Paul "Semtex" Daley

The top contender’s match between Mike Swick and Martin Kampmann will not go down at UFC 103 as planned, due to an injury suffered in training by Mike Swick. New UFC signee, Paul Daley will step up and face Martin Kampmann. There’s no word yet on what title ramifications, if any, this bout has. It seems the injury bug is Mike Swick’s biggest enemy, as he is 9-1 in the UFC, but can’t seem to stay healthy.

While Daley is a game opponent, this is a big let down. Even if Kampmann beats Daley, there’s no guarantee of a title shot, and the UFC has pretty much run out of challengers for Georges St. Pierre. St. Pierre is just about where Anderson Silva was a year ago, in that he has beaten all of the top 170lb fighters, and the UFC is out of contenders for him. On the other end of the spectrum sits Paul Daley, who with one good punch, can land himself in the 170lb title picture.

UFC 103 is headlined by the returning Vitor Belfort taking on Rich Franklin at a catch weight of 195lbs. Hopefully the UFC can rustle up another solid bout to add to this card, as several fighters have had to drop out of the already lukewarm lineup.

Well, it happened. With Affliction closing its doors, a glut of fighters suddenly became available. One of them happened to be former UFC fighter, Vitor Belfort. Belfort and Franklin now headline UFC 103 in Dallas, Texas on September 19.

Fans weren’t exactly excited about seeing Franklin-Hendo 2 so soon (and the bout made NO sense at all, since the two guys were on the verge of a title shot in different divisions), so this new bout fit in quite nicely. Belfort has defeated a who’s who in mixed martial arts, including wins over Randy Couture, Heath Herring, Mat Lindland, and a scintillating 44 second, cross-cage rushing KO of Wanderlei Silva. I personally like this bout, as it’s a nice change of pace, and Belfort has a lot left in the tank.

This bout will be contested at a catch weight of 195lbs, since Franklin is done as a 185 pounder as long as Anderson Silva is the champion, and Belfort competes almost exclusively at 185lbs. Again, works for me. They should create a 195lb division, since there’s a 20lb gap between middle and heavyweight.

As well, you don’t worry about Hendo being left without a dance partner; he’s been confirmed as the next in line for a crack at Anderson Silva, after Silva’s UFC 101 fight against Forrest Griffin. That bout could happen soon, say December, if Silva comes out of his Griffin fight injury-free. Hendo previously lost to Silva at UFC 82 by rear-naked choke, so Hendo will be looking for some payback.

Parting Jab:

Oh yeah, and Tito Ortiz is back in the UFC. Apparently after two failed negotiations with Elite XC and now Affliction, Tito got on the horn and made up with Dana White. Can’t blame the guy, after those two companies folded, no wonder he made the first move back to the UFC. His first opponent is likely to be the rejuvanated Mark Coleman.

Swick vs Kampmann is a Fight Night main event, not Pay-Per-View calibre

If you go to UFC.com right now, you’ll see Mike Swick vs Martin Kampmann listed as the top bout. What happened to the Franklin vs Hendo 2 poster?

Word has it that Tito Ortiz is all but signed, sealed, and on his way back to the UFC and he’s looking for a fight in the fall. Let’s see: Tito and Dana White make up. Both guys hint at his return. Franklin vs Hendo 2 is announced then pulled off the website. It could be a glitch, like the one that took this site down for a week, or it could be something more than that.

Even though Ortiz hasn’t won a fight since 2006 against an aging Ken Shamrock, the man still sells tickets. This match up would make a hell of a lot more sense (and cents), as Franklin is settled in as a 205′er now, and Henderson recently won a top contenders bout against Michael Bisping at UFC 100.

Stay tuned for the latest, as hell continues to freeze over.

The UFC officially announced UFC 103 card today. It will take place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on September 19, though no main event has been announced as of yet.

The four fights included thus far:

155lbs: Tyson Griffin vs. Hermes Franca
170lbs: Josh Koscheck vs. Frank Trigg
155lbs: Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller
170lbs: Mike Swick vs. Martin Kampmann
265lbs: Mirko CroCop vs. Junior Dos Santos

Rich Franklin is rumored to be involved, and whomever his opponent is, is likely to headline the event. A quick scan of the listed 205′ers shows that most high-mid level fighters are already booked into fights. Only guys could be Wanderlei Silva (doubt they’d book a rematch so soon), or Luis Cane (though Cane is tough, he’s not well known), so I’m quite curious to see who they come up with. Chuck Liddell is taking a year sabbatical, but Chuck Liddell vs Rich Franklin would definitely fit the bill as a worthy main event. Guess we’ll see.