UFC 96 Picks: Gabriel Gonzaga vs Shane Carwin

Shane Carwin is a damn bear of a man, but so is Gabriel Gonzaga. Carwin has the superior strength, size, and wrestling, but Gonzaga's vastly superior Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu should come out on top. Yeah, Gonzaga is giving up 20 lbs and 2 inches to Carwin's 265 lb 6'3" frame, but it's not like Gonzaga is a 120 lb chess nerd. The guy looks bigger and more powerful everytime we see him, and I expect come fight night he'll close that weight gap even more. Combine that with his world class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and I see him overwhelming Carwin on the ground.

Carwin just hasn't faced the sort of competition Gonzaga has yet. His only chance is to try and beat Gonzaga up on his feet, and bully him around with his wrestling while keeping things off the ground. And that's just not a combination of things I see him pulling off. I imagine the two will trade a bit on their feet and then clinch a few times. Eventually Carwin's wrestling background will take over and he'll take Gonzaga to the ground, where things will go horribly for him and he'll either find himself in a submission, or swept and getting beat up on his back.

ESPN MMA Live: UFC 96 Preview

On this week's ESPN MMA Live, host Jon Anik, Franklin McNeil, and Kenny Florian take an in-depth look at Saturday's UFC 96 card and breakdown the main event fight between former light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine. They also recap WEC 39 and delve into the crossover appeal of boxing and MMA. Although for their next show they should follow my advice and cover what's really on everybody's minds: girls in bikinis. Or should I say girls not in bikinis.

Matt Hughes and Matt Serra set for UFC 98

The UFC announced Wednesday that Matt Hughes and Matt Serra will finally meet at UFC 98: Lesnar vs Mir 2 on May 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Other notable fights added to the card include Yushin Okami vs Dan Miller and Sean Sherk vs Frank Edgar. I really don't understand why Yushin Okami is still getting stuck fighting these second tier fighters. Yeah, he's kind of boring, but he's also the number one contender at middleweight. And the UFC has him fighting Dan Miller? It'd be like asking Rampage Jackson to fight my neighbor Donald. And he's not even a fighter, just some guy named Donald that I live next to.

Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva set for UFC 99

Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva are officially set to meet at UFC 99: The Comeback on June 13 at Lanxess Arena, Germany. The fight will be at a catchweight of 195lbs, which I'm assuming is because Wanderlei Silva can't make 185 lbs. Just like I can't make the cutoff for heavyweight. Hey, it's not my fault I'm 500 lbs of pure chiseled muscle. It is, however, my fault that I'm this good looking.

Dana White's UFC 96 Video Blog - Episode 2

Episode two of Dana White's UFC 96 video blog. Highlights include Wanderlei Silva doing a...Borat impression? Veerry niice!

Dana White's UFC 96 Video Blog - Episode 1

Here's part one of Dana White's UFC 96 video blog. There's really not much going on here, though you do get a glimpse at Dana White's family and his home. I'm actually a little surprised he brought his family into this though. For some reason I just always thought he was the kind of guy who would keep his family life private and separate from his business life. Then again, I also thought the moon was a giant chunk of cheese until I was 18, so what do I know?

Kirill Sidelnikov tests positive for steroids

The California State Athletic Commission announced on Tuesday that Kirill "Baby Fedor" Sidelnikov has been suspended for one year for testing positive for the steroid Stanozolol. Sidelnikov (5-3), a Red Devil teammate to the world's top heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, lost his U.S. debut against Paul Buentello at Affliction Day of Reckoning on January 24 in Anaheim, California.

Also used in horse racing, Stanozolol promotes muscle growth and strength increases, usually without excessive weight gain.

If the suspension remains uncontested, Sidelnikov will be eligible to re-apply for licensure in California after Jan. 18, 2010 and will pay a $2,500 fine.

This is most disappointing since Kirill Sidelnikov has been touted as Fedor's protege, and it makes you wonder just how much Fedor knew what was going on. I'm not making any accusations, but you have to wonder if Fedor was aware of Kirill's steroid use or, worse yet, even encouraged it. The two come from the same training camp and work very closely with each other, so you can't help but feel that Kirill is tainting Fedor's name as well. And what's worse is that Kirill still lost despite the steroids. If you're going to cheat, at least make sure you win. It'd be like rigging an election to ensure you come in second place.

Couture agrees to fight Nogueira

According to multiple sources from Randy Couture's camp, Couture has agreed to face Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at the unannounced UFC 101 event sometime in August. The two were expected to fight in early 2009, but Couture's role in Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables, set to film in late March, got in the way.

If Nogueira accepts the fight, and I can't see why he wouldn't, this should be huge. Couture is always a huge crowd draw and Nogueira needs to fight his way back to relevancy after his abysmal appearance against Frank Mir. If anything, this'll be the largest fight between the two oldest looking guys in the UFC. I know Nogueira is only 32, but the guy's been in so many wars it looks like he's pushing 70. Halfway through the fight I expect they'll just jump onto their Rascals and start chasing each other around the Octagon.