A fight between Marquardt and Dan Henderson was expected to take place early next year to determine a top-contender to fight the winner of an upcoming matchup between champ Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort, but Henderson, who became a free agent following his July knockout of Michael Bisping, remains unsigned as he mulls over offers from both the UFC and Strikeforce and Marquardt and the UFC have been forced to move on without him.

Marquardt (29-8-2), a former King of Pancrase, began his UFC career with four-straight wins to earn a title shot, but suffered a first-round knockout to Silva in 2007. He’s remaining in title contention by winning four of his last five since the loss, dropping a controversial decision to Thales Leites while earning wins over the likes of Martin Kampmann and Demian Maia.

Sonnen (24-10-1) returned to the UFC in 2009 after earning back-to-back wins in the WEC, dropping his UFC debut against Demian Maia in February before rebounding with two-straight victories over Dan Miller and Yushin Okami.

UFC 110, which takes place on February 20 at the Acer Arena in Sydney, also includes Wanderlei Silva vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Ben Rothwell, and Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski.

For the latest UFC 110 rumors check out the MMAFrenzy.com UFC rumors section.

Pictured: Nate Marquardt

Both Henderson and Marquardt are eyeing rematches with 185-pound king Anderson Silva, who could be available to fight by November after failing to undergo a previously-reported elbow surgery that was to sideline him until early next year.

Henderson (25-7), who’s currently a free agent but expected to re-sign with the UFC, is riding a three-fight win streak since his 2008 loss to Silva, including a second-round knockout of Michael Bisping in July. Marquardt (29-8-2), who knocked out Demian Maia in just 21-seconds in August, has also won three-straight and is 4-1 since his 2007 loss to Silva.

UFC 105 is expected to air on Spike TV and also features Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang and Dan Hardy vs. Dong Hyun Kim.

Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for the latest UFC 105 news and UFC 105 rumors.

Pictured: Nate Marquardt

Details on the injury have not been released, though it is not believed to have occurred in his August 8 first-round knockout of Forrest Griffin and is suspected to be lingering injury he has finally chosen to repair while he’s taking a break from fighting.

With Silva now sidelined until sometime next year, it makes more sense than ever to have middleweight contenders Nate Marquardt and Dan Henderson fight in the interim.

Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for updates on Silva’s surgery and return, as well as the likely matchup between Marquardt and Henderson.

“I think the fight that should happen is Nate Marquardt against Dan Henderson for the number one title contender,” said Silva’s manager Ed Soares recently told MMA Weekly. “He’ll take a rest… he’s fought twice this year,” he said. “He’s got three fights left on his contract. He wants to work out a little kinks and bruises that he’s got. He wants to take a little break.”

Henderson, meanwhile, isn’t open to fighting Marquardt, a matchup that could headline UFC 105 in Manchester, England, and could instead return to light heavyweight for his next fight, he recently told SI.com:

“I think I’m the one guy that poses enough dangers [to Silva] style-wise,” he said. “If I were his manager, I’d be trying not to have him fight me as well. I know that Anderson Silva is really trying not to fight me. It’s obvious.”

Henderson said if the UFC came to him with a bout against Marquardt, he would turn it down and seek challenges at light heavyweight.

“I think he’s right in line for a title shot as well, but I feel I’ve earned that already,” Henderson said. “That’s a fight that more than likely will happen in the future, but I think right now, from the UFC’s standpoint, they shouldn’t be having me and Nate fight each other. They’re going to get stuck without any new opponents for Anderson Silva.

“Silva is the only fight that interests me at 185. I said that before Nate’s fight.”

Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for the latest UFC news and UFC rumors.

The longest suspension was dolled out to Portland-native Ed Herman, who is sidelined indefinitely from a fight-ending knee injury suffered early in the second round of his middleweight preliminary matchup with Aaron Simpson.

Headliners Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Randy Couture were both issued 30 day precautionary suspensions following their three-round war in the UFC 102 main event that saw Nogueira capture a unanimous decision win.

Only two other fighters were issued medical suspensions lasting more than 30 days, as a laceration will put Chris Tuchscherer out of action for 45 days, while Tim Hague must sit out 60 days following his 7-second knockout loss to Todd Duffee.

In addition to the suspensions listed below, all UFC 102 competitors were issued 7-day mandatory minimum suspensions.

The complete list of UFC 102 medical suspensions includes:

• Randy Couture – Suspended for 30 days
• Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira – Suspended for 30 days
• Keith Jardine – Suspended for 30 days
• Chris Leben – Suspended for 30 days and must undergo CT scan for possible facial fractures
• Demian Maia – Suspended for 21 days
• Krzysztof Soszynski – Suspended for 30 days due to laceration
• Ed Herman – Suspended indefinitely for injury to left knee and must be cleared by doctor to return
• Chris Tuchscherer – Suspended for 45 days due laceration
• Justin McCully – Suspended for 30 days for possible left eye injury
• Tim Hague – Suspended for 60 days
• Mark Munoz – Suspended for 30 days for right elbow sprain
• Marcus Aurelio – Suspended for 14 days

Note: Where no injury is specified, medical suspensions are for precautionary reasons.

Pictured: Ed Herman

Nougiera, who defeated Couture by unanimous decision in the evening’s main event, earned $400,000 for the victory, while Couture received $250,000 in the loss.

The disclosed payroll for the pay-per-view event was $1,285,000.

The disclosed fighter salaries for UFC 102 were:

• Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira ($400,000 – includes $150,000 bonus) def. Randy Couture ($250,000)
• Thiago Silva ($58,000 – $29,000 win bonus) def. Keith Jardine ($55,000)
• Jake Rosholt ($26,000 – $13,000 win bonus) def. Chris Leben ($30,000)
• Nate Marquardt ($80,000 – $40,000 win bonus) def. Demian Maia ($28,000)
• Brandon Vera ($70,0000 – $35,000 win bonus) def. Krzysztof Soszynski ($8,000)
• Aaron Simpson ($18,000 – $9,000 win bonus) def. Ed Herman ($24,000)
• Gabriel Gonzaga ($120,000 – $60,000 win bonus) def. Chris Tuchscherer ($10,000)
• Mike Russow ($20,000 – $10,000 win bonus) def. Justin McCully ($15,000)
• Todd Duffee ($10,000 – $5,000 win bonus) def. Tim Hague ($7,000)
• Mark Munoz ($24,000 – $12,000 win bonus) def. Nick Catone ($5,000)
• Evan Dunham ($14,000 – $7,000 win bonus) def. Marcus Aurelio ($13,000)

Remember, the salaries listed above are simply the figures the UFC is required to report to the OSAC, which exclude deductions for items such as taxes, licenses, and insurance, as well as additional payments, such as sponsorships, bonuses, and pay-per-view revenue.

For example, Nogueira and Couture, along with main card winners Nate Marquardt and Jake Rosholt, each took home an extra $60,000 “fight night” bonus for their performances on the card.

For more UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira coverage check out the MMAFrenzy.com UFC 102 section.

Pictured: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

The pair went to war for the duration of the three-round bout, mixing it up on the feet with crisp striking that saw both legendary heavyweights connect with numerous combinations, while also showing off world class grappling when the fight hit the ground.

Nogueira proved to be too much for Couture on this night, as he was dropped to the canvas in the first and third rounds, and nearly submitted in both the first and second. “The Natural” fought through the chokes and survived the knockdowns to go the distance, but was unable to secure the finish he desperately needed to win the fight.

The judges awarded Nogueira a unanimous decision victory with scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 in what is certain to be the event’s “Fight of the Night”.

With the win, Nogueira improves to 32-5-1 and remains in the heavyweight title-hunt, while Couture falls to 16-10 in defeat and has now lost two-straight.

In the UFC 102 co-headliner, Thiago Silva bounced back from the first loss of his career earlier this year to Lyoto Machida with a first-round knockout of Keith Jardine. Silva, now 14-1 following the win, remains on the long list on contenders at 205-pounds, while Jardine drops to 14-6-1 and looks for answers after losing his second-straight and fourth in his last six fights.

Nate Marquardt needed just 21-seconds to knockout jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia in a battle of middleweight contenders on the UFC 102 main card, then promptly called out 185-pound champ Anderson Silva, though he’ll likely need to go through fellow-contender Dan Henderson to earn the rematch.

In other main card action, Jake Rosholt submitted a returning Chris Leben in the third-round to earn the first win of his UFC career, while Brandon Vera again looked lackluster at 205-pounds in picking up a unanimous decision over Krzysztof Soszynski to kick off the pay-per-view.

The UFC 102 prelims were highlighted by Todd Duffee’s record-setting 7-second knockout of Tim Hague in his UFC debut, snapping the promotion’s previous mark of 8-seconds held by James Irvin over Houston Alexander in 2008.

Aaron Simpson logged an impressive opening round against Ed Herman on the preliminary card, before improving to 6-0 on his young-career after Herman was unable to continue early in the second after suffering a knee injury.

Gabriel Gonzaga’s impressive first-round TKO of newcomer Chris Tuchscherer was marred by a brutal kick to the groin that nearly stopped the contest. Tuchscherer managed to continue after the accidental foul but wasn’t the same fighter, as he was quickly downed a head kick from Gonzaga and finished on the ground midway through the first.

Mike Russow, Mark Munoz, and Evan Dunham all picked up decision victories in the remaining preliminary fights.

The official results for UFC 102 were:

• Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Randy Couture via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Thiago Silva def. Keith Jardine via KO (punches) — Round 1, 1:35
• Jake Rosholt def. Chris Leben via submission (arm-triangle) — Round 3, 1:30
• Nate Marquardt def. Demian Maia via KO (punch) — Round 1, 0:21
• Brandon Vera def. Krzysztof Soszynski via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Aaron Simpson def. Ed Herman via TKO (injury) — Round 2, 0:17
• Gabriel Gonzaga def. Chris Tuchscherer via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 2:27
• Mike Russow def. Justin McCully via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, 30-27)
• Todd Duffee def. Tim Hague via KO (punch) — Round 1, 0:07
• Mark Munoz def. Nick Catone via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
• Evan Dunham def. Marcus Aurelio via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)

Click here for more UFC 102 coverage, and stop by MMAFrenzy.com tomorrow for extensive post-UFC 102 coverage.

Pictured: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Couture, the 46-year-old UFC hall of famer and former light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, weighed in at 220-pounds, while the former UFC and PRIDE title-holder Nogueira tipped the scale at 231-pounds.

Light heavyweights Keith Jardine (205) and Thiago Silva (205), who square off in the UFC 102 co-main event, and featured middleweight contenders Nate Marquardt (185) and Demian Maia (185) were all on weight for their main card matchups.

Don’t forget to stop by MMAFrenzy.com tomorrow for live UFC 102 results and coverage, as well our fight night recap and post-event news.

The complete weigh-in results for UFC 102 were:

MAIN CARD

• 265: Randy Couture (220) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (231)
• 205: Keith Jardine (205) vs. Thiago Silva (205)
• 185: Nate Marquardt (185) vs. Demian Maia (185)
• 205: Brandon Vera (205) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (205)
• 185: Chris Leben (185) vs. Jake Rosholt (185)

PRELIMINARY CARD

• 185: Ed Herman (185.5) vs. Aaron Simpson (185)
• 265: Gabriel Gonzaga (259) vs. Chris Tuchscherer (258)
• 265: Justin McCully (238) vs. Mike Russow (260)
• 265: Tim Hague(263.5) vs.Todd Duffee (251)
• 185: Nick Catone (185.5) vs. Mark Munoz (185.5)
• 155: Marcus Aurelio (156) vs. Evan Dunham (155)

Click here for more UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira coverage.