UFC on Versus 5 Fight Card: Early Breakdowns and Predictions

UFC Live: Hardy vs Lytle is going to take place August 14th at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It will mark the first ever UFC event in Wisconsin as they continue to expand nationally and globally.

The card is headlined by welterweight stars Dan Hardy and Chris Lytle in a fan friendly match-up designed to produce fireworks.

Although that matchup will not directly have title implications, there are some other fights further down the card that certainly do.

Names like Joseph Benavidez, Ben Henderson, and Jim Miller stand out as championship level fighters. 

All in all, it is another amazing night of fights put on for us for free courtesy of the UFC.

Although the event is a little over a month away, it is never too early to look ahead and breakdown some of the fights.

Eddie Wineland vs. Joseph Benavidez

The Breakdown: Former bantamweight champion Eddie Wineland is just coming off of a competitive loss to Benavidez's stablemate Urijah Faber.

Benavidez has essentially looked like an unstoppable freight train with his only losses being excellent wars against reigning champion Dominick Cruz.

Benavidez has victories over stand-outs like Rani Yahya, Jeff Curran, Wagney Fabiano, and former long-time bantamweight champion Miguel Torres. Benavidez will look to add another former champion to his resume by taking out well-regarded Eddie Wineland.

Prediction: Eddie Wineland via TKO in the second round.

I may be the only one, but I am going to go with Eddie Wineland in the big upset here.

Benavidez did not look excellent against Ian Loveland in his last bout and Wineland looks like he might be a more polished version of Loveland. Wineland also looked pretty good against Faber but was just frustrated with takedowns in the last two rounds.

Benavidez is not quite as strong or powerful as Faber.

Charles Oliveira vs. Donald Cerrone

Breakdown: The 21-year old Charles Oliveira is a dynamic young prospect tagged by many as a future star and title contender.

Against Cerrone, however, Oliveira is facing another eventual potential title contender.

Both fighters are young, hungry, and dynamic, but Cerrone is decidedly more seasoned as he has headlined and fought in three championship fights for the WEC.

At six-feet tall and well-muscled, Cerrone is also likely a big weight cutter for 155 lbs. and should thus carry a decent size and strength advantage on fight night.

Oliveira is talented enough to finish anybody in any aspect but it is far from a foregone conclusion against a beast like Donald Cerrone.

Prediction: Donald Cerrone via TKO in the third round. 

Cerrone prides himself as a kickboxer yet he has no KO/TKO victories in almost 20 fights.  Oliveira is relentless and fearless and it might give Cerrone the opportunity to finally showcase the finishing ability in his strikes. 

C.B. Dollaway vs. Jared Hamman

Breakdown: Dollaway has earned his keep in the UFC middleweight division with a 5-3 record but is coming off of a loss to top contender Mark Munoz.

Hamman is 2-1 in the UFC light heavyweight division, with two "fight of the night" bonuses, and is making his middleweight debut.

Hamman's record suggests that he is a more than competent ground fighter but I do not believe that he has yet faced a wrestler of Dollaway's caliber.

Prediction: C.B. Dollaway via submission in the second round

Both fighters are well rounded and come from great camps, but as is often the case, the wrestler should be able to dictate more of the fight.

Hamman will either struggle to escape from underneath or try to grapple against Dollaway. If the latter, Dolloway can use his positional dominance to find a fight-ending submission.

Amir Sadollah vs. Duane Ludwig

Breakdown: Two of the most technical welterweight strikers trying to separate themselves from the middle of the division.

Ludwig is the veteran and has a much better pedigree of striking outside of MMA, but Sadollah is likely slighty more well-rounded and better at mixing it up.

This matchup is sure to deliver some of the best muay thai exchanges in the sport, but as both have a lot on the line in terms of their careers, expect them for look for advantages in clinches, takedowns, and grappling as well.

Prediction: Amir Sadollah via unanimous decision.

It is entirely possible that Ludwig baits Sadollah into punishing strikes but it would be more likely that Sadollah keeps Ludwig off balance at critical points in the match to earn a very close decision.

Jim Miller vs. Benson Henderson

Breakdown: Both 27-year-olds are veterans of the sport in their own way and looking to make a big case for a title shot.

Ben Henderson is the former WEC lightweight champion and was ranked by many as a fringe top 10 lightweight. In his UFC debut he impressed by beating down Canadian hometown favorite Mark Bocek in Toronto.

Miller has a slightly longer career and is currently riding a rarely seen seven-fight win streak within the UFC.

A win for Miller should guaruntee him a title shot in the deepest of divisions and a win for Henderson would announce his "arrival" at the upper echelons of the UFC.

Prediction: Jim Miller via unanimous decision.

I believe physically, Henderson is the more naturally gifted athlete, which makes things interesting, but it is hard to think of what could derail Miller at this point besides Maynard or Edgar.

Dan Hardy vs. Chris Lytle

Breakdown: Two stars of the welterweight division who might be close to having their flame extinguished.

After a streak of wins that earned him a shot at the title, Dan Hardy has lost three straight fights and now finds himself in danger of losing his place on the UFC roster.

Lytle was riding the best winning streak of his career when he was derailed by late replacement Brian Ebersole in February. The loss should not have been too big of a blow to his momentum, but Lytle is now coming off of surgery and some mild talk of retirement.

Prediction: Dan Hardy via unanimous decision

Dan Hardy is the much hungrier fighter in this scenario. Lytle is probably the more dangerous fighter based off of his skill-set, but at 36 years old, he might not feel he has much left to prove.

Lytle has never been knocked out and I do not think he will be here, but I think Hardy will find Lytle's chin often enough to keep him on his heels.