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By Zach Arnold

When Dana White gets a chance to sit down in front of the media tomorrow to discuss Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card in Las Vegas, he is going to be hoping and praying that the media spends their time talking about the actual fights taking place in the Octagon at the show rather than Rampage Jackson’s escapades in Orange County.

So, let’s oblige the UFC President and take a look at some of the storylines heading into the show.

One-and-done for Anderson Silva at 205 pounds

So much for UFC’s “best pound-for-pound fighter in the world” staying at 205 pounds after his fight with James Irvin.

If you need a bigger statement that screams that this Saturday’s event is nothing more than counter-programming for the Affliction show, please let me know.

Silva is a beast at 185 pounds and is running out of competition. At 205 pounds, suddenly his whole world opens up in terms of new opponents and new fights to get booked in. So why the backtrack by UFC? Are you thinking that they weren’t serious about Silva floating between both the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight classes? Say it isn’t so.

If Silva fighting at 205 pounds is nothing more than a one-time stunt, then what is the point? What if he gets hurt against a guy like James Irvin who has some real power? Only time will tell if UFC’s gamble is worth it or not.

Nothing to lose for James Irvin this Saturday night

He has to be feeling pretty good. Sure, he’s facing only one of the best fighters in the world. Sure, he’s a massive underdog. Sure, he’s coming off of an injury.

But, hey, look at the bright side — there’s no pressure being placed on him to win the fight. What if he wins? What if he hurts Anderson Silva? Irvin can make history on Saturday night if he fights a smart game plan and doesn’t really buy into his own talk that he is going to make the fight a stand-up war only.

If that happens, Irvin will be lucky not to get carted out on a stretcher.

For the sake of argument, let’s say James Irvin decides to try to take the fight to the ground. Even if Silva neutralizes his submission attempts, it’s still a much lower-risk strategy to employ than acting as a sitting duck during a stand-up battle. By taking the fight to the ground, that is Irvin’s only realistic shot of winning this fight.

Sure, Irvin could catch Silva with a punch. Maybe. Maybe not. Okay, likely not. Highly unlikely.

One of the most exciting 155-pound fighters in the world is fighting on Saturday night

His name is Frankie Edgar. You’ve seen some of his wars against the likes of Tyson Griffin and Gray Maynard. How can you not love the guy?

Edgar brings everything he can to each fight and pours his heart out in his fight style. A never-say-die attitude, his performance against Griffin was a very memorable one due to his pain tolerance while having some nasty submission holds being applied onto his legs.

You have to love someone who is aggressive and brings the action, which is exactly what Frankie Edgar does in his each fight. This is why he is a favorite to win his fight Saturday night against veteran Hermes Franca. Edgar is a powerful wrestler and has plenty of room to improve his MMA game. Imagine that. He beat Tyson Griffin by decision, which is the only loss in Griffin’s 11-1 stellar career.

And, oh yeah, Edgar’s opponent on Saturday is an admitted steroid cheat.

Welcome back to UFC, Hermes Franca

Sean Sherk fought… and fought… and fought for his innocence with the California State Athletic Commission for failing a CSAC drug test for steroids. Hermes Franca, who ironically fought Sherk at an event called “UFC 73: Stacked,” failed a CSAC drug test as well.

Franca, unlike Sherk and boxer James Toney, was honest enough to admit that he took a banned substance. Franca served the entire year-long length suspension, while Sherk was reinstated earlier to return to MMA competition.

And now Hermes faces a formidable opponent in Frankie Edgar.

Hermes brings a lot of good things to the table. He has experience, he’s an excellent BJJ player, he has a weird punching style, and he’s fought a lot of tough fighters during his career. Despite all of these positive factors, Franca is considered the underdog in the fight. It is a mistake to underestimate Hermes, and I think a lot of people could be in for a rude awakening this Saturday night.

Make no mistake about it — Franca vs. Edgar has the most potential of any of the fights on this card of not only living up to the hype, but exceeding it. It has “best bout” written all over it. That alone is a good reason for you to watch UFC’s event this Saturday night on Spike TV.

Where is Brandon Vera’s career headed?

That’s a big question right now on the minds of many UFC fans.

He lost to Tim Sylvia late last year, then followed it up with a controversial loss to Fabricio Werdum in the UFC Heavyweight division. Now, Vera is making the transition to Light Heavyweight.

It’s been a rough period for Vera since his arbitration fight with former manager Mark Dion of City Boxing.

Vera will be facing IFL fighter Reese Andy, and admitted in a UFC.com article that the video he has seen of Andy fighting is from YouTube. What?

Despite the fact that he is facing an opponent that he knows little about, Vera continues his PR battle against Fabricio Werdum and is more than willing to tell anyone willing to listen to him how he got robbed in his last fight.

The invasion of IFL fighters

Vera’s opponent, Reese Andy, is no joke. Yes, he hasn’t faced the level of competition that Brandon Vera has, but he’s a tough fighter who brings good amateur wrestling skills to the table.

But don’t blame Vera or anyone else for not necessarily knowing what to think about the invasion of IFL fighters coming to UFC. How will they stack up against the top-level competition in UFC?

Rory Markham will prove to be an excellent test case, as he faces Brodie Farber on the Fight Night undercard. Markham has had an up-and-down career in the IFL, but always has been a very exciting fighter to watch.

Is Anthony Johnson ready to step up to the next level?

We’re about to find out the answer this Saturday night.

Johnson is an explosive striker who has decimated a couple of his opponents in UFC. He is charismatic, a great talker, and brings plenty to the table. Except experience.

His opponent, Kevin Burns, is a BJJ expert who will automatically be looking for the submission win.

If Johnson can beat Burns, the win will prove to be a real credibility-booster. If he loses, he’s the next Houston Alexander. Unfortunately, that’s not much of a compliment these days.