FanHouse Rich Franklin

It has been rumored for some time, that Vitor Belfort will challenge Anderson Silva for the middleweight title at UFC 108 on Jan. 2. And while Silva's recent elbow surgery might have put a wrench in those plans, UFC president Dana White told FanHouse last week that he hopes the title fight can still be put together.

Recently, middleweight contender Nate Marquardt told HDNet's Inside MMA that he didn't think Belfort deserved the shot so soon after returning to the UFC, and when FanHouse asked "The Phenom" about this, he surprisingly agreed. "I didn't look for the fight. Actually, I would like to have a couple more fights," he said. "I think [Marquardt] deserves it."

Check out the video interview below.

Lyoto Machida is still the light heavyweight champion of the UFC, but not many people agree with the three judges who allowed him to keep his belt after 25 minutes in the Octagon with Shogun Rua on Saturday night.

So does Machida keep his status as the top light heavyweight in MMA in my latest Top 10? He does, but Shogun also moves up in the rankings after a very close fight with the champ. The full rankings are below.

Rashad Evans was first introduced to UFC fans four years ago, when he was one of the 16 aspiring mixed martial artists competing on the second season of the UFC's reality show The Ultimate Fighter. That went well for him -- he won the season and the UFC contract that went with it -- but Evans says his experience as a coach on the current season was more rewarding.

"I got more out of coaching because I had the previous experience fighting," Evans said in an interview with FanHouse. "I knew what I wished I had -- I knew what it was to be the guy who's just trying to make it and hoping to get instruction from a professional fighter, and I tried to give these guys the coaching I wanted when I was in their shoes."

DALLAS -- Rick Story was not one of the main attractions at UFC 103. In fact, he wasn't even scheduled for the televised card. But the 24-year-old Washingtonian left the event as one of the highest-earning fighters on the night, winning "Fight of the Night" and "Submission of the Night" honors for his win over Brian Foster.

Both of those carry separate $65,000 cash prizes, making it a six-figure night for Story.

DALLAS – While Rich Franklin will likely never say it, he didn't want a fight in September, let alone one against Vitor Belfort. Franklin would have preferred some time off, but the need for a headliner for UFC 103 pushed him into making the decision to participate.

Franklin may be a company man, but that loyalty – along with Belfort's considerable skills – cost Franklin, as Belfort returned to the UFC with a shocking first-round TKO over the ex-UFC middleweight champion in front of 17,428 at the American Airlines Center.

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Vitor Belfort is back in the UFC, and he made a major statement Saturday night that he's a threat to anyone they put in the Octagon with him, knocking out Rich Franklin in the first round at UFC 103.

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This is the UFC 103 live blog for Rich Franklin vs. Vitor Belfort, the main event of the night's pay-per-view card.

I'm cageside at the American Airlines Center in Dallas for all the blow-by-blow. You can also keep track of all the action by following me on Twitter.

The live blog begins below.

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FanHouse has UFC 103 results for all of the Sept. 19 UFC 103 fights, plus live UFC coverage from Dallas, live blogs of all the fights and live UFC Twitter updates from MDS and Mike Chiappetta.

Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin fights Vitor Belfort in the main event, while former Pride star Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic fights Junior "Cigano" dos Santos in the co-main event.

Full UFC 103 results are below.

The latest UFC 103 video blog previews the Rich Franklin vs. Vitor Belfort fight by giving us an inside look at how Belfort spent his last day before the fight. Video 1 above, Video 2 below.

DALLAS -- In the early stages of planning for UFC 103, Dana White and matchmaker Joe Silva envisioned a Rich Franklin vs. Dan Henderson main event, but after hearing immediate backlash from fans who had little interest in a rematch so soon, an audible was called and the returning Vitor Belfort took Henderson's place.

At 31 years old, Belfort is no longer the young stud that captivated audiences with his firepower and earned the nickname "The Phenom," but a matured fighter who is looking to prove that he's harnessed all of his considerable gifts and found the consistency that's eluded him at times.

So how will Belfort-Franklin go down? Let's take a closer look at the matchup.