The reported 10 page pictorial will be Leah’s second appearance in the magazine and is being promoted as the “UFC’s favorite girl who’s now all grown up!.” As die hard fans may remember the 23 year old model/actress was named the “Babe of the Month” in Playboy’s August 2006 edition and appeared in a one page (clothed) layout.

Leah who has been featured in Maxim, FHM, Stuff, and Muscle & Fitness has remained a favorite of UFC fans worldwide. The November edition of Playboy hits newsstands in 30 days.

The pictorial will mark Leah’s second-ever appearance in the magazine. She was named the “Babe of the Month” in Playboy’s August 2006 edition.

Leah appeared clothed in the issue but MMA Rated clearly states that she will be nude this time around, much to the delight of males between the ages of 18-34 (and older) everywhere, as well as some females.

Despite taking on a role with the UFC that offers less visibility, Leah has remained extremely popular with diehard UFC fans. It’s expected that her issue will be a hot seller once it hits newsstands.

We’ll be following this story very closely.

Anderson Silva took care of business.

And really, that’s what he was supposed to do, right? Maybe it would have benefited the UFC a little more if the fight had lasted longer but they gave America a free dose of the most dominant mixed martial artist in the game right now and he gave them the knockout that everyone was expecting. Other than that, the fight was more or less meaningless. It was used to try and build Silva as a draw as well as compete with Affliction’s card on the same night by putting the consensus #1 fighter in the world on basic cable. As for this win helping solidify Silva’s pound for pound status, I guess you can say that it only helped. But because he cuts so much weight to get down to 185 lbs. and because James Irvin is, well, James Irvin, I don’t put too much stock into it. Now, if Silva were to beat a top level 205 lbs. fighter? Then you might have my attention.

James Irvin underestimated Anderson Silva’s power.

James Irvin talked all week about how he’d faced harder hitters than Silva and how he’d take thirty of Silva’s punches to land ten of his own. I said earlier in the week that underestimating Silva’s power is an extremely bad move because even if the guy doesn’t look like he has devastating power, his technique, his speed, and his accuracy combined allow him to generate a ridiculous amount of power. All it took was one good shot and Irvin crumpled like a piece of tissue paper. Even Mario Yamasaki was stunned, as he let the fight go on maybe hoping that Irvin would be able to come back from that one punch but that’s all it took. One solid punch on the button from Silva will put even the best fighters in the world to sleep. To sleep on Silva’s power and leave your hands down against him is to ask to be napping on the mat soon after.

Brandon Vera will be fine at light heavyweight.

I personally thought Vera looked very good in round one of the fight and looked extremely comfortable at the new weight class. As the fight wore on, however, Vera looked to be tired and it was pretty clear that the weight cut really affected him. Once he perfects the weight cut and gets used to being the bigger guy at the smaller weight class he will be a dominant 205 lbs. fighter. I truly believe that. Tonight certainly wasn’t his best showing but you have to give the fighters some leeway when they drop a weight class and have to deal with cutting weight. Vera never had to cut weight before at heavyweight and cutting weight is a pretty big deal. Once he gets the weight cut down pat, he will shine at light heavyweight.

Frankie Edgar is back on track.

Edgar looked very good tonight against a very tough opponent in Hermes Franca. Edgar looked as if he’s put on some muscle mass and was bigger and stronger than he’s ever been before. The fight tonight reminded me a lot of Edgar’s fight with Mark Bocek except that Franca actually had some pop to his standup. Edgar was able to impose his will with takedowns, defend submissions, land some vicious ground and pound, and protect himself from taking too much damage when Franca would land a big knee or a big punch. This is a very quality win for Edgar and should be a great confident booster that he can hang with some of the best at 155 lbs.

Cain Velasquez emerged as a true heavyweight contender.

On paper, Jake O’Brien was supposed to be Cain Velasquez’s toughest fight to date but it ended up being just as lopsided as Cain’s previous fights. Even Andrei Arlovski, a former UFC heavyweight champion, had a tough time with Jake O’Brien. Heath Herring lost to him. Cain Velasquez steamrolled O’Brien and never looked back. This was a very good thing for the UFC tonight. Their heavyweight division is lacking and they should be looking for that sparkplug to light a fire under the division’s ass and make it entertaining again. I believe Velasquez is that sparkplug. If Cain can rack up a couple more victories in the division I don’t think it will be long until we see him competing for the heavyweight strap. If the UFC can build him up as well as Shane Carwin, a fight sometime down the road between those two could be a big time matchup.

Anthony Johnson got robbed, but he might have contributed to his own demise.

Anthony Johnson won that fight against Kevin Burns tonight, ladies and gentlemen. There are no two ways about it. Burns poked him in the eye multiple times, the last time being the most ridiculous as the replay showed Burns’ finger pretty much disappearing into Burns’ orbital socket. That being said, the way that Johnson reacted I think had a lot to do with the way the end of the fight was handled. Had Johnson not fallen down and Burns not jumped on top of him like he was going in for the finish, Mazagatti may not have called it. As it stands it looked as if Mazagatti thought an uppercut landed and that Johnson was crumpling to the mat from taking a big shot. As such, he stepped in to wave it off as a TKO stoppage when in reality it was the fourteenth poke in the eye that caused Johnson to fall down. Had Johnson simply reeled back from the poke and held his eye, he may have been able to either continue, have a point taken away from Burns, or even have had Burns disqualified for the continual eye pokes. Either way, it was an unfortunate turn of events for a fight that was very entertaining and clearly going Johnson’s way to turn out like it did.

C.B. Dollaway’s Peruvian Necktie submission is right up there with some of the best submissions this year.

That submission is right up there with Dustin Hazelett’s transition from a whizzer to an armbar against Josh Burkman as well as Aoki’s reverse gogoplata against Nagata. I doubt that the Peruvian Necktie would work against a higher caliber of fighter but Jesse Taylor fell right into the trap. It was an extremely slick submission by Dollaway and one that I had to rewind a couple times just to enjoy its beauty. Good shit, C.B.

Other notes..

• Rory Markham put himself right up there as a candidate for knockout of the year with his head kick KO of Brodie Farber. That was just sickening.
• The UFC seems to have spent some coin on some new graphics for their broadcasts. The Fight Night logo, the time clock, and the “Tale of the Tape” graphics were all brand new and looked really slick and professional. It’s nice to see the UFC making some changes to their production as it’s something that people like myself have clamored for for a long time.
• “Corner Cam” is great. Between rounds one and two of every fight we got to hear the corners of each fighter. Not only does this give you more insight into the fight but it also means less commercials. In previous broadcasts, during every break between rounds, they were going to commercial. Listening to the corner in between rounds is how MMA should be presented on live television. It adds to the drama. And less commercials is an absolute plus.

The show, which will air on Spike TV (check local listings) this Saturday at 9 p.m. ET, will offer not one, but two anticipated moves to the light heavyweight division that could have major implications at 205 pounds in the UFC. If UFC light heavyweight first-timers Anderson Silva and Brandon Vera are successful in their debuts, it will open up a lot of new possibilities within the division.

In addition to getting a free look at the move to light heavyweight by both Silva and Vera, MMA fans will be treated to a glimpse at rising prospects Cain Velasquez and Anthony Johnson. For Velasquez, he has already captivated the attention of many diehard fans. However, a big win on Spike TV in front of a national audience could help make him a bigger star.

Johnson already received a “Spike” boost when his knockout of Tommy Speer just 0:51 into round 1 was shown on a delay basis during UFC Fight Night 13. Is he ready to make the move into the UFC’s welterweight elite? That remains to be seen. While he’s a dangerous puncher, there are still some questions that need to be answered about his ground game.

Also featured will be a lightweight bout between Frankie Edgar and Hermes Franca and a middleweight bout between C.B. Dollaway and Jesse Taylor. All four fighters need to win badly but only two of them can walk away with their hands raised.

Join us as we break down that fight and more during 5 Oz. of Pain’s UFC Fight 14 preview (just click below).

Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin

It’s very surprising to see so many people picking Silva to win on Saturday in a romp. Are people forgetting that there’s a 20 pound difference between middleweight and light heavyweight? While I understand that Silva is a big middleweight and walks around at anywhere between 210 and 215 pounds, James Irvin is still walking around bigger.

This will not be a cakewalk and is not the layup everyone thinks. Silva is taking a risk by moving up and by doing so against such a dangerous opponent. As great as Silva is, he’s still human. Irvin is a hard hitter and if he hits Silva on the button, he’ll drop the same as anyone else.

The clinch game will be of particular interest. Irvin has been publicly critical of Silva’s technique in the clinch and has said he wants to engage Silva there. It’s one thing to muscle someone that competes at 185 pounds, and it’s another thing to control someone like Irvin who is a legitimate 205 pound fighter. Can Silva ragdoll Irvin like he has so many middleweights?

There is a huge risk for an upset here, as Silva won’t have the strength and range advantage that he normally has when he competes at 185 pounds. I still see Silva winning, but I don’t see his striking skills making the difference here. What I see making the difference in this bout is Silva’s tremendous ability to submit people off of his back.

Prediction: Silva via third round submission in a performance that ends the talk of Silva fighting at light heavyweight on a regular basis.

Brandon Vera vs. Reese Andy

Lost in the shuffle of Anderson Silva’s debut in the UFC at light heavyweight is Vera’s UFC light heavyweight debut. While it remains to be seen whether 205 is Silva’s best competitive weight class, without having seen Vera fight at light heavyweight, I already know that this is where he belongs.

Physically, he found himself on the short end of the stick against certain heavyweights. Now, Vera will be in a position where he’s going to be the one causing matchup problems for fighters.

Despite the fact that he does not have heavy hands, Vera’s jiu-jitsu and wrestling are both extremely underrated. Now that he won’t be giving up as much strength, I have a feeling we will see more of those skills on display. Vera’s knees, elbows, and kicks are also extremely dangerous.

But as he makes his debut, he does so against a tough opponent. Andy comes from an outstanding amateur wrestling background and was 5-1 in the IFL, competing primarily as a small heavyweight — and when we say small, we’re talking weighing in at 206 pounds for some of his heavyweight bouts.

Overall, Andy has wins over Kala Kolohe Hose, Mike Ciesnolevicz, Krzysztof Soszynski, Jamal Patterson, and Justin Levens. Those are respectable wins, but as you can see, Vera is a huge step up in competition.

It’s an awkward matchup, as Andy, a talented wrestler, will have a low center of gravity when fighting against the taller Vera. He’ll be able to change levels without having to telegraph his takedowns, which could cause trouble for Vera. But Vera is a brown belt under Lloyd Irvin and if Reese ends up in top position, he will have to be very, very careful.

Prediction: Following a second round takedown, Andy will get himself caught in a triangle and be forced to tap.

Frankie Edgar vs. Hermes Franca

Edgar’s first-ever loss of his career when he fought Gray Maynard back in April was an indication that bigger, stronger opponents with good technique could be a problem for him. If that’s truly a weakness, that won’t be a factor here, as Franca has competed in the past at 145 pounds.

So size won’t be a factor but preparation might. I’ve seen Franca compete when he was in tremendous condition and focused and at other times I have felt he was relying too much on his natural ability. After leaving American Top Team, Franca joined the Armory. Now he’s left the Armory and is out on his own. Is he getting the proper training? After hearing that Edgar is now a part of Ricardo Almeida’s school in New Jersey, I have no doubts that he’s getting the proper training and is being pushed.

Franca has better submissions but Edgar is the better wrestler. But Franca’s wrestling isn’t bad and Edgar’s submissions are good. On the ground, we could see a stalemate, prompting the fighters to try and test one another on their feet. From a technical standpoint, Edgar is the better boxer. However, Franca has rocks for hands and if he catches someone with one of his unorthodox punches, it’s lights out.

Edgar has to be cautious of Franca’s looping punches and Franca has to worry about Edgar’s takedowns. As such, I expect both fighters to fight a safe fight and not take many chances. That might not make for a very entertaining fight but both Edgar and Franca need the win.

Prediction: As long as Edgar can avoid Franca’s big, looping punches, he should be okay. Edgar via split decision.

Cain Velasquez vs. Jake O’Brien

The highly-touted Velasquez lived up to the hype during his UFC debut after TKO’ing Brad Morris at 2:10 of round 1 this past April at UFC 83. He faces an opponent in O’Brien who is returning to the UFC after being cut earlier this year.

O’Brien is a talented wrestler, but Velasquez was an NCAA champion at Arizona State so the odds of him getting the better of Velasquez in that regard is highly unlikely.

O’Brien was cut in large part because he relied too heavily on his wrestling. Against Velasquez, this might be the perfect opportunity for him to let his hands go and show everyone his standup ability. The problem is, Velasquez, who trains at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, could be the better of the two standing as well.

Prediction: Velasquez via unanimous decision.

Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns

Both fighters are coming off impressive wins. Of course, there was Johnson’s first round KO of Tommy Speer at UFN 13 and then Burns’ submission win over black belt Roan Carneiro at UFC at UFC 85. Burns might only be a blue belt in BJJ, but the fact that he submitted Carneiro suggests that he’s competing at a higher level than blue belt.

The ground is a strength for Burns, but is a weakness for Johnson, whose only pro loss came at the hands of Rich Clementi via rear naked choke at UFC 76.

This fight is a tossup to some extent. If it goes to the ground and stays there, look for Burns to get the win. However, if the fight stays standing, we could see another highlight reel knockout from the fighter known as “Rumble.”

Prediction: I think we’re going to see a first round TKO courtesy of Johnson.

C.B. Dollaway vs. Jesse Taylor

Stylistically, this could be a very boring fight. Both guys have a tendency to rely a lot on their wrestling. However, there is a lot at stake for these two fighters and the drama behind the uncertainty of the outcome could be enough to make this fight pretty exciting.

Taylor is returning to the UFC after being dismissed following a drunken escapade that took place a day after TUF 7 finished filming… or so we thought. After Taylor was booted, filming had to be re-started and Dollaway was given a second chance to make the finals after having had been submitted by eventual TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah.

Dollaway made good on his second chance by defeating Tim Credeur, but found himself getting submitted by Sadollah from the bottom for the second consecutive time when the two rematched during the live season finale.

Both fighters are getting second chances and need the win. A poor performance by either and it could mean they are gone from the UFC for good.

Prediction: This fight could go either way and I don’t know who to pick. I have to pick someone so I’ll go with Dollaway via unanimous decision.

“There’s no way he’s coming to take me down. I fully expect him coming to punch and kick me. He’s coming to make a point,” Irvin said. “My striking is much more refined. If I’ve gotta take three strikes to one, then I’ll take his 30 to land my 10.”

All I know is, Anderson Silva is extremely technical with his strikes, deadly accurate, and has very deceiving power. If Irvin gets caught with thirty clean punches from Silva, chances are that he’s more than likely going to be lights out on the floor. I don’t know if Irvin missed math class, but thirty punches to ten punches is a terrible ratio for him, especially against a striker like Silva.

I think Silva’s shown us on more than one occasion that his power is just scary, especially for someone who doesn’t look powerful. He’s devastated guys with great chins like Chris Leben and Dan Henderson and I expect him to do the same to Irvin. Props to Irvin for taking the fight on six weeks’ notice and stepping up to face the most dangerous man on the planet right now. The line to fight Anderson Silva is extremely short and to not only step up and fight him, but to fight him on short notice is ballsy. But underestimating Silva’s power, as we’ve seen in the past, is a terrible mistake.

Check out more UFC Fight Night 14 content on FiveOuncesOfPain.com!

If you remember, Jake O’Brien’s contract was cut after his loss to former UFC heavyweight champion, Andrei Arlovski earlier this year. There was a small outcry over the UFC’s hasty decision to cut the fighter but it was more or less drowned out by the “good riddances” from many a fan who were against O’Brien’s stalling tactics while inside the cage. However it looks like when it comes to filling a fight card on short notice it seems certain past indiscretions can be forgotten.

Velasquez made his UFC debut on the un-televised portion of UFC 83. He made very quick work of Australian, Brad Morris winning by first round TKO.

UFC Fight Night 14 will be headlined by a light heavyweight contest between current UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva and James Irvin.

Check out more UFC content on FiveOuncesOfPain.com.

Plans remain in motion for a live UFC special on Spike TV scheduled for July 19. According to Ariel Helwani of MMARated.com, the main event for the show will feature the debut of UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at light heavyweight.The site is reporting that Silva’s debut at 205 pounds will come against James Irvin.

Sherdog.com reported on Monday that a light heavyweight main event consisting of Wanderlei Silva vs. Brandon Vera had been on the table. However, recent indications are that Silva declined the bout because it was on such short notice.

The UFC is believed to be looking to run a show on such short notice as a way to counter-program Affliction’s inaugural MMA show the same night on pay-per-view.

Houston Alexander will return to Ultimate Fighting Championship action on April 2. MMAWeekly.com has confirmed with sources close to the fight that he will face James Irvin as a part of the main card of the upcoming UFC Fight Night leading into the seventh installment of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

This is a fight that was announced awhile back as part of a possible March 8th card in England, one week after UFC 82. Since that card seems to be botched at this point, lots of fighters are getting moved around to other cards. This should be a slugfest and a fight that’s tailor made for Houston to win, especially if it stays standing. UFC Fight Night 13 is turning into a very high caliber event, better on paper than some of the pay per views last year.

Check out more UFC Fight Night 13 content on FiveOuncesofPain.com

A source close to Houston Alexander (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the UFC light heavyweight has accepted a fight with James Irvin (13-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) and is simply awaiting word on whether Irvin’s camp will green-light the bout.

Prepare for some punches to be thrown. Both are strikers so both will probably look to keep the fight standing. While Irvin has a lot of experience, look for the explosiveness of Houston Alexander to take over during this fight and put Houston back on the winning track. It should come as no surprise to anyone that Houston’s not going up against any BJJ black belts again. The UFC learned its lesson once.

Check out more UFC 83 and Houston Alexander content on FiveOuncesofPain.com

UFCjunkie.com: So if you had the chance to fight Irvin again, you would?
Terry Martin: We’re headed in two different directions. I told people that guy sucked. He was lucky. What about that last fight? He was fighting and all the sudden his knee blows out? Like that? I don’t want to say it, but…

UFCjunkie.com: So you think he may have been on something? Steroids perhaps?
Terry Martin: Oh, come on now. You know that. No one’s knee goes out like that. And look at him. You know and I know that no body is shaped like that naturally — maybe close to that, but nobody has a body like that.

UFCjunkie.com: So you’re basing it off his looks alone?
Paper-thin skin and everything. Something’s going on. He’s was up to something.

Martin also revealed that he has signed a new four fight contract. He became a free agent after his last fight and the print edition of the Wrestling Observer reported that BodogFIGHT was interested in Martin’s services.

Martin has been impressive since dropping from light heavyweight to middleweight and with the current landscape of the division, he could earn a shot at the title with a win over Chris Leben at UFC Fight Night 11 on September 19.

Click here to read the entire interview.