Can you believe this guy?

Yes, in UFC 118, Randy “The Natural” Couture will do battle with boxing legend James “Lights Out” Toney, in a MMA bout that Toney actually thinks he can win. Puh-lease, who’s he kidding?

The immortal Randy Couture is a true champion unlike so many other fighters we see today. His record may not be as impressive as the 30-1 Fedor Emelianenko but the truth of the matter is, Randy fights the very best in the game. He locked horns with the likes of Barnett, Minotauro and Lesnar, just to name a few, and it is for this reason that Couture is such a popular champion.

Randy fights the best in the game even at his age. Having lost to Lesnar and Nogueira, Randy still showed that he can fight competitively and against James Toney, I don’t expect him to lose to a has-been like this former boxing superstar.

James Toney, the well known and accomplished boxing champion does not have much mixed martial arts experience. What he does have is a big mouth and the attention he is getting is staggering. Unlike Brock Lesnar, it is almost certain that James Toney will not have as much success in the UFC and it not clear who he should be fighting.

That’s probably why UFC President Dana White just threw him in a cage with a lion like Couture.

James Toney is not called “Lights Out” for nothing however…

Second chance.

BJ Penn has exactly that as he looks to avenge his lightweight title defeat after a listless performance at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. Yup, he gets a crack to redeem himself as he will face his nemesis Frankie Edgard at at UFC 118 in Boston, Massachusetts, Saturday August 28.

BJ Penn lost the title to Frankie Edgar at UFC 112 on April 10th by way of a unanimous decision. Edgar outworked and outmaneuvered Penn for much of the fight, but it was an extremely close affair that produced three very different judges’ scorecards. One judge gave all five rounds to Edgar, but that score has been widely ridiculed.

It’s not surprising that BJ Penn wants his belt back and he will be coming out for revenge. Heading to the fight, there are a few questions you have to ask yourself. Is Frankie Edgar that much better than BJ Penn? Was BJ Penn unprepared and not ready for the assault he took from Edgar? Did BJ Penn lose a step?

He used to be unbeatable in the UFC lightweight division. This rematch vs. Edgar will show us a lot about BJ Penn. Did we see the real BJ Penn at UFC 112 or will we see the real BJ Penn at UFC 118?

Let’s not take anything away from Frankie Edgar, he is a great UFC fighter, and he deserved the win. But let’s face it, BJ Penn will come in at his best. Penn is rarely the larger and slower man in the ring, whereas the undersized Edgar is in his typical underdog position.

Edgar’s plan will probably be to frustrate BJ Penn in the pocket, and Penn will have no answer if he cannot time his counters as with their previous fight.

Where BJ stands the best chance of winning this fight is on the ground. Frankie Edgar is an excellent wrestler and underrated grappler, but Penn’s freakish flexibility allows him to do things that most grapplers cannot. Edgar was smart to keep it standing last time, but Penn is probably going to push to take the fight to the ground. Of course, Edgar managed to stay standing against Sean Sherk, so getting him down might be easier said than done.

BJ Penn is going to be a much more motivated and…

Well, let’s hope BJ is.

All eyes set for the UFC 118: Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn Part 2 on August 28, 2010 at the TD Garden in Boston. And this time around, let’s hope Penn shows up because the last time Edgar and Penn met, it was at UFC 112 where Edgar defeated Penn by a unanimous decision to capture the UFC lightweight title.

In their first meeting, Frankie Edgar (12- 1), pulled off the upset of the year by edging out a victory over BJ Penn. Before that fight Penn had looked nearly unbeatable at lightweight, easily dispatching skilled fighters such as Joe Stevenson, Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez.

Frankie Edgar showed that if you can bring the speed to run-and-gun on a BJ Penn, you can win the fight. And he did. The first fight, held at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, was a tightly contested battle, ultimately ending with Edgar earning the stunning upset via unanimous decision.

Edgar was a HUGE underdog at the time, but used crisp boxing and sprinkled in a few rare, successful takedowns against Penn to score points with the judges, who scored the fight 50-45, 48-47 and 49-46.

Once thought to be unbeatable as a lightweight, Penn fell to 15-6-1 with the loss. After congratulating Edgar on the victory, at least one member of his camp suggested that Penn was not fighting at an optimal fitness level after suffering a sinus infection during his training camp.

Let’s see what happens in the rematch…

Well, that’s what most people think. (And what Frankie Edgar is hoping for, probably…)

Once again, BJ Penn is putting his UFC lightweight title up for grabs as he defends his belt again this time against Frankie Edgar in UFC 112. However, there are rumors that claim Penn is gearing up for another run at the welterweight title, leading most to believe that the reigning lightweight champ is not taking his challenger seriously.

However, while BJ Penn hasn’t denied the rumors of him moving up to welterweight, he says he’s not looking past Frankie Edgar. He knows how good of a fighter Edgar is and he can’t afford to take a guy of Edgar’s caliber lightly.

”Yeah, I think there is a possibility of that,” BJ Penn said in an interview, referring to a possible move to the welterweight division.

”I don’t in no way want to look past Frankie Edgar, he’s a good fighter. You never know what could happen. But if I go back to welterweight, maybe I’ll try to give it a run, maybe fight a couple of fights there, we’ll see how it goes.”

Oh yeah, and just when he said in his interview that he’s in no way looking past Frankie Edgar, he immediately went on about his chances against the large 170-pound fighters in the welterweight division like…

With two huge championship matches on the card featuring two of the very best stars in MMA today, you can’t afford to miss this one.

That’s right, UFC 112: Invincible will feature two of the best the sport of MMA has to offer as UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and UFC lightweight champion BJ Penn defend their respective championship belts this Saturday in Abu Dhabi.

It doesn’t get any better than that and when it comes to who is the best pound for pound fighter in the UFC is concerned, nobody, AB-SO-LUTE-LY nobody, can compare to ”The Spider” Anderson Silva.

The Brazilian jiu jitsu specialist will defend his UFC middleweight title against Demian Maia in what should be one fantastic showdown. Silva has been plowing down on all comers for years. Can Maia be that one guy who can finally put an end to Silva’s reign as the king of the octagon?

Other matches to watch out for and of course, bet on, is the UFC lightweight championship match between the champion BJ Penn and his challenger, Frankie Edgar. This could be Penn’s last match as the UFC lightweight champion as he is heavily rumored to making a move to the welterweight division to have another crack at the title.

Ever since Penn dedicated himself to conditioning with…

Finally, Diego ”the Nightmare” Sanchez gets a title shot this weekend.

You read it folks, Diego Sanchez will get his first shot at a title this Saturday in UFC 107 in Memphis, Tennessee where he will go after BJ Penn and the UFC lightweight championship belt wrapped around his waist.

And while BJ Penn is arguably one of the best cage fighters the UFC has ever seen, the defending lightweight champion is probably facing his toughest test at 155 pounds. Diego ”Nightmare” Sanchez is one mean and deranged individual and when he’s inside the Octagon with you, be prepared for everything.

Some find it weird and amusing but there is no doubt that Diego ”Nightmare” Sanchez possesses a high level of intensity in the ring. Known for his focused chant of ”yes!” while walking towards the Octagon, Diego is known for his superb wrestling takedowns and high level of conditioning.

The Ultimate Fighter season one winner reinvented himself as an unstoppable cardio machine that won’t quit, moving forward until he wears a UFC championship belt around his waist. The 27-year-old Albuquerque, N.M. Native, with the 23-2 professional record, is on a four-fight win streak and is 2-0 since dropping down to lightweight with exciting wins over Joe Stevenson and Clay Guida.

This will mark Sanchez’s first title fight, and if the former…

Oh right, Brett Favre already did that.

But seriously, Quinton Rampage Jackson is returning to the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) probably to pacify Rashad Evans and UFC president Dana White.

That’s right, Jackson stated in his website that he’s returning to the organization to finish out his UFC contract, though he gave no timetable for his potential return.

Jackson outlined a series of events that began with his signing with the UFC, carried on until his recent decision to play B.A. Baracus in a feature version of ”The A-Team,” and ended with a decision to walk away from MMA.

Jackson recently coached opposite Rashad Evans on the ”The Ultimate Fighter 10.” Team Rashad advanced seven of eight fighters past the first round, and both finalists came from his team. Evans came across as the mature, team-driven coach while Jackson was often portrayed is immature and aloof.

UFC president Dana White made no secret of his despise over Jackson’s decision to take ”The A-Team” gig and hold up what was supposed to be a post – ”TUF” coach vs. coach fight with Evans at UFC 107.

The event, which now features a headliner of lightweight champion BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez, was booked in Jackson’s hometown of Memphis, Tenn., and takes place next weekend without Jackson.

Jackson (30-7 MMA, 5-1 UFC), a former UFC light heavyweight champion…

And we have quite a few matches that should be interesting.

In case you didn’t know, the UFC light heavyweight title will be up for grabs as Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida will defend his belt versus Mauricio Shogun Rua in UFC 104 this Saturday at the Staples Center.

Defending UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida, unbeaten after 18 fights, have an impenetrable defense due to his Karate style of fighting as he has shown in wins over BJ Penn, Rich Franklin, Tito Ortiz, Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans, from whom he won the light heavyweight title on punches this past May.

The only downside for Machida is his lack of aggressiveness. It’s a good thing he generally does not make himself vulnerable to opponents. If Shogun makes even the slightest of mistakes this weekend, expect Machida to capitalize on them.

However, Mauricio Shogun Rua is an experienced and accomplished opponent for the defending champion, and though many think he’s a bit over the hill and has dealt with numerous injuries, this former Pride FC champ has lost just one of his last seven fights. In his last two bouts, he’s beaten Chuck Liddell and Mark Coleman, two future Hall of Famers of the sport. He has also beaten the likes of Quentin Rampage Jackson, Kevin Randleman and Alistair Overeem. The big question now is, can he do it again?

Another fight to watch this weekend is this face-off between…

The Octagon is once again gearing up for one huge event for fight fans.

And in case you still have no idea what that is, that’ll be UFC 101: Declaration at the Wachovia Center this Saturday.

Headlining the event is the UFC lightweight championship bout between champion BJ Penn and challenger Kenny Florian. Regarded by some as the king of the lightweight division, Penn should be the heavy favorite to retain his title.

Of course, if there’s anyone who can shock the world and steal Penn’s title, it would have to be Kenny Florian. I know, he doesn’t look that much of a fighter but you can’t argue the fact that the guy can fight judging by his past performances inside the Octagon.

Co-headlining UFC 101 is the fight between Anderson Silva and Forrest Griffin.

If Anderson Silva is the best pound for pound fighter in the UFC, Forrest Griffin is the ultimate underdog. Hell, I can’t remember a fight where Griffin actually came in as the favorite to win anything. Of course, the biggest win he got as the inevitable underdog was that fight against Rampage where he became the UFC light heavyweight champion.

Can Griffin pull off another shocker this weekend?

Other fights scheduled for UFC 101 include…

To be honest, not many people think so.

On July 11 this weekend, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will defend his title against no.1 contender Thiago Alves at UFC 100, arguably the most anticipated event in the history of MMA.

It is understandable for people to pick Georges St-Pierre as the favorite to win and defend his title. After all, he’s been virtually carrying the welterweight division ever since he decided to have a career inside the Octagon.

Still, Thiago Alves remains confident that he’ll be able to get that title off of GSP’s waist. He even said that he’ll shock the world with, get this, a knockout victory over the biggest MMA star to come out of Canada.

Alves will rival St-Pierre in sheer size, as the two men are probably the two biggest fighters currently fighting in the welterweight division. But St-Pierre believes the Brazilian’s mass will not provide the difference in the contest.

Georges St-Pierre has been the better man in 11 of his past 12 contests, but many MMA observers agree with the champ in assessing Alves as his biggest test to date. St-Pierre admits there’s pressure as a champion in the UFC to keep his belt, but ”Rush” also finds that kind of pressure to provide extra motivation inside the cage.

With each win that St-Pierre collects, his legend and…