UFC On Fox 2 Fight Card Breakdown: Chael Sonnen Vs. Michael Bisping

Middleweights Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping meet at tonight's UFC on Fox 2 card in Chicago, Illinois to determine the next challenger to Anderson Silva's middleweight title. Bisping was a short-notice replacement for Mark Munoz who had to drop out with an injury.

The 34-year-old Sonnen (26-11-1, 5-4 UFC) emerged improbably as a major star and a true contender in 2010 when he very nearly beat Anderson Silva at UFC 117. Unfortunately for Sonnen he got tapped in the final round of that fight after dominating every moment of action up to that point. Even worse he failed a post-fight drug test and had to serve a year's suspension. He's back on track now and is eager for a shot at Silva.

Sonnen's a former All-American NCAA wrestler at the University of Oregon who's trained with former Olympian Matt Lindland for his entire MMA career. He's an expert at the Team Quest style of ground and pound who's shown a serious vulnerability to submissions throughout his career. He actually won his last fight by submission over Brian Stann at UFC 136.

Bisping (22-3, 12-3 UFC) is a former winner of The Ultimate Fighter who moved down from Light Heavyweight a couple of years back. He's got a very good Muay Thai standing attack and has excellent Jiu-Jitsu skills. Unfortunately he's not a strong wrestler and will likely spend most of this bout on his back.

Barring Bisping getting a submission on Sonnen, expect to see Sonnen take him down early and often and beat him up on the ground.