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On Oct. 20 thousands will bum rush the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati to witness an awesome line up of fights scheduled to take place in the Octagon for UFC 77: Hostile Territory. I've broken down four of the matchups and made my UFC 77 Predictions to give you the wagering edge. All UFC 77 odds are courtesy of Bodog and BetUS.

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Main Event

UFC Middleweight Championship (185lb.)

Rich Franklin, 24-2 (+155) vs. Champion Anderson Silva, 19-4 (-190)

When they first clashed about a year ago, Anderson Silva performed the equivalent of back alley plastic surgery on Franklin's face. Silva won in such devastating fashion that it's hard to see how Franklin will counter the Brazilian's world-class muy thai boxing that took him down the first time. The task will be tougher, however, for Silva since the event takes place in Rich Franklin's back yard, but Silva has proven he is a champion by defending his belt twice since wrenching it away from Franklin. Since going down to Silva, Franklin has put together two impressive victories over Yushin Okami and Jason MacDonald, who, coincidentally, will face off on one of the undercards. The betting line has Silva as a heavy favorite and I agree that this will be one-sided. Put your money on Silva to finish it the same way he did before.

Prediction - Silva by KO

UFC Heavyweight fight

Tim Sylvia, 25-3-0 (+150) vs. Brandon Vera, 8-0 (-180)

Both fighters have been away from the Octagon for a while, but for very different reasons. Sylvia had back surgery after losing his belt to Randy Couture in March and has been rehabbing since then. Vera had some managerial conflicts that kept him sidelined since last November. I predict that this will be the most explosive fight of the night. Sylvia claims to be 100 percent healthy and loves the stand up game. Vera's three wins by KO in the Octagon prove he's game to stand and trade with the 6'10" Sylvia. I look to see Vera take away Sylvia's base with muy thai kicks to the legs mixed in with the fists. If Vera can chop that tree down, the fight will end quickly once it hits the mat.

Prediction - Vera by KO

185 lb. Division

Yushin Okami, 21-4-0 (-210) vs. Jason MacDonald, 20-8-0 (+170)

MacDonald's only loss in the Octagon came at the hands of then-champion Rich Franklin back in March. He rebounded nicely with a victory over Rory Singer at UFC 72. Speaking of UFC 72, Okami suffered his only loss in the Octagon to Franklin that same night. Okami hopes to get back on the winning track by using his strength and wrestling skills, but MacDonald has proven he's no slouch on the ground or standing. The betting line has Okami as the big favorite and I think he will win, but I think this fight will be more evenly matched than the odds indicate so there could be value in betting on MacDonald.

Prediction - Okami by SPLIT DECISION

Alan Belcher, 10-3-0 (even odds) vs. Kalib Starnes, 10-2-1 (-130)

Belcher is coming off a huge first round submission victory over Sean Salmon. On the other hand, the slightly favored Starnes had to endure a hard fought decision victory over Chris Leben. Belcher has the ability to end a fight with one punch, so look for Starnes to take the fight to the ground and utilize the "ground n' pound." Both fighters have shown that they can endure through three rounds and still win, but I think this will be over sooner than that.

Prediction - Starnes by stoppage in the 2nd round

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