UFC 149 Prelims: Final Predictions for the Preliminary Card Fights

UFC 149 is upon us, and even though all eyes are on the interim bantamweight title bout, the preliminary bouts promise to provide great action.

Headlining the FX portion of the prelims is a rematch between Court McGee and Nick Ring. This is technically their first fight, even though they met on The Ultimate Fighter, where Ring won a controversial decision over McGee. McGee would go on to win the season of the show, while Ring would mend an injury.

Here are the final predictions for the prelims of UFC 149.

Mitch Clarke vs. Anton Kuivanen

On Facebook, Finland's Anton Kuivanen looks to make good on his second try in the UFC as he takes on Canada's Mitch Clarke. 

Kuivanen is a submission artist who also possesses underrated hands. Of his 16 victories, he has won eight by tapout.

He dropped his UFC debut to Justin Salas by decision, but made the fight competitive. He will need to use his submission skills here to reign victorious.

Clarke himself is a submission fighter. He has nine wins in his career, with six of them coming by submission. He is very aggressive, which he will need to be in order to pressure Kuivanen into a mistake.

He also dropped his debut bout, which was a knockout loss to John Cholish. Clarke has decent wrestling and striking, which may be his saving grace.

Prediction: Clarke def. Kuivanen via decision

Antonio Carvalho vs. Daniel Pineda

The other Facebook bout on the card will feature featherweight Daniel Pineda stepping up on late notice to fight Canadian Antonio Carvalho. 

Carvalho is a very well-rounded fighter, but he will most likely rely on his grappling background to win this fight. He lost his debut to Felipe Arantes, a fighter with a similar style to Pineda.

Pineda is also a well-rounded fighter with great skills on the ground and on his feet. He is 2-1 in the UFC, earning wins over Pat Schilling and Mackens Semerzier, but falling to Mike Brown. 

Pineda's style will help him in this fight. Carvalho has already lost to a UFC fighter with Pineda's style, and the outcome could be similar in this fight. 

Prediction: Pineda def. Carvalho via decision

Bryan Caraway vs. Mitch Gagnon

Kicking off the FX portion of the prelims will be a bantamweight bout between Bryan Caraway and Canadian Mitch Gagnon.

Caraway earned his name in the WEC and on The Ultimate Fighter. After the reality show, he opened his UFC career with a victory by submission over Dustin Neace. He is a savvy grappler, which he will probably bank on in this fight.

Gagnon is also a submission fighter, with all eight of his career wins coming by tapout. He will be making his UFC debut against Caraway, which may present Octagon jitters.

Look for a grappling match here, with the man on top earning more points. Caraway's wrestling should allow him to do so.

Prediction: Caraway def. Gagnon via decision

Ryan Jimmo vs. Anthony Perosh

Next up, international stars meet, as Canada's Ryan Jimmo makes his UFC debut against Australian Anthony Perosh.

Jimmo makes his debut on the heels of a 16-fight win streak. His only career loss came in his MMA debut, which means he hasn't lost since. 

Jimmo is very well-rounded, as he has good takedown defense and striking. Striking will earn him a victory, so he needs to avoid the ground.

Perosh has revitalized his career in his second stint with the UFC, winning three in a row over Tom Blackledge, Cyrille Diabate and Nick Penner. He is a top grappler with great submissions, which will be the key for him in this fight.

Prediction: Jimmo def. Perosh via decision

Roland Delorme vs. Francisco Rivera

In the bantamweight division, Francisco Rivera meets Canada's Roland Delorme in a key 135-pound matchup.

Rivera steps up on late notice for Bibiano Fernandes, who supposedly signed with the UFC, only to not materialize. This fight comes on the heels of a victory in his return to the company over Alex Soto. 

Rivera will have the striking advantage, but he needs to avoid the clinch and ground game of his opponent.

Delorme is a finisher, winning all of his fights by knockout or submission. He is 2-0 in the UFC, submitting both Josh Ferguson and Nick Denis to get him to present day. 

He would be wise to get Rivera down, where he could submit him with his savvy grappling.

Prediction: Delorme def. Rivera via submission

Court McGee vs. Nick Ring

The rematch is around the corner, as former TUF contestants Court McGee and Nick Ring are set to meet in a key middleweight matchup. The two previously met on the reality show, where Ring won a controversial majority decision. But McGee would eventually win the entire tournament.

McGee is coming off his first UFC loss to Constantinos Philippou, which followed wins over Kris McCray, Ryan Jensen and Dongi Yang. His wrestling is his bread and butter, but his striking has come a long way.

He would be wise to put Ring on his back and work submissions and ground strikes.

Ring, meanwhile, is also coming off a loss. After opening his UFC career with wins over Riki Fukuda and James Head, he dropped a decision to Tim Boetsch. 

Ring is a very good striker with an underrated ground game. He will have to fight a cardio machine with relentless takedowns, which may not fare well for the Canadian.

Prediction: McGee def. Ring via decision