UFC news: Liddell vs Franklin + Penn-Edgar rematch?

Bit of news hitting the wires this morning.

UFC 115

The UFC has released the fight card for UFC 115 taking place in Vancouver, BC. This is another big deal event as it marks the debut of the UFC in Western Canada. Vancouver is only the second city in Canada to host a UFC event, which has made rabid Toronto fans quite envious, to be sure.

The card was supposed to feature a battle between the latest TUF coaches, which everyone presumed to mean Chuck vs Tito III. But a strange thing happened on the way to the octagon as rumours and leaked photos suggested Tito was off the show and Rich Franklin had taken his place. Then, it was made public that Ortiz had been hospitalized. Still, Dana White told all who would listen that the Tito-Chuck fight was still on. Whether this was just a ploy to avoid spoiling the TUF season surprises or his actual belief, I don't know, but it has been confirmed that Tito is out and Franklin is in for UFC 115.

Some are greeting the announcement with disappointment, but, to be honest, I think this makes for a more interesting fight. Liddell-Ortiz III wasn't going to settle anything since Chuck was up 2-0. Besides, Ortiz hasn't been relevant for quite some time while Rich Franklin has still been fighting top dogs and is making a bid for a light heavyweight title shot in the future - something Ortiz was likely never to get.

Franklin is best at middleweight, if you ask me, but he was never going to reclaim the belt while Anderson Silva was patrolling those waters. Now, if Silva moves up to light heavyweight...

But that's another story.

In the meantime, a Chuck-Rich fight is an interesting proposition. Both are popular fighters and former champions. A few years ago, this fight seemed unlikely to ever happen (being in different weight classes), but fortunes have changed for both men and this main event offers them an opportunity to get back into the light heavyweight conversation. There's a lot at stake here. The winner will be elevated in the rankings, while the loser will face retirement questions. UFC 115 will mark a turning point - and that's why it matters.

But the disappointment being expressed at 115 isn't limited to the main event. The undercard is a bit underwhelming on the surface.

Cro Cop vs Barry - Mirko simply isn't the same fighter in recent years.
Thiago vs Kampmann - Ok, but not sexy.
Condit vs MacDonald - Condit is known, MacDonald not so much.
Griffin vs Dunham - Ok, not great.
Danzig vs Wiman - Two inconsistent fighters.
Rothwell vs Yvel - Finally some fireworks! But may not be broadcast. Oh.
Wilks vs Sobotta - Wilks is known, Sobotta not so much.
Funch vs Patrick - Never a good sign when the website doesn't have a photo.
Pyle vs Lennox - Pyle is known, Lennox not so much.

Ok, so it isn't the sexiest card we've ever seen. But let's not bury it just yet. Sometimes these cards end up having the best fights. All of these fighters, known or not, will be looking to make an impression. None of these fighters are the cream of their weight class crop, but that means they won't be complacent. They need the wins. I bet the Thiago-Kampmann fight will be terrific.

Still, one would have hoped that the UFC would have made more of an effort to make the card a monster, it being a new market and all. The problem, of course, is that many of the top dogs in the UFC have fought recently and there are only so many fighters available for this June event.

Let's hope the fighters surprise us and put on a terrific show.

Penn vs Edgar rematch?

Normally, when a champ loses their belt, they are forced to earn a tune-up victory before getting a rematch with the new champion. GSP did this with Koscheck, Hughes did this with Alves (he lost), Liddell did this with Jardine (lost), Couture did this with Van Arsdale, and then there's Griffin, Rampage, Evans, etc etc.

But it seems that the UFC is in talks to reunite BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar in the octagon for the lightweight belt. Edgar, you'll recall, won the belt from Penn at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi in a stunner of an upset and with some questioning the judging. The "controversy" surrounding this one, though, does not appear to be on the same scale as the Mauricio Rua vs Lyoto Machida judging that prompted the perhaps ill-advised (it was a snoozefest, to be honest) rematch to be scheduled for Montreal at 113.

So why the immediate rematch? Is the UFC catering to Penn who had been built up as the "greatest lightweight of all time" in recent months? Does it have anything to do with Penn's rumoured desire to leave the division (with the belt) and move up to 170? Does the UFC lack confidence in the marketability of Edgar vs Maynard? Is the lightweight division so thin that no other match-up is palatable?

Who knows.

I'd love to hear the explanation, though. The real explanation.