UFC 86 doesn’t seem to be getting the hype that it deserves. The main event for this card is nothing short of epic, as two of the greatest fighters in MMA history will face off for the UFC light heavyweight championship. Based on that alone, this should be one of the most hyped UFC events ever, but it just doesn’t seem that way.

Regardless, let’s go ahead and get on with previewing the main card for UFC 86.

Lightweight bout: Tyson Griffin v. Marcus Aurelio

Griffin comes into this fight at 11-1 (4-1 UFC) with recent decision victories over Clay Guida, Thiago Tavares and Gleison Tibau. Aurelio is 16-5 (2-1 UFC), with recent victories over Ryan Roberts (via armbar submission) and Luke Caudillo (via TKO). Aurelio’s first UFC bout was a split decision loss to Clay Guida.

Quite honestly, I’m not a huge fan of either man, and I see a few fights on the preliminary card that I’d rather see. But for the sake of making a pick, I’ll take Griffin’s wrestling over Aurelio’s jiu-jitsu.

Lex’s Pick: Tyson Griffin via unanimous decision

Welterweight bout: Josh Koscheck v. Chris Lytle

Koscheck is 10-2 (8-2 UFC) with recent wins over Dustin Hazelett(TKO) and Diego Sanchez (decision) bookending his loss to GSP at UFC 74. Lytle is 25-15 (5-6 UFC) with wins over Kyle Bradley (TKO) and Matt Brown (guillotine choke) bookending his loss to Thiago Alves at UFC 78.

This one looks pretty obvious to me. I thought Koscheck looked phenomenal in his last fight against Hazelett at UFC 82. Lytle is a good fighter, but I don’t think he’ll be able to overcome Koscheck. I do think this will be a highly entertaining fight, but look for Koscheck to strike his way to victory.

Lex’s Pick: Josh Koscheck via TKO in round 1

Lightweight bout: Joe “Daddy” Stevenson v. Gleison Tibau

Daddy comes into this fight at 28-8 (5-2 UFC). His last fight was a loss to B.J. Penn in a lightweight title fight at UFC 80: Rapid Fire. Tibau is 15-5 (4-2 UFC), losing his last fight via decision against Tyson Griffin at UFC 81.

Tibau has not impressed me in his time with the UFC. I think Stevenson is the stronger fighter. Even though he lost to BJ Penn in January, I thought he put up a really strong effort and made the fight exciting, which is about as much as you can say for anyone who has to face BJ Penn these days. Stevenson showed a lot of heart in that fight, and I think that effort will carry through to this fight against Tibau.

Lex’s Pick: Joe Stevenson via submission in round 3

Middleweight bout: Patrick Côté v. Ricardo Almeida

Côté comes into this bout at 12-4 (4-3 UFC), on a three-fight UFC win streak against the likes of Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith, Kendall Grove and Andrew McFedries. Almeida, 9-2 (2-2 UFC), won his last fight against Rob Yundt via submission in the first round. That was Almeida’s first MMA fight after a nearly four-year layoff.

I’m very torn on this fight. Almeida is a phenomenal grappler, but Rob Yundt isn’t exactly prime competition. Côté is on a roll, and more of a well-rounded fighter. This fight is supposedly going to determine the next contender for Anderson Silva’s middleweight belt, so this fight should be a war.

In the end, I think Almeida’s grappling experience will allow him to catch Côté, but this is a tough one to pick.

Lex’s Pick: Ricardo Almeida via submission in round 2

UFC Light Heavyweight Championship: Forest Griffin v. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson(c)

Rampage comes into this fight at 28-6 (3-0 UFC) on a well-publicized three-fight win streak. Griffin is 15-4 (6-2 UFC), with recent wins over “Shogun” Rua and Hector Ramirez.There’s been a lot of publicity about Griffin upping his training for this fight. In a recent article on Sherdog.com, Gray Maynard said that Forrest is in overdrive:

“The last several weeks, he’s just gone so freakin’ hard,” Maynard said, noting that while he didn’t actually witness Griffin breaking Silva’s nose, he knows it to be true. “He’s going through people. KOing people in practice. Breaking people’s noses. I’m like, ‘Damn, man, you’re freakin’ ready to go.”

It does sound like Griffin has upped his training, but let’s not forget Rampage’s last fight: a five round brawl against MMA legend Dan Henderson that resulted in Rampage winning by decision. That fight proved that Rampage has what it takes to go for five rounds without gassing.

When it comes to this fight, Griffin says he wants to stay on the oustide, and Rampage says he can do what he wants. Really, I think the fight comes down to this: Rampage is on a roll, and in the best form of his career. Even with Griffin’s insane training, I believe Rampage when he says the judges won’t be needed for this one. Rampage will dominate with his wrestling and striking.

Lex’s Pick: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson via TKO in round 3

Other notes: There are a couple of really good fights on the preliminary card. If I were setting up this card, I’d push the Griffin/Aureilo match to the prelims and air the Gabriel Gonzaga v. Justin McCully fight. I think Gonzaga gets back on track in this one. Hopefully, we’ll still get to see that fight, as well as the fight between Cole Miller and Jorge Gurgel.