The Chicago Bulls’ championship run in the 90s is one of the most impressive accomplishments in all of sports.   Chicago is certainly proud of those teams.  Anderson Silva and Wanderlei Silva both have enjoyed hall of fame careers in mixed martial arts.   The two Silvas had chance to meet greatness… sort of.  We snapped this pic of “The Spider” and “The Axe Murderer” with the six Larry O’brien NBA championship trophies Michael Jordan & company won.  OK, it’s not really Anderson and Wandy, but their action figures instead.  However we thought MMA/UFC fans who also enjoy the NBA would appreciate the novelty of this picture.

As Chicago sports fans the crew at Chicago’s MMA are happy to see the Bulls and “The Association” put the lockout in the rearview mirror and move ahead with the 2012 season.   Let’s beat the Heat!

“Our goal in developing this fine art line is not to feature fighters in the cage, but rather ‘Beyond the Cage,’ giving fans a rare look into the lives of these world class athletes,” said company spokesman Jerry G. “This artwork captures the true essence of these elite fighters…a glimpse into their personal lives, their training lives, and their hearts.”

In an effort to preserve the history of mixed martial arts and offer its fans a new level of collectible merchandise, Beyond the Cage spent countless hours creating what is believed to be the best artwork on the market.

In addition, Beyond the Cage has traveled all over the world to personally present the artwork to the fighters and have them approve and sign many of the pieces bearing their images.

The artwork has been produced in very limited editions utilizing only the highest quality materials, inclusive of museum grade paper, metal and acrylic. A glimpse of the fighters who have signed art for Beyond the Cage reads as a who’s who of MMA royalty: UFC welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre, UFC Hall of Famer Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, UFC middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva, “Ultimate Fighter” winner and former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin, former WEC featherweight champion Urijah “The California Kid” Faber and MMA legend Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva to name a few.

Standing out as a pioneer in MMA merchandising, Beyond the Cage is the first company to not only offer a high quality fine art line focused on MMA, but also the first to have a Notary Public present at most autograph signings to witness the authenticity of the fighter’s signature. This element truly solidifies the rarity and uniqueness of the artwork.

“We believe the Beyond the Cage MMA Fine Art Line is the ‘Crown Jewel’ of consumer products for the sport,” said Jerry. “Beyond the Cage is proud to have its artwork hang in many of the homes and gyms of these warriors. MMA fans can now own something truly unique and rare.”

Beyond the Cage accomplished its goal of bringing fine art to the MMA marketplace by working side by side with the world’s premier MMA photographer, Eric Williams. A commercially successful photographer, Williams and Beyond the Cage had the same vision of MMA as fine art and joined forces to make this a reality for the world.

“The fan base, and the emotional attachment fans have to the fighters, is unmatched in any other sport,” commented Jerry. “We at Beyond the Cage have the same passion for the sport as the fans. We love MMA, we love the fighters, respect their talents, and appreciate their heroic efforts.”

Bring up the name Steven Seagal to fighters and the responses will vary. Some of the best fighters in the world give him props, and thank him for what he has taught them. Some turn him away from their dressing rooms just hours before they fight. Now, one fighter has come out and said what he thinks rather plainly — that Seagal is a fraud.

UFC fighter Nam Phan laid it out to MMAmania’s Brian Hemminger.

“I think that guy’s a freaking fraud man. What the heck is that? Oh God that guy pisses me off! That’s my opinion. Did he teach martial arts at all? Even if he weight lifts or does sports, plays football or something, if a guy comes in a couple hours before your game or your match, you know it doesn’t make a difference. This guy is saying, “I came into the back room and I taught him to kick and that made all the difference,” as if Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva didn’t know how to do a front kick before meeting him.

“I remember watching Lyoto fighting Randy Couture and he knocks Randy Couture out with a front kick and he goes, ‘I’d like to thank Steven Seagal and my dad.’ I was like, if I was Lyoto’s dad, I’d freakin’ slap him. Like, what the heck dude, ‘I taught you karate since you were a little freakin’ kid. I raised you, I fed you, I gave you clothes on your back and you thank this guy before me?! I should disown you!”

The problem with what Phan is saying is that Seagal is a respected martial artist and teacher. He was the first foreigner to operate an Aikido Dojo in Japan, and he’s a 7th-dan black belt in Aikido.

While that doesn’t make Seagal the be all, end all when it comes to martial arts, you’d have to be a major loon to suggest he’s not knowledgeable or experienced.  Plus, if Machida and Anderson Silva give him props, isn’t that enough? Could their be an ulterior motive for their praise of Seagal? Like money? Then we’d really have a story.

Phan isn’t the only one with strong thoughts about Seagal. MMA legend Bas Rutten thinks Seagal is crazy. When he heard that Seagal was taking credit for teaching the kick that knocked out Vitor Belfort, he thought it was a skit. “He taught him a front kick to the face? He invented that? Nobody else knows this kick yet? What planet does he live on?” said Rutten.

Jon Jones recently turned Seagal away from his dressing room before his UFC 135 fight with Quinton “Rampage”Jackson. Seagal told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani that he thought Jones “wasn’t himself” during that bout. That could be because he wanted to pop into Jones’ dressing room right before the fight and Jones said no.

“I didn’t think that would be a good idea,” Jones said. “My training staff works very hard on me and I’m their prodigy and I don’t want to disrespect them by welcoming someone else’s master into our room, into our house, into my family.”

So it’s still a mixed bag on Seagal. A current champ — Silva and a former champ –Machida swear by the man. Others? Not so much. I think most fans just consider it all kind of weird.

Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva are arguably the top two MMA fighters in the world at this time. Dana White has stated that he thinks Silva is the greatest MMA fighter of all-time. I wonder what GSP thinks about that. Would he agree? Do fans agree?

Let’s take a look at their accomplishments.

Silva: Former Cage Rage and Shooto middleweight champion. Current UFC middleweight champ, a title which he has defended 9 times. 14-0 in UFC fights.

GSP: Former TKO Canadian welterweight champ. Current UFC welterweight champion. Won the title, lost it, won the interim title and then reclaimed the belt. Has defended it 6 times since then, and will fight Nick Diaz at UFC 137. 16-2 in the UFC.

Silva notable victories: Sonnen, Belfort, Maia, Griffin, Henderson, Franklin (2x), Marquardt, Sakaurai, Newton, Horn and Leben.

GSP notable victories: Shields, Koscheck, Serra, Fitch, Hughes (2x), Penn (2x), Sherk, Trigg, Mayhem Miller, Hieron, Parisyan.

It could be argued that GSP has beaten more legends, but Silva certainly scores wins in more impressive fashion. There can be no doubt that Silva thrills fans on a higher level.

How about endorsements? Silva just scored a Burger King deal. St. Pierre totally has him here. GSP has Under Armour, Affliction and of course, GSP’s workout DVDs, “Rush Fit”. That doesn’t matter in the cage, but popularity/likability plays into how fans pick their favorites.

Both are outstanding champions. GSP is more popular here in North America, and Silva more in South America. Right now the edge might go to Silva. But what about if GSP beats Diaz at UFC 137? That would make it a much tougher call, but then we will probably get the GSP vs. Silva superfight.

What say you?

When executed properly, flying knees are fight changers. Your opponent is left wobbly and dazed, and you’re right in front of him to finish the fight — if it isn’t already over. Here are some of the best flying knees in MMA history.

Jon Jones vs. Shogun Rua

Kid Yamamoto vs. Kazuyuki Miyata

Alistair Overeem vs. Kazuyuki Fujita

Valentijn Overeem vs. Kazuo Takahashi

Robbie Lawler vs. Joey Villasenor

Patricky Pitbull vs. Toby Imada

JZ Cavalcante vs. Hiroyuki Takaya

Anderson Silva vs. Carlos Newton

Karl Amoussou vs. Kazuhiro Hamanaka

Diego Sanchez vs. Luigi Fioravanti

Thiago Alves vs. Matt Hughes

Spencer Fisher vs. Matt Wiman

James Irvin vs. Terry Martin

Yves Edwards vs. Edson Berto

Nick Pace vs. Collin Tebo

Joachim Hansen vs. Caol Uno

Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda

Fredson Paixao vs. Pablo Garza

Jose Aldo vs. Cub Swanson

Thiago Tavares vs. Tyson Griffin

Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Riggs

BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk

Patricio Pitbull vs. Gleristone Santos

Ricardo Lamas vs. Bendy Casimir

LC Davis vs. Rafael Dias

Tip of the hat to Damn Severn and The UG. Click the link to see more there.

Here is the extended promo for UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort. Which Anderson Silva will we see in the main event? According to Ed Soares, there is only one Silva: the Anderson Silva that is 12-0 in the UFC with 7 title defenses. Those numbers are staggering.

Randy Couture may or may not have retired this week. He tweeted: “I think I’m at the end of it all”. But rumors persist that he wants to fight either Shogun Rua or Lyoto Machida. So until we get a definite answer, I’m saying “The Natural” will fight again in the Octagon. And he heads our list of the top MMA fighters over 35. Here they are in no particular order.

Randy Couture, 47

The guy is 47 years old. 4-7. It’s kind of insane just how in shape he is — for any fighter — let alone one that is 47 years old. The Toney fight was an easy match. Does he want to go out that way? It doesn’t really matter. He’s the man. But plenty of fans want to see him back in the Octagon.

Anderson Silva, 35

The UFC middleweight champion of the world turned 35 in April. He’s somewhat of an enigma when it comes to judging his desire, but he remains at the top of his game. Silva has won 13 straight fights and will defend his title against Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 in February.

Rich Franklin, 36

The move to light heavyweight seems to have given a Franklin some rejuvenation. He’s as solid and professional as they come, and always puts on entertaining fights. He will get Forrest Griffin at UFC 126. The light heavyweight division is stacked, but a win over Griffin keeps Franklin in the mix for a title shot, even if the possibility is slim.

Shane Carwin, 35

Carwin will turn 36 in January and is coming off back surgery. The loss to Brock Lesnar was crushing for him, but he is still one of the top strikers in the heavyweight division. There are a number of great matchups for him out there, and he should be able to make another title run. Fight fans are hoping to see him back in the cage early in 2011.

Dan Henderson, 40

Hendo didn’t look all that good in his first Strikeforce fight against Jake Shields, and the “too old” cries started rolling in. But after knocking out Babalu in the first round just a few weeks ago, people are anxious to see him fight again. And Mauro wants to see “The H-Bomb” again.

Matt Hughes, 37

Hughes recently was KO’d by BJ Penn and started dropping retirement hints. I’m hoping he reconsiders because from his previous fights it’s obvious he has plenty left in the tank. His submission of Ricardo Almeida was simply amazing, and Hughes’ striking is vastly improved from his championship days.

Cung Le, 38

The kickboxer turned MMA fighter turned actor has fought just one time in each of the last three years. Making movies pays better and no one is trying to choke you unconscious. But Le should be back in the cage at some point in 2011. Would love to see him fight Robbie Lawler.

Mirko Cro Cop, 36

Cro Cop is currently serving a medical suspension until April of 2011, but we should see him again soon after that. His last fight against Frank Mir was somewhat uneventful, but his fight against Pat Barry was one of the more exciting bouts of the year. He seems to vacillate between saying he’s too old for MMA and not too old for MMA, so who knows what his plans are. I think most fans would like to see him continue to fight.

Chris Lytle, 36

Lytle is “Mr. Bonus” in the UFC, having been the recipient of 7 fight bonuses. And the fun will continue when Lytle faces Carlos Condit at UFC 127. And he’s not all just stand and bang. His last 2 fights before his decision win over Matt Serra were submission victories over Matt Brown and Brian Foster.

Megumi Fujii, 36

Fujii will skip entrance into the “Old Man’s Club”, but she deserves to be on this list. She just had one of the most impressive win streaks in MMA history stopped when she lost to Zoila Frausto at Bellator 34. Prior to that “Mega Megu” had won 22 straight fights with an amazing 17 wins by submission.