With so many Brazilian stars in the sport of mixed martial arts it's only fitting that the UFC finally returns to Brazil for UFC 134. The card features at least one Brazilian native in 11 of the 12 fights for a total of 15 competitors who will fight in the country they call home.

Middleweight champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva, the biggest Brazilian name in mma since Royce Gracie, will be putting his title at risk against judo black belt  Yushin Okami. In a rare occurrence for The Spider, he'll also be looking to avenge a loss in this contest. Another rematch highlights the card as former light-heavyweight champions Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Forrest Griffin will meet again. Shogun is in the revenge seat on this one after being choked out by the former Ultimate Fighter winner at UFC 76 back in 2007. The menu definitely caters to the UFC-starved Brazilian audience but the dynamic match ups have the attention of fans around the world.

Luiz Cane vs. Stanislav Nedkov

Cane is coming off of a win over Eliot Marshall, one that he needed badly after being TKO'd in back to back fights. A dangerous blend of a black belt in jiu jitsu with very solid boxing, Banha was once believed to be a big star on the rise. He'll be looking to get that star back on the ascent in his home country. His record as a pro is 11-3 and a head-rocking nine of those victories have come by knockout.

Nedkov is a new comer to the UFC but not to mixed martial arts. The undefeated Bulgarian native has been to war with the likes of Travis Wiuff and Kevin Randleman. At 11-0 with 5 knockouts and 4 submissions, his stats would indicate a well-rounded fighter who's dangerous in any aspect of a fight.

Analysis and pick;  A fight with Nedkov isn't a picnic for any 205 pounder. The biggest problem I see for him here is a long period of inactivity, having last fought in May of 2010. Although Cane has actually only fought once in that time frame he has the experience of the big stage and will feed off the energy of his home crowd. I'm taking Cane by hard fought decision.

Ross Pearson vs. Edson Barboza

Pearson will be looking to build some momentum back up after going 3-0 in his first three UFC fights then dropping a fight to Cole Miller. The Real Deal came back strong with an impressive win over veteran Spencer Fisher at UFC 127 and would love to disappoint the Rio crowd with big win over Barboza.

Barboza is undefeated as a pro, 8-0 (2-0 UFC). He's been in the cage with some tough guys at Ring of Combat in New Jersey and has most recently defeated Anthony Njokuani at UFC 128. Barboza has six KO wins and one submission.

Analysis and pick;  Conventional wisdom says Pearson is the more seasoned fighter here, having fought on a popular season of The Ultimate Fighter combined with the experience of two more UFC fights than Barboza. This is a big test for Barboza but the Njokuani fight was a big test for him too. Barboza looks to be the real deal himself. Look for him to rock Pearson from the clinch then get the finish early in the second.

Brendan Schaub vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Schaub was 4-0 heading into...

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