UFC Fight Night 56 Preliminary Card Predictions

The UFC returns from a weekend off to give you a Fight Night doubleheader. Friday night, we kick things off in Australia before heading to Brazil on Saturday night.

The card in Brazil will be headlined by strikers Mauricio Rua and Ovince Saint Preux, who look to notch a big win to inch closer toward the light heavyweight title picture. Both men are Top 15 fighters who are looking to carve a place in the current traffic jam that is the 205-pound division.

My picks from Brazil last weekend were pretty strong, keeping my winning record at a high percentage. We look to keep that trend going forward during this busy weekend.

Without further ado, here are the preliminary card predictions for UFC Fight Night 56.

2014 Riley's Record: 148-87

Last Event: UFC 179 (4-2)

Wagner Silva vs. Colby Covington

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Kicking off the prelims on Fight Pass are the welterweights, as American Top Team rep Colby Covington looks to build on his impressive debut when he takes on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 vet Wagner Silva.

Covington is a wrestler who competed at Oregon State in his amateur career. He is undefeated at 6-0 in his MMA career, including a one-sided butt-kicking of Anying Wang in his UFC debut in August.

He is physically imposing and aggressively pursues the takedown. From there, he cuts through ground defenses like butter, slamming opponents with vicious ground strikes.

As for Silva, the 3-1 Brazilian drops from the middleweight division he competed on in the reality show to meet Covington here. He represents Tata Fight team from his home country and is a submission-based fighter.

On TUF, he submitted Cristiano Pontes and edged Joilton Santos on the scorecards before he was submitted easily by Warlley Alves in the semifinals. That run on the show earned him a spot on the finale, where he was promptly submitted by superior castmate Ricardo Abreu.

Covington is superior basically in every aspect of this fight. Silva is the lamb being led to slaughter, and Covington should make quick work of him to continue his early impressive run in the UFC.

Prediction: Covington def. Silva via TKO

Thomas Almeida vs. Tim Gorman

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In the second of two Fight Pass prelims, we head to the bantamweight division, as Brazilian newcomer Thomas Almeida looks to prove his top prospect status when he takes on tough-as-nails Tim Gorman.

Almeida is just 23 years old but already holds an outstanding record of 17-0 in his career. He got his start on the Brazilian circuit but eventually caught the attention of Legacy FC, where he won twice in devastating fashion.

Almeida is a throwback to the old Chute Boxe days, as he possesses vicious striking and knockout ability. Of his 17 wins, 13 have come via knockout, with the other four coming by tapout. Simply put, he is a wrecking machine.

He gets a tough test to open his UFC career in Gorman, a gritty wrestler who proved in his UFC debut that he is not going to be put away easily. Gorman has the wrestling to test Almeida, who hasn't taken on a skilled wrestler to this point.

Gorman proved in his fight with Mitch Gagnon that he is tough and hard to finish. However, toughness does not usually win fights, which will be why Almeida sticks and moves before he finally softens up Gorman for the kill shot.

Prediction: Almeida def. Gorman via TKO

Leandro Silva vs. Charlie Brenneman

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Kicking off the Fox Sports prelims are the lightweights, as veteran Charlie Brenneman looks to preserve his spot on the UFC roster against scrappy Brazilian Leandro Silva.

Silva had a solid showing in his last bout, despite falling via decision to Francisco Trinaldo. That bout reversed a five-fight win streak, which came after a one-and-done stint with the UFC.

Silva has great athleticism and solid striking. However, his submission game is the big part of his repertoire and has led to nine of his victories.

Brenneman is in a must-win situation here, as the longtime UFC vet is in his second stint with the company and is already 0-2. In that time, he was flattened and tapped out by Beneil Dariush and drubbed by Danny Castillo.

His chin has become a concern, as the wrestler has taken many a power shot to the dome. However, when he can get the fight to the mat, he is successful with his submission game.

Though Silva can turn out the lights on The Spaniard, he needs to avoid the persistent takedown game of Brenneman. It will be a close, grinding affair, but Brenneman will save his job with a decision.

Prediction: Brenneman def. Silva via decision

Dhiego Lima vs. Jorge Oliveira

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Moving forward, we head to the welterweight division, as TUF 19 runner-up Dhiego Lima looks to score his first UFC win against late replacement Jorge Oliveira. Oliveira takes the fight on short notice for Pawel Pawlak, who bowed out due to injury.

Lima's time on TUF 19 saw him be one of the few shining points of a rather dull season. After earning a spot in the house over Adam Stroup, Lima earned two of the three pre-finale stoppages in the house competition by tapping out both Tim Williams and Roger Zapata.

However, in the finale, Lima was quickly dispatched via vicious KO by Eddie Gordon, who was considerably larger than Lima. That said, Lima was immensely successful before that loss, as the 9-2 fighter owns wins over Ricky Rainey, Jamie Toney and Keon Caldwell.

Oliveira, who normally fights at lightweight, takes this welterweight spot on less than two weeks' notice. The Renovacao Fight Team member is 7-0 as a pro, with all of his wins coming by way of knockout or submission.

Oliveira is striker first, so he will need to avoid a ground engagement with the savvy Lima. That will not be easy though, as Lima is larger, more experienced and more skilled, which is why he should be successful here.

Prediction: Lima def. Oliveira via submission

Caio Magalhaes vs. Trevor Smith

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Next up are the middleweights, as Brazilian Caio Magalhaes looks to continue his three-fight surge against Strikeforce and UFC veteran Trevor Smith.

A grappler who spends time with Nova Uniao, Magalhaes has quietly flown under the radar in his UFC tenure. His debut saw him fall to Buddy Roberts, but since then, he has rattled off wins over Karlos Vemola, Nick Ring and Luke Zachrich.

He has shown improvements every single fight. Though he is primarily a grappler, he demonstrated in the Zachrich fight that he can throw some leather on the feet with a quick knockout.

As for Smith, he has gone back and forth between wins and losses in his four-fight UFC career. He took a close loss to Ed Herman and a quick one to Thales Leites while beating Brian Houston and Tor Troeng in solid efforts.

Smith is a ground fighter, though his striking may come in handy against a guy who may be more refined on the mat in Magalhaes. Smith also likely has better wrestling, which defensively may allow him to keep the fight standing.

Magalhaes has no doubt been solid in his recent performances, but Smith seems to be getting his feet under him. His only two losses came against top-25 competition. Look for Smith to outpoint Magalhaes on the feet to continue securing his job with the UFC.

Prediction: Smith def. Magalhaes via decision

Claudio Silva vs. Leon Edwards

The welterweights are due to the cage in the next bout, as Claudio Silva welcomes Englishman Leon Edwards to the UFC.

Silva, a Brazilian who trains in London, makes his return to the UFC cage for the first time since March. There, he outpointed Brad Scott in England to continue his current 10-fight win streak.

Silva is a grinder and a grappler who has earned six of his 10 career wins via submission. His biggest two wins came in his most recent fights against Scott and UFC veteran Xavier Foupa-Pokam.

As for Edwards, the BAMMA veteran currently holds a six-fight winning streak, finishing five guys in a row by either brutal knockout or surprising submission. In fact, his only loss came as a result of an illegal strike in a fight he was otherwise winning.

Edwards needs to use his quickness and athleticism to stay out of the shooting distance of Silva. However, Silva has made a career of getting guys to the mat and making them uncomfortable, which leads me to believe that he has the tools to win here.

Prediction: Silva def. Edwards via decision

Diego Rivas vs. Rodolfo Rubio

Capping off the prelims are a pair of featherweights representing The Ultimate Fighter Latin America, as Mexico's Rodolfo Rubio looks to make a good first impression on a UFC card against Chilean fighter Diego Rivas.

Rivas is undefeated through five pro fights, which has seen him finish four opponents in that time. Rivas was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the reality show, though, getting submitted by Gabriel Benitez in the second round.

Rubio is vastly more experienced at 12-6, with the Mexican fighter putting all 12 victims away by knockout or submission. On the show, he tapped out Alexander Torres in the quarterfinals before he was tapped out by now-finalist Yair Rodriguez.

I would assume these men are both fighting to keep their UFC roster spot, so expect a dogfight. When it's all said and done, Rubio's experience and all-around superiority will grab him the win here.

Prediction: Rubio def. Rivas via submission