UFC on FX: Full-Card Predictions

This weekend, the UFC comes to you on FX from the Land Down Under, Australia. This event makes history, as the UFC unveils its flyweight division for the first time ever.

These flyweights competing on the card are competing in a tournament to crown the inaugural UFC flyweight champion. With two men dropping a weight class to compete and two already top-ranked flyweights competing, it is sure to be exciting.

We also have a main event in the welterweight division, pitting a top contender of the division versus a resurgent former title contender. All of these fights provide potential to earn Fight of the Night bonuses.

Oli Thompson vs. Shawn Jordan

We kick things off on the Facebook portion of the card, as former English Strongman competitor Oli Thompson finally makes his awaited debut against former Strikeforce heavyweight Shawn Jordan.

Shawn "The Savage" Jordan trains with Greg Jackson and is not a stranger to the big leagues.

Jordan has competed in Strikeforce and Bellator, while sporting a 12-3 record. He holds a notable victory over Lavar Johnson, while losing in bouts against opponents like Devin Cole and Mark Holata. Jordan is powerful, holding eight wins by knockout.

Standing opposite of Jordan is Oli Thompson, who was supposed to make his UFC debut in England at UFC 138.

Thompson, who sports a 9-2 record, will hold the obvious strength advantage over Jordan. Thompson has finished all but one of his victories and has fought UFC notable Rob Broughton earlier in his career.

Prediction: Jordan defeats Thompson via submission.

Mackens Semerzier vs. Daniel Pineda

We then head to the preliminary fights on FUEL TV, where in the first bout Mackens Semerzier takes on Daniel Pineda.

Pineda has stepped in on short notice for this fight, replacing Robbie Peralta, who was supposed to rematch Semerzier following their no contest.

Pineda is a solid prospect, who has thus far shown to be pretty well rounded. Holding a 16-7 record, he won his UFC debut in dominating fashion, finishing Pat Schilling off with a rear-naked choke in under two minutes.

Meanwhile, "Mack da Menace" looks to get back on track following the aforementioned no contest against Peralta.

Semerzier is a long-time Zuffa employee, holding six contests under the WEC and UFC banners. His overall record is at 6-3 (1 NC), with five of his wins coming by submission.

Prediction: Semerzier defeats Pineda via submission.

TJ Waldburger vs. Jake Hecht

We then move onto an intriguing welterweight matchup, as submission specialist TJ Waldburger takes on one-time UFC vet Jake Hecht.

Hecht, who holds an 11-2 record, came into the UFC with a boom, stunning spectators with his masterful TKO over respected veteran Rich Attonito.

Hecht has yet to be finished himself, but holds eight stoppage victories of his own. Notably, he has fought and lost to UFC rising star Che Mills.

Waldburger, on the other hand, looks to build on the strength of a Submission of the Night effort put in during his latest bout with Mike Stumpf.

The 14-6 Waldburger is 2-1 with the UFC, with his only loss coming to contender Johny Hendricks. Eleven of Waldburger's 14 victories have come via submission.

Prediction: Waldburger defeats Hecht via decision.

Kyle Noke vs. Andrew Craig

From there, we go to the middleweight division, where Ultimate Fighter alumnus and Australian-born Kyle Noke takes on newcomer Andrew Craig.

Craig has stepped up and taken this fight on short notice for Jared Hamman, who suffered an injury before his fight.

Craig is a Legacy Fighting Championship and Bellator veteran, who possesses a perfect 6-0 record. In his most recent outing, he bested Eric Schambari by decision, which helped cash in on his UFC contract.

Noke comes into the contest with a 19-5-1 record, but looks to erase the memory of his most recent loss at the hands of Ed Herman.

Before that setback, Noke had been on an impressive five-fight win streak over the likes of Chris Camozzi, Rob Kimmons and Josh Bryant. Noke has proven to be a finisher, having put away 14 of his opponents before the judges' score cards.

Prediction: Noke defeats Craig via TKO.

Cole Miller vs. Steven Siler

We move on to an interesting bout and rivalry-type fight, as fellow Ultimate Fighter alumni Cole Miller and Steven Siler square off.

Siler has been a pleasant surprise for the UFC so far, from his run on The Ultimate Fighter, where he beat Micah Miller, Cole's brother, to his finale dismantling of Josh Clopton.

Holding a 19-9 record, which includes victories over Clopton and Nick Mamalis, Siler has shown good kickboxing to go along with 12 submission victories.

Miller makes his first appearance in the featherweight division, dropping from lightweight.

Miller looks to avenge his brother's loss and subsequent ousting from The Ultimate Fighter by Siler. Miller is a long-time UFC veteran with an overall MMA record of 18-5. Dangerous on the feet and the ground, Miller has finished 15 of his opponents and won seven of his 10 UFC bouts.

Prediction: Miller defeats Siler via submission.

Anthony Perosh vs. Nick Penner

We then go to our first of two light heavyweight bouts, pitting local favorite Anthony Perosh against newcomer Nick Penner.

Perosh has gained momentum as of late, having won two fights in a row since dropping to the light heavyweight division. A talented grappler, Perosh holds a record of 12-6, with nine of his wins coming by submission. He is very experienced, finishing off Tom Blackledge and Cyrille Diabate in his UFC tenure.

Making his UFC debut is Penner, who holds an 11-1 record in such organizations as Maximum Fighting Championships and King of the Cage.

Having gone to decision only three times in his career, he has notably finished Eric "Butterbean" Esch, who was likely well over 100 pounds heavier than Penner.

Prediction: Perosh defeats Penner via decision.

Aaron Rosa vs. James Te Huna

In our final bout of the preliminary card, we see former heavyweight Aaron Rosa take on local favorite James Te Huna.

Aaron Rosa has fought everywhere, including the UFC, Strikeforce, Shark Fights, Titan Fighting Championships and Elite XC.

Holding a 17-4 record, Rosa has defeated such opponents as Abe Wagner, Devin Cole and Anthony Ruiz. In his latest bout, he sent Matt Lucas packing after just one fight in dominating fashion. Rosa has a great all-around game and is underrated in my eyes.

James Te Huna has only fought three UFC bouts, but he is an overlooked light heavyweight with great strength and skill.

Te Huna is 13-5, while finishing all but one opponent. He has put away such names as Anthony Perosh, Igor Pokrajac and Ricardo Romero. It is worth noting that a majority of his wins have come by knockout.

Prediction: Te Huna defeats Rosa via decision in a close, exciting fight.

Court McGee vs. Constantinos Philippou

We then head to the main card on FX, with a pair of Ultimate Fighter alumni going to battle in Court McGee and Constantinos Philippou.

Philippou has come out of nowhere, going from once a Ultimate Fighter reject to fan favorite with just the opportunity to fight in the Octagon.

Having a 9-2 (1 NC) record, Philippou has rattled off two impressive victories in the Octagon, since dropping an extremely late-notice bout to Nick Catone. Philippou's heavy hands helped him finish the ultra-tough Jared Hamman in his latest bout in December.

Meanwhile, McGee finds himself in the middle of an eight-fight win streak, including three wins in the Octagon over competitors Kris McCray, Ryan Jensen and Dongi Yang.

McGee is extremely tough to finish, with a great ground game and granite chin. The former heroine addict is one of the best stories in the UFC right now, having come back from a near-death overdose to become a player in the middleweight division.

Prediction: McGee defeats Philippou via decision.

Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall

We make history with the next fight, as the first ever flyweight contest takes place between former bantamweight title challenger Demetrious Johnson taking on arguably the top flyweight in the world in Ian McCall.

"Mighty Mouse" Johnson has made a name for himself at bantamweight, coming into this fight at 14-2. He dropped his latest bout for the championship against Dominick Cruz in an exciting affair.

Previous to that loss, Johnson had won versus notables Damacio Page, Kid Yamamoto and Miguel Torres. Flyweight looks to be the most suitable weight class for Johnson, so he could be a real force from here on out.

Meanwhile, since his exile from the WEC, "Uncle Creepy" McCall has become one of the best at 125 pounds.

Making a splash in the Tachi Palace Fights organization, McCall has beaten notable flyweights in Jussier da Silva, Dustin Ortiz and Darrell Montague. McCall is very well rounded and is considered to be a favorite in this tournament.

Prediction: McCall defeats Johnson via decision.

Joseph Benavidez vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani

In the other flyweight semifinal, another former bantamweight title challenger in Joseph Benavidez takes on Japanese ace Yasuhiro Urushitani.

Benavidez has long been seen as a natural 125er, so he is probably the favorite to win this tournament.

Like Johnson, Benavidez has only lost to Dominick Cruz (albeit twice), but holds a 15-2 record. Eleven of Benavidez's wins have been by submission or knockout, including a submission of ultra-tough Miguel Torres.

Urushitani brings a 19-4-6 record to the Octagon, having fought a majority of his career in Shooto. Most of his wins have come by decision (14) and he is dangerous anywhere the fight goes. He holds notable wins over the likes of Mamoru Yamaguchi and John Dodson.

Prediction: Benavidez defeats Urushitani via decision.

Martin Kampmann vs. Thiago Alves

The main event is an exciting and intriguing one, as Denmark's own Martin Kampmann meets Brazilian muay thai machine Thiago Alves.

Kampmann finally broke the curse of being on the wrong side of the judges' score card in his latest bout, topping Rick Story at UFC 139.

Kampmann is 18-5 in his career, finishing 13 of his wins. He is very well rounded and underrated, and with a win here could be extremely close to a title shot. It definitely helps that he owns a victory over UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit.

Alves has found himself in resurgent form, dominating a very game Papy Abedi in his latest bout.

The always dangerous Alves is 19-8 in his career, preferring to knock his opponents out. Although Kampmann has very technical striking, Alves looks to be the more powerful and technical of the two. Alves is a former title challenger and has beaten top-tier opponents in his tenure.

Prediction: Kampmann defeats Alves via decision.

Fight Night Bonuses

Fight of the Night: Martin Kampmann vs. Thiago Alves

Knockout of the Night: Kyle Noke

Submission of the Night: Cole Miller