This go-round we will again be switching up the tournament format.  Unlike the LW thru MW divisions, there really isn't  a clear cut, dominant world beater in the Light Heavyweight class.  Since Chuck Liddell ruled the division from 2004 - 2006, the LHW championship has essentially been a revolving door, as no one has managed to successfully defend the title more than 1 time (Machida will be the next to have that opportunity).  For that reason, I have included the current LHW Champion Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida in this tournament.

We will poll each fight individually, for 1 day, beginning with opening round Match #1.  MMA Mania has the most knowledgeable MMA online community, so please feel free to post your pick in the comments along with your analysis of how you see the fights breaking down.  Hopefully this will give us something to do on slow news days.

***NOTE***  In the event of a tie, a randomly selected Maniac will act as the tie breaker.  That Maniac will be the 1st person to write a comment in the post thread.  So if you are the 1st to post a comment, make sure to include which fighter you voted for!!!!

1   L. Machida

16 K. Jardine

Match1                        1  L. Machida

                                         QF1                  Winner QF1

Match 2                       Winner 8/9

8   F. Griffin                                       

9   R. Franklin                                                                                                      

                                                                   Semi-Final 1

5    R. Evans                                                                 

12  R. Bader                                                                    

Match 3                       Winner 5/12                              

                                        QF2                    Winner QF2

Match 4                       Winner 4/13                                 

4   Q. Jackson                                                                 

13  L. Cane                                                                   

                                                                                                    Tournament Championship                                                                                                                                                              

6   A. Nogueira                                                                   

11  J. Jones                                                                   

Match 5                     Winner 6/11                                 

                                       QF3                     Winner QF3

Match 6                     Winner 3/14                                 

3   A. Silva                                      

14 C. Liddell                                     

                                                                    Semi-Final 2                                         

7   T. Silva

10  R. Couture

Match 7                      Winner 7/10

                                        QF4                     Winner QF4

Match 8                      Winner 2/15

2   M. Rua

15    B. Vera     

Match #1:  To absolutely no one's surprise, Machida handily won the opening fight of the tournament with an impressive 92% of the vote.  Perhaps the most surprising byproduct of the match, was that Jardine actually received 7 votes.  Seems at least at few Maniacs feel The Dean may still yet be able to compete in the stacked LHW division.  Either that, or he garnered a few sympathy votes.   Regardless, The Dragon moves on, and Keith heads back to the drawing board...

Match #2:  This one should be interesting.  Dana's favorite son takes on former MW titleholder Rich Franklin.  From a technical perspective, one has to give the advantage to Franklin.  He has serviceable hands, an excellent ground game, and some of the best cardio in the business.  Forrest, by contrast, has always been a bit of an ugly fighter, though he has made improvements to his movement and use of angles in recent years.  Griffin's best weapons are likely his powerful kicks and high-level cardio.  The winner of this one should provide an intriguing challenge to Machida in the next round.

So lets hear it Maniacs.  Will the favorites move on, or will we see an underdog rise to the top?  You decide.