Bob Emanuel Jr.

While some of the biggest names from the start of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix tournament may be out the competition, Saturday's semifinals still deliver a pair of intriguing match ups with Josh Barnett against Sergei Kharitonov and Antonio Silva against Daniel Cormier, an injury replacement for Alistair Overeem.

The event, which will air live from Cincinnati on Showtime at 10:30 p.m. EST, will also feature the middleweight championship fight between Ronaldo Souza and challenger Luke Rockhold.

Cormier, a former Olympic wrestler with an 8-0 record, defeated Jeff Monson in June. Silva, 16-2, offers a different challenge for Cormier by presenting him with a variety of strikes to defend.

Under the management of brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White, the Ultimate Fighting Championship kept an ever watchful eye on global expansion.

Since their purchase of the UFC in early 2001, the promotion -- under parent company Zuffa LLC -- held events in England, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Ireland, Australia, Northern Ireland and Germany.

Saturday night, the UFC visits one of the world's hotbeds of mixed martial arts when UFC 134 is held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event, headlined by UFC middleweight champion and Brazilian native Anderson Silva's title defense against Japan's Yushin Okami, will air live on pay-per-view at 9 p.m. EST.

When the Ultimate Fighting Championship was set to absorb sister company World Extreme Cagefighting last December, the competitive lightweight division experienced an influx of new talent, including WEC champion Anthony Pettis and former champion Ben Henderson.

The integration created several high-profile fights, including UFC veteran Clay Guida against Pettis in May. The pecking order of the division has been held up, however, by a January draw between UFC champion Frankie Edgar and top challenger Gray Maynard and subsequent injuries to both that pushed their rematch from May until October.

The question of who awaits the October winner may be settled this weekend when Jim Miller, who has won his last seven fights, battles Henderson during the undercard of Sunday's UFC Live 5 card in Milwaukee. The event will air live on Versus at 9 p.m. EST.

When Pat Curran walked to the cage for his quarterfinal fight against Luis Palomino last month, the 23-year-old's eyes found the banners Bellator Fighting Championships hangs from the rafters in honor of the promotion's champions.

Curran envisions his face among the other title-holders and is within two victories of fighting for the Bellator featherweight title.

While established veterans remain an integral part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the continuous emergence of new contenders provides a window into the promotion's future.

Of the seven champions, just two are 30 or older -- welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre (30) and middleweight champion Anderson Silva (36).

Fans of mixed martial arts are in the midst of a rare treat this weekend with three shows in as many days.

Strikeforce is set to air a Challengers card Friday night. Bellator Fighting Championships kicks off its summer series, which features a featherweight tournament, Saturday night. And on Sunday night, the Ultimate Fighting Championship presents UFC Live on Versus, which features a fight between two of the promotion's top welterweight contenders.

Rick Story, who has won six consecutive fights since losing his UFC debut two years ago, will face Nate Marquardt in the UFC main event, which will be held in Pittsburgh and airs at 9 p.m. EST. Marquardt, a former top middleweight contender, is making his debut at the lower weight.

Junior dos Santos is a rising star in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He recently served as coach of the 13th season of The Ultimate Fighter against former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. He carries an impressive 12-1 mark with victories over Fabricio Werdum, Roy Nelson, Mirko Filipovic and Gabriel Gonzaga.

He is personable. And his punches hit like a brick.