* Wanderlei Silva is in attendance at tonight's show and said he may be headed toward a marquee fight against Chuck Liddell on a December 29 UFC pay-per-view show.

UFC announced Silva's signing earlier this month, which was one of the company's major talent acquisitions after purchasing the Japanese PRIDE promotion. Silva is one of the most storied light heavyweight fighters in mixed martial arts history, but the "Axe Murders" career appears at a crossroads after losing his past two fights against fellow stars Dan Henderson and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.

The same uncertainty also is surrounding Liddell following his TKO loss to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson at UFC 71 in May. Before a potential bout against Silva, Liddell faces a challenge from Keith Jardine on the UFC 76: Knockout pay-per-view show Sept. 22 emanating from Anaheim, Calif.

Thales Leites defeated Ryan Jensen by armbar submission at 3:27 of the first round.

This fast-paced middleweight match could very well be shown on the live UFC 74: Respect pay-per-view telecast if time allows. Jensen was the aggressor from the start with a series of hard kicks and a guillotine that Leites managed to escape from. After several exchanges, Leites was forced onto his back by Jensen. But that's where Leites' Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills came into play. Leites hooked Jensen's right arm and extended it after rolling over, forcing the submission. Making the victory even more impressive, Leites was a late substitute for Travis Lutter, who was forced to withdraw from the fight earlier this month because of neck problems.

Clay Guida defeated Marcus Aurelio in a three-round split decision in the opening bout of UFC 74: Respect.

Unfortunately, this bout wasn't nearly as exciting as Guida's split-decision loss to Tyson Griffin on the UFC 72 card in June. Aurelio will probably regret being too cautious in his attack and was unable to ever get Guida into trouble on the ground, which is his specialty. After a slow start that resulted in the bridge of his nose being cut open by an Aurelio jab, Guida gradually took control from both standing and ground positions. Aurelio once again busted Guida's nose late in the third round, but the fight's outcome was in little question by that point. Two judges gave Guida a 30-27 decision, while Aurelio was a 29-28 victor by the third.

It's roughly one hour before the first (non-televised) matches begin on the UFC 74: Respect pay-per-view show and here are some last-minute thoughts:

* I know UFC matchmaker Joe Silva has crafted a loaded lineup, but it's a shame that there wasn't room to slot the Marcus Aurelio vs. Clay Guida fight for the televised portion of the pay-per-view. Aurelio's camp is raving about his pre-fight preparation, while Guida's controversial split-decision loss to Tyson Griffin on the UFC 72 card in June reinforced his status as one of mixed martial arts' most exciting lightweight fighters. My feeling is that these two may have an impressive enough opening bout to earn some TV time if UFC needs a filler bout toward the end of the show.

* Fighters who desperately need wins to remain viable UFC title contenders are light-heavyweight Renato "Babalu" Sobral and heavyweight Frank Mir. Unimpressive in consecutive TKO losses to Chuck Liddell and Jason Lambert, Sobral had the most heated on-stage moment at Friday's weigh-ins when trying to stare down opponent David Heath. Mir, a former UFC heavyweight champion, has lost two of his past three UFC bouts and hasn't proven the same caliber fighter since a 2004 motorcycle accident that resulted in his being stripped of that crown. Mir, who was forced to withdraw from an April UFC fight because of a shoulder injury, will face Antoni Hardonk.

* As promised, my prediction for tonight's Randy Couture vs. Gabrial Gonzaga main event: While Gonzaga possesses the kind of physical skills that should keep him as a top heavyweight for years to come, Couture is a brilliant strategist who has continued to defy age (44) and the odds (he's an underdog) time and time again. Until someone actually defeats Couture, I can't pick against him. Couture wins via unanimous decision in five rounds.

 As the top heavyweight in the International Fight League, Ben Rothwell will be watching Saturday night's UFC 74: Respect pay-per-view show with particular interest.

Here is Rothwell's analysis of the upcoming UFC heavyweight title fight between champion Randy Couture and top contender Gabriel Gonzaga:

"This is a tough one because how many people have bet against Randy Couture and been proven wrong? You just can't do it. But realistically, on paper this is a very bad match-up for Randy. Gonzaga has proven his standup. His wrestling could be just as good as Randy's. Randy has competed in college, but the guys Gonzaga has trained with say he's got legitimate skills he hasn't shown [in UFC] yet. And obviously, the fact is Gonzaga's jiu-jitsu is world class and Randy's is survival jiu-jitsu.

"So it looks like Gonzaga should win, but this is Randy Couture so who the hell knows? This is how the fight is going to happen: If Gonzaga wins, the fight will last two, maybe three rounds. If it goes past that, it probably will be Randy."

I'll be making my prediction on this blog immediately prior to Saturday night's thoughts, but I'd first like to hear what you think is going to happen and why -- so post away!