When Frank Mir and Roy Nelson tangle, two of the most recognizable names in the heavyweight MMA scene will fight at UFC 130 May 28 in Las Vegas.

Since losing to Brock Lesnar at UFC 100 in a fight for the UFC heavyweight title, Mir, 14-5 in his career, has won two of three fights. He knocked out Mirko Filopovic at UFC 119 as well as he forced Cheick Kongo to submit at UFC 107. At UFC 111, his last loss was via knockout to Shane Carwin.

Including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, boxing, Kenpo Karate and wrestling, Mir is a former heavyweight champion who uses a variety of styles in the ring. Via submission, he has won eight of his 14 fights.

Even though Nelson also has quick-strike capability that has led to eight knockouts, he is 15-5 in his career, has the ability to force opponents to submit, winning five fights that way. His style is a mix of Shaolin Kung Fu and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Nelson lost to Junior dos Santos by decision at UFC 117 in his last fight after beating Brendan Schaub in the finale of The Ultimate Fighter and then Stefan Struve at UFC Fight Night in March 2010.

Both fighters are moving into the late stages of their MMA careers as they are in their 30s. In this fight, a victory for either one could propel the winner to a shot at the top of the division. This fight is a -115 pick’em in UFC 130 Odds.

Rick Story boldly asked for a step up in competition after defeating Johny Hendricks in December 2010 as he wanted to fight the third ranked welterweight in the world, Thiago Alves. Story will get his wish at UFC 130 in Las Vegas May 28.

In UFC lines, Alves is a -210 favorite and Story is a +165 underdog.

By using his mix of Muay Tai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu styles, Alves, 18-7 in his career, has 11 knockouts. In his division, his quick-strike capability has made him one of the more dangerous fighters. Even though Alves had lost his previous two bouts, including a title shot against Georges St-Pierre at UFC 100, he beat John Howard in his last fight at UFC 124.

Alves represents his toughest test yet in his UFC career as for Story his desire to fight Alves was simple. Story will head into his fight with Alves on a five-fight winning streak as his strength is wrestling and he has a 12-3 career record. Including names like Jon Fitch, Alves, St-Pierre and B.J. Penn, Story has been on a quest to prove he’s as good as the top competition in his division.

Story will have to give Alves as little space as possible to avoid the punishing quick strikes that Alves is known for in order to defeat Alves, who is known for his training habits. As Alves is really strong at takedown defenses, Story also will have to work to get Alves on the ground.

At UFC 122, in Germany, Amir Sadollah and Peter Sobotta will soon face off on Saturday. Even though they will square off in what should be a solid matchup, these fighters have different backgrounds.

In MMA Betting Odds, Sadollah is a -350 moneyline favorite.

Amir Sadollah quickly found himself on top of the world, while many fighters work their way up through the professional fighting ranks and will be fighting in only the 6th fight of his career. Despite having no professional fighting experience previous to the show,
He managed to beat all of his opponents in “The Ultimate Fighter.” Amir Sadollah has managed 3-2 record overall even though, since coming into the UFC he has had some ups and downs.

Winning two consecutive matches, Sadollah had found some momentum previous to his last fight. Unfortunately, he lost by a unanimous decision to the Korean fighter and unable to stop Dong Hyun Kim in his last matchup.

At Sadollah (11), while Sobotta has fought almost twice as many professional fights, to this point he has only fought two UFC fights. The different types of experience that each fighter has gained and how it will turn out when they square off in the ring will be interesting to see.

This trip to Germany will be of a special significance for Sobotta. In Germany, the last time that the UFC was there, UFC 99, he fought his first UFC fight. In that event in front of the same crowd, he will have the opportunity to make up for the loss.