Previewing the UFC 94 Undercard: Thiago Silva vs. Lyoto Machida and More

With a 10-fight card, it will be a full Saturday night of action for the live crowd in Las Vegas for UFC 94: St. Pierre vs. Penn II. While 99 percent of the press and hype is surrounding the main event, the undercard features a star looking for redemption, two undefeated light heavyweights positioning for a title shot and several alumni of The Ultimate Fighter.

Thiago Silva vs. Lyoto Machida

Both men are 13-0 and with a win Saturday night, either guy could be the next one in line for a Light Heavyweight title shot. So why isn't there more buzz? Most of it centers on Machida, who has drawn criticism for having a "boring" fighting style.

Machida has been in the UFC since February, 2007 and has wins over Tito Ortiz and Rameau Sokodjou to his credit. But the 30-year-old is mainly a decision fighter, going the distance in five of his last six fights—something that hasn't resonated with fight fans.

Across from Machida will be the 26-year-old Silva, a fighter who prefers knockouts to 15-minute decisions. He joined up with the UFC in May of 2007 and has four wins to his credit, the last coming in May of '08 against Antonio Mendes when he forced Mendes to submit to punches. He has been dealing with a back injury that put this fight off several months, but we think Silva will be swinging for the fences Saturday night and making plenty of critics happy in the process.

RRC Prediction: Silva via 2nd round TKO

Clay Guida vs. Nate Diaz

This battle of 155'ers is expected to be one of the most exciting fights on the card. Diaz has won five fights in a row, including his Ultimate Fighter 5 victory over Manny Gamburyan. Before defeating Josh Neer by unanimous decision this past September, Diaz was on a seven-fight submission streak. The 23-year-old takes a 10-2 record into Saturday's fight with Guida.

The 27-year-old Guida is regarded as one of the more exciting and charismatic fighters in the UFC, but needs to be a bit more consistent to be considered a title contender. Before this two-fight win streak into Saturday, Guida had amassed a 2-3 UFC record which included a notable loss against Roger Huerta in December of '07. A win over the fast-rising Diaz would really signal a clear turnaround, but Diaz has too much momentum.

RRC Prediction: Diaz via unanimous decision

In other action

Jon Fitch (21-3) vs. Akihiro Gono (28-13-7)

This is the first fight for Fitch since the video game controversy that almost saw him out of the UFC. What's strange is that this fight is not scheduled for TV, perhaps as subtle punishment for the public issues.

This will be Gono's third fight in the octagon as the former PRIDE fighter has a 1-1 UFC record so far. Before losing via unanimous decision to Welterweight Champion GSP in August 2008, the 19-3 Fitch had won his first eight UFC matches. We'll take Fitch to win via unanimous decision to get back on the winning track.

Stephan Bonnar (14-4) vs. Jon Jones (7-0)

Bonnar has been nearly forgotten due to injuries he's suffered over the past few years, which makes this an interesting fight for his future prospects in the division. We'll take him to win via first-round TKO.

Karo Parisyan (26-5) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (10-0-1)

As petty as it sounds, I can't help but think of how much of a jerk Parisyan came off as on The Ultimate Fighter, coincidentally during Diaz's season. How can we pick against a guy named Dong?

Jake O'Brien (10-2) vs. Christian Wellisch (9-3)

Manny Gamburyan (10-4) vs. Thiago Tavares (17-2)

Chris Wilson (13-4) vs. John Howard (?)

Matt Arroyo (3-2) vs. Dan Cramer (?)

Josh Nason—josh [at] ropesringandcage [dot com]—has published MMA, wrestling and boxing blog Ropes, Ring and Cage.com since 2007. If you are using any content or recapping from this site, please include a link to www.ropesringandcage.com. Thank you for your support!