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After middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s less than impressive showing against Thales Leites the UFC realizes they need to start putting up bigger names for Silva to fight. Silva’s performance likely was his not-so-subtle way of letting them know he isn’t pleased fighting middle of the road 185′ers.

UFC Prez Dana White stated at the UFC 97 presser that if St. Pierre gets past Thiago Alves at UFC 100, Silva vs St. Pierre is a definate possibility. He stressed however that Alves was a huge test for St. Pierre, as long as he made the damn weight. Ok, he didn’t say that, but that dude is just way too big for welterweight.

With the UFC imposing retirement for their top draw Chuck Liddell, that is one less superfight option available to Silva. I think the UFC needs to make the Silva/St. Pierre happen regardless of the outcome of GSP’s fight at UFC 100. Has he not proven enough that no 170lb guy can really challenge him?

It would be just about the biggest fight the UFC could put on, and REALLY get Silva’s engine going. He has never taken Franklin, Hendo, Irvin or Marquardt lightly, which kind of spells out to me that he didn’t take Cote/Leites seriously.

Throughout the “greasing” allegations by the BJ Penn camp after UFC 94, St. Pierre’s side has maintained their innocence, and have put their money where their mouth is, and offered up a second rematch to Penn. Said St. Pierre:

Of course it’s up to the UFC, but I would be happy to offer B.J. a second rematch. I am confident the outcome will be the same.

St. Pierre went as far as to offer to wear a rash guard, (think the tight spandex shirt the Tour de France guys wear) in their next bout.

BJ Penn has responded in kind on his official website, bjpenn.comm, and has accepted the offer.

To the untrained eye the grease might not look like much, but every grappler knows the effect that it has. Being able to apply your submissions and sweeps or just being able to hold on to your opponent to defend yourself from being hit is absolutely critical! … I hereby accept George St. Pierre and Greg Jackson’s challenge for a fight in the summer 2009. Lets call Dana now and set it up.

It came to light after Penn’s loss to St. Pierre that the Hawaiian had intended to call it quits had he defeated St. Pierre. Penn would have gone out on top as the only dual weight champion in UFC history, but as we all know by now, it didn’t go down like that. It now looks Penn will stick around to take care of some “unfinished business” with St. Pierre.

However, for that to happen, both Penn and St. Pierre may need to get by their next challenges, that being Kenny Forian for Penn and Thiago Alves for St. Pierre. Although, with the huge business the first rematch generated, it’s hard to believe the UFC wouldn’t make the second rematch happen regardless of the outcome of either fighter’s next fights.