Photo by Sherdog.com
Georges "Rush" St. Pierre
Despite debate over the improper use of Vaseline by St. Pierre’s cornermen, “Rush” destroyed
B.J. Penn in their Jan. 31 superfight at UFC 94. The bout reinforced St. Pierre’s case to be considered the top pound-for-pound fighter in the game, and he’ll have another chance to bolster his position against a brilliant opponent when he meets
Thiago Alves at UFC 100 in July.
His noted 2008 breakout has earned him a shot against Georges St. Pierre at UFC 100 in July. However, if his in-cage meeting with St. Pierre at UFC 94 told us anything, it’s that the “Pitbull” will not be the crowd favorite against the budding Canadian superstar.
Fitch will have the chance to atone for the indiscretions of teammate
Josh Koscheck, as he’ll take on his American Kickboxing Academy compatriot’s upset author,
Paulo Thiago, at UFC 100 on July 11.
With no forthcoming opposition at 170 pounds, the former EliteXC welterweight champion will step up to take on standout middleweight
Robbie Lawler in the headliner of Strikeforce’s second Showtime effort on June 6 in St. Louis.
For a short matter of hours, fans were excited to see MMA's foremost Dane take on fast-rising prospect
T.J. Grant at the TUF 9 finale in June. However, Kampmann turned down the bout, saying that he was looking for bigger fights in the 170-pound division.
It will be a long 2009 for Parisyan. After getting popped for painkillers following his Jan. 31 split decision win over
Dong Hyun Kim, Parisyan’s victory was declared a no contest. Now “The Heat” will serve a nine-month suspension.
He’s gutsy, if nothing else. Having aced his February UFC debut against
Josh Koscheck, the relatively unknown Brazilian will now attempt to knock off Koscheck’s teammate and consensus top-three welterweight
Jon Fitch at UFC 100 on July 11.
Following his shocking upset loss to
Paulo Thiago in February, Koscheck was scheduled for comeback duty against
Chris Wilson at UFC 98 in May. Unfortunately, “The Ultimate Fighter” alum was forced out of the bout due to a foot injury.
A victory was not in the cards for Condit in his UFC debut, but his wildly entertaining April 1 split decision loss to
Martin Kampmann did show that the former WEC kingpin belongs in the Octagon with the sport’s top 170-pounders.
It wasn't particularly well received, but Hughes got the decision in his much-awaited grudge match with
Matt Serra on May 23. The former welterweight ruler said he would like another bout to finish out his career, especially one in his neck of the Midwest.
Other contenders: Marcus Davis, Dan Hardy, Jay Hieron, Mike Swick, Nick Thompson.
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