There was a time in the UFC middleweight division where all qualified contenders to Anderson Silva’s thrown had been disposed of. The time following created title fights with one of the world’s best against the likes of Thales Leites and Patrick Cote, ending with disasterous results.

Now, two of the former once thought to be quality contenders are back, as Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt each ended their last fight with a brutal knockout.

Both of these 185-pounders are the clear contenders to face Anderson Silva, yet neither may recieve it just yet.

The scenarios available for the middleweight division have grown numerous since UFC 100. Whether Marquardt recieves the title shot, or Henderson, the possibilities seems endless. Will they have to fight one another for the shot? Will Anderson Silva never return to Middleweight?

There are several possibilites for the fighters atop the division. Yet the question remains as to which one can clear up the madness of the UFC middleweight division.

Nate Marquardt or Dan Henderson Recieves Title Shot

Both Marquardt and Henderson feel they deserve the title shot, though the latter mentioned clearly wants it more.

Henderson has stated that if he does not get the title shot immediately, he will leave the division, sending him to the light heavyweight division. However, Marquardt said he will fight whoever the UFC puts him up against, whether it be Henderson or Silva, he would be fine with it.

If Henderson gets the title shot, Marquardt would easily be the number three ranked middleweight in the UFC. He would likely fight Yoshiro Akiyama or a fighter of similar status, fighting once again for the top contender spot.

If Marquardt receives the green light to fight Anderson Silva, then Dan Henderson would no doubt stick to his word and jump to light heavyweight.

While either of the two top contenders could recieve the title shot, it seems unlikely that either of the scenarios will actually happen.

Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt Fight For the Title of Top Contender

Anderson Silva believes that Marquardt and Henderson should fight one another to prove who truly deserves a rematch with the champion. Henderson disagrees.

A fight between Henderson and Marquardt is highly unlikely, unless Henderson is not planning on sticking to his threat to change landscapes if he does not get the shot.

It is hard to believe that Henderson wants to waste his work at middleweight to jump into the shark pool that is the UFC light heavyweight division, but one wonders how many fights he has left, and he may not want to waste one fighting for a title shot he believes he should already have.

As previously stated, Marquardt would be fine with fighting Henderson. He possibly is not as anxious as he once was for a rematch with Anderson Silva.

While this scenario is obviously the most sensible, it is also the most unlikely, unless Henderson has a change of heart.

Anderson Silva Vacates Title; Marquardt-Henderson Fight For Belt

The most interesting scenario would be Anderson Silva leaving the Middleweight division for good to focus on his light heavyweight and heavyweight endeavors.

This would leave Marquardt and Henderson as the obvious choices to fight for the belt, while Yushin Okami would not be far behind. 

However, the reason that this scenario would be most intriguing lies in the fact that for once in several years, the division will actually be competitive regarding title fights. Silva has been a tyrant at 185 since his entry into the UFC. His departure would make the division more interesting than it has been in years.

The chances of this actually occuring is probably unlikely. The fact that the light heavyweight belt is out of the question for Silva as long as Lyoto Machida holds it makes it unlikely that Silva wants to just hand over his belt.

This option would clearly be the best option for all middleweight fighters in the UFC, while it would also make the division much more competitive, which is a plus for the UFC.

The UFC Middleweight division has been ruled by Anderson Silva ever since his first fight in the organization. He has disposed of the top competition in the division, and now a couple of his victims are back for revenge.

Both Marquardt and Henderson should have to fight one another for a chance at the title, but that is unlikely due to Henderson’s thoughts on the fight.

Regardless of the scenario that actually takes place, only one will really benefit the middleweight division, and that is the departure of Anderson Silva. If he remains, than we can expect more of the same for several fights to come.

In a fight card devoid of title bouts, several fighters nonetheless stepped into the Octagon at UFC 102 with significant stakes in the outcome of their bouts.

While Nate Marquardt – Demian Maia fight had the title shot implication, light heavyweights Thiago Silva and Brandon Vera also faced must-win situations:  Silva and Vera were under pressure to prove their relevance in the talent-rich light heavyweight division.

Thiago Silva came off a devastating albeit first and only loss of his career against the current light heavyweight champion, Lyoto Machida.

Brandon Vera sought to establish himself in the division after a string of uninspired performance before and after his move from the heavyweight division.

On Saturday night, both came through:  Silva soundly defeated the erratic but always dangerous Keith Jardine via first-round TKO, and Vera steered himself past the rising prospect, Krszysztof Soszynski, with unanimous decision victory.

Having earned the much-needed wins over legitimate opponents, Silva and Vera proved that they can be veritable forces in UFC’s marquee division — beyond that, however,  there is not much that can be gleaned from their victories over Jardine and Soszynski.  They certainly have the potential to make an impact, but their overall competitiveness within the stacked division remains to be seen.

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ANTONIO RODRIGO NOGUEIRA IS BACK

When Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira stepped into the cage with Frank Mir last December for his first interim heavyweight title defense, few gave his opponent any chance of winning the fight. What Mir’s critics didn’t know, however, was that the Nogueria he’d face in the cage that night wasn’t exactly the picture of health.

Nogueira had spent a week in the hospital a few weeks before the fight, nursing a severe staph infection that should’ve forced him to pull out of the fight. Not only that, but he’d completely torn his meniscus during camp. He shouldn’t have been in the cage that night and was advised by those closest to him to pull out of the fight, but Nogueira is one of the grittiest, toughest fighters in the history of the sport and he didn’t want to leave the UFC without a main event for its biggest show of 2008.

So Nogueira soldiered on, stepping into the cage at about 25% of his normal capacity. He was dispatched quickly and effectively by Frank Mir, making Mir look like a world-beater in the process and raising questions about the prospects of Minotauro’s continued effectiveness in the cage.

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Here are the fighter salaries from last night’s UFC 102 event, courtesy of MMA Payout.

• Antonio Nogueira ($250,000 + $150,000 = $400,000) d. Randy Couture ($250,000)
• Thiago Silva ($29,000 + $29,000 = $58,000) d. Keith Jardine ($55,000)
• Jake Rosholt ($13,000 + $13,000 = $26,000) d. Chris Leben ($30,000)
• Nate Marquardt ($40,000 + $40,000 = $80,000) d. Damien Maia ($28,000)
• Brandon Vera ($35,000 + $35,000 = $70,000) d. Krzysztof Soszynski ($8,000)
• Aaron Simpson ($9,000 + $9,000 = $18,000) d. Ed Herman ($24,000)
• Gabriel Gonzaga ($60,000 + $60,000 = $120,000) d. Chris Tuchscherer ( $10,000)
• Mike Russow ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) d. Justin McCully ($15,000)
• Todd Duffee ( $5,000 + $5,000 = $10,000) d. Tim Hague ($7,000)
• Mark Munoz ($12,000 + $12,000 = $24,000) d. Nick Catone ($5,000)
• Evan Dunham ($7,000 + $7,000 = $14,000) d. Marcus Aurelio ($13,000)

Nogueira and Couture each earned $60,000 for the Fight of the Night bonus. Nate Marquardt earned $60,000 for the Knockout of the Night, and Jake Rosholt earned $60,000 for the Submission of the Night.

Here’s the final installment of Randy Couture’s UFC 102 video blog series. This one features a pre-fight locker room visit by UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, who stops by for a friendly chat with Couture while Randy gets ready for the fight.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s debut in Portland, Oregon set a remarkable pace for the organization’s expansion into the most Northwestern states of this country.

Randy Couture and Antonio Rogrigo Nogueira put on a long overdue fight, and what a fight it was. Thiago Silva also shined in his first round destruction of Jardine, while Marquardt did the same.

However, Chris Leben and Demain Maia fell hard after disappointing performances left them without the victory.

A great card, headlined by a fight of legend, left the fans of Oregon screaming for more, while the fighters were left the biggest winners with rewards, as the losers now face repercussions.

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On paper last night’s UFC 102 seemed like a bit of letdown after the stacked cards the UFC put on with 100 and 101. However, what the card lacked in star power it more than made up for in exciting fights. Let’s recap the action:

Randy Couture, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Nate Marquardt and Jake Rosholt all earned a $60,000 bonus for their performances tonight at UFC 102.

Nogueira and Couture earned Fight of the Night honors for one of the best heavyweight fights in history. Rosholt scored Submission of the Night for his arm triangle choke submission over Chris Leben, and Nate Marquardt’s stunning mid-air knockout of Demian Maia netted him the Knockout of the Night award.

Join me tonight at 9:30pm ET for complete real-time results and commentary from UFC 102! We’re partnering with FoxSports.com for tonight’s live blog event and it will be available on both sites. Not only will we have fast results and notes from the show, but we’ll also have some interactive elements like polls, reader questions and more.

So join me tonight for the best MMA live blog in the world – only from InsideFights.com!

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