Finally, for the first time in UFC history, fighters are going to “take it outside”.

UFC 112, which takes place on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, UAE, will be the first ever UFC event to be set in an outside arena. So what will this mean? Will wind be some kind of factor in affecting fighting conditions? Can a rain or sandstorm delay the highly anticipated card? All of these questions are to this point unanswered, and with fighters who have never trained for an outside fight it will be interesting to witness what adjustments will need to be made.

This card has been probably the most highly anticipated in the last couple years, with undisputed lightweight champion BJ “The Phenom” Penn and middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva both defending their titles and looking to continue their total dominance of their weight classes. Silva is the best, most complete fighter in the sport today, and he will look to continue to cement his legacy against the late fill-in, scrapper and jiu-jitsu specialist Demian Maia.

Penn will most likely receive more of a challenge from 11-1 New Jersey native Frankie Edgar, who is undersized but is extremely well-conditioned and is a master of controlling the pace of his fights. Problem is, nobody has faster hands than the champion, BJ Penn.

The other fight of interest in UFC 112 is a duel of legends, with Matt Hughes squaring off with Renzo Gracie. Hughes was a long-time welterweight champion (before the GSP era), and revolutionized wrestling in the UFC. Renzo Gracie comes from the “Gracie” legacy, as his family has helped develop the sport of mixed martial arts and make it what it is today. Neither of these fighters will be challenging for a belt any time soon, but it’s been a fight a long time coming and for long time and well-informed UFC fans it could be the most anticipated fight of the night.

Enough build up. Here are my picks.

Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia
Maia is probably not the most qualified fighter in the middleweight division to challenge Silva, but with Vitor Belfort having to drop out due to a shoulder injury and Chael Sonnen still too banged up from his win at UFC 109 Maia is the next available candidate. Maia has an effective ground game, with impressive takedowns and a top-notch understanding of jiu-jitsu. However, his sparring is rudimentary at best, and if he is forced to strike with Silva this fight will be over not long after the opening bell rings. Maia’s only chance is to get takedowns and try to force a submission, but with Silva’s jiu-jitsu black belt and complete stand up repertoire that is more than unlikely. Silva will punish Maia with deadly hands, elbows and knees early, and finish him before the challenger has a chance to get Silva on his back. I think Silva will win by KO early in the 2nd round.
WINNER= SILVA

BJ Penn vs. Frankie Edgar
Frankie Edgar is an outstanding striker. With that said, BJ Penn is like a Frankie Edgar blueprint, except for superior and more experienced in every way. Of course, if Edgar lands one big blow the fight could be over, a similar result to what Shane Carwin did to Frank Mir in UFC 111. However, that is probably a long shot. Nobody in the lightweight division has been able to get effective takedowns on BJ Penn, and with Edgar’s undersized frame that isn’t going to end on Saturday. So most likely, this is going to be a bout of two guys standing in front of each other, slugging it out until someone gets hit (like a more realistic Rocky IV). And nobody does that better than BJ Penn, the man who has possibly the fastest and most accurate hands in the sport. If Edgar can quicken the pace and take advantage of Penn’s questionable conditioning, he might be able to wear “The Phenom” down. But that has also been the plan for every other challenger of Penn in the lightweight division, and it certainly hasn’t worked recently for Kenny Florian or Diego Sanchez. This fight will almost definitely end in a KO, and I think BJ Penn will be the fighter left standing. It might take a while, but I say Penn drops Frankie Edgar in the 3rd.
WINNER= PENN

Matt Hughes vs. Renzo Gracie
One thing this fight will not be is pretty. Both fighters like to spend very little time on their feet, trying to get takedowns and work the ground and pound. Gracie is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, and will try to get position on Hughes and work for a submission. He might have a tough time with his opponent, however, considering that Matt Hughes is arguably the best wrestler in UFC history and has a jiu-jitsu black belt of his own. I think the difference in this bout will be age and endurance, as Gracie is 43 and hasn’t fought in 3 years, while his opponent is seven years younger. Not only that, but Hughes has already easily beaten one of Gracie’s family members, Royce Gracie, and Renzo has an almost identical style. I think this fight will be extremely technical, and after Hughes wears the aging Gracie down he will get him to tap in the 3rd.
WINNER= HUGHES