Rear-naked chokes, guillotine chokes, kimuras, armbars, joint locks, knee strikes and throws. Watch closely on Saturday night because these are some of the techniques that will be executed by the world’s best mixed-martial arts (MMA) fighters when the Ultimate Fighting Championship slams and kicks its way into town.

Sold out within weeks of its announcement, more than 18,000 fans from throughout the country will pack Nationwide Arena to watch UFC 68: The Uprising. On the card is a match for the heavyweight title, two former champions and one former Ohio State wrestler.

In the heavyweight division, former light-heavyweight champion Randy “The Natural” Couture will come out of retirement at 43 years old to challenge 30-year old current champion Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia. Fueling the interest in this bout is not only the age difference, but the size gap as well. Sylvia stands at 6-foot-8, 255 pounds. to Couture’s 6-foot-2, 220 lbs. It might seem like an easy win for Sylvia, but he still has his critics. One of those is Couture himself, who questioned Sylvia’s heart after a recent bout.

“It’s definitely lit a fire under my ass,” Sylvia said. “We like to consider ourselves good friends, but the things he said … I’m kind of taking this a little personal and I’m going out there to prove a point. Before we leave I’m going to knock Randy’s ass out.”

Sylvia’s punching and kicking ability is undisputed, and he said he will use his reach to his advantage. However, his ground-fighting ability remains a question mark because he is rarely taken down because of his size. Nonetheless, he said he modified his training regimen to prepare a defense against Couture’s wrestling background should the fight go to the mat.

“Randy’s more of a Greco-style (wrestler) and he’s going to have a bunch of tricks in his bag, no doubt about it,” Sylvia said. “Whatever he brings to the table I think we’re going to be ready for.”

Couture, who recently signed a four-fight contract with the UFC, said he understands the challenges that Sylvia’s size presents, and believes he is peaking at the right time to come into the fight prepared.

“I think Tim’s stature in height, reach and weight pose some interesting problems,” Couture said. “He uses his range very well … and that is the task at hand, to try and find a way to get past that. The last four weeks have been fantastic and I believe I’m in the best shape of my life right now. I’m excited.”

This is the first time that Ohio will have hosted an MMA event of this magnitude. UFC president Dana White said choosing Columbus was an easy decision.

“We were talking with the guys at the Arnold Classic (a bodybuilding competition held in conjunction with the UFC this weekend) and they said they’d love to have us out there at the same time that they were out there,” White said. “We looked into it, checked out the arena, and it made sense … we wanted to do it.”

Since White took over as president in 2001, he has helped turn the UFC into a household name and sees a bright future, both nationally and internationally.

“Right now we’re in 160 countries on some form of television, whether its pay-per-view or free TV,” White said. “Now we’re starting to take the live show to all these different countries. Over the next five years, I see this being on all the major networks in every country.”

In terms of Ohio, White is also optimistic.

“Ohio is going to end up being the biggest attendance in North America,” White said. “There’s going to be 18,600 people there, so yeah, I will come back to Ohio.”

The Buckeye state has practically been an MMA factory for producing top fighters as of late. In addition to Franklin, several champions have come from Ohio, with several cutting their teeth on the OSU wrestling team.

Mark Coleman and Kevin Randleman are the two most recognized former OSU wrestlers to make the successful transition to MMA-style fighting, frequently entering the ring wearing OSU jerseys and hats. Coleman, the 1988 NCAA champion at 190 pounds, was the first UFC Heavyweight champion in 1997, and the 2000 Japan-based PRIDE organization’s Grand Prix champion. Randleman, the 1992 and 1993 NCAA champion at 177 pounds, was the 2001 UFC Heavyweight champion. Rex “Big Dog” Holman, who will fight Matt “The Hammer” Hamill on Saturday night, was the NCAA champion in 1993 at 190 pounds. Former OSU wrestler Sean Salmon recently fought at UFC Fight Night Live as well.

Randleman, who also fights with PRIDE, said he is excited about the UFC coming to Columbus. He fought Couture in 2000 at UFC 28 and said he expects the former champion to leave with a win.

“Randy knows how to take you down 50 different ways and you can’t teach that, it’s just natural for Randy,” Randleman said. “He’s got every tool in the world to beat him. Tim Sylvia doesn’t know how to wrestle like Randy Couture.”

To those who have never seen an MMA fight, it can seem quite violent. The rules are rather limited. No head butting, no kicking a downed opponent, no elbow strikes, and no striking to the spine, groin or throat is allowed. Everything else is fair game. The only attire are MMA-approved shorts or kickboxing trunks and 4-oz gloves to protect the hand. No wrestling shoes are allowed. All non-championship bouts are three rounds and championship bouts are five rounds, which each round lasting five minutes.

In true gladiator style, nothing is faked or rehearsed. Once the fighters walk into the eight-sided fenced-in cage known as the Octagon, they become very aggressive, and the knockouts can be spectacular. Even with blood splattered across them, they’ll continue to fight unless the referee stops it. Despite its brutal appearance, it is worth noting that, according the UFC’s website, www.ufc.tv, no fighter has ever been seriously injured. To the fighters, it is simply their chosen profession.

“I’m not trying to hurt anybody, that’s not my job. I’m just going in there to win,” Randleman said. “When the gate shuts, it’s just a job.”

Although the event is sold out, it will be broadcast on pay-per-view, so check with your local cable provider. There are a total of nine fights on the card. In addition to the aforementioned bouts, former welterweight champion Matt Hughes is fighting Chris “Lights Out” Lytle. Renato “Babalu” Sobral will also return after his loss to current light-heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell to take on Jason “The Punisher” Lambert.

White said the next five upcoming UFC events are already sold out as well. With plans to continue to take his brand of MMA fighting global, it seems the ticket lines will continue to get longer.

“This is the most exciting combat sport in the world … it’s pretty amazing,” White said.

Anthony Puleio can be reached at [email protected].