England

(Diego will try anything to get to 155.  Anything.)

With UFC 95 (which we’ll be liveblogging) just a day away, we took some time to berate one another regarding some of the more pressing issues surrounding the UFC’s trip to London.  Okay, so there’s essentially no main event here, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still have some fun with a night of free fights on Spike.  Plus, there are Chael Sonnen’s ridiculous claims to discuss, and so much more…

What are Diego Sanchez's chances as a lightweight contender? Who has the skills to beat him?

BG: His chances are freakin' excellent. Sanchez was already the fifth best welterweight in the UFC by my count (after GSP, Alves, Fitch, and Koscheck), and he's looked incredibly dangerous in his last two wins over David Bielkheden and Luigi Fioravanti. I was particularly surprised to hear that he was dropping to lightweight because it seemed like he was gathering steam for a title shot at welterweight. Think about it: Fitch and Kos have already been dominated by St. Pierre, and if Alves can't beat the champ this summer, who else is ready?

Dan Hardy made a successful UFC debut against journeyman Akihiro Gono at UFC 89, and now he moves up to the main card to take on Miletich camp slugger Rory Markham at UFC 95 this Saturday.  In this exclusive interview “The Outlaw” discusses his strategy for avoiding Markham’s big bombs, the U.K. MMA scene, and the trademark Mohawk that he sports in honor of his nation’s punk rock pioneers.

CagePotato.com: Thanks for talking with me, Dan.  What are you expecting out of Rory Markham on Saturday, and what’s your gameplan for dealing with him?

I expect him to come to try and knock me out.  I don’t think it’s any secret what his gameplan’s going to be.  My gameplan is going to be to stay out of the way of his punches and land my own strikes and wear him down.  I think I’ve got the endurance advantage.  I’ve been the distance in a few of my fights and he’s never experienced the end of that third round.  I think I’ve got the advantage in conditioning and I’ll be able to drag the fight on a little longer until I get the chance to knock him out.

(Picture day at the UFC office. Kos would like four 3x5's and some wallet-sized ones to give to girls in bars, please.)

It looks like Josh Koscheck will get his third fight in four months as the welterweight has been offered a bout with undefeated Brazilian newcomer Paulo Thiago at UFC 95 on February 21 in London.  Thiago makes his UFC debut after running up an unbeaten record in organizations you don’t care about (Jungle Fight, Conquista Fight, etc.) against opponents you’ve never heard of (Carelli Carelli, to name just one).  

Thiago has proved himself in the Brazilian ranks, but stepping up to the UFC to face a guy like Koscheck in his first fight is a tough draw.  Kos is coming off his devastating knockout of Yoshiyuki Yoshida at F2T2, though fortunately for Thiago he gets to meet him on neutral ground in England rather than in the U.S. military’s backyard (also known as one of the few places Koscheck can be a fan favorite, and even then only when he's fighting a foreigner).  

With this fight added, the UFC 95 card is looking a little better.  Remember, this is the event that’s headlined by the distinctly not headline-worthy Joe Stevenson vs. Diego Sanchez bout.  Lest you think the UFC is treating you like second-class fans, people of the U.K., take a look at how they’ve filled out the rest of the card.

(Photo courtesy of NBC Sports)

Britain's The Sun confirmed that the UFC is headed back to London for UFC 95 in February, and they're adding weight to the rumor that it might have Anderson Silva vs. Chuck Liddell as its main event.

SunSport understands Middleweight champion Anderson Silva, 33, has been asked to appear on the card, with a potential bout with light heavyweight star Chuck Liddell already being mooted.

Dana White said Silva was "flipping out" about the negative response from fans and media types to his performance against Patrick Cote at UFC 90. Going up a weight class to pummel a former champ might be enough to silence those critics for good. The bout also has enough star power and intersecting story lines to make it a huge draw.

If it does happen, it's a tough fight for Liddell. Even if he beats Silva, his detractors will just say it was due to the size advantage. If he loses -- a real possibility against the world's best pound-for-pound fighter -- it becomes harder to ignore the call of retirement. Then again, after the loss to Rashad Evans you have to wonder how many interesting fights are left for him at 205. This could easily be his last moment in the spotlight. At least it's a big one.

As we see in the latest installment of his video blog, Dana White was still in England yesterday, presiding over the London tryouts of The Ultimate Fighter: U.S. vs. U.K. 175 limey scrappers showed up (or "over 200," depending on when you ask Dana), up from about 30 the last time they held open auditions there. This is actually the first TUF tryout footage I've ever seen, and it was an interesting behind-the-scenes look — particularly for Dana's speech before the grappling portion, in which he told the guys that there's no shame in tapping, but "no heel-hooks, no slams, no crazy shit." It's a safe, nurturing environment, in other words. Also, Michael Bisping stops by to show Dana his grody ear.

Related: MMA Weekly reports that the weight-classes featured on TUF 9 will actually be lightweights (again) and welterweights, not middleweights and welterweights as previously announced; no reason for the change has been given yet.