Although former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor Belfort is slated to take on Rich Franklin at UFC 103 on September 19, he's already looking forward to a potential showdown with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva.

"Anderson is a great friend of mine and a big champion but I'm looking for this (fight to happen)," Belfort told OUL Esporte of Brazil. "I cannot comment much on this right now but yeah, I always want to fight the best fighters. Of course it won't be a pleasure (being Silva's friend) but there isn't another way at all in the sport. Kaka and Ronaldinho (Brazilian soccer players) are friends and have faced each other many times. It is part of my work and I need it to afford milk to the children at home."

Belfort hasn't set foot inside an Octagon since he dropped a split decision to Tito Ortiz at UFC 51 back in February of 2005, however that didn't stop UFC President Dana White from wanting to bring back one of the most talented fighters they have employed.

Silva is fresh off his dominating 3:23 second knockout of former champion Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 in a light heavyweight bout. After that performance, there aren't many jumping at the chance to take on MMA's most efficient striker, however Belfort says that he is down.

"It would be a great honor to fight Anderson," Belfort respectfully stated. "He's one of the best to ever fight and I want to test my skills against the world's best."

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin's "Got Fight?" book debuted this week at number eight on the New York Times' Hardcover Advice Best Seller List.

"Got Fight?" was published June 2 but the latest New York Times list for the June 28 print edition ranks sales for the week ending June 13.

Written with Erich Krauss, Griffin disperses the "50 Zen principles of hand-to-face combat", including how to defend yourself against a dog and a sword attack.

Griffin joins Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture as former UFC champions who have penned a New York Times Best Seller. Unlike the other books though, don't expect to learn too much about Griffin's fight career. "Got Fight?" reads more like a humor book than an autobiography.

Next up for the season one winner of The Ultimate Fighter is a light heavyweight scrap with middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 101: Declaration on August 8 in Philadelphia.

The UFC, in conjunction with Tequila Cazadores, awarded former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin the first ever UFC Authentic Spirit Award. Tequila Cazadores is the official spirit sponsor of the UFC.

The award will be given to a UFC fighter monthly who exemplifies social responsibility, dedication to their art of mixed martial arts and good sportsmanship.

Griffin was announced as the recipient by UFC President Dana White at a media event held by the UFC, Tequila Cazadores and THQ at Tabu in the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino.

Griffin was given the award for his work with the Wounded Warriors Project. The Wounded Warrior Project is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors.

Griffin actively enlists his time and energy to raise awareness for the needs of severely injured servicemen and women and supports them on the road to healing both physically and mentally.

For winning the award, Tequila Cazadores will make a $1,000 donation in Forrest Griffin's name to the Wounded Warrior Project. Each month, Tequila Cazadores will award a fighter with the UFC Authentic Spirit Award, culminating with a larger award given to the fighter that best exemplifies all the parameters through the course of the year.

A $10,000 charitable contribution will be presented to the winner with full proceeds benefiting the fighter's charity of choice.

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans will be fighting inside the Octagon for a very long time.

On Friday's episode of "Inside MMA" on HDNet, Evans revealed that his new deal with the UFC is for eight more fights.

The agreement was signed after his title win at UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 over Forrest Griffin and replaces his previous six-figure contract signed after winning "The Ultimate Fighter 2" on Spike TV.

Evans completed nine out of the ten fights under his previous deal.

Evans (13-0-1) will make his first title defense against undefeated Lyoto Machida (14-0) at UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida on May 23 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Keith Jardine knows he wasn't the first choice to fight Quinton Jackson at UFC 96. Even if he upsets the resurgent fighter known as Rampage, Jardine doesn't want any part of the UFC's probable choice for his next bout, either.

Yet don't expect to see any reluctance or disenchantment reflected in Jardine's fighting tonight in Columbus, Ohio, where two top light heavyweights will meet in front of a sellout crowd.

Thousands of high school wrestlers and professional bodybuilders in town for a convention will see a card brimming with competitive bouts, even if the main event has a wealth of fascinating subplots outside the ring.

Jardine (14-5-1) is the final obstacle before Jackson's presumed path to another title shot, even if Jardine thinks he's "probably the third person asked to the prom on this one."

"I got a call, and I couldn't turn it down," said Jardine, the resilient 33-year-old who has beaten Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin but still has lost three of his last seven fights.

"I was excited, but they just think they're going to get a good fight from me. I like to strike, I've never been in a boring fight, and they're just throwing me out there and they expect me to put on a good show, but they don't expect me to win."

If Jackson (29-7) wins, UFC president Dana White said he will get a title shot against Rashad Evans, who won the light heavyweight crown last year by defeating Griffin, the man who took it from Jackson last summer.

Think that's complicated? If Jardine pulls the upset, he probably would have a chance for his first title shot, only he doesn't want it if it's against Evans, his longtime friend and training partner.

"Me and Rashad, we've always talked about that, and there's no way that we're going to fight afterward," Jardine said. "That's why people love this sport, because we're not businessmen. We're not like NFL players. They're trying to stay healthy and get a paycheck. We fight with all of our heart and our soul, and how are you going to go out there and give the audience what they deserve when you're fighting one of your best friends? That is just not going to happen."

Nonsense, White said. The UFC president has heard such protestations before from fighters who train in the same dojo or gym, and he doesn't think a friendship can stand in the way of the money and pride that come with a UFC title.

"I promise you they will fight each other if they keep winning," White said. "This isn't basketball. This isn't the NBA. There's no teams in this sport. These are fighters. What if Rashad holds the belt for the next three years? Is Keith just never going to take a shot at the title for the rest of his life? I don't think they're that good of friends. It's just a little game they're playing with themselves."

None of that will matter if Jardine can't upset Jackson. Although Rampage is a solid favorite, Jardine's unorthodox stand-up style and strong leg kicks present challenges that have troubled the former champion in the past.

"I'm really happy if people think I have a kick-defense problem," Jackson said. "I've been working on everything."

Jackson's roller-coaster career seems headed to another peak after his demolition of Wanderlei Silva in December, less than six months after his loss to Griffin was followed by his arrest after leading police on a chase in Costa Mesa, Calif. Jackson changed his life after the incident, embarking on the most serious training of his career in England, and has stuck to the regimen since beating Silva.

The UFC probably would have loved to match Jackson with Evans in Columbus, but Evans needed more time off after beating Griffin. Jackson wants to keep his momentum going -- and he freely admits he needs the money -- so he signed up to take on Jardine in what he hopes will be a bridge to a summer title shot.

"After my performance with Forrest, I've been so ashamed of myself," Jackson said. "Every fight, I'm motivated to go out there and look good and win, because I know what type of fighter I am. I was really disappointed in myself for letting it (get) to that point where I'm not motivated, and I get it in my head that all of these guys are easy.

"There's no more easy fights. I'm motivated to train hard every time."

Source: ReviewJournal.com

The first time Greg Jackson held pads for Rashad Evans at his Albuquerque, N.M., mixed martial arts mecca, he knew he was dealing with a special athlete. He saw speed, power and, most importantly, a desire to learn and a willingness to be shaped and molded. The cerebral superstar trainer was a potter with prime clay in his hands.

So it came as little surprise to Jackson when Evans -- Sherdog’s Fighter of the Year for 2008 -- smote Chuck Liddell with one punch and then captured the light heavyweight championship three months later when he stopped Forrest Griffin on a third-round technical knockout at UFC 92.

“We knew what he was capable of,” Jackson said. “He’s actually capable of more than what he’s shown. People have to remember he’s had only 14 fights. He’s still really young in this sport, and he’s only going to get better. The Rashad Evans you see a year from now is going to be a lot better than the one you see now.”

Considering the manner in which 2007 ended for Evans, it was hard to imagine such a rapid ascent for the former Michigan State University wrestler. He needed a point deduction against Tito Ortiz to earn a draw with the former light heavyweight titleholder at UFC 73 and then battled British standout Michael Bisping to a split decision in a lethargic effort at UFC 78. Still, opportunity abounded.

A fight with future hall of famer Chuck Liddell was announced for June, but “The Iceman” was forced to withdraw from the match with a torn hamstring, leaving Evans without a dance partner for the first nine months of 2008.

“The first half [of the year] was [as] frustrating as I don’t know what,” Evans said. “Coming off the Bisping fight … it wasn’t a fight I looked great in. I just wanted to get that monkey off my back, because you’re only as good as your last fight.”

Once Liddell withdrew, Evans was left to sit back and wait.

“I kind of got depressed,” he said. “I felt like I was in the best shape of my life at that point. Every time you’re out of the ring for so long, you feel like a rookie when you first step back in there. You’re getting the same nerves.”

Patience paid, however, and Evans was awarded a bout with Liddell at UFC 88 on Sept. 6 in Atlanta. Questions about his legitimacy were framed by the infamous heat and humidity of the Deep South, and Evans entered the match as a heavy underdog against the man who had ruled the 205-pound division with his iron fists. Nineteen days before his 29th birthday, Evans climbed into the cage against Liddell and spent the first round knocking off the rust from a 10-month layoff.

“Once you get in there and you get your rhythm down,” he said, “it’s really nothing.”

A scant 1:51 into round two, Evans made Liddell pay for a lazy uppercut and knocked him unconscious with a blistering right hand that left thousands of drunken mouths ajar at Philips Arena. The sudden victory -- and the image of a fallen Liddell struggling to regain his senses -- sent ripples through the MMA community. Suddenly, Evans’ name was on every reputable top 10 list. What’s more, it earned him a title shot against Forrest Griffin at the UFC’s year-end show in Las Vegas.

“He’s a really hard worker who’s super intelligent and has extreme talent,” Jackson said. “He’s smart about the way he lives his life and how he approaches it. When you have someone with those traits, it’s only a matter of time before you start having this kind of success.”

For two rounds, Griffin took small bites out of Evans in the UFC 92 main event, as he kept him at bay with his long reach and off balance with a variety of strikes. Even so, Evans never lost hope, and when the fight hit the ground in round three, he waited for an opportune time to uncork his fists. He struck Griffin with a vicious right hand from inside the champion’s guard and followed up with seismic blows that left him defenseless. UFC President Dana White wrapped the belt around Evans’ waist soon after, and his climb to the mountaintop was complete.

“Not that it was easy, but it was surprising how it just ended and how frustrated I was feeling the round before,” Evans said. “What I wanted to do when I came into the UFC was just go out there and be the fighter I thought I could be. I didn’t know if that was going to make me a champion, but I wanted to go out there and fight to my fullest. I didn’t know if I could be a champion or not.”

Now he knows, along with the rest of the MMA world. Still, it took some time for his latest conquest to sink in.

“I had a migraine [after the fight],” Evans said. “I was quite overwhelmed because of all the attention. I didn’t drink any alcohol. I just kind of sat back, like, wow, this really happened? [I was] kind of in disbelief.”

Qualified suitors from what many view as the UFC’s deepest division have already lined up. The short list includes former champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, the unbeaten and elusive Lyoto Machida and Griffin. Jackson’s Submission Fighting teammate Keith Jardine might also join the fray soon. For Evans, staying on top presents an entirely new challenge.

“He’s got to get back in the gym and push forward,” Greg Jackson said. “He has to find better and smarter ways to do things. If you just sit back, the game’s going to pass you by.”

Evans (13-0-1) expects to fight again sometime in the late spring or early summer. “Rampage,” though he has indicated he prefers a rematch with Griffin before challenging for the title, seems like the most logical choice. One of the UFC’s most charismatic competitors, the 30-year-old knocked out longtime nemesis Wanderlei Silva at UFC 92 and has posted seven wins in eight fights.

“I really don’t have any preference on who I fight,” Evans said. “At this point, being the champion, you have to be willing to fight all comers now. I’m ready to go whenever, because now the game has to change. Now I’m the one that’s going to be hunted, and everybody’s going to be after me and everybody will be making gameplans and checking out my weaknesses.”

Jackson sees consistent growth in his star pupil.

“He’s living up to his potential,” he said. “That’s all anybody can do.”

Source: Sherdog.com

Rashad Evans is guessing that his first UFC light heavyweight title defense will be against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

Evans was asked about his next fight on a radio appearance Wednesday on the Big O and Dukes show on 106.7 WJFK in Washington, DC.

"I don't have any preference and they really haven't spoken to me about who I'm going to face next, but I'm guessing it'll probably be Rampage," Evans said.

Evans said he welcomes a fight against Jackson as one another's knockout power will create an exciting match up.

"I match up pretty well with Rampage," Evans said. "Rampage gonna do a lot of movement and I move a whole lot, but Rampage is a very, very powerful striker, so it'll only take one of his shots to change the whole outcome of the fight, and I'm the same way."

Jackson has said that he'd like to fight for the title but would prefer to first avenge his loss to Forrest Griffin.

Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell may have lost three of his last four fights but his mind is still on the UFC light heavyweight championship belt.

"I'll fight anybody they put in front of me as long as it gets me back closer to the title." Liddell said in a report on the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "I have to try to be the best at what am I doing. I want Rashad Evans, he's got the title and I'll take it."

The two logical opponents for Evans would be an immediate rematch with Forrest Griffin or a fight against former champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

Liddell could have arguably been the number one contender for the belt had Jackson not defeated Wanderlei Silva at UFC 92. Silva was Liddell's biggest win since Tito Ortiz at UFC 66 on December 30, 2006.

Liddell (21-6) could return at the earliest March 7 at UFC 96 in Columbus, Ohio. UFC President Dana White said at the UFC 92 post-fight press conference that Liddell was a possibility for the event but could not name a match-up for Liddell.

According to the Sun-Sentinel, Liddell has trained occasionally with the American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida after losing to Evans at UFC 88 last September.

UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 fight card is perhaps the most anticipated of the year, featuring two title bouts and a third grudge match between MMA superstars Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

In one of the title bouts, Michigan State University's own former wrestling star Rashad Evans will go for the light heavyweight title against defending champion Forrest Griffin.

The other title bout features Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira against Frank Mir for the interim heavyweight title and the right to fight Brock Lesnar for the true heavyweight title down the line.

Here are the results for the event which took place at the MGM Grand Garden arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on last Saturday, December 27, 2008:

• "Sugar" Rashad Evans def. Forrest Griffin by TKO at 2:46 of Round 3

• Frank Mir def. Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira by TKO at 1:54 of Round 2

• CB "The Doberman" Dollaway def. Mike "The Master of Disaster" Massenzio by TKO at 3:01 of Round 1

• Quinton "Rampage" Jackson def. Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva by KO at 3:21 of Round 1

• Cheick Kongo def. Mostapha Al Turk by TKO at 4:37 of Round 1

• Yushin "Thunder" Okami def. Dean "The Boogeyman" Lister by unanimous decision

• Antoni Hardonk def. Mike "The Juggernaut" Wessel by TKO at 2:09 of Round 2

• Matt "The Hammer" Hamill def. Reese Andy by TKO at 2:19 of Round 2

• "Bad" Brad Blackburn def. Ryo "Piranha" Chonan by unanimous decision

• Pat "HD" Barry def. Dan "The Viking" Evensen by TKO at 2:36 of Round 1

UFC 92 will come to us live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, December 27, 2008. It will be called "The Ultimate 2008". Namely, that coming in it looks like the best MMA card of the year.

This event is the ultimate event of the year with the original Ultimate Fighter Forrest Griffin defending his title against "Sugar" Rashad Evans. Then the Ultimate Fighter coaches face off as Interim World Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira takes on former Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir. Plus, two of the hardest hitting light heavyweight fighters go toe-to-toe when Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva battles former Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

Here is the fight card for the event:

• Forrest Griffin vs "Sugar" Rashad Evans

• Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira vs Frank Mir

• CB "The Doberman" Dollaway vs Mike "The Master of Disaster" Massenzio

• Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva vs Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

• Cheick Kongo vs Mostapha Al Turk

• Yushin "Thunder" Okami vs Dean "The Boogeyman" Lister

• Antoni Hardonk vs Mike "The Juggernaut" Wessel

• Matt "The Hammer" Hamill vs Reese Andy

• Ryo "Piranha" Chonan vs "Bad" Brad Blackburn

• Dan "The Viking" Evensen vs Pat "HD" Barry

After competing in the three legendary light heavyweight fights, former UFC champions Randy "The Natural" Couture and Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell (picture) could now meet during a heavyweight encounter at a June 13, 2009 event in Cologne, Germany.

The report comes from the UK based The Sun, which cites UFC officials as saying Liddell has been offered the heavyweight main event.

The Natural recently lost his heavyweight title to Brock Lesnar at UFC 91. Liddell, meanwhile, has dropped three of his four past fights at light heavyweight, but he's made no public statement regarding a potential move up to heavyweight division.

A source said that Couture is open to his fourth fight againsts Liddell, but we've been unable to confirm is the fight has been offered to Liddell.

With the event apparently in the works for Germany, it should come as little surprise that the UFC invited a small contingent of German press to UFC 91 to see Couture's main event with Lesnar. The 45-year-old Couture speaks German and has long been considered a likely headliner once the UFC does head to Germany, a market UFC officials have continually mentioned as a site for future expansion.

Couture and Liddell took part in a popular trilogy of fights that played out between 2003 and 2006. Couture scored a TKO in Round 3 at UFC 43 to win the first match-up for the interim heavyweight title (the former champion Tito Ortiz had been stripped of the title), but the 38-year-old Liddell won back the belt and made a successful title defense over Couture with two KO wins at UFC 52 and UFC 57.

With Liddell potentially tied up with the Germany event, he is apparently no longer being considered as an opponent for Anderson Silva at UFC 95 in London, England.

The Sun reported the possibility of the match, and though not opposed to the fight, Silva's manager, Ed Soares, last week told that UFC had not officially approached them about it.

The newspaper now reports that Silva, who is the current UFC Middleweight Champion, could instead meet one of the losers from UFC 92's two marquee 205-pound fights: UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin vs Rashad Evans or Wanderlei Silva vs Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

The fight would take place at 205 pounds as a non-title affair.

Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva has a huge opportunity in front of him after many experts felt that Silva's best days were beyond him after losing three fights in a row. Now he's looking at a showdown with a familiar opponent that could yield one of the biggest opportunities of his career, a chance at the UFC light heavyweight championship.

"I think after I beat Rampage (Quinton Jackson), it may be possible I fight with the champion," Silva told Fighter's Only Magazine.

If the Brazilian mixed martial artist were to win and Forrest Griffin got past Rashad Evans, it could setup a fight between sparring partners. When asked how he would deal with that possibility, Silva responded, "I am a professional and he is a professional. I like him, he is a very nice guy. Outside the Octagon, I am his friend, but inside the Octagon it is a business, a job."

The good thing is that we will not have to wait long to see if Silva would get a crack at Griffin as both fighters will be on the same card on December 27 at UFC 92.