In a recent article, I called Travis Browne the dark horse in the UFC heavyweight division.

On Saturday, at UFC 130, we will see if that was correct, or if I cursed him forever as the unbeaten heavyweight collides with Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve on the main card.

Here is a look at both fighters heading into this contest.

Travis Browne (10-0-1) – Browne is a big powerful striker that has eight of his 10 victories by knockout, with five of those coming in under 60 seconds. Browne mixes up punches and kicks and he has been taken to deep waters in recent fights. He is coming off a draw with Cheick Kongo, which was a disappointment for him, but he still was able to put forth a good effort against a veteran fighter in just his second UFC bout. Browne hasn’t been tested on the ground by a real submission fighter like Struve, but Struve has struggled against powerful strikers like Browne.

Stefan Struve (21-4) – Struve stands 6-foot-11 and has very long legs with a good reach. His striking isn’t awful, but it’s not at the level of fighters like Browne. Due to his size, Struve doesn’t have a lot of explosion for takedowns, and that is ultimately where he would like the fight to be. Struve is very solid on the ground with his submissions, especially on his back where he can work in some very tight triangle chokes. The key to this fight will be for Struve to take things to the ground when the opportunity arises and out-class Browne with his jiu-jitsu.

Who Will Win: Struve struggled with the likes of Roy Nelson and Junior dos Santos, losing to both early in the first round by KO. I see a similar end in this contest. Browne is very solid with his strikes and I see him catching Struve early and finishing the fight with a KO in the first round.

All 20 competitors that will be taking part in Saturday’s UFC 130 successfully weighed in on Friday.

Main-event light heavyweights Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt Hamill both hit the 205-pound limit on the dot and then had an intense stare down to hype up the live crowd. Jackson is likely fighting for a title shot against Jon Jones with a win while Hamill is seeking the biggest win in his pro career.

In the co-main event, heavyweights Frank Mir and Roy Nelson came in at 260 pounds. Nelson adorned some lovely pigtails with pink ribbons while Mir looked to be all business.

Thiago Alves, who has had a history of missing weight, looked healthy in his 170-pound weigh-in. He will face off with Rick Story, who also weighed in at 170 pounds. Alves is looking to get back into the UFC welterweight title picture while Story is seeking the biggest win in his young career.

Check out the rest of the UFC 130 weigh-in results after the jump.

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Will it be a “Story”-book ending for Rick Story on Saturday night?

Alright, that is lame, but how can you not incorporate that into the biggest fight of Rick Story’s career? At UFC 130, we will see just how legit Story is when he takes on former No. 1 contender in the UFC welterweight division, Thiago Alves.

Here is a look at both fighters heading into the contest.

Thiago Alves (18-7) – Alves is trying to get himself back into the title picture as back-to-back decision losses to Georges St. Pierre and Jon Fitch set him back. Alves has since picked up an impressive win over John Howard and with the work of weight-cutting master, Mike Dolce, he seems to be a newly energized fighter. Alves has some of the best striking in the division as his leg kicks are considered to be among the most powerful in all of MMA. Alves is a very explosive and quick fighter and he can take a punch too. Where “The Pitbull” has struggled in recent fights is with his takedown defense. Fitch and GSP were able to get Alves to the ground with relative ease and Story will be looking to do the same thing on Saturday.

Rick Story (12-3) – This 26-year-old is on a tear, winning his last five fights in the Octagon, including wins over Brian Foster and Johny Hendricks. Story is a scrapper that just likes to push the pace no matter where the fight goes. He doesn’t let his opponents get time to think and forces them to have to make bad decisions, which opens the door for him to exploit a weakness. This will be the toughest test in Story’s career and be on the biggest stage, so nerves could be a factor for him. We haven’t seen Story face someone with the kicks that Alves has either, so it will be interesting to see how Story deals with the pain of those kicks as they come. Story can’t afford to be too cautious and let Alves get planted to throw his big strikes.

Who Will Win: This could be a bad matchup for Alves because of Story’s grappling ability, but I think Story lacks the explosiveness that St. Pierre and Fitch have with their takedowns. If the fight stays standing, which I think it will, I look for Alves to eventually land a big strike and finish off the up-and-coming fighter.

Something has to give.

Brian Stann and Jorge Santiago are both on the rise in the middleweight division. But, at UFC 130, one fighter will continue to make the climb up the ladder, while the other will fall back.

Here is a look at both fighters heading into this key contest for Saturday’s PPV.

Brian Stann (10-3) – Not much was known or expected of Brian Stann when it was announced that he was moving from light heavyweight to middleweight after a loss to Phil Davis at UFC 109. But, Stann has won his first two bouts at 185 pounds, both by finish. He really broke onto the scene with his first round KO of Chris Leben at UFC 125 and is now being considered a legitimate threat in the division. Stann has big power in his hands and is under rated on the ground. As a former member of the Naval Academy and Marine Corps, Stann is a fighter that won’t panic, as he has faced much greater danger in his life than being inside the octagon. Stann is still developing his style in MMA and has not really faced a fighter with the muay thai ability that Santiago has. Stann’s grappling and clinch game will be very important in this contest if he hopes to win.

Jorge Santiago (23-8) – Santiago had a stint in the UFC back in 2006, but he went 1-2 with losses to Leben and Alan Belcher, both by KO. Since that time he has went 11-0 with five knockouts and five submissions. Santiago is slick on the ground as he is a great jiu-jitsu fighter, but he also has a lot of power with his hands, knees, and kicks. Santiago likes to throw some crazy knees and has the ability to be very explosive. Where Santiago will have to be careful is to not sit in the pocket and trade punches with Stann. It is things like that that caused him to go 1-2 in the UFC before. Santiago will also have to keep Stann from putting his weight on him and slowing him down.

Who Will Win: I like Stann in this fight. Santiago is a skilled and exciting fighter, but I like the poise and focus that Stann has. I look for Stann to weather an early storm from Santiago before hitting a big right hand in the second round that will lead to a TKO finish for the “All American”.

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.