I proclaim it Roger Huerta Day!

The verbal bashing between Huerta and his employer is the big story leading up to UFC 87. Huerta was a UFC darling and poster boy racking up a 6-0 record and a cover on Sports Illustrated.

The major catalyst in the falling out is money. What a professional athlete wanting more money? A big reason why Huerta is demanding more money comes from his 6-0 record in the UFC and the fame behind it. Out of those six victories only one is against a legit opponent in Clay Guida. But in that fight Guida won the first two rounds before being submitted in round three. So you can see why the UFC doesn't want to dish some serious mullah behind Roger.

A bigger question comes out of all this verbal jousting though. What value does an organization place upon building fighters, which entails protecting them, and high quality opposition, in order to discover what kind of talent you have?

I don't have a good answer because top-ten fighters need to be built up like a MLB pitchers. They need time in the minors to hone their style while gaining the experience to handle being in the big league. The same is true with young fighters. It is a tricky balancing point between building and testing, in this case it looks like the UFC may have waited a little too long with Huerta.

If Huerta wins he is placed in title contention further solidifying his position, especially if B.J. Penn fights GSP and wins. What does the UFC do with Huerta then? Huerta needs to win on Saturday nigh, if he does then he will be holding a great hand in any future negotiations.