Shogun>Griffin by decision. On paper Shogun should win this one easy, but I don't think it will be.

Why is Jardine getting this fight after Alexander completely owned him anyway?

Dana Chuck

I don't see that fight going to decision, I think it ends in KO one way or the other. Even if one of them is isn't as aggressive as normal, the other will press the action.

I'm debating ordering this... someone convince me?

I hope I am wrong on the boring part.

I didn't think there was any boring fights on the card.

I bet 300 on Forrest getting +275,,,..SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIP

easily the best fight of the night, and one of the best I've seen in a while.

FUCKIN' CROCOP LIDDELL.

All in all I haven't been impressed by any of the new pride guys in the UFC... Its weird Jardine>Forrest>Rua>Rampage>Chuck.... I want to see Fedor REAL BAD... I also want to see Tito back at the top.

Who's up next for Jardine do you think? Has this earned him a title shot??

Where does Rashad Evans fit in?

I only really know the 205 division half decently, so lets do our own top 10.

Michael Bisping (14-0-0)

I hate that guy.

I was with you right up until the last sentence. Pride fighters really haven't looked good in any of their fights. Tito however, is over. He will not ever be at the top of the 205 again. They're too deep now, and he's not even a player in the title picture.

Does anyone else just love watching the Diaz brothers fight? They are so calm it is scary. I just hope Nate learned from his older brother's antics and conducts himself a little more professionally.

Check out Jason Miller's expression, it's the guy just behind Wanderlei to the right.

Evans looked to small for 205 against Tito and his performance in that fight wasnt worthy of a shot in the deepest division. Jardine/Rampage then Griffin/Alexander would be logical next fights at the top of the division. Wanderlei/Tito would be a big enough fight to sell a main event in Vegas with the winner jumping up to get the next shot at the title after the Griffin/Alexander winner. One thing I love about the UFC and especially the 205 division is there are no easy fights. Seems like in boxing a champion only has a real challenge every couple of years with overmatched opponents in between.

Mayhem could give Rampage a running for the best character in MMA. I can't believe the UFC hasn't signed him yet. That guy would be compare a crowd favorite in two fights. He has mad skillz too.

Come on JC. Tito is OVA! He wants to make money, not fight. He lost the Rashad fight and then had a questionable fight with Forrest. He will never be able to get up for a fight with a non top 3 fighter. Actually, I am pretty sure he refuses to take fights with anyone except the top 3 regardless of what he has done lately.

Until someone proves otherwise, I still have Dan Henderson #2 in that division and at least #2 in 185 if he wants to fight there.

Bisbing isn't even in the top 10, maybe even 15 IMHO.

Some guy yelled at him "Hey Chuck you look realllll prepared to fight!" I lol'ed.

Wasnt the rashad fight with tito the one that ended up in a draw? Maybe I'm remembering wrong....

What a difference a year makes.

In October 2006, then-UFC champion Chuck Liddell reigned as the most dominant light heavyweight on the planet, while an unranked Quinton “Rampage” Jackson languished in limbo without a fight deal with a major promotion. Over in Japan, Wanderlei Silva ruled PRIDE’s 205-lb division, with a red-hot Mauricio “Shogun” Rua standing at his side as the clear heir apparent.

Today, Rampage holds the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Fans wonder how much gas is left in Liddell’s 38-year-old (in two months) tank after losing back-to-back fights for the first time in his career. Silva will finally make his UFC debut, though like Liddell, he is coming off consecutive losses for the first time in his storied career. And Shogun is left wondering what happened at UFC 76.

With the 205-lb world turned upside down over the past year, it’s time to take a survey of the UFC light heavyweight landscape.

DIVISION KINGPIN

Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson (28-6): Lots of fighters win championships. Great fighters defend them. Rampage’s stunning first-round knockout win over Liddell at UFC 71 earned him the championship he long coveted. But it was his five-round war with Dan Henderson at UFC 75 that legitimized the affable Rampage as a truly great fighter. The sport’s first undisputed champion is a highly skilled boxer with jaw-dropping physical strength and vastly underrated wrestling and ground skills. Questions still exist about his ability to defend knee strikes though, as he suffered two knockout losses to Wanderlei Silva and a technical knockout loss to Shogun from knees. But those losses occurred more than two years ago. Rampage is 16-3 since 2002, including his current six-fight winning streak. If he has rectified that perceived hole in his game, there is no telling how long the 29-year-old champion will reign supreme.

A MAN NAMED FORREST

Forrest Griffin (15-4): Griffin embodies everything that makes MMA the greatest sport in the world. He fights for the love of competition, not just for the ever-increasing purses. He ducks absolutely nobody, constantly asking to fight the very best in the world. He is a humble, at times vulnerable, superstar with a constant smile and a steady flow of self-deprecating quips. And, most importantly, he leaves a piece of his soul in the Octagon each and every time that he fights. Griffin is the UFC’s version of Arturo Gatti – a throwback fighter with a massive heart and a penchant for engaging in thrilling slugfests. Yet, he is quickly proving that unlike Gatti, he is not an A-list gatekeeper but a true elite fighter in his own right. Griffin’s big upset win over Shogun at UFC 76 should be enough to justify a title shot in his next fight. Nobody can make a more persuasive argument as the number one contender in my opinion.

ELITE OR EXPOSED?

Shogun Rua (16-3): Talk about stumbles. Virtually everyone labeled Chute Boxe’s young superstar the next in line to hold UFC gold. While that may still hold true, he ran into a freight train named Forrest in his UFC debut. The absence of Shogun’s jumping, spinning and explosive strikes, as well as his soft physique and sluggish demeanor, will leave fight cognoscenti questioning whether he took Forrest lightly. Or was this just another vivid example of the fact that the UFC remains (and always has been) the Mecca of MMA? Regardless, one loss does not diminish any fighter, particularly one who has all the tools to be an ultra dominant champion. Expect the 25-year-old Brazilian to return in his next outing with his trademark explosive, unorthodox style and firmly reestablish himself among the UFC elite. Griffin and Keith Jardine did just that at UFC 76.

Wanderlei Silva (31-7-1): There was a time, not so long ago, that Wanderlei Silva was the most feared man in the sport across all divisions. The “Axe Murderer” ruled PRIDE’s 205-lb division for five full years and 21 fights with but a controversial single loss to a guy who outweighed him by more than 50 lbs (Mark Hunt). His reign included wins over all-time great Kazushi Sakuraba (three times, to be precise) and two knockout wins over Rampage Jackson. Silva is the epitome of an all-action Muay Thai fighter with bone shattering power in his fists and knees who only knows how to fight one way – coming forward with reckless abandon and the throttle wide open. Did I mention that he also holds a black belt in jiu-jitsu? Silva returns to the Octagon after a nearly eight-year absence on the heels of back-to-back knockout losses to Cro Cop and Henderson. Has he been in one too many wars, or at 31 is he still in the prime of his amazing career? The division’s elite surely hope it is the former, because if it is the latter, then there very well could be a new sheriff in town.

Chuck Liddell (20-5): Over the past 40 months, Liddell has been the Mike Tyson of MMA. Not the unpredictable menace that folks watched with car-accident curiosity. Rather, he was the guy we called “Kid Dynamite” who tore through heavyweight boxers behind two-fisted knockout power like nobody before or since. Liddell has the perfect blend of lights-out power in both hands and the best takedown/scrambling ability in the game. Those skills led him to UFC gold, mainstream superstardom and multimillions in the bank. Liddell seemed unbeatable as early as a year ago, but no fighter beats Father Time. Two months shy of his 38th birthday, Liddell and his longtime trainer and friend, John Hackleman, need to ask themselves whether his two recent losses are just part of the sport or if the Iceman is on the downside of a brilliant career. The loss to Rampage can certainly be chalked up to the former. But he didn’t look like the Iceman of old against Jardine, who had more success against Liddell than he did against Stephan Bonnar and Rashad Evans. Liddell is in the midst of his first two-fight losing streak. Nevertheless, he suffered two technical knockout losses in a three-fight span back in 2003. He rebounded with seven straight knockout wins to become the face of the sport.

Tito Ortiz (16-5-1): Once the poster boy of MMA, Ortiz is desperate for a dominant win over a credible opponent. The affable, entertaining former champion is a box office hit, but that won’t continue if he keeps stringing up less than stellar performances. Think otherwise? Aside from a washed up Ken Shamrock, the “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” hasn’t stopped an opponent since 2001. Again, Shamrock aside, he hasn’t scored a decisive win since he defeated current middleweight combatant Patrick Cote back in 2004. Many believe that he lost his 2006 bout with Forrest Griffin. And some, including this writer, believe that he was absolutely robbed of victory against Rashad Evans in his last bout after referee “Big” John McCarthy took a point away from him for holding onto the fence, despite the fact that Evans finished the takedown. Those might be harsh criticisms of Ortiz, but even he would agree that he is in need of a dominant win. Ortiz will someday go down as one of the greatest light heavyweight champions in history, as he still holds the record for consecutive 205-lb title defenses. Expect a more aggressive Ortiz to show up in his next bout, particularly if he is staring across the Octagon at Evans, as he is in search of a statement win that will propel him to yet another title opportunity in 2008.

PRIMETIME PLAYERS - This is part 2, seperate article from original link

Keith Jardine (13-4-1): How does one catapult to the top of the division after getting undressed by a UFC newcomer? Out slug Liddell in a standup war in your very next fight – that’s how. Jardine is a well-rounded fighter with very effective standup anchored by brutal kicks to the body and legs. He used those kicks to set up his good overhand right against Liddell. He might not have one-punch knockout power or crisp combinations on the feet, but his awkward style and sneaky good ground game make him a difficult match up for most. One more marquee win and Jardine could be on the verge of a title shot in 2008.

Rashad Evans (15-0-1): The Ultimate Fighter heavyweight winner is on the verge of greatness. Much like Forrest Griffin, however, he appeared hesitant when he finally stepped into the Octagon against a true A-list fighter – Ortiz. After a lackluster effort in the first two rounds, he won the third on every judge’s scorecard. A performance like that can do wonders for a young fighter’s confidence, and at the highest level, confidence sometimes makes the difference. Look for Evans to be more aggressive if he secures a rematch with Ortiz. The ultra athletic light heavy seems poised to position himself for a title shot very soon.

Lyoto Machida (11-0): The undefeated Brazilian first turned heads on the MMA scene when he knocked out former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin. The problem, however, is that he is a defense-first fighter who most often throws strikes with the intent on scoring points not knockouts, ala Floyd Mayweather. While that approach may be extremely effective, it is less than crowd-pleasing, so it is unlikely that he will receive a shot against one of the division’s box office champions until he becomes more aggressive. His dominant, aggressive effort against Kazuhiro Nakamura at UFC 76 was a giant step in the right direction.

HANDLE WITH EXTREME CAUTION

Houston Alexander (8-1): It took Alexander less than two full minutes to viciously dispose of Jardine and Alessio Sakara. Huge questions hover over his ground game because nobody has seen it in action inside the Octagon. All we’ve seen so far is Alexander attack with the fearlessness of an apex predator using two fists filled with dynamite. Can he survive if the fight hits the mat? His lone career loss came by way of choke in his professional debut more than seven years ago. It is hard to imagine any of the top names agreeing to fight this guy until they have no other choice. He is that dangerous with his hands. A bout with a guy like Stephan Bonnar seems to be the logical next step for the Nebraska resident. At 35 years old, however, he needs to find a shortcut to a title shot, so it might be time for Alexander to begin calling out guys like the Axe Murderer or Liddell.

NEXT GENERATION STARS

Michael Bisping (15-0): The Liverpool, England resident proves that elite-level MMA isn’t limited to the US, Brazil and Japan. Bisping is an exciting striker with a vastly underrated ground game, particularly from his back. He is quickly growing into the face of the UFC for UK fans, but the Ultimate Fighter 205-lb winner needs to either bulk up or drop to 185-lbs. Otherwise, he will face serious size and strength deficits as he moves into the division’s elite. After walking away with a controversial decision win over bitter rival Matt Hamill, Bisping reacted to the criticism by demanding a rematch. That is the heart of a warrior.

Thiago Silva (11-0): Thiago Silva has the MMA world at his fingertips. The 24-year-old Brazilian is a black belt in jiu-jitsu who lists murderous striker Wanderlei Silva as his hero. In other words, he mixes elite submission skills with the vicious standup game that serves as the trademark for his word-class fight team – Chute Boxe Academy. The next-generation superstar has the tools to challenge Shogun Rua as the future of the division.

Matt Hamill (5-1): Hamill is by far the least experienced competitor among our list of 205-lb players. But anyone with wrestling skills, natural athleticism and freakish strength like this guy deserves a mention. His biggest problem is that he is getting into the game at a very late age. The 30-year-old is far behind his peers in terms of experience and training. But as he showed against Bisping, he is someone to be reckoned with in the 205-lb division. If his learning curve to date is any indication as to how he will improve in the future, then everyone in the division will take notice of this guy before the end of 2008.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT ME

Kazuhiro Nakamura (11-7): The embodiment of Japan’s samurai warriors, Nakamura is a well-rounded fighter who only loses to the best in the world. He was sort of a gatekeeper to the 205-lb elite in PRIDE. Now that he is in the UFC, he would be better served dropping down to 185 lbs, where he would be able to match size and strength with his opponents. A one-sided loss to the undefeated Machida highlights that point.

Stephan Bonnar (13-4): An unfortunate steroid blunder sidelined the former reality show star for nearly a year after suffering back-to-back losses in 2006 to Evans and Griffin. That is enough for most fighters to waltz off to Mike Tyson’s favorite place – Bolivion. Not Bonnar. He returned in July with a statement win over Mike Nickels, reminding the world that he was once on the cusp of the top 10. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if he works his way back into the division elite before the end of 2008.

James Irvin (12-4, 1 no contest): A loss to Thiago Silva after suffering an unfortunate knee injury in his last bout doesn’t change the fact that Irvin is always one punch, kick or knee away from beating any 205-lb fighter in the world – period. If the “Sandman” can improve his takedown defense and ability to scramble back to his feet, then he will become a monster in the Octagon because this guy can stand and strike with anyone.

Alessio Sakara (15-6, 1 no contest): The former pro boxer has yet to live up to the hype that surrounded him when he arrived in the Octagon back in February 2006. Sakara’s two biggest problems are his lack of a UFC-level ground game and a suspect chin. Regardless, those vulnerabilities make him fun to watch because he is either going to knock out his opponent standing or get finished himself. Either way, it won’t be a boring fight.

Jason Lambert (23-6): Jason Lambert is a nightmarish matchup for anyone except ultra-dominant wrestlers or guys with elite takedown defense. The undersized light heavy is like a walking bulldog. He doesn’t have the most impressive standup, but his takedown skills and ground game are enough to give pause to most opponents, and his tenacity makes up for some of his physical shortcomings. His height and frame make him best suited for a career at 185 lbs, but his win over Babalu forces everyone to take him seriously as a 205-lb contender.

Wilson Gouveia (9-4): A question mark who came into the Octagon in 2006 with a 6-3 record, Gouveia almost upset Jardine in his UFC debut before running out of gas and losing a three round decision, and has since gone on to impressive submission victories over Wes Combs, Seth Petruzelli, and Carmelo Marrero. Comfortable on the ground or striking, Gouveia could be the darkhorse contender in this division.

DREAM MATCHUPS

UFC matchmaker Joe Silva has done an amazing job over the years and few, if any, fighters get a “free pass” in the form of a walkover opponent. Instead, Silva and his boss, Dana White, force guys to constantly test their mettle in difficult matchups that are often crowd pleasers. Silva certainly doesn’t need any advice, but here is a list of matchups that would get fight fans talking.

Rampage vs. Wanderlei Silva III: Who cares if Silva is coming off back-to-back losses? He dominated Rampage twice. No other fighter in the world can make a similar claim, which is why he deserves a UFC title shot ASAP.

Rampage vs. Griffin: Griffin dominated the sport’s 205-lb heir apparent – enough said.

Liddell vs. Alexander: Actually, this matchup isn’t limited to Liddell. Alexander versus Wanderlei Silva or Shogun Rua would cause equal hardcore salivation. All I can say for any of those bouts is “don’t blink!” These are standup dream matchups.

Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva: This long-awaited matchup needs to happen now. Losses be damned. Ali-Frazier III was one of the best boxing matches in history. Liddell versus Silva can make similar sweet music.

Evans vs. Ortiz II: Ortiz was robbed of victory in their first bout. But even Ortiz will readily admit that he can do better. Ortiz needs to prove that he has many years of marquee matchups, if not championships, ahead of him. To do that, he must beat Evans convincingly. If not, Evans might be the one poised to elevate to the next level.

Rampage vs. Shogun II: Griffin derailed this dream matchup. But like his Chute Boxe teammate Silva, Shogun owns an impressive, dominant win over Rampage. Give the guy one win inside the Octagon and it will then be time to elevate him to a title shot.

Bisping vs. Hamill II: Hamill probably deserved the nod the first time around. But Bisping is nobody’s punk. Rather than take the win and run, he now demands a rematch. I say let’s give it to him! I suspect that he rematch will be much more definitive, whoever wins.

Bisping vs. Irvin: Once his knee is healthy, Irvin would be the perfect test for Bisping at 205 lbs. Irvin, who has competed from heavyweight to 185 lbs knows the importance of finding the right weight division. If this one stays standing, I’d favor Irvin in a timeless war. But that would be the outcome that could prompt Bisping to either bulk up or drop to 185 lbs, and it would establish the “Sandman” as a 205-lb contender.

that article is great....

btw might be a stupid question but does anyone know where I can watch the fights again online?

Thoughts on last nights episode of TUF??

What a wimp that Joe guy is. I really hope Dana boots his whiny ass off next week. The guy that won the fight looked pretty dominant. Definitely a contender I would think.