UFC 156 Results: Power Ranking the Preliminary Card Fights

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UFC 156 started off with the free prelims, which are meant to entice fans to order their pay-per-view.

It's safe to say that the UFC may have earned some extra buys following the prelims.

Almost every fight on the prelims was exciting. The fights were closely contested and had fans all over out of their seats cheering for the action.

Here are the power rankings of the preliminary card.

Evan Dunham Def. Gleison Tibau Via Split Decision

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The fight really didn't stand a chance based on how good all the other prelims were.

There was some solid back-and-forth action, but eventually Evan Dunham prevailed on a more-tired Gleison Tibau as the fight went on. It was a close split decision, but it's hard to argue that Dunham did not do enough to take the judges' scorecards. 

Isaac Vallie-Flagg Def. Yves Edwards Via Split Decision

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Yves Edwards welcomed Isaac Vallie-Flagg to the UFC in an exciting three-round affair.

Whether on the feet or on the ground, this fight had some great action. Both men had their moments, with Vallie-Flagg taking advantage at the end of the fight because Edwards was tired.

When it was all said and done, Vallie-Flagg took a close split decision. It was a very close fight and could have gone either way.

Bobby Green Def. Jacob Volkmann Via Rear-Naked Choke

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In probably the biggest upset from the prelims, Strikeforce import Bobby Green choked out Jacob Volkmann with a rear-naked choke to win his debut.

Things looked murky from the start, as Volkmann got top control on Green. However, as the fight went along, Green got more comfortable and even took Volkmann down.

Some great ground-and-pound opened things up for Green, who choked out Volkmann with under a minute left.

Tyron Woodley Def. Jay Hieron Via KO

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It was quick, but it definitely wasn't without pain.

Tyron Woodley wanted to make a good first impression—and he certainly did that. Barely into the start of the fight, Woodley drilled Jay Hieron with a nasty combination.

A couple of brutal ground strikes later and Woodley was crowned the winner. That is a huge win for Woodley that will earn him a top guy in his next fight.

Dustin Kimura Def. Chico Camus Via Rear-Naked Choke

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Dustin Kimura's debut with the UFC was an exciting one, boasting a great guard and submission skills against Chico Camus.

The fight was largely contested on the ground, with Kimura throwing up submission after submission on the Duke Roufus student. One errant takedown by Camus was all it took in the third round for Kimura to end up on his back, locking up a fight-ending rear-naked choke.

Impressive win for Kimura and fun fight to watch.

Francisco Rivera Def. Edwin Figueroa Via TKO

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The opening fight of the guard was a barn burner between Francisco Rivera and Edwin Figueroa.

Figueroa was the dominator early, almost ending Rivera's night in the first round. These two put together a wild brawl that was largely entertaining and reminded me of a good, old-fashioned fisticuff in my high school parking lot. 

The difference between the fight and parking lot brawl was that the fight was way better in the Octagon. Rivera would earn a knockout win, coming back from almost losing in the first round.