UFC 104 Full Card Preview

Here is the main card for UFC 104, scheduled for October 24 at the Staples Center, with the BetUS UFC betting odds:

Lyoto Machida -450

Mauricio Rua +325

UFC Light Heavyweight title - 5 rounds

Machida is a rare commodity; an undefeated fighter after 18 bouts, who has yet to even lose a round. Certainly he has caught criticism for being dull at times, but he's effective, as he has shown in wins over BJ Penn, Rich Franklin, Tito Ortiz, Thiago Silva and Rashad Evans, from who he won the light heavyweight title on punches this past May. What he lacks in sheer aggressiveness he can make up for with power, but generally he does not make himself vulnerable to opponents, waiting to capitalize on mistakes. He has the potential to be one of the most successful mixed martial artists ever, if not financially then aesthetically. Shogun Rua is an experienced and accomplished opponent, and though many think he's a bit over the hill and has dealt with injuries, this former Pride champ has lost just one of his last seven fights. In his last two bouts he's beaten Chuck Liddell and Mark Coleman, who are not prime time performers anymore, but in the past he's beaten Rampage Jackson, Kevin Randleman, Alistair Overeem and others. Is he still at that level?

Cain Velasquez -280

Ben Rothwell +210

Heavyweight - 3 rounds

Velasquez, a great collegiate wrestler at Arizona State, vaulted himself into contention in the UFC's heavyweight division with a very dominant decision over Cheick Kongo. He was originally supposed to fight Shane Carwin in an elimination fight for the right to face Brock Lesnar but this is his assignment instead. Rothwell, a student of Pat Miletich and Duke Roufus, is a veteran of 36 mixed martial arts fights who emerged victorious in the IFL championship finals when he beat former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez. He had a 13-fight winning streak broken when Andrei Arlovski. punched him out on an Affliction card. He should be dangerous for such an inexperienced foe.

Pat Barry -110

Antoni Hardonk -120

Heavyweight - 3 rounds

Barry is a veteran kickboxer and a former silver medalist at the World Kung-Fu Championships. He's only had five MMA fights, however, and in the latest of those he was submitted in rather short order by Tim Hague (who was knocked out in seven seconds just a month ago). Hardonk, out of Amsterdam, has also fought in K-1, but he's had more experience in cages and the Octagon, although it hasn't always been successful, suffering losses to Frank Mir and Cheick Kongo. Who will be the guy to demonstrate more versatility here?

Yushin Okami -250

Chael Sonnen +185

Middleweight - 3 rounds

Okami's claim to fame is that he once beat Anderson Silva, albeit by disqualification. Still, he deserves his recognition as one of the top middleweights in the world with big wins over the likes of Mike Swick and Evan Tanner. The only fight he's lost ion the last three and a half years was to Rich Franklin. A formidable submission wrestler with good stamina, he should be in line for bigger things. Sonnen's background is in Greco-Roman wrestling, where he was a national champion and Olympic alternate. He's been submitted seven times in his career, most recently by Demian Maia.