UFC eyes Vancouver, B.C., Canada for June, 2010 event

The big news coming out of the UFC camp in the build-up to UFC 102: Couture vs. Noguiera was that the UFC is eyeing a third trip to Canada in June of 2010 with the likely destination being Vancouver, B.C.

A trip to Vancouver, B.C. would be huge for both the city and the UFC. Being from there and having traveled to the city numerous times, I can personally attest to the passion for MMA that the people have up there. Plus, with the olympics set to hit the city in February of 2010, there probably is no city that is going to be more ready for a big time event, not to mention how much publicity it will give the UFC for doing a show just four months after the world's best winter sport athletes perform in the same building.

It will also be the UFC's second trip to the Pacific Northwest after this weekend's venture into Portland, Oregon. From all looks of it, the venture into Portland was a very successful one. The event was attended by 16,000 plus, drew a $1.92 million gate and had some very exciting fights.

The biggest obstacle right now for the UFC is the fact that the province of British Columbia doesn't currently sanction MMA. The UFC hopes that that will change within four months, giving the promotion plenty of time to plan a summer 2010 event for the second biggest city in Canada.

What makes the sport hard to ignore for the city and the province as a whole is the revenue that it will bring to a city that desperately needs some after all the expenditures dished out in preparation of it hosting the olympics. This event accompanied by a possible UFC fan expo will do just that for the city.

The target venue according to UFC president Dana White is GM place, home to the Vancouver Canucks and a 19,000 plus seat arena.

Post event analysis of UFC 102

The UFC brass can't be much more proud of how their first foray into the Pacific Northwest fared Saturday night as they displayed UFC 102: Couture vs. Noguiera in Portland, Oregon live from the Rose Garden.

Over 16,000 fans filled the arena, producing a gate over $1.9 million while almost every one of the 11 fights proved to be exciting. None more than the main event between the two heavyweight legends.

Randy "The Natural" Couture (16-10) entered the fight against Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Noguiera (34-5-1) as a heavy favorite but it was Noguiera's superior boxing and ground game that was the difference in the fight as Noguiera went on to scrape the unanimous decision.

It was a battle in every round with the two Hall-of-Famers going toe-to-toe while unleashing the best of their striking arsenal upon their foe's face. The heavily Couture-sided crowd rose to its feet everytime Couture landed some big strikes that had Noguiera retreating or whenever he reversed the Brazilian's efforts on the ground.

An epic battle from start to finish that will certainly find a spot in the UFC's "top 100 fights".

Noguiera's win should propel him into the discussion for No. 1 contender of Brock Lesnar's heavyweight belt where about four or five other fighters consistently reside. The 34-year-old Brazilian says he's in top form, if he can keep it up a win over a guy like Cain Velasquez or Gabriel Gonzaga down the line could further propel him.

On the other side of the coin is Couture, who announced on Sunday that he has signed a six fight, 28 month contract extension with the UFC. What's amazing is the fact that at 46 years of age, Couture believes he is in the best shape of his career. So the Hall-of-Famer will go on fighting for another 28 months which will carry him well past his 48th birthday.

God bless "The Natural". What lies ahead? We'll see in the near future but rest assured, Couture will be fighting only the best.

Outside of the main event, there were a number of important developments from undercard fights. First off was Nate Marquardt dispatching fellow middleweight contender and previously undefeated Damien Maia (11-1) in 22 seconds with a highlight reel knockout.

Marquardt joins Dan Henderson as No. 1 contenders for Anderson Silva's middleweight belt. Both have previously fought -- and lost -- to Silva before and both, however, have improved especially Marquardt. Who the UFC chooses still looks to favor Henderson but remains in the air.

The other action was just as compelling and noteworthy.

Thiago Silva stunned Keith Jardine with a vicious right hand and some quick ground-and-pound for a TKO victory in under two minutes of their fight. Silva bounced back nicely with the win after the KO loss to Lyoto Machida, inserting himself right back into the picture while Jardine continues his trademark one step forward and one step backward march through the elite of the division. It leaves Jardine in a precarious position. He's a top 7 or 8 guy in the division but firmly set there -- no better and no worse.

Jake Rosholt took "submission of the night" honors and a $60,000 bonus for his choke out of Chris Leben. Gabriel Gonzaga finished Chris Tuchscherer impressively in one round with strikes and another heavyweight, Todd Duffee, continued bolster the division's depth by scoring a very impressive, seven second KO which set the UFC record.

The other nightly honors:

Fight of the night: Couture vs. Noguiera
Knockout of the night: Nate Marquardt

UFC 102: Couture vs. Noguiera interest lies beyond main event

At first glance the UFC 102: Couture vs. Noguiera card looks rather unspectacular, disappointing is a word I would use. In the main event, we have two fighters in the twilight of their careers looking to prove that they still have it against a similar past-his-prime fighter.

Randy Couture (16-9) will take on the legend Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera (31-5-1) in the consolation bracket of the heavyweight tournament that began almost a year ago at UFC 91 with Couture facing Brock Lesnar. As far as implications to the division, this fight is about as interesting as watching a tournament on the Nationwide Tour.

Other than seeing a tactical fight between a great wrestler and the ultimate gameplanner in Couture against the world class jiu-jitsu of Noguiera, the main event offers little in the way of excitement.

But if you look further, beyond the main event you see four fights that are much more intriguing. The first of which is what appears to be a No. 1 contender match-up in the middleweight division between Nate Marquadt (31-8-2) and Demian Maia (11-0).

Both fighters are on impressive winning streaks. Obviously Maia has never lost, winning against former WEC middleweight champ Chael Sonnen and contenders Nate Quarry and Jason MacDonald most recently. Meanwhile, since losing a split decision to Thales Leites at UFC 85, Marquadt has gone on to impressive wins over Martin Kampmann and Wilson Gouveia via TKO stoppages.

This fight has exciting written all over it.

Then there is the light heavyweight clash between top 10 contenders Keith Jardine (14-6-1) and Thiago Silva (13-1). Both fighters are coming off of tough losses that knocked them back out of the title discussion -- to "Rampage" Jackson and Lyoto Machida respectively.

The fighter who can bounce back on Saturday night will find himself right back in the mix while the other will have some searching to do after two straight losses to guys now ahead of him.

Two other fights also have my interest piqued. Another light heavyweight clash between two guys that are right on the edge of the top 10: Brandon "The Truth" Vera (10-3) and Krzysztof "The Polish Experiment" Soszynski (19-9-1). Soszynski has been extremely impressive since breaking into the UFC after The Ultimate Fighter season seven while Vera has been inconsistent since making the drop to 205 lbs.

The last fight I've got on my radar is a clash between former heavyweight title contender Gabriel Gonzaga (10-4) coming off a loss against Shane Carwin, and UFC newcomer Chris Tuchscherer (17-1). Gonzaga has been said to be in the best shape of his life, with a new determination in the sport since the knockout loss to Carwin.

In a division that has suddenly found some much needed strength at the top and depth in the middle, Gonzaga will need a big win to get himself back into the fray with the heavyweights. It is perhaps this fight, rather than the losers battle between a couple of past-their-primers in the main event, that could have greater implications to the future of the heavyweight division in the UFC.

UFC to broadcast pay-per-view prelim fights on Spike

*UPDATE* Spike TV confirmed Friday that it will indeed televise the undercard fights for UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort on September 19th. However, contrary to the report published by the OC Register, Spike will air just one hour of uninterrupted coverage of the undercard with two fights guaranteed.

Those fights are Efrain Escudero versus Cole Miller which will be a match-up of previous winners of 'The Ultimate Fighter' and a middleweight slugfest featuring Tomasz Drwal and Drew McFedries.

Currently, the UFC 103 card is scheduled to feature eight undercard bouts. Spike TV's hour of coverage immediately prior to the 10pm EST/7 PST PPV broadcast will probably be enough to show between four and five fights depending on their length.
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In a move that could be a breakthrough for the sport of mixed-martial arts, the UFC apparently will begin broadcasting the undercard fights of its pay-per-view events with UFC 103 on September 19th on Spike TV according to the Orange County Register.

As things are now, the unaired prelims or "dark bouts" as they are sometimes referred to as, only reach the air of a PPV when there is extra time in a PPV broadcast created by early fight stoppages. These days, the UFC generally puts on six or seven fights on the undercard and rarely do more than one or two of them reach the air.

This could be huge news not only for all fighters on the UFC roster, but for the sport in general as it will give added exposure to the sport's best. If this is indeed the case, showing the undercard fights with no commercial interruption on Spike as essentially the lead-in to the PPV broadcast, all parties included will benefit. We are talking the fans, the sport, the fighters and certainly the UFC and Spike.

We are still waiting to get official comment from the UFC, however, make no mistake that when we get that word, I will bring you the latest and greatest from the organization.

Carwin to face Lesnar at UFC 106 main event

According to multiple sources Shane Carwin has been tabbed to face Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 106 on November 21st.

This news comes as a bit of a surprise considering Carwin was set to face fellow top heavyweight contender Cain Velasquez at UFC 104 in October, but it also comes as music to the ears to many MMA fans around the world. Now instead of a No. 1 contender match that would have eliminated one if not both fighters (injury or poor performance), fans will get to see the heavyweight title defended sooner rather than later and perhaps against both fighters within the next six months.

The reason for this seems to be a quick recovery by Lesnar who had minor surgery after defeating Frank Mir at July's UFC 100 in his first title defense. With the quick recovery, the UFC was in a pickle to get Lesnar a suitable title contender with virtually every top heavyweight fighter already scheduled to fight.

Lesnar vs. Carwin is a matchup that has been anticipated since Carwin defeated Gabriel Gonzaga in March. The two fighters are eerily similar with their wrestling pedigree and overwhelming size. In the entirety of the UFC's heavyweight division, Lesnar and Carwin are the only two fighters who cut down to make the heavyweight limit of 265. For that very reason, many MMA pundits feel Carwin is the best bet to beat the unstoppable force that is Lesnar.

Now on November 21st MMA fans and analysts alike will find out if he can.