NOT EVERY mixed martial arts organization is flourishing - the International Fight League, for one, has been hemorrhaging money - but the Ultimate Fighting Challenge remains the industry's gold standard. When the UFC puts

together a quality card, and especially if the main event is

attractive enough, the pay-per-view numbers can and often do go through the roof.

Such a matchup of marquee fighters headlines UFC 86, which takes place Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson puts his UFC light-heavyweight title on the line against Forrest Griffin in a showdown that is intriguing in more ways than one.

Neither Jackson (28-6, with 20 victories by knockout or submission) nor Griffin (15-4, 10) has fought since September, but in this instance the long layoffs only served to heighten their celebrity status. They were the opposing coaches for the seventh season of Spike TV's "The Ultimate Fighter," getting lots of face time with the coveted 18- to 34-year-old male demographic that MMA has wooed and seemingly won over. All those weeks of constant interaction between the two made for a familiarity that bred both respect and, no surprise, just a bit of contempt.

"I want to be the best fighter UFC has ever seen," Jackson said. "I'm going to whip [Griffin's] butt."

Which is not to say that Jackson is expecting an easy time of it.

"When I first saw Forrest fight, I thought he was pretty tough," Jackson admitted. "I was real impressed. I thought he was an exciting fighter, a guy that don't quit. I like guys like that."

Army strong?

The burgeoning popularity of mixed martial arts has not gone unnoticed by high-ranking members of the U.S. armed forces.

At Fort Bragg, N.C., soldiers are being instructed in various MMA disciplines. The Army sees it as a training aid to enhance the fighting skills of soldiers before they head into combat.

In an opinion article for the Army Times last year, Maj. Kelly Crigger urged commanders to field a team of fighters to represent that branch of the service on TV's "The Ultimate Fighter." It has yet to happen, but don't rule it out somewhere down the road.

Sad news

The youngest brother of Philadelphia boxing judge Adalaide Byrd, who now lives in Las Vegas, was killed in a tragic car accident recently.

Aaron Tyndale, 44, was run off the road by a tractor-trailer and his car flipped over several times on June 20 while he was returning from Virginia to his home in Philly.

A retired senior master sergeant in the Air Force, Tyndale died early the next morning. Six of his organs were harvested for transplant, the last gift of a man who, in keeping with his service to his country, will be buried with full military honors on

Aug. 5 at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.

Also, longtime Philadelphia trainer Jimmy Arthur, 76, is in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania after suffering a stroke on June 25 that left him incapable of speaking and paralyzed on his right side.

It comes as no surprise that Jimmy was stricken while doing what he loved best, working with kids in the ring, at the Grays Ferry Boxing Club.

These kids rock

Philadelphians Joshua Jones and Anthony Burgin earned individual titles at the 37th annual Junior Olympic National Boxing Championships that concluded Friday in Marquette, Mich.

Jones edged Michael Norato, of Pacoima, Calif., on total punches landed, 28-27, after their three-round 95-pound final went to a tiebreaker. He also shared Outstanding Boxer honors in the boys' division with welterweight Pedro Sosa, of the Bronx, N.Y., and middleweight Donald Anderson, of Columbus, Ohio.

Burgin took top honors in the light-flyweight division with an 18-14 decision over Edwin Sandoval, of Bakersfield, Calif. *

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