RUMOR: The #1 Contender for the Middleweight Title
 

This is a big rumor going around with the fighters and it goes down like this........

The winner of the Chris Leben and Anderson Silva fight will fight the winner of another fight, which is rumored to be Mike Swick vs. Nathan Marquardt. The winner of that fight will be named the #1 Contender. The title fight for that would happen around late this year or early next year. The UFC brass wants to get the asskicking of TUF4 winner out of the way first and then Rich (if he is the champ) fight the #1 contender.

Anderson Silva all the way

I want Swick to be able to pull this out, but I feel it is too early. I see Anderson Silva getting that contender spot.

If it works out this way, it will be really cool, everyone's got a tough road ahead, and rich franklin doesn't have an easy road anymore. Everyone's in line now at a shot.

Swick has a good shot, I think Silva is the obvious winner of his fight but Marquadt and Swick can go either way and I think Swick can hang with Silva, but my pick is still Silva.

It's unfortunate that Rich's injury forces all of these fights to happen.

Were he healthy, the UFC would probably be better served by offering up at least two of these guys for title contention before they have to take a loss. The round 2 loser will either get a title shot coming off a loss (possibly against the guy that just beat them) or have to fight to get legitimate again.

If Rich does lose I suppose Jeremy Horn can enter the mix as well. If he wins his next two defenses, and Chuck does as well (which is not terribly unlikely), I think Rich would be the next logical choice for the LHW title shot, although I doubt he would take it.... definitely a fight I'd like to see though.

Well you know those 2 have talked about it. I think if and when Rich loses, he goes to LHW.

I don't think it's too early for Swick if that's the plans, and he actually wins those fights. It might be too early for just those fights lol. Marquardt is a stud no matter who he fights, while Silva-Leben winner won't be any walk in the park by any means, especially if it's Silva. A Marquardt than Silva road to Franklin for the belt is quite the journey lol.

Doing it this way is perfect and will make a legit #1 contender. There are currently questions on each guy.

Silva - he just got to the ufc and does not deserve a title shot

Leben - Jury is still out on him.

Marquardt - Roids

Swick - Is he title contender caliber? Not yet.

I thought Marquardt was cleared on the drug thing? If he was, it's shitty he got a bad rep. because of a false alarm.

The rest of your questions on those guys I agree with, and also agree that if this four way rumor is true it will answer those questions as long as nothing freakish happens in the fights themselves.