New UFC 75/76 Site Highlights Stacked LHWs

In another brilliant business move by someone at the top of Zuffa, the sites for UFC 75 & 76 have been combined into a slick flash design intended to highlight the strength of the Light Heavyweight division. Both events feature LHWs as their main event as well as a myriad of LHWs on the undercard.

The power at the top of the division is obvious, with PRIDE's transfers making the old UFC 205 pounders look weak at best. Of the top 5 fighters in the division, only one (Liddell) is a UFC original. Of course, Liddell's lost twice to the weakest of the PRIDE guys (Rampage). Add in Wanderlei, Henderson, and Shogun, and this division is easily the strongest in MMA history.

Like most fans, I'm able to note the strength of the division, but usually only focus on the top. I overlook all the rest of the guys, who, if they were in any other division, would be one of the best. The Lightweight division has two or three excellent fighters. The Welterweight division has about five and the Middleweights have two (maybe three...). By my count, and with assistance of the new site, the Light Heavyweights have a whopping nine solid guys. I left out these seven, which made UFC's list of sixteen total: Alessio Sakara, Renato Sobral, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Keith Jardine, Matt Hamill, Forrest Griffin, and Houston Alexander.

Even with my omissions, the Light Heavyweight division is light years ahead of all others, even the Heavyweight division which has five solid guys. This incredible strength of talent will make UFC 75 and UFC 76 two very exciting shows, which are cleverly highlighted by the UFC marketing machine.

Wanderlei Addition Makes UFC 79 Card Top Notch

It's been expected for months, but Wanderlei (pictured, credit: PRIDE FC) finally confirmed that he'll be making his UFC debut at UFC 79 on December 29th. Although it's unknown who will face "The Axe Murderer," whoever it is will have his hands full: Wanderlei has been training with Randy Couture. Many are hoping that Liddell will be Wanderlei's first match up, which doesn't bode well for The Iceman. After all, who knows Liddell's style better than the man who has faced him the most amount of times? Additionally, Wanderlei holds two wins over Rampage Jackson who holds two wins over Liddell. The math isn't good.

However, Wanderlei will probably be given a warm up bout a la Shogun-Griffin, Rampage-Eastman. We'll have to wait for the Wanderlei-Liddell fight, which will probably happen after Wanderlei faces the winner of Rampage-Henderson. Dana White has said Liddell needs two wins before a title shot, so he'll beat up on Jardine, fight someone else around the the time of the Wanderlei-Rampage/Hendo bout, and then get the winner of that.

Whether or not we get to see Liddell at UFC 79 is still up in the air, but Wandy will definitely be there. His introduction, along with the Hughes-Serra title fight will make this winter card one of the best of the year. Hughes and Serra seem to have a real grudge against one another (not just this Tito Ortiz hyped drama) and should put on a war for the fans. Personally, I'm hoping to see the title belt returned to a real Champion, but I'll be happy enough if Hughes and Serra produce more than three rounds of action. A truly great card features a mixture of striking and ground work across a variety of weight classes. UFC 79, with the help of Wanderlei Silva, is shaping up to be just that.

Wanderlei Silva To Fight In December

Dana White has confirmed that he's landed the biggest 205 pound free agent out there, as he announced on a Las Vegas television program, "We've got Wanderlei Silva." Despite suffering back-to-back knockouts (albeit to world-class fighters Filipovic and Henderson), Silva was still one of the most coveted names out there. He was rumored to fight Chuck Liddell at UFC 76, but talks fell through, leading White to name Keith Jardine as Silva's replacement. It seems as if all hope for the Liddell-Silva superfight was lost; that is, until now. It appears that following Liddell's massacre (I pray) of Jardine at UFC 76, he'll face Silva in December. It could happen on the same card as Hughes-Serra, which would certainly be worth the $50.

This won't be Silva's first trip to the Octagon, however. He's 1-2 in UFC bouts, with a decision loss to Tito Ortiz and a BRUTAL first round KO by the fast hands of Vitor Belfort (the "old Vitor," as sherdoggers like to say). Since then, he's torn through most of PRIDE's Middleweight division (remember, they don't have LHWs), owning two huge wins over Rampage Jackson as well as a decision over Dan Henderson. While Silva may exhibit some slight UFC jitters (see this article for others who did), he'll probably be able to settle in by the second round or so. It will be up to Liddell to not let him see that second round. While it's too early to predict anything, it is easy to see how the UFC LHW division is shaping up to be the best in MMA history.

With Silva and Liddell along with Rampage and Henderson (UFC 75 opponents), Zuffa has commandeered the four major players in MMA today. Add in Tito Ortiz, who is still a force to be reckoned with, in addition to young guns Bisping, Evans, and Shogun, and you've got years and years of solid fights. Even more convincing, the UFC has shown an international edge as of late, giving more press to guys like Lyoto Machida. I'd expect that the winner of Liddell-Silva will get the winner of Rampage-Hendo. Shogun will most likely fight whoever comes out of that war zone. No matter how it plays out, we should be looking at some awesome fights for the next year and even more exposure for the glorious sport of mixed martial arts.