Saturday, July 11th, marks a historic point in the sport of mixed martial arts and moreso for The Ultimate Fighting Championship. It all started on November 12th, 1993 in Denver, Colorado where fans watched Royce Gracie submit opponent after opponent in what was then a tournament-style event viewed as glorified street fighting by many. Gracie introduced a new form of fighting, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, to the US and now, 16 years and 99 UFCs later, many fighters incorporate the art form into their own fighting style.
Although the card is stacked from top to bottom with very skilled fighters, you'll probably have to wait until the main event to see Gracie's Jiu Jitsu techniques displayed by UFC interim heavyweight champion Frank Mir. Mir is a Jiu Jitsu specialist and the fact that his striking has come full circle makes him not only a dangerous first defense for the mammoth champion Brock Lesnar, but also a live dog in the betting lines. Considering that he already holds a submission win over the current champion in a fight that took place in February of last year, it's a bit shocking that Mir is considered the underdog in this title fight. Regardless, this much anticipated rematch will surely bring fireworks as neither guy has been shy about sharing their feelings about each another and they both have their own version of the first fight. Just don't be shocked if lightning strikes twice for the underdog challenger.
The co-main event features a fighter that exemplifies how far the sport has come since UFC 1. Reining welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is one of the most talented and athletic fighters to ever grace the Octagon in any era. His consistent conditioning and versatile skill set has solidified him as one of the top fighters in the world. At UFC 100, however, he'll probably be facing his strongest opposition ever in Thiago Alves. Alves, who trains with American Top Team and hasn't lost a fight in over three years, is more than capable of pulling off the upset. Equipped with heavy hands, a granite chin and amazing size for a welterweight, Alves is more than a live dog if you plan on laying some money down on this fight. Whether or not he can pull off the upset, like Matt Serra did against St. Pierre at UFC 69, remains to be seen, but he has won 5 of his last 6 fights by KO or TKO and vows to stop the current welterweight kingpin.
Lastly, we have the Brit that you love to hate. Michael Bisping will be in his toughest test to date when he faces former two-division champion Dan Henderson in the battle of coaches from TUF 9. Although a slight underdog in the betting lines, you would never know it if you've been listening to his verbal assaults directed at Henderson. Whether he's bluffing or confident, all of the chips will be pushed to the middle of the table, or should I say Octagon, for this grudge match. Don't count out "The Count" as Henderson has shown vulnerabilities to strikers who can move well on their feet, like Rampage Jackson, Anderson Silva as even Rich Franklin, who despite losing was still able to have most of his success when making Hendo move towards him. Look for Bisping to stick and move and avoid takedowns. I won't go as far as Bisping's guarantee to be the first to stop the tough-as-nails Henderson, but I wouldn't exclude a narrow decision for the Brit. Bisping's team on TUF dominated most of the fights in the house, leading to an all British TUF finale, so what better way to cap off the season then an upset over the future Hall of Famer?
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