Robbie Lawler (Pictures) is one of the most dangerous fighters on the planet.

Though the 25-year-old middleweight is not as reckless as when he burst onto the UFC's welterweight scene several years ago, he still hunts for the knockout with every punch. When one of those missiles lands cleanly, it's usually lights out.

That's what happened to defending EliteXC champion Murilo "Ninja" Rua on Saturday in Hawaii.

Rua was hoping to hold on to the 185-pound title he won by stopping Joey Villasenor (Pictures) in June. However, a perfect uppercut from Lawler found a home on Ninja's jaw early in the third, and it was a matter of seconds before referee Mario Yamasaki yanked Lawler off his unconscious opponent.

Lawler displayed the poise and grit of a champion in the fight, particularly when Rua was getting the better of him. Ninja smashed his shins into Lawler's legs throughout the bout, but the iron-willed American shrugged off every strike and bided his time before unleashing his trademark power.

Regardless of whom EliteXC pits against "Ruthless" Robbie next, it'll be a gargantuan task to topple the explosive striker, who's looked unbeatable lately.

He destroyed Joey Villasenor (Pictures) in less than 30 seconds, knocked out the always-tough Frank Trigg (Pictures) in the fourth round, and demolished Rua in the third.

As anybody who follows the fight game closely will attest, it's hard to beat a fighter who has talent and confidence.

Lawler has both.

Is he the best fighter at 185? No, not quite. I don't see him beating some of the UFC's best, such as champion Anderson Silva or contenders Rich Franklin (Pictures) and Nate Marquardt, and definitely not Dan Henderson (Pictures).

But what makes Lawler so intriguing is the fact that his power carries deep into the fight. He can take out an opponent at any given time, and that makes him dangerous against anyone.

The Miletich-trained slugger likely won't be able tangle with anyone under contract to Zuffa until Lindsay Lohan is detoxed. That leaves only two fighters he should really lock horns with next: Frank Shamrock (Pictures) or Renzo Gracie (Pictures).

Lawler has enough firepower to dispose of the legendary fighters, but it's difficult to gauge exactly who would win the potential match-ups. Shamrock is better than Lawler on the ground and has better cardio. The former UFC middleweight champ is a better technical striker than Lawler, too, and he is one of the toughest fighters mentally to have ever fought MMA.

Renzo is probably the toughest hombre in the sport, but he's not as well-rounded as Shamrock. Gracie really should be the one who fights for the title next, considering that he beat Shamrock. But since Shamrock is far more exciting and marketable than the Brazilian, it's more likely that Lawler's first defense would be against Shamrock.

Would that showdown allow Lawler to step into the realm of elite middleweights? Would it allow Shamrock to regain any credibility he may have lost for his years of inactivity?

ProElite has been delivering one stellar show after another. Why not continue the trend by making their first true super-fight one for the middleweight title?

Nick Diaz (Pictures) makes triumphant, albeit difficult, return

In my humble opinion, Nick Diaz (Pictures) is the quintessential MMA fighter in terms of delivering excitement, drama and determination.

It's tough to pinpoint another fighter who is as consistently exciting. His bouts against Diego Sanchez (Pictures), Karo Parisyan (Pictures), Sean Sherk (Pictures), Robbie Lawler (Pictures) and Takanori Gomi (Pictures) are some of the greatest MMA fights I've seen, and those are just a few of his matches that spring to mind.

Now we can add his victory over Mike Aina (Pictures) to that pile of entertaining performances. In Saturday's win, Diaz was badly hurt. After being dropped on his back he had to fight his heart out to simply survive. He withstood a plethora of punishment from Aina, was lacerated over his right eye, and had extreme difficulty taking his foe to the ground.

But Diaz displayed the same sort of resilience in Honolulu that has pulled him through many a war, and the split decision he won was just in my eyes. I had the Stockton, Calif., native winning the fight two rounds to one, though it seemed as if many in attendance felt the decision should have been reversed.

It's understandable that viewers believed Aina should have got the nod. The fight was as close as they come. When all was said and done, however, Diaz landed more strikes and scored some key takedowns that led to submission attempts.

I hope these two warriors meet again somewhere down the road because they match up well. Of course, regardless of whom Diaz fights, it will be the fight of the night. As with Arturo Gatti in boxing, fans will get their money's worth each time Diaz steps in the ring.

He is not the best fighter on the planet, but he certainly has the uncanny ability to make every war he wages a memorable one. ProElite was shrewd in signing him. If the fight organization wants to continue promoting thrilling events, they had better make sure Diaz remains in their stable.

Miscellaneous debris

I doubt I was in the minority when I laughed out loud after slick commentator Mauro Ranallo delivered one of the greatest one-liners in broadcasting history. After he mentioned that fighter Tonya Evinger (Pictures) had said she would rather make out with opponent Gina Carano (Pictures) than try to knock her out, color commentator Bill Goldberg said, "I am not even going to touch that with a 25-foot pole, guys."

Ranallo then responded quickly, "Well, I wouldn't mind touching that with a 25-centimeter pole."

Priceless. Absolutely priceless. My bladder scolds you, Mauro. …

I hope fans catch on to how solid a fighter Jake Shields (Pictures) is. The welterweight has lost only four times and holds wins over some impressive fighters: Hayato Sakurai (Pictures), Carlos Condit (Pictures), Yushin Okami (Pictures) and Dave Menne (Pictures).

It's a stretch to say that Shields can and will beat Matt Hughes (Pictures), Matt Serra (Pictures) or Georges St. Pierre (Pictures), but he has the talent that creates a very high ceiling. "Charuto" is no slouch, and Shields beat on him Saturday. …

Joey Villasenor (Pictures) needed a big win at EliteXC, and he got it by defeating the highly touted Riki Fukuda (Pictures). It was a great victory for Villasenor, one that should keep him in the minds of fans. His shocking 22-second knockout loss to Lawler in PRIDE still bothers him, and I'm sure the Greg Jackson-trained middleweight wants nothing more than to redeem himself. Now that Lawler is the EliteXC champ, redemption could make for a good story. …

The fight sports are looking better and better with each passing day. "Real" journalists who cover sports that are supposedly leagues above the barbaric world of prizefighting have always frowned on boxing and MMA. But with the never-ending arrests of NFL players, the Michael Vick disgrace, the constant scrutiny over steroids in baseball, and the NBA's ordeal with referee Tim Donaghy's betting on basketball games, the "crooked" fight game looks straighter and straighter by the minute. …

Provided he becomes as passionate about MMA as he is about his Dallas Mavericks, I don't see how Mark Cuban will be bad for the sport. While it remains to be seen how powerful he'll be with his HDNet Fight Night series, Cuban has some of the best business acumen in the world, and it should only benefit MMA.

Now, if only he'd buy my beloved Oakland A's.

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