UFC 134 Fight Card: Breaking Down Every Fight

This Saturday, the UFC goes back to Brazil for the first time in nearly 13 years!

Headlining the card is a middleweight championship fight, featuring the rematch between Anderson "The Spider" Silva (30-4) and Yushin "Thunder" Okami (26-5). The first fight ended when Silva hit Okami with an illegal kick, which rendered Okami unconscious and unable to continue.

The co-main event of the evening has Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (19-5) facing off against Forrest Griffin (18-6) in a rematch of their fight from UFC 76, which Griffin won via third-round submission.

Before that fight is a legend versus prospect fight, with Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira (32-6-1 [1 NC]) making his return to the Octagon against the surging Brendan "The Hybrid" Schaub (8-1).

Filling out the main card is lightweight prospect Edson Barboza (8-0) taking on The Ultimate Fighter 9 winner, Ross "The Real Deal" Pearson (12-4) and a light heavyweight fight featuring Luiz "Banha" Cane (11-3 [1 NC]) taking on UFC newcomer, Stanislav Nedkov (11-0).

That's all just on the main card!

There are 12 fights on the card in total, so read on to get breakdowns for every card in the UFC's return to Brazil.

Welterweight Bout: Erick Silva vs. Luis Ramos

The first fight of the evening has a welterweight matchup between two UFC newcomers Erick Silva (12-1 [1 NC]), and Luis "Beicao" Ramos (19-6).

Erick Silva makes his debut, and in his last fight, he won the inaugural Jungle Fights welterweight championship.

Silva is a black belt in judo and jiu-jitsu, and he has used that base to win seven of his 12 fights via submission. He also has two (T)KO victories and three decision victories.

Luis Ramos is also making his debut and comes in on a three-fight winning streak, including two-straight finishes.

Ramos is a very experienced fighter, as his 25 fights will show. With all six of his losses, he was only finished one time—definitely not bad.

Ramos is also a very well-rounded fighter, as he has four wins by submission, four by (T)KO and 11 by decision.

In his fight, I expect the grappling prowess of Silva to be too much for Ramos to handle. This should be a fast-paced, exciting fight between two Brazilians fighting at home and looking to impress the UFC brass.

Bantamweight Bout: Yves Jabouin vs. Ian Loveland

The second fight has a bantamweight matchup between two UFC and WEC veterans: Yves "Tiger" Jabouin (15-7) and Ian "The Barn Owl" Loveland (14-8).

Jabouin comes into the fight off a loss at UFC 129 at the hands of Pablo Garza and his flying triangle choke. After that fight he decided to drop down to bantamweight, after going 1-3 in his last four.

Jabouin is known as a kickboxer, and 11 of his 15 wins have come via some form of (T)KO. He has also shown a decent ground game, as he has an arm-bar submission to his name, plus two submission losses.

Ian Loveland is making his second appearance at bantamweight, coming off a loss to Joseph Benavidez at UFC 128. Before that loss, Loveland had been on a seven-fight win streak, including five-straight finishes.

Loveland is another well-rounded fighter on the card, as he has an equal number of wins via (T)KO and submission, with six each.

Although Loveland has shown submission offense, submission defense has been his Achilles' heel, and six of his eight losses have come via submission.

This is a bantamweight matchup, so naturally it will be fast-paced, but I would expect that Jabouin (yes, the kickboxer) takes this fight to the ground in the second round and submits Loveland.

Featherweight Bout: Yuri Alcantara vs. Felipe Arantes

The next fight is a featherweight matchup, featuring WEC veteran Yuri "Marajo" Alcantara (24-3) making his featherweight and UFC debut against another UFC newcomer, Felipe "Sertanejo" Arantes (13-3 [2 NC]).

Yuri Alcantara will be making his first appearance in the UFC Octagon, as his last fight was a first-round knockout over Ricardo Lamas at WEC 53.

Alcantara is on an 11-fight win streak, with 10 of those fights being finishes. Alcantara has 10 career victories via (T)KO and 12 via submission.

Alcantara obviously has some great striking, but he's also got the black belt in jiu-jitsu to make him dangerous anywhere this fight goes. Before he signed with the WEC, he won the Jungle Fights lightweight championship.

Felipe Arantes makes his UFC debut coming off a disappointing no-contest in his fight against Andy Main at UCC 4.

Arantes probably would not have been signed to the UFC, but he filled in on short notice to take on Alcantara after his first two opponents had to withdraw due to injury. Arantes has six wins via (T)KO, four submissions and three decisions. His last two victories lasted only 4:35 combined, as he scored a head-kick knockout in 20 seconds and a rear-naked choke victory in 4:15. He brings a lot to the table.

Arantes has only fought in Brazil throughout his career, and this will be another fight where both participants are looking to impress on MMA's biggest stage at home.

This one has the chance to be "Fight of the Night" as a featherweight matchup between two evenly-matched, well-rounded fighters.

Bantamweight Bout: Raphael Assunção vs. Johnny Eduardo

Another fight featuring the lighter weight classes has WEC and UFC veteran Raphael Assunção (16-4) making his bantamweight debut against UFC newcomer Johnny Eduardo (25-8) in a matchup of Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts.

Raphael Assunção comes into the fight after suffering a devastating first-round knockout loss at the hands of Erik Koch at UFC 128. The bad part for Assunção is the fact that he is 1-3 in his last four fights and could be on his way out the door if he suffers another loss.

Of Assunção's 16 career victories, he has two by (T)KO, five by decision and nine via submission. He's got some slick jits.

Johnny Eduardo will be making his UFC debut at home in Brazil, and with an impressive win, he could really be looking to make a name for himself in the crowded bantamweight division. Eduardo has six wins via (T)KO, six via decision and 13 via submission, so he's certainly well-rounded, but appears to prefer the ground game.

Unfortunately, Eduardo has the same problem as Ian Loveland in that he doesn't have all that much submission defense. Eduardo has eight losses, and six of those were submission holds.

But Eduardo is riding momentum with an 11-fight win streak and nine finishes. Assunção will be looking to rebound to keep his place in the UFC, and he will look to capitalize on the poor submission defense of Eduardo. This one will be a technical ground battle until Assunção sees an opening and capitalizes.

Welterweight Bout: Paulo Thiago vs. David Mitchell

The final Facebook preliminary fight will feature Paulo Thiago (13-3) taking on David Mitchell (11-1) after nearly a year-long layoff.

Thiago comes into the fight on a two-fight losing streak, dropping unanimous decisions to Martin Kampmann and Diego Sanchez at UFC 115 and UFC 121.

At one time, Thiago was being praised as the next big thing after he knocked out Josh Koscheck, but in his next fight, he lost to Jon Fitch at UFC 100. Thiago is primarily known as a grappler, holding black belts in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and having eight of his 13 wins via submission.

Mitchell is making his second appearance inside the Octagon after suffering his first career loss at the hands of TJ Waldburger at UFC Fight Night 22. Mitchell started off his career hot, and he won nine of his first 11 fights with first or second-round submissions.

I expect Mitchell's fight against Waldburger was nothing but a snag in his road toward the top, and this should be another fast-paced, technical grappling battle, with Mitchell coming out on top and handing Thiago his walking papers.

Middleweight Bout: Rousimar Palhares vs. Dan Miller

In the first fight to be featured on Spike TV, grappling ace Rousimar "Toquinho" Palhares (12-3) will be taking on the scrappy Dan Miller (13-5 [1 NC]).

Rousimar Palhares comes into this fight off an impressive second-round knee-bar victory over Dave Branch at UFC on Versus 4. Before that, many will recall his mental lapse when he fought Nate Marquardt and attempted to complain about Marquardt being greased during the fight. Marquardt capitalized on the situation and (T)KO'ed Palhares.

Palhares is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but his real speciality is his leg locks. He has won six of his fights with some kind of leg lock, and you can be sure he'll be looking for that in this one too.

Unfortunately for Palhares, he's taking on Dan Miller, who is also a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has never been finished in any of his 19 fights.

Miller is one of the scrappiest fighters in the UFC, and you can be sure that he will fight until the bitter end, as proven by his fight on short notice with Marquardt at UFC 128. Miller has eight wins by submission, but going up against another submission ace, they may just counteract each other.

This one could either have both fighters standing up and striking for 15 minutes because of the respect for the other's ground game, or it could have Miller laying, praying and avoiding all of Palhares' submission attempts.

Lightweight Bout: Thiago Tavares vs. Spencer Fisher

The second fight on the Spike TV card features a lightweight matchup between Thiago Tavares (15-4-1) and one of the most exciting strikers in the lightweight division, Spencer "The King" Fisher (24-7).

Tavares comes into the fight after suffering a knockout at the hands of Shane Roller at UFC Live 4. Tavares has been less than consistent lately, as his last eight fights have produced a record of 3-4-1. He would appear to be a very one-dimensional fighter, as 11 of his 15 victories have come via submission, and he only has one TKO to his name.

Opposing Tavares is one of the top strikers in the lightweight division is Spencer Fisher.

Fisher comes into the fight with a record of 1-3 in his past four fights, suffering decision losses to noted strikers Ross Pearson and Dennis Siver, and a submission (elbows) to Joe Stevenson. His lone victory in this stretch was a unanimous decision over Curt Warburton.

This is a classic striker versus grappler matchup, and it doesn't appear Tavares will have the wrestling ability to get Fisher to the ground. Therefore, Fisher should be able to put on a striking clinic en route to a unanimous decision.

Light Heavyweight Bout: Luiz Cane vs. Stanislav Nedkov

The main card kicks off with a fight that is sure to electrify the crowd, as a light heavyweight matchup pits Luiz "Banha" Cane (11-3 [1 NC]) against UFC newcomer Stanislav Nedkov (11-0).

Luiz Cane comes into this fight after looking revitalized in a TKO victory over Eliot Marshall at UFC 128, where he was able to earn the stoppage in a little more than two minutes.

Prior to that victory, Cane had dropped two-straight via TKO to Rogerio Nogueira and Cyrille Diabate.

Cane is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, so he is definitely capable on the ground, but he is much more well known for having great striking and one-punch KO power, as his nine (T)KO victories will show.

Opposing him will be the UFC newcomer and the first Bulgarian to fight in the Octagon, Stanislav Nedkov.

Nedkov was supposed to make his debut twice before, but he was forced out of UFC 117 with an injury, and his opponent was forced out of UFC 120 leaving no time to find an opponent. He is now set to debut in unfriendly territory, which will be sure to test his mental fortitude.

Nedkov is a well-rounded fighter with five wins by TKO and four by submission (one to punches).

This one doesn't look like a good matchup on paper for Nedkov because Cane has just as many weapons all over the place. This one is likely to be a stand-up war, but should either fighter land something big, it could be over in an instant.

Lightweight Bout: Edson Barboza vs. Ross Pearson

In a prospect versus veteran matchup, Edson "Junior" Barboza (8-0) is taking on Ross "The Real Deal" Pearson (12-4) in what is sure to be an absolute war.

Barboza is an absolutely terrifying striker. He has six of eight wins by (T)KO and was very close to finishing Anthony Njokuani at UFC 128.

Oh yeah, and two of his victories were TKO's due to leg kicks. Wow.

Barboza is now getting a step up in competition as he will be taking on The Ultimate Fighter 9 winner, Ross Pearson.

Pearson comes into the fight after a unanimous decision victory over Spencer Fisher at UFC 127 where he was able to out-strike Fisher and control the pace of the fight. Pearson is 3-1 since winning The Ultimate Fighter, with his only loss being a second-round submission to Cole Miller at UFC Fight Night 22.

I've been saying it a lot in this slideshow, but it's true every time that each fight could be a stand-up war. The UFC went all out on this card to make matchups for the fans to enjoy.

Dana White said 30-40 million people could be watching this in total—wouldn't you want to impress them?

Heavyweight Bout: Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Brendan Schaub

Brendan Schaub asked for this fight.

He pleaded for this fight, and he harassed Dana White for this fight.

He got what he wanted.

This is a legend versus prospect fight, and it should be fantastic, when Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira (32-6-1 [1 NC]) faces off against Brendan "The Hybrid" Schaub (8-1).

Nogueira makes his long-awaited return to the Octagon, after an 18-month layoff following a knockout loss to Cain Velasquez in a No. 1 contender fight.

Nogueira may be on the down-slide of his career. His iron chin has started to betray him, as he has two (T)KO losses in his past three fights, but against Brendan Schaub, his chin will be put to the test again.

Schaub is riding high on a four-fight winning streak since losing to Roy Nelson in The Ultimate Fighter 10 finale with knockout wins over Chase Gormley, Chris Tuchsherer and Mirko Cro Cop, plus a unanimous decision over Gabriel Gonzaga.

Schaub has been taking out veterans left and right, and he hunted Dana White down trying to get this fight. If he were to lose after going after this so badly, it would just be embarrassing.

One way this could go is a stand-up battle with Nogueira wanting to prove he can still hang with the best of them, or Nogueira could use his superior ground game and submit the young Schaub.

Either way, Nogueira is a hero in Brazil, and you know he'll want to impress all his fans.

And should Schaub win, good luck getting out of the arena.

Light Heavyweight Bout: Maurício Rua vs. Forrest Griffin

In a rematch of their UFC 76 bout, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (19-5) faces off against fan favorite and The Ultimate Fighter 1 winner, Forrest Griffin (18-6).

The first time these two met, Shogun was considered by many to be the top light heavyweight in the world, and many wondered what Forrest had done to upset Dana White and co. that they would give him Shogun.

Well, Forrest proved all his doubters wrong when he submitted Shogun with a rear-naked choke late in the third round of their fight.

This time around, things may be a little different.

Since that time, Shogun has gone 3-2, capturing—and later losing—the light heavyweight title and earning three (T)KO's along the way while only being stopped by Jon Jones.

Everyone knows Shogun is a devastating striker, as his 16 (T)KO wins will show. What people may not know is that Shogun is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is an expert at leg locks. Forrest will have to watch out for that.

Since Forrest defeated Shogun, he has also gone 3-2, won and lost the light heavyweight title. Forrest won a unanimous decision against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson to win the belt, then lost it via TKO in his fight with Rashad Evans. He then fought Anderson Silva, and everyone knows what happened there. After that he won decisions over Tito Ortiz and, most recently, Rich Franklin.

Shogun is just coming off his title loss, while Forrest lost his title about two years ago. Many are not giving Forrest much of a chance this time around, but the same thing happened last time.

This one will be a back-and-forth battle, and I see Shogun pulling out a unanimous decision or a late TKO.

Middleweight Championship: Anderson Silva (C) vs. Yushin Okami

The rematch that has been five years in the making, Anderson "The Spider" Silva (30-4) will finally take on Yushin "Thunder" Okami (26-5).

Okami enters this fight on a three-fight winning streak with a TKO victory over Lucio Linhares, and decisions over Mark Munoz and Nate Marquardt (the latter being a No. 1 contender fight).

Everybody knows what Okami's game plan is going to be coming into this fight. He's going to try to take down Silva, ground and pound him, and do exactly what Chael Sonnen did—except the getting caught in a triangle-arm-bar part.

Chael Sonnen laid the groundwork, then trained with Okami to prepare him for this fight; it's all going to come down to execution.

Silva comes into this bout fighting in his home country for the first time in almost eight years. You can be sure he will want to please all of his fans at the HSBC Arena and all throughout Brazil.

Everybody knows Okami was the last loss Silva suffered, and he is going to want to make an example of Okami to show he is the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

Silva has so many different ways he could show it, too. With his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and his devastating Muay Thai striking, Silva is a handful for anyone to deal with anywhere.

Okami's striking is not at the same level as Silva's, and obviously, Silva will look to capitalize on that. Normally he takes a minute or so to warm up and get the timing of his opponent, but he may just go right in and look to pick Okami apart from the start.

Anderson just has too much motivation on this one that it would be almost impossible for him to lose in his home country against the man who last beat him. Expect Anderson to methodically pick Okami apart until he pulls out something insane and scores a highlight-reel knockout in the second round.

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