The Petty Squabble: Last week, White was ready to cut ties with rising welterweight star Jon Fitch and his American Kickboxing Academy cohorts because they refused to sign an exclusive, lifetime licensing agreement with the UFC for an upcoming video game. Fitch had the nerve to attempt a negotiation with the powerful White, proposing a five- or 10-year pact instead. Fitch fought the law, and the law was going to win. White got pissed, dropped a few F-bombs and dissed AKA. Then, he told Fitch to get lost and to take his buddies Josh Koscheck and Cain Velasquez with him. It was a rash move, especially since those three guys, in addition to other AKA-affiliated fighters, have broad appeal and great upside. I guess White figured the video game (to be called “Undisputed”) had more money-making promise than those dudes. But, someone should’ve explained to White that most mortals are unwilling to sign their life away for anything – except maybe a date with Rachelle Leah. (Apparently, that wasn’t in the contract.) Fitch got wise, though, and went over White. He worked it out with UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta, who compromised on the deal. That’s good. It keeps White from having to the make the video game with a well-rounded, bearded, Caucasian welterweight named “Ron Ditch.”

The Teasers: Drool began forming in the mouths of fans after two bits of news broke last week. First, White changed his stance on the Gina Carano issue, saying he would like to bring her into the Zuffa fold by featuring her in the WEC. Upon EliteXC’s implosion, White initially stated there wasn’t a place for the heavy-handed hottie in the sport’s premier company. However, with Affliction a leading candidate for Carano’s services (and with the likelihood of a lucrative matchup against Cris “Cyborg” Santos) White backtracked. Nothing has been cemented. Still, the mere mention of Carano’s name and the idea of her appearing somewhere soon is enough to get fanatics frothing.

Second, spokesmen for Fedor Emelianenko released a statement saying the pound-for-pound king would handily dispatch Lesnar in the first round, should the two ever fight. Well, that’s not really news, but it’s awfully tantalizing. Too bad it could only happen in our dreams – much like a date with Rachelle Leah.

The Buildup: Speaking of DREAM matchups, Penn-St. Pierre II was finally announced and set for Jan. 31. Commence anticipation for this UFC clash of champions. B.J. Penn will get his wish with an opportunity to exorcise the demons from his 2006 split-decision loss to Georges St. Pierre. And GSP – whom I have taken to calling the nicest butt-kicker in the world – gets to battle the top contender for his welterweight title. I think GSP learned his lesson from past slip-ups and it’s hard to see anyone beating him in the near future. That being said, Penn has the rare kind of multi-pronged arsenal – to go with his newfound cardio devotion – required to become a two-division champ. This one goes the distance, with GSP inflicting more damage and coming out with a unanimous decision. But I’ll probably change my mind two or three more times as I chew on it over the next two months.

The Bombshell: Is Couture-Liddell IV really in the works? It’s hard to imagine getting tired of watching those two contrasting styles. Seriously, that’s a fight that should happen every year until one or the other can’t physically do it anymore. But, who knows? It might not even go down a fourth time. It’s all speculation right now.

If we didn’t’ have speculation, though, we wouldn’t have so many stories in MMA. Just look at the last week’s worth of headlines, for example. We couldn’t get enough, yet nothing really happened.