The main event will see Dan Hardy finally challenge welterweight champion Georges St Pierre, after several months of smack talk. No matter what Hardy’s chances actually are, he sure knows how to foster interest in a fight.

This fight is getting odds of -800 GSP to +500 Dan Hardy. That is insane, but unsurprising. Hardy has not been spectacular in his little title run. He’s mostly just been vocal and won close decisions. His striking is good, but not stellar, and his ground work is decent, allowing him to avoid damage from the bottom while he works on getting back up. Unless he has just been trying to lull GSP into a false sense of security with the marginal wins he’s taken in his last few fights, the belt will be staying with the Canadian champion for a while yet.

The other big fight on this card is Frank Mir vs Shane Carwin, which I have been looking forward to so very, very much. This fight is getting odds of -160 Mir to +130 Carwin. Is it that close? I don’t think so. I think Mir takes this one, especially with his recently increased muscle mass.

Sure, Shane Carwin is currently undefeated after 11 fights, but he only really began to face quality opposition in his last fight against Gabriel Gonzaga. That was now over a year ago, as Carwin has been waiting on a title shot against Brock Lesnar, so it will be interesting to see if Carwin suffers from ring rust. Mir last fought in December, and he has mostly fought the best UFC heavyweights for the past few years. Carwin could win this one with a surprise KO, but a Mir win via submission seems more likely.

Another important welterweight fight at UFC 111 is Jon Fitch vs Thiago Alves. Both have already lost to GSP in title fights, but both are also well-positioned to challenge again. This fight has odds of -140 Alves to +110 Fitch at some bookies, and it really is looking like a coin flip of a fight. If it stays standing, Alves takes it easily, but the same goes for Fitch if the fight hits the ground. Fitch has the advantage of a previous win as well, though it was an unusual victory that was mostly due to an up kick hitting home on a standing Alves. A more likely end to this fight will be a KO victory for Alves or a decision win for Fitch.

The last fight I’d like to look at is Nate Diaz vs Rory Markham, which isn’t getting any love from bookies, but it is an interesting fight. Diaz has moved up to welterweight after some trouble remaining competitive at lightweight. Markham is a solid welterweight fighter, but he hasn’t set the world on fire. This is a much better fight for Diaz than his recent match ups have been, as Markham is very much a striker. Wrestlers have manhandled Diaz at lightweight, and we will only really know whether the increase in weight has helped him after he goes up against a good wrestler, but this theoretically easy fight for Diaz should be a good introduction to a heavier weight division. I expect either a spectacular submission or a spectacular knockout.

April is another so-so month for the UFC in terms of the number of events, but at least it will feature a card with two championship matches and another major Strikeforce event. I guess I’m one of those people who doesn’t think you can oversaturate the market with MMA content.

Randy Couture takes on Brandon Vera in the headline fight, and the odds are very close at some sportsbooks, some calling the fight at -120 Couture to -110 Vera. I reckon this is a bit of a fantasy, as Couture is definitely past his prime. He’s a fighter, no doubt, and he’s not getting destroyed by his opposition, but he’s just not going to get back into title contention, regardless of how much people may want him to.

Vera lost momentum in a string of losses, which damaged his reputation severely. This has unfairly led people to discount him entirely. His youth and experience in Greco Roman wrestling should serve Vera well against Couture, and a striking battle would almost certainly be to his advantage rather than Couture’s. I want Couture to take a run for the light heavyweight title as much as anyone, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.

Dan Hardy vs. Mike Swick will likely go to Swick, who has had a good run at welterweight in the UFC. I doubt it will be an easy victory, however, as Dan Hardy has more fights under his belt and he is an excellent tactician. In stand up, it seems like a pretty even match up, but ground fighting will undoubtedly go to Swick. If Swick chooses to trade strikes, Hardy might win a split decision, and this possibility is quite likely if Swick thinks he needs to prove something.

Of course, I’m mostly looking forward to Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang. I hope Bisping can win, but it’s not going to be easy against a fighter like Kang. What a lot of people fail to give Bisping credit for is that he is very difficult to take down and keep on the ground. While Kang has both submission expertise and knockout ability, I don’t think he is a superior striker to Bisping and he would find it difficult to take the fight to the ground. I’m absolutely biased in this case, however, so let’s just say I think Bisping has a better chance than some people think.

TUF 9 winners Ross Pearson and James Wilks will also have fights in the main card. Pearson takes on Aaron Riley and Wilks goes against Matt Brown. I’m somewhat surprised that the Brits are the underdogs for these bouts. Pearson is +165 to Riley at -210 and Wilks is +125 to Brown at -155. Riley and Brown aren’t exactly the greatest fighters who’ve ever lived. They’re both challenging, just not quite as dominant as the odds suggest.

It’s not the biggest event this year or even this month, but UFC 105 should be fairly entertaining. We’ll get to see if Randy Couture can regain some relevancy, whether Mike Swick or Dan Hardy will get to take on GSP, how Michael Bisping has been affected by his UFC 100 loss, and also if the TUF 9 winners can continue to perform now that they are in the UFC proper. Make no mistake, this card has implications for the future, it just doesn’t have the big name events that most fans crave.