Traditionally the UFC goes balls-out to put on a top-notch fight card for their New Year show, but thanks to a huge rash of injuries – including Anderson Silva, Brock Lesnar, Gabriel Gonzaga, Martin Kampmann, Sean Sherk and Antonio Nogueira - they've been left with a line-up that's short of big names but packed with interesting match-ups. The main event at UFC 108 will be between former light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans (originally slated to fight Quinton Jackson before he went off to film the A-Team movie) and Thiago Silva (last seen knocking out Evans' training partner Keith Jardine). It's an interesting fight, but we're more amped about the scrap between British knockout machine Paul Daley and submission wizard Dustin Hazelett, best known for inventing a new submission in the middle of a fight. With the two men's wildly differing skills, we're predicting a knockout/submission of the night bonus for the winner. We're rooting for Daley but it's a tough fight to call.
If UFC 108 doesn't float your boat, there's a quirky alternative from Japan. In the land of the rising sun, NYE is traditionally the night for watching TV, and in MMA it's the time when the promoters put together some downright insane match-ups to pull in viewers. This year, the biggest organisations – Sengoku and Dream – have decided to team up, pitting their best fighters against each other in an event called Dynamite! The Power Of Courage. Worth watching for the name alone. The main event sees hotly tipped newcomer Satoshi Ishi taking on the smaller but more experienced Hidehiko Yoshida in a battle of Olympic judo champions.
Also on the card is the Super Hulk Tournament final. After battling their way through a field that included American footballer Bob Sapp, 7'2" 'Techno Goliath' Hong Man Choi and disgraced baseball star Jose Canseco, Ikuhisa Minowa and UFC veteran Sokodjou will square off for the title of Super Hulk. Neither one's particularly hulkish, but Minowa – a professional wrestler in Japan – will be a huge crowd favourite thanks to his slick leglocks and red speedos.
