Audio player after the jump.

Here’s what I’ll be looking for during the card…

What does Randy Couture have left in the tank? This is truly a question and doesn’t imply anything more than that. The last time I underestimated Couture, he proved me wrong against Tim Sylvia and Gabriel Gonzaga in 2007. Since then, however, the “Natural” was inactive for a year due to a contract dispute with the UFC and has also suffered two losses in the heavyweight division, though both losses came against arguably superior fighters (Brock Lesnar and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira) and don’t necessarily indicate an erosion of Couture’s skillset.

I expect Couture to win at UFC 105 against Brandon Vera in Couture’s return to the 205 lb. weight class, but if he doesn’t, then I might worry about his future in the sport. With heavyweights getting bigger and bigger and with Couture always on the smaller end of the heavyweight spectrum, I think the move down to light heavyweight makes sense. On the other hand, it’s the UFC’s deepest division so a loss to Vera would not bode well.

Will we see the aggressive Brandon Vera of old? Vera was a rising star in the UFC at the end of 2006, coming off a victory over then-former champ Frank Mir. But his own contract dispute with the promotion followed by consecutive losses to Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum led to Vera’s own drop down to light heavyweight. Though Vera is 3-1 in the light heavyweight division, his wins have not been impressive and he’s lacked the attacking style that made him a darling during his rise in the promotion.

Against Couture, Vera has an opportunity to make a true statement and jump into the top 10. But, can he defend against Couture’s takedown attempts and will he be able to assert his Muay Thai dominance standing up? If the answer to both of those questions is no, we may see Couture ground out a victory. If the answer is yes, a remaining question is, can Vera win in spectacular fashion?

While a victory over Couture would be huge for Vera, unless he can win big, I can’t see Vera being promoted as a title contender in such a deep division that is replete with more exciting and more accomplished fighters.

Can Michael Bisping rebound from his first KO loss? Some UFC fans believe that Bisping has been protected by the promotion in order to prop him up in their attempts to make inroads in the UK. Interestingly enough, when he’s had the opportunity to disprove this theory and fight against elite fighters, Bisping has lost both times (to Rashad Evans in 2007 and Dan Henderson this year.)

The loss to Evans was by split decision and Bisping recovered to run off another winning streak, albeit only after moving down to a lower weight class (185 pounds.) The loss to Henderson, however, is a true test of what Bisping’s future will look like. Bisping was absolutely rocked by the former PRIDE two-belt holder — Bisping’s first-ever loss by KO.

Some fighters never recover from such a devastating loss. We’ll learn a lot about Bisping at UFC 105, especially his mental game, and he certainly isn’t being given an easy opponent in Denis Kang.

Will Denis Kang stake his claim as one of the UFC’s elite? Between 2003 and 2006, Kang won 21 out of 23 fights with no losses during that time (one fight was a draw, the other a no contest.) This spectacular run made Kang one of the hottest fighters in the world. Since then, Kang has cooled off considerably, though his losses have come to the likes of Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Gegard Mousasi as well as Japanese stud Kazuo Misaki.

Still, Kang’s first two fights in the UFC leave the fighter looking for that signature win that will enamor him to UFC fans. His loss to Alan Belcher in his Octagon debut was a surprise upset to a talented but inconsistent fighter. His victory over “Professor X” at UFC 97 did not make the main card of that event.

So, UFC 105 serves as a big opportunity for Kang. He will announce his arrival with a decisive victory over the high profile TUF champ Bisping in front of the Brit’s home crowd. And, that’s what I’m predicting Kang will do.

Is Mike Swick ready for GSP? Swick was initially supposed to fight Martin Kampmann earlier this fall before a training camp injury led to his withdrawal from that bout, which had been touted as a title contender bout. Kampmann was upset by fill-in Paul Daley and Swick now faces Dan Hardy in a division that is currently looking for a new challenger for the dominant champ, Georges St. Pierre.

Swick has looked more and more impressive with each fight since he dropped down to welterweight. No slouch at middleweight, Swick now finds himself as one of the taller, longer fighters in his new division and doesn’t appear to have lost his quick hands, which allowed him to TKO Ben Saunders in his last fight.

If Swick can defeat Hardy in front of the Brit’s home fans, will he be ready for a title shot? If the victory is a finish, I don’t think the UFC has much of a choice, given Swick’s name recognition and winning streak. One could argue that “Quick” should fight a top contender like Thiago Alves (I’m not sure if he’d be willing to fight fellow AKA campmates Josh Koscheck or Jon Fitch) but I think the UFC is looking for a fresh face to put up against St. Pierre. Personally, I’d like a Swick-Alves fight because I’m not sure Swick has proved enough at welterweight for a title shot quite yet but a Swick-GSP bout would certainly be easy to promote.

Will Dan Hardy earn a title shot if he defeats Swick? Listening to Swick’s statements on UFC 105 Countdown this week, you tend to believe that Swick certainly doesn’t believe Hardy has earned a title shot and I tend to agree. I believe Hardy (with only three prior bouts in the UFC) needs to bolster his resume further, even with a victory over Swick.

That would mean pairing Hardy up against one of the elite welterweight fighters — Koscheck, Fitch, or Alves — before giving the Brit a shot at GSP. But, the question for those fighters is, what’s in it for them?

On the other hand, one could argue that a decisive finish by Hardy at UFC 105 combined with his penchant for trash talk would make for a good title fight in either Canada or back in the UK. No matter where the UFC puts that fight and no matter how dominant Hardy’s performance at UFC 105, I still don’t think he’s ready for St. Pierre this early in his career.

Of course, all this is purely speculative because I think Swick will get the job done at UFC 105.