Originally Posted by MMAWeekly.com

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With his blistering knockout of Rich Franklin Saturday at UFC 103, Vitor Belfort may have leapfrogged past two of the middleweight division’s top contenders.

At the post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White said Belfort was more of an asset in the middleweight class, where he fought two times prior to his 195-pound catch weight meeting with Franklin, than at light heavyweight, where he once won the title in 2004.

“To be honest with you, the way that the last two fights happened with Marquardt and Henderson against Anderson Silva, I think it would be better to see them fight each other and the winner of that be the next contender, and I think Vitor is ready,” said White. “I think Vitor is ready to fight Anderson Silva."

The opponent gridlock for middleweight champ Anderson Silva wasn’t a problem, said White.

“You're in this place in the 185-pound division where you have a guy that's so dominant, anytime you can come up with new and exciting fights for him, it's great,” he said. “And actually I love where we're at. I love the fact that we've got Vitor in that weight class, and I really like the idea of (Nate) Marquardt and (Dan) Henderson fighting.”

Henderson and Marquardt, who both fell short to Silva in respective title bids, were believed to be in line for a second shot, while Silva’s camp lobbied to have the two face each other in a final eliminator bout. According to several reports, the UFC agreed with that strategy and tried to make Henderson/Marquardt happen for UFC 105, but contract negotiations with Dan Henderson stalled the fight.

“I think Henderson's fight with him, he laid there and covered his mouth for a whole round and Anderson came out and finished it at the beginning of the second round,” White continued. “(Silva) finished Nate Marquardt in the first round. I think having them fight makes sense."

As expected, White declined to make any concrete announcements about his next matchmaking move. Silva is expected to undergo elbow surgery and will be out of action for an unknown period.

Belfort, however, has caught White’s attention.

"I think Vitor might be ready now,” he said.

Originally Posted by MMAJunkie

Daley vs. Swick?


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British slugger Paul Daley (22-8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) may have finally found a home.

The 26-year-old "Semtex" has bounced around from organization to organization in recent years, but Affliction's demise as a fight promotion led Daley to the UFC.

An injury to Mike Swick led Daley to Saturday's UFC 103 main card, and his explosive hands led to a win over Martin Kampmann and some high praise from his boss.

"This kid put himself on the map tonight," UFC president Dana White said of Daley at the post-event press conference. "I love guys that step up on short notice because it's an opportunity. He took the opportunity and made it happen."

Daley was originally scheduled to fight on the evening's preliminary card against Brian Foster. But when Swick's mishap led to an opportunity for a promotion, Daley jumped at the chance.

The Brit said it's the type of move fans can continue to expect from him in the future.

"I'm just happy to be here and happy to be fighting for the UFC," Daley said. "I'm a fighter's fighter. I'll fight whoever. I proved that by stepping up to fight Kampmann.

"I'll do it again, and I don't care who's standing in front of me. I'm just going to be the same fighter and go out there to finish people."

Kampmann was thought to have had a shot at current welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre should the Danish striker have earned a win. With St. Pierre on the sidelines until February, Daley may now have time to work himself into that discussion as well.

Daley said he can't let himself be concerned by those scenarios at this point.

"I just wanted to make a statement in my UFC debut," Daley said. "Obviously getting the chance to fight Martin Kampmann is pretty big. Me and my team was confident that I was going to do the business, and I did."

But White, who must determine how to sort out the increasingly jumbled welterweight division, said perhaps a Daley match with Swick could decide the next title contender.

"Could be," White said of the potential bout. "The kid stepped up, took an opportunity, made it happen. He looked good tonight. He's got a good chin, and he hits hard."

Buentello vs. Duffee at 107


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Returning to the UFC for the first time since a solid 3-1 run in the organization, Paul Buentello (27-10 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is expected to meet fast-rising heavyweight prospect Todd Duffee (5-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in December at UFC 107.

A source close to the negotiations told MMAjunkie verbal agreements are in place and that bout agreements are in the process of being finalized.

UFC 107, headlined by UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez, takes place Dec. 12 at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., and airs on pay-per-view.

Buentello, whose Aug. 1 fight with Gilbert Yvel was scratched with the promotional demise of Affliction Entertainment, returns to the UFC for the first time since his TKO victory over the late Gilbert Aldana at UFC 57 in 2006. Buentello suffered a loss to then-champ Andrei Arlovski in his previous bout and then left the organization after rebounding for the win over Aldana.

Buentello has strung together a solid run since that loss to Arlovski; he's 6-1 (with five stoppages) with the lone loss coming to Alistair Overeem in a November 2007 fight for Strikeforce's first-ever heavyweight title. Buentello most recently defeated Kirill "Baby Fedor" Sidelnikov at "Affliction: Day of Reckoning" in January.

Duffee, meanwhile, looks to build off his record-setting performance at UFC 102. There, making his UFC debut, Duffee quickly stopped Tim Hague with punches to score the quickest knockout in UFC history. The seven-second knockout was the American Top Team fighter's fifth KO or TKO win in five career fights. Only one has gone past the first round.

Originally Posted by MMAJunkie

Dan Hardy confirms UFC 105 match-up with fellow contender Mike Swick


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Dan Hardy (22-6 MMA, 3-0 UFC) says he will, in fact, meet fellow UFC welterweight contender Mike Swick (14-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) in November at UFC 105.

In a post on his official Web site, Hardy confirmed an injury forces his original opponent, Dong Hyun Kim, off the Nov. 14 card.

As MMAjunkie.com (
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) posted earlier today, Hardy vs. Swick will reportedly determine a No. 1 contender for current 170-pound champion Georges St. Pierre, who's sidelined until early 2010 with a groin injury.

UFC 105 takes place at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England, and airs via same-day delay on Spike TV.

The UFC, though, has yet officially to announce the Hardy vs. Swick matchup, which will be part of a main card headlined by Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera at light heavyweight.

Hardy, who debuted in 2008 with the UFC, looks to go 4-0 in the organization following the British fighter's KO win over Rory Markham and split-decision victories over Akihiro Gono and Marcus Davis.

Swick, meanwhile, looks to continue his undefeated streak at 170 pounds. Since the one-time top middleweight contender dropped a weight class, Swick is 4-0 with decision wins over Josh Burkman and Davis and TKO victories over Jonathan Goulet and Ben Saunders.

Swick had been scheduled to fight Martin Kampmann at a No. 1 contender's bout at UFC 103 earlier this month. However, he was forced off the card after suffering a concussion during a training session.