UFC 134: Silva vs Okami aka UFC: Rio is set to take place at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. It's the first trip to Brazil for the UFC since 1998 and this time around the UFC has stacked the card with some of the biggest names in Brazilian home grow talent. No less than 14 fighters will be competing in front of their home crowd with 3 of the fights featuring Brazilians facing off against each other. The main event features a rematch between Middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami. Their first fight took place in Hawaii in 2006 at a Rumble On The Rock event, it technically is the last loss on Silva's record but it was due to an illegal upkick Silva delivered to a downed Okami. The co-main event features another rematch which is between Mauricio Rua and Forrest Griffin. Both have won and lost the Light Heavyweight title since their first meeting at UFC 76 which was Rua's UFC debut. Former UFC Interim Heavyweight and Pride Heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is not only making his return to the UFC but he also is fighting in Brazil for the first time in his professional career as he takes on rising Brendan Schaub.
Main Event
Middleweight Championship
Anderson Silva vs Yushin Okami
30-4 Record 26-5
36 Age 30
185 Weight 185
6'2 Height 6'2
77.5" Reach 72"
-475 Odds +375
How they got here: Silva got here by being considered the best pound for pound fighter in MMA today. He has won a staggering 14 fights in a row, all but one of them in the UFC. His most recently victory was against Vitor Belfort in which is one of the best knock outs of the year when he used a surprising front kick to finish off Belfort. His bout previous was against Chael Sonnen where he actually showed some weakness being controlled by Sonnen for most of the bout until he pulled a stunning submission win in the final minutes of the bout. Okami finally gets his title shot after having been considered for one for a few years now. He has won 3 fights in a row most recently defeating Nate Marquardt.
My prediciton: Silva by TKO 3rd Round
Mauricio Rua vs Forrest Griffin
20-5 Record 18-6
29 Age 32
205 Weight 205
6'0 Height 6'3
76" Reach 77"
-215 Odds +185
How they got here: Rua is looking to get right back into the title picture after having lost the title to Jon Jones in his last bout. Griffin also a former champion looking to get back to the top has now won 2 fights in a row, most recently a decision over Rick Franklin.
What to expect: Forrest is going to have to expect a different fighter than who he faced in 2007 as Shogun has shown his need to have a fight or two to recover from his knee injuries. Much like that first fight though conditioning could be the factor that decides this fight. Griffin will want to get Rua down and grind on him again much like their first fight. Shogun possibly could impose a gameplan of leg kicks and takedown defense to bait Griffin, forcing him to do something risky coming into Rua's wheelhouse and in his strength.
My prediciton: Rua by TKO 2nd Round
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Brendan Schaub
32-6-2 Record 8-1
35 Age 28
233 Weight 245
6'3 Height 6'4
77" Reach 78"
+185 Odds -215
How they got here: Nogueira finally is making his return after battling injuries and surgeries in the last year, he is coming off a loss to champion Cain Velasquez back in February of last year. Schaub has been a roll since losing The Ultimate Fighter to Roy Nelson having won 4 fights in a row most recently against Nogueira's old rival Mirko Cro Cop.
What to expect: Although Shaub is the wrestler he most likely will want to keep this one standing as he should have a speed and power advantage over the Pride veteran. Nogueira, not wanting a repeat performance of his last bout wants this down on the mat and in his strength which is of course his Jiu Jitsu. Conditioning and an over-confidence in his standup could prove to be a problem for Nogueira, but his experience and home town advantage could even up the score.
My prediciton: Nogueira by Submission 2nd Round
Edson Barboza vs Ross Pearson
8-0 Record 12-4
25 Age 26
155.5 Weight 155
5'11 Height 5'8
75" Reach 69"
-245 Odds +175
How they got here: Barboza is wildly considered the top prospect in the UFC's Lightweight divsion and has proved that with winning his first 2 bouts in the UFC in impressive fashion, his most recent victory was over Anthony Njokuani. Pearson the season 9 winner of The Ultimate Fighter is coming off a win over Spencer Fisher.
What to expect: A great matchup of Barboza's Muay Thai style versus Pearson's more traditional boxing style. Pearson has already faced such strikers as Dennis Siver, Andre Winner, and brawlers Spencer Fisher and Aaron Riley but it's probably safe to say he's never faced a dynamic striker as Barboza. At the same time and to Pearson's credit he is also quite possibly the best competition Barboza has faced. Barboza's reach advantage is probably going to be the deciding factor in this bout using every limb available on Pearson and overwhelm him.
My prediciton: Barboza TKO 2nd Round
Luiz Cane vs Stanislav Nedkov
12-3 Record 12-0
30 Age 29
205 Weight 204
6'2 Height 5'11
77" Reach N/A
-230 Odds +170
How they got here: Cane is coming off his win over Elliott Marshall who stepping in on short notice to face Cane. After having 2 previous fights cancelled due to injuries the undefeated Nedkov will be finally making his UFC debut.
What to expect: Cane will be looking for an impressive performance to open the pay per view broadcast using his striking while looking for the knock out. Nedkov the more well rounded of the two could possibly look for the takedown on the over aggressive Cane and work for a submission or ground and pound.
My prediciton: Nedkov by Decision
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