UFC 131 is upon us. Saturday night in Vancouver, 24 fighters will take their place inside the Octagon and go to war, pouring every ounce of sweat and blood their bodies can muster into the fights of their lives. Can't you just feel the excitement?
The action all begins at 6 p.m., as five preliminary fights will stream live on the UFC's corresponding Facebook and YouTube channels. The undercard bouts scheduled to be broadcast are Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Mike Massenzio, Nick Ring vs. James Head, Dustin Poirier vs. Jason Young, Joey Beltran vs. Aaron Rosa, and Michihiro Omigawa vs. Darren Elkins.
Then, at 8 p.m., the final two preliminary fights will air live on SPIKE TV. Audiences in need of more free UFC will be treated to the undercard's main attractions, Sam Stout vs. Yves Edwards and Jesse Bongfeldt vs. Chris Weidman.
All of the excitement then leads into to the big show, as UFC 131 will begin its live broadcast on pay-per-view at 9 p.m. The main event features an enormous heavyweight scrap -- Shane Carwin vs. Junior dos Santos -- with the winner claiming the next shot at the UFC title as his reward.
The night's other co-headlining bout -- Kenny Florian vs. Diego Nunes -- features a reinvigorated ‘KenFlo' making his featherweight debut against top-ten opponent, ‘The Gun'. With a win, either fighter immediately throws his name into the title hunt.
The rest of the main card highlights a heavyweight bout between UFC newcomers: Jon Olav Einemo vs. Dave Herman; a middleweight bout that instantly casts the winner into the chase for the belt: Demian Maia vs. Mark Munoz; and a lightweight bout that is sure to bring the fireworks: Donald Cerrone vs. Vagner Rocha. Whatever happens, it should prove to be an entertaining night.
UFC 131 Betting Odds & Predictions
Main Card:
Junior dos Santos (-170) vs. Shane Carwin (+130)
SB Nation Arizona Prediction: Carwin via first round knockout
Kenny Florian (-325) vs. Diego Nunes (+250)
SB Nation Arizona Prediction: Florian via unanimous decision
Jon Olav Einemo (+155) vs. Dave Herman (-185)
SB Nation Arizona Prediction: Einemo via second round submission
Demian Maia (-105) vs. Mark Munoz (-125)
SB Nation Arizona Prediction: Maia via spilt decision
Donald Cerrone (-525) vs. Vagner Rocha (+325)
SB Nation Arizona Prediction: Cerrone via first round submission
Preliminary Card (to be broadcast on Spike TV):
Sam Stout (-150) vs. Yves Edwards (+120)
SB Nation Arizona Prediction: Stout via third round TKO
Jesse Bongfeldt (+350) vs. Chris Weidman (-550)
SB Nation Arizona Prediction: Weidman via unanimous decision
Preliminary Card (to be streamed on Facebook/YouTube):
Krzysztof Soszynski (-525) vs. Mike Massenzio (+325)
SB Nation Arizona Prediction: Soszynski via second round knockout
Nick Ring (-130) vs. James Head (EVEN)
SB Nation Arizona Prediction: Ring via unanimous decision
Dustin Poirier (-500) vs. Jason Young (+300)
SB Nation Arizona Prediction: Poirier via second round knockout
Joey Beltran (+135) vs. Aaron Rosa (-165)
SB Nation Arizona Prediction: Beltran via third round TKO
Michihiro Omigawa (-280) vs. Darren Elkins (+220)
SB Nation Arizona Prediction: Elkins via unanimous decision