The co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 130 is a heavyweight clash between top contenders Frank Mir and Roy Nelson.

Both men need a win to stay among the elite in the division. A loss will send either fighter back down the ladder with a lengthy climb to earn a title shot.

Here is a look at what each fighter brings to the octagon for this bout:

Frank Mir (14-5) – Mir is a former champion in the UFC and he started as a submission expert that was able to quickly finish guys with some very complex submissions. As Mir has evolved with the times, his striking has improved greatly and he has picked up a series of knockout victories over recent years. Mir’s struggles come with over-powering strikers like Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. He was unable to get those fighters to the ground and couldn’t deal with their power in terms of striking.

Roy Nelson (15-5) – Nelson is a large man but he is deceptively strong and a solid grappler. Though built more like Homer Simpson, Nelson is a very experienced grappler and a black belt in jiu-jitsu. He actually defeated Mir in a grappling match a few years back. I feel like Nelson has more punching power than Mir and should have the edge on his feet, but his conditioning could be a factor as Mir is in better shape. Mir also has the experience on the ground in the UFC that Nelson still doesn’t quite have, and that could also be a factor.

Who Will Win: This fight should be close and really is a coin toss. Mir has the experience, but I think this is a bad matchup for him. He has gotten more and more confident in his striking and gone away from the style that made him one of the best. If he tries to trade blows with Nelson, it is going to be a bad night for Mir. I look for Nelson to find a way to earn the TKO during this bout.

This Saturday, UFC 130 takes place from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and Bodog.com has released its odds for the five main card bouts.

In the main event, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (31-8) takes on Matt Hamill (10-2) in a light heavyweight contest. This was originally scheduled to be the co-main event, but injuries to both Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar cancelled the planned lightweight title fight.

Jackson comes into the bout as the clear favorite with a money line of -275 while Hamill comes in at +215. Jackson is a former champion and powerful striker while Hamill is more wrestling based and likes to use his long reach to keep from getting into a slugfest. Hamill has won his last five bouts while Jackson has won three of his last four. The winner is likely to be discussed as one of the top contenders to Jon Jones’ championship.

In the co-main event, heavyweights Frank Mir (14-5) and Roy Nelson (15-5) face off. Mir comes into the bout as the slight favorite with odds of -135 while Nelson has odds of +105. Nelson has not fought since August of last year when he suffered his first loss in the UFC to Junior dos Santos. Mir has alternated wins and losses over his last five bouts but is still considered one of the top fighters in the division. Both men bring powerful hands and solid grappling. Mir may be the better submission fighter but Nelson has better striking in my opinion.

For the rest of the odds to UFC 130’s main card, check out the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Another Sunday night means another MMA on TV update for the week.

Here is a look at all the MMA events you can see on tv or the internet this week.

– On Wednesday, the ninth episode of The Ultimate Fighter will air on SpikeTV at 9 p.m. ET. The quarterfinals continue as both teams picked up a win in the opening two quarterfinal bouts.

– Also on Wednesday, following The Ultimate Fighter, UFC In The Moment: Rampage Jackson debuts at 10 p.m. ET on SpikeTV and then Countdown to UFC 130 follows at 10:30 p.m.

– On Friday, Titan Fighting 18 takes place in Kansas City. The card features former UFC stars Jens Pulver, Drew McFedries, and Rory Markham, among others. The card will air on HDNet Fights starting at 7 p.m. ET.

– On Saturday, UFC 130 takes place from Las Vegas. The main event is a light heavyweight contest between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt Hamill. The co-main event is a heavyweight clash between Roy Nelson and Frank Mir. The main card will air on PPV at 9 p.m. ET while two prelims will air on SpikeTV at 8 p.m. ET.

– Sunday has Dream 17 taking place in Saitama, Japan. The Bantamweight Grand Prix quarterfinals will be taking place at the event and also Shinya Aoki will face off with Rich Clementi. Caol Uno and Joachim Hansen will also be in action. Check listings for TV availability.

Frank Mir has never been one to be shy about telling you how great he is.

The former UFC Heavyweight Champion has always been quick to deliver a good sound byte and that hasn’t changed heading into his UFC 130 bout with Roy Nelson.

Our good friends at MMAMania had all the details of Mir’s PR tour interviews this week.

Here are his thoughts on his opponent Junior dos Santos:

“I just think I match up well with (Dos Santos). He’s a very good boxer. I think he has excellent hands but sometimes falls into a pattern of only using his boxing and not utilizing his jiu-jitsu and all his other skills.”

How about the criticism he has faced for his lackluster bout with Mirko CroCop last fall?

“The guys in the UFC are very tough. You’re always trying to be the best mixed martial arts fighter. At the end of the day, there’s somebody else in the ring that’s trying to avoid everything that I want to happen. If the other guys start cooperating more, maybe I’d look better.”

Read the rest of this entry »

In case some of you haven’t been paying attention, the Apocalypse is set to take place tomorrow.

If there are any athletes who might survive on the post-apocalyptic planet, it would be mixed-martial artists.

Here are the five guys I would like to be around tomorrow, once The Rapture saves those who will be saved.

1. Matt Hughes – As his walk-out song goes “A Country Boy Can Survive”. Hughes is a farm boy that can probably do anything and everything as long as he has a pair of boots and a piece of John Deere equipment that he can break down into parts. He can certainly kill any other living animal and will likely know how to build a fire and refine liquid into water. The question is, will he spend too much time making smart-ass remarks about how much of a girl you are for trying to get your IPhone to work? You also would have to put up with his stories about how boring a fighter Georges St. Pierre is.

2. Lyoto Machida – Machida is almost like an animal more than a human when you consider his cat-like speed and reflexes. I would think no zombies stand a chance against him. Also, the man drinks his own urine, so a lack of water won’t be a big issue for him. Let’s just hope if we can’t find food that he thinks your bodily releases will also make for a good replacement.

3. Forrest Griffin – The man wrote a book about it, so I have a sense he is prepared. He doesn’t seem too concerned with bathing or looking good, so he wouldn’t waste time with that. He also is a scrapper, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him try and take down a cougar or a lion for food. Problem with Forrest is, he might kill you, and not just for necessity.

4. Chael Sonnen – As a man in an apocalyptic world, you are going to need to tap into your survival instincts and really draw on adrenaline and testosterone. Well, Chael has plenty of that. In fact, he has some by the bottle full. So, you may have to put up with a lot of idiotic statements that he will later claim he never said, but at least your motor should always be on high.

5. Roy Nelson – Sure, he doesn’t look like much of an athlete, but the guy can hit hard and he can choke out any zombies or animals that might attack. He has a big appetite, so food will always be a priority in your survival group, which means you should eat well. Also, his belly should make a nice pillow during the down times