There’s still not a lot going on in the world of MMA news these days, unfortunately. While UFC 84, scheduled for May 24th, is looming, many people are also looking forward to see the first glimpse of MMA action during prime time television only a week later thanks to the partnership of EliteXC and CBS. It’s not like EliteXC just paired up with some junk television station - CBS has been a roll lately by racking up the highest number of viewers for the second straight week while maintaining a solid second place standing for the entire season just behind Fox. Ten of the top 20 shows on television these days are on CBS and the viewership will be there regardless of what else is on television at the time. And now thanks to the UFC and Spike TV, you can also watch “Ultimate Iceman: Chuck Liddell” on May 31st as well.

So why did the UFC decide to air a show opposite of live MMA action? If you go out and ask anyone on the street who Chuck Liddell is, you’ll get a pretty decent response. Ask those same people if they like watching live sports and your reaction might be even better. Ask people on the street if they enjoy documentaries and, well, your response might not be so positive. So what makes those running the UFC show think that people will stop watching EliteXC’s live Saturday Night Fights on CBS to learn about the life of an injured former light-heavyweight champion on Spike TV?

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Kimbo Slice needs no introduction. If by some slim chance you haven’t been on the internet lately, Kimbo is a street fighter that has turned to MMA. The YouTube sensation has finally responded to the comments made by Chuck Liddell. In an article posted on www.mmajunkie and Yahoo, Chuck had nothing good to say about the EliteXC star.

In response to the negative comments made by Chuck, Kimbo recently made and posted a video that is swirling about the internet. In the attached video you can hear his comments, as well as him challenging the UFC super star to a bare knuckle fight. Not only does he challenge him to the fight, but Kimbo also says he would do it at Chuck’s gym! Check it out and let the comments roll.

It is hard to imagine that a man that paints his nails and loves to dance is one of the most feared strikers in the world of MMA. “I will dance anywhere, anytime” is what Chuck Liddell told ESPN for an interview last May. This summer he will be dancing in the octagon again as he faces outstanding wrestler Rashad Evans. This fight will be the main bout on the June UFC 85 event in London. Liddell was penciled in to fight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, but after sustaining a training injury, Rashad steps in to take Rua’s place.

Rua re-injured his right ACL that he had previously had surgically repaired after his loss to Forrest Griffin at UFC 76. The ACL is a ligament that joins the upper leg bone with the lower leg bone, and keeps the knee stable. For UFC fighters or other professional athletes this injury almost always requires surgery. Without the full use and strength of a fighter’s knee, they can’ explode into takedowns, generate leverage to keep their opponent against the cage, as well as they are susceptible to other serious knee injuries.

Chuck Liddell at one time was one of the biggest names in the UFC. He was the reigning champ, and was being marketed everywhere. He was on ESPN, talk shows, magazines, and almost everywhere imaginable a fighter could be. He seemed unbeatable until being beaten for the second time by Quinton Rampage Jackson. After that fight, he suffered another loss to underrated fighter Keith Jardine. This was the first time Chuck suffered back to back losses since joining the UFC. Since the loss to Jardine, Chuck fought the Pride superstar Wanderlei Silva and won via decision. This at one time was the most anticipated fight in MMA history and even with the losses, Chuck is still a highly feared opponent. He has bricks for hands, and is an amazing wrestler.

Rashad Evans stepped up to the challenge. This former Michigan State wrestling standout is currently 11-0-1 with his lone draw thanks to former UFC champion Tito Ortiz. Some feel that Evans did enough to win the fight and should be 12-0-0, but the judges felt otherwise. Luckily, Ortiz was penalized a point for grabbing the fence to avoid a takedown. In his career 11 wins, he only has only been able to stop a fight early 5 times. To this point he has been able to control his opponents and continue to win fights and fans feel that Rashad matches up with Chuck very well, but I disagree. Rashad is another wrestler that Chuck will expose. Evans is an athletic fighter that is always moving, and for that reason many fans feel that he will be able to put Chuck to the test.

This fight will be one comprised of two great wrestlers, and one with great hands. Rashad Evans is more of the traditional wrestler. He takes people down, and has very good mat presence. On the other hand, Chuck uses his wrestling different than most in the game. Instead of concentrating on takedowns, he uses his wrestling sprawl to prevent others from taking him down. This allows him to throw his hands of stone. These are the same hands that have stopped 13 people along his career. I believe that during this fight, Chuck will be able to neutralize Rashad’s wrestling and will finish him sometime in the first two rounds.

This fight could be the next stepping stone for a title shot. Currently the next person to get that shot will be Forrest Griffin. After that, the next contender will either be the winner of this fight, or the Wand vs. Jardine fight. Either way, there is suddenly a circle of talent that will be ready to test the champ at any time. Not only is this the deepest weight class in the UFC, but it is the deepest weight class in the sport. Where else can rival with names like Rampage Jackon, Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva, Tito Ortiz, Rashad Evans, and Keith Jardine? The Chuck vs. Rashad fight will be exciting and full of unknowns, but two things are certain; Rashad’s chin and Chuck’s wrestling will be put to the test. If Chuck loses it could signal the beginning of the end for a future Hall-of-famer, and a rise of a young superstar to the top level.

Anderson Silva is considered by most to be the pound for pound best MMA fighter in the game. Last weekend he added a victory over Dan Henderson, the Olympic wrestler out of Team Quest, to his resume. The fight of the night included a first round that I gave to Henderson, but ended with Dan having a spider on his back. Silva tapped out Henderson via rear-naked choke in the second round and by doing so, Silva is now in rare company. Not only is he undefeated in the UFC and hasn’t gone into the third round since joining the MMA juggernaut, he is quickly beating the best competition in that weight class too. He has beat Rich Franklin twice, Nathan Marquardt, Chris Leben, and Dan Henderson amongst others. He is showing why he is the best pound for pound fighter in MMA.

If you look around the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, there is only a hand full of fighters that you could compare The Spider’s run to. A few of these are Matt Hughes, Fedor Emelianenko, and Chuck Liddell. Looking at the records of these fighters I found an uncanny similarity between Anderson Silva and Chuck Liddell. This is not bad company to keep, but could it be an eye opener for Silva in the future?

During Chuck Liddell’s run as the champion ,he won an impressive seven wins in a row. He was in the top spot and every fight was against the second best guy the UFC could throw at him at that time. He achieved wins over fighters like Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Renalto Sobral, and Jeremy Horn. He was at the top of the UFC, but most of all he was Dana White’s boy. He was the untouchable of the UFC and everything he touched was turning to gold. He was in magazines, websites, and on television. Chuck also was being interviewed on the sports world wide leader ESPN. It almost seemed like Chuck may never lose again, but the luck ran out and Chuck encountered one major road block to continuing his streak; Quinton Rampage Jackson. Rampage seemingly beat Chuck at his own game. Rampage knocked Chuck out quickly in the first round and has been the champion ever since.

I bring up the history about Chuck because Anderson Silva is starting to head down the same path. He is Dana White’s new boy thanks to Dana going on the record saying that Anderson Silva is the best pound for pound Mixed Martial Artist in the world. I can’t say that I completely disagree, but he is starting to believe it like it could be considered fact. To date, Anderson is on an amazing 7 win streak. He is on fire and similar to Chuck, he seems like he can’t do any wrong. I am not saying that he is going to lose his next fight, but I am saying that he is due. Lately the sport has been one of upsets (see Matt Sera vs. GSP I). The sport has suddenly been revolutionized with new athletic all around fighters that can achieve victory in every aspect of a fight. Each time Silva steps into a fight it will be against top competition.

In the mean tine, Anderson Silva will continue to be pushed as one of the faces of the sport, and the UFC organization. Pictures of him and teammate “Big Nog” will continue to surface around the internet as the two Brazilians continue to seek dominance in the UFC. Anderson Silva is a great champion as a BJJ black belt, and is the most feared striker in the sport. He is a homerun hitter in a league of contact punchers. At this point there are not many that can challenge him. He has beat black belts, Olympic wrestlers, and others on his way to his hot streak and the only hope for that weight class is that he gets bored, and decides that he wants to bump up. I would love to see Anderson Silva avenge his loss over Yushin Okami, then bump up to 205 and battle with the big guys. If he is the striker he is known for, I want to see him stand with the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Chuck and Rampage. After UFC 82, Silva said that he would like to fight the 185 boxing champ, with boxing rules. This will throw even more fuel to the MMA vs. boxing rivalry. Currently the boxing champions in the 190 pound class are Firat Arslan (28-3-1), David Haye (20-1), and Steve Cunningham (21-1). If Anderson Silva was able to beat one of these world class boxers, it would be an amazing boost for the sport. Combine that with a huge sponsor in Bud Light, and you have the makings of an amazing popularity boost for one of the most amazing sports in the world.