UFC on FOX 7 - Henderson vs. Melendez

When UFC lightweight champion BENSON HENDERSON faces Strikeforce lightweight champion GILBERT MELENDEZ on Saturday, he faces a fighter nearly as well-rounded as he, but with more power in his hands.  Going into this fight, many feel Melendez's bland performance in his last fight portends a successful third defense for the reigning champion.  But before his last fight, many considered Melendez the best lightweight in the world- even above stalwarts like Henderson, Edgar and Penn.  Right now Henderson stands above all others (except perhaps the last man to beat him, Anthony Pettis).  With a slight disadvantage in wrestling and kicking, Melendez may seek an opportunity during a scramble to stun Henderson with his hands and perhaps finish him.  It will be interesting to see how often these top shelf grapplers take it to the floor and if Melendez learns from Nick Diaz's mistakes in handling Henderson's tae kwon do kicks.



Undefeated Strikeforce heavyweight champion DANIEL CORMIER storms into the Octagon, looking to make a statement about his place in the division against former two-time heavyweight champion and one-time BJJ prodigy FRANK MIR.  Former Olympic wrestler Cormier holds a huge advantage in grappling, but will likely use his skills to keep the fight standing and avoid adding to Mir's UFC-leading  submissions.  Mir holds a size advantage, but that may be negated by Cormier's speed and sublime wrestling.  If Mir looks to engage with his hands, like he was forced to when he could not get Junior Dos Santos to the ground, it could be a short, painful night for Mir.  That being said, the submission master has pulled out the most unlikeliest of outcomes when an overconfident opponent underestimated him.



Former Ultimate Fighter champion NICK DIAZ looks to rebound from his unanimous decision loss to lightweight champion Benson Henderson and his methodical low kicks.  Strikeforce veteran JOSH THOMSON, though able to take the fight to the ground, will likely play into Diaz's hands and engage for three rounds on the feet- always thinking you are one good punch away from putting Diaz away.  Should one take down the other, both men boast dangerous submission skills which could lead to some very interesting scrambles

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