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.

All of the politeness and respect is gone from this video as Frank Mir and Mirko Filipovic go at each other. They look like they are ready to fight and I for one can’t wait to see them go at it at UFC 119.

I was pretty convinced that there is no way Cro Cop wins this fight, but I’m not so sure any more. Mir has done well against kick boxers, but mostly because the kick boxers never had a chance.

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.

Heavyweights Frank Mir and Mirko Filopovic meet in the octagon at UFC 119 on Saturday, September 25 in Indianapolis, IN.

Mir goes in to this match as a substantial favorite paying -220 in UFC 119 odds to Mirko Cro Cop’s +180. Both are experienced fighters, but Cro Cop hasn’t really established himself in the UFC despite being a popular and often dominant fighter in other promotions while Mir is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion.

Mirko Filopovic (27-7-2 MMA, 4-3 UFC) has a tremendous reputation and a great following form his time fighting in the K-1 and Pride promotions. He is a kickboxer first and foremost, but he has also been training in Jiu Jitsu over the past ten years and he is becoming quite good at the discipline.

Cro Cop’s first venture in to the UFC ended in disappointment. UFC betting fans expected him to tear through what was a weak heavyweight division, but he finished with a 1-2 record after some rather lackluster losses. He now blames a number of distractions that kept him from focusing on his fights at the time.

He is 3-1 in his latest go around in the UFC, but his only loss came against the only top-tier fighter that he’s faced, Junior dos Santos. His best win came at UFC 115 over Patrick Barry. He showed off his improving Jiu Jitsu ability submitting Barry with a rear naked choke.

Cro Cop is taking this fight on short-notice after the Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was forced to drop out. He said in a recent interview that the five weeks of training won’t be enough for him to fight at his best and Mir rather cynically responded that he was taking a holiday so that the fight would be even and neither fighter would have an excuse for losing.

The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu specialist Frank Mir (13-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) is a very versatile fighter who lost the heavyweight belt after a horrific motorcycle accident derailed his career. Besides BJJ, Mir also has wrestling, Karate and boxing training and he can fight quite effectively standing up although he is most comfortable with the fight on the ground.

Mir’s last fight came at UFC 111 and ended in a loss to Shane Carwin. Had he won that fight, he would have had another title shot by now, but with the loss he needs a few victories with Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos expected to get the next two title shots and Carwin looking like a good bet for a rematch after acquitting himself well in his failed title challenge at UFC 116.

The strategy in this fight should be pretty obvious. Cro Cop will try to stay on his feet where is legendary left kick can come in to play while Mir will try to do what he did to kickboxer Cheick Kongo and take Cro Cop down on the first exchange and never let him back up.

Mir is deserves to be the favorite in this one, but Cro Cop is probably the smarter play at +180. He has a strikers chance and his improving Jiu Jitsu skills could make the difference between winning and getting embarrassed.

Frank Mir talks about his upcoming bought with Mirko Filopovic “CroCop” at UFC 119 on Saturday Sept. 25 at Conseco Fieldhous in Indianapolis, In.

Frank Mir clearly respects his opponent and knows CroCop’s strengths, but he is also confident that he can stand up with Mirko CroCop going strength against strength and has a clear advantage if the fight goes to the mat saying, “I can beat him in more areas of the fight than he can beat me.”

The UFC 119 Odds list Mir as the favorite at -220 while CroCop is +180.

Frank Mir and Mirko Filopovic, or “Cro Cop”, headline a UFC 119 card that is full of compelling matchups. UFC 119 goes September 25 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was originally scheduled to fight Mir, but he had to pull out due to injury. Cro Cop stepped up on short notice which will likely mean he won’t be as well prepared.

The Croation MMA legend Mirko Cro Cop hasn’t really excelled against the best of the UFC. A win over Frank Mir on short notice could go a long way towards rehabilitating his reputation as one of the top heavyweights.