UFC 138 Fight Card: Info and Predictions for Every Fight

On Saturday, November 5th, 2011, the UFC will travel to Birmingham, England for UFC 138.

The highly anticipated fight card will take place in front of a sold-out LG Arena, with delayed viewing in the United States.

The main card is headlined by heavy-hitting middleweight Chris Leben, who will look to continue his recent success against up-and-coming star Mark Munoz.

The fight card consists of five main card bouts with five preliminary fights.

The following slides display info and predictions for every fight.

Let's take a look.

Chris Cariaso vs. Vaughan Lee

Chris Cariaso

Career Record: 11-3

UFC Record: 1-1

Key Win: Will Campuzano

Key Losses: Renan Barão, Michael McDonald

Vaughan Lee

Career Record: 11-6-1

UFC Record: 0-0

Key Win: Ian Cox

Key Loss: Brad Pickett

Vaughan Lee will make his UFC debut in front of his home country when the UFC travels to England on November 5th.

Lee, one of the more well-rounded bantamweights in mixed martial arts today, will square off with Chris Cariaso, who is one of the best conditioned 135-lb. fighters in the UFC.

Chances are Lee will try and make a statement early in front of his hometown crowd by entering in on Cariaso as soon as action begins.

The longer the fight goes on, the more likely it is for Cariaso's exceptional conditioning to kick in.

Look for Cariaso to fend off any early attempts by Lee and push the bout to the distance.

Despite Cariaso's great conditioning, expect Lee to be too much for Cariaso to handle.

Prediction: Lee by Unanimous Decision

Chris Cope vs. Che Mills

Chris Cope

Career Record: 5-1

UFC Record: 1-0

Key Wins: Chuck O'Neil

Key Losses: Josh Samman

Che Mills

Career Record: 13-4 (1)

UFC Record: 0-0

Key Wins: Marcio Cesar, Edgelson Lua

Key Losses: Yuya Shira

While many fans will look past the Chris Cope vs. Che Mills bout, it could be one of the more interesting fights of the evening.

Mills has never set foot inside the Octagon, but he demonstrates a well-rounded skill set.

Chances are action could start slowly, as both fighters will attempt to feel one another out.

However, after the first few minutes, expect these two to swing for the fences. But don't be surprised if the fight heads to the judges' scorecards when all is said and done.

Prediction: Mills by Unanimous Decision

Rob Broughton vs. Phil De Fries

Rob Broughton

Career Record: 15-6-1

UFC Record: 1-1

Key Wins: Vinicius Queiroz

Key Losses: Travis Browne

Phil De Fries

Career Record: 7-0 (1)

UFC Record: 0-0

Key Wins: Stav Economou

Key Losses: N/A

UFC fans in England shouldn't expect Rob Broughton and Phil De Fries' bout to last any longer than the first two rounds.

In his eight-match career, De Fries, a mastermind in the submission phase, has picked up seven wins, all by tapout.

Broughton, on the other hand, will look to avoid taking the fight to the ground as his strength is found in his hands.

If Broughton can avoid the ground game, especially losing back control, he should have no problem coming out on top.

Prediction: Broughton by Round 2 TKO

Michihiro Omigawa vs. Jason Young

Michihiro Omigawa

Career Record: 12-10-1

UFC Record: 0-4

Key Wins: Cole Escovedo, Hatsu Hioki

Key Losses: Darren Elkins, Chad Mendes

Jason Young

Career Record: 8-4

UFC Record: 0-1

Key Wins: Jorge Britt

Key Losses: Dustin Poirie

Michihiro Omigawa and Jason Young will be fighting for more than just a victory at UFC 138.

Chances are whoever comes up short in this featherweight bout may very well find themselves on the outside looking in.

Therefore, it is likely that both Omigawa and Young will attempt to put on a show for the England crowd and maintain their jobs in the UFC.

Young will enter in on Omigawa early and overwhelm him with his exceptional Muay Thai skills. If Omigawa can bounce back and win points from the judges, he has a chance. But that's a big if.

Prediction: Young by Unanimous Decision

John Maguire vs. Justin Edwards

John Maguire

Career Record: 16-3

UFC Record: 0-0

Key Wins: Peter Irving, Jake Bostwick

Key Losses: Tom Watson

Justin Edwards

Career Record: 7-1

UFC Record: 1-1

Key Wins: Jorge Lopez

Key Losses: Clay Harvison

John Maguire will make his UFC debut when he meets Justin Edwards at UFC 138.

Maguire, a former UCMMA welterweight champion, is a mastermind in the submission and he will look to take the fight to the ground and catch his opponent frequently.

Fortunately for Edwards, he's a submission artist as well and has never been submitted.

While Maguire will do everything he can to catch his opponent, in the end it'll be Edwards who comes out on top.

Prediction: Edwards by Round 2 Submission

Cyrille Diabate vs. Anthony Perosh

Cyrille Diabate

Career Record: 17-7-1

UFC Record: 2-1

Key Wins: Steve Cantwell, Luiz Cane

Key Loss: Alexander Gustafsson

Anthony Perosh

Career Record: 11-6

UFC Record: 1-3

Key Win: Tom Blackledge

Key Losses: Mirko Cro Cop, James Te Huna

Cyrille Diabate will meet fellow light heavyweight Anthony Perosh in what has the potential to be the fight of the night.

Diabate is coming off arguably the biggest win of his career and will attempt to build on that success when he squares off with Perosh.

Diabate must be careful if the fight is taken to the ground as Perosh is an exceptional submission artist, as he's won eight times via tapout in his career.

But Diabate will more than likely be too much for Perosh.

Prediction: Diabate by Unanimous Decision

Terry Etim vs. Edward Faaloloto

Terry Etim

Career Record: 14-3

UFC Record: 5-3

Key Wins: Justin Buchholz, Sam Stout

Key Losses: Rafael dos Anjos, Rich Clementi

Eddie Faaloloto

Career Record: 2-2

UFC Record: 0-1

Key Win: Justin Babbs

Key Loss: Michael Johnson

Many mixed martial arts fans fail to realize just how experienced Terry Etim is, as he's fought in eight UFC bouts to date.

Etim will attempt to use his experience by taking Faaloloto to the ground and submitting him.

And it will all depend on which Faaloloto shows up on November 5, as he's showed signs in the past of having knockout power. However, we've witnessed him being on the other end of things as well.

Faaloloto needs to be on top of his game and defend against the submission early and often if he wants a chance to leave England victorious.

Prediction: Etim by Round 1 Submission

Thiago Alves vs. Papy Abedi

Thiago Alves

Career Record: 18-8

UFC Record: 10-5

Key Wins: Matt Hughes, Josh Koscheck

Key Losses: George St-Pierre, Jon Fitch

Papy Abedi

Career Record: 8-0

UFC Record: 0-0

Key Wins: Nathan Schouteren

Key Losses: N/A

The Thiago Alves vs. Papy Abedi fight is a knockout waiting to happen.

There's no denying how good Alves once was, as he earned himself a title shot with George St-Pierre in July 2009.

However, it appears Alves has lost his edge. Unfortunately for Alves, one of the last men he'd like to meet right now is red hot Abedi who is on a fast track to the top of the welterweight division.

While Alves may try to overwhelm Abedi early, look for the UFC newcomer to land a huge strike at some point during the fight.

Prediction: Abedi by Round 3 TKO

Brad Pickett vs. Renan Barao

Brad Pickett

Career Record: 21-4

UFC Record: 0-0

Key Wins: Demetrious Johnson, Ivan Menjivar

Key Loss: Scott Jorgensen

Renan Barao

Career Record: 26-1 (1)

UFC Record: 1-0

Key Win: Cole Escovedo

Key Loss: Joao Paulo

Both Brad Pickett and Renan Barao are new faces in the UFC. Pickett will make his UFC debut after making the transition from WEC and Barao will fight in just his second fight with the organization.

This bantamweight bout is one of the most anticipated 135-lb. fights of the year and has potential for fireworks.

Both Pickett and Barao will start slow but finish with a bang as they will more than likely take the time to feel one another out.

Pickett could leave victorious if he were to put Barao in a position he's not familiar with, but that is unlikely.

Barao hasn't lost in 26 straight fights and I don't expect that streak to end.

Prediction: Barao by Unanimous Decision

Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz

Chris Leben

Career Record: 22-7

UFC Record: 12-6

Key Wins: Wanderlei Silva, Jorge Santiago, Yoshihiro Akiyama

Key Losses: Brian Stann, Anderson Silva

Mark Munoz

Career Record: 11-2

UFC Record: 6-2

Key Wins: Demian Maia, C.B. Dollaway

Key Losses: Yushin Okami, Matt Hamill

In the main event of the evening at UFC 138, Chris Leben will look to continue his winning ways when he takes on up-and-coming middleweight Mark Munoz.

Munoz needs to be very careful as Leben undoubtedly will be swinging for the fences as soon as action begins.

However, Leben will want to avoid having the fight taken to the ground at all costs as Munoz has demonstrated vicious ground and pound skills since entering the UFC in March of 2009.

And, while Leben may be a better striker than Munoz, if he were to be taken to the ground, his night could come to an end very quickly.

Look for Munoz to shock the world by pounding away at Leben on his way to victory.

Prediction: Munoz by Round 2 TKO