I was in San Diego for an engagement party, so I set the DVR and followed the action on my Twitter feed the entire night. I wasn't surprised by the results, but I was more surprised about some of the opinions that flooded Twitter in regards to performances, particularly the Sonnen-Bisping fight.

After watching the fights on DVR last night, I have to say that I don't disagree with the judge who scored it 30-27. The first two rounds were razor-thin close. And just because a fight is scored 30-27 doesn't mean it was a dominant performance by one fighter. S/He could have barely won all three rounds, but won them nonetheless. I think that was the case with Sonnen.

The first round was closely fought, particularly in the 2nd half when Bisping started to control the clinch against the cage. But by control, I mean position only. He mounted little offense, as he just kept Sonnen up against it. I thought Sonnen's work early in the round gave him the nod. He scored two takedowns and mounted some offense on the first one in particular, landing solid shots to Bisping's grill.

The second round was the closest of the match and could have gone either way. You wanna give it to Bisping? I won't complain. But I thought Sonnen landed the more effective strikes and seemed to have more of an impact when on the offensive. Bisping defended the takedowns well, but I just never really saw him land any effective strikes. But again, closest of the fight.

In the third, Sonnen shifted the momentum in his direction, scoring the most dominant round of the fight. He landed a beautiful double right out of the gate, landed in the mount, took Bisping's back, and found himself in dominant positions that swayed the round in his favor. Solid round. I probably would have scored it 29-28 Sonnen, but again, I didn't disagree with the 30-27.

Takeaways from the fight were that Sonnen will need to be more effective on the feet if he plans to have a chance against Silva. Landing that big shot early in their first fight gave Silva something else to think about and opened up the takedowns for Sonnen throughout. But against Bisping, while his takedowns were crisp, his striking was sloppy. He came forward with no regard for Bisping's power - perhaps part of his strategy given Bisping hits with little mittens - and he won't be able to do that against Silva. But props to Bisping. Great performance. I'd like to see him fight Munoz next after Munoz recovers from injury to determine the next guy in line to fight the winner of Silva-Sonnen II.

The Evans-Davis fight was a showcase of how much better Evans is, and solidified him as the #1 contender. Davis' striking was ineffective and he looked timid and overwhelmed in such a high-profile fight. Evans, meanwhile, did his job, got the win, and now moves on to take on Jon Jones in what has become a budding rivalry. Should be a great event at UFC 145 in Atlanta.

Now onto UFC 143...

Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit

Diaz-Condit will fight for the interim welterweight crown as champion Georges St. Pierre recovers from a blown-out knee. This fight should be exciting, as both guys are high-volume fighters that bring it every time they step out there.

The cardio and pace of Diaz is stuff for legends, particularly in the latter part of his career where we've seen him wear down opponents, drag them into deep waters and impose his will late in the fight when his opponent is broken down and unable to sustain any success because of the beating they've taken, rendering them useless. Most recently, it was BJ Penn, who had success in the 1st round but was worn out from the activity of Diaz in the 2nd and was lucky to survive in the 3rd. Diaz's boxing is, in my opinion, the best in MMA. He's active, effective, and benefits from power through volume. In other words, the sheer volume of punches that he lands eventually take their toll and make him more powerful later in the fight, when he's still strong and his opponent is not. The body punches break down the defense, leaving openings up top where he can capitalize with multi-punch combinations.

On the ground, his Gracie black belt in jiu-jitsu looms. And his submissions are tight. Pick your poison with Diaz. Wherever the fight goes, he's going to be a handful.

Condit, meanwhile, is a diverse striker with knockout power, great kicks and knees. He's got more highlight reel knockouts on the feet than Diaz, including his last couple victories: a KO win over brawler Dan Hardy and a brutal KO via flying knee against Dong Hyun Kim. The win over Hardy was shocking, as both men landed simultaneous punches, with Condit's landing on the button of Hardy, putting him down and eventually out via final blows on the ground. The victory over Kim, however, was just as impressive as Condit landed a flying knee then sent Kim into a quick coma with strikes as Kim was pressed and trapped up against the cage with nowhere to hide. Brutal.

The ground game of Condit is solid and competent. Perhaps not on the level of Diaz, but if the fight goes there, it will be fun to watch. Condit has 13 submissions wins to Diaz's 8, but I still give the edge Diaz there. But again, to talented practitioners of jiu-jitsu on the ground should be fun to watch.

For my pick, I'm going 3rd round (T)KO to Diaz. I think the first couple rounds will be competitive, as both men will have their moments. But late in the 2nd Diaz will start to shift the momentum in his favor, peppering Condit with punches to the body and head. In the 3rd, Condit will start to wear down, and halfway through the round Diaz will body-head combination that forces Condit to keel over at the waste, leaving an opening for Diaz to pepper the head and take Condit out for the stoppage and interim title.

Pick: Diaz over Condit via 2nd round (T)KO due to strikes (3:49)

Additional picks:

Roy Nelson over Fabricio Werdum via 2nd round KO (punch)

Josh Koscheck over Mike Pierce via decision (lay & pray)

-Bess

UFC Title Picture By Division

There are 7 divisions in the UFC. The biggest of them all took center stage last Saturday night for the promotions network television debut. Junior Dos Santos defeated Cain Velasquez to become the newest champ in the UFC. What is next for JDS and the rest of the champs? Here is a divisional breakdown of the best-of-the-best.

HEAVYWEIGHT:
Champion: Junior Dos Santos

How: Defeated Cain Velasquez, November 12, 2011 at UFC on Fox

What's Next? Faces the winner of Brock Lesnar - Alistair Overeem, which is set for December 30, 2011 at UFC 141. It will be Dos Santos' first title defense.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT:
Champion: Jon Jones

How: Defeated Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, March 19, 2011 at UFC 128. Defended title against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, September 24, 2011 at UFC 135.

What's Next? Was set to face Rashad Evans but injuries to Evans have postponed the match up twice, he will now square off against former champ Lyoto Machida, December 10, 2011 at UFC 140.

MIDDLEWEIGHT:
Champion: Anderson Silva

How: Defeated Rich Franklin, October 14, 2006 at UFC 64. Defended title a record 9 times with wins over:
Nate Marquart (UFC 73)
Rich Franklin (UFC 77)
Dan Henderson (UFC 82)
Patrick Cote (UFC 90)
Thales Leites (UFC 97)
Demian Maia (UFC 112)
Chael Sonnen (UFC 117)
Vitor Belfort (UFC 126)
Yushin Okami (UFC 134)

What's Next? Rematch with Chael Sonnen, date TBA.

WELTERWEIGHT:
Champion: Georges St. Pierre

How: (On current run) Defeated Matt Hughes, December 29, 2007 at UFC 79 for Interim Title, defeated Matt Serra, April 19, 2008, to become undisputed champ. Defended title 6 times with wins over:
Jon Fitch (UFC 87)
B.J. Penn (UFC 94)
Thiago Alves (UFC 100)
Dan Hardy (UFC 111)
Josh Koscheck (UFC 124)
Jake Shields (UFC 129)

What's Next: Nick Diaz, February 4, 2012 at UFC 143. (GSP was set to face Diaz at UFC 137, before Diaz was replaced by Carlos Condit because of failure to meet pre-fight responsibilities. GSP was then off the card due to injury.)

LIGHTWEIGHT:
Champion: Frankie Edgar

How: Defeated B.J. Penn, April 10, 2010 at UFC 112. Defended title against B.J. Penn, August 28, 2010 at UFC 118, kept title after a draw with Gray Maynard at UFC 125, and then defeated Maynard at UFC 136.

What's Next: Ben Henderson, February 26, 2012 at UFC 144.

FEATHERWEIGHT:
Champion: Jose Aldo

How: (WEC Title became UFC Title) Defeated Mike Brown, November 18, 2009 at WEC 44. Defended belt 4 times:
Urjiah Faber (WEC 48)
Manny Gamburyan (WEC 51)
Mark Hominick (UFC 129)
Kenny Florian (UFC 136)

What's Next: Chad Mendes, January 14, 2012 at UFC 142.

BANTAMWEIGHT:
Champion: Dominick Cruz

How: (WEC Title became UFC Title) Defeated Brian Bowles, March 6, 2010 at WEC 47. Defended belt 4 times:
Joseph Benavidez (WEC 50)
Scott Jorgensen (WEC 53)
Urijah Faber (UFC 132)
Demetrious Johnson (UFC on Versus 6)

What's Next: TBA likely winner of Faber vs. Bowles which is set for this Saturday at UFC 139.

-Keefe

UFC 127 Preview and Picks

As you may have heard Keefe and I discuss on Wednesday's podcast, the UFC is down under (cliche, I know) and The Sports Brief has its preview and picks for you for tomorrow's PPV card. The main event features the resurgent BJ Penn, back at welterweight for the second consecutive fight against a guy who will never be the division's champion as long as Georges St. Pierre has a pulse. Actually, neither guy will be champion as long as GSP is alive.


In terms of the matchup, I have to think the advantage goes to Penn. Fitch has excellent wrestling, and all great wrestlers have traditionally given Penn trouble if they can get him down, particularly guys who are bigger and stronger than him. Case in point: GSP. Frankie Edgar used his superior wrestling skills to taken down Penn, but was unable to sustain any GnP because of the lack in size differential. Here, Fitch is likely the bigger, stronger guy. But I'm not sure his wrestling will be quick enough and elite enough to take down the flexible, well balanced Penn.


For that reason, I think Penn manages to keep it on the feet enough to score well and outpoint the rugged Fitch. The only problem? No one will be interested in either guy challenging GSP again, certainly until he defeats Jake Shields (presumably) and fights UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Nonetheless, this should be an entertaining scrap between two elite fighters at 170lbs.


In the co-main event, Michael Bisping continues his campaign for what has been an elusive title shot in the UFC. Every time we've felt he's one or two fights away, he's folded. He did against Rashad Evans in a fight that not only sent Evans on an ascent to an eventual title victory, but also sent Bisping down to 185lbs. Then against Dan Henderson, he was KO'd in embarrassing fashion at UFC 100, ignoring his corners plea to NOT move to his left and avoid the big right hand. Here, he finds himself up against another guy with a big right hand: Jorge Rivera.


Rivera is experiencing new life in the twilight of his career, having 4 of his last 5 fights, including consecutive KO's over Rob Kimmons and former title challenger Nate Quarry. He packs a punch, and will test the chin of Bisping in this fight. I stated on the podcast with Keefe the other night that this fight reminds of the Bisping-Leben matchup. Bisping will look to circle, stay on the outside and win with volume punching while trying to avoid the stalking style of a Rivera/Leben type fighter. If Rivera can dial up Bisping's chin, there's no doubt he can win this fight. But Bisping is an active fighter, and if he's able to pin down his emotions, he could have the type of game plan that can frustrate Rivera. And that's the rub: Rivera has found his inner Tito Ortiz, mocking and poking fun at Bisping, ribbing him with good humor and constantly agitating him to the point that Bisping has brought a lot of emotion and trash talking to the press conference and weigh-in. It will be interesting to see if he's able to overcome that, or if Rivera has implanted himself in Bisping's head, much to his advantage.


The third biggest fight on the card is a middleweight tilt that could have a legitimate impact on the state of the 155lb division. George Sotiropolous is on a tear, undefeated in the UFC and winner of 8 straight. He's coming off an impressive submission win over Joe Lauzon, and fighting in his home country will undoubtedly have the crowd on his side. Siver, on the other hand, has gone 6-1 since starting his UFC career 1-3. And the only loss in his last 7 fights was, in my opinion, a disputable decision loss to Ross Pearson. He's an agressive, powerful kickboxer with some of the best striking in the division. Both fighters bring excellent submission attacks into this fight, although Sotiropoulos may have the advantage on the ground. And that will most likely be a place of comfort for him; staying on the feet could lead to an unplanned nap in the center of the Octagon.


Here are the picks for the PPV portion of tomorrow night's card from Besse and Keefe at The Sports Brief:


Penn vs. Fitch

Besse: Penn via decision
Keefe: Penn via decision

Bisping vs. Rivera

Besse: Bisping via decision
Keefe: Rivera via KO in the 2nd

Sotiropoulos vs. Siver

Besse: Sotiropoulos via submission in the 2nd
Keefe: Siver via submission in the 3rd

Lytle vs. Ebersole

Besse: Lytle via (T)KO in the 2nd
Keefe: Lytle via KO in the 1st

Noke via Camozzi

Besse: Noke via (T)KO in the 3rd
Keefe: Noke via decision

So there you have it. I know my picks vary a bit from what I stated on the podcast, but that'll happen. I'm picking with my brain, not my heart. In other words, as much as I'd like to see Bisping and Sotiropoulos get KTFO'd, I don't think it's going to happen, nor would I bet on it.

Be sure to check back with The Sports Brief for a post-fight recap and see how we did with our picks. Enjoy the fights!

-Bess

UFC 126 Results

MAIN CARD:

• Champ Anderson Silva* def. Vitor Belfort via KO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:25 (retains middleweight title)
• Forrest Griffin def. Rich Franklin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Jon Jones** def. Ryan Bader via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2, 4:20
• Jake Ellenberger def. Carlos Eduardo Rocha via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
• Miguel Torres def. Antonio Banuelos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

UNDER CARD:

• Donald Cerrone def. Paul Kelly via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 3:48
• Chad Mendes def. Michihiro Omigawa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Demetrious Johnson def. Norifumi Yamamoto via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Paul Taylor def. Gabe Ruediger via knockout (strikes) - Round 2, 1:42
• Kyle Kingsbury def. Ricardo Romero via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 0:21
• Mike Pierce def. Kenny Robertson via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 0:29

*Silva remains undefeated in the UFC and will now likely face Georges St. Pierre if GSP beats Jake Shields.

**After the win Jon Jones was informed that will be given the next title shot, as Rashad Evans is injured. Jones will facs Shogun Rua in March.

UFC 117 Recap

On the latest edition of The Throwdown we recap a great night of fights from UFC 117 in Oakland. Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen, Junior Dos Santos, Roy Nelson, Jon Fitch, Thiago Alves, and Matt Hughes all took part in this fantastic card. Check out the podcast below.

The Throwdown: UFC 117 Recap

-Keefe

Throwdown Podcast: UFC 116 Recap

Rich Keefe and Nick Cattles of BostonThrowdown.com discussed the exciting UFC 116 card that featured Brock Lesnar, what to expect from Anderson Silva, and the UFC coming to Boston in their latest podcast. Click on the link below to check it out.

Throwdown Podcast: UFC 116 Recap


Also, how lame is LeBron James?

UFC 112 Predictions

UFC 112 on Saturday night features 2 championship bouts. Lightweight Champ B.J. Penn puts his belt on the line against Frankie Edgar and Middleweight Champ Anderson Silva squares off with Demian Maia. Also on the main card is a match up between two past their prime legends Matt Hughes and Renzo Gracie in a Welterweight showdown.

Keefe's Picks:

Anderson Silva def. Demian Maia via TKO in Round 2
B.J. Penn def. Frankie Edgar via submission in Round 3
Matt Hughes def. Renzo Gracie via unanimous decision
Terry Etim def. Rafael dos Anjos via submission in Round 1
Mark Munoz def. Kendall Grove via KO in Round 1

Post fight prediction... after both dominating their fights to retain their respective belts; Anderson Silva will face Georges St. Pierre either at 185 or at a catch-weight of 177; while B.J. Penn will leave the Lightweight division and possibly match up with a Jon Fitch, Dan Hardy, Josh Koscheck, Thiago Alves at Welterweight.

If you want more in depth coverage of UFC 112 check out the Boston Throwdown UFC 112 Preview

As always, enjoy the fights,

-Keefe

MMA Rankings 2-10-10

Heavyweight

1. Fedor Emelianko

2. Brock Lesnar

3. Frank Mir

4. Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera

5. Randy Couture

6. Josh Barnett

7. Cain Velasquez

8. Shane Carwin

9. Alistair Overeem

10. Brett Rogers

Junior Dos Santos, Gabe Gonzaga, Fabricio Werdum, Ben Rothwell, Cheick Kongo

Light Heavyweight

1. Lyoto Machida

2. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

3. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson

4. Anderson Silva

5. Rashad Evans

6. Gegard Mousasi

7. Forrest Griffin

8. Thiago Silva

9. Antonio Rogerio Noguirea

10. Randy Couture

Luiz Cane, Rich Franklin, Jon Jones, Brandon Vera, Keith Jardine

Middleweight

1. Anderson Silva

2. Dan Henderson

3. Vitor Belfort

4. Chael Sonnen

5. Nate Marquardt

6. Jake Shields

7. Robbie Lawler

8. Yoshihiro Akiyama

9. Michael Bisping

10. Yushin Okami

Demian Maia, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Ronaldo Souza, Nick Diaz, Wanderlei Silva

Welterweight

1. Georges St. Pierre

2. Jake Shields

3. Jon Fitch

4. Thiago Alves

5. Nick Diaz

6. Paulo Thiago

7. Josh Koscheck

8. Paul Daley

9. Martin Kampmann

10. Matt Hughes

Dan Hardy, Marius Zaromskis, Matt Serra, Jay Hieron, Mike Swick

Lightweight

1. B.J. Penn

2. Shinya Aoki

3. Eddie Alverez

4. Joachim Hansen

5. Tatsuya Kawajiri

6. Kenny Florian

7. Diego Sanchez

8. Frankie Edgar

9. Gilbert Melendez

10. JZ Cavalcante

Gray Maynard, Mizuto Hirota, Satoru Kitoaka, Sean Sherk, Josh Thomson

-The Sports Brief

The Sports Brief's MMA Rankings 11/23/09

There has been 3 big MMA events since our last rankings, Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers; UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera; and UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin II. Needless to say the rankings have changed since last month. Coming up in December we have The Ultimate Fighter Finale, UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez, Strikeforce: Thompson vs. Melendez, WEC 45, and another SENGOKU event. But before all that let's take a look at the rankings heading into the last month of 2009.

Heavyweight

1. Fedor Emelianko

2. Brock Lesnar

3. Josh Barnett

4. Frank Mir

5. Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera

6. Randy Couture

7. Cain Velasquez

8. Shane Carwin

9. Alistair Overeem

10. Brett Rogers

Junior Dos Santos, Cheick Kongo, Gabe Gonzaga, Fabricio Werdum, Ben Rothwell

Light Heavyweight

1. Lyoto Machida

2. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

3. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson

4. Anderson Silva

5. Rashad Evans

6. Forrest Griffin

7. Gegard Mousasi

8. Thiago Silva

9. Antonio Rogerio Noguirea

10. Randy Couture

Luiz Cane, Rich Franklin, Keith Jardine, Tito Ortiz, Babalu Sobral

Middleweight

1. Anderson Silva

2. Dan Henderson

3. Vitor Belfort

4. Nate Marquardt

5. Robbie Lawler

6. Yoshihiro Akiyama

7. Jake Shields

8. Michael Bisping

9. Chael Sonnen

10. Yushin Okami

Demian Maia, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Ronaldo Souza, Nick Diaz, Wanderlei Silva

Welterweight

1. Georges St. Pierre

2. Jake Shields

3. Jon Fitch

4. Thiago Alves

5. Josh Koscheck

6. Paul Daley

7. Martin Kampmann

8. Matt Hughes

9. Dan Hardy

10. Mike Swick

Paulo Thiago, Marius Zaromskis, Jay Hieron, Nick Thompson, Carlos Condit

Lightweight

1. B.J. Penn

2. Shinya Aoki

3. Eddie Alverez

4. Joachim Hansen

5. Tatsuya Kawajiri

6. Kenny Florian

7. Diego Sanchez

8. Frankie Edgar

9. Gilbert Melendez

10. JZ Cavalcante

Gray Maynard, Mizuto Hirota, Satoru Kitoaka, Sean Sherk, Josh Thomson

The Sports Brief's MMA Rankings (11-5-09)

A pair of big free fight weekends coming up here in November. This Saturday CBS will be showing their Strikeforce event featuring the #1 Heavyweight in the world Fedor vs. the #10 Heavyweight (according to The Sports Brief) Brett Rogers. Also on the card Jakes Shields fights Jason "Mayhem" Miller at middleweight and Gegard Mousasi battles Sokoju. (You'll find 3 out of those 4 names below.)

And then a week from Saturday you get UFC 105 from Manchester, England, Live and Free... (well tape delayed and free) on Spike TV. Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera at Light Heavyweight is the headliner, but it also features Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy, and Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang.

These rankings are sure to change after those two cards are complete, but let's take a look at where we stand right now.

MMA RANKINGS

Heavyweight

1. Fedor Emelianko

2. Brock Lesnar

3. Josh Barnett

4. Frank Mir

5. Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera

6. Randy Couture

7. Cain Velasquez

8. Shane Carwin

9. Alistair Overeem

10. Brett Rogers

Junior Dos Santos, Cheik Kongo, Gabe Gonzaga, Ben Rothwell, Heath Herring

Light Heavyweight

1. Lyoto Machida

2. Quentin “Rampage” Jackson

3. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

4. Anderson Silva

5. Rashad Evans

6. Forrest Griffin

7. Gegard Mousasi

8. Luiz Cane

9. Thiago Silva

10. Babalu Sobral

Rich Franklin, Keith Jardine, Brandon Vera, Antonio Rogerio Noguirea, Tito Ortiz

Middleweight

1. Anderson Silva

2. Dan Henderson

3. Vitor Belfort

4. Nate Marquardt

5. Robbie Lawler

6. Jorge Santiago

7. Yoshihiro Akiyama

8. Chael Sonnen

9. Yushin Okami

10. Demian Maia

Michael Bisping, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Denis Kang, Ronaldo Souza, Nick Diaz

Welterweight

1. Georges St. Pierre

2. Jake Shields

3. Jon Fitch

4. Thiago Alves

5. Josh Koscheck

6. Mike Swick

7. Paul Daley

8. Martin Kampmann

9. Matt Hughes

10. Paulo Thiago

Marius Zaromskis, Jay Hieron, Nick Thompson, Dan Hardy, Carlos Condit

Lightweight

1. B.J. Penn

2. Shinya Aoki

3. Eddie Alverez

4. Joachim Hansen

5. Tatsuya Kawajiri

6. Kenny Florian

7. Diego Sanchez

8. Frankie Edgar

9. Gilbert Melendez

10. JZ Cavalcante

Gray Maynard, Mizuto Hirota, Satoru Kitoaka, Sean Sherk, Josh Thomson

-Besse & Keefe

The Sports Brief's MMA Rankings (9/21/09)

Heavyweight:

1. Fedor Emelianenko

2. Brock Lesnar

3. Josh Barnett

4. Frank Mir

5. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

6. Alistair Overeem

7. Shane Carwin

8. Randy Couture

9. Cain Velasquez

10. Brett Rogers

Junior Dos Santos, Chiek Kongo, Andrei Arlovski, Gabriel Gonzaga, Ben Rothwell, Fabricio Werdum, Heath Herring, Aleksander Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop

Light Heavyweight:

1. Lyoto Machida

2. Quinton Jackson

3. Rashad Evans

4. Anderson Silva

5. Forrest Griffin

6. Gegard Mousasi

7. Maurcio ‘Shogun’ Rua

8. Luiz Cane

9. Thiago Silva

10. Babalu Sobral

Rich Franklin, Keith Jardine, Brandon Vera, Chuck Liddell, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Vladimir Matyushenko, Jon Jones

Middleweight:

1. Anderson Silva

2. Dan Henderson

3. Vitor Belfort

4. Yushin Okami

5. Nathan Marquardt

6. Robbie Lawler

7. Jorge Santiago

8. Yoshihiro Akiyama

9. Demian Maia

10. Cung Le

Michael Bisping, Thales Leites, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Matt Lindland, Denis Kang, Chael Sonnen, Paulo Filho, Patrick Cote, Nick Diaz, Kazuo Misaki, Ronaldo Souza, Jake Rosholt

Welterweight:

1. Georges St. Pierre

2. Jake Shields

3. Jon Fitch

4. Thiago Alves

5. Josh Koscheck

6. Mike Swick

7. Paul Daley

8. Martin Kampmann

9. Matt Hughes

10. Paulo Thiago

Marius Zaromskis, Jay Hieron, Nick Thompson, Dan Hardy, Karo Parisyan, Matt Serra, Carlos Condit, Marcus Davis, Drew Fickett, Frank Trigg, Ricardo Almeida

Lightweight:

1. BJ Penn

2. Shinya Aoki

3. Eddie Alverez

4. Joachim Hansen

5. Tatsuya Kawajiri

6. Kenny Florian

7. Diego Sanchez

8. Frankie Edgar

9. Gilbert Melendez

10. JZ Cavalcante

Gray Maynard, Mizuto Hirota, Satoru Kitaoka, Sean Sherk, Josh Thomson, Takanori Gomi, KJ Noons, Nate Diaz, Victor Ribero, Joe Stevenson, Roger Huerta

Pound 4 Pound

1. Anderson Silva

2. Fedor Emelianenko

3. Georges St. Pierre

4. BJ Penn

5. Lyoto Machida

6. Mike Brown

7. Quinton Jackson

8. Brian Bowles

9. Gegard Mousasi

10. Brock Lesnar

-The Sports Brief

Check out how The Greek did in his Week 2 NFL picks, below.