Even though UFC 126 will feature a main event in the Middleweight division, the real shakeup could take place in the organization’s most stacked division.

Before Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort enter the octagon to battle for the middleweight title, the UFC will see four of its best light-heavyweights enter the cage to determine the pecking order in the division.  Long regarded as the most competitive weight class in the UFC, the light-heavyweight division has seen five different champions since 2007.

In what has been a highly anticipated matchup among die-hard UFC fans, two of the divisions most talented and devastating young talents meet to see who will take the next step toward the belt. 

Jon Jones (11-1, 5-1 UFC) has been on the lips of UFC fans since joining the organization back in 2008.  “Bones” Jones has taken care of business in the octagon seeing his only defeat come by way of disqualification after it was decided that elbows he rained on the head of Matt Hamill were illegal.  Since the DQ loss to Hamill, Jones needed just over five minutes to defeat his next two opponents in Brandon Vera and Vladimir Matyushenko. 

Standing across the octagon from Jon Jones on Saturday will be an equally impressive young light-heavyweight.   Ryan Bader (12-0, 5-0 UFC) comes into the bout against Jones with an unblemished record and the motivation and talent to prove that he belongs in the title discussion.  

Bader, a former Arizona State wrestler, entered the UFC by way of winning season eight of The Spike TV reality show, The Ultimate Fighter.  The TUF alum has since scored notable victories against Keith Jardine and a hard fought unanimous decision win against Antonio Rogério Nogueira.  Both of these wins propelled Bader to his showdown with Jones in what could determine the next big thing in the light-heavyweight division.

Serving as the co-main event for UFC 126 is an equally intriguing bout between UFC legends.  Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin have both been champions, Franklin as a middleweight and Griffin as a light-heavyweight.   They will meet at 205 pounds on Saturday in a match fans have been asking to see for years.  Both Griffin and Franklin are tireless ambassadors for the UFC and fan favorites in their time with the organization. 

Griffin vs. Franklin should be an entertaining bout, as both fighters have been known to take heaps of punishment in their respective fights.  Griffin hasn’t entered the octagon in more than a year, his last bout coming in November 2009 against Tito Ortiz.  Franklin has been out of commission since breaking his arm in a victory against Chuck Liddell back in June.   Both fighters appear to be healthy and ready to take the next step in their hunt for the belt as well as further cement their legacy in the UFC.

UFC President Dana White has said that after his victory over Lyoto Machida at UFC 123, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is the number one contender in the division and will be the first in line to face the winner of next month’s Rashad Evans vs. Shogun Rua title fight. 

While neither of these two bouts on Saturday will be for the number one contender spot in the division, they will certainly shake up the division and give us the definitive top five light-heavyweights in the UFC.

The Final Point’s Predictions for UFC 126 Main Card

-Antonio Banuelos vs. Miguel Torres

Miguel Torres by Submission

-Ryan Bader vs. Jon Jones

Jon Jones by TKO

-Jake Ellenberger vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha

Jake Ellenberger by Unanimous Decision

-Forrest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin

Forrest Griffin by Unanimous Decision

-Champ Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort (For Middleweight Title)

Anderson Silva by TKO

The Dallas Cowboys lost its' star quarterback Tony Romo, likely for the season, after Giants linebacker Michael Boley slammed Romo to the ground, breaking his left clavicle.  Granted, even the most optimistic Cowboys fan figured if the Cowboys were 1-5 with Romo, Dallas' season would likely spiral even further out of control with backup quarterback Jon Kitna taking charge. 

What fans did not expect, however, was for the Cowboys, both on offense and defense, to fold up like lawn chairs en route to a 35-17 loss to the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday.   

Kitna went 34-for-49 for 379 yards, a touchdown and four interceptions.  Those statistics aren't pretty and just by looking at the box score alone, Kitna looks like an easy scapegoat.  But what's missing from the box score is the side note explaining that Kitna threw three perfect passes to receivers and running backs that were clearly looking ahead and bracing for contact instead of focusing on bringing the ball in, resulting in three tipped passes for interceptions. 

The Cowboys duo at running back featuring Felix Jones and Marion Barber combined for 38 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run by Barber. 

Just for arguments sake, let's excuse the Cowboys offense considering the unit was just one game removed from losing its' franchise quarterback.  What excuse could there possibly be for the once highly touted Cowboys 3-4 defense? 

The Cowboys defense made Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback, David Garrard look better than Peyton Manning in Madden 2011 with the game settings on rookie mode.  Garrard was 17-of-21 for 260 yards and four touchdowns with a quarterback rating of 157.8, higher than Manning, Philip Rivers, Tom Brady or any quarterback has achieved in the 2010-11 season. 

The Cowboys secondary wasn't anything to brag about, even before the season began when Dallas was the Super Bowl-bound media darling.  But to allow four easy touchdowns, two of which were to a wide-open tight end in Marcedes Lewis, that's embarrassing even for the Cowboys secondary, which has looked horrendous over the past few games.  

Look no further than the Cowboys most enthusiastic cheerleaders for justification of the Cowboys quitting in last Sunday against the Jaguars. 

"I'm embarrassed, of course I am," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after Sundays loss.  "I'm dumbfounded that we are 1-7." 

Jones mistakenly gave the record of what the Cowboys will have after the beating the Green Bay Packers hand Dallas next Sunday, but nevertheless, the message is unchanged.  The Cowboys have failed in every way imaginable and although nobody in the organization would publicly admit the fact, it's clear what needs to happen.

To say what has taken place over the last eight weeks is the equivalent to the Titanic sinking would be an understatement.  The recent popular trend that's developed over the last few weeks has been to say the Cowboys aren't as good as everyone thought and the talent on the roster was overvalued.  That's just an easy excuse for everyone, myself included who drank the Cowboys Kook-Aid and picked this team to make it to the Jerry Bowl. 

Whether it's transitioned onto the field on Sunday's or not, this team has talented players.  Even if almost every player on the Cowboys roster was "overvalued," the team should still be better than at the bottom of the NFC with a 1-6 record. 

Now, nobody is saying that the Cowboys' players aren't grown men, or that they shouldn't be held accountable for the dreadful play that has taken place just less than midway through the season.  But unfortunately, when the players aren't holding up their end of the bargain, it relies solely on the head coach to get them back in line.  Clearly that hasn't happened. 

Cowboys' coach Wade Phillips is notorious for finding the silver lining in practically every situation, no matter how ridiculously wrong he is.  But even Phillips couldn't put a positive spin on the loss to Jacksonville. 

"It was embarrassing I thought, the way we played and the way we coached," Philips said in the post-game press conference.  "I thought we'd come out and really play with a lot of passion and so forth but we didn't.  If I knew what to do, I'd already have done it." 

We appreciate the explanation Wade but with a 1-6 record, it's clear that you have no clue what you're doing.  This isn't to say that Phillips doesn't understand the ins and outs of football, but it's very evident that the lackadaisical  approach of coaching where Phillips would never dare criticize a player and instead aims to make sure he's on everyones Christmas list, isn't the way to go. 

"We've got a lot of good players and we're not getting them to play up to their caliber," Phillips said.  "And that goes right, straight to me." 

After the game Jones also addressed the issue of possibly making a coaching change mid-season. 

"I am not in any way for making changes," Jones said.  "There's not enough time to change." 

By my calculations, the Cowboys have plenty of time.  With nine games left on the schedule and the playoffs a distant mirage, 11 months should give the Cowboys plenty of time to change. 

"You should have better than this," Jones said. 

That's absolutely right Jerry, the fans do deserve better that what has been rolled out onto the field, so go ahead and give the Cowboys a nine-week head start by telling Wade to hit the road.

UFC 121 takes place from the Honda Center in Anaheim California on Saturday night where heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar puts his belt on the line against contender Cain Velasquez. 

The heavyweight match-up is being touted as one of the most competitive bouts in the divisions history.  Fans and media alike seem to be split right down the middle when it comes to Lesnar and Velasquez but TheFinalPoint.com breaks down why Lesnar will still be the heavyweight champ Sunday morning and how the rest of the card will play out. 

Here's TheFinalPoint.com's breakdown of the main card:
Brendan Schaub vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Heavyweights Schaub and Gonzaga will kick-off the UFC 121 pay-per-view card and it's without question, the biggest fight to date for Schaub.  A win over a savvy veteran like Gonzaga, would be a big step in the right direction for the former NFL player who's coming off back-to-back knockout wins. 

Web sites and radio shows across the country speak about Gonzaga as if he's an old washed up bum, but the Brazilian has shared the Octagon with some of the UFC's biggest names. 

Overreaction is running rampant over the fact that Gonzaga's dropped three of his last four fights.  What's being failed to be mentioned is that those two losses were to Shane Carwin, who was arguably one punch away from knocking out current heavyweight king Brock Lesnar and Junior Dos Santos, who is next in line for a heavyweight title shot. 

Both Gonzaga and Schaub hold first round knockout wins over Chris Tuchscherer, and both fighters have proved they have dynamite in their hands, but at this point in their careers, Gonzaga is the more well-rounded fighter and has more offensive weapons than Schaub. Prediction: Gonzaga round one knockout

Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill
This very well could be the last time we see Tito Ortiz fighting in the Octagon.  UFC president Dana White told the world that he and Ortiz were back to being friends and the nasty things said between the two was water under the bridge.  But it appears now that even White could only put on a fake smirk for so long. 

"Obviously, we're in a pay-per-view business, but this is a real sport," White told MMAJunkie.com when hinting that Ortiz was in dire need for a victory.  "Tito's lost three of his four fights." 

Ortiz has claimed he's been 100 percent for his last three bouts and then immediately offered excuses for his poor performances afterwards.  I don't see any reason we should start believing him now.  Just for arguments sake, even if Ortiz is healthy, it doesn't change the fact that he's fighting a younger version of himself in Hamill.  Sure, Hamill's takedowns aren't as clean and powerful as Ortiz' used to be, but it'll be enough to get the job done.  Ortiz' best years are behind him and even though Tito has five fights left on his contract, it would come as a shock to no one if he were released after Hamill defeats him.
Prediction: Hamill via decision

Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago
Paulo Thiago, was coined as the "AKA Killer" after a knockout victory over welterweight contender Josh Koscheck and a round two submission over Mike Swick.  Thiago looked very good in both, the Koscheck and Swick fight but was dominated by Martin Kampmann at UFC 115. 

Sanchez is having troubles of his own as he strangely moved up to welterweight after being dominated by then lightweight champ, B.J. Penn.  It clearly seemed like an overreaction after Sanchez got picked apart by the heavy underdog John Hathaway in his move back up to welterweight.  Then there was the issue where Sanchez briefly parted ways with training guru Greg Jackson. 

Sanchez' fighting career was on the ropes after a slew of odd decisions but since the Hathaway loss, he's rejoined Jackson's team and looks to get back to his wrestling roots. 

This fight is a bit of a tossup considering we aren't sure what Diego Sanchez is going to show up and  the same could easily be said about Thiago.  In the end, however, there isn't a better guy out there than Greg Jackson who will give Sanchez a fail-proof strategy to win.
Prediction: Sanchez via decision

Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann
Shields is making his UFC debut after being unable to come to terms on a new contract and leaving as the Strikeforce champion.  Shields is feeling extra pressure in the Kampmann fight after "unofficially" being given the nod to be the next in line for a shot at the welterweight title.

Kampmann is coming off back-to-back victories over Jacob Volkmann and Paulo Thiago.  While his opponent, Shields, will be next in line for a title shot depending on the outcome of Saturday's fight, Kampmann was not given the same offer and will have to find an alternate route to the belt. 

Although, Kampmann has clean striking and decent takedown defense, he doesn't pack the same punch that Dan Henderson does.  Henderson crushed Michael Bisping with a hook that left the British fighter completely unconscious for several minutes.  Henderson landed the exact type of blow in Shields' final Strikeforce title defense last April, but Shields managed to quickly recover and proceeded to put on a wrestling clinic, grinding out a decision win over Henderson.

Kampmann doesn't possess the same type of power as Henderson nor does he have the same level of wrestling.
Prediction: Shields via submission round 3

Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez
A true testament of does size really matter in MMA?  Lesnar outweighed Velasquez by approximately 20 pounds at the weigh-ins on Friday and will likely add to his weight.  Lesnar was seconds away from being dethroned after Shane Carwin caught the former pro wrestler and continued to pummel Lesnar before gassing himself out and eventually being submitted by the champ in the second round. 

Many have said Lesnar's standup is a glaring hole in his game and nobody's arguing that his head movement and striking are pretty.  But Lesnar, on several occasions, has proved that he is one of the best in the game when it comes to patching up holes, adjusting and coming into a fight with the right game-plan. 

Velasquez holds the advantage in the striking department and that contest isn't even close.  He possesses the quicker hands and puts combinations together beautifully.  It also shouldn't be overlooked that Velasquez is two-time, All-American division one wrestler. 

Certainly, it wouldn't be impossible for Velasquez to rock Lensar and if he did, Cain has the speed to close the distance and capitalize but it's doubtful that the fight will ever reach that point.  Lesnar is the taller, bigger, stronger guy and at some point, size does matter.  It's difficult to see a scenario where Lesnar takes Velasquez down and Cain is able to escape from underneath the massive Lesnar. Prediction: Lesnar TKO round 2

Oh how quickly the mighty Dallas Cowboys have fallen. Just three weeks ago, you would have had a hard time finding too many fans or media members (including TheFinalPoint.com) who weren't picking the Cowboys to be the first team to play a home game in the Super Bowl. But after a week two 27-20 loss to the visiting Chicago Bears at the teams home opener, even the most diehard Cowboys fans are contemplating putting their Cowboys jersey's in storage until next season.

The Cowboys are off to its worst start since 2001 and look as though not a single player or coach stayed awake through training camp. It's a complete tossup right now on whose looked worse, the coaching staff or the players, but there is certainly more than enough blame to go around.

How is it that the Cowboys, who are second in the league only behind the Indianapolis Colts in passing yards, have averaged just 13 points-per-game going into week three? The Colts have no problems scoring touchdowns, averaging 31 points-per-game.

OK, so maybe it's an unfair comparison considering we're talking about the Colts, who have a quarterback that will most likely go down as the best quarterback to ever step onto a football field in Peyton Manning, so how about a more realistic comparison in quarterback Jay Cutler and the Bears?

The Bears have the third most passing yards in the NFL behind the Cowboys and average 23-points-per-game, doubling Dallas' average. A trendy argument, both locally and nationally, is the fact that the Cowboys running game has been nonexistent. In the teams first game against the Washington Redskins, Dallas ran the ball effectively in the first half but strangely abandoned the run game in the second half.

Between the Cowboys three running backs, who many argue could each hold starting jobs on other teams, Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice put up 103 yards on the Redskins. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett was crucified over local sports talk show airwaves for getting pass happy in the second half.

So, if the first loss was on Garrett for not running the ball enough, the Cowboys three running backs must be to blame for last weeks loss to Chicago. The trio averaged a dismal 1.8 yards for 36 yards on 20 carries. Only this time, Garrett tried and tried and tried again to run the ball in the second half but it was hopeless when Jones, who was supposed to be the electrifying, explosive back, carried the ball 7 times for 7 yards and looks twice as slow as Barber.

To say that the Cowboys scoring woes are due to the fact that the running game is nowhere to be found is easy but the Bears are tied with the Cowboys at 29th in overall in rushing yards averaging 69.5 yards-per-game. The only difference between the Cowboys and Bears is that Chicago manages twice as many points each game than Dallas does and the Bears are undefeated and the Cowboys are 0-2.

To get into the specifics of last weeks game, the Cowboys defensive line played an absolutely dominating first half. Cutler looked as though he might not even want to come back onto the field in the third quarter after getting sacked once and hammered 11 times.

It looked as though former St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator, Mike Martz, made an effective adjustment by having Cutler get rid of the ball in under three seconds on quick slant routs and bubble screens but it was revealed by Bears officials after the game that Martz' adjustments were minimal in Cutler's success in the second half. Instead it was Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips who admitted after the game that he began cooling off blitz packages after the Cowboys got burned downfield a few times.

"Well, we blitzed them and they threw a touchdown pass on us because nobody covered the guy," Phillips said referring to the wide-open 39-yard touchdown pass from Cutler to tight end Greg Olsen. "We had what I though was a real strong rush early, later on, we didn't rush quite as well."

Actually Wade, you didn't really rush at all in the second half. After the miscommunication between linebackers Keith Brooking and Bradie James that led to the Olsen touchdown, the Cowboys called off the dogs only blitzing a handful of times.

So, that's the message Phillips is sending to fans and the rest of the league -- burn the blitz once or twice and the Cowboys will completely shy away from a dominant defensive strategy that was working flawlessly.

If the defensive play-calling wasn't enough to make you nauseous, the fact that the Cowboys offense was only able to score one measly touchdown probably did the trick. The Cowboys receiving core holds arguably the biggest star power in the league but you wouldn't know it by looking at the box scores following losses to both the Redskins and Bears. Between the star-studded receiving core of Miles Austin, Roy Williams, Jason Whitten and potentially Dez Bryant, the Cowboys have managed to get into the end zone just once via a 4-yard touchdown pass from Romo.

Phillips continues to try and sell the "we're not panicking," message but his players looked dejected and defeated after last Sunday's loss.

I've never been in this position," Romo said referring to the 0-2 hole the Cowboys find themselves in. "You have such high expectations for each year leading into it. There's still a lot of season left, there's still time but it's getting to the point where we need to play our best football."

With 13 weeks left in the season, mathematically, the Cowboys still have a good shot at having a successful postseason but considering they have the third most difficult schedule in the NFL, it's going to take near-perfect play from Dallas for the remainder of the year.

The Cowboys are headed to Houston Sunday to take on the scorching-hot Texans who ran through another Super Bowl favorite in the Indianapolis Colts 34-24. The Texans managed to maintain an undefeated record after a thrilling overtime win over the Washington Redskins and are averaging 32-points-per-game.

The 0-2 start was enough to prompt a players-only meeting, something that is unusual after just two weeks of play but everyone isn't on board with one player saying that, "We are grown men, not children." Cowboys safety Gerald Sensabaugh came up with a perfect description of what the Cowboys look like when speaking to reporters on monday following the Bears loss.

"There seems like there's brain farts everywhere," Sensabaugh told reporters on Monday afternoon. "What are we doing? What is this? We look like a circus, like a bunch of clowns out there. I don't know what the hell we're doing."

You are not alone Gerald, we don't know what in the world you guys are doing either.

Many questions surround the 2010 NCAA football season. Will Alabama repeat? Can Mark Ingram win another Heisman? How will the Gators fare without Tim Tebow?

These are all questions that will have to be answered from now until the National Championship game in January. The Final Point predicts the upcoming NCAA season and answers some of the major concerns of the 2010 football year.

10. Can Rich Rodriquez save his job at Michigan?

This is one of the most difficult questions surrounding the 2010 season. It’s no secret that Rodriquez has been on the hot seat since he arrived in Ann Arbor. Rodriquez was followed to Michigan by a dark cloud of scrutiny from his days at West Virginia. The NCAA has since investigated Rodriquez’ tenure at West Virginia University and discovered many instances of non-compliance with NCAA regulations, including improper watching of offseason workouts, too many coaches on his staff and exceeding NCAA limits on practice time in 2006. The Wolverines have a rough Big-10 schedule. The good news for Wolverines fans is that they have home games against Connecticut, Michigan State, #9 Iowa, and #12 Wisconsin. The bad news is that they have to travel to Notre Dame, Purdue, #19 Penn State, and end the regular season at #2 Ohio State. That is the long answer. The short answer is…No. Rich Rodriquez will not save his job at Michigan.

9. Can a Tebow-less Florida survive the brutal SEC?

Tim Tebow was one of the most decorated players in NCAA history, are those tough shoes to fill? Just ask John Brantley. He is the man in charge of taking over for one of the most media friendly winners in NCAA history. The junior quarterback brings a solid arm and good decision making to a still potent Gators team. However, expect Urban Meyer to try to keep pressure off of Brantley by using a slew of talented running backs. In fact, don’t be surprised to see junior running back Jeff Demps in the Heisman conversation at season’s end.

8. Will Notre Dame rebound under Brian Kelly?

Notre Dame looks to rebound after a 6-6 campaign that saw the Fighting Irish lose its last four contests. With Charlie Weis and Jimmy Clausen out and Brian Kelly and Dayne Crist in, will this be the season that the Irish make their fans happy?

7. Can Jake Locker and Andrew Luck overcome the “east coast bias?”

Yes. With the Internet and constant television coverage, Locker and Luck could both be in the Heisman hunt by season’s end. Both Locker and Luck will also generate tons of NFL hype. Locker has all the tools that scouts look for. Luck is one of the best pure passers in the country, with a pocket presence that is already making NFL scouts drool down the front of their shirts.

6. Can Terrelle Pryor lead the Buckeyes to the National Title Game?

Pryor has been somewhat of an enigma since making the transition from high school phenom to Ohio State starting quarterback. Pryor has already drawn comparisons to Vince Young, but can the junior QB continue to improve and live up to some of the preseason Heisman hype? Pryor has made it clear that the Heisman is a goal for him, but he values winning more than individual awards. #2 Ohio State has a favorable schedule and with the continued improvement of Pryor, could find themselves in the big one at the end of the season.

5. With no chance of postseason play, will the Trojans lose motivation?

Lane Kiffin walked into a firestorm at USC. The Trojans were dealt a handful of harsh NCAA sanctions following an investigation into former football coach Pete Carroll and former basketball coach Tim Floyd. Both coaches were found to have violated rules and as a result, the men of Troy were declared bowl ineligible for the next two seasons. Kiffin and sophomore quarterback Matt Barkley will be in charge of keeping the Trojans focused with no hope for a bowl game. Is this possible for the usually arrogant Trojans? That remains to be seen.

4. Will Boise State Finally Get Some Credit?

It’s time to admit it. Boise State has a great football program. The Broncos return many talented starters from a team that beat a solid TCU squad in the Fiesta Bowl back in January. Quarterback Kellen Moore carried some of the most absurd stats in the country last year, with 39 touchdown passes and only 3 interceptions. In his two-year career at BSU, Moore has passed for over 7,000 yards and has 64 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions.

3. Can Kellen Moore Win the Heisman?

Absolutely, see above statistics for proof.

2. Can Mark Ingram be the first man to repeat as the Heisman winner since Archie Griffin?

Ingram has a long road ahead of him if he plans to repeat as the Heisman winner. Ingram will have to put up similar numbers with a more mature offense. Greg McElroy is a senior and grew tremendously as a passer during last season’s title run. Julio Jones is a top notch receiver that the Crimson Tide will try to work into the offense more and Trent Richardson is said by many to be the best back on the team. All of those factors, combined with a vicious SEC schedule may not bode well for Ingram’s chances at a repeat.

1. Can the Crimson Tide Repeat as National Champions?

The Tide return eight offensive starters, including Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, quarterback Greg McElroy and receiver Julio Jones. The Crimson Tide potentially has a better and more mature offense than the national title team of a year ago. Defense, on the other hand is a different story, as head coach Nick Saban returns only two starters from last season. The loss of linebacker Rolando McClain to the NFL hurts about as bad as any player lost to the draft in the country. Saban will no doubt have his team ready to defend their title. The only question will be if the defense can rise from the dead to stymie some of the SEC’s best offenses.

Heisman Trophy Winner

Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State

Heisman Trophy Dark Horses

Kyle Padron, QB, SMU
Robert Griffin, QB, Baylor

Rose Bowl – Oregon over Iowa
Fiesta Bowl – Oklahoma over Pittsburgh
Orange Bowl – Miami (FL) over Florida
Sugar Bowl – TCU over Nebraska
BCS National Championship Game – Boise State over Alabama

UFC 118 is less than 24 hours away and fans might as well give up on trying to talk themselves out of purchasing the pay-per-view. 

There are infinite story lines leading up to Saturday night's bout, where one matchup seems to overshadow the next. 

Randy "The Natural" Couture's matchup against James "Lights Out" Toney has stolen the spotlight in what's become known as, "Boxing vs. MMA."  Although, it's hard to imagine the entire sport of MMA being placed on the shoulders of a 47-year-old fighter in Couture, it's easy to see why the UFC would be interested in choosing arguably the best wrestler in UFC history to represent the sport against the biggest boxing name to ever step foot into the Octagon. 

Toney coerced UFC president Dana White into signing the professional boxer to a UFC contract by "stalking" the president at various UFC fights and events, according to White. 

"James Toney picked a fight and he got one," White said.

Toney hasn't had any trouble irritating MMA fans and fighters alike, channeling his inner Chael Sonnen since getting a spot on the UFC roster.  Not to say that Toney wasn't already a professional smack-talker in the boxing world but he's launched verbal warfare from  Heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar, all the way down to the UFC Hall of Fame induction process. 

The MMA community has shown overwhelming support for Couture, while the boxing world has not only not refused to show Toney support but has bashed the boxer for trying to crossover into MMA.  Boxing legend Bernard Hopkins all but guaranteed a Couture win. 

"When you step out into a situation where... the best MMA guy or UFC guy [goes] up against the best boxer in the world in their arena, in their arena gets their ass kicked," Hopkins said.  "That is not what we [boxers] do." 

Toney doesn't take criticism very well and wasn't pleased upon hearing boxers taking shots at him. 

When MMAfighting.com's Ariel Helwani brought up that fellow boxer David Haye said Toney was delusional for wanting to fight MMA, Toney's response was simply, "He's a mamma's boy, he's gay." 

It's no secret what Couture's game-plan will be saturday night--show Toney what a double leg takedown is, followed by ground and pound and maybe submission.  It would be mind-boggling if Couture decided to stand with Toney, but considering that the wrestling ace is one of the best in MMA when it comes to choosing the right strategy, it's doubtful that Couture will be doing too much on the feet other than possibly throwing a few kicks. 

Realistically, the only way Toney can win is if he catches Couture shooting in for a takedown or if, and its a big if, Toney can get into a brief exchange and clip Couture. 

If boxing vs. MMA fight isn't intriguing enough for you, there is the Lightweight title rematch fight between new champ Frankie Edgar and former champion BJ Penn.  The two lightweights squared off last April in what many considered a controversial decision for Edgar.  It was later revealed that Penn had a sinus infection leading up to the fight and although the Hawaiian looked sluggish, it's hard to take away from what was easily Edgar's biggest win of his career. 

Saturday evening will be Edgar's first title defense, and the New Jersey based fighter has big shoes to fill after defeating what many considered one of the best lightweights of all time in Penn.  Although Penn lost a few matches when he experimented jumping up to the welterweight division, he defended the lightweight title an impressive five consecutive times. 

Expect to see a lot more of the same from Edgar, who wisely bounced in and out of Penn's range, landing quick combinations and then getting out of harms way.  Penn was fairly predictable in last April's showdown, stalking Edgar and looking for a knockout shot.  Expect a better game-plan from Penn Saturday evening, and more importantly, an angry Penn who has tasted defeat. 

As dominant as "The Prodigy's" lightweight run has been over the years, Penn flourishes when he can find a reason to get fired up for another fighter.  Not only is Penn fired up for the Edgar rematch but he's a scary fighter when returning from a loss. 

"I feel like I'm going to blow a lot of people away on Saturday night and they're going to be surprised at who BJ Penn is."

There are also a few other fights that are sure to be barn-burners in Nate Diaz vs. Marcus Davis, which will be the first aired fight on the pay-per-view and a Kenny Florian vs Gray Maynard bout that will determine who will be the next lightweight challenger. 

Although many have criticized White and the UFC for putting on a "freak show," by signing James Toney, no one can deny the amount of intrigue and publicity the boxer brings to Saturday night's card. 

UFC 118 will be one for the record books that has enough interesting story lines for all fans, both MMA and boxing.