By Joe Ferraro

UFC Light-heavyweight Krzysztof “The Polish Experiment” Soszynski will have to undergo elbow surgery to clean out bone chips from his right elbow.

The surgery is set for Wednesday, October 14th, and will sideline the Canadian for a period of four to six weeks.

The injury was aggravated during his last bout in the octagon when he lost a tough decision to Brandon “The Truth” Vera at UFC 102 in Portland, Oregon.

This may be a blessing in disquise for Soszynski, who will use the time off to ease all the other battle wounds that come from MMA training (and fighting) considering he has taken his fair share of fights on short notice. With the surgery and recovery time required, fans of the Team Quest fighter can rest assured that when he does return to the octagon, he will likely be as fresh as ever.

As for when will “The Polish Experiment” expects to make his return to the octagon? He hopes to be “back in the cage in January or February”.

By Joe Ferraro

With all five of the UFC Champions appearing to be unbeatable in the near future, the UFC finds itself in a difficult predicament as to who deserves a title within their respective division.

BJ Penn, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and Brock Lesnar are the Kings of their divisions, but finding suitable challenges for them is never an easy task.

Lightweight Division

Next in line for BJ Penn is “The Nightmare” Diego Sanchez, scheduled for UFC 107, December 12th in Memphis, Tennessee. Should “The Prodigy” emerge victorious, who would be next in line for a crack at the Hawaiian?

If you follow the UFC’s current model within the welterweight and middleweight division, anyone who has already had a crack at championship glory, and failed, will likely not be given another chance, anytime soon. That bodes terribly for the likes of Kenny Florian, Joe Stevenson and Sean Sherk. If the UFC is to look within it’s own roster, it would mean Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard, Tyson Griffin, Nate Diaz and Clay Guida are in the running. At one time or another, some these lightweights have already fought one another, so now it’s a matter of some serious matchmaking.

If the UFC could pluck from outside of it’s roster, the names are incredible: Shinya Aoki, Eddie Alvarez, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Joachim Hansen. Aoki and Hansen are set for a lightweight title fight at Dream 11 on October 06th, but in analyzing all these outsiders, Alvarez, Hansen and Kawajiri would make for some incredible match-ups for Penn.

I have a myriad of suggested match-ups that I would like to see, but I get the feeling Tyson Griffin will be the next one to get the title shot.

Welterweight Division

With Georges St-Pierre having just about cleaned out the 170 lbs class, who’s next for the champ, who is rumored to be returning in early 2010. For my money, Jon Fitch is the most deserving of a crack at the title, but the UFC will not be giving him a second chance, anytime soon. The same can be said for Thiago Alves and Matt Hughes.

With that being said, the crème of the crop has to rise from the likes of Mike Swick, Paul Daley, Josh Koscheck or Carlos Condit. Martin Kampmann and Dan Hardy are still in the picture, but both fighters have a long road to travel before they ever get to see GSP within the Octagon fence.

The Outsiders – Jake Shields is the obvious top pick and one could make a serious case that he can come in and immediately deserve a shot at GSP, but I’m keeping my eyes glued on Marius Zaromskis, the recent winner of Dream’s Welterweight Grand Prix.

If I had to make a pick, next in line for the chance to face GSP would likely be Koscheck in what will be an epic rematch, but I still believe Fitch deserves the real crack at St-Pierre.

Middleweight Division

This class is by far the UFC’s most difficult to figure out. Champion Anderson Silva cleaned out the division awhile ago, and the UFC (thankfully) was forced to recruit outside talent to challenge “The Spider”. It was a huge gamble in matching Vitor Belfort vs Rich Franklin and it paid off, as the Brazilian emerged victorious and is rumored to have a date with his fellow countryman at UFC 108, scheduled for January 02, 2010, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The UFC has avoided giving Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt a crack at the title, after both fighters lost convincingly to Silva during their respective bouts. To their credit, both middleweights have defeated everyone that the UFC has put before them, in hopes they get another shot at Anderson, but it now appears as if they must first fight one another ( rumored for UFC 108 ), with the victor likely fighting the winner of Silva – Belfort.

If Silva should still emerge victorious after these next two bouts, I do not see anyone on the horizon that can challenge him. While Patrick Cote is set to return, he is simply going to be added to a long list of challengers that must fight their way up the 185 lbs ladder. This list includes Michael Bisping, Denis Kang, Demian Maia, Yushin Okami and Yoshiro Akiyama. Unless one of these fighters goes undefeated ( and in spectacular fashion ) over the next twelve months, I cannot see anyone that will be able to seriously motivate the champ in the Octagon.

As for who is going to emerge as “the one”? It’s tough to say, as the outsiders only include Robbie Lawler and Jorge Santiago, so if I was a betting man, I’d keep my money in my pocket for now. I will only pull out the virtual coin if Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi decides to return to middleweight and challenge Silva, but alas, the odds of that happening are slim, so my money is still in my pocket.

If I had no choice but to make a decision – I’ll go with Nate Marquardt.

Light Heavyweight Division

It’s only been four months since the beginning of “The Machida Era”, but Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida is also being touted as unbeatable. His undefeated MMA record speaks for itself and with mind boggling statistics that show him as the “least hit” fighter in UFC history, one can argue  that the champ is going to be around for quite some time.

His next bout is a tough one. He is slated to face fellow Brazilian Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 104, October 24th in Los Angeles, but that is the least of his problems. The 205 lbs division is the UFC’s deepest talent pool, so should Machida have his hands raised at UFC 104, there is still a plethora of talent that can be matched up against him, but who will emerge from the current mess.

Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva are rumored to go at it at the aforementioned UFC 108. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is doing a movie (and in my opinion, not retired but simply on a leave of absence). Forrest Griffin and Keith Jardine are coming off losses and should fight each other ASAP.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira has just been signed by the organization and will be fighting Luiz Cane, but the winner is still a long ways away. Tito Ortiz – he’s set to take on Mark Coleman and will likely need one more fight before he gets a chance to fight for the title. Perhaps if Ortiz gets passed Coleman, a rematch with Couture could be on the horizon (should Randy take out Brandon Vera at UFC 107).

The one fighter who I am keeping my eye on is Jon “Bones” Jones – he is the future of the division and has “champ” written all over him, but he’s still years away from getting his chance to wear gold.

The other fighter in this division that give Dana White and the UFC fits is Anderson Silva. After his dismantling of Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 and his complete refusal to fight his good friend Lyoto Machida, what can the UFC possibly do to convince these two to put their friendship aside and take care of business in the octagon. Something tells me it will be a lot of dollar signs.

As for light heavyweight outsiders – once again, the only guy I would like to see come in and wreck havoc in the division is “The Dream Catcher”, Gegard Mousasi. There is no doubt in my mind that he can give anyone of these guys the fight of a lifetime. He is on a thirteen fight win streak, and has only loss two of his twenty nine professional bouts.

So who do I believe will be next in line for Machida? I’ll go with, believe it or not, Tito Ortiz ( I can hear the boos already ).

Heavyweight Division

Brock Lesnar, the current UFC champ is touted as being unbeatable, but I still believe Fedor Emelianenko would give the big man a true challenge. One could argue back and forth regarding Fedor’s last few opponents, but talent is talent, and I believe “The Last Emperor” is still the best in the division.

Seeing as this fight will likely never take place in this lifetime, Lesnar will now have to concentrate on Shane Carwin. This main event for UFC 106 is a dandy, and in my opinion, Carwin is the one fighter who has the best chance to defeated Lesnar in the division.

Take nothing away from the rest of the fighters in the division, but no one seems to stick out for me. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is at the top of the list, but may be on the downside of his career. Frank Mir would love a rubber match with Lesnar, but will likely have to not only defeat Cheick Kongo at UFC 107, but perhaps Nogueira again before he gets another opportunity.

Cain Velasquez is an up and comer, but will have his hands full against “Big” Ben Rothwell at UFC 104 and still a fight or two away. Junior Dos Santos and Gabriel Gonzaga would make for a great contender bout, while the returning Paul Beuntello will be taking on rising star Todd Duffee to determine where both of these fighters belong within the title picture.

The best outsiders include Josh Barnett, Allistair Overeem and Brett Rogers. Barnett and Overeem will likely never fight for the UFC while Rogers is a long shot. That is, unless he defeats Fedor in November. If that happens, I wouldn’t be surprised if the UFC finagles it’s way with the current Strikeforce heavyweight.

As for who do I believe is next for Lesnar – believe it or not, I’ll go with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, with my long shot being Gabriel Gonzaga.

What are your thoughts? How do you see all of these divisions breaking down?

“MMA CONNECTED” Mon, Tues and Thurs at 11:30pm.

By Joe Ferraro

The sport of MMA is always full of it’s fair of shocking revelations; case and point is some of today’s headlines.

According to Sherdog.com ( http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/mccarthys-return-to-nevada-nixed-19862 ), Big John McCarthy’s application to referee in the State of Nevada has been filed with other would be applicants, as opposed to receiving the seal of approval from one of the leading Athletic Commissions in the business.

The unfortunate news of Big John’s application being treated like “everyone else” reeks of personal agenda as opposed to doing what’s right for the sport, the fighters and it’s fans.

All commissions that sanction MMA are on the lookout for liability – they do not want a bad case scenario ( e.g. death during competition ) to fall onto their laps, so the best way to protect themselves is ( or should be ) to hire the best, most qualified officials and judges.

To brush aside the best referee in the business – the man who is the template that all other referees follow – goes deeper than following commission protocol. It is no secret that there is no love lost between the commission, the UFC and Big John McCarthy, but the time has come for all parties to put aside the past, work together to get over whatever issues are preventing the best referee from doing his job, and move forward.

We’ve all made mistakes. We learn from them and hope to get a second chance. Big John McCarthy more than deserves a second chance to get back in there and show once and for all, how reffing an MMA bout is supposed to happen. The Nevada State Athletic Commission decision makers have made mistakes in the past and I believe they are doing it again. They are the best at what they do, so they should continue to do so. I’m sure their panel of commissioners have screwed up before, but I’m sure with proper recourse, all was forgiven and a new chapter was written.

I am personally surprised that some of the fighters, both new comers to the octagon as well as the old guard are not speaking out about this. It is they, who sacrifice their bodies and reputations within all arenas of combat that should also be the ones to speak up and say “Hey…I want the best possible referee to officiate my bout(s)”.

All managers, agents, promoters, media and fans should all lobby to make sure the sport of MMA is officiated and judged properly. Their should be a demand put in place that all members of the Association of Boxing Commissions mandate that all officials and judges that are licensed to work are qualified to the highest degree.

There are still those who starkly oppose anything and everything to do with Mixed Martial Arts. The various media factions that are salivating, just waiting for a death to occur in a major MMA event. While there are many precautions already in place ( i.e. blood tests, EKG, ECG, etc ) one of the best ways to prevent something bad from happening during an MMA fight is to have qualified officials.

It’s been happening far too frequently – fights being stopped too late, and heck, even fights being stopped too soon. Officials need to make split second decisions and must position themselves accordingly to see what is happening in the fight. I know this first hand having gone thru the C.O.M.M.A.N.D. ( http://www.mmareferee.com ) Course and passing it was not an easy task. In doing my own research post graduation, I can tell you flat out that the vast majority of judges and referees in the sport of MMA today would not pass this gold standard litmus test.

The time has come for all parties who are apart of the NSAC, Big John, UFC and other promoters to put aside personal opinion and do what’s best for the sport, it’s fighters and it’s fans – work with one another to clear the air, right the wrong doings and reset the foundation so this ludicrous situation can finally end. It’s time to write a new chapter!!

Misc MMA News and Notes

If you missed Chuck Liddell’s debut on Dancing With The Stars, check out these videos of “The Iceman” doing the Fox Trot ( http://abc.go.com/watch/dancing-with-the-stars/93512/235084/season-premiere-night-1-part-2 ) and the Salsa Relay ( http://abc.go.com/watch/dancing-with-the-stars/93512/235094/season-premiere-night-1-part-1 ). UFC Owner Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta joined President Dana White in the front row to cheer Liddell on. One thing’s for sure – I like to get my groove on but it’s official – Chuck is way better dancer than I will ever be.

Who says the UFC doesn’t listen to their fans? We can all recall the backlash the organization received when the UFC 103 main event was supposed to be a rematch between Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson. Fans and media voiced their displeasure and the main event was changed to Franklin vs Vitor Belfort.

Now comes the news ( http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mmajunkie/~3/PdcvOiTculc/change-of-plans-means-ufcs-frank-trigg-not-cut-after-all-will-get-another-fight.mma ) that after nearly being cut from the organization at UFC 103, an overwelming ground swell of support to keep Frank Trigg in the organziation has given “Twinkle Toes” one last kick at the can. Trigg has not been cut and will be given one more fight to prove he still has what it takes. Good on the UFC and best of luck to Trigg.

World Victory Road: Sengoku 10 ( http://www.sengoku-official.com/pc/ ) goes down Wednesday in Japan and features UFC veteran and Canadian Joe “El Dirte” Doerksen taking on Takenori Sato. Also notables on the card are Antonio Silva, Ryan Schultz, Nick Thompson and 2004 Olympic Judo Silver Medalist, Hiroshi Izumi.

By Showdown Joe

The anticipation for tonight’s Ultimate Fight Night and debut of The Ultimate Fighter – Heavyweights is eating me alive. Couple that with the fact that UFC 103 goes down this Saturday in Dallas, I’m not sure I’m going to be able to survive the wait.

Tonight’s Ultimate Fight Night show is going to be incredible. The main event between Nate Diaz and Melvin Guillard is completely old school. Its BJJ vs Striking – it takes me back to the old days of Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Maurcie Smith and Marco Ruas. Which style and fighter will win? Will it be Diaz’s submission skills or Guillard’s vicious punching speed?

The co-main event will be a barn burner as Gray Maynard will be looking to send Roger Huerta to Hollywood with a messed up face. It will likely be Huerta’s last fight with the UFC unless he is offered a sweet deal by the UFC at the last minute. Don’t be surprised if the UFC does – they could use the poster boy to help bring their MMA product to Mexico. Huerta would be a golden child for the organization, but it’s a two way street. If Roger believes he is done with fighting…then he’s done; which may not bode well for his mental state tonight, vs Maynard.

Canadian Sam Stout is also on the card and will be taking on Phillipe Nover – I don’t like Nover’s chances in this fight. The same can be said for Tim Credeur vs Nate Quarry and Jake Ellenberger vs Carlos Condit. While anything can happen in an MMA fight, I believe Credeur and Ellenberger are in slightly over the heads.

After the Ultimate Fight Night, season ten of The Ultimate Fighter 10 makes it’s debut. The lineup for this show is incredible. Three former UFC veterans, Four former NFL players and Kevin “Kimbo” Slice Fergurson will join coaches Quintion “Rampage” Jackson and “Sugar” Rashad Evans for what will surely be an amazing season.

On numerous occasions, I’ve been asked who I believe will win the six figure contract. I’ve stayed quiet and waited to air my thoughts on “MMA Connected”, which I did earlier this week. Be sure to catch a replay of the show as it will be airing across the country – check your local listings for the times in your area or you can also check it out on Sportsnet.ca/mma this Friday.

While Jackson and Evans were supposed to duke it out after the show, it appears that fight is not gonna happen (anytime soon). With Rampage signing on to play BA Baracus, he basically stiffed the UFC for their 107 show set specifically for Rampage’s home town of Memphis, Tennessee. It appears to be an extremely strange situation, considering it was Dana White (and other members of the UFC) that rushed to Jackson’s side after his delusional episode of fasting and erratic driving after he lost the Light Heavyweight Title and had a falling out with his former manager.

On the surface, it appeared the organization helped Rampage get back to his feet, kept him busy, gave him another stint on the reality show, had a UFC Primetime series ready for him and booked a main event in his hometown. With Rampage balking at the upcoming fight with Evans in favour of his upcoming acting role, UFC President Dana White is no longer on speaking terms with “Rampage” and recently stated that only UFC majority owner Lorenzo Fertitta is speaking with the former champ ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4C5FxAYFo4&feature=player_embedded ).

So where does this leave Rashad Evans – well, some of the upper tier 205 lbs talent currently looking for opponents are Forrest Griffin, Keith Jardine and Thiago Silva. While Griffin would make for a great match up, the Jardine fight will not happen as both Rashad and Keith are training partners. That brings me to the Brazilian Mercenary, Thiago Silva – I think it would be a great fight, but it’s not at the top of my list.

If I had a say, I would match Evans with another Brazilian – one who was rumoured to be undergoing elbow surgery but has recently stated he is perfectly fine and ready to rumble. I’m talking about “The Spider” Anderson Silva.

If the UFC wants a kick ass main event (or co-main event) for an upcoming show, “Sugar” Rashad Evans vs Anderson “The Spider” Silva would be an incredible fight. 

What are your thoughts?

By Showdown Joe

Canadian Welterweight TJ Grant (16-3)  will be taking on Kevin “The Fire” Burns (8-3) at UFC 107, scheduled for December 12th at The FedEx forum in Memphis, Tennessee.

Grant, a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia is coming off a loss to Dong-Hyun Kim at UFC 100 and will have his hands full with Burns, a well rounded fighter who boasts a .500 record in the octagon.

“The Fire” is coming off two straight losses; a knockout to Anthony Johnson last December and a unanimous decision loss to Chris Lytle in June. Burns may be on treading on thin ice vs the Canadian and another loss in the UFC could see him cut from the organization.

Both fighters are notorious for putting on great performances so fans can rest assured that they will see an action packed fight, one with two athletes who always move forward and barely ever retreat.

UFC 107 will be headlined by a lightweight title fight as champion BJ “The Prodigy” Penn will take on “The Nightmare” Diego Sanchez.

Other rumored bouts include:

Heavyweights Frank Mir vs Cheick Kongo
Lightweights Kenny Florian vs Clay Guida
Welterweights Thiago Alves vs Paulo Thiago
Middleweights Alan Belcher vs Wilson Gouveia.

“MMA CONNECTED” Mon, Tues and Thurs at 11:30pm.

Thanks to the great staff at Sportsnet, I was able to view the two satellite interviews that Tito Ortiz did with Frank Trigg ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol5MYcy33MI&feature=player_profilepage ) and Vitor Belfort ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGdKpcCyMZ8&feature=player_profilepage ).

I’m definitely not surprised that Trigg is upset at the network for not being selected as my replacement while I’m going on vacation. Trust me, when I see Frank in Dallas, I will not hear the end of it. It’s safe to say that during my next vacation, I better submit his name to the decision makers at Sportsnet or I may be in for a world of hurt should we ever shoot a “Fight School” segment with “Twinkle Toes”.

As for Belfort, I’m definitely looking forward to his main event performance next weekend. He was the first fighter from way back in the day that inspired me to learn how to punch as a south paw. Having always been an orthodox puncher, I recall how a few of us in the late nineties would show up to class and practice sparring as southpaws. The running joke was that we seemed to launch the left straight down the pipe well enough (ala Belfort vs Tank Abbott, Scott Ferozzo and Tra Telligman) but our lead jabs were so terrible, that we simply went back to learning techniques from an orthodox stance.

As my vacation comes to an end, there is so much that I am looking forward to when I get back. One of these things is the debut of Season Ten of The Ultimate Fighter, featuring Coaches Quinton “BA Baracus” Jackson vs Rashad “I wanna smash Rampage” Evans. Also on the show is Kimbo Slice, and by the look of this video here ( http://www.spike.com/video/meet-heavyweights/3234203 ) he should have just walked in with a huge bulls eye on his back. Having interviewed Kimbo in the past, he is definitely a great guy and not what he’s been made out to me. He was all class, but something tells me that every heavyweight on TUF 10 wanted Kimbo as their first opponent.

Before the debut of TUF 10, the UFC will broadcast Ultimate Fight Night 19 featuring a bevy of awesome bouts. The main card will feature four bouts including Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard, Roger Huerta vs. Gray Maynard, Carlos Condit vs. Jake Ellenberger, Tim Credeur vs. Nate Quarry.

Quickly breaking down these fights, Diaz needs to get this fight down on the ground IMMEDIATELY. If he stands and trades with Guillard, I do not like his chances. If there was ever a fight that takes me back to the days of Royce Gracie where it’s a style vs style match-up, this is that type of fight. Diaz the grappler vs Guillard the striker…if Diaz plays with fire, he will likely get burned.

The Huerta vs Maynard match up is a tough one to call. Both guys are well rounded with Maynard likely being bigger, stronger and the better wrestler. Huerta will need to neutralize Maynard’s wrestling or he may run the risk of losing his final bout in the UFC. This is the last fight on his contract and he will likely not re-sign as he may be moving on from his fighting career and taking up acting full time.

In Condit vs Ellenberger, I’ll go with Carlos’ experience to deal with Ellenberger’s early onslaught and pull out a submission victory while Creduer vs Quarry is going to be an incredible war. Since his back surgery, Quarry has looked great and I believe he will be too much for Tim. Mind you, Tim’s a smart submission fighter and Nate better keep those limbs in check; mind you, I don’t believe Credeaur will get the chance to submit Quarry, but anything can happen.

It’s MMA – and any one, on any given night, can pull off the upset.

No matter how many professional MMA bouts Tito Ortiz has competed in the Octagon, his toughest fight to date happens on Monday night. You see, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” will be stepping in for yours truly to host “MMA Connected”.

While I am vacationing in Italy ( I’ll be back hosting the show next week ), Ortiz has agreed to the dubious task of stepping front of the lights and camera’s and Sportsnet’s studios and will attempt to play host and analysis for the thirty minute show. Tito be warned – you are in for a long night.

Many believe it’s a cake walk to stand in front of a camera and do what I do – heck, even I thought it was easy until I actually did it for the first time, on a major sports network. To be honest, I wish was there to see you and watch you buckle under the lights. This isn’t the octagon – this is the BIG TIME.

I’ve also been made privy that Tito has a special message for me that he will broadcast on the show and not one person from Sportsnet is giving up the goods on what it will be. It appears Ortiz has already infiltrated my own team, who are obviously all in on the joke. All I know is that I need to prepare myself for a very embarrassing moment.

While I may not know what Ortiz has in store for me, here’s what I do know…as a viewer, you do not want to miss this show. The folks at the network have already informed me of a few things and I am blown away at how awesome our production staff truly is.

By the sounds of it, Tito will be offering his thoughts on:

• His UFC 106 opponent, Mark Coleman
• Quinton “Mr. T” Jackson vs Rashad Evans being removed from UFC 107
• Fedor not signing with the UFC
• Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin
• Anderson Silva taking some time off due to surgery
• And much, much, more

If all goes well, Tito will also be interviewing UFC 103 main event headliner (and former opponent) Vitor Belfort, as well as welterweight contender Frank Trigg.

He’ll also give us his Personal Top Ten UFC moments…this alone is worth watching the show, so yes, I’ve set my PVR to make sure I catch it. I won’t be able to see it while overseas, so I’ll leave it up to you to post your thoughts and comments below – how good was Tito and is my job in jeopardy?

Check your local listings as I’ve also been told if Tito’s performance is a stellar one, I may have already hosted my last episode of “MMA Connected”.

As 2009 progresses, the UFC appears to be making a variety of changes not only for their cards in the US and UK, but are also setting the stage for some big shows in Canada and Brazil.Furthering their lobbying efforts to hold an event in the city of Toronto, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has enlisted the services of former Ontario Premier, David Peterson’s law firm ( http://mmapayout.com/2009/09/ufc-lobbying-for-criminal-code-changes-at-federal-level-in-canada/ ) to change Section 83 of the Criminal Code. It is this code ( that defines “prizefighting” across the country ) that has been a major hurdle in the province of Ontario. It is their definition of this section that has prevented any sort of MMA events from occurring on Ontario soil. This is great news for all MMA fans, including yours truly, who has been trying to get the Ontario Athletic Commission on board since 1999.

The UFC is also looking at hitting Brazil soon ( http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/9/4/1015109/ufc-works-to-change-mmas-image-in ). With a TV deal now in place as well as so many incredible fighters coming out of Brazil, perceptions are changing in the one country that brought us the Gracies, as well as current champions, Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida. 2010 appears to be the year that the sport will once again blow up in Brazil and the Octagon may be erected in Rio or San Paulo in 2011.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s column, the Rampage / Evans bout for UFC 107 was destined to be moved. Today we get word that this is actually the case, ( http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Rampage-off-UFC-107-Why-is-UFC-in-Memphis-?urn=mma,187415 ) due to what Dana White is probably fuming at right now: Rampage Jackson’s “role” as BA Baracus in the upcoming release of “The A-Team”. Seeing as the event was set to occur in Rampage’s hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, a thirteen week reality show and a three week Primetime Series, something tells me the UFC brass are not happy campers today.

Yesterday I touched on the Sean Salmon issue (where he backtracked on saying he threw a fight) and I knew that it wouldn’t take long for the first domino to fall. With the Ohio suspending Salmon until an October hearing, we can now add New Jersey’s Athletic Commission to honour the suspension ( http://www.fightopinion.com/2009/09/03/nick-lembo-and-njacb-issue-public-statement-on-sean-salmon/ ). Don’t be surprised is this suspension is also picked up by Nevada State as well, and all others in between.

One thing I did forget to mention yesterday was the “Bring Back Big John McCarthy” Twitter Bomb ( http://www.fightlinker.com/so-it-begins.mma ) campaign aimed at Dana White. Well, there’s already an update to inform everyone to get the word out ( http://www.fightlinker.com/more-on-the-big-john-twitter-bomb.mma ). I’ve spoken to Dana about this a few times and he seems luke warm on the idea. The way I figure it, if Dana can reconcile with Tito Ortiz and others, I firmly believe, for the betterment of the sport he loves so much, he will hopefully turn the corner with Big John. Mind you, this should also work if a few other people are contacted, namely Marc Ratner, Keith Kizer and Nick Lembo…I’m just saying.

To all of you wondering about Monday’s show and emailing me to stay away from all the food here in Italy – well, Tito Ortiz will be covering while I’m gone ( http://www.sportsnet.ca/mma/2009/09/04/ortiz_mma_connected/ ) and I cannot stay away from the food – but I am getting my workouts in. We’ll see if I can maintain my GSP weight, or if Lyoto Machida may be in my future instead. Do the math – I know – it’s ugly.

 While many at Sportsnet and The Fan 590 have urged me to enjoy my vacation time in Italy, I did that…for one day. I quickly had to connect online to see what is happening in the world of MMA. Call it a sickness or an obsession, but one day without the world of MMA is more than I can handle.

In scrolling through many of the top stories, there are few that caught my eyes and raised my eyebrows as well:

It appears as if the lightweight title fight between BJ Penn and Diego Sanchez has been moved from UFC 105 in England on November 14th, to UFC 107, December 12th in Memphis. I’m not sure as to the reasoning why, but it is a little strange. The UFC 107 card already has hometown representation in Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs “Sugar” Rashad Evans. Take into consideration that this fight will be promoted intensely by The Ultimate Fighter and its own Primetime Series, will the Penn / Sanchez end up having a countdown only? Seems to me there is going to be a shuffle with some of these big time bouts.

The Penn / Sanchez bout was set to headline UFC 105, but now there is no main event on that card (which is also rumoured to be on free tv). As it stands, Michael Bisping is set to take on Canadian Denis Kang on that card, but will that be the main event? The card also features TUF 9 winners James Wilks and Ross Pearson…stay tuned for more updates as I get them.

Former lightweight champion Sean Sherk has pulled out of his bout with Gleason Tibau. The bout was scheduled for UFC 104 in California, the same state that Sherk allegedly tested positive for steroids in. He basically stated he would never fight there again. Up until now, everything has been great, but after he did not show up for a random drug test issued by the commission, his manager stated he pulled out of the bout with a separated shoulder and that an MRI has been sent to the UFC as proof. I’m not one for conspiracy theories but I also know if I was Sean Sherk, I wouldn’t be fighting in California until their drug testing policies are cleaned up (no pun intended).

Sherk’s replacement appears to be Josh Neer – I wonder if Tibau thinks he hit the jackpot? Sherk is a much tougher opponent than Neer, Yes, but I would not be taking Neer lightly. This guy can pose problems to anyone in the lightweight division…he always seems to surprise folks and is game for anyone, anytime, anywhere.

Another fighter who is about to go through a whirlwind of shame through a commission is former UFC light heavyweight Sean Salmon, who recently stated that he was misquoted in his own article on MMA Junkie that he threw a fight ( http://mmajunkie.com/news/16060/full-time-fighter-sean-salmon-on-biggest-career-mistake-and-new-fight-with-dante-rivera.mma ). Salmon appears to be backpedaling right now and saying he never meant what he said and that he should have typed it differently. Either way, it’s tough to sympathize with any fighter who “throws” a fight, admits to it and is now changing his tune. By all accounts, I am told he’s a great guy, but when the sport of MMA has to start dealing with fighters purposely losing fights, the balance of innocence and greed start favouring the latter…imagine being able to wager on your own fight, where you are the favourite, and simply betting on your opponent (a huge underdog) and then losing on purpose. Most guys don’t get paid much, but if you take your $500 (show money) and bet on your opponent at 4 to one odds…I’m sure you see where I’m going here.

It appears Little Nog (Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s twin brother) is set to make his UFC debut at UFC 105 (cough, cough, match him up vs Luis Cane, cough, cough). He will be a great addition to the already stacked light heavyweight class. I’m not sure how he will do…I believe he will have his work cut out for him, but the fact there is talk that the UFC wants him to fight for a title soon…am I missing something here? He is a long way from a title shot but if he’s set to get a yellow brick road path to the title, can somebody explain that to me? Why?