Mixed martial arts betting goes Down Under for UFC 110, which is being held in Sydney, Australia – the first ever UFC card on the continent. Headlining the event is a heavyweight battle between up-and-coming Cain Velásquez and MMA veteran Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

The UFC's heavyweight division is the promotion's most volatile group. The illness of champion Brock Lesnar has left many heavyweight fighters wondering where they stand among their peers. Add in the hungry prospects from the most recent Ultimate Fighter, and trying to gain ground in the 206-pound league is tough travels for the UFC's big men.

Velásquez (-120) has an opportunity to grab serious swagger in the heavyweight division. He can earn a shot at the 206-pound title with a win over Nogueira. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound American is riding high after knocking out Ben Rothwell at UFC 104 back in October. That victory by TKO improved Velásquez to 7-0 with six knockouts, but he has yet to fight an opponent as savvy and dangerous as “Big Nog”.

Nogueira proved he was still a force in the heavyweight division by destroying fellow legend, Randy Couture, at UFC 102 in August. Health issues have slowed the Brazilian's progress in recent years. He's battled injuries and staph infections, most recently postponing this bout from its original date of January 2. Nogueira has stepped into the octagon at less than 100 percent before, leading to his TKO loss to Frank Mir at UFC 92.

If healthy, Nogueira is a great mix of brute strength and quickness and can impose his will. Against a bigger fighter like Velásquez, he won't have the same dominance he showed against Couture. But his Jiu-Jitsu is among the finest in the sport, giving him great value at -110.

In other bouts, British brawler Michael Bisping (+115) faces PRIDE legend Wanderlei Silva in the middleweight division. Bisping proved his mental toughness, bouncing back from a devastating loss to Dan Henderson with a TKO victory over Dennis Kang. Bisping has yet to match up with the sport's elite fighters, losing to Henderson and Rashard Evans in the two biggest bouts of his career. However, experts believe Bisping is at his best in the 185-pound division.

Silva is always a threat for fireworks. The veteran is in the twilight of his MMA career, losing five of his last six fights – most recently falling by decision to Rich Franklin at UFC 99 back in June of last year. Silva hasn't fought at 185 pounds since losing his PRIDE middleweight crown in shocking fashion to Henderson back in 2007. Silva told reporters the cut in weight has made him faster, but bettors paying the -145 on the fighter might be more concerned about the drop sucking out some of Silva's knockout power and ability to take a punch.

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