The Ultimate Fighting Champion is stronger than ever, with a stable of veterans and up-an-coming fighters willing to fight the best competition there is. UFC  is staging UFC 100 on July 11, 2009 - a milestone event, considering that the organization was in the danger of folding up a few years back.

UFC 100 will feature several high caliber matches. Arguably, the most compelling match of the night would have to be the weltereight championship match between titleholder George St. Pierre and Thiago Alves. GSP is the heavy favorite in the match, being the more accomplished and experienced between the two protagonists. But Thiago Alves cannot be discounted easily, especially with his great stand-up skills. After all, one knock out punch is all it takes for Thiago to capture the belt.

Thiago Alves is a burly welterweight who can add up to 30 pounds in his weight come fight time. This is a big advantage, as he can come in the match with a substantial power edge. This may also mean that he can be harder to take down, a convenient advantage over a takedown artist like St. Pierre.

But more than the weight factor, his biggest strength coming into the  fight will definitely be his dangerous stand-up game.  He has great kickboxing techniques, with a lethal combination of  speed and power with his leg and knee strikes. He also  has tremendous power in both hands.  But what makes him a compelling fighter is that he is not just about athleticism. He is a very  intelligent striker, he is unpredictable, he throws good combinations, and he has good boxing and clinch defense to boot. He will pose problems against GSP standing up. He can definitely knock down any fighter in his weight class - St. Pierre included.

He has a decent takedown defense. In his fights recent fights, he was rarely taken down, if at all, because of his massive weight advantage.  But for all his experience in not being taken down, he has not yet fought against a top-caliber takedown fighter like GSP. So that facet of his game is a question mark in this match.

Needless to say, he is going to have his hands full against the very versatile GSP. The best case  scenario for Alves is for him to constantly work his way back up and establish his standing game.

As for George St. Pierre, he is not the welterweight champion for nothing.  He is a smart all-around mixed martial artist, he has fought the best competition there is, he has a huge advantage in experience, and he is arguably the most accomplished player at welterweight right now. This fight is for him to lose.

The long and lanky Canadian has a knack for winning round after round against his opponents, thus always getting the win when the fight comes to the scorecards. He mixes  his stand-up and wrestling wrestling game. He does not have much punching power, but whatever he lacks with his punches, he makes up with his kickboxing skills.

But he is most dangerous when he is on the ground  - he can either ground and pound his opponent, or he can look for openings for a submission holdand force his opponent to tap out. He is one of the best takedown and wrestling artist there is on the UFC. You can be sure that when the going gets rough standing up, he will find a way to take the game to the floor, where he is sure to punish Alves.