UFC on Versus 5 Fight Card: Early Main Card Preview and Predictions

Tim McTiernanJun 7, 2018

This is one of the best free cards we've seen in a long time.

UFC on Versus 5 takes place in Milkwaukee, Wisconsin, and the UFC pulled out some big names, and bigger matchups, for this card.

The first two fights on the main card are nothing special, but they're definitely solid for a free card.

The first fight has C.B. Dollaway taking on Jared Hamman at middleweight. The second fight is a welterweight matchup featuring Amir Sadollah and Duane "Bang" Ludwig.

Then it gets really good.

Two of the best prospects in the lightweight division square off when Charles Olivera takes on Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in a Fight of the Night candidate.

Then Jim Miller fights for his No. 1 contender spot against the former WEC lightweight champion Ben Henderson.

The main event of the evening features Dan Hardy looking to salvage his UFC career against the veteran who's never been stopped in his 53-fight career (aside from a TKO doctor stoppage and TKO to cuts).

Read on to find out who's going to walk away with wins.

Middleweight Bout: C.B. Dollaway vs. Jared Hamman

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In the first Fight of the Night, C.B. Dollaway (11-3) takes on Jared Hamman (11-3), who is making his middleweight debut.

In Dollaway's last fight, he was knocked out in under a minute by the Filipino Wrecking Machine, Mark Munoz. Prior to that, he was on a three-fight winning streak. His overall UFC record is 5-3, which isn't all that impressive, but good enough to keep him around.

Jared Hamman comes into the fight after losing a unanimous decision to Kyle Kingsbury in a Fight of the Night-winning performance.

Before that, Hamman had won another Fight of the Night, and was on the winning end of a unanimous decision at UFC 111.

I have faith in Dollaway for this one, and I expect him to rebound.

Prediction: C.B. Dollaway by second round submission.

Welterweight Bout: Amir Sadollah vs. Duane Ludwig

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In the second fight on the main card, Amir Sadollah (5-2) takes on Duane Ludwig (20-11).

Sadollah comes into this fight on a two-fight win streak. In his last fight, he pulled off a submission to elbows over DaMarques Johnson.

Sadollah has had all of his professional fights inside the UFC, with his only losses coming to Dong Hyun Kim and Johny Hendricks.

Duane Ludwig comes into the fight making his second appearance in the welterweight division. In his debut, he won a split decision over Nick Osipczak at UFC 122.

Prior to that, he lost two straight in the lightweight division against Jim Miller and Darren Elkins.

Ludwig is 7-7 in his last 14 fights, with no more than a two-fight winning streak at any point. Sadollah improves with every fight, and this one will be no different.

Prediction: Amir Sadollah by unanimous decision.

Lightweight Bout: Charles Oliveira vs. Donald Cerrone

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This fight is going to be outstanding.

Charles Oliveira (14-1 [1 NC]) takes on Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone (15-3 [1 NC]) in a matchup of outstanding, fast-paced grapplers, and two of the best prospects in the lightweight division.

Oliveira comes into this fight off a disappointment at UFC on Versus 4, where he submitted Nik Lentz after hitting him with an illegal knee. It's a disappointment because the fight was later overturned to a no contest.

Prior to that, Oliveira suffered his first career loss at the hands of Jim Miller and a first-round kneebar.

Cerrone enters the fight with a four-fight win streak, including both of his fights in the UFC. During that streak, he has won two Fight of the Night awards, and become one of the most successful WEC lightweights since the two organizations joined.

Cerrone has had a lot of opponent-switching in his time with the UFC, but he has already stepped up to the plate for Dana White so much that he was bound to be rewarded eventually. And now he has been, with a huge fight for his career.

This one is tough to call, but I think Cerrone will get the better of Oliveira.

Prediction: Donald Cerrone by third round submission. Fight of the Night.

Lightweight Bout: Jim Miller vs. Ben Henderson

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The co-main event of the night features Jim Miller (20-2) fighting for a No. 1 contender spot against the former WEC lightweight champion, Ben Henderson (13-2).

Miller comes into the fight on a seven-fight winning streak, with four finishes, and a Submission of the Night.

Miller has handily defeated everyone that Dana White has put in front of him, and Ben Henderson is yet another step up.

Should Miller beat Henderson, it has been confirmed that he would be next in line for a title shot after Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard do battle for a third time.

However, Henderson will be looking to spoil the No. 1 contender spot for Miller.

Henderson comes into the fight off a unanimous decision victory over Mark Bocek at UFC 129, where he went into absolute "beast mode" during the third round.

Prior to that, Henderson was on the wrong end of the Showtime kick, and he lost his WEC lightweight championship via unanimous decision to Anthony Pettis.

Henderson's win over Bocek was one thing, but Jim Miller is a whole different animal.

Prediction: Jim Miller via unanimous decision.

Welterweight Bout: Dan Hardy vs. Chris Lytle

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In the main event of the evening, Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy fights for his UFC career against Chris "Lights Out" Lytle.

Dan Hardy comes into this fight on a three-fight losing streak, and it's no secret that he's fighting for his UFC livelihood here.

His three straight losses came against top-tier competition in Georges St-Pierre, Carlos Condit and Anthony Johnson, though, so it's nothing to be ashamed of.

Hardy's whole game is his striking and his knockout power. Unfortunately, he's going up against a guy who's never been stopped due to strikes.

Chris Lytle enters the Octagon after losing a unanimous decision to the cartwheel-kicking Brian Ebersole at UFC 127.

In that fight, Lytle took some MASSIVE shots from Ebersole, but was still able to weather the storm, and make it all three rounds. Unfortunately, he lost.

Lytle is 36 years old, and with the loss in his last fight, a title shot is all but out of reach at this point in his career. This could be one of his last fights.

Hardy is only 29, so he still has plenty of time to work his way back up, and it starts here when he takes out Chris Lytle.

Prediction: Dan Hardy by unanimous decision.