In all of MMA, Randy Couture is the man I like most. His unassuming personality, coupled with a champion’s heart and a great passion for the game makes him endearing in the heart of many fans. In the Octagon, he is no slouch as he is one of only two UFC fighters to have held a championship title in two different divisions (heavyweight and light heavyweight) as well as the only five-time champion in UFC history.

At UFC 102, “The Natural” will be facing off against former PRIDE Heavyweight and UFC Interim Heavyweight champion, Antonio “Minotauro” Rodrigo Nogueira. Randy Couture is coming off a defeat at the hands of current UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 via a 2nd Round TKO. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on the other hand was TKOd by Frank Mir at UFC 92.

So when you see it, the main event of UFC 102 features a fight between two fighters who have lost their belts against fighters who battled it out at the main event of UFC 100, Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir.

My Randy Couture vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira results prediction?

Couture will be facing off an opponent 13 years younger than he is and much bigger. Well, what’s new? He has been doing that for 10 years already. Couture is a great wrestler and “ground and pound” fighter. Nogueira on the other hand is an excellent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter. This fight will surely be decided on the ground. Nogueira should be able to prevent Couture from staying on top of him and win by submission in the 3rd Round. I hate to say this but I think its time for Captain America to retire… for good.

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In the Light Heavyweight fight of the main card, Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine will battle it out against Thiago Silva.

Keith Jardine is currently ranked as the #7 light heavyweight fighter in the world and has defeated two former UFC Light Heavyweight champions in Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin. Thiago Silva is currently ranked as the #10 light heavyweight fighter in the world and has suffered only one defeat at the hands of current Light Heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.

My Keith Jardine vs Thiago Silva results prediction?

Jardine is a submission fighter with lethal strikes. Silva is a knockout artist looking to bounce back from his only loss in his career. I pick Silva to win via 2nd Round KO.

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In the other Light Heavyweight fight of the main card, Brandon “The Truth” Vera and Krzysztof “The Polish Experiment” Soszynski will be facing off.

Brandon Vera is the most accomplished UFC fighter with Filipino blood. He is a former WEC Heavyweight champion with a record of 10 wins (7 by KO, 1 by submission) and 3 losses. Krzysztof Soszynski on the other hand is currently ranked #6 by Sportsnet.ca’s Canadian pound-for-pound MMA rankings. He has a record of 18 wins (8 by submission) and 8 losses with 1 draw.

My Brandon Vera vs Krzysztof Soszynski results prediction?

Vera is an effective kickboxer who has already battled it out with the best in two divisions. Honestly, I don’t know much about Soszynski. Heck, I don’t even know how to pronounce his name. Filipino pride will tell me that Vera will punch the hell out of Soszynski via a 2nd Round KO.

UFC 102: Couture vs Nogueira is set for August 29, 2009 (August 30 here in the Philippines) at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, USA.

Visit this link to watch UFC 102 in live streaming online for free.

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UPDATE August 30, 2009: Nogueira, Silva and Vera won their respective fights.

If you missed the show LIVE, you can still watch the UFC 102 replay.

You can also watch the following videos:

Randy Couture vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Keith Jardine vs Thiago Silva

Brandon Vera vs Krzysztof Soszynski

Todd Duffee vs Tim Hague (fastest KO ever!)

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Tags: antonio nogueira, brandon vera, keith jardine, randy couture, thiago silva, UFC 102