Fedor Emelianenko (27-1) vs. Tim Sylvia (26-5)

The main event is a heavyweight fight people have talked about since the Pride vs. UFC days. A mythic reverence exists towards Fedor that is only comparable to a comic book super hero (you can tell I saw the Dark Knight last night). His fans are so dedicated and fanboyish that they quickly gloss over the fact he hasn't fought any legitimate competition at heavyweight for several years. On the other hand Tim Sylvia is widely viewed as a monotonous villain incapable of putting on entertaining fights unless Randy Couture is beating him. Speaking of Randy he was the fighter most people hoped Fedor would fight but his Zuffa contractual issues are delaying that possibility.

Tim Sylvia recently lost via submission to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Back in Pride Fedor defeated Nogueira twice with one no contest. Give Sylvia a break though he was kicking the shit out of Rodrigo before being submitted. Fedor wins most of his fights via submission and will probably be looking to attack Sylvia on the ground. The ground may be dangerous though for Fedor. His one loss was due to a cut and with the allowances of elbow strikes Fedor may be susceptible to ground-and-pound.

While Fedor is given the odds(-450) of the #1 heavyweight in the world, the guy hasn't fought in over seven months. On top of that, the stiffest competition Fedor recently fought was a middleweight Matt Lindland. Sylvia is a significant underdog at +300 but his size and strength in controlling the clinch (through boredom) should not be ignored. Tim Sylvia is very capable of boring the shit out of everyone and pulling off the decision victory.

Personally I hope Fedor wins in order to set up the significant Fedor vs. Couture fight before Randy gets over the age of fifty. So I will pick with my heart and take Fedor via submission (though I do have a $5 bet on Sylvia).