The unpredictability of mixed martial arts is one of the things that makes it so much fun to watch.  However, fans for the most part can usually look at the styles and histories of individual fighters and make an educated guess on the outcome of a fight.  When Bruce Buffer introduces Jon Fitch and Paulo Thiago at UFC 100 this Saturday night most of us will still be scratching our heads and wondering what will happen.  

Jon Fitch is possibly the second best welterweight in the world right now behind only current UFC Champion Georges St. Pierre.  Fitch was on a fifteen fight winning streak (eight in the UFC) before losing to St. Pierre last August.  At the time, eight consecutive UFC victories was tied for the all-time lead with Andersen Silva and Royce Gracie.  His background is in wrestling but Fitch can stand and bang with anyone and knockouts over opponents like Alex Serdyukov and current number one contender  Thiago Alves are a testament to that.  Fitch is also a black belt in Guerilla Jiu-Jitsu, an art which combines jiu-jitsu and judo geared toward mma.  His stamina is amazing, having gone the distance nine times in his career, including a five round decision loss to St. Pierre.  It's difficult to know which direction a fight will go when Fitch is involved but his history assures you that you're going to witness a tremendous effort and an exciting fight.

Paulo Thiago is even more of a mystery than Fitch.  He was 10-0 in Brazilian organizations before coming to the UFC with seven of those wins coming by submission.  His strength was obviously in his jiu-jitsu so when he took on Fitch's friend and training partner, Josh Koscheck, in his UFC debut it was expected that he would look to get the fight to the floor and go for a submission.  Not only did he stand toe to toe and fight Koscheck, he also drilled him with a such a stunning combination that it earned him knockout of the night honors.   Now at 11-0 it's difficult to discern whether he has any weaknesses.

So the unpredictability continues.  In this case not only are we guessing who will win but also whether the fight is a candidate for knockout, submission, or fight of the night.

Coming soon, the final preview of our five part series; Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher.