Demian Maia will look re-establish his status as a top middleweight as he faces Mario Miranda at UFC 118 on August 28.

Demian Maia is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and former middleweight contender. His status as one of the top middleweights in MMA is somewhat in doubt after losing two of his last three fights including a five-round loss to Anderson Silva in which he was completely outclassed.

Mario Miranda is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Greco-Roman wrestling specialist who is 1-1 in his short UFC career. He has a loss to Gerald Harris at UFC Fight Night 21 and a victory over David Loiseau at UFC 115.

This fight represents a major opportunity for Miranda as Maia is by far the best fighter that he has faced.

As Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters, both Miranda and Maia will be going strength against strength. Maia definitely has the experience advantage and will likely be more comfortable regardless of whether the two are fighting standing up or on the ground. Miranda is a dangerous fighter who has had moments of brilliance. All it will take is one mistake for either fighter to get a submission victory.

Frankie Edgar looks to defend his UFC Lightweight title at UFC 118 against the previous champion B.J. Penn.

The UFC 118 lines list Penn as the heavy favorite at -325 while Edgar pays +250.

Edgar took the belt in a big upset victory at UFC 112. The fight was very close and the decision could have gone either way. This will be the first fight for both fighters since their UFC 112 meeting.

Penn’s performance at UFC 112 left many wondering if something was wrong with the former champion. He did not look at all like the fighter that captured and defended the title. It looked like Penn took his opponent for granted and wasn’t prepared for a good fight.

B.J. Penn is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter who first captured the Lightweight belt at UFC 80. He successfully defended the title three times until the loss to Edgar.

Frankie Edgar trains with the Renzo Gracie Combat Team. His background is in wrestling, but he is getting more competent at a range of fighting techniques. His sole loss in the UFC came to Gray Maynard at Fight Night 13, but he hasn’t faced many of the better lightweights.

UFC betting fans are getting excited to see the best of mixed martial arts go up against the best of boxing as Randy Couture faces James Toney at UFC 118.

Couture is heavily favored with UFC 118 odds paying -575 to Toney’s +350.

James Toney is the first top caliber professional boxer to step in the octagon and settle the MMA-boxing debate. Other boxers who have made the switch haven’t done well, but they weren’t near the caliber of Toney.

Randy Couture is one of the legends of the UFC holding both the heavyweight and the light-heavyweight titles at various times. He is the first person to simultaneously hold two UFC titles at the same time. He currently fights at light-heavyweight and is coming off of a victory over Marc Coleman at UFC 109.

When boxers talk about their superiority to MMA fighters, they talk about how they can punch harder than any MMA fighter and they can take harder punches than MMA fighters dish out. There should be no doubt that Toney will be the best striker that Couture has ever faced.

However, Couture has faced many strikers in his long MMA career. Toney has never faced a wrestler like Couture.

Toney has trained to excel within a fairly strict set of rules and he will have to be prepared to adjust his technique. His stance will have to change since his lead leg will be vulnerable to a barrage of kicks. That will no doubt affect his power.

He will need to develop strategies for when he gets pushed against the cage or if the fight goes to the ground. Toney may well develop in to a top-level MMA fighter if he wants to, but he has a lot to learn and probably not enough time to develop the skills he will need to defeat a fighter like Couture.

James Toney makes his MMA debut against Randy Couture looking to prove that boxing is superior to mixed martial arts at UFC 118 on August 28.

James Toney is pretty confident in the interview. He doesn’t think Couture can hurt him, but he sort of ignores the whole possibility of a submission and needing to control the fight if it goes to a decision.

He is right to say that all he needs is one strike to put an end to the fight, but Couture is pretty good at not letting people wind up and hit him with everything.

The UFC odds on James Toney winning are pretty poor. He pays +400, but at that price and with his power he might just be worth an small investment.

MMA goes head to head with boxing at UFC 118 when UFC legend Randy Couture takes on boxing legend James Toney on August 28.

Randy Couture doesn’t come off as being too cocky or over confident in the interview, but he does go over his strategy for beating Toney in a fair bit of detail if Toney relies strictly on his boxing skills.

The Couture UFC 118 odds are pretty good in this meeting as he is -600. Probably not even worth your time at that price, though.