There are three people at the top of the MMA mountain: Fedor Emelianenko, Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre. For now, thanks to his unanimous victory over Jon Fitch earlier this month at UFC 87, St. Pierre has muscled his counterparts out of the spotlight.

Sherdog’s Jake Rossen has begrudgingly given St. Pierre the nod as the king of the cage, citing his quality and variety of opponents. Emelianenko doesn’t have the UFC promotional machine behind him, and the heavyweight division is pretty thin these days. Silva is ahead of St. Pierre on Sherdog’s most recent pound-for-pound rankings, but those were made two months ago. Rossen prefers GSP’s all-around game and points at Silva’s relative lack of wrestling skills to make his final decision.

We’ll get to see the next chapter on Oct. 25 when Silva headlines UFC 90 against Patrick Cote. Emelianenko has pulled out of the Oct. 11 Affliction event with a hand injury.

There would be no going against the script this time. Saturday’s big UFC 87 pay-per-view had some of the best fights of the year, and the favorite won all three of the marquee matchups.

It started with Kenny Florian (-145) beating Carlos Huerta by decision, winning every round 10-9 in a smart, technical display featuring some hard kicks and takedowns. Later in the evening, Brock Lesnar (-240) supplied the beatdown with another unanimous decision over Heath Herring. Lesnar was dominant, but patient, learning from his mistake in his UFC debut loss to Frank Mir.

The main event topped them all. Georges St. Pierre (-350) was never in danger against Jon Fitch, but the underdog showed a lot of heart and even had some good offense in the second and fourth rounds. In the end, St. Pierre remains the Welterweight champion by unanimous decision. Next up: a likely bout with Lightweight champ B.J. Penn.

The money is piling up behind Georges St. Pierre for next week’s UFC 87: Seek and Destroy at the Target Center in Minneapolis. He’s up from –295 to –340 to beat Jon Fitch and retain the UFC Welterweight title. I predict he’ll do just that, but it’s difficult not to take Fitch at +260. All he’s done is go 8-0 in the octagon.

I have much the same feeling about Brock Lesnar (–270). Yes, he is exactly the kind of person you do not want to find yourself in combat with. But we saw in his UFC debut against Frank Mir that Lesnar needs to work on his defense. It’s enough to make me lean toward Heath Herring (+210) in their heavyweight bout, if only from a value standpoint. Lesnar should still win.

One upset I predict will happen: Roger Huerta (+125) over Kenny Florian (–155). Huerta hasn’t lost an MMA bout in over four years.

Aug. 9 is a little over a week away, but it’s not too early to gaze into the crystal ball for UFC 87: Seek and Destroy. As long as the “Octagon Girls” are inside. Mercy.

Welterweight: Georges St. Pierre (champion) vs. Jon Fitch (challenger). St. Pierre is the best there is. Fitch is capable, but moving way up in class.
Prediction: St. Pierre Pick: Fitch (+235)

Lightweight: Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta: Huerta is 6-0 in UFC and battle-tested before that. Florian is the public favorite.
Prediction: Huerta Pick: Huerta (+125)

Heavyweight: Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring: Lesnar was beating the tar out of Frank Mir before getting sucked into a kneebar. He needs to prove himself.
Prediction: Lesnar Pick: Herring (+210)

Lightweight: Manny Gamburyan vs. Rob Emerson: Odds were pending at press time. I like Gamburyan’s judo background and his attitude.

Middleweight: Jason MacDonald vs. Demian Maia: Maia’s impressive Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills should overcome the tough Nova Scotia veteran.

The UFC knows how to get some bang for their buck. They’re going to pack the Target Center in Minneapolis in August when native son Brock Lesnar takes on Heath Herring in the main event.

Lesnar’s varied resume includes winning the 2000 NCAA wrestling championships as a member of the Minnesota Golden Gophers. He had a short but meteoric career as a pro wrestler before trying out for the Minnesota Vikings. When that failed, Lesnar made the switch to K-1 in 2006 before signing a contract with UFC. He was a heavy favorite in his debut against Frank Mir at UFC 81; Lesnar was physically dominant but lost to a surprise Mir kneebar after just 90 seconds.

Lesnar was supposed to fight Mark Coleman at the Target, until the 43-year-old and fellow NCAA wrestling champion injured his knee while training for his comeback fight. Herring’s Sambo style might prove more difficult for Lesnar to deal with.

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