Avoiding the Indians? – UFC 100 is on Saturday

If the Tribe’s awful season has you feeling unfulfilled and in need of an aggressive outlet, the UFC has their biggest event ever on Saturday night.  While these pages are reserved for Cleveland sports, it is kind of a slow season when there isn’t a (decent) team playing.  I will be checking out all the action on Saturday night and if you have been waiting for a reason to finally give the UFC a shot, UFC 100 would be a good time to do that.  Here is a short primer on what kind of action to expect other than Joe Rogan’s really interesting and insightful commentary.

Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir – This matchup features the former WWE wrestler / failed Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman as he defends the championship belt against Frank Mir who holds an interim championship belt. This is a belt unifying matchup and also a chance for Lesnar to avenge his previous loss to Frank Mir via ankle-lock.  Because there are belts on the line, this fight will be scheduled to go 5 rounds, whereas non-title fights are three rounds.  Lesnar is the favorite because he is such a giant human being, but Frank Mir has technique for days when it comes to submissions.  If he can find a way to out-maneuver the giant for even a split second, he could find himself with his hand raised as the champion.

Georges St-Pierre vs. Thiago Alves – St-Pierre is the current welterweight champ and is usually in any discussions as to who might be the pound-for-pound best MMA fighter in the world.  On Saturday he defends his title against an exciting striker in Thiago Alves.  Alves brings a 7 fight winning streak into his title shot.  A lot of MMA fans will be looking at this co-headlining matchup as the most anticipated fight of the night.  For all the fun of watching heavyweights in boxing, MMA fans get even more enjoyment out of some of the lighter weight-classes in MMA.

Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson – The final of the “headlining” fights features the up-and-comer Michael Bisping vs. the veteran Dan Henderson.  Bisping and Henderson coached the two teams in the latest iteration of the UFC’s reality TV show “The Ultimate Fighter” with Bisping coaching his native Britain while Henderson coached the U.S. team.  This is a matchup in the UFC’s “showcase” division of light heavyweight and many believe that Michael Bisping is in line for a title shot soon.  Of course Dan Henderson isn’t planning on being anybody’s stepping stone.  Henderson (38 years old) brings a two fight winning streak into the matchup while Bisping (30 years old) brings a three fight streak.

There are also other fights on the undercard and those fights have the potential to be just as exciting as the headliners.  The action starts at 10:00 PM and is available on Pay-Per-View.  If you want to avoid paying, the Buffalo Wild Wings franchise has a license to show all UFC events, I believe.  One thing that I can guarantee is that it will be well more exciting than the matchup between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians this weekend.