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Minotauro, when asked if his brother would ever fight in the UFC, said that his brother had already had discussions with the UFC and that he was "coming for sure."

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts train at Black House in Miami with Anderson Silva and are arguably the most successful MMA brother combination in history. Minotoro is 17-3; Minotauro is 31-5.

Minotoro has fought most notably for Pride and Affliction and, unlike his heavyweight brother, fights at light heavyweight.

UFC 102 takes place Aug. 29 from the Rose Garden in Portand, the UFC's first trip to the Pacific Northwest, and features a great heavyweight tussle between Couture and Big Nog that fans have been wanting to see for the better part of 10 years now.

At 31-5-1, Minotauro has fought some of the best in the world -- though his UFC resume has just three fights on it. In the two years he's been in the UFC, since Zuffa acquired Pride, Big Nog is 2-1 with wins over Heath Herring (and two other wins over him earlier in his career) and Tim Sylvia and a loss to Frank Mir last December. He's 1-1 against Josh Barnett, widely considered the world's No. 2 heavyweight before his steroid scandal last month. He's fought Fedor three times -- taking him the distance twice, though both were losses; a third fight was a no contest from an accidental cut on Fedor from an accidental headbut. He's beaten Fabricio Werdum, Dan Henderson, Mirko Cro Cop, Ricco Rodriguez, Bob Sapp, Mark Coleman, Gary Goodridge. Simply put, he's a legend.

But so is Couture. With three legendary fights with Chuck Liddell (1-2), an amazing domination of Tim Sylvia when he came out of retirement to win the UFC heavyweight title again, wins over Tito Ortiz, Kevin Randleman, Vitor Belfort, Pedro Rizzo, Gabriel Gonzaga and Jeremy Horn, "The Natural" is one of the founding fathers of the sport.

And he lived in Corvallis, Ore., for years while working as an assistant wrestling coach at Oregon State. So this is somewhat of a homecoming for him.

I'll have all the details later with what goes down on the call -- but I don't expect any fireworks. It's hard to find two more respectful fighters out there than Randy and Big Nog.

(Pictured: Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira as he prepares to talk to the media at UFC 100 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Photo by MattE.)

MMA ... fight shirts ... autographs and memorabilia ... da Bears ... food ... my wife and dog, of course ... and DVDs.

Tuesday has always been my favorite day of the week because it's NEW RELEASE TUESDAY, the day new DVDs drop. Trust me. The Best Buy people know me well and roll out a red carpet when I arrive.

When the UFC announced its new DVD distribution deal with Anchor Bay earlier this summer, there was a promise in there that we'd be seeing UFC pay-per-view DVD releases quicker than ever before. So far, that is proving true.

Today, less than three months after the fight card, we get UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida on DVD. And even though I was at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to cover the card in person, I'm pretty stoked to pick this up in a couple hours and check it out later tonight.

UFC 98 featured a fantastic light heavyweight championship bout between champ Rashad Evans and challenger Lyoto Machida that had one of the sickest knockout endings we've seen in a long time. And before that, we had the long-awaited grudge match between Matt Hughes, a college classmate of mine at Eastern Illinois, and Matt Serra.

Fortunately, UFC 98 is back to the 2-disc format the way UFC 94 is. UFC 94 was Anchor Bay's first release for the UFC and it was great. Two discs, one of the fight card and one of bonus features like the weigh-ins and a behind-the-scenes feature. But for its next release, UFC 95 and UFC 96 were put into one release -- one disc for each event, but all the special features had to be downloaded online. Very annoying. And to top it off, the UFC 95 disc had UFC 96 on it, and vice versa -- an embarrassing mixup that I'm sure had UFC brass seeing red. But UFC 98 is two discs -- one of the fights, one of the features, and it should be pretty slick.

On Sept. 8, UFC 99 will drop on DVD. Then we have to wait till Oct. 20 for UFC 100 -- but hopefully they really go all out for that one.

The main event is NWI's own Miguel Torres defending his WEC bantamweight title against Brian Bowles, but there's plenty of great action on this card.

LC Davis vs. Javier Vazquez: In a very exciting fight that was certain to be a split decision, Davis pulled off a bit of a shocker -- at least in terms of how many in The Joint saw it on their scorecards. Davis won a split decision, 30-27, 28-29, 29-28. Vazquez was stunned. MattE, for the record, saw it 29-28 for Vazquez.

Rafael Dias vs. Diego Nunes: In another fun one that featured a litle bit of showboating by Nunes, he remained unbeaten with a 30-27 sweep on all three judges' scorecards. MattE saw it 29-28 for Nunes, believe Dias snuck in the second round.

John Hosman vs. Rani Yahya: Hosman took this fight on short notice. He hails from Evanston and fights out of Midwest Training Center in Schaumburg with the likes of UFC star Clay Guida. Guida, in fact, was in Hosman's corner for hte fight. Yahya was a huge favorite at -700 at sportsbooks here in Vegas, and he didn't disappoint. Hosman went for a guillotine early and that was his big mistake. He dropped to his back, but from there, Yahya was in his element. He easily transitioned to a north-south choke and before long Hosman was tapping. Yahya's last time out, he submitted Chesterton's Eddie Wineland at WEC 40 in Chicago, also in the first round.

Phil Cardella vs. Ed Ratcliff: Ratcliff is a Chicago native and he was efficient in his return to the WEC cage after a 16-month layoff. He won a decision, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28. "My work ethic (helped me win this fight)," Ratcliff said afterward. "I had some time off and I had to prove myself to myself. I had a lot of time off last year, and I was determined to come in here and give a good show. I give myself a C+. It feels too good. It's hard to put it in words."

Shane Roller vs. Marcus Hicks: Hicks failed to make weight on Saturday, coming in at 159 for the middleweight bout. So this one is being fought at a catch weight of 159 with Hicks giving up 15 percent of his fight purse to Roller. Roller comes out to "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, nothing if not classic -- though so overused it's just classicly funny at this point. Hicks comes out to "Bodies" by Drowning Pool, a little more hardcore. Roller has an 8-inch reach advantage against Hicks, so this could be interesting. The first round sees Hicks locking in two different deep guillotines -- not surprising, as before a two-fight skid, Hicks won three straight with guillotine choke-outs -- but Roller continually fought his way out. A big slam by Roller looked like it could turn the tide, but Hicks kept a choke locked in and MattE scored the first round for him. in the second, Hicks got another big guillotine on. But Roller again managed to get out and before anyone could realize what had happened he was raining down punches on Hicks. The ref didn't stop the fight, as Hicks kept defending himself. The second round clearly goes to Roller, bringing the decisive third.With 20 seconds left, Roller was able to pick Hicks up and deliver a massive slam -- maybe sealing the deal on what was a very inactive final round -- and therefore a very tough-to-score final round. MattE sees this one 29-28 for Roller and an early candidate for Fight of the Night. Two judges have it 30-27, and one 29-28 for Roller. "I just stayed calm," Roller said after the fight about being in Hicks' multiple chokes. "He had a real tight guillotine. He's tough, man. He kept hanging on there. I think all of 'em are must-wins. Anytime you step in the cage, this is just one of those situations where I wanted to get back in here and get back on a streak."

Fredson Paixao vs. Cole Province: Fun first as Paixao possible breaks Province's nose with an elbow from his back. That has Province bloodied pretty good and probably breathing through his mouth a lot. MattE gives the first round to Paixao. Both fighters spend the first minute of the second round feeling each other out with no real action. Both are perhaps getting  their wind back. 75 seconds in, Paixao connects with a nice leg kick. A scramble on the ground has Province on top, and he's bleeding pretty heavily. Paixao nearly gets a triangle, but he can't lock it in and remains in guard working off his back. The third is not exciting in the traditional sense, as Paixao looked fairly cautious. MattE sees the fight for Paixao. The judges have it 29-28 on all three cards ... but for Cole Province in an upset.

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MAIN CARD (LIVE ON VERSUS)

Jameel Massouh vs. Leonard Garcia: A big shot from Garcia floors Massouh early, and Garcia proceeds to rain down punches and elbows. But Massouh withstands the punishment and eventually is able to turn the tables. The second half of the opening round sees Massouh dishing out the punishment. It might even be enough to warrant a 10-10 round. In the second, Garcia gets a short-lived guillotine in, but it's not deep enough to do any damage. Then Massouh again gets to top position and works out of Garcia's half-guard. Massouh gets a fairly deep choke in, but Garcia gets out eventually. This round is Massouh's, so it'll come down to the third. It's close in the third. It appears that Garcia is doing just enough to sneak this third one in, but it's going to come down to the judges and I won't be surprised to see a split. Sure enough -- 29-28 twice for Garcia, a split decision. "Man, ya know, after I hit him with that first right hand, I thought the fight was over," Garcia said. "I had nothing in the second and third -- no energy left. He was choking the (heck) outta me, too. In the second and third, I had no energy and was just going off instinct."

Jeff Curran vs. Takeya Mizugaki: A win by Mizugaki COULD set up a rematch with Miguel Torres, who battled him for five rounds in April. Curran is out of Island Lake, Ill., and is fighting for the 44th time in his pro career. He's dropped three straight, though, and Mizugaki is a tough challenge. Curran ooks to get the fight to the ground in the first round. It goes there briefly, then back to the feet where the two tie up in a clinch and dirty box -- very reminiscent of the Torres-Mizugaki fight, but with fewer big strikes. Back on the ground, Mizugaki gets top position and lands a few shots. Curran eventually scrambles out and works for a leg. He is able to control Mizugaki momentarily before Mizugaki scrambles back to side control. It's a close first, but MattE has it for Mizugaki -- barely, 10-9.Curran catches Mizugaki with a straight right to open the second. Mizugaki begins working kicks, and the two trade on the feet before clinching. Mizugaki then scores a takedown and is in top position as Curran works out of the guard. Curran eventually gets a choke in from his back, and Mizugaki has to survive the second for 30 seconds in the choke -- not tight enough to make him tap. MattE has the second for Curran, and we'll see what happens in the final round. In the third, Mizugaki gets control from the top but isn't doing much with it. But from the top, he could be winning more points with the judges than Curran is from his back. But suddenly, Curran rolled over into a triangle choke and was able to roll over to the top and get a straight armbar -- probably enough to win the round, and likely enough to win a 29-28 decision in what would be a pretty good upset. But in another split decision, Mizugaki manages 29-28 on two cards for the win. Pretty stunning, actually.

Danny Castillo vs. Ricardo Lamas: Lamas, from Chicago, is unbeaten at 6-0. He shows good movement, but Castillo is doing well at keeping distance. Lamas' head kicks are missing, but they're huge. He's using kicks to keep distance. Castillo scores some points with strikes in the round, and it's a close one. A strong kick from Lamas to the back of Castillo's knee right before the horn might give the first to Lamas.Castillo tries to take Lamas down two minutes into the second, but Lamas has excellent sprawl and keeps on his feet. Then he connects with a kick. Castillo hits a couple punches to the body, then absolutely NAILS Lamas with a roundhouse right. Lamas appears to be out almost immediately. He stumbles and falls forward before Castillo pounces on him and delivers strikes until the ref can get in to call it.

Dominick Cruz vs. Joseph Benavidez: Benavidez is likely Miguel Torres' No. 1 challenger for the bantamweight belt -- though Takeya Mizugaki probably has something to say about that in terms of a rematch. Benavidez opens with a couple kicks and the two look to exchange. Benavidez trains with Team Alpha Male, Urijah Faber's camp in Sacramento. A fter a few good shots, Cruz knocks Benavidez off his feet. Benavidez quickly scrambles to get back up and almost gets caught with a kick. At 3:30, Benavidez delivers a quick flurry, but Cruz gets the fight to the ground and is top position trying to work toward side control. But just as quickly, Benavidez secures a guillotine -- not in tight enough to finish, but enough to get the fight back to standing. Benavidez's thighs are absolutely huge for a 135-pound fighter and it's easy to see where the power in his kicks comes from. After a crowd chant of "Let's go Joe," Benavidez and Cruz scramble and trade best position before clinching. Benavidez delivers a knee in the clinch. It's a close round, but MattE likes it 10-9 for Benavidez.In the first minute of the second, the two exchange big punches, then Benavidez looks to tie Cruz up against the fence with a guillotine attempt. They separate and Benavidez looks for more kicks. He missed and Cruz catches him and throws him off balance. Benavidez hits the mat but is up just as quickly with Cruz throwing more at him as he gets up. Benavidez throws a kick, then a spinning backfist, then clinches on teh cage. This is most definitely going the direction of Fight of the Night -- and there have been some real good ones on this card. Cruz throws some shots that connect. His height and reach advantage are helping him, but Benavidez keeps right in the fray at every turn. With 20 seconds left, Cruz shoots and scores a big takedown -- that will be hugely important to determine this round. That probably gives it to him and we could be dead even going into the third and final round. Both fighters know they need to end it to keep it from the judges' scorecards, where just about anything could happen in this one. Crauz scores a big takedown at about the 3-minute mark, and that could mean trouble for Benavidez, but he powers back to his feet. Both fighters are throwing kicks and punches with a little more abandon, looking for a big shot. WIth 1:30 left, it may come down to whoever makes the biggest statement to close the fight out. Benavidez slips on a kick and falls back into guard. Cruz is able to get his back and is working for a choke, then throws punches to finish out the fight. That was enough. This one should go to Cruz 29-28, MattE says, and it's the best fight of the night so far. The judges see it 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 for Cruz. A pretty darn big upset, and this puts Mizugaki right in the rematch equation.

Brian Bowles vs. Miguel Torres: Bowles is unbeaten at 7-0, but Torres has it all over him in experience -- 37-1 without a loss in 17 straight fights. Nearly six years. And he's the Region's own. East Chicago proud. Josh Rosenthal is the ref and Torres looks ready. Here we go!The two spend the first part of the round circling and feeling each other out, hands up. Bowles fakes a punch. His back is to the cage, Torres controlling the middle. Torres throws a kick, then another to establish distance. Bowles catches Torres and sends him to the floor, but Torres is up quickly and the two briefly exchange without much damage. At 3:30, they clinch at the cage, reminiscent of the Mizugaki-Torres fight. Bowles scores a takedown and Torres works from his guard. Bowles is the superior wrestler, but this is where Torres' jiu-jitsu skills can come into play. Torres throws upkicks as Bowles looks to stand. The crowd is clearly on Torres side and they chant his nameTorres scoots on his utt and looks to stand. Bowles has seen this before and keeps his distance. Torres throws a kic, then looks to ircle. He drills Bowles, but Bowles catches him and just like that. It's over. Torres is out on his back. Bowles is the new bantamweight champion. It's a HUGE upset. One of the biggest in the history of the sport.

The big card takes place Sunday night from the newly refurbished Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and the main card will air live on the Versus cable network at 8 p.m. Central. 

In the main event, NWI's very own Miguel Torres puts his bantamweight strap on the line against unbeaten Brian Bowles. Online sportsbooks have Torres as a nearly 3-to-1 favorite.

Keep nwi.com/mma bookmarked for the latest news and you can keep up with our blog feed right there as we bring you the latest scoop from Las Vegas!

Former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski has had a couple setbacks of late. He was holding his own against Fedor at Affliction II before getting dropped -- HARD. And then Brett "The Grimm" Rogers KO'd him in 15 seconds at Strikeforce in St. Louis in June.

What did Andrei do? He played Russian Roulette, literally, according to an interview he did with Fighters.com.

 Arlovski also said he shed tears after the losses as well as when he split up with former Playboy model Patricia Mikula. Losing a fight, ehh -- that's happened to him seven times. Losing a Playboy model? Yeah. I'd cry too.

Not sure yet what Arlovski, who in the past has done much of his training in Chicago, will do. UFC president Dana White said last week he has no interest in having his former heavyweight champ back in the promotion. That leaves Strikeforce and Bellator in the U.S., plus possibilities overseas -- perhaps in Dream in Japan.

But there doesn't seem to be much love at all between lightweight champ BJ "The Prodigy" Penn and Kenny "KenFlo" Florian, who challenges him for the title.

The two were involved in a not-quite-nasty spat over a text message recently, believe it or not, and they exchanged pleasantries over the incident on a media call for UFC 101 last week.

Penn claims Florian sent a text message to Dave Weintraub, who was working on a book with Penn, prior to Penn's fight against Georges St-Pierre in January. According to Penn, Florian said GSP likes to grease up before fights -- something St-Pierre was accused of by the Penn camp afterward.

Florian says he DID send a text to Weintraub -- but that he was talking about Roger Huerta being a greaser, and that the whole thing was a misunderstanding.

"I was talking to Dave Weintraub, and what I was talking about was about Roger Huerta," Florian said. "I have no idea what Georges St-Pierre does. I’d never trained with him prior to that point, and our conversation was about Roger Huerta. I said (in the text), I told BJ good luck against GSP, and when I was talking about the greasing issue, it had nothing to do with Georges. It had to do with my last fight with Roger Huerta. Those are the only accusations that I’ve ever made about a fighter, and on top of that, ya know, I don’t have ESP and, ya know, predicted that Georges was going to grease. I don’t have any contact with their camp and wouldn’t have known anything about that prior to UFC 94."

But Penn wasn't buying it.

"So the conversation was, 'Tell BJ good luck. By the way, Roger Huerta is a greaser?'," Penn asked with a chuckle on the call. "Is that – was that the text?"

Sounds like three sides to this story -- BJ's, Kenny's and the truth. But whatever the reality, I'm sure we'll hear more about it on tonight's "Countdown to UFC 101," which airs on Spike TV at 10 p.m. Central.