The list of rumored scenarios conjured by the fan community has included everything from:

-- The company going public with a stock option
-- The company being sold or somehow partnering with Vince McMahon and the WWE
-- A network TV deal, most likely with Fox

Now another major hint has been dropped on UFC.com:

Dana White and heavyweight sensation Brock Lesnar will appear live on CNBC's "Power Lunch" today to announce an exciting new UFC deal. The show airs at 12:40pm ET.

Considering Lesnar's involvement, some might think this weighs in favor of some form of deal with WWE, the fake wrestling league that made Lesnar "the Next Big Thing" (which unfortunately didn't defend him against a heel hook/knee bar in his MMA debut against non-fake fighter Frank Mir).

Personally, I'm hopeing the UFC stays as far away from the WWE as possible. The sport needs to pursue legitimacy along the lines of football and basketball, not backslide into the theatrical world of WWE, home of "bra and panties" matches and perpetual problems with steroid abuse.

UPDATE: Some are claiming that this is to announce an action figure deal, and that it is a separate announcement from the big one Thursday.

UPDATE 2: More reason to believe the action figure deal is today:

NEW YORK (Associated Press) - Toy maker Jakks Pacific Inc. said Tuesday it has signed a four-year license agreement with the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization to develop a line of collector-focused action figures.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The new UFC product line is expected to launch next year. It will feature figures of UFC fighters Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, Brock Lesnar, Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira, Michael "The Count" Bisping and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva, among others.

The license also includes the UFC Octagon and other role-play items.