UFC 180 Preliminary Card Predictions

The UFC makes its triumphant entrance to Mexico on Saturday with UFC 180 on pay-per-view. Headlined by an interim heavyweight title fight, the card is full of Latin American talent and world-renowned stars alike.

Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt will battle for gold in the main feature, but there are some interesting prelims before that featuring the cast members of TUF Latin America. The winners will likely stick around, while the losers will head back to the regional circuit to hone their crafts.

Last weekend was up and down for picks. We stayed just above the .500 mark, which kept our solid record intact.

With that, let's take a look at the preliminary card predictions for UFC 180 and make some picks.

Riley's Record 2014: 156-93

Last Event: UFC Fight Night 55 and 56 (8-6)

Gabriel Benitez vs. Humberto Brown

Next up, we stick in the featherweight division, as Mexico's Gabriel Benitez meets Panamanian fighter Humberto Brown.

Benitez is easily the most experienced guy on TUF, owning 20 pro fights with 16 wins and 14 finishes by knockout or submission. He has fought some tough opposition in Mexico and the U.S., giving him a wealth of experience and skill.

Benitez was a favorite to make the finals but was ultimately bested by Leonardo Morales of Team Werdum in the semifinals. That reversed his fortunes, which saw him tap out Diego Rivas in the quarterfinals in impressive fashion.

As for Brown, the 4-4 fighter is a wrestler who enjoys using the top game to his advantage. He has solid ground-and-pound, which he uses to soften up the guy on bottom.

He was booted from the quarterfinals against Yair Rodriguez, as the Mexican fighter was able to slap a fight-ending triangle choke on Brown. He looked solid in the bout but showed that his submission defense may have some holes.

Benitez is on another level than Brown. His striking is cleaner and his ground game is superior, which is why he should take this easily.

Prediction: Benitez def. Brown via submission

Marco Beltran vs. Marlon Vera

The bantamweights are due to the cage next, as Ecuadorian prospect Marlon Vera looks to make good on a second chance at glory when he takes on Mexican veteran Marco Beltran.

Beltran is an eight-fight veteran of pro MMA who is looking to snap a three-fight skid in this bout. He is well-rounded but has been known to brawl when lured into it.

He won a controversial majority decision in the quarterfinals against Guido Cannetti, where Cannetti lost a point for an illegal kick. That advanced Beltran to the semifinals, where he was bested via decision by Jose Quinonez.

As for Vera, he is a top South American prospect with an impressive 6-1-1 record to his name. In that time, he has shown an impressive grappling game and developing striking that has made him successful.

On the show, he advanced to the semifinals after landing a blistering upkick on Enrique Briones in a fight he was likely losing. It was a great comeback win, but he was removed from the competition after a skin infection forced him out.

Beltran will give Vera a fight, but Vera's all-around prowess is something to look out for. If he gets Beltran on the ground, he should be able to work his submission game for the win.

Prediction: Vera def. Beltran via submission

Enrique Briones vs. Guido Cannetti

Moving on, we stick around in the bantamweight division, as Enrique Briones of Mexico looks to make good in his UFC debut against fellow debutant and Argentine scrapper Guido Cannetti.

Briones is an experienced veteran with a 15-4-1 record. He has fought in both Mexico and the USA, where he has shown to be well-rounded, though his striking and ground-and-pound are to be watched out for.

On the show, he lost in the quarterfinals despite a solid outing. He was arguably ahead on the scorecards against Marlon Vera before he was absolutely torched by an upkick that put him out cold.

As for Cannetti, he is a well-rounded fighter at 6-1. Half of his wins came by knockout, while the other half came via submission. That will be important when fighting an experienced guy like Briones.

On the show, Cannetti lost a close decision to Marco Beltran, though it could be argued that an illegal kick cost him the fight. He got another chance when he replaced Vera in the semifinals, but he was devastatingly put down via knockout at the hands of Alejandro Perez.

This should be a good scrap, as Cannetti is underrated and Briones should have done more than he did on the show. Experience and well-roundedness should carry Briones here, who wins a thriller of a decision.

Prediction: Briones def. Cannetti via decision

Jessica Eye vs. Leslie Smith

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In the only non-TUF Latin America-related fight of the undercard, we head to the women's bantamweight division, as Jessica Eye looks for her first legit UFC win against scrappy brawler Leslie Smith.

Eye looks for her first official UFC win after two attempts thus far with the company. She beat Sarah Kaufman in her debut but failed a drug test that overturned the result. She followed that up with a close loss to Alexis Davis, which has sent her in a tailspin.

Eye is a great boxer with an underrated ground game. If she stays upright with Smith, it will be an interesting clash of styles, as Eye is more a boxer to Smith's kickboxer.

Smith is 1-1 with the UFC so far in the tale of two fights. She was handily defeated by Kaufman on short notice in her debut, but she came back with an impressive striking display in her knockout of Jessamyn Duke.

This is going to be a Fight of the Night contender. Both women are high-volume strikers who put on a show whenever they fight, but Eye should be able to edge Smith in a close call.

Prediction: Eye def. Smith via decision

Yair Rodriguez vs. Leonardo Morales

The TUF Latin America featherweight finals are up first, as Mexico's Yair Rodriguez looks to take home the six-figure contract against Nicaraguan Leonardo Morales.

Morales is undefeated at 4-0, all of which have come via finishes. He does good damage with his strikes and has underrated submissions, which makes him a good bet to take this fight.

On the show, he looked very impressive against the competition. After knocking out Masio Fullen with a kick, he bested show favorite Gabriel Benitez via decision to make the finals.

As for Rodriguez, he is a submission artist who has developed his striking nicely. However, with Morales, he may want to get this fight to the mat.

Rodriguez used a beautiful triangle choke to get past Humberto Brown in the quarterfinals before he used strikes to force a tapout on Rodolfo Rubio in the semifinals.

Morales is definitely a surpriser this season and could give Rodriguez a run for his money. However, Rodriguez seems more rounded and will likely use a balanced attack to score the win here.

Prediction: Rodriguez def. Morales via decision

Alejandro Perez vs. Jose Quinonez

In the preliminary card main feature, we get the bantamweight finals of TUF Latin America between fellow Mexican combatants Alejandro Perez and Jose Quinonez.

Perez owns a significant experience advantage, as he is a 19-fight veteran to Quinonez's four fights. Perez is well-rounded, as he throws powerful strikes and has a solid ground game to complement.

In the tournament, he won a controversial decision over Fredy Serrano in the quarterfinals. He made up for that performance in the semifinals when he utterly decimated Guido Cannetti with a vicious one-punch knockout to make the finals.

As for Quinonez, he is a boxer with good takedown defense, as showcased on the show. He has solid power as well, which is good for ending fights in a hurry.

On the show, he won his quarterfinal bout against Bentley Syler with a dominating first-round knockout. He then took a decision over Marco Beltran in the semifinals to make this finals bout.

If you didn't know, this is actually a rematch from August of last year, where Quinonez scored a decision over Perez. That will happen again, as Quinonez outstrikes Perez to victory.

Prediction: Quinonez def. Perez via decision