In one of the most anticipated battles of 2011 the UFC crosses the northern border for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship as Lyoto Machida takes on Jon Jones in Toronto, Canada for UFC 140.

One of the best strikers in the UFC Jones is also dangerous when the fight gets to the ground. Quick on his feet with the front kick Machida is also dangerous on the ground as we have already seen. The fight makes for the match of styles of the year in the UFC and is too close to pick.

The once reputed Huntington Beach Bad Boy, Tito Ortiz, is quickly becoming a fan favourite again. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will fight Ortiz on the undercard of Machida vs. Jones and should prove to be bout that won’t disappoint.

Not smart enough to stop coming after a fighter once he is hurt Nogueira knows only one speed. Healthy for the first time in five years Ortiz is like a new man in the ring. The fans will get their money’s worth on this one in spite of the fact that this fight will not go the distance.

In the heavyweight battle “Big Nog” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira takes on Frank Mir which could be last fight for the loser. Looking bad in recent fights both Mir and Nogueira will be kicked to the curb by Dan White if one of them puts in a poor performance. Both fighters are under a lot of pressure in this one.

Can’t make this fight? No problem you can still get in on the action at an online sports betting site.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira talks about his upcoming fight with Ryan Bader at UFC 119.

Little Nog doesn’t seem to be too concerned about Bader’s superior wrestling skills. He thinks his Jiu Jitsu will even out the score there. Nogueira didn’t show much ability to counter wrestlers in his last fight, so it seems unlikely he will be able to do so against Bader on Saturday.

The UFC 119 Nogueira odds list him as an underdog at +140 which makes this one of the closest fights on the card.

Ryan Bader talks about his upcoming fight against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 119 on Saturday 25.

He is very respectful of Little Nog “I have huge amounts of respect for him and his brother, what they’ve done for this sport, and what they’ve done in this sport.”

He talks briefly about strategy saying “I think I just have to create scrambles and definitely use my power and land some shots and keep mixing stuff up.”

For all of the respect Bader gives Nogueira talking about how Nogueira is a top-five fighter, Bader is the UFC odds favorite in this one at -170 while Nogueira is +140.

Video preview of the Frank Mir vs Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic and Ryan Bader vs Antonio Rogerio Nogueira fights.

In some ways these two fights mirror each other with older vets with improved striking taking on younger fighters that are best on the ground but have very effective stand up.

Admittedly, Mir is a lot more experienced than Bader, but the old guys are both underdogs with UFC 119 odds listing Bader the favorite at -165 and Mir was paying -220 before the rumors of Cro Cop’s injury caused the odds-makers to take the Mir-Cro Cop odds offline.

Up and coming light-heavyweight Ryan Bader faces Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 119 in Indianapolis, IN on September 25. Both fighters come in to this fight with perfect records in the UFC, but Bader has looked impressive rising from the ranks of TUF while Little Nog has looked quite ordinary since joining the UFC after a long career in PRIDE.

Bader comes in to this fight listed as the UFC odds favorite at -165 to Nogueira’s +135.

After winning Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter, Ryan Bader (11-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) joined the UFC and continued his rise to prominence translating his wrestling background to build a ferocious ground and pound attack. He is not a technically proficient striker, but he is extremely powerful.

Bader’s next opponent is PRIDE legend Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira (19-3-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC). Little Nog was originally feared for his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but, ever since training in boxing with the Cuban national team, he seems more pre-occupied with getting KOs and his ground game has suffered as a result.

Nogueira’s last fight came at UFC 114 against Jason Brilz who is basically a physically weaker, less-accomplished version of Bader. Nogueira struggled to deal with that wrestler and ended up getting booed when he was announced as the winner by decision.

If this fight is to go for Nogueira, he is going to have to get his ground game back in to form and condition himself to go full-out for three full rounds because Bader is relentless.

Bader will have a hard time finishing the fight before it goes to a decision because Nogueira is too good at boxing to open himself up for Bader to get the KO and he is too good a BJJ to get submitted by the wrestler, but Nogueira will likely spend the whole fight trying to hold off Bader and lose in a decision.

As UFC 114 approaches we will be privileged to see Antônio Rogério Nogueira fight against Jason Brilz even though Nogueira’s original opponent was not able to face him. Nogueira was originally slated to take part in a Main Event fight against Forrest Griffin.

Nogueira is the heavy UFC 114 betting favorite at -675 while Brilz pays +475

Jason Brilz will have his hands full as he squares off against the Nogueira. Brilz has no doubt shown an ability to win matches in his career. In his 20 career matches he has won all but two of them and is 3-1 in his UFC fighting career. Though he has excelled up to this point in his young career, he has never faced a fighter of the caliber of Nogueira.

There is a definite advantage going to Antônio Rogério Nogueira as this fight approaches. There isn’t really anyone in the world who thinks that he can lose this fight. This has made many people question why he would even be paired up to fight against Brilz. There is nothing to gain with a victory over Brilz.

Brilz on the other hand has a unique opportunity to make his name known in the MMA world. If he is able to win this match his stock will soar with after the incredible upset. Even if he manages to just fight on the same level as Nogueira but comes up short, he will be seen as a much better fighter than most would have anticipated.

This is a match of David and Goliath here, but let’s not forget who won the original David and Goliath match.