okay, I am doing the damn thing.

I mean it this time, regular blogger and everything. Of course, I have to find a way to make sure the masses can read it, but then, if I don't make it worth reading, then finding readers wont be much of an issue. All that being said, here goes nothing.

I love mixed martial arts. Most people hear the term, and give yuou a quizzical stare, while others say, "Oh, you mean UFC?" Yes, the UFC is the big bad wolf in the world of mma, but there are plenty of other organizations boasting top notch talent in multiple weight classes. WEC, Strikeforce, DREAM, and Sengoku to name a few. UFC is top dog to be certain. With a roster of fighters that can claim the top ranked spots in all the weight classes they have fighters in (155, 170, 185, 205, and heavyweight) according to the mmaweekly.com most recent world rankings, they have a majority of the worlds top fighters across the board. Anyways, I digress.

I'm a nut for the sport. I will watch just about any fight card I can get my hands on, and will gladly throw down in a discussion on just about any fighter, or fighting style out there. I was at UFC 65 where reigning welterweight king, Georges St. Pierre, won his first title match, and in a week and a half, will be making my triumphant return to a UFC at UFC 102.

Now I am extremely geeked for a number of fights on this card, but here are a few of my most eagerly anticipated;

Chris Leben vs. Jake Rosholt
Leben has been one of my favorites after his stint on the UFC's reality show, The Ultimate Fighter, or TUF. His complete disregard for personal safety, and his gravedigger of a left hand are two of the reasons I look forward to his fights. This will be his first fight since serving his suspension for steroids, and I am sure he is looking forward to handing out a beating to the very green Rosholt. What fun!

Thiago Silva vs "The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine

Awesome nickname aside, Jardine is in my top five fave fighters. His awkward, unorthodox style are difficult to gameplan against, and after his systematic whittling down of Chuck Liddell, I haven't been able to root against him. Silva is tough, but if it gets past the two to three minute mark, Thiago is in for a long night.

Nate "The Great" Marquardt vs Demian Maia

Very interesting fight with big implications for the middleweight title picture. Marquardt has already lost to the 185 champ Anderson Silva, who hasn't in the UFC though, but has been on a brutal tear as of late. Maia has shown that his, (is their a term for "better than world class"?) well, lets say, transcendant brazilian jiu jitsu, has no answer in the UFC as of yet. This will be an amazing fight, and I am very much looking forward to too extraordinary fighters.

Randy "The Natural" Couture vs Antonio "Minotauro" Rodrigo Nogueira

Two legends of the sport, both coming off losses, and both looking to re-establish themselves in the heavyweight division. I expect a hell of a fight, and the winners are most definitely us, the fans.

I am so stoked for this fight, I may not sleep until then. Okay, I will sleep, but sparingly, and damn if that night isn't going to kick ass!

slainte