UFC 104 notebook: Is ‘Spider’ Silva in Lyoto Machida’s future?

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-- Lyoto Machida and Anderson ‘Spider’ Silva are Brazilian UFC champions who are good friends and would prefer not to fight each other.

But UFC President Dana White said Thursday he wouldn’t hesitate to make that high-profile match in the near future. Machida first has to make his first light-heavyweight title defense against Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua on Saturday night at Staples Center, and Silva has a Jan. 2 date to defend his middleweight belt against Vitor Belfort.

White said he knows Silva has said publicly he doesn’t intend to fight Machida, but the UFC boss won’t shy from a fight that would sell so lucratively. Matching two of the top three pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC against each other would be an attractive bout.

‘I know what they want,’ White said Thursday. ‘But I know what I’d want.’

-- Ben Rothwell said his 20-plus-pound advantage over unbeaten heavyweight Cain Velasquez is ‘absolutely’ an edge he’ll look to exploit in the bout that will immediately precede the Machida-Rua main event.

Rothwell also possesses an experience edge, and that’s why White is likely to give Velasquez a shot at the winner of next month’s Brock Lesnar-Shane Carwin heavyweight title fight. The Arizona State wrestling product has displayed an impressive knockout ability, and if he can repeat here against the bigger, more veteran guy, than a date with Lesnar makes the most sense in the division.

-- The weigh-in for tomorrow night’s fights will begin at 3 p.m. today, and the public is invited to attend at L.A. Live.

-- Lance Pugmire