Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko (28-1) vs. Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski (14-5)

This is the fight that true MMA fans have been  savoring over for quite some time.  Fedor is unknown to most casual fans of the sport but is without a doubt the best heavy weight in the world and possibly the best pound for pound fighter.  Andrei is the former UFC heavy weight champ  but has lost some of his star power after losing 2 fights with Tim Slyvia. If it's worth anything this is truly a Pride vs UFC match up beyond anything we have seen since the UFC  purchased the Pride org.  Keep in mind this fight is not taking place in the UFC but  one cannot overlook the-fact that Fedor was the heavy weight  poster boy of Pride and Andrei for the UFC. 

At one time Andrei was one of the most feared strikers in MMA  knocking out fighter after fighter. He was featured in Muscle and Fitness magazine and was becoming one of the fastest rising stars in the UFC. Andrei can erase all the doubters  with a underdog win against "the last emperor" .

Fedor as one Pride referee has stated "moves like a cat and at times doesn't look human". What makes Fedor so special is there is nothing he can't do or more importantly... there is nothing we have not seen him do. He has the best submissions in the game, cardio is top notch, although Andrei has the advantage in punching power,  Fedor has the better the chin which in my mind will be the difference in this fight.              

The Fight 

Andrie since losing to Big Tim has displayed signs of being overly cautious. This can spell disaster when fighting Fedor who is constantly moving forward with reckless abandon.  Andrei needs to establish his power and boxing skills early with quick combos and lots of angles. He can win this fight by getting Fedor's respect by hurting him and then out boxing him for a decision. If he stays in-front of Fedor he will get mauled on the feet or on the ground.  Fedor has every advantage in this fight and can win where ever it goes. Fedor has underrated hand speed and his ground game is head and shoulders above Andrei's.

 PREDICTION = Andrei will put lumps on Fedor's pasty white dough boy face  but it will not be enough to stop him. After some heated exchanges Fedor will impose his will and hurt Andrei enough to put him in rear drive and lose by unanimous decision.       

This is one of the craziest fights ever to be made and it’s only one day away. Randy Couture known as Captain America to hard core MMA fans is finally returning to the UFC after a one year hiatus. Couture came to his senses and decided to come back and defend his heavy title after a fight with former Pride fighter “Fedor” never materialized. Some who do not know Randy’s background may say he is biting off much more than he can chew. I mean after all, he is 45 yrs old and hasn’t fought in a year and is fighting a human Viking in Brock Lesnar. I eco the words of UFC present Dana White “I’m done betting against Randy Couture”, this sentiment is largely based on Randy’s track record of going into fights as the underdog. Plain and simple Randy has almost never lost a fight when he has been the underdog and here’s why:  In 1997, a then considered very old up 34yr old Couture went up against the 19 yr old “Phenom” Vitor Belfort. He wasn’t called the “phenom” for nothing, Vitor was just running throw everybody in MMA, and most thought Randy would be no different. All those in the audience that night got their first glimpse into what would become a remarkable string of unlikely victories for Couture. He battered Belfort for 8 minutes in till the referee finally showed mercy and ended the massacre calling a halt to the fight in the 1^st round. In 2003, a win of over then knockout artist Chuck Liddell was thought to be absolutely impossible, considering at the time Chuck had a granite chin and many thought Randy didn’t have the power to hurt him. If there was going to be a knockout, it would definitely come from the hands of Chuck who had already established himself as the premier knockout artist in all MMA. Once again Randy showed everybody why you should never count him out. In the second round Randy used his wrestling background to mount “the Iceman” and unleash a torrid of punches from all angels. The fight was stopped by big John McCarthy in the late stanza of the 2^nd round.  In July of the same year, Randy once again going against all odds defeated Tito Ortiz via unanimous decision. The fight was so one sided that at one point Randy spanked Ortiz several times while he had him mounted. Randy would retire after back to back knockout losses to Chuck Liddell. In 2007, when the announcement came that Randy Couture after being away from the octagon for 2 yrs would challenge heavy weight  giant Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight crown, MMA insiders were actually afraid that Tim would seriously hurt Randy. After all Tim Sylvia was 6’8, 270 pounds fighting a 43yr old ex champ who hadn’t fought in 2 yrs. Those fears quickly subsided when in the first 5 seconds of the fight “Big Tim” found himself on all fours after being smashed with a huge right hand. Randy gave Tim the worst beating of his career and won back the heavy weight title. This would be Randy’s mantra all throughout his career winning fights when he was supposed to lose them. This Saturday night is no different once again Randy finds himself as the underdog, even though he is the current champ. Brock Lesnar (former WWE super star) is in fact a freak of nature! The guy actually has to cut weight to make the heavyweight limit of 265 pounds but at the same time retains his speed and quickness that once made him a division 1 wrestling champ. Some say Brock doesn’t deserve a shot at the title in his only 4^th MMA fight.  The reality is Brock is a special case the guy just beat Keith Herring who had 30 plus fights under his belt, in only his 3^rd fight. Yes, he lost to Frank Mir but let’s not forget Mir was a former champ and was getting pounded by Brock in till he made an amateur mistake and got caught in an ankle lock.  Hard to predict what will happen in this one: Will Randy’s experience be too much for Brock? Will Brock’s power and size be too much for Randy?  I will say this... it’s going to be nutz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!                                                        

Another big night planned for MMA fans here we go.............

Anderson “The Spider” Silva (22-4) vs. Patrick “The Predator” Cote (13-4)

Anderson is considered by many to be the pound for pound best fighter on the planet along side Fedor. Since coming to the UFC Anderson has been 7-0, knocking out the likes of Rich Frankiln(twice), Chris Leben(never been stopped before) and Dan Henderson(was thought to be the one to dethrone the current champ, he got submitted in 2 rounds). The spider has been so dominant(he has not gone past the second round in over 4 yrs) in his tear at the 185 pound weight class, he moved up to 205 pounds this summer to fight James the "Sandman" Irvin a solid natural 205 pound-er. The result..... Anderson decapitated him in 50 seconds. His opponent for this Saturday night is Patrick Cote, who has earned his right at the title by going 7-1 in his last 8 fights. He has an exceptional chin and good punching power. The problem is better fighters than Cote have tried everything besides bringing a baseball bat in with them(sorry not the WWE) and have failed. There is nowhere Patrick can go in the cage where he has any advantage over Anderson, NOWHERE! Prediction as Joe Rogan said it best "watching Anderson fight is like watching a ballot of violence" indeed and unfortunately,  Cote will be on the receiving end of it.

Thiago “Pitbull” Alves (15-3) vs. Josh Koscheck (11-2)

Alves was scheduled to face Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez, unfortunately he got injured and Koschek answers the call to step in as a last minute replacement. This guy deserves all the credit in the world for taking this fight with only 2 weeks notice. Believe it or not, this is a tougher fight for Alves compared to Sanchez. Kos is an extremely well rounded wrestler and loves the ground and pound. Alves has been shown in past fights, to wilt under pressure when in the bottom position. Alves does have good knockout power, as we witnessed with his ko's over Karo and Hughes. He also displays a solid submission game and is always dangerous. The problem is Koscheck has never been hurt in any of his fights and his superior wrestling will off set any attempted submissions by "the pit-bull". Alves is in line for a title shot with a win this Saturday, all the pressure is on him.  Koscheck is going into this fight with no pressure and all the momentum of a runaway train, which is why I'm picking Kos to win a very exciting decision.    

With 6 other good matchups on the card this should be an interesting night of fights.