The UFC returns to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas to showcase the return of one of the sport's biggest stars in Brock Lesnar. The mammoth heavyweight champion will clash with interim champ and fellow behemoth, Shane Carwin in a bout that will unify the titles and possibly bring down the octagon in the process. Once again, fans will have an opportunity to get pumped up early with two prelims airing on Spike TV and an exciting card to build up to the heavyweights.

Spike TV Preliminary Bouts

Seth Petruzelli vs. Ricardo Romero

Petruzelli is best known as the man who defeated Kimbo Slice in the fight that took down an entire promotion. The Silverback has been to battle with other quality fighters and has defeated some along the way. Now 12-4 as a pro in mma, the former K-1 fighter has shown his striking ability with 10 wins by knockout. He does hold a win over Dan Severn but in the interest of being thorough, it's important to note that Severn was 46 years old at the time. Still, this is a tough fight for an opponent who's entering the big spotlight for the first time.

If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing Romero fight, you're in for a nice treat. A former standout at Ring of Combat, where Frankie Edgar and so many other big time fighters have passed through, Romero will be fighting outside of his home state for the first time. His lone loss came via disqualification for illegal soccer kicks and his 10 wins have been by the way of 4 knockouts, 5 submissions, and only 1 decision. It will be interesting to see how he fares against tougher competition but he does have a 1st round submission win over TUF 10 competitor James McSweeney for what it's worth.

Brendan Schaub vs. Chris Tuchscherer

In a slick move by UFC matchmaker Joe Silva, this bout pits the less prominent team mates of the main event fighters against each other. Schaub, a TUF 10 finalist, appeared to be on his way to a six-figures contract with the UFC until he was dropped by Roy Nelson at the season finale. The Hybrid has come back strong though, knocking out Chase Gormley just 47 seconds into their fight at UFC LIVE: "Vera vs. Jones", the promotion's first ever event on Versus. The quick KO was reminiscent of Schaub's friend and training partner, Carwin, and the Jackson Submission Fighting teammates will do everything they can to go 2-0 on the night.

Tuchscherer won't make it easy on Schaub. The Minnesota Martial Arts Academy product is the more seasoned pro with an impressive 18-2 record. He too is coming off of a loss then a win, suffering the only knockout of his career to Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 102 then redeeming himself with a unanimous decision victory over Tim Hague at UFC 109. The Gonzaga loss wasn't without controversy though, as Tuchscherer was a victim of a low-blow before the knockout. Like his team mate Lesnar, The Crowbar was a standout collegiate wrestler, twice a division II All-American. UFC brass recognized his accomplishments when he showed up at the tryouts for TUF 10 and wasn't given a slot on the show, but instead was signed to the fight with Gonzaga without having to compete for it.

UFC 116 Main Card

George Sotiropoulos vs. Kurt Pellegrino

Sotiropoulos is...

Make sure to check back with us the day of the event for free, live, round-by-round coverage of UFC 116 right here at FiveKnuckles.com! Join expert analyst Mike Williams as he takes you through the entire fight card blow-by-blow and then keep it right here for all the post-fight news and notes you can handle!