Alistair "The Demolition" Man Overeem

By Joshua Molina

UFC has several big storylines beyond the big championship main event between Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar.

. . . Alistair Overeem will fight the unpredictable and inconsistent Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.  If Overeem wins, he gets Cain Velasquez for the championship. Overeem is an impressive hunk of muscle, but his suspension last year for elevated testosterone levels and history of rumored drug use have tainted his rapid rise   The former Strikeforce champion, who never lost the title, has been one of the most dominant heavyweights in recent years.  He retired Brock Lesnar a little more than a year ago, and then blew his shot at Junior Dos Santos after a pre-fight test revealed the high testosterone levels.

Overeem, with his 48-fight experience, strength, awesome striking and cage intelligence might be the best heavyweight in the world.  Or he might be an overrated, past-his-prime fraud. We’ll learn more about his destiny Saturday night.

. . . Tyron Woodley is looking to bounce back from a vicious KO to Nate Marquardt. He will battle Jay Hieron in a fight that means a lot more to Woodley.  Can Woodley come back from his humiliating KO loss, where Marquardt dribbled his head with punches like it were a basketball?

. . . Jon Fitch is coming off an amazing victory over hot prospect Erick Silva. He battles tough Demian Maia.  Fitch was KO’d with one big punch by Johny Hendricks, but came back to upset Silva.  A win puts him back in the title picture against Georges St. Pierre, who he lost to by unanimous decision nearly five years ago.