The UFC Blog

Keith Jardine and Thiago Silva agree to meet at UFC 102 in August
By: John Morgan, MMAjunkie.com

When one door closes, another opens.

Brazilian slugger Thiago Silva (13-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) woke up this morning believing he would be facing Forrest Griffin on Aug. 8 at UFC 101. He’ll go to sleep preparing to face Keith Jardine (14-5-1 MMA, 6-4 UFC) at UFC 102.

Sources close to the organization have informed MMAjunkie.com that "The Dean of Mean" and Siva have verbally agreed to meet at the Aug. 29 event.

Bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly.

MMAjunkie.com originally learned of the planned Thiago Silva vs. Griffin matchup in March, but those plans were scrapped today in favor of the former light heavyweight champ and "The Ultimate Fighter" winner facing off with current UFC middleweight title holder Anderson Silva in a 205-pound contest.

The Anderson Silva vs. Griffin fight will serve as UFC 101’s co-main event.

Thiago Silva will instead fight three weeks later, as the American Top Team fighter looks to rebound from his first career defeat. After reeling off four-straight wins to start his run in the UFC – and 13-straight victories overall – Silva was knocked out in a January bout with current No. 1 contender Lyoto Machida.

Jardine also looks to rebound from a recent loss. Also familiar with UFC card-shuffling, Jardine had been expected to face Luiz Cane at UFC 97, but a series of events led the Greg Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts fighter instead to a main event showdown with former light-heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 96 in March.

Jardine dropped a close unanimous decision to Jackson that many observers felt was decided in the final seconds of the 15-minute affair. While Jardine has gone just 2-3 in his past five fights, the always-dangerous, awkwardly styled fighter holds wins over Brandon Vera, Chuck Liddell, Griffin and Wilson Gouveia, among others.

While not officially announced, UFC 102 is expected to be headlined by a heavyweight bout between MMA legends Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on Aug. 29 in Portland, Ore.

Time Is Running Out To Bid On Tickets To UFC® 98 Bid now to win tickets in the first three rows at UFC® 98 on Saturday, May 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena Bid Now.

They hype and anticipation for UFC 100 is still growing as the event gets closer and has been sold out since tickets went on sale weeks ago.

Yet with all this hassle the UFC has managed to start getting ready for 101, wow UFC 101 already!

More information is still to be announced but so far it si already shaping up to be a great event following UFC 100 is no easy card to put together but it looks like the UFC will once again amaze the MMA fans around the world.

Anderson Silva Vs. Forrest Griffin - After the last fight Silva had many fans in a state of confliction if he is the fighter he has been hyped up to be, where is all the action in his game? Well good new for all you action junkies Silva vs Griffin! That’s all I should have to say.

Another great fight lined up for this card is Penn vs Florian.

This will be the first time the UFC comes to Philly, so mark your calender for August 8th and get ready to see some more top notch MMA action from the UFC.

Chack back often for updates on this event and the fight card!

With some disappointment in his recent fights "The Ax Murder" is ready for Franklin and his new division.

Being as Franklin was the last belt holder, before Anderson Silva came in dominating his way to the top, Wandy is looking forward to a new victory.

"Fighting with him is incredible, because he was the last champion before Anderson. He is a great fighter, a complete guy and it’s a good fight for me in this new category. He has a good ground, good striking, good takedowns and I think it’ll be a good fight for me. I’m bringing many guy from Brazil to train with me that are also complete fighters, I’ll be ready for him", says the Brazilian, in an interview for the Fighters Only Magazine site. The catchweight (195lbs) fight is scheduled for UFC 99, on June 13th, in Germany.

Keep up with whats happening with Wanderlei Silva here.

By Thomas Gerbasi

The preliminaries are done, the teams for the United States and United Kingdom are set for this season of The Ultimate Fighter. Now it’s time to get down to business and start the bouts that will eventually whittle the field of 16 to two Ultimate Fighters.

Team UK has impressed coach Michael Bisping thus far with their efforts in the gym. “They’re not a team of wannabes,” said Bisping, happy that all his fighters are looking to bring it in their bouts against Team US.

To aid in his team’s development, Bisping has brought in UFC vet Mario “Sucata” Neto for wrestling and submissions and Dave Jackson for Thai Boxing.

“They’re not training harder than us,” insists ‘The Count’

Bisping’s talking has gotten under the skin of the US team’s Damarques Johnson, but coach Dan Henderson takes it all in stride.

“I know I’ll have my chance to shut his mouth with my fist,” said Henderson, who has enlisted Heath Sims, Cyril Diabate, Ricardo Feliciano, and Gustavo as his coaching staff for this season.

As the first fight approaches, Team US has the opportunity to pick the fight, but Henderson is concerned because the UK team has had a two week break from their elimination bouts, while some members of the US squad are just coming off fights. But after checking with his team, both for weight and fight readiness, Henderson decides that the opening bout will pit Mark Miller against the UK’s Nick Osipczak.

Bisping’s happy with the matchup, and as Miller shakes hands with Osipczak and wishes him luck, the UK coach smiles as he says “We make our own luck.”

Before the fight, the UK coaching staff breaks down tape of Miller. “He seems quite one-dimensional,” says Bisping, and when Osipczak says that he will switch from a southpaw to orthodox stance for the fight to throw Miller off, the UK squad gets even more confident.

Back in the house (and in the gym), Johnson and his teammates begin this season’s pranks by innocently writing on their rivals’ shirts and wrestling shoes. But when Ross Pearson finds out that it’s his shoes that have been written on, he’s not too happy.

“I was playing nice before,” said Pearson, but Bisping insists that his team stay focused on the task at hand.

“Try to ignore it and rise above it,” he said.

Osipczak took those words to heart in his hotly-contested bout with Miller, one that saw the two fighters engage in a back and forth battle both standing and on the mat. In the first round, it appeared that Miller tapped out to a guillotine choke, but the bout continued as he eventually fought his way loose. Osipczak would have the last word though, when a single right kick to the head knocked Miller out in the second stanza and eliminated him from the competition.

With Osipczak’s win, Team UK takes a 1-0 lead; here’s how the teams look…

TEAM USA
WELTERWEIGHTS
Mark Miller – eliminated on episode four by Nick Osipczak
Jason Pierce
Damarques Johnson
Frank Lester

LIGHTWEIGHTS
Richie Whitson
Santino DeFranco
Cameron Dollar
Jason Dent

TEAM UK
WELTERWEIGHTS
David Faulkner
Dean Amasinger
Nick Osipczak 1-0
James Wilks

LIGHTWEIGHTS
Ross Pearson
Martin Stapleton
Jeff Lawson
Andre Winner

For weekly recaps of The Ultimate Fighter, as well as fighter profiles and a blog from UK coach Michael Bisping, chack out UFC.com.

The Demo for UFC 2009 Undisputed is now available for immediate download on XBox Live or check it out at the Playstation store later today.

All of the fights when your favorite fighter didn’t get the W can all be changed now.

Do you wish Chuck Liddell won his last Fight against Rua? Well now you can turn the tables and make the "Iceman" the champ once again!

The relaese date is set for May so get a sneak preview now.

Don’t forget to check out UFCundisputed.com.

UFC 97 is over and there is plenty to talk about coming out from those fights. Is it over for Chuck, was the Anderson fight worth watching or not, is the "Shogun" who was so dominate in Pride finally back? Many fans were disappointed by UFC 97 and others thought it was a good card.

Lets not dwell on the past and lets look to the future.

UFC® 98 EVANS vs MACHIDA
May 23, 2009 7pm PT/10pm ET
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas

If you are one of the "Casual Fans" (in the words of Joe Rogan) who was disappointed by UFC 97, well sit tight because UFC 98 will not be the same kind of event. The UFC will be back home in Las Vegas with real hardcore fans who appreciate the work fighters put into the game for our amusement, and will feature an all star fight card.

Rashad Evans Vs. Lyoto Machida  - This is not going to be a title fight but is still a landmark fight for them both, being as it will mark a loss for the first time on one of their records. Both men coming in undefeated with some historic fights in their trail all ready. If you haven’t been enjoyin’ much MMA due to the so called "Lack Luster" of action then do not miss this fight.

Matt Hughes Vs. Matt Serra - We have not seen either of these fighters in awhile, but don’t get it mistaken, they are both still in fighting shape and have been training as hard as ever! Despite your feeling on these fighters, being washed up or still great fighters or however you look at it, this will be one to watch because I can guarantee that you hate at least one of these guys.

James Irvin Vs. Drew McFedries - It will be good to see Irvin back in the ring for many fans as well, he has been off the map since the Anderson Silva fight and I know a lot of you fans are happy he will be back in the ring.

also on this card:

Yushin Okami Vs. Dan Miller

Sean Sherk Vs. Frank Edgar

Brock Larson Vs. Chris Wilson

Pat Barry Vs. Tim Hague

Phillipe Nover Vs. Kyle Bradley

Houston Alexander Vs. Andre Gusmao

Yoshiyuki Yoshida Vs. Brandon Wolff

Dave Kaplan Vs. George Roop

Montreal, Canada – It would be difficult to find another person who has accomplished more in Mixed Martial Arts than Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell.  He is to MMA what Michael Jordan was to basketball and Saturday night we may have witnessed an end of an era.  

With a legendary career hanging in the balance, Chuck Liddell didn’t hold anything back as he faced Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the co-main event of Saturday night’s UFC 97 “Redemption.”  

Known for their striking abilities, both fighters came out guns a blazing.  Rua weathered some flurries from Liddell early on and quickly went to work on his lead leg.  Rua nearly caught the former champ with a leg lock, but Liddell quickly escaped.  Back on the feet, Rua landed a stiff left which sent Liddell to the canvas and followed it up with a plethora of hammerfists ending the fight at the 4:28 mark of round one.  

Liddell, who turns 40 in December, refused to speculate on his future, but according to UFC President and good friend Dana White he’s retired, “I don’t want to see anybody stick around too long,” White said. “I don’t want to see anybody get hurt. You’re never going to see Chuck Liddell on the canvas again.”

Liddell, who is 1-4 in his past five bouts, doesn’t refute White’s statements, “That’s probably safe to say,” he said. “I’m not going to make any decisions until I go home and talk to everybody.”

It’s safe to say that the Chuck Liddell era has come and gone and a debt of gratitude must go out to him for all he’s done for MMA.  

It’s also safe to say that the “Shogun” era has begun in the UFC.  With victories over “Rampage” Jackson and now Chuck Liddell, the 27- year-old Rua has a bright future ahead of him.

I believe UFC 97 was billed as “Redemption” to give Anderson Silva a chance to redeem himself for his bizarre fight last year with Patrick Cote.  I guess we’ll have to wait till his next fight for him to deliver on his promise of delivering an action packed battle as he and Thales Leites put on quite the snoozer.  

“The Spider,” known for his highlight reel knockouts, successfully defended his middleweight championship and set a record for his ninth consecutive UFC victory.

The 25 minute title bout saw little to no action as Thales Leites didn’t want any part of stand up of Silva and Silva declined to roll with Leites on the ground.  The fight was booed from the get go and the Canadian fans kept it up the whole match.  Silva earned the unanimous decision victory and amidst the displeasure of his fans was happy with his performance.  

"I’m comfortable with people’s opinion," Silva said. "People have a right to their own opinion. But when I go out there, everything I do in training I feel that I executed in the fight.

"My game plan, I wanted to go into the later rounds with Thales. I was unable to finish. Sometimes I’m able to finish guys; sometimes I’m not able to. I felt that I proved to everybody that I’m able to go five rounds, and I’m in good shape."

President Dana White didn’t quite have the same sentiments when asked about the fight, "I’m personally unhappy with the whole fight," White said. "I did not like the fight at all, period, on either side."

He would go on to even apologize for the debacle on Yahoo Sports, “I can honestly tell you that I’ve never put on an event that I was embarrassed to be at until tonight. I want to publicly apologize to all the fans.  I apologize. I personally apologize for what happened tonight. You guys know, this isn’t what the UFC was built on and this isn’t the way the fights usually go. Listen, any night you can have an off-night. When a guy is that talented and can literally end a fight whenever he wants to, wow.”

In reality it’s not up for us to dictate on how Silva or whomever fights.  He doesn’t need to get a quick knockout night in and night out.  The middleweight division is lacking a definite number one contender.  Other than a bout with Wanderlei Silva or move up in weight class there isn’t much there for “The Spider.”  I say let him go get beat by Roy Jones Jr. in a boxing match and then he’ll come back to the UFC more motivated.

“Fight of the Night” honors went to Sam Stout and Matt Wiman as the two lightweight studs had a memorable back and forth battle.  Stout was able to do enough to earn a unanimous decision in front of his countrymen snapping his two fight losing skid.

Two former WEC light heavyweight champions fall as Brian Stann succumbed to a Krzysztof Soszynski kimura in round one.  

Coming into his fight with Luiz Cane, former WEC champ Steve Cantwell was riding a four fight win streak, that streak was snapped in a hard fought decision loss to Cane.  The fight was anyone’s to win going into round three and Cane proved to be the fresher of the two as used a barrage of jabs to steal the victory.  

It’s Cane’s third victory in a row.

Heavyweight contender Cheick Kongo continues to impress as he used a vicious ground and pound to halt the three fight win streak of Antoni Hardonk.  Kongo was able to drop Hardonk in the first and second round and finally put him away midway through round two.  The victory moves the Frenchman into title contention.  

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Anderson Silva def. Thales Leites via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 50-46)
Sam Stout def. Matt Wiman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua def. Chuck Liddell via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 4:28
Krzysztof Soszynski def. Brian Stann via submission (kimura) - Round 1, 3:53
Cheick Kongo def. Antoni Hardonk via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 2:29
Luiz Cane def. Steve Cantwell via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

Denis Kang def. Xavier Foupa-Pokam via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Nate Quarry def. Jason MacDonald via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 2:27
Ed Herman def. David Loiseau via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Mark Bocek def. David Bielkheden via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 4:57
T.J. Grant def. Ryo Chonan via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Eliot Marshall def. Vinicius Magalhaes via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

UFC 97 was a sold out event and featured some amazing top notch fighters such as Anderson Silva, Mauricio Rua and Chuck Liddell.

Depending on how hardcore of an MMA fan you are you might look at these fights different.

For the "Casual Fans" as Joe Rogan put it, this fight was a disappointment.

For true MMA fans, and not some intoxicated fatty who just sits in his chair and yells like he has any idea what these athletes go through to be at this level, these were some really good fights.

Personally I hope the UFC decides to never return to Canada with such a lack luster of real MMA enthusiasts. The crown was booing the Anderson Silva fight when in reality it may have been not as exciting of action as expected of Anderson but it was a good match.

Anderson was amazing and on point putting together moves in which no one in the world would have the skill and ability to pull off.

Many fans were disappointed in Thales, who was criticized heavily that he was not at the level to fight Anderson yet.

Even thought Thales was at a point where he couldn’t put anything together and was utilizing or even abusing the fact that Anderson wasn’t engaging much when he would be on the mat. Hints his laying down so much. He still showed promise that he will one day be likely at a level where he will be competing for the title again.

Despite the lack of balls to the wall action both fighters were fighting smart, and in all honesty it was a thrill to get to see Anderson fight a full 5 rounds.

In all honesty anyone who thinks Anderson is at blame for the so called "Lack Luster" of the main event should challenge him themselves, same for those who blame Thales.

One of every fans favorites, Chuck Liddell had a very disappointing fight and most the MMA world was hurt with his loss. But given the fact he was facing Shogun he should have no hard feelings. Any fan who has seen Shogun when he was dominating in Pride should know he is a Top Notch very skilled fighter. Lets all hope this isn’t the end of Chuck but we will see.

The Iceman has lost 4 of his last 5 fights, 2 were Technical KO’s and 1 KO. Chuck is only 39 so he may just need some readjusting and many fans feel he needs to tighten up his boxing and he could still be in the game as a top of the line fighter. I guess we can only wait and see what his next move will be. But no doubt the MMA world loves you Chuck. Thanks for giving the sport so much of what it has today and entertaining us all for so many years.

Plus, Shogun looked good and coming off his performance against Coleman and realizing his knee was back to 100% Rua had all the amount of drive to train hard and win just as Chuck. Rua is only 27 and if his knees are really back to 100% he may be the same dominating "Bad Ass" he was in Pride. There may a lot to come from Shogun and anyone who hasn’t followed Pride is going to have some learning to do about this guy!

All in all this card was not as "Lack Luster" as many, mostly "Casual Fans", are saying.

UFC President Dana White has called Canada the "Mecca of Mixed Martial Arts" and we’ll have the premiere voice of the MMA media from up North join the show on Monday to break down UFC 97 with Pep. Who is at fault for the lackluster main event? Is Chuck Liddell done? Should he be? Is the top-notch version of Shogun that dominated Pride back? What’s next for Anderson Silva? Where is he in the Pound for Pound rankings after his last two performances?

We’ll also have the star of Strikeforce’s debut on Showtime last week, Scott "Hands of Steel" Smith, come in for the Toe to Toe segment.

Pro MMA Radio airs every Monday night at 6PM PST, 9PM EST right here on Bodybuilding.com. On-Demand Replays of every show are also available here so you can listen when you want, how you want. Enjoy!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

    * Anderson Silva def. Thales Leites via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 50-46)
    * Sam Stout def. Matt Wiman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
    * Mauricio "Shogun" Rua def. Chuck Liddell via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 4:28
    * Krzysztof Soszynski def. Brian Stann via submission (kimura) - Round 1, 3:53
    * Cheick Kongo def. Antoni Hardonk via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 2:29
    * Luiz Cane def. Steve Cantwell via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

    * Denis Kang def. Xavier Foupa-Pokam via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
    * Nate Quarry def. Jason MacDonald via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 2:27
    * Ed Herman def. David Loiseau via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
    * Mark Bocek def. David Bielkheden via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 4:57
    * T.J. Grant def. Ryo Chonan via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
    * Eliot Marshall def. Vinicius Magalhaes via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Don’t miss UFC 97 featuring

Anderson Silva vs Thales Leites
and
Chuck Liddell vs Mauricio Rua

This is a sold out event so you know it is going to be a great card, find a place to kick back and enjoy as these four men take some beating for our viewing pleasure.

UFC 97 is officially locked and loaded as all the fighters on the main card are on weight. Only one fighter, David Bielkheden, failed to make weight on his initial attempt, coming in at 157 pounds for his lightweight matchup with Canada’s Sam Stout. Bielkheden will have to trim another pound to meet the one pound grace fighters are allowed in non-title fights. If not, he’ll have to sacrifice a portion of his purse, but a pound isn’t usually a problem, so expect him to make it as planned.

The most interesting thing coming out of the weigh in may be UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva hitting the scale at 182 pounds, a full three pounds under the 185 limit. Speculation abounds as to why "The Spider", who fought last summer at 205 pounds when he KO’d James Irvin in the first round, weighed in so light. Is he in tremendous condition from a rigorous training schedule that might have trimmed a few extra pounds? Or might he be fighting some type of illness that caused him to lose weight he wanted to carry with him into the cage when he faces challenger Thales Leites? Even if the latter is true, few observers are concerned that he won’t have his hand raised tomorrow night and keep his belt.

After dismal performances in their last outings the road to redemption ends in Montreal Canada for Anderson Silva and Chuck Liddell.  Their official day of reckoning will be this Saturday night as The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Montreal’s Bell Centre.

UFC 97: “Redemption” will feature UFC Middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva as he defends his title against Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Thales Leites.

Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell will look to rebound from his devastating knockout loss to Rashad Evans as he faces the always dangerous Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

UFC 90 is where we last saw Anderson Silva in action, or at least a shell of himself.  He was victorious in a bizarre fight with Patrick Cote, where Cote blew his knee out costing him the fight.  Silva slept walked for the first two rounds seemingly toying with his foe until Cote came up lame. This was not the Anderson Silva that we’ve grown to love.

After an apology to his fans and a vow to return to his dominating ways, Anderson Silva looks to retain his title and make a little UFC history while doing so.  He’s currently tied with Royce Gracie and Jon Fitch with eight consecutive victories in the Octagon and nine will cement his status as one of the best ever.  “Wanna get away” Thales Leites?  Here’s a snickers bar!

Thales Leites will have his hands full with Silva, but he is more than capable of pulling off a huge upset.  Leites was unsuccessful in his UFC debut against Martin Kampmann, but has since reeled off five consecutive victories.  He possesses notable victories over Nate Marquardt and Drew McFedries.  Leites has sick BJJ and is constantly improving his striking.  

Leites has a slight edge on the ground, but Silva is equally strong in the BJJ department being a black belt under the Noguiera brothers.  Silva’s laser like accuracy is his trademark and his knees are deadly.  “The Spider” is motivated more than ever and is constantly proving why he’s the top fighter in the world.  He shouldn’t have too much trouble with Leites and a first round knockout is likely.  

Once recognized as two of the top light heavyweights in the world, Chuck Liddell and “Shogun” Rua have straight struggled in their last couple bouts.  

Rashad Evans put “The Iceman” on ice at UFC 88 and Rua could barely muster up the energy to bury the fossil that is Mark Coleman at UFC 93.  

With a record of 1-3 in his last four bouts, Liddell is no longer the man who once dominated the UFC a few years back.  Being the most famous fighter in the world may have done Liddell in.  Fighters have seemed to figure him out and his hand speed is not where it was two years ago.  At 39, Liddell doesn’t have many more fights left in him and a victory over Rua is crucial if he wants to recapture the light heavyweight belt.  

After dominating the MMA scene in Japan, Rua made his UFC debut against Forrest Griffin at UFC 76 where he was upset in the third round.  Two knee surgeries later and a lack luster victory over Mark Coleman, Rua finds himself in a must win situation.  His ultra aggressive fighting style is legendary and has notable victories over “Rampage” Jackson and Alistair Overeem.  

Rua has vowed to return to his old form and if he stays true to his word, he’s unstoppable.  Liddell has been tightening up his striking with American Top Team and as always predicted a KO.  

This fight is hard to predict as neither fighter has looked great in a few years.  I’ll take Rua in a slight upset and at 27 years old he’s got the tools to be the champ.  

UFC 97 is sold out and can only be seen on pay-per-view, check it out, should be an exciting night of fights!

MAIN CARD (Televised)
• Middleweight champ Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites
• Chuck Liddell vs. Mauricio Rua
• Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brian Stann
• Cheick Kongo vs. Antoni Hardonk
• Luis Cane vs. Steve Cantwell
PRELIMINARY CARD (Un-televised)
• Vinicius Magalhaes vs. Eliot Marshall
• Xavier Foupa-Pokam vs. Denis Kang
• Jason MacDonald vs. Nate Quarry
• Ed Herman vs. David Loiseau
• David Bielkheden vs. Mark Bocek
• Ryo Chonan vs. T.J. Grant
• Sam Stout vs. Matt Wiman

As everyone knows Chuck Liddell will be facing off against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua on Saturday, April 18^th.

Many have said that Liddell is losing his edge and that he HAS to win this fight period. In Rua’s last fight, against Mark Coleman, Rua didn’t look like the same "Shogun" we have seen in the past he managed to pull off the W but didn’t look like a top notch fighter.

If both these fighters come into the cage ready to fight we all know this will be an amazing fight, any fan who has followed these men through their amazing careers knows these two will be an awesome battle (at least the Liddell and Rua we know from back in the day would be a great fight).

Everyone can only guess Chuck has been training harder than ever for this fight. To prove he is still a top contender he has promised to knock out Rua on Saturday.

Liddell has been getting a lot criticism since Rashad caught him, kind of funny how he was the fight of the year, not long before Rashad, against Wanderlei Silva.

No matter how you look at this or if you think Liddell is past his prime this is going to be one hell of a fight.

For information on the Chuck Liddell and Anderson Silva after party click here.

All new episode of The Ultimate Fighter tonight at 10pm ET/PT only on Spike TV.

For those of you who have not been able to keep up with the first two episodes here is a recap of what is going on this season on The Ultimate Fighter: US vs UK!

This is the first time the UFC has pitted two nations against each other in the Ultimate Fighter.

Both teams started with 16 fighters who have to fight to earn a spot in the TUF House and compete for a six figure contract with the UFC.

The UK has its team already set and some promising talent has already shown to be representing the UK.

Here are the List of UK fighters who have earned a spot in the House for this season:

WELTERWEIGHTS
David Faulkner
Dean Amasinger
Nick Osipczak
James Wilks

LIGHTWEIGHTS
Ross Pearson
Martin Stapleton
Jeff Lawson
Andre Winner

For a complete recap of Episode One click here.

On the USA side of things, Dan Henderson didn’t even get a chance to relax after his win over Rich Franklin as he had to get back to Vegas to see who was contending to be on his team for the USA.

So far there are 6 fighters for the USA and we will find out who the last two are tonight.

Who made the cut for USA so far:

WELTERWEIGHTS
Mark Miller
Jason Pierce
Damarques Johnson

LIGHTWEIGHTS
Richie Whitson
Santino DeFranco
Cameron Dollar

For a complete recap on episode 2 click here.

Don’t miss tonight’s episode as we find out who the last two fighters are to make it into the house and get a look at what the competition this season will be like.

This Saturday April 18th Centre Bell, Canada will be filled with excitement and anticipation as a whole crew of UFC fighters hail in to give UFC fans a night of fights to remember. Anderson Silva will be defending the middleweight belt against BJJ master Thales Leites.

Also highlighting this card is the Chuck Liddell Vs. Mauricio Rua fight, "The Iceman" really needs this fight so you know it will ba a battle as these two go toe to toe.

This card is truly stacked with some awesome fights so make sure to tune in, for information on where to see the fights click here.

UFC 97 fight card;

Anderson Silva Vs. Thales Leites

Chuck Liddell Vs. Mauricio Rua

Krzysztof Soszynski Vs. Brian Stann

Cheick Kongo Vs. Antoni Hardonk

Steve Cantwell Vs. Luiz Cane

Eliot Marshall Vs. Vinicius Magalhaes

Denis Kang Vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam

Jason MacDonald Vs. Nate Quarry

David Loiseau Vs. Ed Herman

Mark Bocek Vs. David Bielkheden

Ryo Chonan Vs. TJ Grant

Sam Stout Vs. Matt Wiman

Mark Coleman started out his career in the UFC by dominating his way through the UFC 10 Tournament with wins over Moti Horenstein, Gary Goodridge and Don Frye back in July of 1996.

Mark became the first UFC heavyweight champion all the way back at UFC 12.

Then after four losses, two of which were decisions, he went on a six fight win streak. "The Hammer" as he is called is popular for his intense ground and pound and wrestling skills, he also has a long list of experience.

After a battle against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 93 in which Coleman lost by TKO due to punches, Coleman will be returning to the Octagon for a light heavyweight war against Stephan Bonnar.

At age 44 “The Hammer” still has a lot of fight left in him, so this fight should turn out to be an outstanding punch fest between these two fighters.

The sold UFC 100 will be a fight MMA fans will remember for years to come and probably more than that.

UFC 100 Fight Card;

Brock Lesnar Vs. Frank Mir

Georges St-Pierre Vs. Thiago Alves

Dan Henderson Vs. Michael Bisping

Yoshihiro Akiyama Vs. Alan Belcher

Mark Coleman Vs. Stephan Bonnar

Jon Jones Vs. Jake O’Brien

Dong Hyun Kim Vs. Jonathan Goulet

CB Dollaway Vs. Tom Lawlor

Matt Grice Vs. Shannon Gugerty

UFC 97 is going to be a great show with a stacked fight card.

UFC 97 is bringing the heat with two huge fights including, Anderson Silva Vs. Thales Leites & Chuck Liddell Vs. Mauricio Rua.

Silva will be defending his Middleweight Title against BJJ black belt Thales Leites, "The Iceman" also returns to the octagon to battle it out with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

Catch the countdown to UFC 97 Tonight on Spike TV 11pm ET/PT.

Tickets go on sale to the general public tomorrow so click here and get a head start on your July 10-11 weekend.

This is a once in a life time event, so become a part of MMA history at the first ever UFC Fan Expo.

ULTIMATE VIP Package includes

* 2-Day Admission to UFC Fan Expo 2009
* Meet and Greet with Dana White
* Exclusive Gift Bag with Exhibitor Premiums for Ultimate VIPs and Fighters
* Separate Autograph Line to Avoid the Crowds
* Reserved Seating at Keynote Addresses
* Access to Exclusive VIP Lounge
* Collectible UFC Fan Expo VIP Badge
* Dedicated VIP Registration Area
* Special VIP Entrance to the Show Floor
* Early Entry into UFC Fan Expo (15 minutes before Show opens)
* Limited Edition UFC Fan Expo T-Shirt
* VIP Concierge  

Basic VIP Package includes

* 2-Day Admission to UFC Fan Expo 2009
* Reserved Seating at Keynote Addresses
* Collectible UFC Fan Expo VIP Badge
* Dedicated VIP Registration Area
* Special VIP Entrance to the Show Floor
* Early Entry into UFC Fan Expo (15 minutes before Show opens to the public)
* Limited Edition UFC Fan Expo T-Shirt
* VIP Concierge  

For more information and pricing click here!