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UFC 110 took place earlier this evening at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.

In the night’s main event, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira took on Cain Velasquez in a heavyweight bout that could determine Brock Lesnar’s next opponent.

In the co-main event, Wanderlei Silva made his middleweight debut against Michael Bisping.

Joe Stevenson and George Sotiropoulos met in a lightweight bout.

Ryan Bader looked to climb the light heavyweight ladder against Keith Jardine.

Anthony Perosh stepped in on short-notice to take on Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic.

Results, thoughts, bonuses and live gate (when available) after the jump.

“If you’re going to play jiu-jitsu in the UFC, you have to be comfortable enough to play on the bottom. You have to have a strong chin and not be afraid of the punches when you play guard. You can’t have any fear to play jiu-jitsu. You know you’re going to open holes. You know you’re going to get hit and take a lot of punishment, but you have to remain calm and watch very carefully because a hole will open at any time…When your opponent is punching you, yes, he’s hurting you maybe, but he’s opening holes and putting himself at risk, too. In my last fight [at UFC 102] with Randy, if you watched, you can see that Randy threw the elbow and I swept him. I let him stay [in my guard] and be comfortable because I knew he would be open. You learn from experience. There’s pain, but there’s also gain.”

—Minotauro Nogueira talking to Yahoo! Sports about what it takes to be effective from the guard in MMA

Cain Velasquez is such a strong wrestler, Nogueira will undoubtedly find himself on the bottom at least once or twice on Saturday night. That’s not a place most fighters would want to be against Velasquez, but Nogueira has made his living getting pounded from the top only to pull out seemingly miraculous submissions late in fights. He’s obviously very comfortable there, so the question at UFC 110 will be whether or not Velasquez gives Nogueira the opening he needs to pull off the win. It’s a chess match I cant wait to watch.

Image via Sherdog

Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera and Cain Velasquez meet in the main event this Saturday, Feb. 20, at UFC 110.

Cain Velasquez takes on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a heavyweight battle on Saturday, Feb. 20, at UFC 110.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira takes on Cain Velasquez in a heavyweight battle on Saturday, Feb. 20, at UFC 110.

A win like Frank had last night surely propels him to share the top of the division with Nog, Cain and myself. If beating Kongo was enough to propel Cain to number two contender status, destroying Kongo might edge Cain out. What is more compelling is that Mir made it our of that fight injury free so not only is he at the top of the division he is likely ready to fight sooner then later…The main question I am getting is would I fight Frank? The answer is easy YES. I am not a fighter who decides who he fights, I fight who I am told to fight. I like it that way, I am not trying to build a legacy I am trying to fight the best fighters in the World and determine where I fit in. Mir is a Multiple time Champion, who has been counted out more then Mike Tyson to only find himself right back at the top. He is a LEGEND of the sport and I would be honored to fight him.

—Shane Carwin via his official website confirming he would fight Frank Mir if asked

Such a class act that Shane Carwin is, but I wonder if his admiration for Frank Mir will diminish once Mir starts questioning his chin and whatever other weaknesses he happens to find. Oh wait, he already did.

In all seriousness though, this would make for an excellent fight and both are up for it. In fact, some people are suggesting the Nogueira-Velasquez winner face the Mir-Carwin winner for an interim title if Brock’s return is too far off. It sounds good, but what if Frank Mir wins both fights? Surely he would deserve another title shot if he were to win out, but then you have Lesnar fighting Mir again in his very first fight back since destroying him. I don’t know about you, but I’m not too crazy about that potential scenario. The UFC might like it though. It would probably sell more pay-per-views than any of other three match-ups.

With maybe the exception of BJ Penn, no one made a statement last night quite like Frank Mir. He obliterated Cheick Kongo with a left hand and choked him out in 1:12. It was a message sent loud and clear that he wants Brock Lesnar and he’s willing do whatever it takes to get the rubber match.