Q: Is Georges St. Pierre big enough to challenge Anderson Silva?

A: St. Pierre’s fight shape is typically 185 pounds: Silva’s is probably closer to 200. GSP needs a muscle masonry expert to help him add a solid 10 pounds of mass: He would be well-advised to consult with Mackie Shilstone, who added enough quality beef to both Roy Jones and Michael Spinks that they won boxing titles in heavier weight classes.

If St. Pierre can take down Rashad Evans in training, I like his chances against Anderson. It’s a big fight, but the UFC has to cannibalize one of their champions in the process.

Q: Will we see Brock Lesnar vs. Fedor Emelianenko?

A: Only if White backpedals on earlier demands that Emelianenko abandon sambo competition and erases the “championship clause” that would bind the Russian to the promotion until he loses his (theoretical) title. The former should be easily dismissed: Emelianenko lost in sambo last year. No one really cared. The latter could be more of a problem. Both Jens Pulver and Murilo Bustamante bolted to better-paying gigs overseas in 2002 even though they hadn’t dropped their respective belts inside the Octagon. It’s a bit embarrassing.

Q: Do Lesnar’s circus antics validate fans of professional wrestling?

A: Big mouths sell in sports. It’s not endemic to wrestling, even though it started there. Muhammad Ali played the same game in the ‘70s, Tyson in the ‘90s. White plays it now. All of these men know exactly what they’re doing. The polite Anderson Silva might be the most talented man in the UFC: His last headlining bout sold less than 325,000 buys. It takes all kinds.

Q: Will Bisping’s brutal knockout via the right hand of Dan Henderson affect his chances of being knocked out in the future?

A: I’m not often mistaken for a neurologist, but here it is: There’s only anecdotal evidence that suffering a knockout increases the odds of having it happen more easily in the future. But studies done on concussion victims have taken note of drop-off in their timing, balance and reaction. Can a fighter be changed by a severe blow? Yes, he can.

Etc…
UFC 100’s estimated $5.1 million live gate is the second-biggest in company history, behind Liddell/Ortiz 2 in 2006. But, as you know, Ortiz isn’t worth discussing in White’s history books …Dan Henderson took a little heat for claiming his follow-up blow to an already-unconscious Michael Bisping was personal, but he later recanted, telling journalists that he was “joking.” As with Lesnar, nothing an athlete says immediately following a fight should be taken seriously. There is a mass release of all kinds of brain chemicals following a win that fuels some stupid and regrettable actions…the UFC estimated that between 30,000 and 50,000 people showed up for the Fan Expo July 10 and 11. Considering that ground zero for young-demo pop culture gatherings is the 20-year-old San Diego Comic Convention and its 100,000 attendees, that number is staggering…Las Vegan Natasha Wicks won the right to be ogled by thousands during a Maxim/UFC Octagon Girl contest on Saturday…Tom Lawlor, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Alan Belcher, and Dan Henderson each earned performance-incentive bonuses of $100,000…First reported by the “Wrestling Observer,” a new rule went into effect Saturday that gives a fouled fighter the option of choosing to restart the fight in the same position on the ground or standing. Dong Hyun Kim took advantage of the revision when he suffered an illegal up-kick from TJ Grant Saturday: The fight was broken and then resumed on the feet.