The next event from the Ultimate Fighting Championships, UFC 105 will take place this Saturday in Manchester, England.  Unlike most of their big events, US viewers won’t have to shell out $50 to watch it as it’ll be broadcast taped delayed on Spike TV.  That actually leads us to the first important betting note—the event will actually start at 3 PM Eastern/12 noon Pacific so if you want to get on it plan accordingly.  You wouldn’t believe how many people I talk to who don’t realize that the shows from Europe are tape delayed and are shut out from betting on it.  Were I a less honest person, I’d take their action myself since the fights are long over by the time they air on US TV.  If you want to follow the event live as it takes place in England, you can do so at the link below:

UFC 105 live play by play coverage

We’ll discuss the handicapping aspects of the event later in the week, but for now let’s run through the main card fights and take a look at the odds.  The lines I’ll use here are from Bookmaker.com but as always shop ‘em around for the best prices:

MAIN EVENT–Randy Couture vs Brandon Vera:

The ageless wonder himself, Randy Couture returns to the octagon for the first time since his UFC 102 loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to take on tough Brandon ‘The Truth’ Vera.  Couture is a -130 favorite with the takeback on Vera +100.  A couple of interesting things about this fight:  Couture returns to light heavyweight after competing at heavyweight in the past couple of years.  It’s really a better weight for him with behemoths like Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar roaming the UFC, but it will require that he cut weight for the first time in over three years.  Physically, he’s a freak of nature but a weight cut could be problematic for the 46 year old.  Vera is himself a former heavyweight, who has only lost once since dropping down to 205 (a split decision verdict to Keith Jardine).

Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang:

The first of a number of British fighters on the card, Michael Bisping will try to recover from his resounding loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 100.  He’ll have a tough challenger here in former PRIDE standout Denis Kang.  Kang has the talent to be one of the best in the world, but he’s demonstrated a fair share of inconsistency and lack of focus.  Kang is a much more versatile and technically accomplished fighter but has been knocked out before and Bisping has good KO power .  Kang is -125, Bisping -105.

Dan Hardy vs. Mike Swick:

Swick has been tabbed as ‘the next big thing’ at welterweight for several years now, but has yet to rise above contender status.  He’ll be facing tough but limited Brit Dan Hardy with the winner reportedly next in line for a shot at the UFC welterweight title held by Georges St. Pierre.  Swick is a -215 favorite here, with Hardy priced at +175

Matt Brown vs. James Wilks:

Brown is a decent enough fighter, though at 10-7 could be considered something of a ‘journeyman’.  His British opponent Wilks is a bit of a question mark:  he won last year’s ‘Ultimate Fighter US vs. UK’ event in the welterweight class but has really never fought a significant opponent outside of the show.  He did beat a solid competitor in Demarques Johnson in the TUF final.  Brown is a -150 favorite, with Wilks priced at +120.

Ross Pearson vs. Aaron Riley

Pearson is yet another British fighter on the card, and the winner of the lightweight division on ‘The Ultimate Fighter US vs. UK’.  Like Wilks in the above fight, his lack of experience against top competition outside of the show makes him something of a mystery.  Riley is vastly more experienced but has never been able to make the jump up in class.  Most of his 11 career losses are to very high caliber opponents including Eddie Alverez, Yves Edwards (twice), Spencer Fisher and Robbie Lawler.  Riley is -215, Pearson is +175