Not a whole heck of a lot has happened over the past seven days.

Let’s see. There was the start of the IFL season on Friday and WEC’s debut in Las Vegas, which I didn’t attend, the following night. Don't forget about the “official” announcement for Randy Couture (Pictures)’s comeback against UFC heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia (Pictures). Also reports surfaced that Matt Lindland (Pictures) would step up in weight to fight … Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures). Oh, and Tito Ortiz (Pictures) is now a tabloid target.

Yeah, other than that, it’s been quiet.

Lindland to fight the guy who knocked out a bear?

As of this writing, a bout between undisputed PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) and former UFC middleweight title challenger Matt Lindland (Pictures) looks like a go.

When I first heard of this contest, I chuckled quite a bit as I figured Lindland had zero chances of winning. But after really sitting down to think and ponder about a Fedor-Lindland bout, I still think Lindland has zero chances of winning it.

No matter how the fight ends, though, all props in the universe have to be awarded to Lindland for stepping up — literally and figuratively — to fight the baddest man on the planet.

You know, after further review the fight itself might not be the wipeout everybody expects it to be. Sure, I predict a Fedor victory but don’t be surprised if Lindland keeps this one close and entertaining.

Lindland has always been a bigger middleweight and he is one of the best fighters in the sport. Plus, his wrestling ability is world class and he is one the dirtiest “clean” fighters alive.

My guess is that the fight is a lively affair with Lindland making an actual contest out of it. The American Olympian probably lose via Kimura somewhere in the middle, but I am going against the grain on this to say it won’t be a complete Fedor blowout. Hell, Lindland may even have Fedor in trouble once or twice.

Now, this is coming from one of Fedor’s biggest fans, but I’d love to see “The Law” pull off the upset. Why? Because he deserves it after everything he’s gone through, what with being ousted from the Zuffa stable for ridiculous reasons.

Lindland’s one of the classiest guys in the sport and is always available for interviews. I’ve dealt with him on many occasions and with that said, I’d love to see him pull off what would be the biggest upset to date in mixed martial arts.

I just don’t think he will.

So Couture-Sylvia is actually going to happen

I guess my fears are true: Randy Couture (Pictures) will fight Tim Sylvia (Pictures) in March.

I’d like nothing more than to see Couture pull it off and recapture the heavyweight title, but I just don’t see it. Sylvia is too big, too good and too powerful for the much smaller Couture.

I said it before and I’ll keep saying it unless “Captain America” proves me dead wrong: Sylvia by brutal knockout.

Tito Ortiz (Pictures) is officially a tabloid superstar

I guess when you are one of the marquee fighters in today’s hottest sport, you’ll eventually wind up in the tabloids and gossip columns.

Tito Ortiz (Pictures) was recently written about in the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s QuickRead, the tabloid/paparazzi section of the paper. Apparently, Ortiz and his girlfriend Jenna Jameson got into some sort of squabble while partying it up at the Hard Rock.

They called each other names before cooling off. Wow. Good job, Tito and Jenna, for now officially being the Johnny Depp-Kate Moss of MMA.

(On a side note, don’t these “journalists” have anything better to do than “report” about people’s personal lives, even if they may be public? Does anybody really care about celebrities arguing? I certainly don’t.)

Ultimate Fight Night 8 picks

I almost forgot about this event. SpikeTV and UFC Ultimate Fight Night, which takes place Thursday evening in Florida, has actually shaped up to be the best non-UFC pay-per-view card to date. Since our very own James Hirth dissected the bouts, I’ll just bore you to death with my picks:

Rashad Evans (Pictures) vs. Sean Salmon (Pictures): Is Salmon related to former big league pitcher Steve Trout? Probably not and he likely won’t last the full 15 minutes. My pick is another impressive outing from Evans. I see Evans stopping Salmon in the second.

Heath Herring (Pictures) vs. Jake O'Brien (Pictures): Ah, the crazy man is finally in the UFC. Too bad his first UFC appearance will be a loss. I see O’Brien putting the hurtin’ on old PRIDE veteran Herring en route to a unanimous decision.

Hermes Franca (Pictures) vs. Spencer Fisher (Pictures): Without question this is the fight of the night. 2006 comeback fighter of the year Franca will give it everything he has against Fisher, and it’ll be a memorable war. My pick is Fisher in a close split decision. Beg for the rematch!

Dean Lister (Pictures) vs. Nathan Marquardt (Pictures): Not many fans are pumped for this one — but I am. I hope it gets televised somehow because this will be Grappling 101 at its best. Lister probably has the best submission skills on the planet, but Marquardt will fend them off perfectly. Marquardt by close unanimous decision.

Chad Reiner vs. Josh Burkman (Pictures):Burkman is one of those guys who never gets enough respect. He’ll get it tonight after he beats up Reiner. My pick is Burkman by late first-round submission, probably by choke.

Ed Herman (Pictures) vs. Chris Price: Could be do or die for Herman. My guess is that he tries too hard not to lose and stinks up the venue before winning a unanimous decision.

Ross Pointon vs. Rich Clementi (Pictures): No offense, Ross, but this one is too easy to pick. Clementi will submit Pointon quickly.

Clay Guida (Pictures) vs. Din Thomas (Pictures): Clay Guida (Pictures) is one of the toughest cats in the world. He’ll need to be because Thomas always comes to fight. My pick is Guida by decision in a slight upset.