UFC 113 Preview and Picks

Saturday marks the UFC's third show north of the border in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. After the success of the first two shows, you can bet this will be an annual affair.

UFC 113 is headlined by the rematch between light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and the 2005 Pride Grand Prix winner Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

The two fighters first met at UFC 104, where after five rounds of action, the champion was awarded the unanimous decision victory. The story would not end there, however, as in the weeks following the bout, most media pundits and fans decried the decision as disastrous.

UFC president Dana White seemingly agreed, telling Shogun in the moments immediately after the bout, "You won that fight."

Now, with the rematch just days away, talk has turned to strategy and whether or not "Shogun" will be able to implement as successful a gameplan as he did in their first meeting.

Citing his opponent's experience with Sumo, "Shogun" praised Machida's base, stating it would be very hard to get him to the ground when he spoke to reporters through his manager and translator during a conference call on Tuesday.

Indeed, many pundits and fans of UFC betting are finding it hard to think of ways Shogun could surpass the performance he put on in the first fight. His use of leg kicks and attacks to the body proved extremely effective, making the champion look mortal for the first time during his UFC tenure.

In other action on the card, Paul "Semtex" Daley will take on Josh Koscheck in a welterweight affair. Fans of sports betting know that unless Koscheck decides to go against all semblance of logic, he will use his wrestling to dominate the Brit.

"Semtex" came into the UFC a hyped product, with Joe Rogan and Dana White extolling his striking as being the best in MMA. It's not. This is a man who was out-boxed by Nick Thompson at an MFC show in early 2009.

What Daley does have going for him is serious power, and he has the potential to put Koscheck's lights out. However, his grappling acumen is lacking, to say the least. Look for Koscheck to take a unanimous decision over Daley in a lackluster affair.

Those interested in UFC odds , take note: Patrick Cote is listed as an underdog according to many sportsbooks in his fight with Alan Belcher. While Cote has been out close to a year and a half, he is a bad matchup for Belcher.

If you're into online betting and can find an attractive line, you too could make some money off Alan Belcher's decapitation on Saturday night.

Finally, after Nick Catone withdrew from the card following injury, UFC brass replaced him with Montreal fighter and fan-favorite David Loiseau. Quebec's RJAC nixed that, however, when they indicated they would not license Loiseau to fight until a hearing had convened.

At the root of the problem is alleged mafia ties to a promotion which was launched by Loiseau and fellow fighter Steve Claveau, however, Loiseau had exited the company long before the allegations surfaced.

UFC veteran and fellow Canadian Jason MacDonald will take his place against John Salter.