This preview comes courtesy of FanIQ user ohiostate16. He has been writing about MMA for over a year. So let's get to it.

The UFC comes back to Columbus, Ohio for the second time in two years, and if the main event at UFC 68 with Randy Couture upsetting Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight title is any indication of what could happen this year, then we should be in for a treat.

The main event features a title fight for the fourth consecutive card, and it should be a doozie as UFC champion Anderson Silva faces PRIDE champion Dan Henderson to see who the top 185-pound fighter in the world is. My complete breakdown of the event follows, and I hope you enjoy it.

Preliminary Fights

LW: John “Hurricane” Halverson vs. Jorge Gurgel – The UFC is trying to get Gurgel (11-3) back on track after his loss to Alvin Robinson at UFC 77, but Halverson (16-5) won’t lay down for the former TUFfer and I think he pulls out the upset in this one by submission in the second round.

WW: David Bielkheden vs. Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez – Sanchez (17-2) might be the first ever Ultimate Fighter, but he is reeling after two straight losses to Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch. There was talk that Diego would drop down to 155 pounds after his loss to Fitch, but I think he gets back on track with an easy win over Bielkheden (12-5) by submission in the second round.

WW: Dustin Hazelett vs. Josh Koscheck – Hazelett (10-3) is a big underdog in this fight, but he’ll stand tough with top-notch wrestler Koscheck (9-2) before Kos takes the unanimous decision. I can’t help but wonder if the UFC is trying to set up Sanchez-Koscheck 2 (or 3 if you count their fight in the semis on TUF 1).

WW: Luigi Fiorivanti vs. Luke Cummo – Cummo (6-4) doesn’t look like a guy that will hurt you, but don’t let his dorky looks fool you – this guy is a solid fighter. I think that he will beat Fiorivanti (11-3) by decision in what should be a good fight.

HW: Jake O’Brien vs. Andrei “Pitbull” Arlovski – This has the potential to be a big snoozefest. O’Brien (10-0) is the big dog here, but I’m picking him to upset the former champion Arlovski (11-5), who could be making his final appearance inside the octagon.

Main Card

WW: Chris Wilson vs. Jon Fitch

If the UFC is trying to disguise the fact that they want Fitch (15-2) to be the next challenger for the title after Serra and St. Pierre sort out who is the undisputed champ in April, then they aren’t doing a very good job. This fight will be a mauling. Wilson (13-3) might train with a top camp in Team Quest, but they won’t be able to help him once he steps inside the octagon against the dangerous Fitch.

It will be a big deal if Wilson gets this fight out of the first round, but that is highly unlikely to happen. Fitch is very well-rounded, and if he doesn’t knock Wilson out then he’ll take him to the mat and submit him. I say that Fitch knocks Wilson out inside of two minutes.

MW: Yushin “Thunder” Okami vs. Evan Tanner

With all due respect to both fighters, this is the fight that determines who gets to lose to either Dan Henderson or Anderson Silva later this year. There’s a good chance that the winner of this fight will be given a title shot, although neither one really deserves it.

Okami (20-4) is probably the only Japanese fighter that uses ground and pound tactics, but he is also a solid standup and submission fighter, making him very well-rounded. Tanner (32-6) is a former UFC middleweight champion, but he is now 37 years old and hasn’t fought since 2006. He’s a dangerous ground fighter, but Okami should be able to handle him easily. This should be a good fight, and I’m picking it to go to a decision, with Okami as the victor.

MW: Alessio “Legionarius” Sakara vs. Chris “The Crippler” Leben

This is probably the most talked about fight on this card outside of the main event, and that’s because it has fireworks written all over it.

Sakara (12-6) is moving down from light heavyweight to fight Leben (17-4), a fighter that can knock just about anybody out at 185 pounds. Leben has been hot and cold recently, and Sakara is just 3-3 in the UFC. The winner of this fight will rocket back up the middleweight rankings in the UFC, but I don’t expect it to last longer than the first round. Leben has a good chin, but Sakara has a good right hand. That’s why I’m picking Alessio by knockout in the first round.

HW: “The Texas Crazy Horse” Heath Herring vs. Cheick Kongo

This is another intriguing fight. Herring (27-13) is a wrestler and true veteran of the sport and Kongo (11-3-1) is a kickboxer and is relatively inexperienced in MMA. Herring has never been afraid to stand up and trade punches, but he might be best served to take Kongo, a novice ground fighter, to the mat. If Kongo wants to win this fight, then he has to find a way to keep it standing.

But that’s not to say that it’s that black and white. Herring has some impressive KO’s in his career (seven total) and Kongo dominated both Mirko Cro Cop and Assuerio Silva on the mat in his last two fights. I think that this fight is determined by which fighter can better survive in the other’s back yard. And that will be Kongo. It’ll last less than two rounds, as Cheick knocks him out with a kick or punch.

MW title: Anderson “The Spider” Silva vs. Dan “Hollywood” Henderson

This is the fight that everyone wants to see. It’s such a difficult fight to pick, because so many things can happen. Both fighters are extremely well-rounded, and it’s difficult to imagine how they will match up in the octagon.

Silva (20-4) is the UFC champion and is possibly the top pound for pound fighter in the world. He’s a Muay Thai expert, but he also holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu under Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera. He fights out of the Black House camp in Brazil, which is a who’s who of top Brazilian fighters (including UFC heavyweight champ Nogueira and his brother Rogerio). None of his fights in the UFC have gone to a decision, and there is little doubt that this one will break the trend.

Henderson (22-6) is perhaps the most athletic fighter to ever enter a MMA cage or ring, but he may have lost a step at 37 years of age. He is a former Olympic Greco Roman wrestler, but he also has one of the most dangerous right hands in the sport (10 KO’s). He fights with Team Quest out of Oregon, which is a who’s who of American wrestlers (Matt Lindland and formerly Randy Couture). Henderson is at home at 185 pounds after fighting recently at 205 pounds before losing to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in another title unification fight last year.

Like I said, it’s very difficult to predict what will happen in this one. I see Silva coming out and trying to knock Henderson out, but Dan has a good chin. I don’t think it’ll end early, but there is always that possibility. This fight will eventually go to the ground, and that’s where we’ll find out if the UFC champ is really as good as they say he is on the mat, as Hendo is one of the top wrestlers in the world. Henderson has all of the tools to win this one, but it’s difficult to pick against Silva with his recent successes. Anderson finds a way to end this one early by knockout. I’ll say that it goes three rounds.

Let’s fight!