ESPN Mixed Martial Arts

At the age of 31, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has accomplished so much that rumors of a two-fight retirement plan shouldn't come as a shock.

St-Pierre (24-2) holds the record for total UFC wins (along with Matt Hughes) at 18 and is second in title defenses with eight. He ranks No. 1 in the UFC in career takedowns, takedown accuracy and total strikes.

From August 2007 to April 2011, St-Pierre won a record 33 consecutive rounds.

Prior to his recent title defense over Nick Diaz at UFC 158, St-Pierre's former manager Stephane Patry penned a column for a Canadian website that outlined St-Pierre's plan of two more fights -- a title defense against Johny Hendricks and a "super fight" against Anderson Silva -- and then retirement.

Whether or not that comes to fruition, ESPN.com decided to speak with some of the brightest minds in the sport on what has fueled St-Pierre's historic career, what it will take to disrupt his success and whether or not he's still at his peak.

"We kind of always knew he would eventually become a champion ... "

Pat Miletich, former UFC champion, longtime trainer, analyst: I used to go up to Tristar Gym years and years ago because my wife is from Montreal. I would teach a bit here and there when those guys were younger. Georges was always very respectful. He actually came into one of my seminars and sat in and watched when I was teaching up there at different spots in Montreal. We kind of always knew he would eventually become a champion. It was just something you could tell. Before Matt [Hughes] even fought him the first time, Matt and I both publicly said in interviews, "Georges is going to be the world champ. Just not yet."

Matt Hume, trainer, matchmaker, ambassador: The moment I recognized he was a very special martial artist was when he did Abu Dhabi (Submission Wrestling championships). He went against a guy named Otto Olsen. Otto Olsen, the first time he did Abu Dhabi, he went all the way to the finals against Marcelo Garcia with only six months training. Otto was great. He got really good at head control and started destroying people. The next Abu Dhabi, his first match was against Georges St-Pierre, who wasn't known as a great grappler, and he beat Otto that day. He shot a double on him, which is something he's very well known for now and escaped what a lot of people call the D'Arce now. Georges' posture on his shots was perfect and his explosiveness and awareness of where his head was when he got to the ground. That was the moment that told me this guy really gets out of his element. He really learns.

Matt Hughes, former UFC champion, went 1-2 in three fights against St-Pierre: Usually when I tie up with somebody, I feel I'm stronger than the other person and with Georges, I can't say I was stronger than him. I'm a big welterweight. I probably cut more weight than Georges does, which you think would give me a strength advantage but I didn't feel I had that advantage against Georges.

Miletich: After the first time Matt fought him and beat him, I asked Matt, "He's pretty strong isn't he?" We were walking through the tunnel back to the locker room and he looked at me and said, "You're damn right he's strong."

Hughes: I don't think he's a great wrestler. I think if you put him on a wrestling mat against Josh Koscheck, Josh would beat him up. What Georges does so well is mixes everything up and camouflages his takedowns with his striking. When you're out there against Georges, you don't know if he's going to kick, punch, close the distance and gets his hands on you or take a shot. He's pretty one-dimensional on the ground. You don't see him going for many submissions. He is really there to keep people down. But he's effective at his striking. He likes to stand up in people's guard and that gives him power in his punches. But his No. 1 thing is to keep people down.

Marc Laimon, grappling coach, trains Hendricks: One of my black belts and I were talking about this and he was saying St-Pierre kind of reminds him of a guy who pushes to half-guard, does enough to get the advantage to win and stalls the rest of the match. Against Nick Diaz, for somebody to talk so much trash, I didn't see that killer instinct. I saw a guy win and stay busy and active and do enough to win, but not a scary, killer, bloodthirsty guy wanting to kill you. I see a pro athlete doing his job very well.

Mark Munoz, UFC middleweight, NCAA wrestling champion: Pure wrestling is a totally different sport than MMA wrestling. In MMA wrestling, you can't shoot to your knees anymore. If you shoot to your knees, you're being stopped because there's too much distance to cover when you change levels. You've just got to explode and run through them in a power double and that's what Georges St-Pierre does. He is such a gifted athlete at first-step explosion and he's got long arms.

Hughes: He does everything pretty well. His lead strike, I believe, is his left leg. Usually, it's people's rear leg but I figured out real quick his left leg in the front of his stance is what he has all his power with.

Hume (on St-Pierre's intimidation factor): It's not the same extent as [an Anderson Silva.] Anderson put Rich Franklin's nose on the other side of his face and what he did to Forrest Griffin, making him miss the punches and dropping him with the jab -- it's the striking aspects, getting the bones broke in your face from an unprotected knee bone, those things scare people. I think with Georges, people don't look at him the same way as Anderson. They see it more as, "I don't know how to beat this guy." Not so much, "This guy is really going to hurt me bad."

Laimon: He still does things very well. The timing on his double leg is impeccable. He's still very fun to watch but when he was going for the title and he murdered [Frank] Trigg and murdered Hughes -- oh man. That guy is a killer and I don't see that guy anymore.

"What's going to beat Georges, is a hit ... "

Hume: You don't make a game plan for Georges St-Pierre. You make a game plan to be the best you can be. You have to try to be better than him at every aspect of the game, which includes the mental aspect, conditioning and technical aspects. If you're better than him at every aspect, then you can beat him.

Munoz: The guy that beats St-Pierre is the guy that is able to counter the jab. Able to circle, have good footwork, and counter while moving his feet. Not countering in front of him, because that's where GSP is able to capitalize -- when he jabs or throws punches, the other guy counter punches and then he drops down and shoots.

Miletich: You have to take him out of his comfort zone. It's not like there are a lot of guys out there who are going to take him down and submit him, but a guy who can actually take Georges down and make him nervous on his back a little bit is certainly going to help. In terms of striking, guys that use feints and fakes very well and they've got to be able to do that better than him. When somebody is throwing feints and fakes at you, they're trying to make you guess on what's real and what's not. When you're not able to do that (as good as St-Pierre), he is sticking you with the jab. Then he's able to progressively chips away at you because he feints the jab and throws the cross. Then feints the cross and throws the hook. It goes a lot deeper than that, but a guy who can do that better than Georges and throw it back in his face and has the power to hurt him standing, plus the technique to take him down, is pretty much what it's going to take.

Hughes: That's a very easy question for me to answer. What's going to beat Georges is a hit. You can tell it in the way he fights. He does not want to get hit. You see what happens when he gets hit. Any big hit is going to hurt Georges. My speculation would be that Georges has been hit in practice and he don't like it. This is all my speculation -- that he's been hit, knows his body doesn't like it and he's not going to get hit anymore.

"Johny is a different breed of cat ..."

Miletich: Hendricks is just a mean guy. His mentality is he's just a rough cat. Very good wrestling, very powerful and his left hand can kill a bull. After I saw him slide Martin Kampmann across the canvas like a sheet of ice, you realize how hard he hits. That's a guy I think to a certain extent just says, "I don't give a s--- what you're doing. I'm just going to hit you." Those guys can be tough to fight because they don't bite a lot on your feints and fakes. They don't necessarily move the way they're supposed to. What we're going to see is when Georges starts putting feints and fakes on him, we may see a totally different Johny Hendricks who gets confused. That's very possible.

Munoz: St-Pierre is not going to want it to be a brawl. He's going to want to execute that jab, circle around him, stop shots, drag behind him and take his back. I don't think he's going to be able to hold Johny down. Everybody who wrestled him [in college] had trouble holding him down. What you're going to see Johny do is knee slide -- which is, shoot his knee forward and stand up to his feet. He's not going to stay turtled up. He's going to hand fight, look for wrist control and get up.

Hughes: Being the best wrestler doesn't mean that Georges can't take him down. He disguises things so well that he can get in on somebody by throwing punches, but Georges is going to have to work for it. He's going to have to spend more energy and that's a good thing in a fight -- to make somebody spend energy and take punishment along the way. I think if you look at who Georges has fought, Johny is a bad matchup compared to everybody else.

Laimon: I really think I've got a guy who matches up very well with him and is going to present problems. Johny is a different breed of cat. He operates on a different frequency. He's hungry and I think Georges is ripe for the picking. I think Johny Hendricks is coming into his prime and I see St-Pierre as an unbelievable LaDainian Tomlinson-type guy who is kind of at the [New York] Jets now. He was so dominant, the premiere guy, but if you look recently ... how many guys defend his takedowns? How many guys have been able to get back to his feet? Every time I see Georges, his face is busted up. These guys are putting their hands on him. Georges is hittable and being hittable against a guy like Johny Hendricks isn't good.

"I actually think the [Silva] fight will be pretty close ..."

Hughes: I actually think the fight will be pretty close because of Georges' takedowns. He's going to take him down and control him on the ground. It might not be the most exciting fight because it's going to be a lot of ground game. I don't think Anderson can beat him on the ground, especially with Georges on top. If I had to pick a winner, I might say Georges gets his hand raised.

Hume: Anybody who stands with Anderson is risking what he does to everybody. Anderson has been taken down. He's been mounted. He has been armbarred, but he has survived those things. He has a great ground game, too. Georges has great takedowns. He knows how to put people at their weakness. If you're going to try and fight Anderson at his weakness, it's going to have to be on his back.

Munoz: I think it's a bad matchup for Georges. Anderson is a big 185-pounder. I wouldn't say St-Pierre is a big welterweight. I've seen Anderson upwards of 215 pounds. At the same time, St-Pierre has double leg takedowns, which Anderson has trouble defending at times. I would give Anderson the nod because of his movement on his feet, elusiveness and precise punching.

Miletich: Georges is not going to win that standup fight at all. Anderson will shut down his feints. The victory is going to lie in Georges' ability to take down Anderson, which I think he certainly can. He could take him down and control him all five rounds because he's strong enough to do it. Anderson's takedown defense has gotten better over the years, but I still think Georges could take him down.

Fans of the UFC who perhaps didn’t paid attention to female martial arts before have all learned a little something in 2013 -- women fight pretty hard.

Two female bouts have taken place in the Octagon this year, and both stole the show.

Ronda Rousey’s armbar victory over Liz Carmouche proved vital after a rather dull co-main event at UFC 157. Earlier this month, Cat Zingano and Miesha Tate claimed Fight of the Night bonuses at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale in Las Vegas.

It may be hard to believe that all-female fights can be that entertaining. Sara McMann, who meets Sheila Gaff this weekend at UFC 159, says actually, yeah. They can.

“I think that is what women bring to the fight world,” McMann told ESPN.com. “Everybody is like, ‘Oh, I’m so surprised. They stole the show.’ Every woman fight on the smaller cards I’ve fought on, they all do it.

“These girls will fight from the first bell to the last, and they are going 100 percent of their pace. You can’t help but like that kind of fight. The UFC fan base is just now seeing why people have been saying women need to be in the UFC for years.”

McMann (6-0) has made it clear she’s not in the UFC to provide a good headline. When it comes to interviews, she’ll only be herself. Turns out she’s pretty interesting that way. Check out her conversation with ESPN.com below.

Seems like you’re enjoying your first UFC fight week?
I am. I think that before, I kind of told myself there would be a lot of media and it would get on my nerves, and I thought I was going to have a tougher weight cut than I’m having. I just expected it to be a lot more horrible. Most of the media stuff has just been casual conversations.

What else were you expecting the media conversations to be?
I thought there would be more charged questions. A lot of them have talked to me about UFC jitters. That one kind of got to me a little. I thought, is this going to be like the Olympics? No, not a chance in the world. I probably will feel nervous, but I think these guys are trying to plant it in my head. Six interviews in one day and every one of them talked about it. I was like, ‘Did you guys form a group that meets on Wednesdays? The UFC jitter group? Maybe the fight will be more nerve-racking than I think, but whatever it is, I’ll work through it.

Have you thought about what media obligations would be like if you won the title?
I’ve considered it. Now, I just view it as part of my job. It would start to get difficult if it really interfered with my training. Having a 4-year old daughter [Bella] and having gyms farther away from me, I’ve had to do a lot of working around different schedules, so, I think I would be able to do it for quite a while without it being that bad. Then again, I don’t know. I don’t know if Ronda’s [Rousey] schedule is more horrible than I think. Maybe I’d hate it, and if I do, I guess they’ll have to find a new champion.

The UFC fan base has now gotten to see the aggressive style women fight with. Why do you think women are geared toward those types of fights?
I think it is a little instinctual. The women I wrestle against, these girls are mean. Some of them are dirty. They will smash your face into the mat and not bat an eye. They just have a natural meanness. I think for a lot of the women, it’s not personal, but we’ll do whatever it takes. Women have a very strong, combative survival instinct.

How has the financial aspect of being a female fighter been?
It’s been tough, and I think some of that is because it’s been nine months since I’ve fought. I wish I would have been able to fight once for Strikeforce and that would have bridged the gap more. It’s growing. It’s going to take time. The UFC is offering the pay people were getting with their Strikeforce contract. Strikeforce was a different beast. It had different viewership and different sponsors. All those contracts rolled over. When we renegotiate, once we’ve shown we are a brand to fans and that we’re entertaining, I think the money will follow.

Are you able to not have a second job and train full time?
Yes. I also stay at home and take care of my daughter, and I have an awesome boyfriend who helps support my dreams. When I was first trying to get a pro fight, I had to work at Starbucks, and that was also for the health insurance. I couldn’t get anybody to accept a pro fight, and the people who they would fight me had 13 fights, so no commission would approve it. I know other girls work at gyms or are personal trainers to make ends meet. Anybody thinks of fighter pay and they think of Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre. The reality is, there are other guys fighting for a lot less than that. It’s very difficult to make it on just a fighter salary, but it’s getting better, I think.

There are those out there who say, “Sara McMann will be the one to beat Ronda Rousey.” Do you feel that pressure at all?
I don’t really feel that pressure because since I started MMA, I automatically wanted to be No. 1. I’ve already been working to be No. 1 since the beginning. I don’t do sports any other way.

If you fight Rousey tomorrow, do you beat her?
I don’t know when that fight’s going to be put together, but I wouldn’t even be where I am now if I didn’t think, 'Yes, you tell me tomorrow my next fight is Ronda, I will train for her and I will beat her.' That’s just the way I operate.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Cover your ears, Johny Hendricks.

UFC president Dana White told reporters on Thursday he’ll talk to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre soon. The two haven’t spoken since St-Pierre recorded his eighth consecutive title defense over Nick Diaz at UFC 158 last month.

Expectations have been that St-Pierre (24-4) would face Hendricks (15-1) later this year, but White said that bout would go on hold should St-Pierre express interest in a long-anticipated, lucrative superfight with middleweight champ Anderson Silva.

“I am literally going to call Georges St-Pierre today and see what he wants to do,” White said.

“If Georges says to me, ‘I want to fight Anderson Silva,’ you think I’m going to go, ‘No, you’re not. You’re fighting Johny Hendricks’?”

Silva (33-4) is scheduled to defend his 185-pound title against Chris Weidman at UFC 162 in July. In yet another superfight wrinkle, light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will defend his title against Chael Sonnen at UFC 159 next week in Newark.

White said he’s interested in any fight that involves two of the three champions, saying if both St-Pierre and Jones wanted Silva, “that’s a good problem to have.”

Hendricks would be the clear loser if St-Pierre opts to fight Silva next. The former collegiate wrestler is on a six-fight win streak and was already leapfrogged earlier this year by Diaz, who was coming off a drug suspension.

White said St-Pierre would not vacate the 170-pound title if he took the Silva fight, meaning Hendricks would have to wait or accept another fight.

“If [St-Pierre] lost, he could still go back down and fight Hendricks for the title.”

Mitrione fined, suspended -- but forgiven

UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione has been fined an undisclosed amount and remains suspended for comments made last week regarding transgender fighter Fallon Fox.

The UFC quickly suspended Mitrione following an appearance on “The MMA Hour,” where he referred to Fox as a “freak.” Fox is scheduled for her third pro fight in May.

Mitrione (6-2), who defeated Philip De Fries via first-round knockout earlier this month, spoke with UFC president Dana White following the incident and took responsibility for his actions -- but there is no timetable for his return.

“It’s up to us,” White said regarding Mitrione’s suspension. “I’m not mad at Mitrione. He did something stupid. He knows he didn’t handle it the right way.

“I’m sure he wants to know [when he’ll fight again]. We’ll let him know when we decide. He was fined, too. Enough to make him call me three times.”

• A Brazilian fan attacked UFC light heavyweight Chael Sonnen during an event last weekend in Las Vegas, according to White.

Sonnen, who challenges Jon Jones for the 205-pound title next week at UFC 159, was in Las Vegas to attend "The Ultimate Fighter" finale at Mandalay Bay Events Center. According to White, he was involved in a minor scuffle during the show.

“I don’t know if any of you guys saw this, but he was there shaking hands with fans and one guy says, ‘Chael! Chael!” White said. “Chael goes over there and the guy started swinging at him, trying to punch him. The guy goes, ‘I’m from Brazil!'”

Sonnen (27-12-1) was involved in a heated rivalry with Brazilian middleweight champ Anderson Silva from 2010 to 2012. He went 0-2 in two fights against him.

• Whether his teammate claims the UFC lightweight title on Saturday or not, Nate Diaz says he’s moving back to 170 pounds.

Diaz (16-8) meets lightweight Josh Thomson on Saturday. His teammate, Gilbert Melendez, will look to dethrone champion Ben Henderson in the night’s main event.

Regardless of the outcome of either fight, Diaz says he intends to move back to welterweight, where he compiled a 2-2 record from 2010 to 2011.

“I already fought everybody at lightweight,” Diaz said. “I don’t think there is anything for me in the lightweight division. I already beat everybody or fought everybody. The only person who beat me was Ben. What, I’m going to sit around and fight all the same guys again? That’s boring. There’s no motivation in that.”

• Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner Daniel Cormier still wants to fight UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones -- just maybe not as soon as he once thought.

Cormier (11-1) faces arguably the biggest challenge of his career on Saturday as he takes on former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir in the night’s co-main event.

The former U.S. Olympic wrestler has been quietly shedding weight for a potential trip to the 205-pound division. Cormier’s teammate, Cain Velasquez, currently holds the UFC heavyweight title.

Cormier has publicly expressed interest in fighting Jones previously, but now says he’d probably want a test fight at 205 pounds first. The 34-year-old experienced kidney failure while cutting weight in 2008 but is confident he can make 205.

“At first, I was so emotionally tied to [fighting Jones],” Cormier said. “I’ve thought about it, and I wouldn’t be opposed to fighting one time down there just to see how my body reacts to the weight cut. It would be very difficult to fight him in my first fight, a five-round fight.

“What if I get in a fight and I can’t do anything but wrestle because my arms are tired and my body isn’t responding to the weight cut? I don’t want that guy to be Jon Jones. Seriously, can you imagine standing in with him and not feeling your best?”

LAS VEGAS -- Grocery lines can be awkward when you're a female mixed martial artist.

Miesha Tate, like any UFC fighter, wears the occasional black eye in public. It used to be, in a grocery line, for instance, she would receive a concerned-but-not-sure-how-to-react look from bystanders.

Lately, though, it's more of an I-wonder-if-that-girl-fights-for-a-living look, which is proof (and satisfying proof, at that) to Tate that the presence of women's MMA is growing.

"I've noticed people seem to have the wheels turning now, instead of the worried look I used to get," Tate told ESPN.com. "I think they are starting to think, 'Maybe she's a kickboxer. Maybe she does MMA.'"

"People are starting to wrap their mind around the idea that women do combat sports. It's been kind of cool to see that process."

Tate, who will face Cat Zingano in the second-ever UFC female fight at The Ultimate Fighter Finale on Saturday, has spent a lifetime experiencing that process.

As a high school freshman in Tacoma, Wash., she joined the boys' wrestling team by "default" because it was one of just two sports offered. A handful of other girls floated on and off the team, but Tate was the only one who stuck with it.

Her current boyfriend, UFC bantamweight Bryan Caraway, is widely credited for introducing her to martial arts, but it was actually a persistent neighbor who got Tate to take the first step.

"A neighbor of mine did karate and said, 'Hey, come try this out,'" Tate said. "I had never seen the UFC, and I wasn't interested at first, but she kept being persistent, so finally I went to appease her and learned some jiu-jitsu, and it was awesome."

Fate continued to push Tate toward a career in MMA. She attended her first amateur event as a spectator in 2006, still convinced the striking aspect of the sport wouldn't appeal to her.

By the time that first event was over, Tate was already signed up for her first fight.

“

A lot of people [watching UFC 157] just saw Ronda Rousey, Ronda Rousey, Ronda Rousey, but we haven't had the second UFC fight yet. At this point, people are probably just becoming fans of Ronda but I hope to change that April 13.

” -- Miesha Tate, on growth of women's MMA entering her UFC debut

"I said, 'This isn't about violence or blood, this is about competition,'" Tate said. "It was really beautiful to me. I could see myself doing it, and lo and behold, the referee got on the microphone and announced an all-female fight card in three weeks.

"I gave him my info, and three weeks later, I was fighting."

Fate, it seems, was also intent on providing Tate with a rival in the form of current UFC champion and U.S. judo Olympian Ronda Rousey. The two fought in March 2012 for Tate's Strikeforce title, resulting in a first-round submission win for Rousey.

Rousey has been such an overbearing topic for Tate during interviews, she consciously has started to steer conversations away from her. It's not just that she's sick of talking about Rousey, but she's also eager to show the sport is deeper than one athlete.

"I think [UFC 157] came across probably more as a big moment for Ronda Rousey [than women's MMA] because she's really been pushed hard," Tate said. "But people who read into it more than just who's on the poster, I believe it carries that energy of women's MMA as a whole.

"A lot of people just saw Ronda Rousey, Ronda Rousey, Ronda Rousey, but we haven't had the second UFC fight yet. At this point, people are probably just becoming fans of Ronda, but I hope to change that April 13."

Melvin Guillard says he never tried to keep secret the fact he was charged with multiple counts of assault in New Mexico in 2010.

Guillard is scheduled for a court date to resolve the issue on May 23, but the news had not been widely reported until last month, when an unnamed source at Guillard's former camp, Greg Jackson's MMA, revealed the charges to MMAjunkie.com.

The UFC lightweight admits he was surprised when the charges recently came to light, due to the time that has passed. In the same report, Guillard learned he wasn't welcome back at the facility in Albuquerque to train for an upcoming fight after spending the past two years with the Blackzilians team in South Florida.

"That was never hidden," Guillard told ESPN.com. "That was an incident that happened when I first got to Jackson's. To put it all out there, I'm fighting charges because I was jumped by a general manager and five security guards.

"My hands never touched anybody. There were five fans that I bought drinks for and when they saw me get jumped, they commenced to jump on the security. That's as far as I'm going to get into this. I shouldn't even be saying that much."

Guillard says he is still on good terms with members of Greg Jackson's camp and the Blackzilians. He admitted, though, he was caught off guard by the report on his legal matters.

"It's weird because that happened in early 2010 and now all of a sudden when I try to go back to Jackson's, somebody leaks out that I'm fighting assault charges," Guillard said. "I'm like, 'Wow. It's 2013.'"

The UFC veteran says he has a good attorney representing him and the issue is "all behind me." His focus now rests on a recently announced bout against Mac Danzig at a UFC on Fox event on July 27.

Guillard (30-12-2) has relocated to the Grudge Training Cener in Denver, Colo. to prepare for the bout. He's working primarily with trainers Trevor Wittman, Leister Bowling and UFC heavyweight Pat Barry.

Blackzilians manager Glenn Robinson continues to oversee Guillard's career, despite his move from the team. Guillard said a difference in mental approaches between him and the camp was the main reason for the split.

"I still love all those guys," Guillard said. "I just do think a little bit different with my training. After I do a three-month camp, I'm one of those guys who like to kick back and relax. I feel like they're building an NFL-style team. I'm just not one of those guys. I'm not big on rules when it comes to fighting because I've been doing this for 17 years. I don't want to spend my whole life in the gym."

Guillard's initial plan was to return to Jackson, which has produced good results in the past. He tweeted on March 24 his intent to reunite with the team, only to find out from Internet posts he was no longer welcome.

Long story short, Guillard takes responsibility for the team's decision, citing the timing of his move to the Blackzilians in late 2011.

While he says he didn't intend for it to come across this way, it might have appeared he sided with a rival camp. Blackzilians teammate Rashad Evans was fighting Jackson's Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight title.

"My wife asked me to take a step back and think about if it was me," Guillard said. "If someone left your team to go to an opposing team that is having a big title fight, you think you would be willing to take him back? I said, 'Point well taken.'

"I don't want to get into who voted to take me back and who didn't. I did get to talk to coach Greg personally after the fact and he told me, 'Look, right now we have some guys against it and it's just not a good time, but that doesn't mean you can't come back [eventually].' Greg left it up to the team and I understand that."

Guillard arrived at his new home in Denver on Tuesday, where he plans to live and train for the next 3½ months. He's living in the basement of a "fighter house," owned by the Grudge gym.

His wife got on Skype from the couple's home back east so Guillard could give her a virtual tour of his new digs. The tour, he said, took "two seconds." He shares the house with up to five team members. There is no bed, but he sleeps on "some pretty cool, comfortable cots that aren't so bad."

At 30, with a 1-4 record in his last five fights, Guillard says he doesn't want to spend all day in the gym, but he did want to eliminate distractions from his camp. He brought very few personal belongings to Denver and doesn't even have his own ride.

"I think it's going to take me living in this basement for 3½ months and grinding it out," said Guillard, when asked how he needed to turn his career around. "It's lovely here. I left all my cars at home. I'm catching a ride to practice every day. I think that's what it takes for me, is being focused."

One member from Jackson's who Guillard still considers a teammate is fellow lightweight Donald Cerrone. According to Guillard, Cerrone even extended an invitation for him to stay at his ranch in New Mexico until the camp invited him back.

For Guillard, though, Denver appeared to be the best option. With the UFC trimming its roster lately, Guillard fully believes he won't have a job should he lose to Danzig.

In fact, he's grateful to have a spot now and believes UFC president Dana White only spared him because he accepted a fight on short notice against Cerrone last year.

"The only thing that kept my job after [the last loss] was the fact I took the Cerrone fight," Guillard said. "I stepped up and took a fight and I think Dana commended me on it.

"I've got one foot in [the UFC] and one foot out, but I'll be damned if I let both feet get kicked out. Right now, I'm fighting for my job. I'm not going to get cut from the UFC. I'll die in that ring on July 27th before I let Danzig take my job from me."

Canadian lightweight Mike Ricci is in for some night on March 16.

In the span of about six years, Ricci has gone from a novice martial artist learning Kung Fu out of books to a meeting with Colin Fletcher on the main card of UFC 158.

The event takes place in his hometown of Montreal. Several of his Tristar Gym teammates are on the card, including welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

"It's going to be a moment I'll never forget, right?" Ricci told ESPN.com. "These are definitely the ones that matter -- the ones you'll always remember."

Ricci, 26, has traveled an interesting path.

It truly began when he met trainer Firas Zahabi at Tristar, about six months after he'd been training himself and attending random classes. He drove to the Montreal suburbs to attend a class taught by St-Pierre, who he knew little about at the time.

"I heard 'GSP,' who is this GSP guy?" Ricci said. "I heard he was teaching classes so I drove over to a small gym in South Shore, which is like country area, and trained with him. That was the first time I met Georges."

Ricci compiled a 5-0 record to start his career, suffered a brutal knockout loss to current Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran in 2010, nearly retired, then eventually earned a roster spot on the 16th season of "The Ultimate Fighter."

Things were far from easy on Ricci once he got into the TUF house. In addition to the social strains the show has on contestants, the season featured welterweights -- meaning Ricci was fighting up a weight class.

"It was short notice," said Ricci. "I didn't have time to effectively gain weight. I could have ballooned up, but I didn't think it would be beneficial. My first fight at welterweight I won by TKO. Dropping a guy that size, I thought, 'Wow. I can hurt guys at this weight.' It gave me a boost of confidence right from the go."

Ricci went on to win all three of his fights in the house and advanced to the finals against Colton Smith in December. Given the very difficult time he had in the house, it almost seemed fitting something would go wrong in the finale.

Seven weeks prior to the fight, Ricci suffered a knee injury that would significantly shorten his camp. Colton smothered him throughout three rounds for the decision.

"When I went back home [from the TUF house], I really should have taken a break," Ricci said. "I ended up tearing my LCL in my knee. I was on the sideline for four weeks. I was ill-prepared. It probably would have been best to back out. Right away [in the fight] I thought, 'I'm in deep water. This guy is prepared. He has a good strategy.'"

Ricci is back where he wants to be this month, at 155 pounds. The opportunity to fight in his hometown in the packed Bell Centre is, in some ways, the reward for the path he's traveled, but hopefully the start of a new one, too.

"In my case, I feel I've improved by fighting at 170 pounds," Ricci said. "Adjusting to that different level of power and what not, it really taught me how to be a different fighter."

As a sports analyst, sometimes you need to know when to just get out of the way.

In the spirit of that, below are straight highlights from Thursday's national media call featuring UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and No. 1 contender Nick Diaz, who will meet at UFC 158 on March 16 in Montreal.

Diaz (26-8) has long lobbied for a fight against St-Pierre (26-8). He vacated the Strikeforce title to fight St-Pierre in 2011, but a series of circumstances have delayed the fight until now.

There were media members on Thursday's call (as well as other fighters), but it mostly came down to a conversation between the two headliners.

Diaz: I just think I should be given the credit I deserve. Georges St-Pierre should be given the sort of decorated opponent he deserves and I'm hardly that from the fans' perspective. That makes me pretty angry. He can talk about disrespect, but I'm disrespectful only because I would like the acknowledgement I've got over the last month. I'm not out here trying to make friends. Disrespectful, what? I think it's disrespectful for people to act like I'm not important.

St-Pierre: [On if he's seen the #GSPDarkPlace tweets] I have not seen it. I never tweet once in my life. I have people doing it for me. I'm not into social media at all.

Diaz: I don't know what he's going through with the whole "dark side" or whatever. I know where the f--- I come from. I don't have to like, dredge up some bull--- to get everybody excited, or whatever ... [to St-Pierre] You've got to wonder how the f--- you're coming off if you never pay attention to the Internet. Now you're over here doing, 'I'm from the dark side' mode. I don't know.

Me and Georges St-Pierre are different. I'm always looking past my opponent ... I look past every opponent to get to the No. 1 spot in the welterweight division, then I look past that. If it were up to me, I would take that fight against Anderson Silva. I would say, 'Yeah, of course.' ... I would gratefully accept a fight against the 185-pound champion or the 155-pound champion. I would take either fight and I think I could beat either guy.

My life's a mess. I'm not afraid to admit it. I work through this s---. I don't have people toweling me off and handing me water bottles left and right. I got to do all that s--- on my own. I don't have people sending tweets out for me.

[St-Pierre is asked if he is "pampered" and Diaz interrupts ...]

Diaz: I hope so motherf---er! If I had that much money I'd be pampering myself the f--- up! I'd be having motherf---er pampering my s--- left and f---ing right! Every hour on the hour, showing up to pamper me out.

St-Pierre: Let me tell you something, you uneducated fool. Listen to me.

Diaz: Uneducated? Right, OK. I do a great job explaning and making things real for what they are, motherf---er. I'm not stupid. I can tell what's what.

St-Pierre: Yeah, you look pretty smart right now.

Diaz: No, I'll listen. Say what you're going to say. I can understand you the way the rest of the people in this world should understand you.

St-Pierre: I've not always been like this: rich. I started at the bottom and I've worked very hard to make myself where I am right now. I know you don't believe this because you didn't succeed yet and maybe you will never succeed in your life because I don’t think you're smart enough to understand how you should reach that point. When you talk about stuff people do for me, when you reach a point for your business you need a team to work for you, to make the money rolling.

Diaz: That sounds nice, Georges. If I wore tight shorts up there and got a f---ing haircut and had somebody butter me up halfway through with this bulls---, maybe it would have worked out.

St-Pierre: You don't know anything about me, man. You think I'm born rich. I am not, my friend. You're not the only jealous guy trying to take my place ... If you are where you are and I'm where I am, it's not my fault.

Diaz: I was never placing any blame or pointing any fingers at you. You're the one f---ing rapping about how you're not pampered, you are pampered -- whatever. Answer the question.

St-Pierre: I don't even know what that means. I don't understand half the words you are saying because of your English -- I speak English better than you.

Diaz: You're out of line, bro. Straight up. You understand that, right?

St-Pierre: You seriously believe I'm afraid of you, man?

Diaz: I seriously believe you told that to the cameras [that] I deserve to be beat down. To get in this position, I deserve to be beat down? You're making those statements to the whole world? You let Dana [White] talk like I'm the most disrespectful person you've ever met? Check it out, I pull up to a stoplight the other day and some f---ing 40-year-old lady, some soccer mom, sticks her head out the window and goes, 'I hope GSP beats your ass!' We're in [Lodi, Calif.], are you serious? You hope Georges beats my ass, that's wonderful. You know what? When you say something, everybody believes it. Everybody wants to know what Georges think and what Georges says. They want to wear tight shorts like Georges.

St-Pierre: Are you listening to yourself, Nick?

Diaz: Fine, fine, for the fans. I'm some crazy motherf---er, but you know where I'm coming from, bro. You understand every word I'm saying right now. You're over here trying to talk s---, why don't you just drop it. We're going to out and have a fight.

St-Pierre: You are the right guy. We're fighting each other because you're the No. 1 guy. The fact there is animosity is good for the fight. I don't wish you a bad life. It's a fight. I want to win. We all want to be champion. There can only be one guy. We could die out there. It's a dangerous sport we do and that's why there is a lot of tension. The best man will win and that's it.

In case you missed it: Diego Sanchez returned to the cage last weekend.

He missed weight in his first attempt to cut to 155 since 2009. He edged Takanori Gomi via split decision, looking just OK in the process (ESPN.com writer Josh Gross graded Sanchez's performance a C+, which sounds right). Then he called out Nate Diaz.

So, what is there to really take from Sanchez's return? Does Diaz make sense next?

Sanchez (24-5) is an interesting subject, especially when viewing him through a matchmaker's eye. Fans love him. He's one of the originals; a cast member of the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter." He's given us five fight of the nights, some spectacular UFC walkouts and the single greatest moment of any MMA Awards show to date.

In terms of being an elite fighter at this point in his career, that's up for debate. He's 3-1 in his last four, but is he a title contender? Respectfully, no. He's only 31, but hasn't always taken the best care of his body. He gets hit often. He's too small for the welterweight division and too slow for the best lightweights.

Seeing him take on Diaz (whether Diaz defeats Josh Thomson in April or not), I have to say, doesn't excite me too much. Sanchez made a good sell. The fight would deliver action (although, likely one-sided action) and it was a smart move to bring up the win he earned over Nate's older brother in 2005.

My problem is we can pretty much guess the outcome of that fight. Kind of like how we could somewhat guess the outcome of this fight against Gomi. Regardless of who won, we knew the two were evenly matched. We knew neither one is really a title contender. We didn't learn much.

To me, the best way to look at Sanchez now is this: Let's say you've found yourself a good walking stick, but you want to test out its strength before hiking through the mountains with it. So, you go ahead and bash that stick against a rock a few times.

In this scenario, Sanchez is the rock. He's a tough, durable, stationery object. You get a prospect you think is good, but you're not quite sure yet and you bash him against Sanchez. And I'm not saying make him a stepping stone to bolster a younger fighter's career, because I still believe Sanchez wins his share of those fights.

Here are several opponents I'd rather see Sanchez fight next, over Diaz: Edson Barboza, Michael Chiesa, Daron Cruickshank, Tony Ferguson, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

It's probably not a popular list. Generally, fans like to see two guys they're familiar with. If the UFC truly needs to cut close to half the lightweights on its roster though, I'd rather see Sanchez test these guys (and himself) than get lit up by Diaz, who holds such a stylistic advantage over him.

For the record, when Stefan Struve looks in the mirror, he sees the same thing everyone else sees when they first look at him: a really, really tall guy.

The 7-foot Struve is well aware of the physical advantage he holds in the UFC heavyweight division. He also knows he hasn’t always used that advantage as well as he should. That's the one focus the 25-year-old has right now in his career.

You know your size is unique. Now use it to your advantage.

"When I first got into the UFC, I tried to get the win a little too hard," Struve told ESPN.com. "Sometimes I would fight at their distance and on their terms. That shouldn't be the case with my size. Everybody should be fighting on my terms -- my distance. [In previous fights] I've put myself in position for guys to tee off on me. That shouldn't happen."

Struve (25-5) has been one of the most consistent heavyweights in the UFC in the past three years, winning nine of 12 fights in the Octagon. The three losses, however, have all come in devastating, first-round knockout fashion.

That outcome is certainly a possibility in Struve's upcoming fight against Mark Hunt (8-7), which will serve as the co-main event in this weekend's UFC on Fuel event in Japan. Of Hunt's eight professional wins, five have come via knockout.

Since his last appearance -- a TKO win over Stipe Miocic in September -- Struve says he's added between 15 and 20 pounds of muscle to his frame. On Friday, he plans to actually cut five pounds of water weight to make the 265-pound limit.

The weight gain apparently came somewhat naturally, as Struve says he must have hit a second "growth spurt." He also said he added another daily meal to his diet.

So, does that means he's eating four meals per day?

"Instead of six meals and two shakes, I eat seven meals a day," Struve said. "I'm on a really healthy diet. I lift two to three times per week. I've been working with the same strength coach for four years and the plan was not to gain too fast."

Struve has a similar plan when it comes to the UFC title -- nothing too fast. He quickly accepted Saturday's matchup against Hunt, despite the fact the same fight was scheduled last May, and he's posted two wins since then.

He passes on the opportunity to criticize No. 1 heavyweight contender Antonio Silva, who is set to face Cain Velasquez at UFC 160 despite being dominated by Velasquez less than one year ago. Struve calls the fight, "the most logical choice."

That said, Struve needs no reminder that a win over Hunt would extend his win streak to five. That's tops in the UFC, not counting Strikeforce newcomer Daniel Cormier.

"Anything can happen, so first I want to get my win [on Saturday]," Struve said. "Then we'll see what happens. If I win this fight, I'll be a on a five-fight win streak. I'm the only guy on a five-fight win streak, so I think I have a pretty strong bid to be the top contender."

The UFC middleweight landscape is wide open for a guy like Rashad Evans to make a run at Anderson Silva -- but that doesn’t guarantee he will.

Evans, who fights Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in a 205-pound bout at UFC 157, became an instant candidate to fight Silva over the weekend when Vitor Belfort knocked out Michael Bisping at a UFC on FX card in Brazil.

A former champion in the light heavyweight division, Evans (17-2-1) talked about a move to middleweight in 2012 but ultimately decided against it. His manager, Glenn Robinson, downplayed rumors of a move, saying he’d only do so to fight Silva.

That apparently hasn’t changed, as Evans said he wouldn’t force himself to drop another 20 pounds if it meant he’d be in the same position he’s currently in at 205.

“I guess if it was a title shot or against a really good, top contender where it would be something people would want to see, I would think about it,” Evans told ESPN.com.

“I’m already at the top of my division. For me to go down to 185, I’ve got to start over and prove myself. I’m good at 205, who’s to say I’d be the same fighter at 185?”

There’s been much speculation as to how difficult or easy a weight cut would be for Evans. Many fans point to his height of 5-foot-11 (well below average for a light heavyweight) and wonder: How hard could it be?

Evans, for one, believes it will be incredibly hard. The 33-year-old, who has competed at heavyweight, says it’s become harder to keep his weight down. His weight between fights has no trouble reaching over 230 pounds.

“It would be a lifestyle change,” Evans said. “I don’t look it because I’m short, but naturally my body goes to like 235 when I’m not consistently training. I would really have to change everything about my diet on a daily basis.

“It’s a big question mark for me. Once I moved past 30, my body started changing. It used to be real easy making 205, but now I’ve really got to focus and pay attention to what I put into my body.”

An immediate title shot for Evans in a weight class he’s never fought would likely not draw the same ire from fans that an April fight between Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones has.

Reason being that while it was widely perceived Sonnen talked his way into that opportunity, Evans is viewed as an elite light heavyweight who just happened to be unfortunate enough to run into the “Jon Jones era.”

Evans, for one, believes he could be the first man in the Octagon to hand Silva a loss, but it doesn’t sound as though he’s willing to put the strain on his body of making 185 unless he knows that’s on the table.

“He’s one of my favorite fighters to watch,” Evans said. “When my career is all said and done, I want to be able to say I competed against some of the best guys in history.

“To be able to say I went against the best guy and beat the best guy? I believe I can beat Anderson Silva. The skills I have are something he’d have a hard time dealing with.”

Should Michael Bisping earn his long-awaited title shot this weekend with a win over Vitor Belfort in Sao Paulo, Brazil, he wouldn't just be the most deserving middleweight to fight Anderson Silva.

In his eyes, he would be the most deserving title contender the UFC has ever had.

"One million percent," Bisping told ESPN.com. "I've been here for seven years fighting the best consistently, and I've never had a title shot. Yeah, I'd say I'm by far the most deserving and I'm the most complete fighter Anderson has ever fought."

Agree or disagree, you can at least see his point.

Saturday will mark Bisping's 18th appearance in the Octagon, where he has compiled a lifetime 13-4 record. Only two men, Chris Lytle and Chris Leben, have ever fought more and never received a title shot.

During that time, Silva has fought some (to put it nicely) questionable competition according to Bisping. "Here's a good one: Patrick Cote," Bisping said. The mere mention of the name Thales Leites evokes expletives.

As Bisping looks to finally cash in on his title shot opportunity, he took a walk down Memory Lane with ESPN.com to remember the ride here in his own words:

April 21, 2007. UFC 70: Second-round TKO over Elvis Sinosic

It was the first time I fought in Manchester and that was a dream come true. Elvis is a nice guy but I put a beating on him. In the first round, I went out and ground and pounded him pretty hard and at the end of the round, I got up and was in my corner and he didn't even get off the floor. His corner was attending to him as he was lying on the floor where I'd left him and I was thinking, "Really? This fight looks like it should be over." Anyway, the referee started the fight again and he actually caught me with a knee and got me in a Kimura that nearly snapped my arm. I gutted it out, reversed the position and finished him in the second round.

Nov. 17, 2007. UFC 78: Split-decision loss to Rashad Evans

That was my first main event for the UFC. There was this huge billboard in Times Square in New York. It was weird, walking through Times Square and seeing that, being this guy from a small town in England. That was mind-blowing for me. The fight was very close. I thought I won but it was a coin toss -- it was really that close. After that fight I went to 185 and the reason I did was because the day of the weigh-ins, when everyone was cutting weight and Rashad was in a sauna probably cutting 10-to-15 pounds, I was in a Chinese restaurant eating noodles and drinking 7-Up. I knew I was perhaps a bit undersized for the light heavyweight division at that point and wasn't making the sacrifices I needed to be at the top.

April 19, 2008. UFC 83: First-round TKO over Charles McCarthy

I went from not cutting weight to cutting too much. I got far too skinny. I actually dieted all the way down to 185 pounds. I saw Eddie Bravo in the elevator the morning of the weigh-in. I had gone down to check my weight. It was about 7 a.m. and he asked, "How's the weight?" I said, "Oh, I'm right on it. I'm 186." I hadn't done anything to cut and he said, "My God, you could cut to welterweight." And I thought he was right. That fight, Charles McCarthy talked a good game and actually said he was going to break my arm because he was a submission expert. As it happened, I got him in a Thai clinch and kneed him 25 times consecutively and broke his arm. So, that was rather ironic.

July 11, 2009. UFC 100: Second-round KO loss to Dan Henderson

I knew that fight was coming for about nine months and I over-trained. I went into that fight massively over-trained, malnourished. When I look back on that now, I was so skinny I can't believe it. Up until that fight, I honestly thought I could go in there with anyone and never get knocked out because I had never really got hit in my career. I learned I was wrong the hard way. My boxing coach was screaming at me, "You're [circling] the wrong way!" People like to talk s--- and say, "Oh yeah Bisping, you went the wrong way," but Dan was actually doing a very good job of cutting the ring off so I couldn't go that way. So all these fairies on the Internet, if they knew what they were talking about they'd shut up for a second because Dan was cutting the ring off. He hit me on the jaw and knocked me out. It was a well-thrown punch and I give credit to him.

Feb. 20, 2010. UFC 110: Unanimous-decision loss to Wanderlei Silva

I think Wanderlei jumped on the bandwagon because I'd never met him and he was still going on and on about, "No one likes Michael Bisping." He was driving me crazy, to be honest. At the press conference he sounded like a moron. He was saying, "Yeah, I don't like him. I don't like him." And one of the press said, "Well, why don't you like him?" He didn't even have an answer. We hadn't even spoke and I was trying to be respectful because, you know, Wanderlei is a legend, but then he went down that road so I started to go fire with fire and talked back. I clearly dominated that fight. I hit him with a great right hand in the second round. It wobbled him. His eyes were dancing but whenever I hit him, the crowd wouldn't do anything. He'd throw a punch and miss me, and the crowd would go into fits. I think that swayed the judges. In my mind, that was a clear robbery.

Oct. 16, 2010. UFC 120: Unanimous-decision win over Yoshihiro Akiyama

It was just a great fight. What did he do … Oh, he said I kicked him in the balls in the round. He took a little nap. He took about 10 minutes lying on the floor. I thought he was going to go to sleep. I thought his corner might bring him a little pillow. He was on the verge of being stopped but he took a nap in Round 3 and recovered. In the first round, the first 10 seconds, he went boom and hit me with a real good right hand. It definitely wobbled me and I thought, "Oh, you bastard." I couldn't believe it. I gathered my senses and got myself on cruise control from there.

Feb. 27, 2011. UFC 127: Second-round TKO over Jorge Rivera

Jorge Rivera. I used to fight on a show called Cage Rage in London and Rivera fought there a couple times. We chatted a little and I don't know, I had respect for Jorge. Nothing against him. Then he was supposed to fight in Germany and his opponent pulled out so they told Jorge he was fighting me. I hadn't even heard it myself and he does this video in Germany saying, "Yeah, I want to hurt Bisping bad." I hadn't spoken to the guy in years, so that pissed me off. Then he and his team make absolute fools of themselves making those YouTube videos, talking about myself and making insinuations about my girlfriend. You've got to realize, you can't mock people on the Internet and expect nothing. If you go and make videos of me, if I get my hands on you, you're going to pay for it. He made a mistake, he pissed me right off and I went out there and gave him a good, old-fashioned a--whooping and we never heard from Jorge again.

Dec. 3, 2011. TUF 14 Finale: Third-round TKO over Jason Miller

Jason talked a good game on "The Ultimate Fighter" and several times he put his hands on me and my assistant coaches said, "Mike, you can't let Jason keep poking you like this on camera." What am I going to do? I've got three children at home. I'm a professional fighter. I'm not going to brawl with him. I actually had a real bad chest infection for that fight. I trained my a-- off and my cardio was good, but my lungs were on fire. Believe me. It took about an hour or two in the locker room until the pain went away.

Jan. 28, 2012. UFC on Fox 2: Unanimous-decision loss to Chael Sonnen

Had I won that fight, I would have been fighting for the title. There was no trash talk. Chael was cool. It was all business. The fight went well. First round was close, second round was close, third round was definitely his. Before they announced the decision, Chael said to me, "What do you think?" I said, "Honestly, I think I got the first two." He said, "I think you're right, buddy." They gave the fight to Chael. What can you say? Then he went and did his "Dancing With The Stars" impersonation and fell over. I certainly would have given Anderson Silva a better fight than what Chael did. Was it a robbery? No. Do I think I won the fight? Yes.

Benson Henderson’s first year in the UFC was 2011, but you might say the former WEC lightweight champion truly arrived in 2012.

Henderson was easily one of the most impressive figures in the Octagon in 2012 and it all started with a 155-pound title fight against reigning champion Frankie Edgar at UFC 144 in Saitama, Japan.

Edgar entered the fight with momentum, having knocked out Gray Maynard in their trilogy fight four months earlier. No one, though, expected a title defense to be any easier against Henderson -- one of the biggest lightweights in the division.

The defending champion fought a tactical first round. Edgar had developed a reputation for taking damage early, then rallying in later rounds. It didn’t happen in Japan, as all three judges scored the first frame 10-9 in his favor.

That time would eventually come, though. Fighting off his back after a late takedown by Edgar in the second round, Henderson landed a brutal upkick under Edgar's nose that would affect him the rest of the fight.

In fact, the defending champion would fail to win a single round after the kick. The elusive boxing style that frustrated BJ Penn and Maynard in previous title fights couldn't do the same to Henderson. While Edgar was never close to being finished in the fight, Henderson ran away with the scorecards: 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47.

A theme developed in the fight. It was the same one that showed up in the Maynard fights but it was more evident at UFC 144. Edgar landed with more frequency, but when Henderson connected on his punches it just did ... more. That theme is a big reason we’ll see Edgar fight guys closer to his size in 2013 when he debuts in the featherweight division.

LAS VEGAS -- Donald Cerrone still wants to fight Anthony Pettis, but after another blow to Pettis’ health was reported this week, ‘Cowboy’ might be done waiting for it to happen.

Pettis was hospitalized on Monday with a staph infection in his elbow. The Milwaukee-based fighter is hoping for a quick release, but the news jeopardizes a highly anticipated fight between he and Cerrone, expected to take place in January.

Cerrone admitted to ESPN.com he doesn’t believe Pettis is avoiding him, but after fighting only twice in 2012, the itch to simply get back in the cage is growing.

“We were supposed to go in Denver, no,” Cerrone said. “OK, we’ll be ready in December. No, now we’ll actually be ready in January. Now is it February, March? How long can you just (wait) -- I don’t know.

“I understand the guy is hurt, but I got bills to pay, too.”

A fight between the two lightweights is expected to determine the next No. 1 contender. Current champion Ben Henderson is scheduled to defend the belt against Nate Diaz at a UFC on Fox event on Dec. 8.

Due to his current standing in the division, Cerrone (19-4-1) might not be a guy the UFC wants to throw in against anyone -- as they did in 2011 when he fought five times.

While he’s willing to take any fight, even if it’s a welterweight matchup, it’s clear the promotion is looking at him as a potential champion.

“Joe (Silva’s) attitude is, ‘Why would you want to go from the top of the division to fight somebody in the middle and potentially risk everything,’” Cerrone said. “My management team says the same thing, ‘You should want the belt.’ I do want that belt.

“(The Pettis fight) is the No. 1 contendership. Of course it means something to me. That’s the ultimate goal is to get that title. That makes sense. Does waiting on him make sense? I don’t know.”

Cerrone had planned to start training camp on Nov. 1 in anticipation of a January fight. For now, he says he remains in limbo. His next step will be talk it over with his team and determine how long he’s willing to continue waiting.

“At this point, if they call me tomorrow and say, ‘We need you next week,’ I’ll be game,” he said. “I don’t know what the next step is.”

LAS VEGAS -- Stephan Bonnar will never be remembered as the greatest fighter of all time. His upcoming opponent at UFC 153, Anderson Silva, might.

But that won’t matter when Bonnar enters the cage in Brazil on Oct. 13. He only needs to be better than Silva for one night.

The 35-year-old Bonnar says it’s hard not to notice the stars aligning for this fight. He was effectively retired from mixed martial arts before getting the call to fight Silva -- an opportunity so unexpected he refused to believe it at first.

He is the heaviest underdog ever in a UFC main event and there’s something about meeting the best fighter in the world in his own backyard that is so movie script.

Bonnar just so happened to be helping another fighter train when he got the call, which forced him to get in shape, and he trains regularly at a Muay Thai facility in Las Vegas with a sparring partner, Chidi Njokuani, who is capable of mimicking Silva.

Want to keep going? Bonnar and his wife, Andrea, are expecting their first child later this month.

All of that might sound like fate to some. Nick Blomgren, Bonnar’s head coach, has a much simpler take on his guy’s chances to pull off the miracle.

“Bonnar is a man, not a punk,” Blomgren told ESPN.com. “He’s going to go out there, put on his best effort and show them this is what he’s made of. He might not be that talented guy who can move like Silva, but he works hard in the gym.

“You might beat the guy up real bad in the first round, but if he’s still in your face in the third round, that kind of disheartens you.”

Bonnar (15-7) recently sat down to give his thoughts on coming out of retirement and taking on Silva with just three weeks to prepare.

What does this opportunity mean to you at this point in your career?
Very rarely does a great opportunity come along, even if it is a long-shot opportunity. That’s the story of my life, though. I don’t have the best luck; I’m kind of the bad-luck kid. But every once in awhile a great opportunity comes along and I take advantage of it. I think I did that with Season 1 [of “The Ultimate Fighter.”]
Do you see this fight with Silva as the defining moment of your career?
It’s the defining moment of my whole life. Everything I’ve gone through, all the martial arts training I’ve done, MMA fights, boxing matches, wrestling, grappling -- this is a culmination of it all. It’s all meant to be. It’s perfect. It feels like the stars are aligning just like it did on that magical night for the UFC when I fought Forrest [Griffin].

When the UFC didn’t give you the big names you were looking for or the TUF coaching job against Forrest Griffin, was it ever hard not to be bitter?
It’s nothing to be bitter about. What [Dana White] thinks a fighter should be after and what I think are different. He’s all about the guys who are hungry and chasing the title. Honestly, I’ve never really cared about the title. I just fought because it was a fun challenge to get in there and give it your all. I hear Chael [Sonnen] say, "If I never win a title my career is a failure," and I never felt like that. He wants guys coaching TUF who want the title. I guess I should have lied to him and said I was, but I was just being honest. His theory is, if you’re not chasing the title you should hang it up and retire. All right, if you’re not going to give me the TUF coaching gig and I’m not hungry for the title, maybe I will just hang it up.

Is it hard at all to remain confident when oddsmakers have you at 13-1?
I wish I were 100-1. I eat that up. It feels good to me. I retweet the ones who tell me, “You’re gonna get killed, you don’t stand a chance, you’re garbage Bonnar.” Yeah, retweet! That’s all the more sweeter when I go out there and do what I’m going to do.

Vitor Belfort nearly pulled off a submission against Jon Jones as a heavy underdog in the last UFC pay-per-view. Did that give you any extra spark?
It just goes to show you only need a little opening, a little window. That’s all you need in MMA. That’s why I love the sport. If one team [in another sport] is down 50 points in the fourth quarter, everyone walks out of the stadium. In fighting, you always have a chance until the final bell rings. Vitor showed that. He almost pulled off a pretty big upset. Matt Serra gave me a call after he heard about the fight and said, "It doesn’t suck shocking the world."

TORONTO -- When Vitor Belfort agreed to fight light heavyweight champion Jon Jones on short notice, there were a few luxuries he probably knew he'd forfeit.

Enough time to scientifically add weight was one of them.

Belfort returns this weekend to the light heavyweight division for the first time in five years, and one has to wonder how the extra 20 pounds will affect him.

During a recent interview with media members, Belfort admitted he didn't even realize it had been so long since he fought at this weight. He mistakenly answered his last fight in the division was against Rich Franklin in 2009. Actually, Vitor, it was September 2007 when you fought for the 205-pound title in another promotion, Cage Rage.

"It's been a long time, wow," Belfort responded. "It's a great challenge."

Belfort the middleweight is not entirely different from Belfort the light heavyweight, but there is a marked difference. His face is much fuller this week; his upper body as well. He doesn't look out of shape by any means, but he looks big.

The greatest concern with moving up in weight in a short time frame -- especially if you're fighting Jones -- is loss of speed.

Mario Sperry, head trainer of Belfort's current team, the Blackzillians, acknowledged his fighter would have to close distances quickly and explosively against Jones. He also said, believe it or not, Belfort has shown greater speed at this weight.

"You know, it's funny, I find him faster right now because he's stronger," Sperry told ESPN.com. "When he's fighting at 185 pounds, he spends so much time cutting weight he forgets about training. He was so relaxed that he's training much better. He’s at least the same speed -- and I swear, I think he’s even faster.”

The second concern would be stamina -- again, a concern that's heightened by the style in which Jones fights.

When asked specifically about the potential of fighting 25 minutes, Belfort answered endurance is more mental for him than physical. The extra weight shouldn't matter.

"It's all mind," Belfort said. "Today, it's a lot about science. I came from an era where you just do what you love. As far as I know, I've got five rounds. One minute of rest, then a round. I'm focusing on the five minutes; every minute, make it everything I've got. It's all about mentality. When the body cannot take it, it's about the mind."

Stylistically, Belfort has been accused in recent fights of "freezing" in the cage -- being too stationary, standing in front of his opponent.

Whether that's because at 35 he can't maintain the pace he did early in his career, or a simple strategy change, is up for debate. Sperry says it's hard for fans to tell exactly what's going on in the cage when they are unfamiliar with the ins and outs of each fighter.

"It's easy to say from the outside," Sperry said. "What he does is focus and calibrate his weapon. It's not just go out there and throw punches at will. He has to calibrate, get the distance and that's exactly what he does."

Belfort's adjustment to the weight class is, of course, just one aspect of what oddsmakers have deemed a lopsided fight.

As Sperry put it, the greatest challenge in taking on Jones on short notice wasn't figuring out weight, getting into shape for a five-round fight, or anything like that. It's Jon Jones.

"He's the man to be beaten," Sperry said. "His game is pretty complete. He's got an amazing reach. Whenever you cut this reach, you are in short distance, now you can be taken down. If you are taken down, you have to put up with his ground and pound.

"His game and strategy is dangerous. That was the biggest issue."