The UFC is making their maiden voyage into my home state for UFC 101.  UFC 101 takes place August 8th, 2009 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.  Headlining this event will be a UFC Lightweight title fight between champion BJ Penn and challenger Kenny Florian.  UFC Middleweight king and one of the top pound for pound fighters in MMA, Anderson Silva, will be competing in his second Light Heavyweight match against ex-champion and ex-”The Ultimate Fighter” winner Forrest Griffin.  Also taking part in UFC 101 is TUF 7 winner, Amir Sadollah.  Here are MMAMoneyLine’s predictions for UFC 101.

BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian

BJ Penn is coming off of an absolute destruction at the hands of Welterweight champion, Georges St. Pierre.  Putting that bout aside (it was contested at 170 lbs.), Penn has torn through the UFC’s Lightweight division.  In his 3 latest Lightweight fights, he has steamrolled Jens Pulver, Sean Sherk and Joe Stevenson.  Penn’s last loss at 155 lbs. came to Jens Pulver in 2002.

“The Prodigy” has world renown Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and any MMA fan who is at least a little bit familiar with Penn knows that he has one of the most dangerous submission games in all of MMA.  In addition to his world class grappling, Penn has very technical, powerful boxing and an iron chin to boot.

His opponent and the UFC’s number 1 Lightweight contender, Kenny Florian, has been making his share of noise in the UFC’s lightest division.  Since losing a 5 round decision to then-UFC Lightweight champ, Sean Sherk, “Ken-Flo” has rattled off 6 straight wins.  In that span, he has been victorious over game fighters like Joe Lauzon, Roger Huerta and Joe Stevenson.

Florian has worked tirelessly to round his MMA game out.  In his stint on the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” he was a very one dimensional fighter.  Since then, he has transformed into not only a dangerous submission threat, but also a fierce Muay Thai practitioner.

Although Florian is the clear #2 behind Penn, I think Penn is going to be a step ahead in every aspect of this fight.  Penn’s world class BJJ is better than that of any other Lightweight, although Florian’s ground game is extremely respectable.  Florian will enjoy a considerable reach advantage, and will look to use kicks and knees against the more compact Penn.  However, BJ Penn’s technical striking and iron chin will make it difficult for Florian to exploit any weakness.

This fight is close on the feet, and not so close on the mat.  Penn has more ways to win than Florian.  Penn has the power to KO Florian, the ability to submit Florian and should be the stronger fighter in this bout.  There are always questions about Penn’s conditioning, but his recent fights give me no reason to be skeptical about his gas tank.

Florian’s best chance at victory is keeping his distance and taking a Michael Bisping/Chris Leben-esque decision.  Will Kenny Florian be able to keep Penn at bay for 5 rounds?  I don’t think it’s likely.  I expect Penn to catch a lazy Florian kick or knee and put him on his back.  Look for BJ to ironically use his own “Hellbows” to end this fight convincingly.

My pick: BJ Penn via TKO in the 3rd round

Betting play: I have no problem putting serious money on Penn, even at the current odds.  I got Penn at -170 a month ago on SportsBook, but he is still a good bet up to -250.  You can get him at -230 at the time of writing this at BetUS.

Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin

UFC Middleweight champion, Anderson Silva, will be looking to silence doubters in his second Light Heavyweight fight against the former champion and extremely popular Forrest Griffin.  “The Spider” has taken a lot of heat as of late because of his lackluster victories over Patrick Cote and Thales Leites.  Still, Silva hasn’t shown any weakness since the first round of his title fight against Dan Henderson at UFC 82.

Anderson Silva, along with Fedor Emelianenko and Georges St. Pierre, is widely considered one of the top 3 best mixed martial artists alive.  His Muay Thai is beautiful to watch, he game-plans well and he is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt to boot.  He has virtually cleared out the UFC’s Middleweight division, beating the likes of Rich Franklin (twice), Dan Henderson, Nate Marquardt and Chris Leben.  In his first bout at 205 lbs., he knocked out James Irvin a minute into the first round.

In a very interesting and intriguing fight put together by UFC matchmaker, Joe Silva, the man standing across from Silva in the octagon will be Forrest Griffin.  Griffin may not have the technical savvy of Silva, but he is tough as nails and has had his share of success inside the cage.  The ex-UFC Lightweight belt holder has bested the likes of Mauricio Rua, Quinton Jackson and Stephan Bonnar in his 4 year UFC career.

The odds for UFC 101 would tell you that this fight is very lopsided.  Hell, Griffin’s attitude would tell you this fight is very lopsided.  However, Forrest Griffin has shown everyone that he steps up in big-time fights.  Forrest Griffin has always done well when he was the underdog.  His victories over Shogun and Rampage, in addition to a close split decision loss to Tito Ortiz, further solidify that point.  Griffin will be bigger and stronger than Silva in this fight, and also can say that he has never been submitted in his MMA career.

Does this mean Griffin wins this fight?  Unfortunately for fans of the likable fighter, I doubt it.  Jeremy Horn, Keith Jardine and Rashad Evans have all shown that Griffin can be knocked out.  Silva’s striking is light years better than those three fighters.  Anderson will have the clear advantage on the feet, as well as a sizable advantage on the ground.  Forrest could possibly have some success clinching with Silva and utilizing some dirty boxing, but Silva has a pretty good clinch game of his own.

I fully expect Forrest Griffin to be a game opponent for Anderson Silva, but there are just to many mistakes he has to avoid making.  One wrong move will cost Forrest the fight.  I fully expect a tenacious Anderson Silva to take advantage of an opponent who will willingly trade leather with him, giving us a highlight reel KO.

My pick: Anderson Silva via KO (head kick) in the 3rd round

Betting play: Unless you want to really lay the chalk on Silva, I would stay away from this bet.  Silva is up around -360 (78%) on most books.  If you are feeling risky, a small flier on Forrest Griffin wouldn’t be crazy.  You can get Griffin at +300 on several books, including Bookmaker and Diamond.

Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks

We will finally get to see TUF 7 winner, Amir Sadollah, fight again!  Sadollah will be taking on one of the most decorated wrestlers in MMA when he steps in the octagon against OSU’s Johny Hendricks.  Even though this is a pretty weak fight for how high it is on a UFC card, I am still looking forward to seeing what these guys can really do.

Sadollah was impressive on “The Ultimate Fighter”, and further proved himself by beating season favorite, CB Dollaway, twice via armbar.  His back to back submission victories were especially impressive seeing as Sadollah is an experienced Muay Thai fighter.  He has unfortunately faced injuries since his June 2008 win, and has been on the shelf for over a year.

Johny Hendricks is making his UFC debut, but he has 5 MMA fights under his belt.  His last fight took place in the UFC’s sister promotion, the WEC, where he took a decision from Alex Serdyukov.  Hendricks was a 4 time All American and 2 time national champion wrestler, and fights alongside Jake Rosholt and Shane Roller at Team Takedown.

I think people are overestimating Sadollah here.  His two victories over CB Dollaway have been cheapened after Dollaway’s loss to huge underdog, Tom Lawlor.  Sadollah, who only has one pro MMA fight under his belt, will be dealing with a good amount of ring rust because of the 14 month layoff.  Amir will undoubtedly have much better striking, but Hendricks will be able to easily put him on his back.  I expect Hendricks to have better submission defense than CB Dollaway, and he has the tools to control him on the ground with either submissions (he has a brabo choke victory on his record) or ground and pound.

My pick: Johny Hendricks via TKO (ground and pound) in the 1st round

Betting play: I think Hendricks is a great play at his current odds.  If you can get him as a favorite anywhere, snatch it up.  Hendricks is a quality bet up to -120, and he has odds at 5Dimes of +110.

Ricardo Almeida vs. Kendall Grove

In what should be an exciting fight, Middleweights Ricardo Almeida and Kendall Grove will be “hooking ‘em up” to see who moves closer to Middleweight contender status.  Ricardo “Cachorrao” Almeida is a highly decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter.  He is a third degree BJJ black belt under Renzo Gracie.  Each of his 10 professional wins have come via submission or decision.  He will have a very tall task ahead of him in the 6’6″ Kendall “Da Spyda” Grove.

Kendall Grove is a winner of the UFC’s “The Ultimate Fighter 3″ season.  Grove is a very well rounded mixed martial artist with good Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.  His 6’6″ frame presents problems to anyone he squares off against.

On the feet, Kendall Grove has a huge advantage over Almeida.  He is 7 inches taller than Almeida and will enjoy a sizable reach advantage.  In addition, Grove is dangerous with all 8 limbs.  He is fresh off of a KO victory against Jason Day via elbows and punches.

Almeida will have the clear edge on the mat, but Grove does possess offensive and defensive submission skills.  He trains with BJ Penn, so his BJJ game will be polished.

I don’t expect this fight to hit the floor.  Kendall Grove will come into the fight with a game plan focused around using his length to out point Almeida.  I don’t see Grove knocking Almeida out, but he will do enough to earn a 3 round decision as long as Almeida doesn’t snatch a kick or knee.

My pick: Kendall Grove via unanimous decision

Betting play: Kendall Grove is an underdog on all books, and is certainly worth a play here.  You can get Grove at +135 on several books including BetCris, BetUS, Bookmaker and Diamond.

Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino

In a battle of surging Lightweights, Josh Neer and Kurt Pellegrino are sure to put on a furious, exciting fight.  Josh “The Dentist” Neer’s last fight inside the octagon was an impressive victory over TUF winner, Mac Danzig.  The only loss in his most recent UFC stint was a close split decision to Nate Diaz.  Neer has been in the octagon with several tough fighters including Din Thomas, Nick Diaz, Joe Stevenson, Melvin Guillard and Nick Thompson.  He will be looking to use his legendary toughness and well rounded MMA game to best the always tough Pellegrino.

Kurt “Batman” Pellegrino has also faced high level competition for much of his career.  He has fought Joe Stevenson, Nate Diaz and Mac Danzig as well.  Pellegrino is on a 2 fight win streak, beating Thiago Tavares and Rob Emerson.

These two fighters are pretty evenly matched.  They are both tough, well rounded and experienced.  Neer is going to have an advantage on the feet, although Pellegrino has never been knocked out.  Pellegrino will have the better wrestling and BJJ, but both fighters will be competitive on the ground.  This fight is the biggest toss up on the UFC 101 card.  I’m going to go with Neer in this one because of how good he’s looked in his last two fights against Danzig and Diaz.

My pick: Josh Neer via split decision

Betting play: I expect this fight to be very close, and the odds are fairly lopsided.  An underdog bet on Pellegrino would be warranted here, seeing as he’s up to a +180 ‘dog on Bodog.

Aaron Riley vs. Shane Nelson

A little backstory for those who don’t know. These two fought back in March with Shane Nelson getting a controversial KO victory in the 1st.  It was controversial because many people, including Dana White, thought the fight was stopped way too early.  Because of the controversy, these two get to hash things out this weekend.

Aaron Riley was a favorite going into the first fight, and he is a favorite going into the second fight.  This tells us that the first fight, on paper, was most likely a fluke.  Riley is a wily veteran of the MMA game, compiling a record of 27-11-1.  Riley has faced top level competition in his 12 year MMA career, fighting the likes of Jorge Gurgel, Yves Edwards, Spencer Fisher and Eddie Alvarez.

Shane Nelson is a alum of the UFC’s “The Ultimate Fighter”.  He is a skilled Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner, training in Hawaii with BJ Penn.  He is much less experienced than Riley, but it should be a good fight the second go around.

I still give the edge to Riley in the rematch because of his experience and toughness.  Both of these guys are pretty evenly matched, with the advantage going to Nelson on the floor and Riley on the feet.  The feeling out process for this fight is over…both guys know what the other is going to bring to the table.  I expect Riley will execute his Greg Jackson gameplan perfectly, earning a hard fought but decisive decision over the Hawaiian.

My pick:  Aaron Riley via unanimous decision

Betting play: I am personally staying away from this fight…the odds are pretty well set in my opinion.  Although, I would be all over Riley if the odds were around the -135 mark.  For those who don’t think Nelson is a fluke, you can get him at +135 on 5Dimes. If you feel confident in Riley, you can get him at -150 on Sportsbook.

Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard

I am calling for either this fight or the Neer/Pellegrino bout to be “Fight Of The Night”.  This Welterweight match up will truly be two up and comers fighting to see who makes it to the next level.

Tamdan McCrory has been up and down in his last 5 UFC fights, although one can’t hold submission losses to Dustin Hazelett and Akihiro Gono against him.  “The Barn Cat” looked terrific in his last fight, a destruction of kickboxer Ryan Madigan.  McCrory is young, well rounded and hungry.  However, his biggest asset in this fight will be his size.  McCrory is a very tall Welterweight at 6’4″, and is apparently going through a “man spurt“.

John Howard is no slouch and will definitely be up to the task.  “Doomsday” is coming off of a split decision over Chris Wilson at UFC 94.  He has also fought current UFC fighters Dan Miller and Nick Catone.

I like Howard a lot, but this is a really bad match up for him.  He will have to deal with McCrory’s length all fight, and will have to take punishment if he wants to get inside.  McCrory has KO power and also has a slight edge on the mat.  Howard has lost to the two out of the three UFC caliber fighters he’s faced.  He does have a victory over Chris Wilson, but it was a very close decision.  All points lead to McCrory’s unusual reach giving Howard problems for 15 minutes.

My pick:  Tamdan McCrory via unanimous decision

Betting play: Right now, McCrory is hovering around the -175 (63%) mark on Bodog and BetCRIS.  I am pretty confident that McCrory takes this more than 13/20 times, which is where the odds are putting him.  A moderate bet on McCrory is recommended.

Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara

This fight is Thales Leites shot at redemption after his abysmal showing against Anderson Silva.  If there was a bigger gimme fight for Leites, I couldn’t name it.  Leites is a submission wizard who has faced two of the top Middleweights in the UFC in Anderson Silva and Nate Marquardt.  He holds a split decision over “Nate The Great” that earned him a title shot.

Alessio Sakara is a seasoned boxer with KO power.  Sakara lives and dies by the knockout…he is 3-3 in his last 6 fights…all ending by (T)KO.

Although Leites isn’t a KO threat, Sakara won’t be able to do anything once this fight hits the ground.  It is no secret that Thales wants to work his submission game on the mat, and won’t have much of a problem getting the fight there.  Sakara is notorious for being one dimensional, and Leites has world class BJJ.  There is an off chance that Sakara can get a huge upset KO, but those odds are slim.  Leites will get Sakara down by any means necessary before taking damage and end this quickly.

My pick:  Thales Leites via submission (rear naked choke) in the 1st.

Betting play: Leites is a clear favorite in this fight, with odds ranging from -350 to -500.  Unless you are putting a flier on Sakara, stay away.

Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer

I am really looking forward to this fight.  I have really liked what I’ve been seeing out of Matt Riddle in his past 2 fights.  He has shown me everything since his stint on “The Ultimate Fighter”.  Riddle comes from a wrestling background, but has shown KO power against Dan Simmler and toughness and perseverance against Steve Bruno.  He has also shown maturity by outlasting a very veteran Dante Rivera.

Dan Cramer, conversely, has been fairly unimpressive.  He only has one professional fight, a split decision win against Matt Arroyo.  Although a win over a game Arroyo is impressive, he earned it mostly by position.  He didn’t inflict much damage on Arroyo, and spent most of the fight avoiding subs while in Arroyo’s guard.

Matt Riddle wins this fight with ease.  Cramer’s hands can be dangerous, and he has a background in BJJ, but he should be neutralized by Riddle’s wrestling and ground and pound.  Riddle’s top game is stifling, and he won’t have any problems taking Cramer down.  Riddle’s last two opponents were tougher than Cramer, and this fight should get him a match with a bigger name.

My pick:  Matt Riddle via TKO (ground and pound) in the 2nd.

Betting play: I love a bet on Matt Riddle in this fight.  When these odds first came out, the odds were very close and savvy MMA bettors jumped all over them.  Right now, I strongly recommend a bet on Riddle at Sportsbook (-150).

George Sotiropoulos vs. George Roop

In the battle of the second best George(s) in the UFC, George Sotiropoulos will be facing off against George Roop.  On CagePotato, their “absolutely don’t bet against” pick is George Sotiropoulos.  I couldn’t agree more.  Sotiropoulos was, and still is, a huge prospect for the UFC.  The only thing stopping him from winning the “TUF” contract was an accidental eye poke/KO combination from Tommy Speer.  George S. is very well rounded and dangerous in every aspect of MMA.  Sotiropoulos will outclass George Roop, who has looked lackluster in his last two split decision fights.

My pick:  George Sotiropoulos via submission in the 1st

Betting play: With odds nearing the -400 mark, laying chalk on George Sotiropoulos doesn’t make much sense.  A big “no bet” here.

Danillo Villefort vs. Jesse Lennox

In a battle of UFC newcomers, former WEC Welterweights Danillo Villefort and Jesse Lennox will vie to get a UFC win under their belt.  Both of these guys have been very successful as of late, going a combined 9-1 in their last 10 fights.  “Indio” Villefort is an American Top Team fighter and BJJ black belt who has recently bested Mike Massenzio and Mike Campbell.

Jesse Lennox is a Miletich fighter with a wrestling background.  He has recently beaten Blas Avena and UFC fighter Ryan Thomas.

I have been really impressed with Danillo Villefort.  Beating Mike Massenzio is a pretty big feather in the cap.  In addition, the way he handled Mike Campbell, an absolute monster, has also earned my respect.  Jesse Lennox is a powerhouse wrestler, but there is no way he is as strong as Mike Campbell.  Villefort will have the edge on the feet as well as in the submission game.  Lennox is the better wrestler, but Villefort has more ways to win.  I have confidence that Villefort’s striking, BJJ and judo will be a deadly combination to Lennox.

My pick:  Danillo Villefort via TKO in the 2nd

Betting play: The odds are about right on this one.  Currently they are about -180/+170 favoring Villefort.  If the odds improve to around the -170 mark for “Indio”, a play on him is definitely recommended.