The best news that mixed martial arts fans could hear may soon be upon us. There are growing signs that Randy Couture will re-join the UFC for a multi-fight deal, and that his first fight would be against Brock Lesnar. There is even a chance that the second would be the long-awaited superfight against Fedor Emelianenko.

All indications are that Couture is making progress in talks about resolving his contract impasse with UFC, and that the first fight in a new three-fight deal would cone November 15 against Lesnar at UFC 91. We noted the possibility after an MMA Junkie report, and and BloodyElbow.com has confirmed the talks.

By all accounts, Couture is training as if he has a fight coming up within the next two or three months. If the Lesnar-Couture fight happens, it would probably be the UFC's most lucrative pay-per-view of the year.

Could Randy Couture end his legal battle by fighting Brock Lesnar at UFC 91?

It's an extreme long shot. It's probably not going to happen. And yet it's a rumor that is picking up enough steam in the MMA community that it's worth at least passing along.

Couture, the UFC's heavyweight champion, is engaged in a protracted legal dispute with the UFC as he attempts to get out of his contract so he can fight Fedor Emelianenko. That dispute is currently in arbitration in Nevada, and there are rumors that the dispute could be settled with an agreement that Couture would fight one more time in UFC and then become a free agent.

When I first heard those rumors I didn't think they sounded credible, but MMAJunkie.com reported today that multiple sources close to Couture say it could happen.

Brock Lesnar has only had three mixed martial arts fights in his career, but thanks to his undeniable athletic talents and his fame as a pro wrestler, everyone in the MMA world is wondering what he'll do next.

Contrary to popular belief, it apparently won't be a fight against Cheick Kongo at UFC 91. I've heard from a couple of sources that Kongo's shoulder is going to make it hard for him to fight in the next few months, and on today's MMA Live, ESPN's Ryan Hockensmith said Kongo is going to have surgery and "You can cross Cheick Kongo off for Brock Lesnar."

So if Lesnar won't fight Kongo at UFC 91, who will he fight? There aren't a lot of great options in the UFC heavyweight division because the division is thin and most of the top guys already have fights scheduled. Gabriel Gonzaga is an option, but I think UFC would worry that Lesnar isn't ready for it, and that a loss to Gonzaga
would damage Lesnar's image. Cain Velasquez and Shane Carwin are possibilities, although I think UFC would like to bring both of those guys along more slowly.

I respect the fact that UFC has thrown Lesnar in with two legitimate fighters -- Frank Mir and Heath Herring -- and not tomato cans like EliteXC is giving Kimbo Slice. But I think UFC might have a trouble finding the right opponents for Lesnar going forward, simply because there aren't all that many good heavyweights available.

I think the UFC's top lightweight contender, Kenny Florian, is getting a bit of a raw deal right now, as he won't be getting a title show any time soon because lightweight champ B.J. Penn is moving up in weight class to fight Georges St. Pierre at welterweight. But Florian said on today's MMA Live that he doesn't mind having to beat Joe Stevenson at UFC 91 before he gets a title shot:

"It's great for me to stay busy and fight good opponents, especially when you have somebody like B.J. Penn on the horizon," Florian said. "I don't think I'm being dissed in any way. The key is to stay busy, to fight great opponents. ... My concern right now is Joe Stevenson."

Chuck Liddell is making the rounds to promote his fight with Rashad Evans at UFC 88, and Liddell had a strange interview today with Dan LeBatard.

At one point, LeBatard asked, "Are you taking a bath? It sounds like you're taking a bath."

Liddell replied, "I'm actually getting my toes done right now." Loyal FanHouse readers will recall that we've talked about Liddell's habit of painting his nails before. Not that there's anything wrong with it.

Liddell also addressed his infamous TV interview in 2007, when many people thought he was under the influence as he struggled to answer basic questions. No problems like that with LeBatard today.

Here's the audio, via Steve Cofield:

UFC President Dana White and former UFC fighter Tito Ortiz hate each other, but that doesn't mean they won't work together. The longer Ortiz goes without signing on with another mixed martial arts organization, the more I think that if he does fight again (instead of being a full-time dad), he's going to fight in UFC.

The latest example is White's interview with Sergio Non of USA Today in which he refuses to rule out the possibility that he and Ortiz could work together again:

Given what you guys said about each in the months leading up to his last fight, how realistic is to expect Tito to ever fight in UFC again?

Listen, me and Tito didn't say anything worse than what we said before he came back and became a coach on The Ultimate Fighter. Tito and I do not like each other. We do not. It's 100% real, we don't like each other at all, but it doesn't mean we haven't done business together before.

So you have no problem putting aside personal feelings for business?

Sometimes. We did for a lot of years.

The bottom line, I believe, is that both White and Ortiz want to make money, and they can both make more money together than they can apart. I'm not sure that Ortiz even wants to put his body through the rigors of continuing to fight in MMA, but if he does, it may still be in UFC.

There's a somewhat different take on this, also worth reading, at Bloody Elbow.

Matt Hughes suffered a serious knee injury in his loss to Thiago Alves at UFC 85, but he writes on his personal web site that the knee is recovering nicely, and that he expects to be back to training soon:

Last Wednesday, I went in for my second MRI and also a stress x-ray. It all came back very positive and looks as though I will not need surgery. I still have to go back for my three month check-up to find out more; but as of right now I can do more and start exercising a little bit.

UFC fans have been waiting forever for Hughes to fight Matt Serra, his fellow Ultimate Fighter 6 coach, and indications are that it could finally happen at the pre-Super Bowl show on January 31, which is tentatively being called UFC 93. Like Hughes, Serra has fought just once in 2008, and by the time they finally get into the Octagon together they'll both be coming off long layoffs. But it should be worth the wait.

A day after news broke that Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is facing two felony counts in connection with a hit-and-run crash, the UFC has indicated that those charges won't derail his fighting career.

UFC President Dana White tells Kevin Iole that Rampage is likely to fight at UFC 91 on November 15 in Portland and that the UFC completely supports its star in his legal case.

Chuck Liddell will finally get back into the Octagon for the first time in 2008 at UFC 88 on September 6, and he's already thinking about who he might fight next.

Liddell tells The Sun that he wants a third shot at the man who's beaten him twice, Rampage Jackson:

"I want to fight Rampage real badly. I actually think I match up very well against him, but I've managed to lose to him twice now.

"But the third fight will not have anything to do with the first two, it will be a fresh start. Rampage is the one fight I really want, as much as I want my title back.

"He's lost the belt now, so I can't beat him and win the title back in one fight, but I want to fight him just as bad as when he was champion."

Longtime Ultimate Fighting Championship star Tito Ortiz left the organization in May and said he would sign on with another mixed martial arts organization soon. But various rumors of Ortiz signing with various other promotions have come and gone, and Ortiz still isn't under contract to sign with anyone.

Now we learn that Ortiz's longtime girlfriend, retired porn star Jenna Jameson, is pregnant with the couple's first child, and that has me wondering: Might Ortiz just quit fighting to be a full-time dad?

Ortiz certainly doesn't need to fight for financial reasons. He made plenty of money in his UFC career, and Jameson, who founded the adult entertainment empire ClubJenna, earns the real bread in the family. And Ortiz isn't the same fighter he once was: He hasn't won a fight in almost two years, and he might be wondering if he wants to keep putting his body on the line.

Jameson told Us Magazine that she and Ortiz are "so happy" and "still in a state of shock." Fatherhood tends to change people's perspectives on life, and with Ortiz becoming a father and dragging his feet on getting back into the fight game, you have to wonder if he's going to quit the sport for good.