UFC 100 Preview and Predictions

UFC 100, taking place in the home base of the UFC, Las Vegas, will be held on July 18. The card for UFC 100 is stacked, as the organization has long pegged this event as a major milestone and a premier, once in a lifetime event.

A rematch between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir for the heavyweight championship headlines the card. Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is taking on challenger Thiago Alves, former two division Pride champion Dan Henderson is taking on onetime Ultimate Fighter winner and fellow Ultimate Fighter coach Michael Bisping in a middleweight clash and Jon Fitch is taking on Paulo Thiago in a match that will send the two men in opposite directions in the deep welterweight field.

Here is a complete preview and a full set of UFC 100 predictions.

Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir Preview

A highly anticipated rematch will be taking place as the headline bout for UFC 100, as Brock Lesnar defends his heavyweight belt against Frank Mir. In their first match - Lesnar's debut in the UFC - Mir capitalized on a mistake to submit the former WWE star. Since then however, Lesnar has looked absolutely dominating against Heath Herring and Randy Couture. Mir also looked impressive in his TKO win over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

In their first match, Lesnar had the early upper hand early on but it was Mir who was able to submit the overeager and still green Lesnar. Lesnar has improved a great deal since then, and while this may be the best and most well rounded Frank Mir we've ever seen, he doesn't have the raw physical ability that Lesnar has (who does?). Lesnar will avoid making any costly mistakes and will wear Mir out, stopping him with strikes by the third round. Lesnar TKO3 Mir to retain the heavyweight championship at UFC 100.

Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves Preview

What does a 5 fight winning streak look like for the man that stands on top of the incredibly deep welterweight division? For Georges St. Pierre, it looks something like wins over Josh Koscheck, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, Jon Fitch and B.J. Penn. Not a bad list. Thiago Alves has been on a tear of his own though, winning his last7 fights since losing to Fitch in 2006, including wins over Koscheck, Hughes and Karo Parisyan.

Alves is certainly a worthy challenger for St. Pierre's welterweight title at UFC 100. He has great power with all of his strikes and he's an explosive athlete with a good base of jiu-jitsu. St. Pierre however is arguably the best athlete in the entire sport, and may be the most complete package of any active fighter as well.

After losing his title to Serra he regained his focus and drive, and as good as Alves is, he's just another strong contender that won't be able to break down the champion, a man that's superior in nearly every single discipline. Anderson Silva is busy testing himself at light heavyweight, but will St. Pierre end up moving up to middleweight for a pound for pound battle? St. Pierre TKO4 Alves to retain the welterweight championship at UFC 100.

Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping Preview

The two competing coaches from the Ultimate Fighter U.S. vs. U.K. will meet at UFC 100 to settle their score in a middleweight clash. Dan Henderson is 2-2 in his four fights since returning to the UFC. He lost a close decision to Quinton Jackson and was submitted by Anderson Silva, before rebounding recently with a close decision over Rich Franklin. Michael Bisping dropped down to middleweight and most recently won a decision over Chris Leben.

Despite what the UFC tells me - and gee, I wonder what their motivation is, exponentially growing the entire U.K. market by showcasing one high profile fighter? Hmm... - I don't think Bisping is a world beater. He lost the bout to Matt Hamill regardless of what the record shows, and hasn't fought any top competition at middleweight, Leben included - again, despite what the UFC tried to tell me about how good and how reformed Chris Leben is.

Henderson is a more complete package which will cancel out Bisping's athleticism and striking. He might be near the end of his rope, but Bisping won't be able to capitalize on it. Henderson wins a unaminous decision over Bisping at UFC 100.

Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago Preview

Jon Fitch was setting the welterweight division on fire until he met up with champion Georges St. Pierre and ended up losing a unanimous decision. Paulo Thiago is coming off a devastating knockout victory over Josh Koscheck in his UFC debut. Which welterweight contender will work his way closer to a title shot by winning at UFC 100?

I actually was not overly impressed with Thiago in the Koscheck bout. It's hard to criticize with a devastating knockout win over a strong contender, but Thiago looked sloppy until he connected. Fitch is a more complete fighter than Koscheck, and won't let himself get caught by sloppy strikes. He also is a bull on the ground and won't fall into any submission traps as he maintains a dominant position. Fitch wins a unanimous decision over Thiago at UFC 100.

These are the four main bouts for UFC 100. Also on the card, Alan Belcher will take on Yohihiro Akiyama and Stephan Bonnar will face Mark Coleman. I hope you enjoyed this UFC 100 preview and we'll see how the predictions hold up come fight time.