THE BEST OF THE BEST RETURNS: UFC 90

Saturday night (Oct. 25th) the reputed Best Pound 4 Pound Fighter In The World, Anderson "The Spider" Silva will headline Ultimate Fighting Championship #90, when he defends his middleweight crown from the Crunching Canuck, Patrick "The Predator" Cote. I guess one might debate whether or not Anderson Silva is the very best pound 4 pound fighter of any kind in the entire world ..... but there is no denying that he is without a doubt the best middleweight MMA fighter on the planet. His Muy Thai knee strikes are some of the best ever and his Thai kicks are like baseball bat hits. Silva has power in both hands and is a Brazilian Ju Jitsu black belt who trains under the Nogueira Twins. Silva's all round MMA skills are as good as anyone has ever seen, but what makes him a super champion is his relaxation within total focus. The Spider sees everything and always seems to make the proper response to what ever his opponent does.

Patrick Cote's MMA career got off to a bit of a rocky start, but then even Anderson Silva lost a couple fights at the beginning of his career. The young Canadian challenger is riding a five fight winning streak and has complete confidence in his sledge hammer punches and granite chin. On paper Cote doesn't stand a chance against The Best There Is - The Best There Was ............ and perhaps The Best There Ever Will Be ------------- But the proverbial Puncher's Chance is always a reality when a fighter has KO power and Patrick Cote has a solid chin and a big dream to go with his wallop.

UFC 90 will also present significant welterweight and lightweight matches. Thiago "Pit Bull" Alves trained to match his kick boxing based skills against the Ju Jitsu wizardry of Deigo Sanchez, but three weeks before the fight Sanchez tore rib cartilage and big time college wrestler and TUF star Josh Koscheck stepped in to face the Pit Bull and vie for the number one welterweight contender slot. Alves finds himself facing a fighter who is even higher in the rankings than Shanchez, but coming off his destruction of legendary welterweight Matt Hughes, Alves' confidence is at an all time high. This match could steal the show and either man could win himself a shot at GSP and the welterweight title.

The winner of the match between former lightweight champion Sean "Muscle Shark" Sherk and the up and coming Tyson Griffin should find himself near the top of the line of lightweight contenders. Both fighters can wrestle superbly and both can strike with authority. This one will be a classic confrontation of experience versus youth.

Fabricio Werdum will also be on the UFC 90 card and the Brazilian sensation will be looking to unload his frustration on one Jr. Dos Santos. Little is known about Mr. Two Saints, but he had better be able to fend off one wound up master of mayhem if he plans to survive this match with his person and his reputation in working order. Werdum is a BJJ master who has trained his standup with Mirco Cro-Cop and Curibita, Brazil's famed Chute Box Academy. When he defeated Gabe Gonzaga recently. Werdum seemed to be next in line for a title shot at heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, but then came the Nogueira - Frank Mir TUF season which mandated a match between those two .... and the return of Randy Couture, who will face wrestling monster Brock Lesnar next month. So now Werdum will have to wait for those two matches -- and for the winners to face each other before he can get his title shot. It will be very interesting to see if the skills of Jr. Two Saints will be able to fend off the Frustration of Fabricio.

Good Night - Good Fight,
Frank "The Snake"