Mirko "CroCop" and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson are now in the UFC

[Wetzelbill]

It's official....
http://www.sherdog.com/news/news.asp?n_id=6442

On another note, Tim Sylvia has just pre-ordered his coffin.

On still another note, I will not be coming out of retirement, not even after my broken leg heals.

[Mojambo]

1. Good. The UFC heavyweight divisions really need some good fighters

Mirko Cro Cop is just going to OWN Tim Sylvia.

What's Timmy gonna do when he can't use his freak reach advantage to stay away from people? Cause I'm pretty sure Cro Cop's left leg kick can reach him!

I'd suppose they're gonna give Rampage a shot at Liddell pretty quick. If Liddell gets through Ortiz that is...

And now I shall leave this thread for fear of being spoiled with tonight's results!

[Wetzelbill]

2. Heath Herring signed with them too

a much needed shot in the arm for the heavies.

[Mojambo]

3. I've never seen Herring fight, but I've heard good things.

Can't wait to see him.

[Wetzelbill]

4. yeah he is very tough

it's just that Pride has guys like Mirko and Fedor, so he's never been the top guy, but he'd wipe the floor with Sylvia. Arlovski's better than Sylvia, he just got caught one time and then hurt in the other loss so he could barely even fight. But Mirko is a freakin' animal. That is one fearsome guy. You're right, his left leg kick can take out pretty much anyone, save for Fedor or Mark Hunt, who has a head like a cement slab.

[Pushed To The Left]

5. Looks like 2007 will bring some great "dream matches"!

Both Rampage and Cro Cop will be fighting at the February UFC! They have already announced that Eddie Sanchez will be Cro Cop's opponent, so it will definitely be a battle of strikers.

[Wetzelbill]

6. it should yeah

a very exciting time for the UFC, especially for the heavies, who moved from being strictly B-team material to having a legitimate superstar with Cro Cop. :)

[Mojambo]

7. So is Vera going to get a shot at Sylvia ahead of Cro Cop?

I'd be perfectly fine giving Cro Cop to Sylvia and letting Arlovski and Vera go at it for a shot at the winner. I'm not sure how impressed I am with Arlovski's victory over Cruz at UFC 66. It seemed rather fluky.

Man, how good is Chuck Liddell?

I have no idea who they're gonna throw him next. Better be a guy with a hell of a chin.

I see Franca and Fischer are going at it on the next UFC fight night. I wonder if the winner might get a looksie at Sean Sherk?

I thought Thiago Alves looked pretty good against Desouza. I wonder if he could make 155? I think he could beat Sherk.

[Wetzelbill]

8. Vera should get the shot

but who knows? They might give somebody like Gabriel Gonzaga a shot, just to set up the Mirko-Sylvia slaughter. Vera is a talented guy, I would hate to see him fight Cro Cop at this stage of his career. That would be ugly. Mirko is so devastating.

They'll probably build Rampage up for a fight or two and then let him and Chuck go at it. As for whomever is next, shit, he's just pounded out pretty much everybody. I guess if Forrest would have won maybe him, so maybe Jardine will get thrown to the wolves. Rashad Evans is a great athlete, but feeding him to Chuck right now might just ruin him. Chuck's power is great, but his ability to hit that one shot out of nowwhere is uncanny. You almost want to say it is luck, except the guy does it every single fight, so it has to be skill.

I was thinking Joe Lauzon might get Sherk. Franca or Fisher would be just as good a bet as anybody to get the next shot. Maybe Joe Stevenson if he wins another fight or two.

Alves is good. I am tempted to say he could beat Sherk too, but Sherk is one of those guys who is tough as nails. He's such a little ball of muscle and has experience hanging in there with Hughes and other top guys at 170. GSP has been the only guy to ever blow Sherk out, and GSP is a freakishly talented guy.

I'm interested in how Anderson Silva is going to perform here in the next year. He's looked damn near unstoppable so far. Franklin is a great fighter, I have to wonder if Silva is as great as he looked against Rich or if somebody will at least give him a battle. I think Mike Swick is a seriously talented guy, great athlete too, so he might give Silva trouble with his athleticism. But more than likely if they fought Swick would get pounded from pillar to post. Silva beatdown Lee Murray and Murray is about as tough a guy as there is out there along with Franklin. Dan Henderson could probably beat Silva, but he's entrenched in Pride so I don't see him moving over to UFC.