Mixed Martial Arts fans must have heard this a thousand times: Anderson Silva refuses to, and will not consider any possibility of fighting his training partner and friend Lyoto Machida.

And it goes deeper than that.

Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida is highly favored to win over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in this week’s UFC 104. However, there is still a possibility that Shogun could beat Machida. If that happens, would Silva come in seething with revenge on a Silva vs. Shogun tiff? We think not… if we follow the depth of friendship and loyalty between Silva and Machida.

You see, if Machida loses over Shogun, he would lose his Light Heavyweight belt. It would be like Silva stealthily snatching that belt from his friend Machida by winning over the Shogun. If this happens, Machida could only regain the title by getting inside the octagon against his friend Silva. Silva fighting Shogun after a Machida defeat would make a mess of the friendship.

Silva has been talking about Machida since day one – even before Silva rose to popularity. He is not interested in getting into the light heavyweight fray as he would get in the way of his friend. If Machida loses to Shogun, he would want to take the title back and Silva wouldn’t want to get in the way.

Silva does not only refuse to fight his friend, he would also refuse any match that would lead him to eventually facing his old buddy inside the octagon.

But how long can he (and Machida) stand his ground?

Dana White, the guy who knows how to make serious bucks with his promotional instincts, is already setting his sights to a Silva Machida match – despite the two warriors’ pronouncements. Can’t blame the guy, a Silva vs. Machida bout is going to be one of those superfights that would surely fill venue seats at two asses per chair. White is looking at 2010 when this Silva vs. Machida ticket could happen.

In an interview with ESPN, megabucks boss White said, “Anderson Silva is two fights away from cleaning out his entire division, and he’s had two fights at 205 pounds where he’s looked absolutely phenomenal – he’s actually looked better at 205 than he did at 185.” MMA fans couldn’t help but be thrilled by this friendship-busting tiff when White said, “I think we’re probably a couple of fights away from a mega-fight like that.”

The question is: How would Dana White convince the two?

Well, Silva and Machida would eventually have to face each other if they both would keep on winning. It’s either that, or they’d just fight lame fights with non-winners, or they (or one of them) would just retire for the sake of friendship. That last option sounds lamer than fighting lame fighters, don’t you think?

Whaddya know? MMA edged out more popular sports this time as ESPN chose Gina Carano over more popular female athletes to grace the cover of its “The Body Issue.”

One would think that Ms Carano’s kick (and breasts barely covered by her hand) splashed on the cover of ESPN would drive readers (or even non-readers) to a magazine-buying frenzy.

ESPN’s “The Body Issue,” is all about, well….the naked body. The issue features volleyball players in the nude, nude motocross riders, to SERENA WILLIAMS all in their naked glory. One of the six athletes featured to grace the cover, Sara Reinersten said, “It got easier as we kept going. I think, you know, you get comfortable with people on set. You know, after the first two minutes of being horrified that you’re totally naked!”

ESPN”s “The Body Issue” features only six athletes to grace the cover. Besides Gina Carano, Williams, and Reinersten are Dwight Howard, Adrian Peterson, and Clair Bevilacqua.

It’s a nice combination of athletes, we think. But….

MMA-Tap-Out can’t help but notice a collective groan from fans asking “Why not … (fill in the name of a female sports icon you wish were a part of this, uhurm – naked collection)?”

And here’s our take on some of the missed opportunities (in random order):

Danica Patrick. IRL driver. The first woman to win an Indy car race. Yes, we’ve had a lot of Danica photos in revealing outfits, but hey…this is ESPN’s “The Body Issue.”

Jennie Finch. The most famous softball player of all time. Forget the Olympic gold medals and other awards she won with her U.S. team, her Sports Illustrated photos are more interesting. ESPN could have given us more.

Gabrielle Reece Volleyball player. She’s also a model and a sports announcer. We just can’t get enough of her spikes, dives and digs.

Anna Kournikova and Maria Sharapova. Why skip these two tennis divas?

And finally… Allison Stokke. Pole vaulter turned internet sensation.

Why ESPN…Why didn’t you?

If losing could be anything but bad, this could be the best defeat Kimbo has ever had. By losing, Kimbo Slice won the hearts and acceptance of a lot of haters…and that includes Kimbo-thrasher Dana White.

Days before the airing of the September 30 edition of the reality show “The Ultimate Fighter” over Spike TV, MMA fans were already raving about it like it was the Lesnar-Fedor match finally taking shape. The reason: after Kimbo crashed and burned under Seth Petruzelli (and after losing to a worm in that Norton Security ad) this is going to be the first time we will see the bearded one slug it out in the cage again.

Kimbo Slice, whether you like it or not, has done in a few matches what Dana White has been trying to do for MMA – and barely succeeded: that is to draw more attention to mixed martial arts. Whether you like it or not, the much maligned, overly belittled and scathingly thrash-talked Kimbo is one of MMA’s biggest crowd-drawers. He drew the biggest TV viewership (at 7.281 million viewers during the Kimbo vs. Thompson bout) for an MMA fight in American TV last year. To top this, two of the three most viewed MMA fights last year are Kimbo Slice headliners.

Most of the hardcore MMA fans hate him, for good reason. Kimbo Slice is not a mixed martial arts fighter, but the amount of hype and attention (and huge pay scale) he gets does injustice to real MMA fighters. He gives the new fans the wrong impression of what real mixed martial arts is. An MMA poser he is, and it didn’t take long before some obscure MMA-fighter-turned-Smoothie King-franchisee Petruzelli showed the world what a fake he is – in just 14 seconds of the first round.

But still…Kimbo Slice was a crowd-drawer.

Now, Dana White struts him off on “The Ultimate Fighter.” And we say, “Good call, DW!” It means Kimbo’s crowd-drawing magic would rub off on the show. And it did – it’s first two episodes raked it’s highest ratings ever. So it came as a shock when White announced that a Kimbo fight was slated as early as the third week of TUF 10 against the much experienced Roy “Big Country” Nelson. If Slice loses, just like any contender who loses, he gets kicked out of the show

What was White thinking? There’s not an iota of doubt that Kimbo would lose.

And Kimbo lost.

But wait…

After losing to “Big Country,” haters started to feel differently about Kimbo. Even “real” MMA fighters and coaches on the show who sneered and swore and mocked him when he was first introduced on the first episode started to warm up on him. They started to praise him and his efforts.

And Dana White is keeping him on the show despite the loss.

…. and he can continue rubbing off his crowd-drawing magic on the show, on UFC, and on mixed martial arts in general.

Kimbo Slice lost this particular battle, but he seems to be winning the war.

The question is: is Kimbo Slice’s victory a loss for MMA?

MMA has now risen to the level where it can set its matches on the same date with a boxing match as big as a Floyd Mayweather, Jr. headliner.

Go argue about which production “should” reap more PPV’s. Go argue which venue would fill to the rafters: the MGM Grand in fabulous Las Vegas or the double-A C in Dallas. It doesn’t change the fact that Dana White doesn’t see this as a problem anymore. And this says a lot!

It shows that MMA has finally thought it can take on its elder brother (boxing) in terms of PPV and ticket sales. It doesn’t matter which event gets the most PPV or ticket sales. It’s the thought – the bravado – that that matters. It says a lot about the organization’s growth.

MMA has reached that level of transcending its status as a pseudo-mainstream sport to something more popular. Famous athletes like Shaquille O’neal tweaks about joining the gladiators, but what is most telling is that MMA fighters like Randy Couture getting cast on a Stallone movie alongside the likes of Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Jason Statham, and Sly himself.

Take a load of this: Axe tapped George St. Pierre for its TV commercial ad; Fedor; Cro Cop; Jason “Mayhem” Miller; Wanderlei Silva and Mark Coleman (rubbing each other’s cheek!); even Kimbo Slice (for Norton Security) are enjoying their gigs as product endorsers here and in other countries.

It says a lot about MMA becoming a force to reckon with. Mainstream media and brand owners have now finally acknowledged the octagon warriors enough to trust them with the fate of their products.

What a way to go for a sport that was only played underground just a couple of years ago.

Everyone enjoyed it. It was spectacular. Now, that’s what we’re talking about! Anderson Silva, from now on, that’s how you fight! Again!

Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin was a great show of explosive fists and great talents. The crowd inside Wachovia Center in Philidelphia was in a frenzy.

When the two gladiators went up the cage, the crowd was booing Silva while cheering for Griffin like a homecoming boy. Truly, Silva had lost his luster.

Until.

Silva came back on track not only with such combination of fury and flair, he also did it in a division heavier than his comfort zone, and with a fighter bigger than anyone he fought.

What does this tell us? Anderson Silva has outgrown his middleweight championship belt? He has fought and defeated all the best in that level? Cote and Leites were so below his league that he gingerly fought like a man faced with a kid half his size?

Maybe that is so. Raising his weight 20 pounds higher in a short span of time could do a lot of bad things to his speed and performance, but it did not. He literally brutalized the bigger Griffin.

Within two minutes of the first round, Silva (must have been traumatized by Dana’s tounge-lashing) made sure he ups the ante. Silva was so charged he was like a mongoose against a cobra. And like a mongoose, he works well when the enemy strikes. His counter-punches are lethal, and when it hit its mark Griffin was knocked down. Silva, the counter-puncher, was eeirily cool and controlled. And when the brutal set of Brazilian knuckles found its mark the second time, Griffin was on the floor again. Silva offered his hand to help his opponent up. They touched gloves, and the third knock down must have been the straw that broke the camel’s back (it didn’t seem so much – especially that Silva released that strike while backpedalling).

The first knock down must be what did Griffin in. He must know he’s in trouble he wished the round is over (he checked the clock after that first knock down).

Talk has it that Silva is willing to relinquish his middleweight championship belt and put it up for grabs. Dana White liked the idea and said he can make it happen. Anderson Silva may go up to light heavyweight division and fight a whole roster of bigger and better fighters than he ever had at the middleweight division. That’s a very interesting prospect. A second-grader would surely feel bored and unmotivated if you put him in a kindergarten class.  It's about time to put Silva where he belongs, so he can shine again.

Dana White is pleased with him again. The crowd approves of him again. Why not? Silva made sure it was an explosive fight. His body language showed it during the fight, pumping his fists towards him like telling Griffin, “C’mon! Let’s make it bloody. Hit me!” And when Griffin hesitates, he initiates.

Now, Silva, that’s what we’re talking about. From now on, that’s how you fight! Again!

Brock Lesnar did not need the Ultimate Fighting Championship belt to strut around with to make him the guy with a target taped on his back. He WAS the target – plus the words “Hit Me” –the very first moment he entered the octagon.

If you say it’s because of his WWE background, yes, it’s because of that – and more.

There are several fighters who hailed from the world of pro wrestling, and some of them (Ken Shamrock, Mark Coleman, and Dan Severn) are hall of famers now. By “several” we mean a whole bunch of 61 cage warriors to date. So why pick on Brock Lesnar?

It’s his WWE background, and more. Unlike the other MMA fighters who dabbled in pro wrestling at one point or another, Brock Lesnar’s entry to MMA was something you would either hate or envy.

An outsider, an “actor” in the fake, “scripted,” and theatrical world of WWE getting a contract like that, and an exposure like that would surely offend both the “legitimate” mixed martial artists and the hardcore fans. And this is not without a valid reason: In Lesnar’s first foray into the octagon (Dynamite!! USA), he earned $500,000 while someone as big an MMA sensation as Royce Gracie only got $300,000.

You know, MMA fighters are not unlike the warriors of Sparta. They are heavily trained in known mixed martial arts disciplines – for years. And they are a proud lot. They are a special breed of disciplined professional fighters. It becomes quite understandable that it becomes inconceivable, even unacceptable that someone who comes from a “different breed”, from a different (and fake) world, could just comes in with a bigger ticket, on a red carpet, with huge media fanfare and an accompanying huge contract to boot. We could not blame the hardcores for hating Lesnar.

It is in this same breath that we could not blame Lesnar for his attitude towards the fans. Not that we agree with or condone his so-called “unprofessional,” and very “WWE” post-Mir-fight antics. But when you are negatively judged, derided, booed, and taken as a phoney even before (and even after) you prove yourself, you’d surely feel sore. And feel unfairly treated. And, since Brock Lesnar is no lame duck, would eventually want to hit back.

And thus, we get Lesnar’s attitude.

It is not WWEish, it is not unprofessional. It is a fighter’s instinct.

Bobby Lashley, another fighter with the “WWE-turning-MMA” stigma written all over is another case in point. Remember Jason Guida’s “You’ve been faking this for how long” question? Or Mike Cook’s Nacho Libre mask to taunt Lashley?

Lesnar, and the still undefeated newcomer Lashley (4-0) are just some of the exciting things helps a lot in the popularity and growth of mixed martial arts. Wait till you get a taste of Kimbo Slice in The Ultimate Fighter (and God forbids if he gets a slot in the UFC).

And wait…there’s still that genie Kazaam hovering around and threatening to wreak havoc inside that bloody cage after he retires from being a cager – no pun intended.

The future is bright for MMA.

“I’ve never changed my tune on him, I’ve never changed my mind,” was Dana White’s straight answer to the question.

But.

Listen to the rest of the interview and you’ll see the difference in melody now that he’s “climbing in bed with him.”

It was just last year when Dana White led the pack of those who were so critical of Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Fergusson. He called Kimbo a “joke,” a “bum,” “he sucks,” and all sorts of unimaginable demeaning description of the YouTube street-brawling sensation. We also remember White saying Kimbo Slice “will be murdered if he fought in the UFC.”

Now that Kimbo Slice is going to fight to join the UFC via season ten of the Ultimate Fighter, listen to the interview…

“I know he’s a fighter. I know Kimbo is a fighter. The guy fights… he fights. You know, we see him fight in the streets. He’s had professional mixed martial arts fights.” This sounds like someone pitching for Kimbo. Perhaps as a measure, White adds, “Is he a mixed martial artist? We’re gonna find out.”

Here’s more…

“I respect him for coming in and doing the Ultimate Fighter. I respect him, you know. And I did talk a lot of sh@t about him, and he’s here to prove himself.”

“That’s one of the things I respect about him is that he’s honestly…legitimately trying to get into mixed martial arts and trying to get into the big show.” Now, that’s a lot of “respect” as a word coming out of Dana’s mouth talking about Kimbo. How time flies! He even talked about the guy getting some offers in boxing and, not unlike a concerned friend, he said there’s no money in boxing unless you fight a Mayweather or a Pacquiao. Then he proceeded in praising Kimbo Slice’s manager for really taking good care of him.

All in all, we sense a sweeter tune…a love song, in fact, coming from Dana White as regards to Kimbo Slice. In fairness to the guy who made UFC MMA’s biggest outfit, he can easily say he didn’t change his tune. In fact, he reminded us of what he said before, “The only way this guy will ever get to the UFC is through the Ultimate Fighter.”

Interestingly, Dana White and the Fertitta brothers have been griping about the lackluster treatment the so-called “real media” (White’s terminology) gives to mixed martial arts. This gives us the feeling that the UFC triumvirate is revving up their efforts at marketing the sport to a wider audience base. What better way to do this than to have the name that earned the highest rating in the history of MMA television – Kimbo Slice.

The fact that The Ultimate Fighter’s format was changed– from requiring wannabe TUF fighter to win a qualifying fight – to simply handpicking the 16 contestants, speaks so much about what Dana White and company want.

This also makes it difficult for us not to think that Kimbo would linger longer in the show by not having him fight early on. Why risk eliminating Kimbo Slice so soon? Just having this hulk do his reality drama without the fight, would be enough to keep the ratings sky high – this will not be a very bad idea.

However, what if Kimbo proves to still possess his crowd-drawing powers, would TUF or UFC fake a Kimbo Slice win so he could join the ranks of UFC gladiators to further boost UFC’s popularity?

How would the fans react to a Kimbo Slice win? Would they cry “fake”? Would it backfire? We see a lot of questions arising from this change of tune. The more reason for us to watch TUF 10.

Dana White, I see what you did there!

By simply telling us folks how wonderful Pepsi tastes, or how great the products that he endorses are, Fortune and MSN Money individually listed Shaquille O'Neal as number 7 in their list of top ten endorsement superstars at $15 M a year. Never mind if you like him or not, he sure does stir awareness and influences positive response to the products or brands he endorses.

Like it or not, the UFC – or mixed martial arts in general – is still in its infancy stages when compared to NBA, NFL, or even boxing. How else would you explain the pay differences between an Arlovski or an Ortiz to a Mayweather or a Pacquiao? In case you don’t know, $1.5 million is the rumoured highest paycheck to an MMA gladiator. Compare this to Manny Pacquiao’s guaranteed purse of $11 Million for his fight against Oscar De la Hoya.

Now comes the Dr. Shaq, or Shaq Fu, or Superman (however you want to name this media magnet) practically telling everyone he intends to fight inside the octagon (perhaps a career change?) after he retires from NBA. Now, that’s directing the entire world’s attention to the world of mixed martial arts that’s still in the Mesozoic Era.

Never mind if you like him or not, but the guys sure knows how to stir a hornet’s nest. Whether he stars in Kazaam (voted by “Rotten Tomatoes” as “The Worst Movie of All Time”) or weave flop poetry through his rhymes, or by thrashing Kobe Bryant, Shaq sure knows how to create buzz.

When Shaquille O’Neal called out on Hong Man Choi, and kissed Chuck Liddell’s lips after he topples him – ok, it’s not Chuck, it’s his standee poster – the guys from UFC and everyone else in the world of mixed martial arts should consider saving $3 Million dollars on promotions (PepsiCo pays Shaq this amount annually).

Never mind if you like Shaq or not, but the 7’1” tall, 340 lbs “Shaqovic” (who have trained in MMA for several years already) clashing out with the 7’2” tall, 340 lbs MMA warrior from Korea is something we don’t wanna miss.

Heck, this could even be better than a stale Kobe-Shaq verbal tussle.

MMA warriors, get a hint from that “little Filipino” pugilist.

Manny Pacquiao, who has just cemented his slot to becoming one of the the greatest boxers in history, must be today’s most popular fighter.  What makes him so?  It’s not the number of fights he won, it’s not the number of championship belts he collects – it’s how he fights.

The thoroughness, the intensity, the power – the heart! Now, that’s what we’re talking about.

It’s the process. It’s how you do it.  It’s how you win.

I heard my little girl sing this song from whoever-she-is-montana-hanna.  It goes something like this:

“Ain’t about how fast I get there/Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side/It’s the climb.”

Yessir! It’s the climb.  It’s the experience you give the audience.  It’s the spectacle.

We don’t want to go see two “intelligent” fighters dancing around the octagon thinking the fight out, and whoever outhinks the other wins.  Leave that to chess players.  Otherwise, I’d rather watch my son play Kung Lao in Mortal Combat – it’s more exciting.

What is MMA?  It’s a bloody fight!  Remember when it was still in its heydays, when it was still an underground (legally banned) sport.  It’s a bloody brutal fight.

No, we’re not saying that MMA gladiators kill each other.  No, we’re not saying MMA warriors should all be brawn with no skill or intelligence.  Au contraire, we’d love our fighters bright, with style… heck, we’d love them fighting with flair and class.  Do that Silva, and MMA fans would multiply overnight like twitter users.

And only then would you see the day where you earn by the millions of dollars, PER FIGHT.

Hardcore Anderson Silva fans are quick to justify their hero’s lackluster performance during the main event of the UFC 97 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.   Oh yes, Silva is the octagon’s finest artist (this is supposed to be grander that simply being a “martial artist”?)  He’s a champion.  He knows how to win.  How? By making sure he doesn’t lose?

You see, you can do it by avoiding a collision course against your opponent.  And that’s precisely what he did last April 18.  Oh yes, Silva was just showing his “technical skills” and a “smart fighter” doesn’t just attack and put himself in danger.  C’mon.  This is UFC, not some freakin’ chess tournament.  People go to watch action.  Why else would they be offered knockout bonuses?  To encourage the fighters to be more aggressive and show more action.

Yes, technical skills count, but this trait is supposed to make the fight more interesting – not boring.  If you want technical skill, running away is the best technical skill.

While Leites’ performance sucks, Silva’s was quite a letdown.  Silva’s defenders say, the pressure should be on the challenger to force the fight.  Normally, yes.  However, when things become obvious that Leites does not pose any danger, and that he was not even showing an aggressive campaign at snatching the champion’s belt, Silva should have stepped up his game plan.  While he intends to win, he should also not forget that fans would always want a spectacular win.  Why else would they pay to watch?

What he did was, “Oh, Leites doesn’t know how to snatch the championship belt on me.  Good.  I’ll just let the rounds pass by without breaking a sweat – without endangering myself – and i’m still sure of retaining my belt. And I’ll be UFC’s record-holder of the most number of consecutive wins.”  Well, that sucks.  That smacks of avoidance.  As I’ve said, this fight seems to say that you can keep your belt by avoiding contact.  No points earned by both dancers – er, fighters, the championship title doesn’t change names.

We expected more from Silva.  He IS Anderson Silva in the first place.  He even went back to Rio de Janiero to sharpen his BJJ skills, right?  When obviously, he wanted a stand-up fight and Leites proves to be less inclined, he should have changed his game plan.  But no, he wanted to play it “technical” and safe.  You call that a good showing?

Silva’s defenders say casual MMA fans do not understand the technicality of a fight.  They insist that Silva did a good showing.  Yes of course, and so does a chess player.  We seem to forget here that fans (especially the “ignorant” casual fans) didn’t come to see thinking, “technical” competitors;  the fans came to see gladiators – in a fight.  Again, being highly “technical” is a good trait of a fighter, but it should not get in the way of a good fight.  If you want “technical,” run around inside the octagon and avoid contact – that’s what happened to Silva’s kind of “technical” that night in Canada.

If you say it was a good fight “technically,” you’re missing the forest for the trees.  MMA thrives on its popularity, and its popularity depends on its being spectacular – it being a spectator sport.  As I keep on saying, mixed martial arts is still show business – minus the staged or theatrical nature of fights and further spiced up by antics and dramatics of the players in the world of professional wresting.

And the “casual fans” booed because they’re ignorant?  Think again.  These new, casual, ignorant fans are the future of MMA.  They are the ones we need. We need to get more new, albeit still uninitiated, fans to sustain the growth of this, still young, sport.