(Props: MMAHQ)

We were pleased to see that over 100 of you conquered our captcha system and submitted entries in last week’s UFC 134 fight-picking contest with MMAHQ.com. In retrospect, I guess it wasn’t that hard to figure out that both Anderson Silva and Mauricio Rua would win by knockout. But most of you thought Silva would finish Okami faster than Shogun would finish Griffin, which wasn’t the case. The closest picks were made by Potato Nation rookie “hroobarb,” who put it down like this:

- Anderson Silva def. Yushin Okami via KO, 2:00 of round 2 (four seconds off actual time of stoppage)
- Mauricio Rua def. Forrest Griffin via TKO 3:34 of round 1 (1:41 off actual time of stoppage)

hroobarb, please send your real name and current address to contest@cagepotato.com and we’ll send you those Everlast Pro Competition MMA Gloves ASAP. Thanks to everybody who played, and please visit MMAHQ.com for daily deals on MMA gear and apparel!

I get what he’s trying to say, but it’s a stretch to call his tilt with Okami a “date”

Perhaps it’s pointless to write an aftermath article for an Anderson Silva fight anymore. Not necessarily because he hasn’t lost since 2006, but rather, because Anderson Silva summed up his dominance of the middleweight division perfectly himself. After his victory over Yushin Okami last night, Kenny Florian asked Anderson Silva if there’s anyone out there he would like to fight next. His response? “My clone”.

If the idea of multiple Anderson Silvas wasn’t somehow reminiscent of the plot of Terminator, I’d agree with him. Other than a rematch with Dan Henderson (if the money is right) or a rematch with Chael Sonnen (if he can get past Brian Stann), who else is out there for him? Or rather, who else at middleweight?

This doesn’t mean that Yushin Okami doesn’t deserve credit for his performance. If Yushin Okami had any chance of beating Anderson Silva, it was going to involve getting Silva on his back and avoiding submissions. Okami started out well enough, pushing Silva into the cage and clinching with the far superior striker. The only problem was that Okami was completely unable to take Silva down. After eating a head kick at the end of the first round, it was only a matter of time before the gun-shy challenger got caught again.

(Image via soldierforever)

UFC 134 weigh-ins are scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. today at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. You can watch all the staredowns (and potential scale-fails) live in the video player after the jump, and we’ll update the numbers below when they’re official. And remember to swing by CagePotato.com tomorrow night for our “Silva vs. Okami” liveblog!

(The Royce Gracie of our generation poses with the Anderson Silva of his generation. Props: facebook.com/ufc)

On August 27th, Rio de Janeiro will be Blowout City. Aside from two matches on the preliminary card — Loveland vs. Jabouin and Assuncao vs. Eduardo — every fight at UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami features a fighter who’s a 2-1 favorite or higher. In times like these, it’s not about picking the winners, it’s about picking the upsets. So where they at? Check out the UFC 134 gambling lines below (via BestFightOdds), and consider our advice after the jump.

Main Card (PPV, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT)
Anderson Silva (-471) vs. Yushin Okami (+425)
Maurício Rua (-220) vs. Forrest Griffin (+225)
Brendan Schaub (-230) vs. Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (+216)
Edson Barboza (-300) vs. Ross Pearson (+280)
Luis Cane (-200) vs. Stanislav Nedkov (+195)

Spike TV Prelims Live (8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT)
Thiago Tavares (-205) vs. Spencer Fisher (+200)
Rousimar Palhares (-275) vs. Dan Miller (+252)

Facebook Prelims (6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT)
Paulo Thiago (-389) vs. David Mitchell (+340)
Raphael Assunção (-160) vs. Johnny Eduardo (+149)
Erick Silva (-270) vs. Luis Ramos (+246)
Yuri Alcantara (-437) vs. Felipe Arantes (+379)
Ian Loveland (-195) vs. Yves Jabouin (+180)

And here we have UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva lip-synching to Minnie Riperton as part of his new endorsement deal with Burger King. The lack of business regulation in Brazil means that BK can legally sell five-patty Deathburgers there, and we totally believe that Silva eats those things all the time. The King is dead. Long live the King.

Semi-related: After the jump, MMA stars predict the winner of Silva vs. Okami in a new video from UFC Connected. Silva juuuuust sneaks by with 100% of the vote.

VidProps: FreeFights4You/YouTube via Saucylv33/The UG

Just days before UFC 134: Ultimate Brazil 2 we find this clip recounting the abilities of the world’s most venomous spider. Known for its potent, deadly strikes, the Brazilian wandering spider is noted for its ability to quickly put down its prey, although there are documented cases of toying with those caught in its web.

After the eight-limbed monster claimed its last victim in the extreme environment of Las Vegas, arrangements were made to return the dangerous arachnid back to its native ecosystem.

Research continues in an effort to determine if the Brazilian wandering spider is, in fact, the apex predator that many believe it to be.

[RX]

(Jake Salyer of Tulsa, Oklahoma, manages to pull off a double-armbar submission in his MMA debut. The Diet Butcher would be proud. Props: GorillaTacticsMMA via ‘Okwiseguy’)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail feedback@cagepotato.com for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

- Lorenzo Fertitta: I Would Love to Do Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson at UFC on FOX (MMA Mania)

- Cain Velasquez Talks UFC 139 Title Fight, Jon Jones, Alistair Overeem, and Being a Father (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

- Going Streaking: Anderson Silva’s Record UFC Run on the Line at UFC 134 (NBC Sports MMA)

- Phil Baroni: Nobody Dry Humps the New York Bad Ass and Gets Away With It! (Exclusive Interview) (LowKick)

- ‘MiddleEasy/Whoa! TV Gym Expeditions’ Visits Birmingham, England (MiddleEasy)

- Felice Herrig on This Weekend’s Cancelled Fight and State of Women’s MMA (TheFightNerd)

- Royce Gracie Wants One More UFC Fight, but Ready to Move on Without It (MMA Fighting)

- “Strikeforce HW GP Semifinals” Official Trailer (5thRound)

- Josh Neer Headed Back to the UFC Against Keith Wisniewski in October (Five Ounces of Pain)

- “(UFC) Is the Only Sports Property That Is Pure and Works Literally Around the Entire World.” (FightOpinion)

- UFC Hopes to Be in Pre-Production on Australian Version of The Ultimate Fighter by the End of the Year (MMA Convert)

- FOX Deal May Be Just What New York Needs (MMA Payout)

(LOL, walk much?)

This Saturday, MMA’s greatest knockout artist returns against Yushin Okami in a rematch at UFC 134 — and I stress the word “artist.” Anderson Silva inflicts punishment on his opponents in ways that transcend combat sports, opening our eyes to the enormity of human possibility and the deeper meanings of the universe. In honor of his next fight, we decided to rank our ten favorite Anderson Silva knockouts of all time. Enjoy, and let us know your personal favorite in the comments section…

#10: Anderson Silva vs. Jorge Rivera
Cage Rage 11, 4/30/05

Silva’s first Cage Rage middleweight title defense — after outpointing Lee Murray for the belt the previous year — ended in a storm of knees. This would become a common theme in his subsequent UFC career.

Slow-motion destruction — always a good time. Here’s UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva doing what he does best in a pair of new ads for Budweiser Brasil. Please, keep your can-crushing jokes to yourself.

The Bud campaign is just one of several high-profile sponsorships that Andy has landed recently, including deals with Burger King and Nike. After the jump, Anderson Silva’s first “viral video” for Nike. Man, are Brazilian copy-writers lazy or what?

(Props: NaturalBornKillerMMA)

On August 27th, the UFC returns to Brazil for the first time since 1998, featuring a middleweight title fight — Anderson Silva gunning for his ninth belt-defense against Yushin Okami — and a collection of native fighters representing the sport’s past, present, and future. Watching the UFC 134 trailer, it’s clear that there are a lot of storylines swirling around the event that will add even more drama to the already-stacked lineup. So let’s run ‘em down, shall we?

Everybody loves a good rematch: Anderson Silva’s last official loss was due to a subtle rule in MMA that states you can’t kick a downed fighter in the head — even if that fighter is on top of you. Silva has always felt that Okami took the easy way out during their first meeting in January 2006, and UFC 134′s main event is his chance to set the record straight. If not for that oddball disqualification, Silva’s undefeated streak would extend all the way back to his freakish PRIDE loss to Ryo Chonan, six and a half years ago.

Meanwhile, Mauricio Rua will have a chance to even the score against Forrest Griffin, who choked him out in shocking fashion during Shogun’s UFC debut in 2007. Since that night, both men have won the light-heavyweight title and lost it. With consecutive wins over Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin, Forrest Griffin is still very much a player at 205 — and Rua is coming off of the most lopsided beating he’s ever suffered in his entire career. Does Shogun deserve to be the favorite again? Will the story have a different ending on his home turf?

Brazil vs. The World: Good Lord, look at all those green flags…

(“Expect punches to the back of the head, every fight bro.”)

Tatame caught up with Vitor Belfort following his impressive victory over Yoshihiro Akiyama Saturday night at UFC 133 and the former UFC light heavyweight champion said he isn’t letting Dana White’s statement that he needs to “chew on” his loss to Anderson Silva for a while deter him from keeping his eye on the middleweight belt.

He says that his number one goal is to get another shot at Silva, or whomever holds the belt at the time, so he can make up for his poor showing the last time he fought for the belt at UFC 126 in February.

“That’s my wish. I don’t know what they’ll decide. I don’t know what the fans want to see and since UFC guys will evaluate the situation, saying who deserves a title shot or not… I want to fight for the belt and I’ll run through everybody who stands in my way.That’s my goal.”

(Smile, Anderson. You’re rich.)

Last week news broke that UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva had signed a landmark sponsorship deal with Burger King, whose ownership group,  3G Capital, is an investment firm whose largest investors include Brazilian billionaires Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Telles and Carlos Sicupira.

(Experts say it was this spot that got Anderson the deal with BK.)

Earlier this week week, Silva’s manager Ed Soares, who sold off his Sinister clothing line to Silverstar, TapouT and Hitman clothing ownership group Authentic Brands Group last year, announced that his client has also signed lucrative deals with both Nike and the Sport Club Corinthians Paulista soccer team.

“The Spider’s” fight shorts and walkout wear will be made by Nike and he will don a Corinthians jersey for his UFC 134 bout with Yushin Okami later this month. The club will also name their new stadium after the dominant 36-year-old Brazilian fighter.

(Fedor Emelianenko, immediately after his loss to Dan Henderson on Saturday night. Photo via Darren Shuster, PR Representative for Dragon Door/RKC)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail feedback@cagepotato.com for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

- Dan Henderson Gets Caught on National Television Spanking Dat Ass at a Cardinals Game (MMA Mania)

- Herb Dean Defends Controversial Stoppage in Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson Fight (5thRound)

- After Release from Prison, War Machine Looking for Fresh Start (MMA Fighting)

- Leonard Garcia out of UFC Live 5 With Injury; Jim Hettes to Replace Against Alex Caceres (Five Ounces of Pain)

- UFC’s Rich Franklin Discusses Career, Life and Fans Asking for His Underwear (BleacherReport.com/MMA)

- Photo Gallery: Vitor Belfort Prepares for UFC 133 Bout With Yoshihiro Akiyama (LowKick)

- Video: 20 of the Most ‘WTF?’ Moments in UFC History (MiddleEasy)

- A Conquistador Story: Looking Back on Jorge Rivera vs. Travis Lutter (MMA Convert)

- Dan Henderson’s Win Over Fedor Builds Momentum for TRT Usage/Acceptance (FightOpinion)

- Ben Askren on Season Five of Bellator, Nate Marquardt and Fight With Hector Lombard (TheFightNerd)

- Following Burger King Deal, Anderson Silva Inks Sponsorships With Nike and Brazilian Soccer Club (MMAPayout)

- What’s Next for ‘Fedor vs. Henderson’ Winners and Losers? (NBC Sports MMA)

(Video courtesy of YouTube/StocktonHeyBuddy)

Something to break up an otherwise slow news day.

(“Is this too much?”)

According to a release from Authentic Sports Management, Eric Eisner’s Double E Pictures has optioned the film rights for former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin’s life story.

Eisner has hired screenwriter David Hollander (The Cleaner; The Guardian) to pen the script and Sean Sorensen from Motion Theory to produce the film that will chronicle Franklin’s journey from math teacher and self-taught mixed martial artist to UFC middleweight champion.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/ChaelSonnenTV)

Chael Sonnen gave this recent interview in which he sort of explains why he developed his new cocky persona that was born some time after his fight with Yushin Okami. Prior to that bout, Chael was praising upcoming opponent Paulo Filho for working through his mental and substance abuse problems to get back into the cage to compete, going as far as to say that he “admired” the embattled Brazilian who had beaten him a few months prior.

It turns out that Sonnen consciously began forcing himself into “walking the walk” as well as “talking the talk” after coming to the realization that he was selling himself short psychologically.

(Ah, 2007 — when picking up a draw against Tito Ortiz could be the greatest accomplishment of a fighter’s career.)

By Jared ‘DangadaDang” Jones

In a sport where upsets come as easily as a lone, well placed punch, the rematch has become not only commonplace, but a huge commodity for the UFC as well. Fight fans worldwide have embraced the rematch because they offer a chance to witness a fighter’s redemption first-hand. Sometimes these matches provide us with instant classics, and set in place the even more lucrative Trilogy, while others serve only to confirm what we already knew.

Tito Ortiz, the man behind some of the UFC’s most profitable rematches and trilogies, is looking to continue his path to redemption and possibly contendership (!) when he takes on Rashad Evans at UFC 133. Though the odds are against him, his recent win over Ryan Bader proved to us that he can still choke someone out when it’s called for. (No Brett, you’re doing it wrong.) And since Ortiz stepped up to the plate, so shall I. Here are four upcoming UFC rematches and how I believe they will go down…

Tito Ortiz vs. Rashad Evans – UFC 133

(Click image to watch video.)

What happened the first time: Ortiz was able to secure a takedown within the opening minute of the fight, giving him the edge in a grappling-and-clinch-heavy first round, but after repeatedly grabbing the fence in the second frame, referee Big John McCarthy deducted one point from Ortiz, nullifying a round he would have won. Rashad was able to mount some offense in the third and secure a takedown of his own, resulting in a draw across the board.

If you booked the day off work this morning to celebrate after reading the announcement on the Strikeforce website today that former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko was officially UFC-bound and that an eventual fight with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva was in early discussions with the Russian fighter’s management, you’re going to have to call your work back and tell them that the mystery illness that forced you out of the office today is miraculously cured. That way, you can save your sick day for a really momentous occasion, like the day Never Back Down 2 arrives on DVD.

It turns out that the story was a hoax reportedly posted by hackers, though it seems more likely that it was the clever work of a disgruntled former Strikeforce employee who still has access to the company’s servers.

If you didn’t read the story, we’ve got a screenshot and transcription of it after the jump.

If you missed the video this weekend, former UFC welterweight champ Matt Hughes let fly with a bold prediction during the Q&A session he did prior to the UFC 132 weigh-ins Friday. Besides saying that he thinks longtime nemesis Georges St-Pierre will beat Nick Diaz in October, Hughes stated matter-of-factly that he feels that the French Canadian will also take out Anderson Silva if and when the pair eventually meet.

“Against Diaz, I think he’s gonna do real good. This will be the first time that he’s gonna be facing somebody that will be in better shape than he is. Diaz is in great shape and that will be the only thing I think Diaz is gonna have an edge on is the shape. But GSP is not gonna wear out. I think Striking, submissions and ground work, he’s gonna win every one of them,” Hughes said. “I think the only thing, Diaz is so different with his striking. Maybe he’s gonna land something like he did against Robbie Lawler that one time that’s gonna kinda come out of left field, but I see GSP winning. To take that a step further, I think if he fights Anderson Silva, if GSP has his head screwed on straight, I see him winning that fight as well.”

(This dude’s Marked for Death…)

Count Ricco Rodriguez as one of the growing number of fighters under the hypnotizing spell of Steven Seagal.

In a recent interview the beleaguered former UFC heavyweight champion did with Bleacher Report, Rodriguez detailed his first meeting with the “Hard to Kill” 7th Dan Aikido master.

“I’ve always been a fan of Steven Seagal’s. I’ve always admired his acting skills and even as I got older and started chasing some of my own personal goals. Because when I was a kid, I watched the Bruce Lee movies and going to Japan, living in Japan and training at the Takada dojo, traveling to Brazil, there was somewhat a similar situation to me and Seagal. So, getting to meet a person such as him, if I can explain to you how phenomenal his energy was, I can’t explain it unless you were because you just feel how motivating he is and how presentable he is. He’s a phenomenal person and a great guy.”

Well, it’s safe to say the UFC better have an ambulance running outside the venue for Mike Swick at UFC 134.

According to this training video posted by Tatame, his opponent for the August 27 Silva vs. Okami event in Rio de Janeiro, Erick Silva has been working diligently at perfecting the purported Steven Seagal-created kick Silva used to nearly decapitate Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 in February. Although you can barely make it out, especially if you don’t understand Portuguese, the UFC newcomer can be heard on the video telling his pad-holders, “If do right, no can defend.”

(Book cover via Victory Belt)

Out of nearly 100 entries in last week’s fight-picking contest, only one reader had the foresight to suggest that Alistair Overeem would dominate Fabricio Werdum but not finish him. That man was Potato Nation Hall of Famer Viva Hate. His predictions were:

- Alistair Overeem def. Fabricio Werdum by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27 — two scores correct)
- Josh Barnett def. Brett Rogers by TKO, 2:58 of round 2 (winner/round correct)

VH, please send your current address to contest@cagepotato.com and we’ll send you a copy of Anderson Silva’s MMA Instruction Manual: The Muay Thai Clinch, Takedowns, Takedown Defense, and Ground Fighting.

Honorable mention goes out to…

Our friends at Victory Belt just hooked us up with a copy of Anderson Silva‘s new book, a semi-autobiographical collection of short fiction titled Ghosts of the Favela. Just kidding. The book’s actually called MMA Instruction Manual: The Muay Thai Clinch, Takedowns, Takedown Defense, and Ground Fighting. A follow-up to Silva’s guide to striking, it focuses on the other aspects of hand-to-hand combat that have made the Spider so dangerous in the cage. And you can have it, as long as you can predict the future.

This Saturday night, Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum goes down in Dallas, featuring two more bouts from the promotion’s heavyweight grand prix: Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum, and Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers. Submit your predictions for these two fights in the comments section below, including the winner’s name, the method of victory, and the time/round of stoppage, if any. Your entry should be in this format:

(Video courtesy of YouTube/TATAMETV)

It’s interesting to see which Brazilian fighters train which whom on a regular basis before camp starts. Junior dos Santos has apparently been spending a lot of time in his area of Northeast Brazil with “jiu-jitsu playboy” Demian Maia when he’s not entrenched in training camps with the likes of Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, and the Nogueira brothers.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/Videosemgeral1)

Here we thought that it was going to take a guy with a solid wrestling base who could put Anderson on his back to grind out a decision win over “The Spider.” Apparently all it takes to beat Silva is a solid Hadouken.

By CagePotato contributor Jason Moles

During the illustrious eighteen-year history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, we’ve witnessed countless brutal beatings, killer knockouts, and spectacular submissions. Simply put, we’ve witnessed a ton of holy $&*% moments!

I’m sure you have your favorites that you’ll share with your grandkids when you’re sitting in the old man’s chair. But have you ever stopped and asked yourself which moments in the past two decades were the biggest on a large scale? Well I did and I went to the largest scale imaginable: the almighty Google and here’s what I found. Remember, Google doesn’t have emotional or monetary interest at stake here. These moments are the ones that have generated the most web traffic via searches, not which ones impacted the sport the most.

5.) St. Pierre Beats Shields at UFC 129 – 04/30/2011

Why it’s ranked: Jake Shields left Strikeforce as champion so essentially casual fans and mainstream media alike viewed this as the first major inter-promotional, champion vs. champion fight. Georges St. Pierre, reigning UFC Welterweight champion and winner of nine straight came out on top of Shields who was riding a fifteen-fight win streak over the past five years.

The UFC went all in on this one hyping this event with the normal Countdown shows in addition to a pretty sweet commercial, the Primetime series, and a flyer in my mailbox reminding me to order the PPV. It was a huge moment in both men’s career primarily because it was the first tough competition either had faced in quite some time up to that point.  The underlying reason this mattered so much is that we all wanted to see the GSP vs. Silva super fight.

(Hey Strikeforce, give this man a fight already. When does Chael get back?)

Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza is not happy with his lack of activity the past year and he’s hoping the UFC’s purchase of the California-based promotion will remedy the frustrating situation.

The decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt (who has not fought since defeating Robbie Lawler in January) has only fought three times in the past 365 days including his championship win over Tim Kennedy last August that saw him take home the vacant Strikeforce middleweight title relinquished by Jake Shields when he moved over to the UFC.

He tells Tatame that he just wants to fight and no matter who it’s against or where or when the bout takes place, he’d just be happy knowing there’s a fight for him on the horizon.

“I want to fight as soon as possible. I don’t fight for a long time and I’m upset about it. For one who works for fighting, not fighting for a long time, when you’re ready to go, is the worst thing that can happen. I had to stop for about a month or two, but I already was good to go, and didn’t know when I would fight again. I’m looking forwards to know when I’ll be fighting and then I’ll tell you guys. There’re many good athletes [for me to face]. Strikeforce is one of the greatest events on earth, so I’m cool with anyone they tell me to fight against. As a Strikeforce employee what I really want is to fight.”

(“Your perfume is making me feel nauseous.”)

The beauty of social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter for fighters is that they can get whatever message they want across however they want it written. Of course there’s also an ugly side to that reality. Just ask anyone who subscribes to Tito Ortiz and Jenna Jameson’s Twitter feeds.

Chael Sonnen is one of the fighters who embraces the ADHD-friendly 140 character limit messaging service as it gives him a platform from which to aim punchline-heavy zingers at whomever he wants without having to deal with annoying follow-up questions from reporters.

Sonnen, who was noticeably absent from the Twitterverse while his court and athletic commission issues were being ironed, is once again an active tweeter and has been taking aim at a few fellow UFC middleweights the past few days.

(“And you made sure my nose looks like a big-ass clove of garlic? Okay, perfect.”)

We weren’t expecting much trash-talk in the lead-up to UFC 134‘s middleweight championship headliner between Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami — but the Spider continues to be the aggressor in the pre-fight war of words. This weekend, Silva gave an interview to Brazil’s O Globo newspaper, and expressed disappointment at Okami’s association with longtime training partner Chael Sonnen:

“You have to find the best person to train you, and I think he chose wrong…I will never line up with a loser, a loser in every sense. [Sonnen] did not win the fight (against me), (he) was caught doping, is being sued for various things, and is suspended from the UFC…Want to be a champion? (Be) allied with good people.”

Props: MiddleEasy.com

Either Anderson Silva and is performing the best troll job ever by continuing to train with Steven Seagal, or being the best pound for pound fighter alive is so boring that Seagal is the only person who can motivate him to keep training. MiddleEasy posted this video today of the two training, with Seagal continuing to demonstrate his tough love coaching style. Don’t bother asking what exactly Seagal is trying to accomplish with the drill. If he’s trying to show Anderson Silva how devastating a jab can be, he’s preaching to the choir.

Frustrated that Silva (who wasn’t wearing gloves or handwraps, mind you) wasn’t punching fast enough, Seagal eventually drops Silva with a wrist throw. And by “eventually”, I mean less than thirty seconds into the session. It’s completely crazy, but what else would you expect from a guy who can market a drink called Asian Experience and a song called Alligator Ass while keeping a straight face?