Minotauro Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez - I have been on the Cain bandwagon for a long time, and I'm still on it. This will no doubt be his toughest test to date. On their feet, I give the edge to Cain because I think he is the better striker, tecnically, and power-wise. While Cain hasn't shown "finishing" power yet, I think that it is there, but more importantly he won't need a ton of that in this fight because Nog doesn't really have it either. If it stays on their feet, I think Cain will just outwork Nog, who showed great striking in the Couture fight, just because he is so technical, not to mention faster, and I think will carry more power then Nog. If/when it goes to the ground, this is where it will be interesting. Cain is very good on the ground due to his great wrestling skills, and his ground and pound. The problem with both of those is, they are right inside Nog's guard, and Nog is one of the few guys left who can still finish from there. I still like Cain here, en route to his eventual dethroning of Brock, but this will be tough.
Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping - This is another really tough matchup for Bisping. I really like Bispings style, but he couldn't have picked two worse guys to go up against back to back. Wandy is a lot like Hendo in that he can absorb punishment, so that he can get in tight and dish it back out. He throws hard, and throws a lot. He has had some trouble with guys who have a lot of KO power, but Bisping doesn't have that. Bisping's only shot is to outlast Wandy, and he won't be able to do that on his feet, and he doesn't have much of a ground game to speak of, certainly not one that can keep Silva down for 3 rounds. This could end just like the Hendo fight.
Joe Stevenson vs. George Sotiropoulos - I think George has been under-rated till this point, but he just doesn't have enough to beat Stevenson. Joe is really getting the most out of his abilities right now, and that should scare pretty much everyone in that weight class, not named BJ Penn. Joe will probably never have enough to be at the top, but he is a very good fighter, and presents a lot of problems for most fighters, nevermind a guy who is getting his first taste of real UFC competition.
Keith Jardine vs. Ryan Bader - This is a big fight for Bader. He has surprised a lot of people so far, and now he gets his first real shot at a big name (and talent) guy. Bader has very good conditioning, and doesn't stray too far from what his skills are. I think if this fight is fought on their feet, Jardine will win easily, but I don't see that happening. We always used to hear about Jardine's under-rated ground game, well, we'll get a chance to see if it exists in this fight, and I'm betting it doesn't. Bader will hold him down, and not let him up.
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Ben Rothwell - I'll take Cro Cop here, just because I think he still has something left, and he has really fought some tough guys since being in the UFC. Not what he used to be, but enough for Rothwell.
Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski - I really like both of these guys, and I'm excited for this fight. Bonnar can hang with (most) anybody because of his chin, and he can stand in and throw a ton of punches. I like K-Sos's balance a little bit more, because he has a good (but unorthodox) stand-up style, and is pretty good on the ground too. I'm taking Krzystof in this one, but it could go either way. This will likely be the Fight of the Night too.
