Nothing that happened Saturday night can change that.

But, there is no denying that the way in which he lost the title to Chris Weidman at UFC 162 tarnishes his career, if even just a little bit.

We all think of great champions in any sport and we want to see them going out as a champion, giving a heroic effort, but being bested by someone who is just better than them.

With all due respect to Chris Weidman, Silva lost Saturday’s fight more than Weidman won it.

We have seen it before, Silva with his hands down, challenging his opponent to knock him out. But, unlike some previous times, Silva was making no attempt to actually win the fight.

He did his usual dodges and taunts, but instead of throwing his usual pin-point punches, he preferred to go with some open-hand slaps. He was disrespecting Weidman, as if to say “you are the guy that is supposed to destroy me?” The fight was shaping up to be more like bouts Silva had with Thales Leites or Demian Maia, where he wanted to embarrass them for 25 minutes as opposed to do his job and finish his opponent.

I have no doubt in my mind that Silva could have won that fight. I am not saying he didn’t want to, but he clearly wanted to do it with a message. We have seen fighters pay before for taunting, and Silva finally paid for his taunting.

It would be hard to imagine someone putting on a 16-fight UFC win streak like the one Silva just had. During the run, there were so many impressive knockouts and finishes. His talents are truly once-in-a-lifetime. Unfortunately for Silva, he didn’t go out as a champion. He went out as a clown, and that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

There have been a number of big bouts announced, most of which will take place at UFC 136. As always, MMAFighting.com was the first to report on many of the contests.

– In the biggest news, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard will finally settle the score in a lightweight championship clash at UFC 136 on Oct. 8 from the Toyota Center in Houston. This is the second attempt for the UFC to put on this bout, as the two were originally schedule to fight at UFC 130, but both suffered injuries.

– The UFC also announced via Twitter that Jose Aldo will defend his featherweight championship against Kenny Florian at UFC 136. This will be Florian’s third attempt to win UFC gold while Aldo will be defending his UFC strap for the second time.

– Also set for the UFC 136 card in Houston is another lightweight showdown when Melvin Guillard faces Joe Lauzon. Guillard has quickly skyrocketed up the lightweight ladder with five-straight wins. However, Guillard has struggled in the past with submission fighters and Lauzon is a pitbull on the ground. Lauzon won’t back down from Guillard and the first five minutes of this fight should be very explosive.

– A third bout for UFC 136 was announced as middleweights Demian Maia and Jorge Santiago will square off. Both fighters are coming off of losses and need this win in order to remain a top-10 contender in the division.

– For UFC 137 on Oct. 29 in Las Vegas, heavyweight strikers Matt Mitrione and Cheick Kongo will battle it out. Both are coming off KO wins at UFC Live on Versus 4, with Kongo knocking out Mitrione’s friend, Pat Barry. This will be the biggest test to date for Mitrione, who is now 6-0 in his pro career.

Despite never having won a championship, he has prominently been in the title picture for nearly four years now.

Marquardt has a great all-around game, but “The Great” has never been able to come through with the big victory to send him over the top.

As he gets set to return to action on Sunday in his 170-pound debut against Rick Story, I thought I would look at the three biggest wins and losses in his lengthy career.

High – KO win over Demian Maia at UFC 102 – In what was billed as a No. 1 contender’s match in the UFC middleweight division, Marquardt and Maia faced off. It didn’t last long though, as Marquardt recorded a one-punch KO of Maia in just 21 seconds. It was the most devastating finish of his career and one that seemed to have him on track for his second title shot.

Low – Decision loss to Chael Sonnen at UFC 109 – Following the win over Maia, Sonnen was then placed in front of Marquardt and the two had a war, but Marquardt wasn’t able to stay off his back, which is normally a strength for him. Sonnen dictated the location and pace of the fight, which set Marquardt back once again.

High – Submission win over Jeremy Horn at UFC 81 – Fresh off a title loss to Anderson Silva, Marquardt needed to get back on track and he did by getting an impressive submission win over submission specialist, Jeremy Horn. Marquardt bullied Horn in the first round and then got a standing guillotine that left Horn with no choice but to tap out. The win showed that Marquardt is a solid all-around fighter.

Low – Split decision loss to Thales Leites at UFC 85 – Leave it to Marquardt to take a big win and follow it up with perhaps the worst loss of his career. After submitting Horn, Marquardt then faced off with Thales Leites, an average fighter at best. Marquardt seemed to be miles ahead of Leites when watching the fight, but suffered two point deductions in the contest, which eventually led him to suffer a split decision loss and helped Leites get on track to a title fight.

High – TKO win over Rousimar Palhares at UFC Fight Night 22 – After the loss to Sonnen, Marquardt came back and easily beat submission specialist, Rousimar Palhares. The fight went to the ground early and Palhares attempted a leg lock that Marquardt quickly slipped out of. While Palhares complained of “greasing,” Marquardt pounced and knocked him out. Marquardt was cleared of any of the greasing claims and seemed to be on track for another winning streak.

Low – Unanimous decision loss to Yushin Okami at UFC 122 – A title fight was again at stake for Marquardt, but another letdown took place. He was controlled by Yushin Okami, who proved to be the stronger fighters in the contest. Marquardt struggled to use his striking and just looked to tentative for the fight. This loss would eventually lead Marquardt to make his next big decision and move to welterweight.

How will this move down go? Will he still have the strength and conditioning he had at 185 pounds, or will he be a step too slow for the 170-pound pool. He already holds a dominant win over the likes of Martin Kampmann, but he will be tested by Rick Story, who likes to bully his opponents. Marquardt could be a real threat to teammate Georges St. Pierre, but he needs the killer instinct to really become “The Great” that his nickname entails.

The 26-year-old heavyweight improved to 13-1 with a unanimous decision victory over Shane Carwin on Saturday, dominating the entire fight. Dos Santos’ reach proved to be a big factor as Carwin struggled to get inside Junior and dos Santos also showed impressive takedown defense to keep the fight standing.

In the first round, Carwin was nearly finished (and I personally would have stopped the fight) as he took a barrage of strikes from Junior that left him a bloody mess, but he managed to survive and last all 15 minutes.

Dos Santos looked as good as I have ever seen him and he appears to be a legit threat to UFC heavyweight champ, Cain Velasquez.

The co-main event saw Kenny Florian successfully make his featherweight debut by beating Diego Nunes by unanimous decision. Florian lost the first round on two scorecards but bounced back by controlling a tired Nunes for the final 10 minutes.

The other big win of the night came for Mark Munoz, who won a close decision over Demian Maia. All three rounds were competitive and close, but all judges scored the bout for the wrestler, Munoz. Maia showed impressive striking in the first round while Munoz controlled the fight with his wrestling in the final two rounds.

For complete UFC 131 results, check out the jump.

UFC 131 Results

Junior dos Santos def. Shane Carwin by unanimous decision

Kenny Florian def. Diego Nunes by unanimous decision

Mark Munoz def. Demian Maia by unanimous decision

Dave Herman def. John Olav Einemo by unanimous decision

Donald Cerrone def. Vagner Rocha by unanimous decision

Sam Stout def. Yves Edwards by first round KO (3:52)

Chris Weidman def. Jesse Bongfeldt by first round submission via guillotine choke (4:54)

Krzysztof Soszynski def. Mike Massenzio by unanimous decision

Nick Ring def. James Head by third round submission via rear-naked choke (3:33)

Dustin Poirier def. Jason Young by unanimous decision

Joey Beltran def. Aaron Rose by third round TKO (1:26)

Darren Elkins def. Michihiro Omigawa by unanimous decision

Here is a rundown of my takes on all the main card bouts.

Heavyweight Bout – Shane Carwin (12-1) vs. Junior dos Santos (12-1) – This should be an explosive fight and I see Carwin walking out the winner. I don’t see the fight going beyond five minutes as both fighters have explosive power. I suspect Carwin can take a punch better than dos Santos, which will allow him to earn a first round KO.

Featherweight Bout – Kenny Florian (13-5) vs. Diego Nunes (16-1) – This will be a tough test for Florian, who is making his 145-pound debut against Nunes, who is on a nice run as of late. If Florian can handle the weight cut and continue to fight his style, he should be able to out-class Nunes and secure a submission in the third. I suspect Florian will do just that.

Middleweight Bout – Demian Maia (14-2) vs. Mark Munoz (10-2) – Munoz is a tough guy, but I think he will struggle with Maia on the ground. I look for Maia to pull off an impressive submission in the second round on the wrestler.

Heavyweight Bout – John Olav Einemo (7-1) vs. Dave Herman (20-2) – Einemo seems to be one dimensional and just strong with his submissions while Herman is an impressive striker and well-conditioned fighter. My pick is Herman to win by knockout in the third round.

Lightweight Bout – Donald Cerrone (14-3) vs. Vagner Rocha (6-1) – I think Cerrone should control this fight from start to finish. I don’t see him finishing Rocha, who is good at submission defense, but I do see Cerrone getting the decision win.

That is the question facing “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” as he gets set to face Demian Maia at UFC 131 on Saturday. Both men are on the verge of being a top-5 contender in the division. But, Maia has been here before, while Munoz has yet to truly break through.

Here is a look at both fighters heading into this contest.

Demian Maia (14-2) – Maia is coming off a pair of wins and working his way back toward a title fight in the UFC. Maia has some of the slickest submission grappling moves in the world. He has submitted the likes of Chael Sonnen and Jason MacDonald and he has the capability of submitting Munoz. Maia does struggle with his striking, as he would much rather be fighting off his back than fighting on his feet.

Mark Munoz (10-2) – Munoz is on a nice run in the UFC, winning five of his last six, with his lone loss a split decision to current No. 1 contender, Yushin Okami. Munoz is a tremendous wrestler with improving striking and a lot of heart. Munoz likes to push the action, even if he doesn’t quite have the condition to do so. He enters this fight with better striking than his opponent, but his wrestling could play into Maia’s hands, as Maia is one of the best submission fighters in the world.

Who Will Win: I like the effort Munoz puts forward, but I think Maia will be too skilled for him. Munoz isn’t a good enough striker to truly dominate a fight with his boxing. At some point I see this fight going to the ground, and when it does, I expect Maia to show off his talents and secure a submission.

This week is pretty thin during the week as The Ultimate Fighter wrapped up its season, but the weekend still features another big UFC PPV, UFC 131.

– On Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET, the Countdown to UFC 131 debuts on SpikeTV. The hour-long program will take an inside look at key fighters for this Saturday’s PPV event. The main aspect of the show will focus on the main event between heavyweights Junior dos Santos and Shane Carwin. The show will replay on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET and 2 a.m. ET on Versus as well as midnight on Friday on SpikeTV.

– On Friday at 10 p.m. ET, HDNet will air Maximum Fighting Championship 30: Up Close & Personal live from the Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. The main event is a lightweight showdown between Drew Fickett and Brian Cobb while Marcus Davis and Pete Spratt meet in a fight between two UFC veterans.

– On Saturday at 9 p.m. ET on PPV, UFC 131 will take place from the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. Carwin and dos Santos face off in the main event while Kenny Florian makes his featherweight debut against Diego Nunes. Demian Maia also faces off with Mark Munoz in a middleweight bout while Donald Cerrone takes on Vagner Rocha in a lightweight contest. Some of the prelim bouts will air live on SpikeTV at 8 p.m. ET and other bouts are expected to air live on Facebook.

Mike Chiappetta of MMAFighting.com is reporting that the UFC is looking into possible events in Montreal and Abu Dhabi for December of this year.

Sources with knowledge of the situation said there is “a good chance” the company returns to the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, likely in December, but that nothing is confirmed.

The promotion had been expected to host a show there in March before venue issues nixed the idea. Because there are no indoor arenas and the region has a hot climate, the timing of athletic events requires extra consideration. December through February is historically the coolest month in Abu Dhabi, with daytime high temperatures averaging around 80 degrees.

A December return engagement would bookend a rapidly filling 2011 calendar, as events have already been scheduled late into the year. On Thursday, UFC director of Canadian operations Tom Wright told Montreal radio station The Team 990 that the company could return to the city’s Bell Centre in December.

Rumors are swirling that Georges St. Pierre could face Nick Diaz at the event in Montreal, which would make three-straight events that the welterweight champion would be fighting in Canada.

As far as Abu Dhabi goes, the last time the UFC appeared there was UFC 112 where Anderson Silva had his embarrassing showing against Demian Maia and Frankie Edgar upset B.J. Penn for the first time to win the lightweight championship.

Really, the field is Anderson Silva and everyone else.

Still, here is my take. If you need to go back and find my pound-for-pound, heavyweight, or light heavyweight rankings, click on the links.

1. Anderson Silva (28-4) – Silva is my top fighter in any weight class, let alone middleweight. “The Spider” is like an artist in the cage. He rarely throws a strike that doesn’t land and he doesn’t waste energy while fighting. Everything he does has a purpose and thought to it. Chael Sonnen may have found a small hole in his game with his takedown defense, but he still managed to submit Sonnen and then bounce back with a devastating front kick to Vitor Belfort in the first round of his last title defense. Up next is Yushin Okami, had poses the right skill set to give Silva problems.

2. Chael Sonnen (25-11-1) – Sonnen is almost here by default. The other top guys in the group have either lost to him, or lost to someone that he has beaten. Sonnen is a grinder and a tremendous wrestler, but he has a clear weakness in his submission defense. Eight of his 11 losses have come by submission. Sonnen is also coming off a long layoff from a steroid suspension and legal issues. We will see if he can get back to being the fighter that nearly dethroned Silva.

3. Yushin Okami (26-5) – Okami is kind of like the Jon Fitch of the middleweight division. Okami is a very strong and physical fighter that gets the fight to the ground and doesn’t let his opponents get back on their feet. His lone losses in the octagon have been to Sonnen and Rich Franklin. He has beaten the likes of a lot of top contenders and will now get a rematch with Silva, who he beat by DQ in 2006.

4. Nate Marquardt (31-10-2) – As somewhat of a final tribute to his middleweight days, I am putting Marquardt at No. 4. He is making the move down to welterweight for his next fight, but he still is one of the top middleweights in MMA. Problem for Nate “The Great” is that he isn’t good enough to beat the elite in his weight class as he has losses to the top three guys on this list.

5. Vitor Belfort (19-9) – Belfort hasn’t been the most active fighter over the years, but his skills can’t be denied. He has some of the best boxing skills and the fastest hands in all of MMA. Belfort was just knocked out by the middleweight king pin, but that shouldn’t take away from his ability to beat everyone else.

6. Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1) – Perhaps I am still clinging to what Silva used to be and giving him more credit than he deserves but he still is coming off a win over Michael Bisping, one of the top middleweights in the UFC. Silva nearly beat Rich Franklin in his fight prior to that and his hands are still some of the most dangerous in all of MMA. Silva will finally get back in action against Chris Leben at UFC 132, which gives him a chance to prove he can still contend in the division.

7. Michael Bisping (21-3) – Bisping is not well-liked, but you can’t deny he has some skills. Bisping is a walking oxymoron as he gets upset at people making fun of him, but he feels the need to talk trash himself. Bisping needs a big win in his next fight as the UFC is running out of patience with his attitude and his lackluster fights. Bisping is somewhat like Marquardt in the fact that I question that he can beat the elite fighters in the division.

8. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (14-2) – I was tentative about putting Souza on this list, but he does have some impressive showings. He is the Strikeforce Middleweight Champion, but that was a title that Jake Shields never lost, merely surrendered to move to the UFC. A win over Robbie Lawler is good and all, but I am not one that believes that Lawler is that impressive of a fighter anymore.

9. Demian Maia (14-2) – I am a big fan of Maia’s as I think his submission skills might be the best in MMA. If only he could develop some striking and wrestling ability, he might become a champion. Maia has proven he can submit some of the best in the division, but his weaknesses are too obvious to make him a legit threat to a fighter the caliber of Silva.

10. Alan Belcher (16-6) – It is easy to forget about Belcher, who hasn’t fought in nearly a year due to an eye injury, but prior to his departure, Belcher was working his way up the middleweight ladder. Belcher has lost some questionable fights to guys like Jason Day and Kendall Grove, but he also holds wins over other potential top-10 fighters like Jorge Santiago. It should be interesting to see how Belcher performs when he gets back to action.