Matthew Watt is our newest staff writer for MMA-Analyst.com.

In life we all go through hardships. Yes, that may sound cliché as “what goes up must come down”, but it is the truth. We have all been there, at the bottom rung, wondering when things will improve. Hell I was just there. Leland approached me in December to contribute to his website, but at that time I was going through a severe bout of depression. I was in no condition to finally combine two of my loves: MMA and writing. As much as I wanted to have my work posted for others to read (and rip apart), mentally I was just unable to.

Time has passed since Leland’s offer and I can now say with confidence that I am in the best state I have ever been in quite some time. No, to get here was not easy, it involved working with psychiatrists, reading numerous books, regularly attending the gym, and opening myself back up to my closest friends. Seemingly impossible steps to take when your view yourself as a worthless loser. However, the work has been more then worth it, and I wake up everyday realizing how lucky I am and how much I love myself. Yes, horribly corny, cheesy statements to tell myself, but they are the absolute truth.

So when the soap-opera of Paulo Filho pulling out, not pulling out, then finally pulling out of his title defense against Chael Sonnen unfolded, the story was one I just had personally witnessed first-hand. All the signs of depression are there. There is the realization that things have hit rock bottom and something must be done (Filho’s initial drop out). Then there is the sudden spurt of feeling better, maybe you are just going over a little blip, and can get on with things, best summed up by this:

"He went through some personal issues, and he basically pulled everything together," Soares said. Training at the Black House gym in Rio de Janeiro, Filho has been preparing with Ricardo Arona (Pictures) and Rafael Feijao. Soares said UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will join the training camp on March 17.

On Wednesday, Filho (16-0) told Brazilian MMA Web site Tatame: "I wasn't on a good moment, had depression but I'm rising now and the Americans forced me to fight now. I'm not afraid of winning or losing, but I wasn't motivated to train, wasn't training well, so I decided to do what the contract says and transferred the fight to June."

Lastly, there is the final letdown, where you get over your initial spurt of sunshine, and hit bottom so hard you know there is no way you can overcome this on your own:

"We tried our best with Filho, but it didn't work and he'll not fight in the WEC," Guimaraes said. "He tried with all his effort to accomplish the title defense, but he realized he couldn't do it due to chemical dependence and depression. He knew this kind of stuff does not have a link with the sport, and I'm happy he had a conscience and looked for help." Filho had disappeared for two days, causing immense concern for his teammates and Guimaraes. He ended up checking himself into a rehabilitation clinic in Niteroi, Brazil. Guimaraes couldn't say for certain how long Filho will stay under treatment, but he suggested the fighter will stay at the clinic until he is 100 percent. Filho is feeling better, Guimares said, after 48 hours of treatment. Guimaraes declined comment on the root of Filho's chemical dependence.

"The WEC staff was superb with us," the manager added. "They understood the situation, and Filho will return and defend his belt in June. Filho also realized who his real friends are, and he took this lesson seriously. He'll come back victorious from this tough moment and he will be supported, as mentioned, by his real friends."

Where Filho is at now is a place I wish no man to go. No, not being in a mental health facility, but rather where his state of mind is. Luckily for him, he took the right steps, and reaching out for help from others is exactly what he had to do. It is never easy to admit that you have depression, but realizing where you are at and that something must be done is the first step in winning the battle.

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Paulo Filho's performance at WEC 31 was far from impressive. In fact, Chael Sonnen stuck it to Paulo Filho early in the fight with much crisper and quicker standup than the Brazilian had predicted. Sonnen dropped Filho, and began working a ground and pound game that saw Filho nearly losing the fight. The one key skill that Filho had to defend himself with was great jiu-jitsu. Filho used his overwhelming power and grappling prowess to eventually submit Sonnen in a controversial ending.

Now, Sonnen will get a rematch with Filho for the Middleweight title in March, the last fight for Filho at 185 pounds. Filho's boxing coach confirmed to Tatame.com that he will move up to the Light Heavyweight division after the fight, look out Doug Marshall.

Henderson talks about Filho

In a related story, MMANews.com did an interview with Sonnen's teammate and UFC fighter Dan Henderson. He was quoted as saying:

MMANews.com:What are your thoughts on Paulo Filho?

Dan Henderson: I don’t think he has been very impressive in his last two performances since coming to the US but I think that’s what not being able to use Steroids will do to you.

MMANews.com:Are you saying Filho may be a juicer?

Dan Henderson: Well that’s my opinion anyway. He hasn’t looked good since he left Pride.

MMANews.com: Was steroid abuse a problem in Pride?

Dan Henderson: People didn’t get tested.

First and foremost, I don't agree with his statements. Paulo Filho more than likely has used steroids, but he is using Filho's poor performances as a basis for his argument. The fact is that Filho has still been powerful in his matchup. He clipped Doerksen and sent him home, and he used his raw power and jiu-jitsu to finally catch Sonnen's arm that was more than likely going to be broken off at the joint.

Secondly, Filho's fight with Doerksen ended rather quickly, although it was fairly sloppy. Filho still managed to end the fight with striking, a skill that Filho is not well trained in. It's known throughout the MMA world that Filho is a horrible boxer, and really only has the strength to knockout opponents, not the technical prowess. If that fight had went to the floor, I think Doerksen would have been overwhelmed.

Sonnen had much better striking, and was able to keep Filho at bay for most of the fight, but the difference in the matchup was Sonnen's submission defense. It was absolutely terrible. When you get your arm caught multiple times and barely escape an appendage being tore off your body, there is a problem with recognizing danger in the guard.

Lastly, Filho won the damn fights. He won. It was sloppy, but he still managed to pull out two victories. Yeah, Sonnen isn't a top 10 middleweight, but he is an Olympic caliber wrestler with some decent standup skills. The fact that Filho cuts down from well over 200 pounds would hurt anyone's chances.

It sounds to me like Henderson is bitter about his teammate's loss. Sonnen will get another chance to prove everyone wrong. Apparently Henderson wants to make himself the Jose Canseco of mixed martial arts, when's the book coming out? Henderson may be right on the money with his assessment, but in my opinion, his argument sounds like a whole lot of crying because his teammate came out on the short end of the stick in his last matchup. Maybe this will heat up some tension for a potential matchup between the two.

During the few weeks before a typical UFC card, the MMA community is in a motivated state. Fans are debating fans on which fighters will win their matchups. Other fans are arguing over who a fighter should fight next if they win their matchup at the event. Other people are discussing strategy and style breakdowns. The list goes on of the multitude of topics that one can create and reply to on the barrage of forums that stretch across the landscape of the MMA community. Apparently, Paulo Filho wasn't paying attention when nearly every single radio show, podcast, MMA website, or forum poster stated that Chael Sonnen will most likely try to pound your face apart.

In an article over at Sherdog.com, Paulo Filho gave them a quote that makes you want to ask the question, why would you think that?

"He came with a strong tactic, which confused me because I thought he came to take me down, but he started striking me -- used a good tactic," Filho said. "Thank God I could control myself in the fight, and it has its positive side because everyone sees me only on top controlling my opponent, and this time they saw me underneath, overcoming difficult situations."

Paulo Filho was nearly out of this fight in the first round, and he was getting himself into some trouble during the second as well. The one factor that came into play when strategizing what should happen in this fight was Filho's ground game. Everybody knows that the guy has freakish strength, I mean, he looks like a shaved gorilla. The man has monster power and as Frank Mir stated during the WEC broadcast - "The guy snaps limbs.".

Sonnen's gameplan was to pound Filho out either by standing with him and beating him in the striking war or putting him to the canvas and beating him with some ground and pound action. As we saw during the fight, Sonnen's gameplan changed from standing with Filho and waiting out an upset victory to trying to end the fight by pounding on Filho and being submitted by near arm breakage. You can't refute the fact that Sonnen's poor decision making skills sunk him.

Here's my problem with Filho's logic. Did Filho not scout out Chael Sonnen? Is his manager or group of fighters around him seriously just oblivious to gameplanning a fight? Filho says that he was "confused" because Sonnen came out striking? Really? My perspective of the way it was going to go down was that Sonnen would come out swinging to avoid getting into your guard, Filho. For the most part, Sonnen was following that gameplan until he got carried away and tried to end it while in your gorilla grip guard.

What's even more odd is that in the article, Filho mentions the fact that he noted Sonnen's weak submission defense:

"I noted also in fights that he lost, he was always surprised by the opponent who was underneath, by a triangle or an armbar," Filho said. "I got some good positions from where I could try to put him down, but I feared getting exhausted, getting tired and jeopardizing the rest of the fight. I felt that he was already well out of gas and that at anytime he would leave something open. He was no longer a threat to knock me out or do anything."

So, he apparently at least did some preliminary scouting on Sonnen's fights. You know Sonnen has problems against submissions, you know that he has a strong takedown defense and that he's a world class wrestler. To me, that screams striking until the opportunity to wreck you on the ground presents itself after he clips you.

Overall, I was impressed by the fact Filho was able to recover from the blows he was taking, but next time, Filho should definitely consider a bit more research into the typical gameplans that Sonnen has instituted in his fights and maybe the history of his opponent. Sonnen does not have great submission defense, it would have been logical to conclude that maybe he would come out with the mindset of popping you in the face while sprawling to avoid your takedowns.

 

Only four days following the spectacular Ultimate Fighter Finale, Zuffa once again puts on another great show on paper in World Extreme CageFighting 31. A sister promotion to the UFC, WEC has seen a resurgence in its stance in the MMA market with a television deal with Versus and supporting programming that continues to market the WEC well. The card on Wednesday night will only feed the hunger for likeness to the UFC. The event features three... count 'em three title bouts. Urijah Faber will defend the Featherweight crown against Jeff Curran, Doug "The Rhino" Marshall will defend his Light Heavyweight belt against Ariel Gandulla, and PRIDE veteran Paulo Filho, arguably ranked #2 at Middleweight, will defend his title against an able Chael Sonnen. Here's some more in-depth looks at each matchup and myself and John McKiernan weigh in our picks.

WEC Featherweight Title Bout
Urijah Faber vs. Jeff Curran

If there is one defining aspect of one fighter over another, it's experience. Curran (28-8-1) has a plethora of international and national experience in the cage. He has fought some of the best in the world, and still remains an underdog in this battle. Namely, he has recently beaten Rafael Assuncao, Wagnney Fabiano, Charles Bennett, and Antonio Carvalho all within the last 3 years. Fighters who are not slouched in the striking or ju-jitsu arena of the MMA skillset. He's taken on Matt Serra and "Kid" Yamamoto and taken them the distance. We can safely say that Curran is no stranger to high-level competition.

There is one aspect of his skillset that he lacks, and that is his ability to end fights. He is always a danger to submit his opponent, but he also has a tendency to miss holds and allow opponents to slip away from him. Stephen Ledbetter, his most recent win at WEC 29, was a perfect example of that. The question really becomes whether or not his great ju-jitsu background can counter Faber's relentless attack.

Urijah Faber (19-1) is an animal in the cage. His relentless attack has sometimes been likened to that of a Clay Guida, but he has knockout power along with a solid wresting game on the ground. The major X-factor in this fight is Faber's ability to keep the fight standing and putting the leather on Curran's face. If he can keep the fight standing, Faber will prevail. If the fight goes to the ground, Curran must avoid the devastating power that Faber can unleash on the floor.

Leland's Prediction: Urijah Faber by second round TKO

Faber is powerful, has the ability to avoid submissions, and is very strong in both his standup and ground game. Curran's ju-jitsu abilities are world-renowned, but he will have to avoid the fists of fury from Faber. I see Faber putting him out.

John's Prediction: Urijah Faber by second round TKO

Tougher fight for Faber than many expect.  Curran is well experienced with almost thirty wins.  Faber has explosive athletic ability, should look to keep this fight standing and will be able to.  The face of the 145 LB division in the U.S. gets his 20th win.

Joe's Prediction: Urijah Faber by third round TKO

Faber’s wrestling is too good, and he has shown good submission defense in the past. While Curran has great jiu-jitsu, I don’t think he’s going to be able to submit Faber. Faber will look to keep the fight standing for a bit, but then I expect him to take the fight to the mat where he’ll finish Curran with strikes sometime in the 3^rd round.
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WEC Middleweight Title Bout
Paulo Filho vs. Chael Sonnen

Arguably the #2 ranked Middleweight in the World, Paulo Filho (15-0) made his WEC debut in winning fashion with a surprising TKO win over the veteran Joe Doerksen at WEC 29. Filho, primarily known for his ju-jitsu skills on the ground, has fought and defeated some of the best in the world in the weight class. Kazuo Misaki, Ryo Chonan, Murilo Rua, and Yuki Kondo have all fallen to Filho either by decision or by the feared armbar. Filho has some extensive ground game, but his striking has always been lacking. Sonnen will be a test in Filho's standup game to an extent, but Sonnen's ground tactics may not be able to nullify Filho.

Chael Sonnen (19-8-1) is an interesting matchup for Filho. Sonnen is known to have some great knockout power, but he's been known to fade and go the distance on multiple occassions. His one weakness against better competition has been the submission. This is where Filho may have the opportunity to win this fight if Sonnen doesn't land a big punch early. Sonnen has been racking up wins in BodogFight for the last year, and recently won at SportFight 20 up in the Northwest. There is an opponent that Sonnen has lost to convincingly 3 times that really sums up what Filho's gameplan will be, that's Jeremy Horn. Horn has defeated Sonnen three seperate times, two by submission. I wouldn't put Horn on the same level as Filho on the ground, although he is a very good grappler. It does outline a big problem in Sonnen's ground game though.

Leland's Prediction: Paulo Filho by 3rd round submission

This is an interesting fight due to the fact that Filho hasn't faced a hard-nosed wrestler in awhile, if at all. Sonnen will have power, and I think it will take Filho some time to work on the ground. Nonetheless, I believe Filho will submit him late in the bout.

John's Prediction: Paulo Filho by 2nd round submission

15-0 and Sonnen is no joke, but also not the guy to give Filho his first loss. The Brazilian is the undisputed #2 Middleweight world (possibly #1 in my mind) and has subbed a number of guys better than Sonnen. Wrestling and ju-jitsu is too good.

Joe's Prediction: Paulo Filho by 1st round submission

Filho is too strong and his grappling is too good for Sonnen. Sonnen has shown weakness in the past against fighters that have a good submission game. I think this fight will go similar to Filho’s last fight with Doerksen, but he’ll be able to finish this time with his grappling. Look for a submission, most likely an armbar, in the first round.
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WEC Light Heavyweight Title Bout
Doug Marshall vs. Ariel Gandulla

I'll make this short and sweet. Marshall (6-2) is a straight brawler. He has good knockout power and standup skills, but to be honest, I've only seen him roll on the ground once to win a fight. This fight wasn't made for a ground war, and it will certainly be a standup fight. Ultimately however, someone is going to shoot for the takedown to ground and pound their opponent or try to clip their opponent's chin and put him to the canvas for the ground and pound. Either way, strikes will end this fight.

Gandulla (4-0) isn't overly impressive in his standup or ground and pound tactics. He's more reserved than Marshall will be as Marshall seems to be overly aggressive at times. Could this be a strength? It's possible because I expect Gandulla to be taller than Marshall, and I think he'll have an easier time keeping Marshall at a distance. Does this equate to a victory for Gandulla? I'm not completely convinced, but I may go with the upset pick.

Leland's Prediction: Ariel Gandulla by TKO, 2nd round.

Marshall's striking is sloppy, and I believe Gandulla's patience can outlast the onslaught. He has some good power and the ability to elude the big blows. Marshall just isn't championship material in my eyes.

John's Prediction: Ariel Gandulla by TKO

Gandulla has proven he's tough and I see an upset.  ATT will have Ariel ready.

Joe's Prediction: Doug Marshall by TKO, 1st round.

As much as I want to pick against Doug Marshall here, I can’t. Marshall is strictly a brawler who likes to bang out his victories. I think Gandulla will be overwhelmed by Marshall’s assault and succumb to strikes early in the first round.
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Jens Pulver vs. Cub Swanson

One of the toughest fights for me to pick because I believe Jens is a class act in mixed martial arts. He's a warrior and trains just as hard as anyone out there and expects results because of it. Mainly known for his striking skills, Jens Pulver (21-8-1) has fought along side the best for a majority of his career. Most notably known for defeating BJ Penn at UFC 35 in a matchup that BJ was expected to win, Pulver went on to fight internationally against many of the best fighters in the world, although not having a whole lot of success. He was beaten by Hayato Sakurai and Takanori Gomi while fighting in PRIDE's Bushido series, and fell on hard times recently by losing to Joe Lauzon and BJ Penn in the UFC. Now, Jens will try his hand at a weight that he should have been fighting at his entire career. The featherweight in the division and around the world has recently garnered more interest and more fighters and has now allowed Jens to move down and fight legitimate competition.

Swanson (11-1) will be no easy fight for Jens Pulver. His most impressive battle as of recent was against Micah Miller at WEC 28. He showed a well-rounded skillset, great striking, some good ground tactics that enabled him to escape Miller on the ground and outlast him. He did a lot of damage once escaping holds and eventually tired Miller. Will we see this type of fight? Considering the fact that Pulver seems uninterested in heading to the mat, I would imagine a good standup war. Swanson does have a good ground game though. He has some nice takedown technique, and it could become a big problem for Pulver.

Leland's Prediction: Jens Pulver via second round TKO

Nearly everyone is picking Swanson, and I like Jens in this fight for the simple reason that he has dynamite in his hands. Swanson looks to be an easy pick, but Jens looks ultra motivated for this war. I think having 2 recent losses and coming down to his natural fighting weight will help tremendously. Look for Jens to feel out Swanson, and then attack in the second.

John's Prediction: Jens Pulver via first round KO

Coming off of two losses, one to a legend and a very devastating upset loss to Joe Lauzon, Pulver needs this win. Swanson is no cupcake, but he's never fought Pulver. All the pressure rests on Jens' shoulders, and the former champ will show he still has the hands that earned him the UFC belt.

Joe's Prediction: Jens Pulver via second round TKO

This fight is going to come down to Jens’ takedown defense. If he flops around and looks like he did against Joe Lauzon, this will be a very short night for him. However, I think Jens is truly motivated and is ready to make an impact in the 145lb weight class. He has excellent boxing and great power. I think Cub will try to stand and trade for him until he feels Jens’ power, but by then, it might be too late. Look for Jens to wear Cub down and finish him with strikes in the second round.
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Quick Hits

Brian Bowles (3-0) vs. Marcos Galvao (6-1)

Leland's Prediction: Galvao by unanimous decision

All of his fights have went the distance, showing some great cardio. He has a solid ju-jitsu background and has experience fighting some decent battles in Shooto as well. Bowles is a very green fighter, only having one fight in the WEC and two others against low-level competition that didn't present a challenge. I think Galvao will be a challenge and his ju-jitsu alone may be too much for Bowles.

John's Prediction: Galvao by unanimous decision

The Shooto veteran will make a succesful WEC debut.  Look for good jits from Galvao.

Joe's Prediction: Galvao by unanimous decision

Marcos Galvao is a Shooto veteran and possesses some good ground skills. Bowles is a green fighter, and hasn’t faced good competition so far. Galvao should win this fight on the judge’s scorecard.
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Bryan Baker (5-0) vs. Eric Shambari (7-0)

Leland's Prediction: Shambari via unanimous decision

I haven't been terribly impressed with either fighter. Baker was in trouble against Jesse Forbes and managed to reverse his luck and defeat Forbes. Schambari, on the other hand, hasn't been decisive in the WEC as far as finishing opponents goes. He has, however, continued to win against greener competition. I think both will bang, but get tired toward the middle of the fight. I think Eric can do enough early to win this one by decision.

John's Prediction: Shambari via decision

Past two opponents Art Santore and Logan Clark are solid, while giant Baker will be tested.

Joe's Prediction: Baker by second round TKO

The only fight I’ve seen of Baker was his fight with Jesse Forbes. He was getting outclassed for the most part, but managed to come from behind to pull off the victory. I think he’ll do the same against Shambari. 
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John Alessio (20-10) vs. Todd Moore (9-0)

Leland's Prediction: Alessio via first round submission

Alessio has a plethora of experience, but is susceptible to the submission himself. Most of his losses are against top competition, competition that Todd Moore hasn't seen before. I believe Alessio will be too much for him and will be a much tougher opponent than Moore's past opponents. This should be a win for Alessio.

John's Prediction: Alessio via first round submission

Alessio could be a star in the WEC on the way back after a loss to Condit. This is top level fighter, WEC will finally give the mainstream opportunity the seasoned vet has earned.  Moore is undefeated, but large increase in opponent quality here.

Joe's Prediction: Alessio via first round submission

Alessio is a well rounded fighter. He has some decent strikes, and an underrated ground game. He’s had some notable fights, particularly against Diego Sanchez and Carlos Condit. This fight should showcase some more of Alessio’s skills. Moore is undefeated, but he has yet to face any real competition. Alessio is too big of a step up for him at this point in his career. 
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Alex Karalexis (9-2) vs. Ed Ratcliff (5-0)

Leland's Prediction: Ratcliff by second round TKO

Ratcliff has a karate/grappling background as well as some decent striking ability. From what I've seen, his style is very quick and explosive, allowing him to move in for the kill and move away from the counters. I'm going to take the upset pick here.

John's Prediction: Karalexis by first round KO

This fight will have some fireworks! Alex has some real nice hands, and he's a way better fighter from the TUF series than he's given credit for.

Joe's Prediction: Karalexis by unanimous decision

Karalexis has some pretty good power, but tends to rely on his overhand right too much. He has a pretty good wrestling game and I think that’s where the difference in this fight will be. Look for Karalexis to start off striking, but he’ll eventually take the fight to the mat. I don’t think Ratcliff will have the takedown defense needed to stay off his back. Karalexis won’t finish, but it will be a dominating performance.
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Ian McCall (6-0) vs. Charlie Valencia (8-3)

Leland's Prediction: Valencia via second round TKO

Valencia actually has some power when he isn't being pummeled by some of the best in the WEC. I look for him to stop McCall's streak here.

John's Prediction: Valencia via decision

Valencia has fought two stars on this card, Faber and Swanson. Tough guy, I like him here.

Joe's Prediction: Valencia via second round TKO

I like Charlie Valencia in this fight. He has faced top flight competition, and lost, but he always brings it in each of his fights. Look for Valencia to finish this fight with strikes late in the first round or early in the second. 

In the past, I have been very critical that the UFC's middleweight division needs a kick in the ass. It seems that this statement hasn't been taken seriously by the UFC. The division is currently in a standstill due to the fact that Anderson Silva remains the undisputed middleweight champion and has no possible opponents that can challenge him for the title. Let's take a new look into the Middleweight possibilities or actually, the short list of possibilities.

UFC fails to convince Henderson

According to the UFC 78 Press Conference, it was said that Henderson is still not wanting to drop down to 185 lbs. to fight Anderson Silva. Is this a money issue? Is the UFC lowballing Henderson with a new deal? Fact of the matter is, the Middleweight division is by far one of the worst divisions in the UFC. It, in fact, is the least deep division in the promotion. What reason is there that Henderson wouldn't drop down to become the UFC champion at Middleweight?

The most obvious answer is that he would have to take on an ultra-dangerous Anderson Silva. Although Dan Henderson's Greco-Roman wrestling is a great counter for what Silva has to offer, Silva still possesses a black belt ju-jitsu ground game, a long reach and hard striking standup game, and has multiple tools to end fights. Henderson is a granite chin though. I imagine the fight has the potential to be a huge draw for many UFC fans. Does Henderson see that fight as a possible matchup that could hurt him? It's a possibility, but I think there are other motives.

I mentioned in my previous article that I felt Henderson was sticking to the Light Heavyweight Division because it garners bigger PPV draws, more money, and more prestige. Historically, the heavier weight classes bring bigger fights and draws. Could he simply want to fight through one of the best divisions in the world? I believe so. Henderson wants to fight the absolute best in the world, and the LHW division contains some of the greatest in the world. If he suffers another loss, he may take the money and drop to 185 to fight Silva in a card that I believe would definitely draw some huge numbers.

Unsigned talent goes elsewhere

Jason "Mayhem" Miller was one of the better prospects out there that could have at least made the division a bit more lively. He has some quality wins over Robbie Lawler and Denis Kang and sports an impressive 19-5 record. He has a fantastic submission game and decent standup, but more importantly to the UFC, he is a self-promoting machine. He has a large fanbase of MMA fans behind him who love his antics as seen during a few of the latest UFC events, a few great skit videos featuring Miller that include a spoof of the TapouT! reality show, and he loves to make grand entrances. I have no doubt that he would have gained more fans in the UFC and the extra exposure could have brought more fans into the sport or at least excitement in seeing him fight in the poor Middleweight division. Miller will fight Sean Salmon on the December 15th HDNet card.

Frank Trigg is another decent Middleweight at the end of his career, but nonetheless presents a fairly significant challenge to Anderson Silva because he has some very good wrestling skills. Barring a rear naked choke, Trigg could actually present a big problem for Silva. He has some decent power, but he doesn't have the range to stand with Silva. If Trigg went into the fight with a solid gameplan of putting Silva to the floor and was able to do that, it'd be a very interesting fight. He also presents problems to other fighters in the UFC, but his age is always a factor. This seems to be a case where White is still bitter over comments Trigg made during a few PRIDE broadcasts about the UFC. Trigg claims that he made them in regards to what PRIDE wanted him to say. Nonetheless, I'm still a fan of Frank Trigg for the mere fact that he will tell you exactly what he thinks. As Trigg mentioned in one of his most recent shows, "The UFC made me usable, Fox Sports made me famous, and my mouth made me infamous." Very true, Trigg's battle with Matt Hughes was a great battle, his gig on the PRIDE series put his face in front of millions, and his rants and pre-fight hype he generated made him infamous. For those reasons, Trigg should have been given a chance in the UFC. Trigg is now fighting Edwin Dewees on the December 15th HDNet card.

According to GracieMag.com, Ronaldo Jacare (7-1) didn't sign with the UFC, but has now decided to fight again in Jungle Fight a.k.a. MMA World League now. Why? This baffles me and I'm not sure if the UFC just lowballed him or what, but he will get absolutely no exposure in Jungle Fight and he will fight tomato cans until his name pops up later down the line again after he is sporting a ridiculous record. Kind of like Jason Reinhardt. Jacare is a Brazilian ju-jitsu black belt who placed second in the world at the ADCC championships in his weight class, only losing to Roger Gracie. He's ended every fight inside the first round. It's beyond me as to why he didn't sign with the UFC.

Well, then who the hell did they add?

Evan Tanner will make a new run back into the UFC... heh. One of the big points that people make about Evan Tanner is the fact that he self taught himself many of the techniques he used in the Octagon in his early days. Tanner sports a legendary 32-6 record and has fought nearly everyone. Baroni, Lawler, Terrell, Franklin, Sinosic, Ortiz, Minowa, Herring, Buentello, the list goes on. He hasn't fought since April of last year though. Why you might ask? Apparently Tanner had an excessive drinking problem that caused him to basically turn into a full blown alcoholic who roamed the country, randomly posting on his MySpace about his problems. Hit up Fightlinker for details.

This isn't an overwhelming good signing. Tanner is fairly old and may have a lot of ring rust due to such a long layoff. He also will have to battle through now coming off the alcohol and possibly have a very hard time doing so. Will we see a clean and sober Tanner who could begin another dominance run in the MW division? I doubt it, but people said the same thing about Randy Couture being too old to do much in the heavyweight division.

Existing talent

David Terrell (6-2) was the prospect that many were looking toward to bring some excitement to the division. Terrell never fights. He's basically permanently on the injured reserve list in the UFC because he seems to be the most injury prone athlete that I can remember besides Kerry Wood and Mark Prior of the Chicago Cubs. Terrell is a product of Cesar Gracie Ju-Jitsu Academy. It has produced fighters such as Nick and Nate Diaz and Jake Shields. Terrell is much of the same type of fighter with a great submission game on the ground. He would have presented some significant problems to the top tier of the Middleweight division. I wonder if we will actually ever see him fight in the UFC again.

Nate Marquardt was a fighter that was supposed to give Silva a challenge. He didn't, and I don't see him ever giving him a tough challenge. Okami is gone apparently because the UFC felt he was a boring fighter. Bad move by the UFC. Jason MacDonald can't even get through Franklin. Franklin has been destroyed twice by Silva in devastating fashion.

The Zuffa-owned WEC has Paulo Filho, who is a friend of Silva. Filho did state that he would fight Silva if he had to. I think the time is now that "you have to" pit these two great fighters against each other to help the UFC's MW division. Zuffa seems to want to pit both the organizations against each other. In the latest oddity, the WEC will go up against a UFC special on SpikeTV. WEC 31 has some unbelievable fights, but can it compete on Versus with the UFC on basic cable. The UFC will air a "Best of 2007" show at the same time. Very strange indeed.

Bisping, Evans, Henderson, and even Machida could drop down to Middleweight and make the division worth a damn, but it seems that they are content at sitting at Light Heavyweight for now. Machida has the best chance of making a splash in the LHW division so far since his style is unbelievably elusive, but I feel like he may get the White pinch for being boring. It is rumored that Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou could fight Machida on December 12th. Bisping and Evans winner may fight Tito Ortiz, so both could be locked into the division, or the loser may drop down. Henderson obviously is sticking to his guns and staying at Light Heavyweight. Will the UFC keep him out of fighting until he gets pissed enough to drop? I wouldn't put it past Dana White.

Final Thoughts

So, what can the UFC do since they've already allowed many of the natural middleweights to head to other organizations? Matt Lindland is available. Get over the little argument you have with him and just sign him. He is an opponent with a Greco-Roman background that could potentially counter Silva's strengths well. Matt Hughes has also talked about moving up to middleweight to take on Silva after he wins the Welterweight title. If Hughes can win his title back, look for that fight to happen as well. The most believable development in the division would be the fighters dropping down to the division. The loser of the Bisping vs. Evans fight could definitely make the cut to 185. Henderson is still on the line, but we could eventually see that happen. Machida is now fighting Soukodjou at UFC 79, and he still stands a very good chance at making waves at light heavyweight.

In the end, the UFC doesn't have a plethora of options at all. They will be banking on Hughes to win to increase his standing again. Lindland is still a non-option for Dana White. Henderson won't drop down and many of the other options have signed with other organizations or are existing fighters who are either injured or too far down the line to make an impact within the next year. Hopefully we will see some activity from the UFC into grabbing some talent out there. The upcoming TUF season will also feature Middleweights, so we could see a huge influx of talent.

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.