UFC 101: Anderson Silva vs Forrest Griffin UFC Picks: In UFC 101’s main-event Forrest Griffin will face off against arguably the UFC’s best scrapper in light-heavyweight champion Anderson Silva at 11 PM ET on pay-per-view. Griffin is easily one of the most popular fighters in the UFC but the sportsbooks are not banking on his popularity to produce a win as they have enlisted him as a 3-1 underdog. Griffin is looking to rebound after a disappointing 3rd round TKO in his last fight against Rashad Evans. Silva meanwhile has looked nothing short of invincible winning his last 10 fights against top-flight MMA competition. The UFC 101 Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin  UFC Picks betting line has Silva as a decided -330 favorite at sportsbook.com.

In the Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin fight Griffin will be the bigger fighter but Silva is more talented. So what wins out between a very-good big man in Griffin against a decent-sized great fighter in Silva? If there is one thing that casual fight fans should know it’s that fighting is more cerebral than meets the eye. While Griffin is a hulking presence that possesses power and the ability to maul opponents, Silva is a brilliant tactician that can thwart almost any attack. Which is why despite the urge to pick the “live” underdog in Griffin we are going with the Spiderman Anderson Silva. Despite the size discrepancy, Silva is one of the longest limbed fighters that we have ever seen. Silva uses these freakishly long extremities to a great advantage on both offense and defense.

While Griffin is a powerful striker he might not be able to hit or maul the elusive Brazilian. Griffin is also fairly easy to hit and cut which is never a good thing when facing a lethal striker like Silva. The other concern we have with Griffin is the “celebrity fighter factor”. We have seen more than our share of fighters (Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Antonio Tarver) slip on their fighting skills once they have become too famous for their own good. Griffin’s recent box-office fame could be ill-timed now that he has to share an octagon with the best UFC fighter in the world. While Griffin is the stronger man he will be at a disadvantage on the ground against the world-class jiu-jitsu artist in Silva. When a slightly bigger very-good fighter meets a slightly smaller great fighter, great wins.