UFC 129 is just eight days away and it is set to be one of the biggest events in the history of the organization.

Outside of the record attendance with over 50,000 expected, the fight card is stacked with two championship bouts and a fight featuring a Hall of Famer.

The fine folks at Bodog.com have released their odds for selected UFC 129 bouts and here is a look at who they like.

In the main event, UFC Welterweight Champion, Georges St. Pierre, is a heavy favorite at -500 when he defends his title against Jake Shields (+300). Now GSP will tell you that he should probably be the underdog in the fight, but clearly oddsmakers see through the pandering.

In the co-main event, UFC Featherweight Champion, Jose Aldo, is also a clear favorite at

-500 in his defense against Mark Hominick (+300). Hominick has one-punch KO power, which makes him an interesting challenger. But, Aldo has been so dominant. It is hard to see him coming up short in this fight.

Another featured bout has UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture as a +250 underdog in his contest with Lyoto Machida (-325). Couture has stated that this will be his last fight unless something unexpected happens, and certainly he will want to go out on a high note. Machida, who has lost two straight, desperately needs this win to get back into title contention.

The last bout that has odds released is a lightweight contest between Canadian Mark Bocek (+115) and former WEC Lightweight Champion, Ben Henderson (-145). Bocek will have the crowd support in his favor and he also has UFC experience, while Henderson is making his first appearance in the premiere MMA organization. The WEC lightweights have performed pretty well in the UFC thus far, but Henderson’s wrestling ability could be neutralized by Bocek’s submission skills.

Just when it looked like the UFC might go all nostalgia at UFC 134 in Brazil with a bout featuring Royce Gracie, Dana White nixed the idea (MMAFighting.com).

But with names like Dan Severn and Art Jimmerson being thrown around lately, it made me think of the past and weird fights that I have always wanted to see for one reason or another.

Here are some fights that I would pay to see if the UFC deeply cared to entertain me:

Tank Abbott vs. Roy Nelson – Roy Nelson is what Tank Abbott should have been. Abbott has always been a fan favorite, yet is one of the worst fighters I have ever seen. At 10-14, Abbott was good for about 30 seconds of haymakers and then he gassed out. Nelson, who has a similar shape, is actually pretty impressive at grappling and jiu-jitsu, and he hits even harder than Tank. I would love to see Nelson toy with Abbott and then rub his giant belly in celebration.

Matt Hughes vs. Mark Hughes – Who better to match strength with Matt Hughes than his twin brother Mark? Mark has dipped into the MMA world, as he has a 6-2 record in his career. Granted, he hasn’t fought since 2003, but it was just be interesting to see the UFC find a way to pit twin brothers against one another. Would they both come out to “Country Boy Can Survive?”

Hong Man Choi vs. Jose Aldo – Granted Choi would have the size edge at 7-foot-2, 352-pounds, but I think the UFC featherweight champion (145 pounds, 5-7) can take him. I would love to see Jose speed around Choi and pepper him with leg kicks until the 7-footer comes crashing down like a giant oak tree.

Jose Canseco vs. Johnnie Morton – This is a must-see match. Both are former athletes. Both are 0-1 in their career. And both men lasted less than 90 seconds in their fight. Oh, and both men use steroids. It is a perfect match. Which man will be able to out-juice the other and get their first MMA victory?

Wesley Snipes vs. Joe Rogan – It has been a fight that has been talked about before, and I know Rogan would be down to fight. What better way to truly win over the fan base than seeing Rogan put a beat down on Snipes?

There seems to be a growing trend in the UFC as of lately: lightweights dropping down to featherweight.

It all started with Kenny Florian, who decided to make the drop following knee surgery this last winter. Florian makes his debut in his new weight class at UFC 131 on June 11 against Diego Nunes. Florian has already lost two lightweight title fights and recently lost a No. 1 contender’s match to Gray Maynard. I think it’s safe to say that a chance at a lightweight title fight anytime soon would not have been likely.

Then word came that Tyson Griffin was making the drop to 145 pounds in hopes of breaking out of his current funk. Griffin will make his featherweight debut on June 26 at UFC Live 4 against former No. 1 contender, Manny Gamburyan. Griffin lost his last three fights inside the octagon but immediately has to be considered one of the top threats for Aldo’s belt due to his wrestling ability.

Now, Joe Stevenson is throwing his hat into the featherweight mix as Sherdog’s Brian Knapp announced that he will take on Javier Vazquez also on June 26. Stevenson lost five of his last seven UFC bouts, but is hoping for a fresh start at 145 pounds.

Prior to the merger with the WEC, lightweights had no other place to go in the UFC, so perhaps these moves were long overdue. But, I have to laugh at the idea that fighters may believe there is an easier road to the title by going through Jose Aldo as opposed to Frankie Edgar.

While the road to a title fight may be easier in the featherweight division, getting through the champion is another story.

What’s a blog site without rankings?

Everyone has their say. Everyone has their opinion. Well, as someone that has been watching MMA for almost a decade, I think I have a pretty good eye for a well-rounded fighter.

Here is my take on the top 10 in all of MMA. This is a list I will update regularly and I am sure there is plenty of room for debate in my choices.

1. Anderson Silva (28-4): The pound-for-pound king to me is the UFC middleweight champion. The guy hasn’t lost since 2006, and that was by DQ. His last loss by submission or KO was a 2004 loss via flying heel hook. Silva is a work of art and a pleasure to watch in action. He truly is an artist with his striking and he rarely throws a punch or kick that goes to waste. Silva has been unbeatable in the UFC, but the blueprint to beat him seems to be pretty clear. His takedown defense is somewhat lacking and you have to bring the fight to him right away. Many opponents make the mistake of letting Silva go through his feel out process in the first round and once he does, it is lights out. Silva likely has a super fight with Georges St. Pierre or a title defense against Yushin Okami next. Both fighters possess the skills to beat him.

2. Georges St. Pierre (21-2): GSP is No. 2 on this list simply due to his lack of finishing fights. It would be hard to argue that any fighter has dominated his opponents on average more than St. Pierre, but he still hasn’t been able to win in the fashion that Silva has. St. Pierre has shown very well-rounded skills as he can out-strike, out-wrestle, and out-submit his opponents. His defense is very good as well as he rarely takes damage and is one of the best at staying off his back. For someone to beat the UFC welterweight champion, they will have to either land a clean punch or put him on his back. Both of those tasks will be difficult.

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