Joe Ferraro

Sam Stout.

It's been a great week for Canadian MMA fighters over the past week (or so) and it appears it's only going to pick up over the next few weeks.

Sam Stout's exceptional performance against Joe Lauzon at UFC 108 has bumped him up the lightweight rankings and we'll now see him (potentially) face Jeremy Stephens at UFC 113. This matchup has "Fight of The Night" written all over it, and as much as Sammy would like the bonus payout, I'm sure if he could choose, he'd likely take a KO or Submission of the Night bonus instead. He'll have his work cut out for him though, as Stephens is no slouch, and will give definitely give the London, Ont., native a run for his money (no pun intended).

Stout's teammate, Mark (The Machine) Hominick, defeated Brian Caraway at his own game at WEC 46, as the so called "striker" executed an excellent combination from a hip reversal, to triangle, to arm bar -- a very slick move that you will no doubt see Mark explain in a future "Fight School" segment on "MMA Connected."

Also victorious was Rory (The Waterboy) MacDonald, who at UFC Fight Night 20 defeated Mike (The Joker) Guymon by armbar in the first round of his UFC welterweight debut. Look for more from Rory in upcoming episodes of the show, as he is highly touted by many of Canada's elite fighters, including the kingpin of the 170-pound class, Georges St-Pierre.

Maynard's victory gives Edgar a title shot

Speculation ran rampant that if Gray Maynard could defeat Nate Diaz at UFC Fight Night 20, he'd be next in line for a title shot vs. champion B.J. Penn; but not according to UFC president Dana White. The prez informed MMAFighting.com that even though Maynard has a victory over Maynard, Edgar is more deserving of the shot as he's performed better over his past few fights. Look for the title bout to take place in April.

White also expanded on the recent sale of a portion of the company to "Flash Entertainment," a company based in Abu Dhabi, who is expected to help the company take the company to the next level globally, in a more efficient (and in a much quicker) manner. Flash Entertainment has done some major international shows and events including big time concerts and even the F-1 racing circuit.

Brock Lesnar press conference next week

In the same interview with MMAfighting.com, White stated that a press conference will be held in Las Vegas, Tuesday or Wednesday of next week (with Brock Lesnar in attendance) to bring everyone up to speed on the latest with the UFC heavyweight champion. White appeared to be holding something back, perhaps more than just "something" and did not clarify if the champ would ever fight again. But based on what folks close to the champ have been stating, as well as Randy Couture's recent statements, I believe we might just find out when Lesnar's next title defence will actually be. I'm thinking it will be in the summer, vs. the winner of Shane Carwin and Frank Mir.

Machida's father says Lyoto must fight Anderson

In an interview conducted with PVT Magazine, Yoshizo Machida, (father of UFC light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida) stated that his son "must" fight Anderson Silva. He believes both fighters are professionals and it matters not who wins, but "how" they would win. Sensei Machida also talks about a potential bout between Lyoto and Brock Lesnar, and also gives his thoughts on other fighters like Mauricio (Shogun) Rua and Vitor Belfort.

On a side note, look for another Machida to perhaps sign with Zuffa, as Lyoto's older (yet smaller) brother Shinzo, is interested in joining the UFC or WEC's lightweight class. He is currently 1-1, with his last bout a submission-loss at Jungle Fight VI in 2006.