Rich Franklin will join in the extravaganza that is UFC 88 as he is set to take on Matt Hamill in a light heavyweight clash. It will be the first 205 pound fight for Franklin in more than three years. The last time Franklin entered the realm of the light heavies, he KO’d the legendary Ken Shamrock. Hamill will have a stiff test as only two fighters have ever bested Franklin.

Dan Henderson will also set foot in the octagon at UFC 88 when he squares off against Rousimar Palhares. Henderson is looking to get back on the winning track after two straight losses to Anderson Silva and Quinton Jackson. Palhares, a submission specialist, debuted with a win at UFC 84 and has an overall professional record of 8-1.

The last in this trio of new bouts showcases welterweight Karo Parisyan against Yoshiyuki Yoshida. Parisyan has won eight out off his last ten fights, however he was one of the most recent victims of Thiago Alves. Ironically, Alves and Diego Sanchez were the two men responsible for Parisyan’s last two defeats and it is those two who be featured in a more highly touted bout at UFC 90. Sherdog has a few more details on these new fights.

With each passing day, UFC 88 is shaping up to be one of the best fight nights of the year. The past couple days has seen the addition of two new bouts to an already stellar event. Anderson Silva will take on Yushin Okami even though that fight will come less than two month after his bout with James Irvin.

It has also been reported that today Matt Brown was offered a fight against Dong Hyun Kim, the second Korean fighter ever to compete in the UFC. The September 6th event will feature a Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans clash in which the winner may wind up being the next in line to get a shot at light heavyweight gold.

Rich Franklin and Karo Parisyan will also be part of the card which could turn out to be a huge draw for the UFC. UFC 88 Breakthrough could in fact be the breakthrough event of the year when it airs on pay-per-view live from Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

The light heavyweight division is really heating up in the UFC. Amidst the flames of Saturday’s Forrest Griffin-Rampage Jackson blowout, many eyes are now looking forward to Chuck Liddell’s showdown with Rashad Evans at UFC 88. The winner of that bout could be next in line to face Griffin, the new light-heavyweight champion.

There is no question that all the heat manufactured by Jackson vs. Griffin will ignite the hype surrounding Liddell-Evans. Furthermore, the inevitable explosion at UFC 88 will then carry over into the next light-heavyweight title match. But even if the winner of Liddell vs. Evans is forced to wait and watch a Griffin-Jackson rematch, the energy surrounding the match should be scorching.

Mma junkie.com poses that a Griffin-Liddell end of the year match-up could be huge. However, with so many talented light heavyweights at the top of the division, the stage is being setting for a torrid ending to a an already blistering year.

Before the notion of a Liddell-Griffin face off can even be entertained, Liddell must first get past Evans. But regardless of who closes out the year as Griffin’s next opponent, it figures to be one of the hottest selling items of the year.

The Iceman was once the hottest name in mixed martial arts. The punching power of Chuck Liddell enthralled audiences and it seemed as though the sport was set to have a dominant champion for some time. Then came the Rampage. But that does not mean that Liddell is still not one of the top fighters in the UFC even though his super-stardom has dimmed out ever so slightly.

Part of the reason Liddell has faded into the backdrop is because he has not fought in 2008. And that lack of activity is mainly because Liddell was bitten by the injury big. However, it looks like he will finally get his chance during UFC 88 as he prepares to take on Rashad Evans. A victory over Evans would surely propel Liddell back up to the level where he was before two consecutive losses to Quinton Jackson and Keith Jardine.

MMAnews.com recently caught up with Liddell and talked to him about his upcoming fights. Apparently, the Iceman is ready to return to the octagon and has more plans for the future.