Written by Scott Swerbinsky

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2010 has been a pretty big bust in the world of boxing so far. The same cannot be said in the for mixed martial arts. Fight Fans have seen one great card after another.  

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is holding its second event in less than a week and will have a stretch of four events in twenty one days. UFC 111 takes place in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey and in my opinion has the makings of the best event out of the bunch. 

Any card that has the best pound for pound fighter Georges St. Pierre on it, has the makings of something special. He is simply the best all around fighter in the game and is must see TV. The scary thing about GSP is that he gets better every time he gets into the octagon.  

Dan Hardy has what seems to be almost impossible task of dethroning the welterweight title holder tonight. Hardy is a fierce striker that many people are saying doesn’t deserve a title shot. I disagree with those opinions.  

Hardy is a young entertaining fighter that talks and sells a great game. He has also backed all of that up inside the cage and that’s what matters most to the brass at the UFC. The one punch knock out power of Hardy has to be a concern to anyone, not just GSP. He has proven to have a very solid chin also which will help his cause. 

Do I think Dan Hardy will win? No. Do I think he has some of the tools to present problems and give St. Pierre a run for his money? Absolutely. GSP was stunned by a huge underdog way back in April of 2007. Matt Serra took the title from him and essentially created the monster that Georges St. Pierre turned into. He has rattled off six fantastic performances in a row, all against the best guys in the business.

If Dan Hardy is going to win this fight, he needs to stay on his feet. Once the fight hits the ground, a lot of his chances go out the octagon door. I fully expect GSP to go for takedowns as soon as the bell sounds. Standing with Hardy wouldn’t be the best decision and could lead to another disaster.  

Georges St. Pierre is just too damn good right now and I don’t see him losing to anyone anytime soon. I do expect a very competitive fight from the hungry Hardy though. 

There once was a time when the heavyweight division in the UFC was laughed at. Now, it’s the best division within the company. Two of top contenders will have a chance to stake their claim at the number one contender spot in a fight that gives me goose bumps typing this preview. 

Frank Mir is the former heavyweight title holder who badly wants another shot at current king Brock Lesnar. Shane Carwin is the new guy on the block who has never been to the second round in any of his eleven career fights.

I have a feeling this match is going to turn into a straight up street fight. Two hungry guys going toe to toe and the last one standing get a crack at the belt.  

Mir might want to go to the ground and look for submissions but that might lead to some vicious ground and pound from Carwin. There are many dynamics in this fight that make me think we are going to see a classic. Mir has been running his mouth nonstop for months, almost all of it directed towards the guy he isn’t fighting in Lesnar. There is no way he is overlooking Carwin, if he is then he will probably get knocked out like all the others who stepped in with Carwin. 

I think Mir has the advantage in every aspect of the game expect wrestling. If Carwin is going to keep his winning streak going, he is going to have to take full advantage of that. If not, Mir will get his wish and be fighting Lesnar in a few months.  

Full fight card: 

Champ Georges St-Pierre vs. Dan Hardy (for welterweight title)

Shane Carwin vs. Frank Mir (for interim heavyweight title)

Jon Fitch vs. Ben Saunders

Mark Bocek vs. Jim Miller

Fabricio Camoes vs. Kurt Pellegrino

Nate Diaz vs. Rory Markham

Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Brown

Jared Hamman vs. Rodney Wallace

Tomasz Drwal vs. Rousimar Palhares

Matthew Riddle vs. Greg Soto          

Top to bottom, UFC 111 has all the makings of one of the best cards we have seen in awhile. Every fight could be considered a prospect for fight of the night. If anyone is on the fence about getting this card on pay per view, order it up and thank me later. GSP alone is worth the price of admission, add in nine other fights and you have something you don’t want to miss.