Lovingly dubbed as “the Geezers at Caesar’s” by keyboard warriors everywhere (even though the event will be held at Mandalay Bay), UFC 109 is headlined by a long awaited battle between two UFC  Hall of Fame legends.  This Saturday should provide some entertaining fights even though they are not particularly relevant in terms of  title contention.  Also, a portion of the preliminary card will aired live and for free on Spike TV.

Randy Couture vs Mark Coleman – These guys are both great wrestlers which will likely end up canceling each other out.  Any wrestling that does happen will pretty much be a sheer test of endurance for both fighters which would ultimately benefit Couture.  Randy also has the advantage in the boxing department including footwork and head movement as he displayed against guys like Chuck Liddell and Vitor Belfort amongst others.  Coleman has a slow plodding style which is easy to predict and he is known for gassing out in fights, his only hope of winning this fight is to catch Randy with a lucky punch or take him down and put his patented Ground and Pound to work.  I see Couture easily going home with a decision victory in this fight and possibly even finding Colemans chin for a 2nd round KO.

Winner: Randy Couture

Nathan Marquardt vs Chael Sonnen – This is a fairly one sided fight considering that Sonnen has very little chance of finishing Marquardt anywhere this fight takes place.  The best thing Sonnen has going for him in this fight is that Nate hasn’t faced a strong wrestler for a long time and it may pose some problems for him, but that alone is not enough to get Chael the win on Saturday.  Marquardt is also the physically stronger fighter of the two which will help him keep this fight standing allowing him to utilize his vastly superior striking abilities against Sonnen.  I see Nate winning a decision here because Sonnen is also a very tough guy and he’s a survivor but Marquardt could get the KO at any time during this fight.

Winner: Nathan Marquardt

Mike Swick vs Paulo Thiago – Coming off his loss to Dan Hardy, Mike Swick is coming back sharper than ever and he will be looking to stop Thiago early with his fast hands.  Swick should have the striking advantage in this fight and Thiago will have the edge in submissions.  I feel that Mike will be able to stay on his feet and hurt Thiago in the 1st round for the TKO victory but it could easily go the other way if the fight hits the mat.

Winner: Mike Swick

Demian Maia vs Dan Miller – This fight seems like a bit of a mismatch considering both these guys are expert BJJ practitioners but one of them is practically a genius of the art.  Demian Maia is a 2nd degree black belt but it hardly does him justice, he has a rare talent and understanding of BJJ which he’s shown with his success in tournaments all over the world for the past decade.  Dan Miller is a great black belt but he’s clearly outclassed and he doesn’t have the striking skills to stop Maia from making this a Jiu Jitsu match.  Eventually this fight will end up on the ground and Maia will submit Miller in the 2nd or 3rd round.

Winner: Demian Maia

Matt Serra vs Frank Trigg – The old BJJ vs Wrestling feud is back with these two salty dog veterans and they both have fairly decent striking abilities which should make for a fun night.  There are many factors in this fight but I believe the only thing that will matter is this: performance against recent opponents.  Matt Serra has been fighting GSP and Hughes while Trigg was fighting lesser opposition in the smaller shows.  I just think Serra has been more focused on his fighting career than ever and he has improved because of that, while Trigg appears to be on the decline.  Frank basically got this fight by calling Matt a short guido and an angry midget but i believe he will be eating those badly chosen words by way of knockout or rear naked choke submission.

Winner: Matt Serra