Mark - Wrong. Swick is a very talented fighter but there’s just too much talent at the top at 170. He could fight Matt Hughes, although that’s not going to get him a title shot. I know the UFC is pushing hard for a Swick v. Alves fight while Alves waits around for his title shot. It would make sense for Thiago to take that fight just to make some cash in the interim and he can do this because Swick won’t be able to beat him. Alves is the best challenger to GSP at this weight level (Penn is still a lightweight) and has the more complete game at this point. Alves can take this fight like it’s the equivalent of a grade school kid picking up a paper route to help buy a new bike-an easy way to make some quick cash. Can Swick make a run at GSP? Sure. He’s not doing it now, unless this “run” is a multi-year process, in which case, I’d argue every welterweight is “making a run” at GSP.

Is Carlos Newton’s comeback going to end in a Rocky-style run at the top or will he crash and burn?
Kelly - That’s a simple question-crash and burn. MMA has passed Carlos Newton by. The once impressive Canuck has only won once in his last seven fights going back to 2004 and simply hasn’t evolved with the sport. The former UFC welterweight champion’s bid to return to MMA competition is ill-advised at best. The bigger question here is why do guys like Newton, Kazushi Sakuraba, Ken Shamrock, and Royce Gracie think they can come back to the game that they once dominated and expect it to be the same as when they left? That’s either arrogance or ignorance and no matter which one it is, it’s not a quality consistent with MMA champions. Is it the Couture factor that’s motivating these guys to keep fighting or is the paycheck too sweet to pass up? I’ll give credit where it’s due-MMA legend Pat Miletich came back from neck surgery and beat Thomas Denney this week. But that’s one success story within several dismal failures. Newton and his generation should follow the example set by Ivan Salaverry and bow out gracefully when the time is right. MMA is like technology-it evolves very rapidly and within a mere year a champion of the old school can be tossed aside as a relic if he doesn’t keep up.

Mark - Woo-hoo, crash and burn! I agree with Kelly on this one, why do the old guys try to come back? They only illustrate how ill-equipped they would be to handle today’s fighters. The sport is evolving and the dinosaurs can’t compete, unless they are willing to evolve as well (Couture obviously gets an exemption). I think there is an obvious answer here- cash. MMA is a much bigger game than it was when they were on top, so they are coming back for quick paydays. Try as they might, washed-up fighters can’t buy groceries with their legacies. I’m ok with it, because everyone enjoys a good train wreck here and there.