Although it hasn't been officially confirmed yet, Matt Lindland has been rumored to have made a deal for his services with an unnamed upstart MMA promotion. Why? Why an unnamed new promotion, Matt? Instead of solidifying a name for himself as a top Middleweight in the world once again and pressing the question as to why he wasn't given a shot in the UFC, we'll see Matt Lindland fighting can after can in an upstart promotion that will likely die.

I'm not optimistic, and I was hoping the DREAM rumors would be true. According to MMAWeekly.com, Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions and Affliction could be both starting their own promotions and may have already bought the services of Lindland. Affliction's partner, Golden Boy Promotions, would gain one of the better Middleweights in the industry, but with nobody to fight.

This is the biggest problem for new promotions coming into the game. Sure, Golden Boy has some money to throw around, but many fighters are locked in with other organizations. The only real saving grace here is that Middleweight talent overall is lacking. Silva and Henderson are two of the best, and they are locked into the UFC. Lindland and Henderson are friends, and likely would not fight each other. Silva is in the UFC, that fight won't happen. Who else is out there?

New talent will have to emerge, period. I can only think of Nick Thompson as being a potential threat to Lindland, and a potential matchup in the new promotion. Other middleweights are signing on with promotions at the time, but Golden Boy has another edge. If they are willing to co-promote events, it opens up Lindland's opponent pool to promotions like M-1 Global, EliteXC, Strikeforce, and HDNet Fights.

Although I'd love to see Lindland fight some significant competition, it doesn't look like it'll be happening soon. Hopefully, we'll see some non-exclusivity in his contract that will allow him to take on some bigger names that the new Affiliction promotion won't be able to touch just yet. We'll keep an eye on Affliction as well. It could be intriguing to see who they actually bring in. Developing your own talent seems to be what many of these smaller promotions are trying to start out with, let's hope it works.

My only worry... who will he fight? And will it draw a crowd? Not likely.

The UFC's Middleweight division has had a rough time getting support in the last few months. Anderson Silva single handedly destroyed the competition by defeating Travis Lutter, former Pancrase champion Nathan Marquardt, and UFC champion Rich Franklin twice to clear out a division that long needed some competition. Competition is exactly what they got, but the UFC may not have anticipated the complete and utter domination of the upper-echelon of Middleweights. Flash to present day, we see a perceived impossibility of defeating the current champion, Anderson Silva. Of course, the UFC is now trying to remedy the problem of a stagnant division by convincing former PRIDE Middleweight and Welterweight champion Dan Henderson to drop down in weight to fight "The Spider".

The great matchup between the Greco-Roman wrestler with heavy hands and the well-rounded, destructive striking with a black belt in jiu-jitsu seems like a classic matchup that could turn into a nuclear war. Great ground skills from both competitors, and both combatants have proved that their striking can end a fight with one precision blow like a cruise missile. After this battle of two great fighters, we will either continue to have a stale Middleweight division of competitors that can't give Silva a run for his money, or we will crown a new champion and set up a trail of fights for Silva to regain a title fight. A picture that is reminiscent of Rich Franklin situation since his first defeat.

Matt "The Law" Lindland enters the picture

The recent news that Matt Lindland had entered talks with Dana White in the UFC was no surprise to fans that have been following the promotion. Lindland, after all, could be a solution in terms of challenging the Middleweight champion. The combination of his Greco-Roman wrestling, strong clinchwork, and some of the best top control that the MMA world has seen would definitely cause a stir in Silva's mind as to how he could end the fight quickly. 

There have been "knocks" on Lindland's skills in the past. Top control styles haven't been globally accepted as the most exciting way to win a fight. People boo'ed Sean Sherk's performance over Hermes Franca, and fans have done the same to Lindland's style as well. As we've seen from the typical matchups that the UFC puts together, matching up styles that don't seem to scream excitement are usually non-existent until a title fight or a contender battle. It is in the best interest of the UFC to keep those fights under wraps until there seems to be a need for them.

Obstacles between the UFC and Lindland

A few obstacles are making this type of deal seem unlikely, and there are many news sources indicating that same sentiments. First, Dan Henderson and Matt Lindland are very good friends and training partners. Both fighters are also of the same type of style with the only difference being in Henderson's powerful hands. Not only will they most likely avoid fighting each other if Henderson happens to defeat Silva and take the crown, but both fighters may counter each other's styles into a back and forth boring ground fight.

It's unfortunate because Lindland's style can counter that of an aggressively striking Anderson Silva. Not only does Lindland's clinchwork and takedown abilities hurt Silva's counter to it, but it could be a problem for Silva in stopping Lindland's top control.

There is, however, one more issue that always seems to rear its ugly head when talk of Matt Lindland comes up. The feud between Dana White and Matt Lindland is the key reason why talks have never begun before this stage of degradation in the Middleweight division. Rumors all over the MMA community have surfaced over the past few years regarding the feud. An incident in which Lindland wore an unapproved sponsored t-shirt began the feud. Whether or not that is the truth hasn't completely materialized in the media. The obvious choice would be the IFL's courtship of Lindland to coach a team in the IFL, a problem that Dana White has had with other UFC veterans such as Pat Miletich. Whatever the reason is, Lindland also has the problem of being inactive and asking for a significantly large salary because of his status in world rankings.

Will we see "The Law" in the UFC?

Unless the UFC and Lindland can get past the issues regarding the future matchups for Lindland, his asking price, their feud, and the fact that one of his best friends and training partners may actually reign atop the Middleweight division, the UFC may not have a need for Lindland's services. Look for Lindland to continue sitting outside the UFC looking in until there is a significant swing in the title picture. It may be worth another look if Silva defeats Henderson, but for now, Lindland is only a pipe dream.

If we do see Lindland in the UFC, it will be a miraculous turn of events by Dana White and the UFC. It will be interesting to see how they plan to fit him into the division.

Despite UFC 78: Validation having some fairly boring matchups, some key news came out of the event. Dan Henderson will drop down to the Middleweight division to take on the destructive Anderson Silva in a middleweight championship showdown in March at UFC 82 in Columbus, Ohio. As I stated in a previous article, this was one of the most probable scenarios that would happen in the division. We may also be looking at some more fighters drop to middleweight as well. Michael Bisping possibly? It'd be in his best interest, I believe. Let's take a look a closer look at the divisional impact this news has.

Middleweight division gets a much needed jolt!

Dan Henderson dropping to Middleweight will provide a much needed electricity to the title picture in the division. Anderson Silva has yet to have a solid contender in the division, and Henderson is exactly that, solid. It has been said throughout the MMA community that the type of opponent that can counter Anderson Silva well is a Greco-Roman wrestler with dynamite in his hands at times. Problem is, Henderson has a tendency to try to break an opponent with his power in the standup game. He loves to brawl with his opponents, but his strength should be his wrestling abilities. He has at times, however, been outwrestled by opponents that should have been easily stifled on the ground. The x-factor in this type of matchup is Anderson Silva's black belt ju-jitsu skill on the ground. Can it nullify the control techniques of Henderson?

Silva has made his claim as the best pound for pound fighter in the world for one reason alone, complete destruction of his opponents. His knockout power in his long lanky arms is deceptive to his opponents. Henderson has never been knocked out and has what is considered to be one of the hardest chins in mixed martial arts. He took some very tough shots from Quinton Jackson in their recent matchup and still kept coming. His cardio is very good and his relentless attack may prove to be enough to edge Silva. This is all possible if Henderson actually executes a solid gameplan. Silva's reach and striking are very dangerous however, and his power may be deceptive enough to stop Henderson for the first time in his career. It'll be a very interesting battle if it stays standing.

Henderson finally gives in

What led to this fight coming to be? Henderson has been stating for months that he would not drop down to middleweight to fight Silva, and it was perceived that it may have been an issue of money. With the UFC's contracts and salaries recently being exposed from the Couture-Dana White debocle, Henderson may have been even more weary of the terms of his own negotiations. Did Dana White have to give up a fairly large salary for this fight? That speculation definitely has merit.

Henderson would be dropping down to a division that really has a poor talent base except for the top few fighters. Without Henderson, fans may only be able to look forward to the possibilities of other light heavyweights dropping down to middleweight, or the eventual rebirth of Rich Franklin only to be possibly destroyed for a third time. Henderson's holdout had some great timing if those were the only possibilities for the division. He had leverage to ask for more bonus money, pay-per-view cuts, and an increase in pay for the fight. Making the sacrifice to cut more weight and possibly power was probably another factor in the negotiating.

Scenarios

With this signing, the division has at least prolonged its life for the time being. If Henderson actually stays at middleweight even if he is beaten, it doesn't bode well for anybody below such as Franklin, but if he wins, it sets up some great spectacle fights for Anderson Silva to dominate in for the fans. I wouldn't put it past Dana White to give Anderson Silva an immediate rematch though considering he destroyed Franklin and Franklin has beaten the top contenders below the top spot. With that said, the division still needs more talent near the top.

Once again, we will be faced with a stagnant division with just two or three fighters in the mix for the title. Ed Herman is trying to via for a run into the top and was impressive in his win over Doerksen last night, but he isn't anywhere near the top. Many fans believe he could at least make a run into the mid-tier fighters and possibly defeat some of them. I'm a bit more hesitant to think so just yet. I would leave him out of the conversation for now.

Who else? Trigg, Miller, and Jacare are all out. Once again, I resort to my argument that Matt Lindland should be in the Octagon. Lindland vs. Henderson is a decent fight, and Lindland vs. Silva is a possibility. Hell, even Franklin vs. Lindland may be a better fight than people give it credit. That's four top fighters in a lacking division. For now, we can wait for the Henderson vs. Silva matchup in grand anticipation. It should be an explosive battle of comparable styles at times, but both possess skills that can revert to a different gameplan quickly. What happens after the matchup, only time will tell. With the new season of TUF coming as well with Middleweights, who knows what we'll see from the UFC.

The UFC Middleweight Division has been scrutinized lately due to the upcoming UFC 77 main event, Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin. If you look down the list of middleweights trying to work their way up the ranks to get a shot at Anderson Silva, you cannot find a single fighter who deserves a chance. Many have began their runs, but fell short in recent fights. Rich Franklin and Anderson Silva are the only fighters at the top of one of the weakest divisions in MMA, if not the weakest. Let's take an inside look at the UFC's middleweight division and really see if there is any potential for it to improve any time soon.

Current situation in the division

Currently, Anderson Silva is dominating the division. His recent wins over Nathan Marquardt and Travis Lutter were a bit different, but wins regardless. Marquardt proved to be no match for Silva, even though many fans felt Marquardt may have had a potential shot at beating the Brazilian. Lutter had some fairly decent attempts at ending the fight, but was unable to catch Silva in a submission. Both fighters are far from being back in the picture for a title run. Franklin fought Silva at UFC 64 in a title defense matchup. Silva came in and completely destroyed Franklin with his signature knee strikes in a Muay Thai clench. The result of that bout has been driving fans to pick Franklin in their upcoming rematch in Franklin's hometown. Should Silva be that big of a favorite?

Yes, he should. Silva's striking is the best the Middleweight Division has to offer. His lanky physique may fool the casual fan, but when he lands strikes, his opponents seem to crumple to the mat as if they were shot. The great thing about Anderson Silva's unbelievable striking is that he can concentrate more on his ground game because his standup is so good. Reports from his camp confirm that he has been working on his ju-jistu game extensively and will be very tough to take on the ground. It remains to be seen if he can handle the ground game, but his long legs and height definitely help him in that area of MMA.

Let's get into hypothetical mode here. What if Franklin beats Anderson Silva at UFC 77? Silva drops down to beat up on two unsuspecting opponents and most likely regains the rematch while Franklin possibly takes on MacDonakd or Okami... again. I'm not too keen on MacDonald actually beating Franklin, but Okami could edge out Franklin in a bout. He nearly submitted him in their last bout. Okami vs. Silva, in my opinion, is not a very interesting fight. Silva wins, regains a shot at the title again against Franklin, and the cycle repeats itself. What I'm getting at here is that no matter how you want to move around the players in the Middleweight Division, Silva and Franklin seem to be running toward an endless cycle. MacDonald and Okami don't seem to have the skills to move up into the top, although Okami could potentially beat Franklin. We have come to a crossroads in the discussion. Who the hell does the UFC bring in to make this division worth a damn?

Bring in the ringers

Who can the UFC actually bring in to give this division a much needed kick in the ass? The obvious choice is Paulo Filho. Filho is currently the middleweight champion in the WEC, a promotion owned by Zuffa. Since he is likely under a Zuffa contract, bring him over to the UFC to give Silva a challenge on the ground. Filho is known for his amazing ground tactics and is currently ranked in the top 5 of middleweights in the world. He could prove to be a significant test for Silva. Although he wasn't very impressive in his title win over Joe Doerkson in his lone WEC bout, he was able to also use some decent standup. When I say decent, I mean ok standup. He managed to loop some punches and catch Doerkson. I feel that it wasn't impressive technique, and Filho certainly doesn't have the reach that Silva has. Filho's main strength and overall gameplan is taking you down and submitting you.That's exactly why he'd be a great fit for a title run against Silva.

The reported rumor according to George Garcia of TAGGRadio is that Frank Trigg may be making an appearance against Paulo Filho in the WEC. As of today, a deal hasn't been struck and Trigg remains adamant in stating he wouldn't fight if it wasn't for the title. What if Trigg manages to take out Filho? Trigg has much better standup in my opinion. He also has some fairly good wrestling, but would probably need to work on it extensively to really counter Filho's ground tactics. If he can manage to stay away from Filho's submissions and gain the upper hand in the standup war, he may be able to irk out a victory over Filho. Will he make a run at the UFC title at Middleweight? I'm not completely sure. If the WEC signs him, it'll end a small beef that Zuffa had with Trigg over comments he made as a PRIDE commentator about the UFC. They may keep him as the WEC champ since he is 35 and nearly the end of a career. Or they could send him on his way to the UFC to make an impact on the division. Anything is possible with such a weak division. In my opinion, Trigg won't be hitting the UFC ever again.

The most interesting addition would be Matt Lindland. Although Dana White has a real problem with Matt Lindland and vice versa, it's possible that Lindland's skill alone may get him another chance in the UFC. A powerful wrestler with some great ground tactics along with some knockout power, Lindland has had only 2 losses in the last 2 years, one to Quinton Jackson and another to Fedor Emelianenko, both guys being outside of his base weight division. Lindland would be a fantastic addition, but he is rather old as well, although hasn't shown much in diminishing skill. Can Dana White get past his issues with Lindland and bury the hatchet to improve the division? Doubtful, but I would love to see it happen.

We could make a case for Joe "Diesel" Riggs. He fought Eugene Jackson in their Strikeforce bout and demolished him with a brutal ground and pound. But is Riggs better at Middleweight? He looked like he was, but he was taking on an older Eugene Jackson who could not handle Riggs's power. Riggs is also locked in with Strikeforce for a bit, and participating in the Middleweight Tournament that Strikeforce will be putting on. If he can manage to demolish the competition the same way, could he earn a shot at Cung Le and Frank Shamrock? Cung Le is a possibility, but Shamrock would probably run from the prospect of fighting a very tough "Diesel" Riggs.

Big names

Dan Henderson is the most talked about light heavyweight who has the title for the welterweight division in PRIDE. Welterweight in PRIDE was around 185. Should Henderson drop down? YES!! Please! Henderson dropping down could potentially begin a cycle that will see Silva being beaten and having Franklin, Henderson, and Silva in the running instead of two fighters. Add in Filho and maybe Lindland, we could see a surge in the fights and talent in the division. Henderson's wrestling and awesome power would be a problem for Silva, along with Hendo's granite chin. It's beyond me why Henderson doesn't drop down.

Michael Bisping, you say? I'm not completely convinced he would do much in the Middleweight division. Simply put, he's a striker who doesn't have awesome knockout power, but he can throw the leather on the ground. He doesn't have great takedown defense, as was evident in the Matt Hamill fight, and his ground game, although improving, wasn't the finishing type. I think he'd be a mid-tier to upper-tier Middleweight who would feel the pain of the 3 big names if Henderson decided to drop.

Ryo Chonan is another name being thrown around. Honestly, Chonan had the most insane flying scissor kick to heel hook submission I've ever seen. He has apparently decided to fight at Welterweight in the UFC for the time being. Could he make an impact at the Middleweight level? Most likely, he couldn't. Although he has a tough chin and can take a beating, he'd have to pull off some amazing wins in order to get to Silva, in which case he'd probably get beaten into a pulp.

As far fetched as this sounds, Robbie Lawler is always a name that should come up. Currently fighting at middleweight, could he make a run toward the UFC? It's always a possibility. He has heavy hands and has matured his game a bit. In his win over "Ninja" Rua in EliteXC's Uprising event on September 15th of this year, he showed a patience in his bout as was able to coast through the bout without ever really gassing himself as he has in the past. Lawler could prove to be a force with his unbelievable power.

Final thoughts

Henderson should drop to Middleweight and give Silva a run for his money. Imagine the matchups then. If Silva beats Franklin, line up a Hendo vs. Silva fight. If Franklin ends up beating Silva, Henderson can take on Franklin. Either way, it puts another huge name in the division who can take out either fighter and set up a number of matchups to get back to the title. Add in a very good Matt Lindland and possibly Filho or Riggs, the division could actually become interesting. A lot of the ideas I expressed here are long shots, but White needs to man up and sign Lindland. He's a free agent and a very good fighter. Henderson needs to realize that owning the Middleweight division could potentially get him a pay day that he wants. Make it happen.