UFC 110 Feb 21 Preview: Antonio Rodrigo Minotauro vs Cain Velasquez

UFC 110 which will take place this Saturday 21 Feb is one of the most exciting UFC events we have had for a while, at least since Nogueira took care of Randy Couture in a very memorable epic match that made 2009. For the first time we have a very solid card with some big names in the HW and LHW division. Lets take a look at the card:

MAIN CARD

• Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez
• Michael Bisping vs. Wanderlei Silva
• George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Stevenson
• Ryan Bader vs. Keith Jardine
• Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Ben Rothwell

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Chris Haseman vs. Elvis Sinosic
• Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
• Brian Foster vs. Chris Lytle
• C.B. Dollaway vs. Goran Reljic
• Igor Pokrajac vs. James Te Huna

What makes this PPV worth the money is of course Nogueira fighting Velasquez for me. Big Nog has gone through so much over the years, taking on the very best and being really defeated only in the single match with Mir which I think he should not have gone in to due to his staph infection. 

Many question Big Nog's ability to take on the young talent that is rapidly emerging in the UFC HW division and I think that the talent pool that is being created really is worth considering. Cain Velasquez is a prime example. The guy has amazing physical characteristics coupled with great wrestling abilities. I predict Big Nog to prevail for several reasons but certainly Velasquez is a very serious opponent and a threat. The main reason is that Nog is so much more versatile. He has proven already that he can fight great wrestlers like Dan Henderson. If Nog can stay in control of the fight and take advantage of the many weaknesses that Velasquez does have in his one-dimensional game, the fight will be in the bag for him. The physical abilities of Velasquez are impressive however and Nog will need to be in the best pysical condition he can be. Nog should keep the fight standing if possible.

Talking about some of the other fights. The other big draws are Wanderlei vs Bisping. This is a classic fight of two respectable fighters that are not really at the top of the LHW division in the UFC but still can put up a good fight. Both have huge fan bases and you have to love both of these guys. I really feel that Wanderlei and Randy Couture are just stars no matter where they are in the rankings. Both should fight each other for the hell of it, neither should feature in a headline fight though as their time is gone.

The rest of the card looks also quite interesting. You have Cro Cop trying to get back in the game for probably the last time fighting "Big" Ben Rothwell. Rothwell really would not have a chance against Mirko of old. I still bet on Mirko to win this match but the way Cro Cop has been fighting recently it is difficult to predict the outcome especially if it goes to the ground.

Joe Stevenson is a fighter that I always love to watch. The bjj black belt under Robert Drysdale has an awesome guillotine choke and being a great fan of bjj and judo myself, I love his style in MMA. Look forward to this one.

Jardine vs Bader is a matchup that is still solid. As Jardine continues to slide down the MMA rankings, this is his chance to keep his UFC career intact. Bader is no pushover though. Undefeated in his MMA career so far, he could present a decent challenge for Jardine who's unorthodox MMA skills are well-known. Lets see what Jardine, "the strange man", has to offer.