This is going to be a very eventful week of MMA as the UFC comes to Texas, a free UFC Fight Night is aired, and Kimbo Slice tries to prove himself as UFC-worthy in the season premiere of the new Ultimate Fighter reality show.

Of course the big news is that UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort will be held in Dallas Saturday night. It'll be the UFC' first event held in the Lone Star State since UFC 69 in Houston.

The main event will feature former UFC middleweight champion, Rich "Ace" Franklin vs. former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion, Vitor Belfort. Seasoned fans will remember Belfort from his fighting days all the way back in UFC 12.

He's fought not only in the UFC but in other big name promotions like PRIDE and Strikeforce. He last fought successfully in Affliction and was signed by the UFC after its downfall.

Belfort will be facing Franklin at a catchweight of 195 pounds. This will be Franklin's third consecutive bout fighting at that weight which is right in-between middleweight and light heavyweight. It's uncertain which division Franklin will ultimately compete in.

As long as Anderson Silva continues to reign over the middleweight division don't expect Franklin to vie for a title there. He was completely obliterated by Silva twice and a third meeting would be far from appealing to fans.

Croatian anti-terroism commando, Mirko Cro Cop will be co-headlining UFC 103. He's set to face a man who's starting to make waves in the UFC heavyweight division — Junior dos Santos. People may remember dos Santos from UFC 90 last October where he upset heavily favored, Fabricio Werdum by right uppercut knockout.

There is some disappointing news coming from the main card. Houstonian, Mike "Quick" Swick was set to battle Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann to earn a shot at George St. Pierre's welterweight title. Sadly, Swick suffered a concussion during training last week and had to drop out of the bout.

Kampmann will now face MMA journeyman and UFC newcomer, Paul Daley, in a bout that may not be considered

contender worthy anymore.

This situation in the welterweight division just may be the impetus for the UFC to put together a fight that fans have long talked about -- a matchup between welterweight champion, Georges St. Pierre and middleweight champion, Anderson Silva.

There's some great news for those wanting to view Saturday's UFC 103 event from home. For the first time ever, the UFC will be airing a portion of the undercard for free on Spike TV (TWC 39, Dish 168, DTV 325).

The hour long broadcast will start at 8 p.m. Central and lead into the pay-per-view main card that starts at 9 p.m. This is a brilliant idea by the UFC. It should get many viewers hooked and make them more likely to purchase the ppv portion.

As mentioned at the top of the column, the UFC will also be airing a free UFC Fight Night on Spike TV this Wednesday at 7 p.m. On tap are two particularly noteworthy matchups.

The first one is Gray "The Bully" Maynard vs. Roger "El Matador" Huerta. Maynard's nickname is quite appropriate. He's large for a lightweight and uses his wrestling skills to impose his will on opponents. Texan fans are aware of native Austinite, Roger Huerta and know of the excitement he brings every fight he's in.

The main event features a once promising Nate Diaz who was a blistering 5-0 in the UFC only to lose his last two bouts. This UFC Fight Night serves as a perfect platform to start the rebuilding process.

The Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt has a favorable matchup against grappling skills deficient Melvin Guillard. That is, if Diaz can get him to the ground. There is no more explosive UFC lightweight than Guillard. He once won a bout by knockout . . with a shot to the body.

The Wednesday UFC Fight Night leads into the season ten debut of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. The contestant people are talking about most is Kimbo Slice. The former street fighter, Slice will finally get a chance to prove himself on the show like so many others before him.

He needed to cut his teeth before he was prematurely thrusted into the limelight and this show will give him that

opportunity.

In addition to Slice, three former NFL football players with MMA experience will be contestants. Former first round draft pick and Tampa Bay Buccaneer, Marcus Jones, Indianapolis Colt, Rex Richards, and Green Bay Packer, Herbert Goodman will be joining Slice and twelve other castmates as they fight for the title of The Ultimate Fighter.

There's one more thing to note this week. I'll be Octagon-side for UFC 103 and will be covering all the bouts and post-event press conference. Be sure to read next week's column for exclusive coverage of the big show up in Big D.

David Estrada Jr. is a Mixed Martial Arts columnist for the Port Arthur News. He can be e-mailed at DavidEstrada@DavidEstrada.com