Mirko Cro Cop, Wanderlei Silva and Minotauro Nogueira all made their names in Pride. Now all three of those names find themselves on the main card of UFC 110. But just how likely is the Pride parlay?

Mirko Cro Cop vs. Ben Rothwell

In Mirko'ssecond UFC fight he found himself on the recieving end of a devastating knock out, the likes of which he is famous for usually dishing out. Since then he has gone back and forth from Japan picking up 3 wins 2 losses and 1 no contest on the way. His most recent loss came at the hands of a Black house stand out, touted by many as a future champion, Junior Dos Santos. I for one don't see any shame in losing to a top HW like Cigano in the fashion that he did. Physically he was holding his own and firmly shut Junior's eye for probably the best part of a week. However, mentally, he never really seemed to go after the fight, more often than not on the back foot and trying to avoid exchanging. I don't have any doubts myself that Mirko physically still has the ability to win fights against the likes of Rothwell and be a factor at HW. It comes down to whether he shares my confidence, and how badly he wants to carry on fighting after almost a decade of pro MMA, but nobody knows that except the man himself. A convincing win over Rothwell could really spark a return to form for Cro Cop and shake off any cobwebs lingering in the back of his mind. However a loss to a fighter of Ben's calibre could spell disaster for his confidence and mine.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Mike Bisping

Wanderlei is 1-5 in his last six fights. At first glance, that is a pretty damning assessment of Wanderlei's form. But when you look a little deeper, you see that things aren't all as bad as they seem. His last six fights have been against pre GG Cro Cop, Dan Henderson, Chuck Liddell, Kieth Jardine, Rampage and Rich Franklin. Dropping decision losses to Chuck and Rich and KO losses to CC, Hendo and Page. I for one don't see that list as any indicator that Wanderlei can't hang with the likes of Bisping. Most people have never fought that many champions in their entire career, let alone in their last six fights. Realistically most people are in danger of getting KO'd by CC, Hendo and page and their is no shame in going the distance with Chuck and Rich.

I’m still backing Wandy, I think that he’s finally settled in the states, his gym is running smoothly and he is back training with Chute box guys like Cordeiro. The stage is well and truly set for him and this is Wands easiest fight in probably 4 years. Basically what I’m saying is that if Wandy can’t make a come back now… then I doubt he ever will. But I’m pretty sure that he can do this. Not necessarily via one punch KO, but he should win this fight. However Wandy at 185 is an unknown entity and that is the only reservation I have. But we can't make a judgement on that until fight night, so for now I'll stay on the Wand wagon.

Minotauro Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez

Of all the pride fighters on this card, Big Nog is the one whom I have most confidence in. He looks to be in fantastic shape, has performed in the UFC to a standard that most ex pride fighters can only aspire to and on paper has an advantage in almost every area of the fight. Cain's only advantage is that he can more than likely control where the fight takes place. However, whether standing or on the ground, I would put Cain at a disadvantage in either position. The way I am looking at it, the only way Cain can end this fight, is by over whelming Nogueira, something that is seemingly impossible. He may well be hoping for a decision win, but staying on top of Big Nog for 15 minutes without getting caught in a sub is a pretty tall order.

Nog's biggest task on Saturday is to silence the critics. Following a prolonged struggle against a severe staph infection, which resulted in poor form and an insufficient  training camp which led to a TKO loss to current title contender Frank Mir, many have decided that Nog is "done" saying that he no longer has the speed, athleticism and endurance to take on the UFC's best. I honestly believe that this fight is going to shut alot of mouths and shoot Nogueira straight back into title contention.

Whether or not I believe all this because Mirko, Wandy and Nog are three old favourites of mine or if it's because everything I just said is true, I'm still hoping for a return to form for three greats of the sport.