The trouble with being a hot young prospect in the UFC is that there are so many ways to go wrong, and only one way to go right. It's a good problem to have, but it's still a problem, not to mention a minor headache.

On these increasingly rare weekends with no major MMA events, a fight fan's mind tends to wander. It meanders back to the days when we had to wait months between shows. It imagines a future where we never get a weekend off. And it considers whether that would be a blessing or a curse.

I blame Brock Lesnar.

I can think of at least two good reasons why Chris Leben would take a fight against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116 just two weeks after beating Aaron Simpson via TKO.

I can think of at least two good reasons why Chris Leben would take a fight against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116 just two weeks after beating Aaron Simpson via TKO.

No one would have blamed Scott Smith if he opted not to give Cung Le an immediate rematch after knocking him out in December. Even the most pitiless of MMA fans would have understood why, and they would have been forced to admit that there was some wisdom in the decision.

No one would have blamed Scott Smith if he opted not to give Cung Le an immediate rematch after knocking him out in December. Even the most pitiless of MMA fans would have understood why, and they would have been forced to admit that there was some brand of wisdom in the decision.

There's something about these Ultimate Fighter Finale events that feels like the scene at the middle of a mountain hiking trail. You have people going up, people going down, and people who haven't decided yet whether they have it in them to climb any farther.

Every company should be so lucky as to have an employee like Rich Franklin. He's courteous, affable, and even the people who don't like him don't seriously dislike him.

Some people are difficult to please, and others are just plain impossible. As luck would have it, both types ended up together at the MGM Grand last weekend to watch UFC 114.