Written by Scott Swerbinsky

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Nothing better than Saturdays in the late summer and the fall.  You've still got Sunday to look forward to, you've got college football on all day, and usually some good fights on at night.  And that is definitely the case tonight.  We've got UFC 88, which features MMA legend Chuck Liddell taking on the up and coming and undefeated Rashad Evans.  And over on HBO we have a great lightweight fight when Juan Diaz and Michael Katsidas go toe to toe.  My cuz previews both events. UFC 88

The Ultimate Fighting Championship event taking place tonight in Atlanta has been titled "Breakthrough". It might be the most fitting name in quite some time. Tonight's card is filled with fighters trying to "breakthrough" to the upper tier of the UFC.

The main event has the face of the UFC, former light heavyweight champion, Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell taking on undefeated Rashad Evans.  To the casual fan or if you believe everything you read, this is a tune up fight for Liddell. Not so fast.

Rashad Evans hasn't fought anywhere near the competition that Chuck has. If you look at Liddell's resume, he has fought, and beat, a who's who of mixed martial arts. Evans knows this is a huge chance to climb that ladder and make a huge splash in the division.

With a win, Chuck Liddell will probably get a title shot against Forrest Griffin which would be a blockbuster. The UFC and its fans would like nothing better to have that megafight take place. 99 percent of the people are already looking ahead to that fight.

I have a feeling that Rashad is going to pull off the upset here. He will be the quicker fighter and has a great chin. Both guys are very hungry. Liddell's wrestling will finally be put to the test and it will be the difference in tonight's matchup. I look for Rashad to take Chuck down a few times and work some ground and pound. If the fight stays on the feet, Chuck will win.

Former middleweight title holder Rich Franklin will move up in weight to take on Matt Hamill. I have a feeling that this might be a great chess match. Franklin loves to stand and bang and Hamill is a great wrestler. In the past however, Hamill has shown that he likes to mix it up as well. The difference might be Franklin's chin, we saw the beatings he took from Anderson Silva in the past and it make take its toll.

I look for Hamill to force the action and look for a lot of takedowns. Franklin never really has had the opportunity to show his ground game. Both fighters have huge hearts and come prepared every time out so it might burn into a slugfest.

Another fight I expect to be very entertaining is the battle between Nate Marquardt and Martin Kampmann. Both fighters are in the upper class of the middleweight division and are looking to get a shot at the title.

Marquardt has already been beaten by Anderson Silva but has been impressive in all of his fights since that defeat. This is a pretty big step up in class for Kampmann. Marquardt's all around game might be too much for Martin here and I expect Nate "The Great" to have his hand raised at the end of this one.

Full fight card:

•·     Rashad Evans vs. Chuck Liddell

•·     Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill

•·     Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares

•·     Martin Kampmann vs. Nate Marquardt

•·     Matt Brown vs. Dong Hyun Kim  

•·     Kurt Pellegrino vs. Thiago Tavares

•·     Tim Boetsch vs. Mike Patt

•·     Roan Carneiro vs. Ryo Chonan

•·     Jason Lambert vs. Jason MacDonald

I am expecting a very solid night of fights from the UFC. A lot of top tier guys with a lot to prove. Also a few younger fighters who are hungry and want to show they have what it takes to be in the upper echelon of fighters.

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Juan DIaz vs. Michael Katsidas

Every once in awhile a great fight comes along that doesn't receive the hype that it should. Tonight in Houston, Texas we have one of those fights in the world of boxing.

Juan "The Baby Bull" Diaz (33-1 17 KOs) is going to step into the ring with Michael Katsidis (23-1 20 KOs). Both fighters weighed in at 135 pounds and looked ready to go toe to toe.

Diaz is the former title holder in the division and is coming off of his first career loss at the hands of Nate Campbell. I have had the opportunity to speak with Diaz and he is hungrier than ever. Diaz will have the advantage of fighting in front of his home crowd. He is a native of Houston and the arena should be electric.

Michael Katsidis also loss his first fight of his career his last time in the ring. He was involved in a slugfest with Joel Casamayor. That match was a very entertaining bout and tonight's matchup should be even better.

Both fighters tonight love to throw a lot of punches. The crowd and fight fans everywhere will be in for a treat. I expect a very fast pace will both fighters looking to engage right away. The referee tonight might have the best job as he might not be needed very much. I don't expect a lot of clinches in this one.

Juan Diaz is known for his excellent body work and he straight ahead style. His game plan coming in is to force Katsidis to fight backing up. If he is able to do that and have success I look for a Diaz win by TKO in the later rounds.

Katsidis showed a ton of heart in his last fight with Casamayor. He was beaten and battered and kept attacking. The number of punches he took finally wore him down and he was knocked out. His defense, or lack there of, should determine the outcome tonight. If he is able to weather the Baby Bull's storm in the early rounds he might be able to get the victory.

Two excellent hungry fighters looking to get back on the winning track makes for a dynamic fight tonight. Throw in the fact that both can be considered brawlers makes it even more interesting. There will be a lot of punches thrown and a lot of action.

I am very excited for this one tonight, there is no secret that Juan Diaz is one of my favorite fighters. He is a class act and always makes an entertaining fight. I look for him to get back on the winning track and put on a show for his home town fans in Houston, Texas.

If you like action, this is the fight for you. Tune in, I know I will.