So my picks were not great for UFC 109 (most notably Nate “The Great Parlay Killer” Marquardt). Fortunately, UFC gives us all another chance with UFC 110, coming to you from the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia this Saturday, February 20, 2010 (or for our Aussie readers, Sunday, February 21, 2010). The upside for us crazy Americans is that this foreign show is so far ahead time zone-wise that it’ll broadcast live at it’s usual 10 PM ET time slot. The downside is that if both Elvis Sinosic & Chris Haseman come out on the under card to Men at Work’s “Land Down Under” and Australia explodes into a raucous party, our Aussie mates have work to look forward to the next day. That said let’s take a look at the main card.

Mirko Cro Cop vs. Anthony Perosh

And just when I thought Ben Rothwell had a slight edge over Cro Cop, he goes and gets sick on us 2 days before the fight. Now PRIDE’s Croatian head-kicking machine has a fight with Australia’s own Anthony Perosh, a jiu jitsu specialist who went 0-2 in the UFC against Christian Wellisch & Jeff Monson back in 2006. Ok, Mirko, this is the moment of truth: if you can’t beat a guy who’s coming in on a day’s notice and has had no time to really train for you, despite fighting on his home turf (and being given the opportunity most fighters would sell their soul for), hang it up.

Jay Pick: Mirko Cro Cop (somehow, someway)

Keith Jardine vs. Ryan Bader
Straight up: I like this matchup for Bader. It’s a step up in competition and with Jardine being the perennial gatekeeper in the division, it’ll be a good litmus test if Bader belongs in the thick of it. Jardine gets the edge in terms of cardio and some say his unorthodox style could be a foil to the young TUF: Season 8 winner, but I think Bader’s wrestling will be the difference. Plus, Jardine’s big wins during his 2-3 stint have been over a declining Liddell and a bust-of-a-Vera.

Jay Pick: Bader by decision

Joe Stevenson vs. George Sotiropoulos

Two lightweight contenders: Stevenson has, over the past 2 years, only lost to the best of the division (Penn, Sanchez, Florian). Sotiropoulos is 4-0 in the UFC without a lot of quality competition (Jason Dent & George Roop). Both have good jiu jitsu and will look to control the tempo. Stevenson is the favorite and, in my eyes, rightfully so: he’s faced tougher competition, he went the distance with Sanchez, and his last outing where he finished off Spencer Fisher was impressive. I give it to Joe Daddy.

Jay Pick: Stevenson by submission, R3

Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping
As the co-main event, this is the fight that seems to be sparking the most interest. Wandy represents, like Cro Cop, an aging PRIDE vet who’s an unflappable fan favorite despite being 1-5. Bisping was riding a 3 fight winning streak until UFC 100 where his Facebook relationship with rival TUF: Season 9 coach Dan Henderson became “complicated” (and by complicated, I mean Hendo delivered 2009’s Knockout of the Year and gave birth to some great Photoshop jobs). The cocky Brit rebounded with a TKO win over an overrated Denis Kang at UFC 105 so he’s heading into this fight with a win. Basically, this is going to be a slugfest. Bisping wants to remain Dana’s UK golden boy while Wandy wants to say to us in semi-garbled, accented English “I’m still here.” Don’t let his record fool you: Silva got headkicked by a prime Cro Cop, went the distance when Liddell was showing flashes of old, took a nasty left hook from the ever-powerful Rampage, and lost a very tight decision to a game Rich Franklin. Do I worry about him testing out a new weight class? A little, but I think he has more to offer than Cro Cop at this point and Bisping does not have the power that any of his previous competitors has.

Jay Pick: Wandy by TKO, R2

Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez

And now we return to the Heavyweight division for the main event. Once again, we have a weathered PRIDE warrior (with a legendary career and a penchant for “What the HELL!?” come-from-behind victories) facing an undefeated young monster with 6 out of 7 wins coming by TKO. Both of their recent wins have been over solid competition: Nog defeated Randy Couture in an amazing three-rounder at UFC 102 and Velasquez got the aforementioned semi-premature TKO over Ben Rothwell at UFC 104. Stylistically, this is an interesting match up (and the betting odds reflect this with Velasquez getting a slight edge). Cain is a wrestler and did nothing but lift and dunk a 6′4″, 265 lb Rothwell with ease. Unfortunately, dunking Nogueira, arguably the best Heavyweight jiu jitsu practitioner of all time, is not the best idea. Cain should try to keep this standing and hope that Nogueira’s 1st ever TKO-loss from Frank Mir at UFC 92 is a sign that the seemingly indestructible Brazilian has been finally worn down. If Nogueira can sustain the shots that Cain will undoubtedly throw and get it to the ground, I think he’s got another “What the HELL?” up his sleeve.

Jay Pick: Nog by submission, R3 (I wouldn’t bet your first born on this)

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UFC will celebrate 100 shows with a stacked card. Ultimate Fighting Championship 100 will be headlined by one of the most anticipated rematches in UFC history.

UFC 100 features two main-events, although one is stealing all of the headlines. The rematch between Frank Mir and Brock Lesnar will decide an undisputed UFC heavyweight champion and end a year long grudge.

The first time these two met at UFC 81 I predicted this one to a tee. I looked at Frank Mir’s extensive background and experience as opposed to the inexperienced Brock Lesnar. I assumed Lesnar would be nervous and bull rush Mir. I then correctly predicted that Mir would wait to catch Lesnar and make him tap.

How much has changed since UFC 81? Lesnar has had two fights in UFC since then. Lesnar has gone 2-0 beating Heath Herring and Randy Couture. How impressive is that? I don’t find that impressive at all. As a matter of a fact, I think Lesnar is nothing but hype at this point.

Can Lesnar be a great fighter? I think he can be, but he isn’t an elite fighter as a result of those two wins. I think Lesnar needs more time and needs to beat an elite fighter. Is Randy Couture an elite fighter? Randy was an elite fighter, but I don’t find a win over a 45-year old aging fighter too impressive.

Have Frank Mir’s skills declined since UFC 81? Unlike Lesnar, Mir has only fought once since UFC 81. However, Mir’s one win is more impressive than Lesnar’s two. Mir dominated the great Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and beat him for the interim title. The win was huge and made a statement for Mir. Frank Mir was undoubtedly back!

So what has Lesnar learned in two fights over a year that will make this end differently? In my opinion, I see this one ending exactly the same as the first one. Lesnar is obviously haunted by the first loss. I think Lesnar will be hesitant to bull rush Mir. Mir has the edge in confidence. Mentally, Lesnar may have more to overcome than anything physically in the bout.

I have always felt that rematches favor the previous loser. However, Randy Couture recently made an interesting statement regarding rematches. Couture feels that rematches favor the previous loser. Couture’s thesis is that the loser is going to change his game and show his opponent something new. Frank Mir doesn’t agree with that.

Mir said on the Countdown to UFC 100 show that he feels rematches favor the previous winner. Mir made a great point about the upcoming match. Mir said that Lesnar will be playing catch-up by training his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu defense, while he will be elevating his BJJ knowledge. He makes a very convincing argument and one that Lesnar is going to prove wrong at UFC 100.

Shockingly, the book makers have Mir as an underdog. I am not a betting man, but I would jump all over that one if I were. There is a big question surrounding Mir’s knee he injured a few months back. Regardless, I see this one ending with a Lesnar tap and a Mir win at UFC 100.

Click here to check out all of the current UFC 100 betting lines and place your bets at BetUs.com.

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The UFC 100 co-main event features Georges St. Pierre defending the UFC welterweight title against Thiago Alves. Can Alves defeat arguably the best all-around fighter in MMA today?

I think Alves is a good fighter, yet I also think is overrated. People are taking way too much out of his win against Matt Hughes.

For one thing, Hughes is another one of those aging fighters. More importantly, Alves came in overweight for the fight. By fight time, it looked like Alves had 20-30lbs on an already disadvantaged Huges. I was not impressed with the win.

Following the Hughes fight, Alves fought Ultimate Fighter alumni Josh Koscheck. Alves couldn’t put Koscheck away and won the fight on the score cards. This isn’t the guy that is going to get in there and put away one of the greatest fighters of all-time in his prime.

St. Pierre on the other hand has looked magnificent since his fluke loss to Matt Serra at UFC 69. St. Pierre proved he was the real deal with his win over BJ Penn in his last match. Not only did he beat Penn, but he dominated the lightweight champion for 4 grueling rounds. St. Pierre looked unstoppable.

Alves is a huge underdog on the books and rightfully so. I don’t expect this one to be over quick. Alves is too good to get caught early by St. Pierre. I wouldn’t even be surprised to see this one go the distance. Alves has been submitted twice in UFC. I see him getting caught again and St. Pierre just biding time until the Super Fight with Anderson Silva.

Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping is the third featured fight on the show. There is no title on the line between these two. This one comes as a result of the most recent series of The Ultimate Fighter show. The fighters were opposing coaches on the show which has sparked a bit of a grudge between the two of them.

This is a huge fight for both men here. A win would likely guarantee a title shot against Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight title. For Bisping, he will finally get the credibility as an elite fighter. For Henderson, it will be the final step to redemption in UFC.

I will say it, I can’t stand Michael Bisping. I didn’t like him when he was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter, and I can’t stand him as a fighter. He was a lot like Matt Serra as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter. Bisping was incredibly cocky and disrespecting of the accomplished opposing coach. Maybe I have been asleep for the last two years, but what has Bisping done to even deserve being a coach in the first place?

As a fighter, I also think Bisping is overrated. Bisping has fought one elite fighter and lost. Bisping got two wins in England on the score cards that I could debate were unworthy wins. Here is an idea. Instead of yapping about Dan Henderson, how about giving Matt Hamill a rematch in the United States?

Dan Henderson is the real deal. I have been a fan of Henderson’s for years going back to his PRIDE FC career. Henderson is the only fighter who has actually tested Anderson Silva in UFC. Henderson is 4-2 in his last six fights, but unlike Bisping he has fought a ton of elite fighters. Henderson is no joke and is probably more motivated here than he by a grudge than he has been in a long time.

I see Henderson grounding Bisping for three rounds. I wouldn’t expect a Bisping knockout, although I’d love to see it. Bisping is too quick to get caught and Henderson is too smart to keep it standing. Henderson hasn’t finished anyone on the ground in a long time. I wouldn’t expect it to happen at UFC 100, but I do expect a big win.

Part 2 featuring Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir coming Friday!

Click here to check out all of the current UFC 100 betting lines and place your bets at BetUs.com.

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Order Ultimate Fighting Championship, Vol. 81: Breaking Point on DVD and check out Frank Mir vs. Brock Lesnar by clicking here.

Headlocks and Eye Gouges – I will be back on Pro Wrestling Radio, Wednesday July 15 at 7 PM/EST. Listen live and ask your questions from the chat room by clicking here. Listen to my 45-minute uncensored interview with Rob Van Dam on Pro Wrestling Radio by clicking here.

Check out this interesting video from MMA Connected. Several UFC fighters give their predictions on the Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping match at UFC 100. You may or may not be surprised at the overwhelming favorite by the fighters. Several fighters give some interesting insight as to why they are making their pick. This is a great chance to get an objective opinion from some UFC and MMA heavy hitters.

For the record, BetUS.com has Dan Henderson as the favorite. The current betting line for the fight is – Dan Henderson -223 and Michael Bisping +178. I’ll have a full preview next week. Click here to check out all of the current UFC 100 betting lines at BetUs.com.

Thanks to MMANews.com for the tip.

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Check out this extended video preview of the Ultimate Fight Championship 100 super show. The video spotlights all three of the main-events at UFC 100. The video continues to hype what is expected to be the biggest UFC show in history.

I will have a full preview next week of the show. The video provides compelling arguments for any of these fighters to win his match. I did find it a bit curious that Dana White made a bigger deal of Brock Lesnar’s win over Heath Herring than he did over Randy Couture. Either way, the show can’t come quick enough for me.

On a side note, there are some interesting early betting lines for UFC 100.
Brock Lesnar (-250) v. Frank Mir (-200)
Georges St. Pierre (-200) v. Thiago Alves (+170)
Dan Henderson (-300) v. Michael Bisping (+220)
Jon Jones (-400) v. Jake O’Brien (-300) 

As of today, Bisping as an underdog is a fairly good bet. I would wait on Frank Mir. I would suspect better odds on Mir by fight day.  Thanks to Yahoo! Sports for the tip.

Place your UFC bets online at BetUS.com.

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Headlocks and Eye Gouges – I will be back on Pro Wrestling Radio Wednesday July 1 at 7 PM/EST.
Former World Class Championsip Wrestling producer Mickey Grant joins the show this week. Listen live and ask your questions from the chat room by clicking here. Listen to last week’s 45-minute uncensored interview with Rob Van Dam on http://www.prowrestlingradio.com now!