Forget Nate Marquardt or Rick Story; Anthony Johnson believes Charlie Brenneman is a better opponent.

Say what? The wrestler with the curl-fro better than two heavy-handed and dynamic veterans sacked by circumstance?

"He's the kid that nobody knew about – he's like, an overnight sensation," Johnson said today. "He possesses a lot."

Johnson (9-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) and Brenneman (14-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) meet at UFC on Versus 6, which takes place Saturday at Verizon Center in Washingon, D.C. The main card, including Johnson vs. Brenneman, airs live on the Versus channel.

Few were hip to Brenneman's talent three months ago. Forget what he possessed; hardly anyone knew his name when he stepped in on short notice for the beleaguered Marquardt to fight Story in the main event of UFC on Versus 5, where he earned a huge upset.

Brenneman wasn't too far off the mark when he joked after the fight that UFC president Dana White would finally remember his name.

To Johnson, the win wasn't a particularly shocking turn of events. Sure, Brenneman was ranked on welterweight lists somewhere near "participant." But he knew not to pay attention to those.

"As you saw, I think Jake Ellenberger is ranked maybe in the top-10," Johnson said. "He is a top-10 fighter in my opinion. And Jake Shields was ranked three or four. You saw what happened. Rankings mean nothing. Tito (Ortiz) beat Ryan Bader. You go out and fight, and the best man will always win."

And with Brenneman's wrestling skills, Johnson sees a significant threat to take seriously. Forget the fact that "The Spanaird" isn't well-known. That just means he hasn't been promoted yet.

"Finishing Charlie I think is going to be really tough because he's a wrestler," Johnson said. "Wrestling is the oldest sport in the world by far, and it takes such a mental effect on you. You can't just hit a wrestler one time and think he's going to go down. It doesn't work like that. You've got to keep punching and punching. That's what I'll do with Charlie."

If he wins, Johnson could lay claim to a spot high in the welterweight division. He most recently beat onetime welterweight title-challenger Dan Hardy, and he has four wins via TKO or KO on his UFC record. Earlier in his career, he'd fallen short to wrestlers and high-level grapplers. But with a rout of Brenneman, that would make him far more attractive for a future title shot, as no man with grappling deficiencies is taken seriously in a potential title fight with current champ Georges St-Pierre.

That's all well and good, Johnson said, but you'll forgive him if he pays no mind to whatever people are saying about the welterweight ladder. He's trying not to jinx himself.

"You see people be ranked in the top 10 all of a sudden get derailed," Johnson said. "Dan Hardy was ranked No. 4 at one point. Where is Dan Hardy now? Nothing against him; that's just how it goes. In this weight class, anybody can hold that position and be in the top 10 and be taken out of the top 10. That's just how it is at 170."

Given Johnson's talent for knocking out opponents, it's without question that Brenneman will try to take the fight to the mat early and often when they meet Saturday. Johnson has his hands full. He's no slouch on the mat, but he very well could spend 15 minutes on his back.

Preparing for that possibility has kept Johnson more than occupied, and he's confident that he can send Brenneman back into obscurity.

"He fits my style perfectly," Johnson said. "I think I have all the tools to stop whatever he does. He can go 100 percent. I can go 100 percent, too."

 Just a few short weeks ago Carlos Condit was preparing for the biggest fight of his life, a title eliminator with MMA legend BJ Penn. The man dubbed "The Natural Born Killer" debuted at UFC

Fight Night Kampman vs. Condit in April of 2009. The former WEC welterweight champion dropped a very close split decision to Kampman that night in Nashville,Tennessee. Since that night Carlos began his assault on the UFC welterweight division winning four straight against more then stellar competition. During that span he handed Dong Hyun Kim and freakishly talented Rory Macdonald their first professional losses. He also beat former title contender Dan Hardy and rising star Jake Ellenberger. This is still Ellenbergers only loss in the UFC. If that's not impressive enough, Condit finished three of the four fighters by KO or TKO.
 
When Nick Diaz was pulled from the title fight against Georges St. Pierre, it was a very easy decision for the UFC brass on who would replace him in the UFC 137 main event. There was no other welterweight who had the resume of Condit did over the last 2 years. I got the chance to talk to Carlos over the weekend about his incredible opportunity and his rise in one of the toughest divisions in the world.
 
Michael Fleig- Congratulations on the big fight and thank you for the interview, how has training been going for you?
 
Carlos Condit- "Training has been going awesome, the best camp of my career for sure."

Mike Fleig- Do you do anything differently now because it's a title fight, or do you keep it similar because of your success?
 
Carlos Condit- "This camp has been about a month and a half or two months longer than a usual camp. I honestly haven't taken any time off since my last fight. Other than traveling a little bit but when I was in town I was training and making improvements. So the biggest difference was the length, other than that it has been close to the usual."

Mike Fleig- "When you got the news about getting the title shot against Georges, what was your initial reaction and who gave you the news?

Carlos Condit- "Um, I was blown away, I got pretty emotional. I started to tear up. Which was pretty awesome because I was in public, I had to try to compose myself thinking of all the hard work that got me to this point. My manager Malki Kawa was the one who I got the call from."

Mike Fleig- Obviously you are fighting Georges St Pierre, one of the pound for pound best and possibly one of the greats the sport has ever seen. So what do you think of your new UFC 137 opponent?

Carlos Condit- " I've always been a big fan of Georges, I've admired his style and kinda of the way he carries himself and I'm honored to get in their and challenge him for the belt and step in the cage with him. With all that aside I think that I'm the best welterweight in the world and I've been trying to prove that every single time I get in their and this fight is going to be no different."

Mike Fleig- GSP and yourself are associated with the Greg Jackson Camp, so how often have you and Georges actually trained together?

Carlos Condit- "We actually never did. There was a time or two when we were training in the gym at the same time, but I think we kind of seen this fight on the horizon. We were always cool and always friendly with each other but he would kind of be doing his thing and I would be doing my own thing. We have never sparred and that would be the best way to get to know somebodies style."

Mike Fleig- What did you think of the whole Nick Diaz situation?

Carlos Condit- " It's a great opportunity for me, but I think whether Nick did what he did or he didn't, I still think I deserve the title shot. I didn't get it by default or anything like that. With that being said it's unfortunate for him. At this stage of the game it's not just fighting. It's selling the fights, you got to show up and do the P.R. It's not always fun but it's part of it. So it is unfortunate for Nick, he kind of blew his opportunity and I think he would have been a tough challenge for Georges. But you got to do the footwork and sell the fight."

Mike Fleig- When you have these wins over guys like Rory Macdonald and Jake Ellenberger and you see the success they are having after that does that make you feel better about those wins now or is that not something that you pay attention too?

Carlos Condit- "Yeah for sure. After I beat them and they keep doing well and dominating like they have been it makes my wins over them even better. But even when I fought them I knew that they were the real deal and go far because they both gave me problems at certain times during those fights."

Mike Fleig- What was your take on the Floyd Mayweather controversy, would you ever take a win like that? or do you expect to see anything like that in an MMA fight?

Carlos Condit- " I think they were both kind of in the wrong. Ortiz with the head butt and then Mayweather with the cheap shot basically. Between two fighters things happen in there and things get heated sometimes, but where the fault really lies is with the referee. When I first saw the highlight I thought it was going to be a no contest and then I saw the ref starting the ten count. I would hope we never see that in MMA, but things happen so you never know. For the most part when guys are touching gloves or in that sort of a situation everyone is pretty respectful but again you never know. Sometimes things happen.

Mike Fleig- Thanks for your time Carlos, anyone you want to thank or anything you want your fans to check out?

Carlos Condit- Everyone please check out Campcondit.com we put lots of content up and training sessions. Video blogs and all really cool stuff. Follow me on twitter @CarlosCondit.

At UFC 135, one of the most popular and talented fighters in the history of mixed martial arts lost a chance at winning another world title. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson was forced to tap out to the rear-naked choke in the fourth round against Jon "Bones" Jones. After weeks of buildup for the fight, Jackson wasn't able to do what no other fighter has been able to do thus far: figure out Jones. After the loss, what is next for the career of Jackson and have we all witnessed his final chance at reaching the top spot in the sport?

So now it's time for some speculation. What would be the next best fight for Rampage? We all know that Rampage wants to fight Shogun next in Japan, that would be an amazing fight. But what about Forrest Griffin?

For years, Jackson has had problems dealing with his loss to Griffin. The loss cost him his title and as we know from Jackson's past with Silva, he won't rest until he redeems himself. At this point in Griffin's career, he is at the same place as Jackson. Ever since defeating Jackson for the belt at UFC 86, he has gone 2-3 and has struggled to stay healthy. Injuries have cost him a lot of fights, but his legacy on the sport has already been cemented.

Of all the fighters in the light heavyweight division, the only fight that makes sense is Griffin. For Jackson, the chance at redeeming himself is an important factor in his preparation for a fight. I'm pretty sure that Griffin would also like to prove that his victory over Jackson wasn't a fluke. No matter what the UFC has to say to both men to make this fight happen, they just need to ensure it does happen.Hobson Lopes has been a fan of mixed martial arts since the days of Tank Abbott and can be followed on Twitter @HobsonLopes.

Anderson Silva and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira put on a great show in UFC Rio, and Jorge Guimaraes, manager of the duo, could not be happier. Guimarães, who served as commentator on UFC Rio to Brazilian broadcast Combate, had to control his emotions at seeing his athletes winning at HSBC Arena, but spoke exclusively to TATAME about the triumphs of the idols, and analyzed the knockout of Minotauro, Anderson’s great performance and talked about the possibility of Rodrigo faces Frank Mir and Anderson’s return against Dan Henderson. Check it:

How did it feel to see UFC back in Brazil?

It was very enjoyable after 13 years to see the Ultimate returning to Rio de Janeiro, enjoying the moment that will already have here the World Cup, Olympics ... I was very pleased with the evolution of the sport, what it is today. On the same day of Back to Black, which is a great event for black music, one of the biggest festivals that happen here, but the Ultimate stole the attentions. It was really a fucking good show, and you see the massive presence of stars, entrepreneurs...

You had athletes fighting on the event, like Anderson and Rodrigo, but you were working as a commentator. How did you do to control your feelings?

Bro, I'll tell you it was a terrible experience because you're in trouble. I was a little worried because I also had athletes in the preliminaries, a guy who deserves and who was longing for this opportunity for a long time is Johnny Eduardo and Luis Cane. They lost right away. Then there was the main card with Nogueira’s fight, and to close the card, Anderson (laughs)... It was brutal. That tension first by doing an event, the first UFC in Rio and the first here in Brazil, the first one produced by Zuffa. It’s great to see it. You lived it even with these ups and downs of MMA, so you must also have been happy with this wonderful show.

Absolutely... We could tell you were nervous when Nogueira was fighting, because you barely talked while he was fighting... Did you hope Rodrigo vs. Schaub ended the way it did?

Well, not exactly. I could not have written this script, but no doubts its outcome was the best possible. I never questioned this option that he’d finish the fight by knockout. Nogueira didn’t come 100%, 60% maybe, if he was that good. But it is a real warrior. Either way he’s much better than before surgery. He is a guy who was in pain for three and a half years, and now he is here, he’s back with everything and will surprise many. It's really an example of overcoming life obstacles.

Did you consider asking him not to fight, afraid he wouldn’t be ready to go?

That there was a goal that he drew, I mean, we all ... I talked to Angela (Cortes), his physiotherapist, an angel who fell from the sky into Rodrigo’s hands when he needed it most. There were 180 days of intense physiotherapy, over 800 hours of sessions. I asked what she thought and she said 'he can do it, let's go'. Rodrigor was a little reticent. We went through that and put some pressure on him. We said 'let's go. It's a good fight, you’ll fight at home’. He had this goal and rigorously fulfilled, really focused on this: in the rehabilitation and training. Several sessions because he felt pain. He felt pain, but not as it was before. He was a guy who practically dragged on, he was feeling pain for three and a half years ... You can’t go on like this. After those three surgeries and this brilliant performance, I think from now on it’ll be only joy.

How importance was this camp he did with great athletes, like Anderson, Junior dos Santos, Feijao, Bigfoot, Jacare? Do you believe it was a crucial point for him to be ready to go?

That’s everything. Now people realize that. The big deal is crossed training. There still is people who don’t like going to another gym to help someone out if he’s a potential opponent, but it’s really important you train with the bests and, thanks’ God, Rodrigo is a guy everybody like and love. He’s not just an idol, but he’s adored and loved by everybody, so he can have a great team. Anyone will want to help Rodrigo anywhere in the world.

After the fight he said he wants to fight this year again, maybe in December, and he also commented on his wish to fight Frank Mir. What are your thoughts about that? Have you talked to UFC about Rodrigo’s next bout?

No, not yet. I think he is now on the rise. He'll come much better for this next fight, but we have not studied opponents yet. Frank Mir really is a guy that makes sense for him to face, because it is a fight that makes sense to Rodrigo, and can be promoted a lot, since the Frank Mir beat him before rehabilitation, so no doubt is a good option, but nothing was thought yet.

About Anderson vs. Okami, what are your thoughts about the fight?

I do not expect otherwise. We were then crossed spine in our throat. I was the one who took Anderson to fight in Rumble on the Rock and he did that fight, which was poorly explained, there was a communication error and Anderson thought it was he oculd use that coup and ended up being disqualified. They gave five minutes to Okami to come back and Okami... I don’t wanna start saying things because I do not know what happened there, but was very clear that he would not like to return, he played by the rules, because he was taking a beating of Anderson and stayed. I don’t know why because I don’t speak Japanese, but I felt like his corner was pushing him not to come back becauset that would be the best strategy, the only way to win that fight. I see that when he (Okami) wins, he is running around with samurai sword... If he were a true samurai, he would have returned for that fight.

We never got over it. The promoters of the event had a clause saying that if the athlete was disqualified, he would not receive any money, so we still had to fight for money and still walked away with only half the money, so we really had this spine stuck in our throats. Anderson also sent a kiss to me later, when they were raising his arm (laughs), because we really weren’t over that. Without taking the merits of Okami. Okami is a tough fighter, a guy who is tough for anyone, but Anderson performed an ultrasound of Okami on the first round, he measured him in all ways possible and, when he switched the engine on, that’s what happens.

There were rumors about a possible bout between Anderson and Dan Henderson, on FOX’s event, which was denied by Dana White. Yesterday we’ve talked to members of Dan Henderson’s crew, who confirmed the fight has been offered to him, but with no date set. What Anderson’s next step is?

Anderson is here in Buzios, it’s time for the warrior to rest. He deserves it. Now we have nothing in mind. He’ll relax because he deserves it. After this wonderful show he deserves to take some time off. It’s a fight which makes sense, but we don’t think about it for now.

So, Anderson will only be back in December or in 2012, right?

Well, you never know, man. Anderson has urges and we have a boss, Dana White. So, we’ll see, anything’s possible.

Hugh is making these wins a habit as of late since this will be his 5th time as the Nationals Brazilian Jiu Jitsu champion.

This is a huge win for Gazze Academy and a big congratulations goes out to you guys. WAY TO GO!!

JC fought this weekend to and did real well. JC got two takedowns that weren't counted. The ref wasn't paying good attention on the fight. JC talked with the ref after the match but in the end, as always "what's done is done" and there was no change.

All we can do is train harder and get better for the next competition. We still respect all of the referees and their jobs. Sometimes people make mistakes.. it happens.

After being away from action since June 2010, featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos will return to the Strikeforce cage on December 17 to defend her title against Hiroko Yamanaka. The match-up was announced during the Strikeforce Challengers 19 broadcast and ends a period of limbo due to the Brazilian’s contractual status.

Santos’ reputation as the most ferocious female in MMA is well-earned after finding success in ten straight including eight strike-based stoppages. She has finished all four opponents she’s faced in Strikeforce including victories over Marloes Coenen, Gina Carano, and most recently Jan Finney.

Stylistically, Yamanaka creates an interesting match-up given her ability on the ground. A 12-1 grappler out of Japan, the 32-year old Yamanaka is currently on an eight-fight winning streak.

Also on the card a lightweight title bout between champion Gilbert Melendez, coming off an impressive showing against Tatsuya Kawajiri, and number one contender Jorge Masvidal, who earned his title shot after defeating K.J. Noons last June.

Leading up to his fight at UFC 135 with Jon “Bones” Jones, Jackson has being doing lots of press. He and Jones even appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier in the week. Jackson has seemed incredibly confident (and, as always, hysterical) in every interview he’s had.

In his interview with Bas, Jackson doesn’t talk too much about his upcoming fight with Jones. Instead, the two talk at great length about Jackson’s days in Pride, why he continues to fight, his acting chops and his future in the sport.

The most intriguing piece of the interview is when Jackson talks about an interview he had in Japan that brought him to tears. He talks about referring to himself as “Black Samurai” while fighting in Japan, and how the interview made him wonder if he had become a different fighter.

Many fans agree that since his arrival in UFC, Jackson has lost his warrior spirit. For a while, it seemed that Jackson was going to retire and become an actor, which didn’t sit well with many fans. It seemed that Jackson was losing interest in fighting.

Jackson’s interview with Bas does a great job of showing us where he currently stands in the sport. Fighting is something that Jackson loves to do, and it pays his family’s bills as well as his own.

When asked how he wants to be remembered, Jackson says that he wants to be remembered as “Jackson the entertainer.” He wants people to remember him as a man who didn’t take himself too seriously, but who always came ready to fight and entertain the fans.

If that’s how Quinton “Rampage” Jackson would like to be remembered, he’s already accomplished that in the hearts of many fight fans.

MMA Fight Chris (Mexican) Péna is fighthing this September 18th at 2011 at the Undustry Hills Expo Center.

Here are the details:

When: Sunday September 18th at 2pm (doors open)

Where: Industry Hills Expo Center
16200 Temple Ave. City Of Industry, CA 91744

How: $30 gets you in. If you want tickets talk to Chris and get you some.

Chris' opponent is Joe Velasco an MMA Fighter from CSW. If you know Chris, then you know this will be an all out war. Get yourself some tickets today and see Chris bring the house down. As you know, this is sure to be a 'barn burner'.

MMA Fight Chris (Mexican) Péna is fighthing this September 18th at 2011 at the Undustry Hills Expo Center.

Here are the details:

When: Sunday September 18th at 2pm (doors open)

Where: Industry Hills Expo Center
16200 Temple Ave. City Of Industry, CA 91744

How: $30 gets you in. If you want tickets talk to Chris and get you some.

Chris' opponent is Joe Velasco an MMA Fighter from CSW. If you know Chris, then you know this will be an all out war. Get yourself some tickets today and see Chris bring the house down. As you know, this is sure to be a 'barn burner'.

But just because being a gym rat is not on his list of favorite things to do, doesn't mean that "Rampage" doesn't take his job serious. Especially, when a world title is on the line. And even more especially when that world title is the one he is responsible for unifying back in 2007.

In May of that year, Jackson scored a stunning knockout of light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell, who at the time was widely regarded as the most dangerous, and unbeatable, force in the UFCs 205-pound division. Then in his next fight, which was also his first title defense, he welcomed Pride FC Middleweight Champion Dan Henderson back to the Octagon.

Jackson would go on to win the "Champion vs. Champion" battle via unanimous decision and, in doing so, go down in history as the man who unified two titles from the two most prestigious promotions in the sport at the time.

It's an accomplishment that was initially lost on Jackson, but now that he's gearing up to challenge light heavyweight champion Jon Jones at UFC 135.

"That belt is the unified PRIDE and UFC world title, and that belt exists because of me beating Chuck Liddell and Dan Henderson in two straight fights to win the UFC and then PRIDE titles. Nothing felt better than becoming the first unified champ in MMA history. I plan on getting my belt back at UFC 135. I think now I didn’t appreciate even myself what I had accomplished, and by the time I did, I’d lost it. That’s why I want my belt back so bad. It’s my belt. So it does kinda bug me that people think I’m not taking this fight in Denver next against Jones seriously. It’s dead serious, heart attack serious to me. I want that belt back."

Jackson, a 17-fight Pride FC veteran, made his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) debut in 1999. Jones was about 12 years old at that moment in time. Now the pair is set to meet in the UFC 135 main event, which is scheduled to go down at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo., on Sept. 24, 2011.

"Bones," who has just one loss in 14 career fights, has never truly tasted defeat. He was disqualified for using illegal elbows in a fight against Matt Hamill that was a total mauling prior to its stoppage. Jones has won four straight since, including a technical knockout stoppage of Mauricio Rua, a man who handed Jackson a brutal beatdown back in 2005.

Nonetheless, Jackson contends that "Jones has never been hit in his career." And that he has been training in the "Mile High City" for seven weeks to hit him in his "big 'Bones' head."

Practice makes perfect.

MMA Fight Chris (Mexican) Péna is fighthing this September 18th at 2011 at the Undustry Hills Expo Center.

Here are the details:

When: Sunday September 18th at 2pm (doors open)

Where: Industry Hills Expo Center
16200 Temple Ave. City Of Industry, CA 91744

How: $30 gets you in. If you want tickets talk to Chris and get you some.

Chris' opponent is Joe Velasco an MMA Fighter from CSW. If you know Chris, then you know this will be an all out war. Get yourself some tickets today and see Chris bring the house down. As you know, this is sure to be a 'barn burner'.

MMA Fight Chris (Mexican) Péna is fighthing this September 18th at 2011 at the Undustry Hills Expo Center.

Here are the details:

When: Sunday September 18th at 2pm (doors open)

Where: Industry Hills Expo Center
16200 Temple Ave. City Of Industry, CA 91744

How: $30 gets you in. If you want tickets talk to Chris and get you some.

Chris' opponent is Joe Velasco an MMA Fighter from CSW. If you know Chris, then you know this will be an all out war. Get yourself some tickets today and see Chris bring the house down. As you know, this is sure to be a 'barn burner'.

MMA Fight Chris (Mexican) Péna is fighthing this September 18th at 2011 at the Undustry Hills Expo Center.

Here are the details:

When: Sunday September 18th at 2pm (doors open)

Where: Industry Hills Expo Center
16200 Temple Ave. City Of Industry, CA 91744

How: $30 gets you in. If you want tickets talk to Chris and get you some.

Chris' opponent is Joe Velasco an MMA Fighter from CSW. If you know Chris, then you know this will be an all out war. Get yourself some tickets today and see Chris bring the house down. As you know, this is sure to be a 'barn burner'.

Barnett ate a couple of hard shots from Kharitonov in the first minute of the first round, and he quickly decided to go for a takedown, which he was able to secure without much trouble, landing in full mount. From there Barnett simply bided his time, landing punches and waiting for Kharitonov to give him an opening until he was able to sink in the choke that he wanted. Once the arm triangle was in, Kharitonov tapped quickly.

The victory was a big one for Barnett, who improves his professional MMA record to 31-5. Barnett's MMA career once seemed to be on the rocks, as multiple positive steroid tests had American promoters and state athletic commissions wary of him. But now Barnett, a former UFC heavyweight champion, is getting close to a return to the top.

Up next for Barnett is the Heavyweight Grand Prix final with Daniel Cormier, the former Olympic wrestler who also advanced to the Grand Prix final on Saturday night.

"I think I'm going to take down an Olympian," Barnett said when asked about Cormier. "I think Cormier is a great opponent. He's a guy who has competed at the highest level of athletics and I'm going to have to train really hard for him."

Cormier vs. Barnett should be a great fight. Both men took big steps forward in the heavyweight division on Saturday night.

MMA Fight Chris (Mexican) Péna is fighthing this September 18th at 2011 at the Undustry Hills Expo Center.

Here are the details:

When: Sunday September 18th at 2pm (doors open)

Where: Industry Hills Expo Center
16200 Temple Ave. City Of Industry, CA 91744

How: $30 gets you in. If you want tickets talk to Chris and get you some.

Chris' opponent is Joe Velasco an MMA Fighter from CSW. If you know Chris, then you know this will be an all out war. Get yourself some tickets today and see Chris bring the house down. As you know, this is sure to be a 'barn burner'.

MMA Fight Chris (Mexican) Péna is fighthing this September 18th at 2011 at the Undustry Hills Expo Center.

Here are the details:

When: Sunday September 18th at 2pm (doors open)

Where: Industry Hills Expo Center
16200 Temple Ave. City Of Industry, CA 91744

How: $30 gets you in. If you want tickets talk to Chris and get you some.

Chris' opponent is Joe Velasco an MMA Fighter from CSW. If you know Chris, then you know this will be an all out war. Get yourself some tickets today and see Chris bring the house down. As you know, this is sure to be a 'barn burner'.

One of the interesting subplots of the Georges St-Pierre vs. Carlos Condit UFC 137 main event is the fact that both fighters currently train under Greg Jackson.

MMAFighting.com spoke to Jackson shortly after the UFC announced the welterweight title fight on Wednesday to find out where his allegiances will lie come Oct. 29.

A transcript of our conversation can be found below.

Ariel Helwani: Greg, two of your star fighters are going to fight each other in October. What will do you?

Greg Jackson: Teammate protocols are pretty clear in this situation so everybody knows what happening. I step out, the other coaches -- John [Danaher], Phil [Nurse] and Firas [Zahabi] -- will take care of GSP and probably [Mike] Winkeljohn and some of the other guys here will take care of Carlos. But I step out of it, so I won't be cornering either guy. They'll fight each other. Those are the new teammate protocols. We knew this would be coming -- it will probably be coming again --but this time we are very well prepared.

Carlos trains in Albuquerque full-time, while GSP's home base is in Montreal, so how will you not offer advice when you see him in the gym?

Carlos is still training with a team. I am just not going to do game plans and private lessons and everything that I normally do for the guys because usually it's a pretty intense process -- I give them private lessons all the time -- heavy on the game planning, heavy on the personal growth plan, and for this, I'll just let the other coaches do that for both Georges and Carlos. So I'll just step out. They're all amazing coaches. Geez, I'm the worst coach on the team. They'll all do their thing.

Are you disappointed that they have to fight each other?

Nah, I mean, I don't like it. They are two of my friends. Me and Georges, I mean, I love that man to death. And Carlos has been, since he came back to the gym, has been on a destruction streak. So they both have to eat, they have to make money. I really love training, working with my guys. There's two of my favorites that I don't get to work with this time, so that's kind of a bummer. But I don't care about the money; I don't care about the fame; I don't care about any of that stuff. They've got to make a living, but I can't look across the cage at one of my guys. I just can't do it.

Will GSP come to New Mexico for this camp?

No, I don't think so. That wouldn't make much sense if Carlos was here. The team is such a well-oiled machine after so many years of being together it's not going to be a big deal.

Have they ever trained together?

Not much. I don't know if they have at all, so not much. Carlos only came back a little bit ago and Georges comes in and out, and I go up there [to Montreal]. So I don't think they have trained together at all.

I'm guessing you won't offer a prediction on the fight

Absolutely not (laughs). Since they're both members of our team, I predict somebody from our team is going to win.

Where will you watch the fight?

I'll be there because Donald Cerrone is fighting that night, Eliot Marshall ... I got, like, four other guys. I'll be there, but hopefully I'll duck out before the main event. It's just not something I want to watch. That's their business. Sometimes brothers got to fight and it will be what it is and everything will be good again. They're both really stellar, standup guys. You know, Georges, I cannot say enough good things about him. Not only Georges St-Pierre the fighter but Georges St-Pierre as a person. That man is phenomenal and the same for Carlos Condit. Such a good guy with a good heart. They're going to have a great dust up, I hope they get Fight of the Night and then they can feed their families.

MMA Fight Chris (Mexican) Péna is fighthing this September 18th at 2011 at the Undustry Hills Expo Center.

Here are the details:

When: Sunday September 18th at 2pm (doors open)

Where: Industry Hills Expo Center
16200 Temple Ave. City Of Industry, CA 91744

How: $30 gets you in. If you want tickets talk to Chris and get you some.

Chris' opponent is Joe Velasco an MMA Fighter from CSW. If you know Chris, then you know this will be an all out war. Get yourself some tickets today and see Chris bring the house down. As you know, this is sure to be a 'barn burner'.

Josh Barnett takes on Sergei Kharitonov in the semifinals of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix Sept. 10 in Cincinnati.

Ahead of the bout, Barnett (Pictured) joined the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show to discuss a possible future in the UFC, professional wrestling, women’s MMA and more.

Barnett on whether winning the Strikeforce grand prix will open the door for a move to the UFC: “I don’t actually count anything as an open door to the UFC. There is no open door to the UFC. You’re in the UFC when you sign a contract and you step into the ring. Until then, none of it matters or counts. You’ve got to win the fight put in front of you and then you make your steps from there. Until you win those fights, it’s really all bulls--t.”

On whether you have to be in the UFC to be considered the best: “In other people’s perceptions, as far as like rankings and things like that, sure. But I think the fighters figure s--t out pretty quick.”

On dealing with athletic commissions and other issues: “I’ve got to deal with it and I’ve just got to keep going. What people really want is me to go out there and fight and do what’s necessary. So whatever has to be done, they just want to see it taken care of. I’ll follow through with that because all I want to do is get in the ring and smash somebody’s teeth out.”

On Sergei Kharitonov: “He’s a heavy-chinned, heavy-handed kind of guy. He’s not super fast, but he’s real comfortable on his feet.”

On his nickname changing from “The Baby-Faced Assassin” to “The Warmaster”: “It just came about from the fact that I’m just too old to be a baby-faced anything anymore. The band Bolt Thrower gave me the nickname ‘The Warmaster.’ You don’t get to choose your nicknames. They’re given to you. It seemed like the right time to change things up.”

On his ability to promote himself and speak on the microphone: “I would put my promo skills up against anybody in MMA, without a doubt. I don’t really care what other people do. I think it would be more interesting if people put more personality out for sure, but you’ve got to do the thing that fits you and that you’re comfortable [with] and capable of doing. They’ve just got to work the mojo that works best with them, and some people have no mojo. That’s just the way it goes.”

On the “hard times” promo he cut during an open workout before he fought Brett Rogers in June: “That promo was an homage to Dusty [Rhodes]. It was an amazing promo when he cut it at the time and I’ve always been a Dusty Rhodes fan. He’s always had a lot of great mic work as well. You see a great promo, and there’s been a lot of them. I don’t think I can pull off any of the Macho Man ones, but there were some legendary ones there as well. Everybody loves [Ric] Flair’s mic work. You try not to be anybody in particular, but when you find stuff that’s inspiring to you or something that you just like, that you take to your heart and you’d like to show your respect to it, you just go with it. The one thing I can only really stress is you’ve got to be yourself no matter what. You can’t be anybody else.”

On doing a pro wrestling match with Tim Sylvia: “He quite surprised me. He’s got a pretty good head for it. He’s actually -- I guess he’s been a huge mark. He’s just sort of been in the closet about it. He went out there and he was a pleasure to work with for a first-timer especially. I thought he has potential if he is to try and develop it.”

On the state of women’s MMA: “It’s actually slowed down quite a bit on the grand scale in terms of television fights. I really hope that changes. … I don’t know if that’s going to happen, but we’ve just got to take it day by day.”

MMA Fight Chris (Mexican) Péna is fighthing this September 18th at 2011 at the Undustry Hills Expo Center.

Here are the details:

When: Sunday September 18th at 2pm (doors open)

Where: Industry Hills Expo Center
16200 Temple Ave. City Of Industry, CA 91744

How: $30 gets you in. If you want tickets talk to Chris and get you some.

Chris' opponent is Joe Velasco an MMA Fighter from CSW. If you know Chris, then you know this will be an all out war. Get yourself some tickets today and see Chris bring the house down. As you know, this is sure to be a 'barn burner'.

Anderson Silva and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira put on a great show in UFC Rio, and Jorge Guimaraes, manager of the duo, could not be happier. Guimarães, who served as commentator on UFC Rio to Brazilian broadcast Combate, had to control his emotions at seeing his athletes winning at HSBC Arena, but spoke exclusively to TATAME about the triumphs of the idols, and analyzed the knockout of Minotauro, Anderson’s great performance and talked about the possibility of Rodrigo faces Frank Mir and Anderson’s return against Dan Henderson. Check it:

How did it feel to see UFC back in Brazil?

It was very enjoyable after 13 years to see the Ultimate returning to Rio de Janeiro, enjoying the moment that will already have here the World Cup, Olympics ... I was very pleased with the evolution of the sport, what it is today. On the same day of Back to Black, which is a great event for black music, one of the biggest festivals that happen here, but the Ultimate stole the attentions. It was really a fucking good show, and you see the massive presence of stars, entrepreneurs...

You had athletes fighting on the event, like Anderson and Rodrigo, but you were working as a commentator. How did you do to control your feelings?

Bro, I'll tell you it was a terrible experience because you're in trouble. I was a little worried because I also had athletes in the preliminaries, a guy who deserves and who was longing for this opportunity for a long time is Johnny Eduardo and Luis Cane. They lost right away. Then there was the main card with Nogueira’s fight, and to close the card, Anderson (laughs)... It was brutal. That tension first by doing an event, the first UFC in Rio and the first here in Brazil, the first one produced by Zuffa. It’s great to see it. You lived it even with these ups and downs of MMA, so you must also have been happy with this wonderful show.

Absolutely... We could tell you were nervous when Nogueira was fighting, because you barely talked while he was fighting... Did you hope Rodrigo vs. Schaub ended the way it did?

Well, not exactly. I could not have written this script, but no doubts its outcome was the best possible. I never questioned this option that he’d finish the fight by knockout. Nogueira didn’t come 100%, 60% maybe, if he was that good. But it is a real warrior. Either way he’s much better than before surgery. He is a guy who was in pain for three and a half years, and now he is here, he’s back with everything and will surprise many. It's really an example of overcoming life obstacles.

Did you consider asking him not to fight, afraid he wouldn’t be ready to go?

That there was a goal that he drew, I mean, we all ... I talked to Angela (Cortes), his physiotherapist, an angel who fell from the sky into Rodrigo’s hands when he needed it most. There were 180 days of intense physiotherapy, over 800 hours of sessions. I asked what she thought and she said 'he can do it, let's go'. Rodrigor was a little reticent. We went through that and put some pressure on him. We said 'let's go. It's a good fight, you’ll fight at home’. He had this goal and rigorously fulfilled, really focused on this: in the rehabilitation and training. Several sessions because he felt pain. He felt pain, but not as it was before. He was a guy who practically dragged on, he was feeling pain for three and a half years ... You can’t go on like this. After those three surgeries and this brilliant performance, I think from now on it’ll be only joy.

How importance was this camp he did with great athletes, like Anderson, Junior dos Santos, Feijao, Bigfoot, Jacare? Do you believe it was a crucial point for him to be ready to go?

That’s everything. Now people realize that. The big deal is crossed training. There still is people who don’t like going to another gym to help someone out if he’s a potential opponent, but it’s really important you train with the bests and, thanks’ God, Rodrigo is a guy everybody like and love. He’s not just an idol, but he’s adored and loved by everybody, so he can have a great team. Anyone will want to help Rodrigo anywhere in the world.

After the fight he said he wants to fight this year again, maybe in December, and he also commented on his wish to fight Frank Mir. What are your thoughts about that? Have you talked to UFC about Rodrigo’s next bout?

No, not yet. I think he is now on the rise. He'll come much better for this next fight, but we have not studied opponents yet. Frank Mir really is a guy that makes sense for him to face, because it is a fight that makes sense to Rodrigo, and can be promoted a lot, since the Frank Mir beat him before rehabilitation, so no doubt is a good option, but nothing was thought yet.

About Anderson vs. Okami, what are your thoughts about the fight?

I do not expect otherwise. We were then crossed spine in our throat. I was the one who took Anderson to fight in Rumble on the Rock and he did that fight, which was poorly explained, there was a communication error and Anderson thought it was he oculd use that coup and ended up being disqualified. They gave five minutes to Okami to come back and Okami... I don’t wanna start saying things because I do not know what happened there, but was very clear that he would not like to return, he played by the rules, because he was taking a beating of Anderson and stayed. I don’t know why because I don’t speak Japanese, but I felt like his corner was pushing him not to come back becauset that would be the best strategy, the only way to win that fight. I see that when he (Okami) wins, he is running around with samurai sword... If he were a true samurai, he would have returned for that fight.

We never got over it. The promoters of the event had a clause saying that if the athlete was disqualified, he would not receive any money, so we still had to fight for money and still walked away with only half the money, so we really had this spine stuck in our throats. Anderson also sent a kiss to me later, when they were raising his arm (laughs), because we really weren’t over that. Without taking the merits of Okami. Okami is a tough fighter, a guy who is tough for anyone, but Anderson performed an ultrasound of Okami on the first round, he measured him in all ways possible and, when he switched the engine on, that’s what happens.

There were rumors about a possible bout between Anderson and Dan Henderson, on FOX’s event, which was denied by Dana White. Yesterday we’ve talked to members of Dan Henderson’s crew, who confirmed the fight has been offered to him, but with no date set. What Anderson’s next step is?

Anderson is here in Buzios, it’s time for the warrior to rest. He deserves it. Now we have nothing in mind. He’ll relax because he deserves it. After this wonderful show he deserves to take some time off. It’s a fight which makes sense, but we don’t think about it for now.

So, Anderson will only be back in December or in 2012, right?

Well, you never know, man. Anderson has urges and we have a boss, Dana White. So, we’ll see, anything’s possible.