Saturday, in many peoples eyes was an event full of problems, numerous withdrawals, the loss of the main event twice and the loss of the UFC’s most marketable fighter in Chuck Liddell, made the event into more of a jumble sale than a fight card.

However, it was to be a homegrown British guy who was to send pulses raising in the 02 arena in London. His first round stoppage of Jason Day was more than just a win, it was a sign of intent. From the very start of the fight, Bisping looked like a fighter with something to proove. Sure it is only his second fight as a middleweight but in those two fights theres been enough shown to make people stand up and realize Bisping is more than just a doorstop. Hes a contender.

With Anderson Silva going to be tied up in a fight with Yushin Okami, Bisping needs to beat a name that is held in esteem in the Middleweight division. Franklin or Henderson would be a challenge, but those two are likely to meet so who does that leave? A win for Evan Tanner against Kendall Grove could set up an interesting brawl between ‘The Count’ and the former Middleweight champion. However Tanner looked far from impressive against Okami and therefore its questionable whether he will even beat Kendall Grove.

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The Hughes/Alves fight has already been taken down, but here are some others!

Brandon Vera vs. Fabricio Werdum

Michael Bisping vs. Jason Day

Thales Leites vs. Nate Marquardt

Jason Lambert vs. Luis Crane

Thiago Tavares vs. Matt Wiman

Jorge Rivera vs. Martin Kampmann

I debated the third person title. I promise my ego isn’t that big, even though I’m a prophet of MMA.

I’ll give some detail on the main card and some other interesting fights (though there aren’t very many).

Matt Hughes vs. Thiago Alves

The fight is going to the ground. Matt Hughes is too good a wrestler, and Alves’ recent failure to make weight has led me to question his conditioning. If people think that size is going to be an issue, Alves isn’t the first guy to come in over weight, hoping to bang with Matt Hughes. Those who remember, remember the fight with Joe Riggs, and those who remember, remember how it ended. I expect this to end similarly.

Matt Hughes by submission, round one

Michael Bisping vs. Jason Day

Bisping is supposed to win this fight, and I think he will. He’s being brought in as a way to get the British fans excited, and I think he’ll do that. He’ll probably beat Day in his bread and butter: the stand-up. There has been a lot of interesting talk about Bisping challenging Silva, and if he wins in the first round, I think that he’ll have a delusion of power and authority, fighting that high up on a card in a country where he’s treated like the greatest. If he does get his way, he’ll lose to Silva, but I think he wins at UFC 85.

Bisping by knockout/TKO, late round one or early round two

Marcus Davis vs. Mike Swick

Hard to say if Swick has the boxing chops to stand with Davis, who’s an accomplished boxer. I think he does, and I think he’ll come out aggressive. I thought about the possibility of a war between the two, but I think that that’s unlikely. I expect Swick to remind us that he’s a bigger, stronger fighter, because he feels he needs to make a showing now. Expect fireworks and there’s a good chance Davis could catch him, so be on guard. This is the one fight I’m not sure about calling, but I’m giving it to Swick.

Swick by TKO, round two

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This Saturday, the UFC will invade the O2 Arena in London to yet again show the world that they are still the top MMA organization in the world. After a week that has provided fans with the first ever show on regular television, as well as the most viewed event (and possible fight of the year) in the WEC, the UFC will put on a show that many are saying is subpar. I am here to tell you that is not the case and UFC 85 is worth the buy! The fight card is full of talent, and new fighters that are looking to make a case for themselves. In this preview I will break down the top 4 fights.

Matt Hughes vs. Thiago Alves

We at MMAOpinion have beaten this horse to death… For a full preview of this fight, check out this article I wrote. Stop by, read the article, and see if you agree with me or new commenter Willis.

Prediction: Hughes, by submission

I see Matt pushing early, taking this fight to the ground. He will continue to work on the mat and Thiago will start to wear down. Eventually in this fight I see Alves making a mistake and Hughes taking advantage, possibly giving up an arm bar or his back leading to a choke.

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