We are about to embark on one of the greatest months in the history of the UFC

It all starts next Saturday, June 24th, at The Ultimate Finale Live on Spike TV with the finals of “The Ultimate Fighter 3.” If you haven’t been watching TUF 3 - you are really missing out. It’s the UFC version of “The Contender,” only without Rocky Balboa and Ray Leonard and their disgusting facelifts. (Much love to Spike, by the way, for all the UFC love). “The Pride of Maui” Kendall Grove goes up against Ed “Short Fuse” Herman for the Middleweight contract. Grove is 6”6 and has amazing kicking power while Herman was one of the best overall fighters on the show. He also trains with the legendary Randy Couture so you know he is for real.

In the light heavyweight fight, Josh Haynes takes on Michael “The Count” Bisping. I can’t wait for this one. Haynes is a tough guy who has lost over 100 pounds in the past year and the Liverpudlian Bisping was my all-around favorite fighter on the show for his no-nonsense English attitude and wrestling skills.

Spike brings us more UFC on Wednesday, June 28th with Ultimate Fight Night Live. The featured bouts are Chris “The Crippler” Leben going up against Anderson Silva and Rashad Evans clashing with “The American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar. The Bonnar-Evans fight should be a corker. Not only does it feature two former TUF cast members but it marks Bonnar’s return to cable television. Last year, he was involved in one of the greatest fights in UFC history when he lost to Forrest Griffin in the finals of TUF 1.

Finally, the main dish comes to us on Pay-Per-View on July 8th, which, not coincidentally, is also my birthday. Don’t give me any presents, parties, dinners or loot bags. Just give me Ortiz-Shamrock II and Arlovski-Sylvia III. You feel me? I mean, this card would be amazing if it only had the Arlovski-Sylvia bout, the conclusion to one of the greatest trilogies in mixed-martial-arts history. But the fact that Ken Shamrock, one of the true UFC pioneers, is stepping back into the octagon to shut up his long-time nemesis, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz, is enough to make me salivate.

I conclude with some advice from the august Dr. Dre: “Sit back, relax, grab on your seatbelt / You’ve never been on a ride like this before.” Word.