Randy Couture vs. Antonio Nogueira – Two grizzled MMA veterans take center stage for the main event at UFC 102. Randy Couture continues to defy logic and appears to be physically better than man fighters ten years younger. Antonio Nogueira on the other hand is a fighter who appears ten years older than he really is.

I think it’s a good thing this fight is only a three round affair, because I think it is going the distance and the fourth and fifth rounds could be ugly and boring had it been a title fight.

It’s hard to say who is the better striker at this point. Nogueira should have the edge but he really hasn’t shown any hint of striking prowess in his last few fights. Randy has been around the block enough that he always comes in a with a top notch game plan and should be able to counterstrike with Big Nog.

Nogueira definitely has the better pure submission game, but Couture’s wrestling technique should be able to negate a lot of what Nogueira will attempt on the mat.

I think Couture does enough and wins this fight on points.

Winner: Randy Couture

Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva – Keith Jardine’s UFC career dictates that he will win this fight. Jardine has flip-flopped victories and losses over his last six fights, and a loss to Quinton Jackson at UFC 96 indicates a victory against Thiago Silva at UFC 102.

Unfortunately for Jardine, I don’t subscribe to that theory and I think the “Dean of Mean” is looking at back-to-back losses for the first time in his career.

Thiago Silva is coming off the first loss of his career. After starting out 13-0, Silva met up with Lyoto Machida at UFC 94 and was subsequently KO’d.

Thiago Silva holds the clear edge in the ground game, although I don’t really see the fight going to the ground as both men love to stand and strike. Jardine will look to utilize his awkward punching and solid kicking game to keep Silva frustrated from a distance. Silva needs to get in close and bully Jardine up, taking the fight to the ground for some ground-and-pound when possible.

I think this fight is close and will end in decision that could easily go either way.

Winner: Thiago Silva

Chris Leben vs. Jake Rosholt – Chris Leben gets welcomed back to the UFC after serving his suspension for banned substances. Leben’s career (and life) has been a roller-coaster ride, with trips to jail, failed drug tests, embarrassing losses and impressive victories.

Leben seems to be getting his MMA game more under control however and this fight with Jake Rosholt is a tailor made matchup for his return. Leben won’t have to worry significantly about Rosholt’s ground game, although my guess is the ground is where Rosholt will attempt to take the fight.

Instead “The Cat Smasher” can focus on what he does best: standing and slugging it out with his opponent. I look for Leben to look a bit sloppy early on, but to shake off the cobwebs and earn a second or third round KO.

Winner: Chris Leben

Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia – In my book, Demian Maia is clearly the most gifted submission artist in the UFC today. Unfortunately, I think the UFC has thrown him an extremely bad matchup in Nathan Marquardt.

We all know what Maia’s gameplan is going to be and how he needs to win the fight. Demian needs to work the fight to the ground as quickly and frequently as possible and keep attempting submission after submission until on lands

Marquardt has too much experience and skill for a one-dimensional fighter like Maia, however. If you take away the split decision loss to Thiago Leites at UFC 85 (a fight Leites only won because of two separate point deductions for Marquardt), Nate’s only loss in his last 12 fights was to Anderson Silva at UFC 73.

Marquardt’s striking skills are well known but I think his submission defense is a bit underrated. We will find out Saturday night however. Will Maia be the next fighter to get a shot at Anderson Silva’s title or will Nate “the Great” get a second chance at the title?

Winner: Nate Marquardt

Brandon Vera vs. Krzysztof Soszynski – This matchup against Krzysztof Soszynski truly is pivotal in Brandon Vera’s UFC career. Since his back-to-back losses at heavyweight forced a move to light heavyweight, Vera has been anything but the impressive fighter he was from 2005-2006.

Vera needs to come on with a high energy attack and keep the pressure on Soszynski from the beginning. Working against Vera is the fact that Soszynski is a seasoned veteran who is riding a solid winning streak of his own.

Krzysztof Soszynski has the size and power to prevent Vera from bullying him around and has recently shown good submission skills should the fight hit the ground. My guess is that Vera will work to keep the fight on the feet and attempt a return to the Muay Thai game that made his early career so successful.

What should be a back and forth match will probably end in another decision victory for Vera.

Winner: Brandon Vera

Ed Herman vs. Aaron Simpson – Winner: Ed Herman
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Chris Tuchscherer – Winner: Gabriel Gonzaga
Justin McCully vs. Mike Russow – Winner: Mike Russow
Tim Hague vs. Todd Duffee – Winner: Tim Hague
Nick Catone vs. Mark Munoz – Winner: Mark Munoz
Marcus Aurelio vs. Evan Dunham – Winner: Marcus Aurelio