Five Reasons Why You Are Going To Watch UFC 117

So after months of what seems like non-stop, one-sided smack talking, the fight between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen will be going down this Saturday night.

Obviously, this is the main selling point of the card. However, there are other very good match-ups and plenty of other reasons why you will be watching.

What are they? You know the drill.

*Please note I did not include the Fitch-Alves fight, as much as I wanted to, because at the time of this writing Alves was not on weight.

Phil Davis

Even though he will be fighting on the undercard, don't be surprised at all if "Mr. Wonderful" makes an appearance on the pay-per-view.

The Penn State alum is currently sporting a perfect record of 6-0, with wins inside the octagon against Brian Stann and Alexander Gustafsson.

Davis is another of the young up-and-coming fighters in the UFC's loaded Light Heavyweight division.  At just 26 years of age, Davis has a long career ahead of him.

On Saturday, he will be stepping in as a last minute replacement to face off against Rodney "Shonuff The Master" Wallace.

Where was that nickname is the list of the worst nicknames in MMA? "Shonuff The Master"? I like to think that I keep my thinking outside of the proverbial box, but I don't even get that one. 

Anyway, moving along...

Even as a last minute replacement, Davis is the biggest favorite on the card.  To win a dollar, you'll have to bet eight. The "Next Big Thing" title gets thrown around all the time.  Will Davis be the next fighter to have that tag thrown on him?

Hopefully not. I would prefer to throw the tag "can't miss" fighter on him. I can't wait to see this fight. 

Will We See the Ground Game of Junior dos Santos?

Since joining the UFC nearly two years ago, Mirko Cro Cop has been the only fighter to be able to make it out of the first round against dos Santos.

Junior came in to the UFC as a highly regarded BJJ fighter. However, thanks to the cinder blocks that he calls hands, we haven't had the pleasure of seeing his ground game in action. 

Roy Nelson is more than willing to stand and trade with anyone in the business. However, you can't forget that Nelson has one hell of a ground game.

Will the only man on the planet who loves Burger King more than Robert Gardner take dos Santos down to the ground and use his ample belly to hold JDS on his back and land some of his famous gound-and-pound?

Tweets from myself to @roynelsonmma regarding this matter were not immediately answered. I will update you as the story develops. 

Will dos Santos use his reach to keep Nelson at bay and look to add another name to his knockout list? 

We will all find out shortly.

It's So Easy A Caveman Can Do It

Actually, it's not going to be an easy night at all for the man who recently has became synonymous with the cavemen from the Geico commercials.

Guida, who is 1-2 in his last three, will be facing off against Rafael dos Anjos, who is currently riding a three fight winning streak.

Now I haven't had the chance to check out my brother-from-another-mother Joe Schafer's "The Chopping Block" yet to see if Guida made the list, but I would be shocked if he did.

His name may never come up when you speak of the elite fighters in the Lightweight division, but there is no doubt that Guida is one of the most exciting fighters to watch.

And yes, that includes MMA, boxing, K-1 and that bulls—called "X-Arm".

Don't be shocked at all if this one makes the pay-per-view as well.  Whether he wins or loses, you never watch one of Clay's fights say "Man, that Guida guy is boring." 

You may say that after watching a Jon Fitch fight, but that's another story for another time.

Can the Student Avenge His Teacher's Loss?

Is Matt Hughes the new "Gracie Hunter"?

At UFC 60, Hughes beat down Royce Gracie in the first round without ever breaking a sweat.

At UFC 112, a four-year-older Hughes TKOed Renzo Gracie in the third round of a so-so fight.

Now steps in Renzo's prized student Ricardo Almeida, which is a rare occurrence in its own right. This will only be Almeida's 16th fight since turning pro back in 2000.

Could this be an advantage for Almeida? Hughes turned pro only two years before Ricardo but has had 35 more fights. How much does Matt have left to offer?

I'm going to pretend to be Teddy Atlas for a minute here, "He may have been around the game just as long as Hughes, but Almeida has a lot less wear on the tires than Hughes. Hughes has been in some wars. One has to wonder how much of a toll that has taken on him; all the beatings and knockouts will catch up to you."

Will the student be able to do what his master and the master's cousin couldn't, or will Hughes take out another member of the Gracie Clan?

Silva vs. Sonnen

Man, there are so many story lines here I don't even know where to begin, but I'll give it a try. 

First, you have Silva's clowning. Dana publicly stated that if Silva performs Saturday the way he did in Abu Dabi that he will cut him from the UFC.

Do I believe Dana? Not for one second.

Then you have Chael Sonnen. I believe Chael set a new world record for trash talking, if there is such a thing. 

There have been many articles written about everything Sonnen has said, so if you need a little help finding some of his quotes, click here.

At the end of the day, there are so many variables here that someone could write their own column about it. With so many different outcomes possible, this will be the reason my skinny ass is going to be planted on my chaise lounge with a 12-pack of Coors Light (that's right, I said Coors Light because Bud Light isn't paying me anything!) with my laptop sitting next to me just in case duty calls.

I hope it doesn't call though; it should be one great night of fights.

Play on Playa.

You can follow me on twitter @JasonSchielke

In case you missed Sprawl N Brawl Radio this past Wednesday with special guest Miesha Tate, you can check it out here.