Maybe predictions from fighters carry the same weight as fans. Then again, maybe not. Just in case these guys are as good at predicting fights as they are performing in them, the Las Vegas Sun has assembled a panel to offer predictions and insights into the top three fights on the UFC 100 card.

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UFC president Dana White credits Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar’s epic back-and-forth battle in April of 2005 for single-handily saving the struggling mixed martial arts organization. No other UFC war gets White’s official “most important fight in UFC history” seal of approval. But there’s been plenty of other brawls, sprawls, and mauls that head up a short list of bouts that could be referred to as the best-of-the-best.

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There is no draw. Not even a split decision. The most influential fighter in UFC history is Randy Couture. His many accomplishments in the Octagon coupled with his appeal to the mainstream market and dedication to furthering MMA, firmly places him at the top of the list.

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To say Logan Stanton was a little shocked when she found out that UFC president Dana White wanted to meet with her, is a flat out understatement. The 20-year-old model knew White from watching UFC events at various spots in Miami, but obviously she thought that the UFC’s tastes in Octagon girls didn’t exactly match her slender frame. “Dana called up my agency and requested I meet with him. I was kind of unsure why at the time,” Stanton said recalling the life-changing meeting with a little laughter.

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It’s common knowledge around the UFC that when matchmaker Joe Silva wants something, he usually gets it. But even Silva had to know that a recent request he made to UFC president Dana White probably wasn’t going to happen. “Joe called the other day and wanted me to fire (UFC co-owner) Lorenzo Fertitta,” White laughed. “He said, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get rid of this guy.’ He was joking of course, but that’s the way he is. When he calls, he’s got an opinion, I listen, and a lot of times he’ll get his way. “And nobody is ever going to win an argument with him.”

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His fame might not quite be in Ed Hochuli’s league just yet, but if the UFC’s rapid growth continues at its current pace Herb Dean may just track down the NFL veteran official in terms of popularity. “It’s kind of strange, I always thought refereeing would be a thankless job that people wouldn’t really pay attention to unless you messed up,” said the 38-year-old Dean, a Pasadena, Calif. native who has been refereeing mixed martial arts fights for more than a decade.

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The physical fireworks will be exploding today as Americans celebrate their independence, but for U.S. fight fans a similar celebratory event will take place next Saturday when the Ultimate Fighting Championship makes mixed martial arts history with its 100th show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. While no country as helped put the competition on the map more than the United States, UFC brass know for the sport to take its next step it has to appeal to a global audience.

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When you bathe your hands in blood enough times, few situations tend to disturb you. While that sentence may sound like the M.O. for a serial killer, it’s actually a day-to-day motto for UFC cutman Jacob “Stitch” Duran. In his more than 14 years of tending to the mugs of boxers and mixed martial artists since moving to Las Vegas, there have only been two situations that have made the legendary cutman queasy.

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There’s a special kind of focus that makes one man the “Veteran voice of the Octagon.” You don’t have it. I don’t have it. Few of us will ever even understand it. The man who welds this power refers to it simply as: “Buffer-mode.”

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It used to be mixed martial arts apparel was sold out of the back of cars. But oh how the times have changed. “We owe a deep debt of gratitude to all the guys at (UFC parent company) Zuffa for being able to piggyback off their success,” said Dan Caldwell, co-founder of the Tapout clothing brand that started selling T-shirts in parking lots.

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