Thoughts:
Randy Couture Vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - I am excited to see this fight because it is one of those dream matchups that I think mma fans would have liked to have seen, 5 years ago. I still love the idea of this fight, but my problem is, what does it really mean for the guy who wins? How about the guy who loses? I think that Randy will win this fight because I think he will be able to overpower Nog a little on the ground. Nog has great mat skills, but Randy knows what he's doing too, and I don't expect him to fall into any submissions. I don't see this fight being in the stand-up because of the way Nog went down to Mir, but if Nog did that, I guess I can see him trying to stand with Randy, and I think the result will be similar. I am taking Randy by decision in this one, mainly because I can't see how either fighter will be able to finish the other, especially if it goes to the ground.
Keith Jardine Vs. Thiago Silva - I'm still not sold on Silva. I think he is good, and I think that this match-up favors him much better than the Machida fight did, but I just can't bring myself to pick him yet. I like his stand-up, but Jardine is a vet now, and I think that he can still be in the mix with the big dogs in the division if he wins this fight. I think that Jardine will work his kicks to keep some distance, but I also think that this may be a fight where we get to see Jardine's ground skills. Jardine may want to just pull Silva down and test his ground game instead of trading shots with him. Jardine has under-rated ground skills, and it would be nice to see him win one on the mat.
Chris Leben Vs. Jake Rosholt - I don't have a ton on this one, but I still think Leben has fight in him, and for some reason guys like to stand up and throw bombs with Leben, and in most fights this favors Leben. I think it will in this fight too.
Nate Marquardt Vs. Demian Maia - By far the most exciting fight of the night, and one I have been looking forward to for a while. I have doubted Maia in the past, but he just keeps on winning, and he has really earned the BJJ wizard tag some have thrown around. I like guys who are very good on the ground, and aren't afraid to keep going there to win fights. Nothing is worse than a BJJ guy trying to stand and punch and just hoping that they don't get dropped. Having said all of that, I think Marquardt is on his way to another fight with Anderson Silva. Marquardt has been a fav fighter of mine, and his new approach has given him a good amount of recent success. I do not see how Maia can beat Nate in this fight. If the fight is on the feet, Marquardt has a significant edge. His kicks are lethal, and he still has heavy punching power. I am expecting this to go to the ground, but I think that despite Maia's great ground skills, I think that Nate's strength will help to nuetralize Maia's skills. Nate is a huge 185er and I don't know how Maia will be able to control the ground with the power Nate brings. This should be a great fight, and it has huge incentive for the winner.
Brandon Vera Vs. Krzysztof Soszynski - Number 2 on the overall excitement list for this card. I was really looking forward to Vera/Hamill, but went Hamill went down, putting K-Sos in has probably raised the level of this fight a few notches. I like Vera a lot, and I think he is on the same list as a guy like BJ Penn is in that they have some of the more "God given" talent as any fighter in the UFC. I also think that he comes in with good strategies, and has a passion for the sport. He is in a much better weight now, and I think can catapault himself into the top spots with a win. Unfortunately, I am have decided to pick with my heart here, and I am a huge K-Sos guy. I really like his unorthodox stand-up, I think he is Liddell-esque on his feet, and he has a very good ground game. I think that K-Sos will test out Vera on his feet to start the fight, but I expect him to take Vera down, and outwork him on the mat. K-Sos is in good with the suits for taking the fights that he does, and he will be in an even better spot with a win, and might get a big-time opponent like a Griffin, Franklin, or maybe the winner of Jardine/Silva. IN fact, put that in stone. The winner of Vera/K-Sos will get the winner of Jardine/Silva.
There are other fights I'm looking forward to, including having more than a few heavyweights on this card. I think that despite the lack of a title fight, this could end up being one of the better cards of the year.
