My 2 cents: UFC 110 predictions part 1

This card has the potential to be action packed from start to finish. On paper this could be one of the most electric events so far this year. The UFC's official debut in Australia is jammed packed with talented prospects and bonafide MMA legends all looking to climb up the rankings and solidify their spot among the elite in their respected weight class.

Main Event: Nogueira v. Velazquez

With title implications and perfect records on the line, there is a distinct possibility that this will be the fight of the night. The winner will most likely face either the victor of the Mir v. Carwin interim heavyweight title fight in Newwark, NJ or face HW champ Brock Lesnar sometime during the summer. Both fighters are well conditioned big men who break their opponents with their tenacity and pressure. Nogueria is by far the more experienced of the two, and has faced much tougher competition. He has also taken much more damage. The key to victory for Nogueira is to stay busy on the feet, use his boxing and footwork to strike at angles and frustrate Velazquez. He has keep moving or he will be taken down and slammed. On the feet I personally don't think Velazquez as the power to hurt Nogueira. I have seen Nogueira take blows that would put down an elephant. He has a gigantic heart and will not break under pressure. When he gets taken down (because he will be eventually) Nogueria MUST maintain guard. Even though he is a BJJ master and a magician on the ground, he probably doesn't want to be stuck in side control and being mounted against Cain is equal to a death sentence. Velazquez might slip up and make a mistake, however, with his world class wrestling, it will be difficult to catch him. If he does land on his back, he must control the posture of Velazquez and attack, attack, attack with submissions, elbows, and sweeps. If he can't do that he will get pounded into a bloody pulp by Velazquez's vicious ground and pound.

Velazquez is a two time NCAA division I All-American wrestler and a junior college national champion. Velazquez is also a machine with a deep gas tank and a berserk attacking style. I believe he is the most well conditioned heavyweight in the game. Fatigue isn't a factor so look for Velazquez to pressure Nogueira with take downs and press him against the cage. There is no doubt in my mind that Velazquez will put Nogueira on the mat at least a few times during the fight. The big question for Velazuez is his submission defense. When the fight hits the mat Velazquez cannot play around in Nogueira's guard or he will be eaten alive. A long training camp might not be enough to fend off a submission guru of Nogueria's esteem. Even a tiny mistake on the ground is like blood in the water against the bjj black belt. High caliber wrestlers like Velazquez have the ability to dictate the pace of any fight, so he must continuously keep the Brazilian on the defensive with punches and elbows. That being said, Cain should also avoid being drawn into a boxing match with his opponent. Nogueria's hands looked superb against Randy Couture, who also has solid boxing skills, and he was able to badly hurt the legend on multiple occasions. Both have solid chins but I expect Cain to only use his stand-up to set up takedowns. It will be a close fight, but due to Velazquez's deadly combination of endless cardio and world class wrestling I have to give him the edge.

Prediction: Velazquez by decision