Here are some tips to get you up to speed on the UFC

	Chuck Liddell has claimed the title of Baddest Man on the Planet. AP
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LAS VEGAS -- Like it or not the Ultimate Fighting Championship has officially gone "mainstream." It's gracing magazine covers, popping up on television shows and putting a stranglehold on conversations among hipsters who know more about the inner workings of The Octagon than The Pentagon.

A quick stroll around the MGM Grand, the epicenter of Saturday night's much-hyped fight between Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, is simply another reminder of how far the sport has come. Banners and signs featuring both fighters line the hotel's famed Studio Walk as video highlights of both are projected on the floor below the scurrying feet of families. Just six years ago the UFC was barley sanctioned, hardly televised and on the brink of bankruptcy. Now it's become the fastest growing sport, attracting larger pay-per-view numbers and more lucrative live gates than boxing and wrestling. It's nearly impossible to escape its reach.

With the UFC quickly becoming as accepted as other professional sports leagues, it's time for the novice and uneducated fan to get a crash course before this Saturday's big fight. You certainly don't want to be the only one around the water cooler (do they still gather around those?) pulling a Johnny Drama and asking, "What's a Chuck Liddell?" So here are five statements you can make before the main event to make it seem like you know what you're talking about.

What You Say -- "Chuck Liddell is the baddest man on the planet."

What It Means -- His nickname may be "The Iceman" but Liddell is the UFC's poster boy these days. He is the most recognized fighter in the UFC right now and for good reason. He hasn't lost since 2003, winning his last seven fights in decisive fashion. The current light heavyweight champion has only lost three times in his career and has avenged all but one of those losses (We'll get to that one in a second). After beating down fellow headliners Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture twice each within the past three years, Liddell, with his tattooed, Mohawked scalp has become the modern day Mike Tyson (sans the psychotic tendencies, of course) when it comes to the title of "baddest man on the planet." His ability to strike fear in his opponents and anyone who crosses him was put on the national stage recently during Liddell's popular cameo appearance on Entourage.

What You Say -- "Sure, Liddell hasn't lost since 2003 but Rampage Jackson has his number."