Written by Scott Swerbinsky

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Las Vegas is the home to many wild and crazy things. It just also happens to be the stomping grounds of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.  Many events are held there and will continue to take place in "Sin City."  

This Super Bowl Saturday UFC 109 card will feature a first, something Las Vegas hasn't  even seen.  Two active members of the UFC Hall of Fame will step inside the octagon for the first time.

Mark Coleman is the first ever UFC heavyweight champion. Randy Couture is the first fighter to hold titles in two different weight classes. Both guys have done it all in the cage and have taken part of some of the biggest fights the sport has ever seen.  It's amazing that these two great have never crossed paths until now. Couture is 46 years old and Coleman is 45 for crying out loud.  This is a fight that was scheduled years ago but was scrapped due to a Couture injury.

 

Both Couture and Coleman have storied wrestling backgrounds. Normally when two grapplers meet in the octagon, it turns into a standup battle. I don't see that happening this evening. Coleman loves the ground and pound while Couture prefers to mix it up against the cage and work his dirty boxing.  In all honesty, this could easily turn into one of the most boring stalemates that the UFC has ever seen. 

The former champions are well known for their preparation and game planning. Neither fighter possesses one punch knockout power and will look to counter the other guy's mistakes. To me that will be the difference,  who can take advantage of the first real misstep in the fight.

I'm picking this fight with my heart tonight, I can't lie about that. I have gotten to know Mark Coleman over the years and the last interview we conducted with him, he sounded like a more prepared and focused fighter. Randy is crowd favorite but I see Coleman earning their respect and getting the win via old fashioned ground and pound or by unanimous decision. He is a Buckeye after all.

Another one of my favorite fighters is in a very meaningful bout on this card, Nate "The Great"  Marquardt. He steps in with another top contender at middleweight, Chael Sonnen. UFC President Dana White has confirmed that the winner will be next in line for the title shot.

Marquardt is hungry for a rematch with current title holder Anderson Silva who many consider the best pound for pound fighter in the world today.  Nate lost to Silva back in July of 2007. He is a completely different fighter than he was back then. His striking has improved leaps and bounds since then and he has had five tough fights since he suffered that knockout defeat.

Sonnen is a nice fighter but not in the elite like Marquardt. He comes in with a great wrestling background and is average at best when it comes to striking. I see Marquardt with a gigantic advantage in this department and he will look to explore that early and often. I fully expect Marquardt to dominate this fight and get that rematch with Silva that he wants and truly deserves.

My sleeper fight of the night goes to the bout at 155 pounds between Rob Emerson and Phillipe Nover. Two guys who have been on the Ultimate Fighter show and are looking to make a serious impression with the fans should be a barn burner. Emerson and Nover have very solid all around games and a nice victory here will move the winner up the ladder in the most competitive division in the UFC.

Full fight card:

Mark Coleman vs. Randy Couture

Nate Marquardt vs. Chael Sonnen

Mike Swick vs. Paulo Thiago

Demian Maia vs. Dan Miller

Matt Serra vs. Frank Trigg

Justin Buchholz vs. Mac Danzig

Melvin Guillard vs. Ronys Torres

Rob Emerson vs. Phillipe Nover

Phil Davis vs. Brian Stann

Tim Hague vs. Chris Tuchscherer

Joey Beltran vs. Rolles Gracie

It seems like it has been a month as we wait for Super Bowl Sunday. There is nothing better to get you ready for the big game like a UFC event. This card has a lot of solid fights and tuning in would be the right move. More people might be talking about this event come Monday morning than the game that takes place on Sunday. I can't wait to see which one lives up to the hype.