FanHouse Sokoudjou

The last 24 hours have given us some big news on the two biggest MMA cards of the fall: The November 21 UFC 106 got better with Forrest Griffin stepping in for the injured Mark Coleman to face Tito Ortiz, while the November 7 Strikeforce/M-1 Global card got better with Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou facing Gegard Mousasi.

So which card is better: UFC 106: Lesnar vs. Carwin, or Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Rogers? I asked MMA fans on Twitter to weigh in, and a majority picked UFC. A selection of answers -- plus a bonus question about a fight card that I think might be more fun than either of them -- is below.

Bob Sapp, the American football player/kickboxer/mixed martial artist/professional wrestler, has had one of the most bizarre careers of any athlete in history. And he's got another bizarre week ahead of him: On Tuesday he'll fight Sokoudjou in an MMA fight at Dream 11 in Japan, and on Wednesday he'll fight a kickboxing match in Hong Kong.

Jose Canseco has been retired from Major League Baseball for eight years, but he keeps finding ways to put himself into the headlines. The latest example? He has agreed to fight the 7-foot-2 Korean kickboxer Hong Man Choi in a mixed martial arts tournament in Japan.

Long known as one of the top boxing trainers in the world, Freddie Roach has recently taken an interest in mixed martial arts, working with fighters including Andrei Arlovski, Anderson Silva, BJ Penn, Tito Ortiz and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou. Many people in the boxing world look down on MMA, but when I interviewed Roach this week, he told me he embraces it.

"I don't think MMA is going to take boxing over or anything like that," Roach said. "I think the sports complement each other, actually."

In the interview below, Roach talks about the fighters he's worked with and whether he thinks it's realistic that Silva might some day put on the boxing gloves and step into the ring with Roy Jones. The interview is below.

After losing his UFC light heavyweight title belt to Forrest Griffin last night, what's next for Quinton "Rampage" Jackson? A few possibilities:

Rematch with Forrest Griffin: Rampage asked for a rematch after the fight, but I don't see it happening right away. I think Rampage can get a chance at winning his title back in 2009, but he'll have to win at least one fight before that, most likely against ...

Wanderlei Silva: Rampage fought Silva in Pride twice, losing both. Getting a victory over his nemesis would remove the biggest hole from Rampage's resume and position him to get a shot at Griffin's title next year.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua: Until he lost to Griffin, Rua was considered by many mixed martial arts fans to be the best 205-pound fighter in the world -- thanks in large part to his knockout win over Rampage in 2005. If Rua's knee ever gets healthy again, a Rua-Rampage rematch in the Octagon would be a great fight.

Sokoudjou: Stylistically, a fight between Rampage and the African Assassin would be a fascinating one. But is Sokoudjou a big enough name to go into the Octagon with Rampage in a main event?