Most UFC fans are aware of the fact that when they are watching a middleweight bout, the fighters aren't really 185 pounds.

The UFC conducts weigh-ins the day before the fight and much can be said about whether or not they should be held on the day of the fight instead.

From a marketing standpoint, the major reason why weigh-ins are held the day before the event is to build momentum heading towards the fight and pick up more pay-per-view buys, or network broadcast viewers. A good stare-down, or better yet, a spontaneous shoving match goes a long way in pumping up a fight.

On the other side of the coin, from the fighters standpoint, they need to have the actual fight day to clear their mind as much as possible and keep to themselves in preparation of their fight. In addition, the fighter also needs the 24 hours to re-hydrate themselves and allow their bodies to recover following the weight cut.

The benefit of having same day weigh-ins would be to have a true representation of the fighters weight as they compete against each other.

In some cases we see fighters 10 to 15 pounds heavier than they were the day before at the weigh-ins. Some fighters have the body types that allow them to put on weight much faster than others, and for them it can serve as an advantage at times.

Realistically speaking, the majority of fights aren't won or lost due to one fighter being 10 pounds heavier than his opponent.

The notion that the fighters are fighting at the same weight is false and could be corrected if weigh-ins were held the same day.

Would you like to see weigh-ins held on the same day, or is it really a non-issue?

Joe Chacon is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a staff writer for Operation Sports. You can contact him on Twitter @JoeChacon.

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After a long absence from the cage, the time has finally come for Dan Hardy to attempt to avoid his fifth straight loss, which would almost surely lead to his departure from the UFC. Hardy's must-win fight will take place on the preliminary card of UFC 146 against Duane Ludwig.

Having lost three of his past five fights, Ludwig could also use a win on Saturday to get his career back on track. In his most recent appearance in January, Ludwig was choked unconscious by a Josh Neer rear-naked choke.

As we approach a bout that will be crucial for the future of both fighters, let's take a look at whether Hardy or Ludwig have a better chance to get back in the win column on the UFC 146 preliminary card.

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It's Friday at 6 a.m., which means I'm seeing more and more bleary-eyed folks walking down the strip. I'm out here to get breakfast, but I'm not sure what they're out here for.

The way they're dressed leads me to believe that they aren't up bright and early to be productive. Given the minimal amount of clothing they're wearing—and the fact that most of said clothing is made of what appears to be a combination of lycra and glitter—I'm going to assume that they aren't going for a jog and fresh air after a long night's sleep.

Having lived here, I can tell you that Memorial Day is one of the featured weekends in Las Vegas. And by "featured weekend" I mean, of course, that it's one of the weekends the locals will absolutely, positively refuse to go to the strip unless they have to, because it's completely packed with people like the party girls wearing lycra, who are desperately trying to remember where to find the Bellagio, which is where I assume they are staying.

Girls, I have news for you. It's 6 a.m., and that is not the Bellagio. That is the Luxor. It's fairly easy to tell them apart. One is a giant black pyramid, and one is not.

I used to do dumb things in Vegas. We all did. But I'm here for work, and I'm up early to get a few things done in anticipation of today's weigh-ins. 

Yesterday was the pre-fight press conference, or what passes for the pre-fight press conference these days. The UFC is attempting a new format where Jon Anik serves as host and interviews two or four fighters at a time.

The media is not afforded an opportunity to ask questions until the very end, and that's a good thing. By the time we reach press conference day, the fighters are quite literally hearing the same questions from every single reporter.

That doesn't happen with Anik in charge. He's effortless in creating new and interesting angles, which promoted a lot of good back-and-forth between Frank Mir and Junior dos Santos.

We arrived at MGM three hours before the press conference to meet Stefan Struve in his room. We shot a pretty cool interview and video, which I hope you'll take five minutes to watch. And after the press conference concluded, the team and I went to the media center, set up a makeshift video studio and proceeded to shoot interviews until roughly 6 p.m.

I can't tell you who those interviews are with, and you'll have to wait until July to see them, but let me promise you one thing: They are hilarious and not what you're used to seeing from mixed martial artists.

Stay tuned for more today. Right now, I need breakfast, and I don't want to settle for Krispy Kreme (again). 

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Saturday will mark former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez’s return to the Octagon after ignominiously losing the title via first-round knockout to Junior Dos Santos.

During this landmark card taking place at UFC 146 in Las Vegas, he will face-off against Antonio “Big Foot” Silva, who is also coming off a knockout loss in the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament.

Both men have everything to prove, with Velasquez the "heavy" favourite. He was undefeated until his unexpected loss to Dos Santos in November, with many still considering him the number one heavyweight in the world.

So what does he have to do to overcome the acromegalic Silva? Let’s start with where Cain’s AKA teammate Daniel Cormier left off.

Out-box Silva

He may be a giant man with a huge reach, but Silva’s stand-up has been left wanting time and time again. Cormier, who entered MMA with a wrestling background and is relatively new to the striking game, was able to drop Bigfoot several times in their match, before putting him away with a mean right toward the end of the first round.

Cormier was six inches shorter than Silva, but was able to get in on the inside and counter him with explosive shots, which the Brazilian had no answer to.

Even against Emelianenko, where Silva had one of his most dominant fights in his career, a few minutes standing and trading with the diminutive Russian left him rushing to take the fight to the mat.

As Velasquez trains alongside Cormier, and has proven knockout power of his own, he would do well to keep the fight standing and try and finish it on his feet.

Use his wrestling to keep it standing

Velasquez is a NCAA Division I All-American with some of the best wrestling in MMA. One of the best ways he can use this skill against Silva is to keep the fight standing.

When he’s in trouble, Silva, a BJJ black belt, always tries to take the fight to the mat. He’ll have a tough time bringing Velasquez down if the stand-up starts going against him, giving the former champion the perfect opportunity to dictate where the fight takes place.

With Silva’s high level jiu-jitsu, Velasquez will not want to get involved in a ground skirmish with the big man. He could follow Cormier’s blueprint against Barnett from last week—utilising his wrestling to put Silva on his back when he needs to, disrupting his opponent's momentum, wearing him down and picking him apart with strikes.

Look for the finish

Velasquez has some of the most powerful punches in the division, and Silva has been knocked out twice in his career. We saw the Brazilian’s questionable chin during his fight against Cormier, and you can expect Cain to mete out the same punishment.

But the former champion should be in no rush to finish the fight. Rushing with punches could easily lead to him getting caught like he did against Dos Santos. Velasquez has one of the biggest gas tanks of all heavyweights, and he can go multiple rounds without skipping a heartbeat.

If he sticks to his game and stays patient, the knockout opportunity will come, and it will be lights out for Silva soon enough.

Stick to the game plan

Cormier and Velasquez have developed similar styles, which gives Silva a hint as to what to expect on Saturday and Velasquez a blueprint for the finish.

Now it’s a simple case of executing the programme and hoping that Silva learned nothing in the eight months since his last loss. One can hope...

Find out if it all goes to plan on Saturday 10 p.m. ET.

For more MMA goodness, check out my blog: The Fight Week

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Bellator's sixth season comes to an end Friday on MTV2, bellator.com and spike.com, with two tournament bouts, as well as a world title bout.

Headlining will be season five-time heavyweight tournament winner Eric Prindle taking on champion Cole Konrad. Prindle clinched the tournament this season after a no contest in Season 5 and a failed attempt at a rematch when Thiago Santos did not make weight.

Also on the card is the lightweight tournament final, as well as the second bantamweight semifinal. Let's take a look at the breakdown of each main card fight.

Begin Slideshow

Lavar Johnson (17-5) is currently riding an intimidating 100 percent Knockout of the Night rate—receiving the honor and dollars of that award in each of his two fights in his young UFC career. The rising heavyweight prospect will try to make it three in a row against Stefan Struve (23-5) come UFC 146 this Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The more veteran Struve may not only be Johnson’s toughest opponent in the UFC, but of his whole MMA career itself, which boasts of 15 of 17 wins via knockout.

And Struve is not exactly intimidated by fearsome strikers, being a strong striker himself. Don’t let his “mere” six KO wins fool you; three of those were recorded in his last five UFC fights.

Also take note that the last one was over another powerful striker in Dave Herman.

But what could really pose problems for Johnson is Struve’s ground game, with the latter’s 15 wins coming by submission.

And this really is an area of concern for Johnson, who has lost by submission in four of his five losses.

We’ll see this Saturday which fighter will be able to do to the other what he did to their common opponent Pat Barry. Johnson scored a TKO via punches over Barry only last May 5; Struve submitted the same fighter on October of last year.

However, Struve is more versatile and can also hurt and finish opponents with strikes, making him a more dangerous puzzle for Johnson.

Struve claimed in a recent Bleacher Report Productions video interview that, “One of the most important aspects of my game is that I’m pretty quick on the ground. I don’t move like a heavyweight on the ground; I’m more of a middleweight on the ground.”

Not a few fight fans will attest that he’s just being honest.

Recently remeasured as actually having an 84.5-inch reach—tying Jon Jones in having the longest reach in UFC history—Struve looks to add another digit in his win column this weekend, by any means possible.

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I've written about the sport of Mixed Martial Arts for over three years now, interviewing 30 athletes, managers and personalities in the sport over the last year and a half.

Some of the interviews went easier than others but, for the most part, it's been smooth sailing. Then I met the one guy who didn't like my style and wasn't big on cooperation, and that man is Jason "Mayhem" Miller.

"Have your questions like clear and concise and ask them like with confidence," Miller told me like an upset teacher would tell their student. "If you're not asking with confidence it really sounds like you're a guy in his mom's basement, not an actual writer."

That's a sample of some of the kind words Miller had for me.

Usually for a feature piece of the written word, I prefer to have a conversation with the fighter to see where the interview leads us as opposed to having preset questions, but with Miller, that simply wasn't the case—for the most part.

I say for the most part, because some interesting things were said during our short conversation, so without further adieu, let's hear what he had to say, besides bashing my "style" or lack thereof.

Despite not wanting to talk about his last fight against Michael Bisping, Miller appears to have taken what UFC president Dana White said after the fight to heart judging by his actions.

White had some harsh words for Miller.

"Some of the punches that were thrown by Mayhem Miller in this fight, you could go to a girls' Tae Bo class and see better form, better stand-up. It was embarrassing," White told the media at a press conference shortly after the Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale.

Miller knows his shortcomings against Bisping and has been working to correct them. He made the trek across the Atlantic to go work on his kickboxing in Holland, one of the aspects of his game that looked like it needed work after the fight with Bisping.

"I trained with my Afghan brother Siyar Bahadurzada and I got some amazing training in the art of kickboxing," Miller said. "I worked with other guys at the Golden Glory gym."

In terms of kickboxing, there aren't many better places in the world to learn the art form than the Netherlands. With former K1 champions and greats like Peter Aerts, Semmy Schilt, Badr Hari and many others, the Netherlands has been a hotbed for great kickboxers.

Bahadurzada recently made his UFC debut against Paulo Thiago at UFC on Fuel TV: Gustaffson vs. Silva. He extended his win streak to 7 with the 42-second knockout victory that had Thiago face down on the canvas.

Highly touted for his striking prowess, Miller couldn't have trained with a better guy to improve his stand up. Bahadurzada has great striking and he seems to have adapted it well for MMA, which is great for Miller.

Miller doesn't think very highly of his opponent C.B. Dollaway for UFC 146 this Saturday, that much is clear.

"He's going to get his a** kicked because he's not as good as I am at fighting," Miller said.

Dollaway has a wrestling background, but Miller doesn't think of him as a wrestler at the moment, in fact, he doesn't think very highly of Dollaway's style at all.

"He's turned into a kickboxer recently," Miller said. "A kickboxing grappler, that is what he is. His wrestling, he uses it, but the majority of his fights are these strange kickboxing matches where every once in a while he shoots a take down."

Dollaway was knocked out in his last two fights, so I'd expect him to revert back to his wrestling, and Miller will be ready for whatever his opponent comes with.

"I'm ready for everything!"

With the way Miller was talking about Dollaway, it seemed as if he was maybe a bit upset with the UFC for relegating him to the under card against a fighter on a two-fight losing streak. I asked Miller if this was the case and he denied being upset with the UFC at all.

"I'm not bitter at them [the UFC] at all, I put on a crap performance and I deserve whatever the hell I get," Miller said. "I'm going to smash this guy [Dollaway] to show where I deserve to be."

With a win over Dollaway—which according to Miller is going to be the case come Saturday—where does Miller deserve to be? What should be next?

Jake Shields, 1-1 at welterweight since his loss to current champion Georges St-Pierre has made the decision to move back up to the middleweight division, where he holds notable victories over Dan Henderson and Miller himself.

One would think the rematch between Miller and Shields would make sense should they both win their next fights. Miller even asked him for a rematch in the cage after Shields defeated Dan Henderson, leading to the Strikeforce Nashville brawl between himself and the rest of the scrap pack, which includes the controversial brothers Nick and Nate Diaz.

"He (Shields) doesn't deserve to fight me, watch what I do to this guy [Dollaway] this weekend and then we'll write the next chapter in the Mayhem story," Mayhem said.

It was a bit surprising to hear Miller shrug off the Shields rematch like that. One would figure he'd want to get that loss back, but maybe with his performance this weekend Miller is looking to show himself, fans and the UFC that he has bigger fish to fry in the middleweight division.

We'll just have to wait and see what Miller does on Saturday against Dollaway before we can speculate on what happens next.

That's what we managed to talk about during the short time we spent on the phone together with some rough patches in between. Miller trained his butt off for this fight and hasn't been eating the way he likes, which is testing his patience.

Despite the rocky time, Miller was somewhat apologetic towards the end.

"Good job bro, I hope it comes out good and I am sorry I gave you so much trouble, it's been a long day."

Miller also did an interview with MMAfighting.com's Ariel Helwani today and talked a little bit about his frustration this week and the rough interviews he's given to a few people.

"I like hearing myself talk, obviously I like to do interviews and what not," Miller told Helwani. "For this camp I've been kind of a jerk, like I've done some interviews which I owe you guys an apology, I'm sorry I've been kind of a jerk to people."

I imagine my interview with him is one of those interviews. In any case, maybe with a tweak in my "style" and a little more willingness from Miller we can setup round two.

Leon Horne is a writer for Bleacher Report and is part of the B/R MMA interview team, Follow @Leon_Horne

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There are three types of UFC fans.

One kind are the fans that have been around since the beginning. The ones who witnessed Royce Gracie submit Ken Shamrock. The ones who cheered on Dan Severn was he was just starting out.

Then there are the fans that got into the sport exactly the same time as I did. To be specific, it was probably around the same time Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar were bashing each other's skulls in for three rounds, but who knows for sure.

That fight and that fight alone attracted more UFC followers than ever before. And quite honestly, nothing will ever top that.

Finally, there's the new generation of UFC fans.  The ones who will tell you that elite fighters like Jon Jones, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre got them into the sport of mixed martial arts. The ones that needed a mainstream superstar to harness their attention and capability of sometimes watching sub-par PPV fights before eyeballing their favorite champion defend a title in the main event

With that said, alongside the history of the organization and the future path it's currently on, each and every UFC fan deserves another historic tournament.

One that can captivate all three tiers of followers, old and new.  A tournament that can finally settle who's the greatest fighter on the planet.

Because isn't that the sort of question that fuels all UFC debates?

Who's better, Jones or Silva?  How would St-Pierre stack up against Dan Henderson? Could Frank Mir submit Mauricio Shogun Rua?

While many of these fight fantasies will never come to fruition, the UFC should truly entertain the notion of constructing a "best of the best" tournament in the near future.

Especially considering the talent within the UFC today is at an all-time high, putting forth the effort to implement a new style tournament could in fact put the organization over the top as far as mainstream exploitation is concerned.

Of course, there certainly needs to be a system put in order so a Urijah Faber doesn't step inside the Octagon with a Roy Nelson.

What the UFC could do is separate the eight weight classes into four individual tournament brackets.  At least that makes up for the various size differences between the numerous divisions.

Flyweights would fight bantamweights and other flyweights. Featherweights would scrap with lightweights and other featherweights. Welterweights would battle with middleweights and light heavyweights would set it off against heavyweights.

By doing this, the UFC could not only schedule more monthly events than they do today, but the promotional and financial aspect of a potential tournament would soar beyond expectations.

For fans, witnessing the eight best fighters of each division taking on the eight best fighters of another would broaden their horizons.  It could not only attract new fans to the sport, but a tournament would ultimately boost a fighter's notoriety who doesn't necessarily get the mainstream exposure that other top guys do today.

However, it wouldn't be fair to just throw the UFC's current champions into the fire. To ask titleholders to compete against 15 other title hungry athletes would seemingly diminish everything they've already accomplished.

But there's a potential solution that could satisfy any problems that may arise.

Basically, the winner of each tournament would obtain No. 1 contender rights within their respective weight classes. So if Rashad Evans won the light heavyweight-heavyweight bracket, he'd be able to face Jones once again for the light heavyweight title.  And if Clay Guida out lasted every top featherweight and lightweight in his bracket, he'd be able to fight Benson Henderson for the lightweight championship.

And for the divisional champions that don't have a tournament winner to face, let the fans vote on who goes through.

It's as easy at that. Obviously there may be some blips in the system here and there, but if a tournament was to be introduced to today's UFC, this is how it should be constructed.

I realize it takes away from a fighter having to climb the divisional ladder to gain the rights to a title bout, but you're talking about an all out brawl between two weight classes in order to acquire those same rights.

Isn't that just as interested as watching Junior dos Santos finish Roy Nelson and Shane Carwin before defeating Cain Velasquez for the heavyweight title?

It's the best road to travel. The UFC could throw together a tournament every six months, giving each champion about two fights a year (which is usually the norm anyways).

With all of that said, there's going to be fans that embrace something like this and there are ones that will automatically shut it down.

But beyond the difference of opinions, witnessing four 16-man tournaments between the top fighters in the world would no doubt deliver top entertainment.

For more UFC news ad coverage, Follow @DHiergesell

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Becoming a champion in MMA isn’t easy. It’s all on you. You have to strike, you have to wrestle, you have to grapple and you have to go out there and do it all better than someone else who’s just as hungry and well-trained.

Look at a man’s face the first time Dana White straps that title around his waist. It looks like just about the sweetest thing one could possibly accomplish after a lifetime spent in gyms and on mats as a martial artist.

But you know what? If you can’t defend that title once you’ve got it, you shouldn’t have it. It’s a gots to go situation, and you gots to go.

There was a time when this wasn’t a viable argument, or at least there was nothing to suggest that such a radical solution was warranted. Unfortunately, as fighter pay increases, the UFC covers medical costs, and sponsorship and endorsement dollars climb higher than ever before, that time is no more.

The fact is that now, when a champion suffers an injury and could be out for an extended time, a division grinds to a halt. If it’s bad enough, two other guys will jump in and fight for an interim title—something that, theoretically, is the best of both worlds.

Except it’s not, because there has been an alarming trend of interim champions simply sitting and waiting for the real kingpin to return in hopes of unifying the titles in a big money tilt. That gives fans a paper champion who won’t defend, and an injured champion who can’t.

You might as well have no champion. It’s exactly the same thing.

Interim gold was once relevant. During a contract dispute, then-champion Randy Couture was destined to be replaced by Frank Mir or Minotauro Nogueira before he came back and threw a wrench into things with a loss to Brock Lesnar.

Shane Carwin also held interim gold and immediately unified it. Ditto for Georges St-Pierre. Andrei Arlovski and Couture (in another weightclass) are others who won an interim title and became undisputed champions fairly quickly.

However, that mindset is dying, if it’s not already dead. In search of big money and big fights, even the gamest competitors the sport has to offer have turned into men marking days on a calendar.

Both Carlos Condit and Nick Diaz said earlier this year that, should they hold the interim welterweight title, they’d each wait for St-Pierre’s return before fighting again. That’s two of the sport’s toughest, scrappiest, craziest guys saying they’d wait a year for a fight, and it’s what Condit is presently doing.

Upon the news that Dominick Cruz was hurt and Renan Barao would replace him against Urijah Faber for an interim title, there was collective groan. Faber hates Cruz, and will surely wait as long as he needs to for a unification bout and a shot at punching his nemesis in the face, while Barao is young and hungry and would probably wait forever to create his legacy against a man many see as the best 135er of his generation.

Two out of eight titles in the promotion with no one to defend them, replaced by interim champions who won’t fight or aren’t likely to.

That just won’t do.

If, as seems to be the trend, an injured champion can’t defend in the long term and an interim champion essentially sees himself as a placeholder contender, there just isn’t a point in maintaining that system. It’s become a way for fighters to hang around in title contention without fighting, and it robs the fans of exciting, meaningful fights while robbing the UFC of pay-per-view bank and exposure.

The UFC needs to strip a champion who suffers a long-term injury with the promise that, should they choose to upon return, they jump to the front of the line to fight whoever has their belt at that time. If they’d prefer, they can take a tune-up fight against a lower ranked opponent to shake the rust off, then jump the line for a shot at gold with a win.

In the meantime, guys who would have fought for the interim title can fight for the real thing with the understanding that they’ll defend it as the true champion on a regular schedule. No ducking, no waiting, no politics. You’re the champion, so fight like it. End of story.

It may seem harsh or unreasonable, but the winds are blowing in a direction that could soon make it necessary. If fighters—especially championship calibre fighters—aren’t willing to fight as soon as they get close to gold, it hurts everybody involved. Stripping a champion with the promise of a return fight as soon as he’s healthy probably still harms everybody involved, but it does so to a much smaller degree.

To paraphrase Rampage Jackson: It’s the Ultimate Fighting Championship, not the Ultimate Waiting Championship. If something so radical is the best way to keep the fights coming and the divisions relevant, so be it.

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This Saturday, Junior dos Santos puts his heavyweight championship on the line against Frank Mir at UFC 146, going down at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. 

It's a good matchup—no two ways about it. Best heavyweight MMA boxer on the planet? Check. That's Dos Santos. Best heavyweight submission artist on the planet? That's Mir. 

The intrigue certainly comes to a head at the top of the card, but the entire lineup is thick with that stuff (despite some card shuffling that may have removed some of the event's initial luster). So here are betting odds, predictions and pithy info caps for each and every contest at UFC 146.

But wait, you say. Isn't gambling illegal? Yes, Jimmy, it is; I'm just passing along information here. Just giving you some data points. Whatever you do with that information is beyond my scope and ability to discern. Consult local statutes for more information. For entertainment purposes only.

All betting odds retrieved from Bet on Fighting. Not that I'm into that kind of thing.

Begin Slideshow

Since winning the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in 2008 and subsequently losing a unification match against Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir has attempted to regain the title to no avail.

On Saturday, Mir will have yet another chance as he takes on Junior dos Santos in the main event of UFC 146 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. This will be the fifth title match of Mir's career, and the first since he was knocked out by Shane Carwin in 2010.

Alistair Overeem was originally supposed to receive the title shot after defeating Lesnar and sending him back to the WWE, but Overeem failed his pre-fight drug test. Mir had been scheduled to face Cain Velasquez in the second-to-last match of the night, but he was given a golden opportunity instead.

It could be said that Mir has somewhat of an advantage since dos Santos had been training to fight the bigger, stronger Overeem, but Mir had to change his training regimen as well, so it shouldn't make a big difference. Dos Santos is coming off a huge knockout win over Velasquez and has a ton of momentum entering Saturday's bout.

Dos Santos has lost only once in 15 career fights and is currently on a nine-fight winning streak. He has won the majority of his matches with devastating knockouts and will likely look to do the same against Mir. There is no doubt that Mir is a tough customer who poses a threat to dos Santos, but as long as JDS can keep him at bay, he should be fine.

The 16-5 Mir may very well be the best heavyweight submission specialist in the sport as nine of his victories have resulted in his opponent tapping out. He has a vast array of submission maneuvers including the kimura, guillotine choke, triangle choke, arm bar and knee bar.

He has also won Submission of the Year twice, according to UFC.com, so he has a flair for the dramatic and spectacular finish. It is extremely difficult to get dos Santos into a compromising position, though, and Mir figures to find that out the hard way on Saturday.

All five of Mir's losses have come by way of knockout and he has only gone the distance three times. That means Mir is likely to try to end this one early and that may lead to him opening himself up for yet another dos Santos knockout.

Mir will be a good challenge for dos Santos in his first title defense, but he will fall short yet again in his latest attempt to win back the Heavyweight Championship.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

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For Junior dos Santos, the road to heavyweight greatness begins when he comes face-to-face with former divisional champion Frank Mir in the main event of UFC 146.

“Cigano’s” journey will be an arduous and testing one if he’s to surpass the heavyweight apogee he now resides in—the Brazilian standout is well aware that a plethora of green-eyed heavy-hitters await their turn to both ambush and wrestle the Holy Grail from his heavyweight holiness, and thus assume his lofty position.

With that being said, his trajectory to glorification and immortalization in the UFC’s heavyweight ranks starts here.

NB. Randy Couture, Tim Sylvia and Brock Lesnar are the only heavyweights in the history of the UFC to have ever successfully defended the title on two occasions.

Begin Slideshow

UFC 146 is fast approaching and while some are lamenting the loss of the original main event, a fight that would have seen two of the best heavyweight strikers in MMA go toe to toe inside the Octagon, the fight that we will see between heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos and former champion Frank Mir does have the potential to end in spectacular fashion.

Looking at the numbers for their UFC bouts, neither dos Santos or Mir seem to enjoy going deep into their fights as dos Santos has an average fight time of 6:25 per bout, while Mir’s average is just inside the horn for the first round at 4:59. 

Dos Santos prefers to end his fights by strikes, as five of his eight UFC wins have come via knockout or TKO, with his most recent being the 64-second knockout win over Cain Velasquez, a victory that earned him the UFC heavyweight crown. For Mir, his preference is to end his fights via submission, something that he has done eight times during his UFC career. 

Between the two, they have gone the distance three times in their UFC careers. 

The odds have dos Santos listed as the favorite at -535, while Mir the underdog comes in at +385. The odds are nice to know, but the folks over at FightMetric have taken it upon themselves to take things to the next level, running 10,000 computer simulations of the fight. The results: Junior dos Santos was victorious in 66 percent of the simulations.

Now that you know the odds and the simulations, it’s time to see which fighter the pros pick for UFC 146.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

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UFC 146 marks a heavyweight title bout where bad blood has been running strong between the two competitors for weeks now. 

In the main event, reigning 265-pound champion Junior dos Santos takes on a former champion in Frank Mir.

Will Mir definitively put himself in the Hall of Fame conversation, or will JDS prove he is going to stay on top of the heavyweight division for quite some time?

Kicking off the main card will be two very entertaining heavyweights in the form of Stefan "The Skyscraper" Struve and "Big" Lavar Johnson. Don't leave your seat during this one, because these two fighters know how to finish a fight.

Next up, two undefeated prospects clash in the form of "No Limits" Shane del Rosario and Stipe Miocic in a bout with some serious bragging rights on the line.

In a tough match-up to predict, the third fight on the main card pits fan favorite Roy "Big Country" Nelson against Dave "Pee-Wee" Herman in a bout where the loser could very likely be given his walking papers from the UFC.

In the co-main event, another former champion in the form of Cain Velasquez takes on Strikeforce import Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva in his Octagon debut.

Predicting Saturday's action are Bleacher Report MMA Featured Columnists Dan Hiergesell, Dwight Wakabayashi, and myself, John Heinis.

Check out who will be walking away victorious on Saturday night.

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Bleacher Report caught up with UFC flyweights John Dodson and Joseph Benavidez to get their analysis on the UFC 146 main event between Junior dos Santos and Frank Mir.

Watch the video to hear (and see) two of the sport's brightest young minds discussing one of the biggest heavyweight title fights in history.  

If you like what you see, click here for more from Bleacher Report Video.

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Although he only spent a short amount of time in the UFC, Brock Lesnar made a huge impact on the sport and should be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

The company signed the former WWE superstar in 2007, creating a huge amount of coverage surrounding his debut. But no one anticipated the success he would go on to achieve. In just eight professional bouts, Lesnar would capture the UFC heavyweight title, break pay-per-view records and build up an impressive resume against the who's who of the heavyweight division, defeating former champions like Randy Couture and Frank Mir.

Those are accolades that very few fighters could accomplish, especially after just a few years of competing at the elite level in mixed martial arts.

Lesnar's presence inside the Octagon was just as impressive as some of the victories he carried. Standing at 6'4" and weighing over 265 pounds, his physique and ability were uncanny. No other fighter had possessed such a raw blend of strength, athleticism and agility.

But the South Dakota native was definitely larger than life in more ways than one. 

Aside from his physical stature, Lesnar's charisma and rebellious attitude made him a household name with the UFC, and it immediately attracted audiences everywhere he went. 

Realistically, his professional record didn't account for much, and it indicated that he was nothing more than mediocre. But his aura and marketability overshadowed his performances. You will not find a single fighter who had more impact on the sport than Lesnar, including UFC champions Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz—both of whom went on to achieve more success in their respective careers.

Whether you loved him or hated him, the former UFC heavyweight champion's charisma and immediate impact launched him into superstardom, the likes of which no one had ever seen before. And that alone should make him a leading candidate for the UFC Hall of Fame.

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UFC 146 will take place this Saturday live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and in an interesting twist, for the first time in UFC history, the main card will feature nothing but heavyweight fighters.

The fight card has gone through some changes from what was originally booked and that has led some to see UFC 146 as less than a must see, but, as a whole, fight fans would be doing themselves a disservice if they missed this event.

The headlining bout will feature the current UFC heavyweight champion, Junior dos Santos facing off against former champion Frank Mir. In the co-main event, former champion Cain Velasquez will face the man that positively destroyed Fedor Emelianenko during the Strikeforce Grand Prix, Antonio Silva.  In Stipe Miocic and Shane del Rosario you have two fighters that are a combined 19-0 with only one complete fight between them.  What’s not to like about those fights?

In the preliminary bouts you’ll see fighters competing for their jobs, and other fighters, such as Edson Barboza and Diego Brandao looking to launch themselves up the rankings of their respective divisions. 

The reality is, that top to bottom, UFC 146 is a solid fight card.

On Friday all 24 fighters will take to the scale at 7 p.m. ET and weigh in for the event and Bleacher Report MMA will provide you with all the information you need about the weigh-ins as they happen.

Complete Fight Card

Junior Dos Santos vs. Frank Mir

Antonio Silva vs. Cain Velasquez

Dave Herman vs. Roy Nelson

Shane Del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic

Lavar Johnson vs. Stefan Struve

Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins

Edson Barboza vs. Jamie Varner

C.B. Dollaway vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller

Dan Hardy vs. Duane "Bang" Ludwig

Paul Sass vs. Jacob Volkmann

Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira

Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda

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Here comes the heavies.

At UFC 146, Saturday, May 26, at 10 p.m. ET, the heavyweight division will be on display. Featuring five heavyweight fights, UFC 146 is headlined by heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos in his first title defense.

Coming off a brutal beatdown of Shane Carwin and a shocking first-round knockout over Cain Velasquez, dos Santos will defend his new heavyweight belt for the first time against Frank Mir, who is coming off an incredible arm-breaking submission victory over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. 

Originally scheduled to fight skilled striker Alistair Overeem, who was removed from the fight after testing for an elevated testosterone-to-epitestosterone level, dos Santos now has to adapt to Mir's grappling and jiu-jitsu heavy game. 

What does dos Santos have to do to remain the champ? Let's take a look...

Utilize his striking

Though dos Santos was originally planning to face Overeem, Mir is certainly an easier matchup. Don't get me wrong, beating Mir will be no cake walk, but dos Santos has the clear striking advantage.

One of the heavyweight division's better boxers, dos Santos has earned 10 of his 14 wins by knockout, with five of his eight UFC wins (six if you count Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic's submission due to eye injury) also coming by way of knockout.

Statistically speaking, dos Santos lands more than 2.5 times more strikes per minute than Mir, and he gets hit substantially less than Mir. Look for dos Santos to use looping overhand rights and hard-digging uppercuts to steal Mir's consciousness.

If dos Santos can put his hands to work like he normally does, it could be a very short night for Mir.

Keep the fight standing

This is a no-brainer. If dos Santos wants to be able to utilize his striking, he needs to stay away from Mir's biggest strength—his grappling.

Though Mir isn't a particularly incredible wrestler, he has high-level jiu-jitsu skills and a knack for breaking arms. Mir gets about 50 percent of the takedowns he attempts, and once on the ground, he relentlessly threatens his opponent with submissions.

Though dos Santos can hold his own on the ground, the path of most resistance isn't typically the favored route in MMA. Instead of taking Mir on in grappling, dos Santos needs to use his prolific takedown defense to stuff Mir's takedowns, use his footwork to stay off the cage and keep the fight in the middle of the Octagon.

Go for the kill

So, we know how Mir wins, but it's equally important to note how he loses. 

Mir has lost five times in his career, and five times he's been knocked out. The fight is two days away, and already dos Santos should be smelling blood. If he gets Mir in a bad way, he should stay composed, follow up and work to finish the fight. 

Mir is generally a resilient fighter, but he folds when getting hit repeatedly in the face really hard. Weird, right?

Easy as A, B, C

So, there you have it. It's a pretty straight forward path to victory for dos Santos...stay on his feet, punch Mir hard and go for the kill.  I know, easier said than done.

Can he do it? Tune in Saturday to find out...

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