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UFC 105: Breakdown and Picks

The Sun’s Brett Okamoto (24-11) holds a slight lead over Yahoo.com's Kevin Iole (23-12) and ESPN Radio's Steve Cofield (19-16) but anything can change as all three post their predictions for UFC 105 in Manchester, England. Odds courtesy of The Venetian sports book, but subject to change.

Brandon Vera

  • Age: 32
  • Height: 6'2’'
  • Weight: 205
  • UFC record 7-3
  • MMA record 11-3
  • Out of: San Diego, Calif.
  • Betting line: +120

Randy Couture

  • Age: 46
  • Height: 6'2'''
  • Weight: 205
  • UFC record 13-7
  • MMA record 16-10
  • Out of: Las Vegas
  • Betting line: -150

Light Heavyweight Bout

Main Event

Last fight: Unanimous decision win over Krzysztof Sosynski at UFC 102.

Punch list: Vera dropped down to the light heavyweight division following back-to-back losses to Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum. The 32-year-old tends to keep things standing, but holds an impressive background in wrestling.

Staff picks: Yahoo.com and ESPN Radio

Iole: Couture.

Cofield: Couture.

Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 102.

Punch list: UFC 105 will be the first fight in Couture’s new six-fight deal he inked with the UFC in August. It will also be his first fight at 205 pounds since a loss to Chuck Liddell in 2006 for the UFC light heavyweight championship.

Staff picks: Las Vegas Sun

Okamoto: Vera.

Dan Hardy

  • Age: 27
  • Height: 6'0''
  • Weight: 170
  • UFC record 3-0
  • MMA record 22-6
  • Out of: Nottingham, UK.
  • Betting line: +180

Mike Swick

  • Age: 30
  • Height: 6'1''
  • Weight: 170
  • UFC record 9-1
  • MMA record 14-2
  • Out of: San Jose, Calif.
  • Betting line: -220

Welterweight Bout

Co-Main Event

Last fight: Split decision win over Marcus Davis at UFC 99.

Punch list: Hardy became a full-time mixed martial artist after training in China with the Shaolin monks for two months in 2002. He had his first professional fight two years later in 2004.

Staff picks: Yahoo.com and ESPN Radio

Iole: Swick

Cofield: Swick

Last fight: Second round win by TKO over Ben Saunders at UFC 99.

Punch list: If Swick wins and earns a welterweight title shot, it will be just the second time he’ll fight in his professional career for a championship. He lost in his only championship fight to date, a second-round knockout loss to Chris Leben for the WEC middleweight championship in 2004.

Staff picks: Las Vegas Sun

Okamoto: Swick

Dennis Kang

  • Age: 32
  • Height: 5'11’’
  • Weight: 185
  • UFC record 1-1
  • MMA record 32-11-1
  • Out of: Montreal
  • Betting line: +160

Michael Bisping

  • Age: 30
  • Height: 6’2’’
  • Weight: 185
  • UFC record 7-2
  • MMA record 18-2
  • Out of: Manchester, Eng.
  • Betting line: -190

Middleweight Bout

Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Xavier Foupa-Pokam at UFC 97.

Punch list: Kang is part of the American Top Team stationed in Florida, home to fighters such as Thiago Silva, Wilson Gouveia and Thiago Alves.

Staff picks: Yahoo.com and ESPN Radio

Iole: Bisping

Cofield: Bisping

Last fight: Second round loss by knockout to Dan Henderson at UFC 100.

Punch list: Bisping is not without a sense of humor. When asked in one interview if he was upset when Dan Henderson hit him a second time after knocking out at UFC 100, Bisping laughed and responded, “I didn’t feel it anyway.”

Staff picks: Las Vegas Sun

Okamoto: Bisping

Matt Brown

  • Age: 28
  • Height: 6'0''
  • Weight: 170
  • UFC record 3-1
  • MMA record 12-7
  • Out of: Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Betting line: -150

James Wilks

  • Age: 31
  • Height: 6’1''
  • Weight: 170
  • UFC record 1-0
  • MMA record 7-2
  • Out of: Laguna Hills, Calif.
  • Betting line: +120

Welterweight Bout

Last fight: First round win by TKO over Pete Sell at UFC 96.

Punch list: Brown received his nickname, ‘The immortal’ after he survived an overdose of heroin. Doctors said Brown was clinically dead for over a minute.

Staff picks: Yahoo.com and ESPN Radio

Iole: Wilks

Cofield: Brown

Last fight: First round win by submission over DaMarques Johnson at TUF Finale: Team US vs. Team UK.

Punch list: Wilks was impressive as they come in his UFC debut, slipping Johnson into numerous submission attempts before finishing him off by rear naked choke in the first round.

Staff picks: Las Vegas Sun

Okamoto: Wilks

Aaron Riley

  • Age: 28
  • Height: 5'8’’
  • Weight: 155
  • UFC record 2-3
  • MMA record 28-11-1
  • Out of: Albuquerque, NM.
  • Betting line: -220

Ross Pearson

  • Age: 25
  • Height: 5’8’’
  • Weight: 155
  • UFC record 1-0
  • MMA record 11-3
  • Out of: Sunderland, Eng.
  • Betting line: +180

Lightweight Bout

Last fight: Unanimous decision win over Shane Nelson at UFC 101.

Punch list: Manchester, England should be a breeze for Riley. Over the course of his career, the well traveled fighter has recorded wins in Mexico, Brazil, Tokyo and Costa Rica.

Staff picks: Yahoo.com and ESPN Radio

Iole: Riley

Cofield: Riley

Last fight: Unanimous decision win over Andre Winner at TUF Finale: Team US vs. Team UK.

Punch list: Pearson has split training for this fight between four different gyms — Spartan’s Gym, Olympia Boxing Gym, Grapple Fit and Rough House.

Staff picks: Las Vegas Sun

Okamoto: Pearson

John Hathaway

  • Age: 22
  • Height: 6’2’’
  • Weight: 170
  • UFC record 2-0
  • MMA record 12-0
  • Out of: Brighton, Eng.
  • Betting line: -160

Paul Taylor

  • Age: 29
  • Height: 6’0’’
  • Weight: 170
  • UFC record 3-3
  • MMA record 10-4-1
  • Out of: Walsall, Eng.
  • Betting line: +130

Welterweight Bout

Last fight: Unanimous decision win over Rick Story at UFC 99.

Punch list: Hathaway has openly said his gameplan includes taking Taylor down, where he’s been known to ground-and-pound opponents into submission.

Staff picks: Yahoo.com and ESPN Radio

Iole: Hathaway

Cofield: Taylor

Last fight: Uannimous decision win over Peter Sobotta at UFC 99.

Punch list: Taylor has won three Fight of the Night honors, but lost all three times he received the award.

Staff picks: Las Vegas Sun

Okamoto: Hathaway

Shannon Gugerty

  • Age: 27
  • Height: 5’10’’
  • Weight: 155
  • UFC record 2-1
  • MMA record 12-3
  • Out of: San Diego, Calif.
  • Betting line: +210

Terry Etim

  • Age: 23
  • Height: 6’1’’
  • Weight: 155
  • UFC record 3-1
  • MMA record 13-2
  • Out of: Liverpool, Eng.
  • Betting line: -270

Lightweight Bout

Last fight: First round win by submission over Matt Grice at UFC 100.

Punch list: Gugerty is a self-described grappler. No kidding, out of his 12 professional wins, nine have been by submission.

Staff picks: Yahoo.com and ESPN Radio

Iole: Etim

Cofield: Etim

Last fight: Second round win over Justin Buchholz at UFC 99.

Punch list: In 2006, Etim defeated Diego Gonzalez by triangle choke in the first round. Serving as referee was none other than boxing legend Mike Tyson.

Staff picks: Las Vegas Sun

Okamoto: Gugerty

Matthew Riddle

  • Age: 23
  • Height: 6’1’’
  • Weight: 170
  • UFC record 3-0
  • MMA record 3-0
  • Out of: Las Vegas
  • Betting line: -160

Nick Osipczak

  • Age: 24
  • Height: 6’1’’
  • Weight: 170
  • UFC record 1-0
  • MMA record 4-1
  • Out of: Nottingham, Eng.
  • Betting line: +130

Welterweight Bout

Last fight: Unanimous decision win over Dan Cramer at UFC 101.

Punch list: Matt Riddle prepares for his fights at Warrior Training Center in Las Vegas, alongside longtime friend and training partner Scott Kaplan.

Staff picks: Yahoo.com and ESPN Radio

Iole: Riddle

Cofield: Riddle

Last fight: First round win by submission over Frank Lester at TUF Finale: Team US vs. Team UK.

Punch list: Osipczak graduated from Loughborough University with a degree in math, which he then used to support himself as a professional gambler while training mixed martial arts.

Staff picks: Las Vegas Sun

Okamoto: Riddle

Dennis Siver

  • Age: 30
  • Height: 5'7’’
  • Weight: 155
  • UFC record 3-3
  • MMA record 14-6
  • Out of: Mannheim, Germany.
  • Betting line: +170

Paul Kelly

  • Age: 24
  • Height: 5’9’’
  • Weight: 155
  • UFC record 3-1
  • MMA record 10-1
  • Out of: Liverpool, Eng.
  • Betting line: -200

Lightweight Bout

Last fight: First round win by submission over Dale Hartt at UFC 99.

Punch list: Siver is a strong lightweight, with good takedowns and punching power. None of his three wins in the UFC have gone the distance.

Staff picks: Yahoo.com and ESPN Radio

Iole: Kelly

Cofield: Kelly

Last fight: Unanimous decision win over Rolando Delgado at UFC 99.

Punch list: Kelly was so heated after getting shoved by Rolando Delgado at the UFC 99 weigh-in, he warned the referee that if he got Delgado in a choke he probably wouldn’t let go. Fortunately for Delgado, Kelly only picked up a unanimous decision

Staff picks: Las Vegas Sun

Okamoto: Kelly

Jared Hamman

  • Age: 27
  • Height: 6’3’’
  • Weight: 205
  • UFC record 0-0
  • MMA record 11-1
  • Out of: Segundo, Calif.
  • Betting line: +150

Alexander Gustafsson

  • Age: 22
  • Height: 6’5’’
  • Weight: 205
  • UFC record 0-0
  • MMA record 8-0
  • Out of: Gothenburg, Sweden.
  • Betting line: -180

Light Heavyweight Bout

Last fight: First round win by TKO over Poai Suganuma at ShoXC – Hamman vs. Suganuma II.

Punch list: Hamman didn’t take too kindly to his first professional loss, a 15-second knockout loss to Poai Suganuma courtesy of a flying knee. He rebounded with a TKO win over Suganuma just four months later.

Staff picks: Yahoo.com and ESPN Radio

Iole: Gustafsson

Cofield: Gustafsson

Last fight: First round win by knockout over Vladimir Shemarov at SC 3 - Untamed.

Punch list: Gustafsson has been a wrecking ball since his first professional fight, finishing seven of the eight opponents he’s faced.

Staff picks: Las Vegas Sun

Okamoto: Gustafsson

Rolando Delgado

  • Age: 27
  • Height: 6’3’’
  • Weight: 155
  • UFC record 1-1
  • MMA record 8-4-1
  • Out of: Little Rock, Ark.
  • Betting line: +140

Andre Winner

  • Age: 28
  • Height: 5'11’’
  • Weight: 155
  • UFC record 0-1
  • MMA record 10-3-1
  • Out of: Nottingham, Eng.
  • Betting line: -170

Lightweight Bout

Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Paul Kelly at UFC 99.

Punch list: Delgado had to go so far as have a video of his black belt test posted on the Internet after fellow cast members of the seventh season of TUF questioned the legitimacy of it.

Staff picks: Yahoo.com and ESPN Radio

Iole: Winner

Cofield: Winner

Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Ross Pearson at TUF 9 Finale: Team U.S. v. Team U.K.

Punch list: The UFC probably hasn’t seen the best of Winner, considering the fighter said he suffered from food poisoning two days before his fight with Ross Pearson in the TUF 9 Finale.

Staff picks: Las Vegas Sun

Okamoto: Winner