UFC 188 Preliminary Card Predictions
The UFC makes its return to pay-per-view and the country of Mexico, as UFC 188 comes to you live this Saturday. Headlined by a heavyweight title unification, the bout is deep with talent, especially when it comes to fighters from south of the border.
UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez looks to become undisputed against interim champ Fabricio Werdum. It's a gigantic bout, featuring two Spanish-speaking fighters in front of a huge Mexican crowd that will make this event special.
Before that, though, we have the prelims. We look to forget last weekend, where we struggled with our predictions. Let's look forward and hope that we can pick up the slack for last weekend.
With that, here are the preview and predictions for the preliminary bouts of UFC 188.
2015 Riley's Record: 65-48
Last Event: UFC Fight Night 68 (2-4)
Albert Tumenov vs. Andrew Todhunter
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The card kicks off in the welterweight division, as late replacement Andrew Todhunter takes on the surging Albert Tumenov. Todhunter steps in for Hector Urbina, who suffered an injury late in training camp.
Tumenov is a ferocious finisher with knockout power in his hands and the aggression to put it all together. Ten of his wins have come via knockout, and he is just 23 years old, showing he has a bright future ahead of him.
After a controversial decision loss to Ildemar Alcantara in his UFC debut, Tumenov has hunkered down to rattle off three wins in a row. He viciously knocked out Anthony Lapsley and Matt Dwyer, before he took out Nico Musoke via decision in his last bout.
A Legacy Fight Championships vet, Todhunter is undefeated at 7-0 while fighting in the southern regional scene. He's known as "The Sniper" for his time in the military and has finished every bout on the ground via submission. Only two bouts have left the first round.
This is a huge step up for him. His go-to weapon is the rear-naked choke, so assume when he gets back mount, he will finish.
Todhunter is a serviceable prospect, but this is a tough debut match, especially on late notice. Tumenov is a headhunter and looks to steal souls with his strikes. He will kick the card off with a spectacular finish.
Prediction: Tumenov def. Todhunter via KO
Gabriel Benitez vs. Clay Collard
2 of 7
Next up are the featherweights, as Mexico's own Gabriel Benitez takes on gritty American Clay Collard.
A representative of The Pit Elevated in Utah, Collard is an iron-jawed brawler with power in his hands and an aggressive style. He is rarely in a boring fight, so if his opponent is engaging with him, fireworks tend to ensue.
He entered the UFC on late notice against the surging Max Holloway, who finished him late in the fight. However, given a better and longer camp, he bested Alex White in his follow-up slugfest.
As for Benitez, The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America veteran is one of the few longtime veterans from Mexico who are in this sport at a high level. He is a solid striker with good submissions as well, so his style should mesh nicely with Collard's.
After a semifinal run on TUF, Benitez came back at the finale (UFC 180) to take on Humberto Brown. There, he used slick grappling and superior submissions to put away his rival.
This should be entertaining, as the aggressive striking styles will serve each man well. However, Collard is more advanced at this point and should win a thriller.
Prediction: Collard def. Benitez via decision
Cathal Pendred vs. Augusto Montano
3 of 7
The welterweights are up next, as Irishman Cathal Pendred looks to continue his winning ways against Mexico's own Augusto Montano.
Pendred was a top welterweight prospect coming into his stint on TUF 19, where he was a semifinalist. The grinder didn't instill a ton of confidence, though, given that he more of a clinch-and-grind fighter who failed to entertain.
Since entering the UFC, he has been undefeated. The former Cage Warriors champion opened up with an awesome come-from-behind win over Mike King and the won decisions over Gasan Umalatov and Sean Spencer (although controversial).
As for Montano, the Mexican is a striker who has spent some time training with Greg Jackson's crew to tighten up his all-around game. He is powerful and technical, which allows him to use his hands, feet and knees in devastating fashion.
He came into the UFC at 14-1, with his only loss coming to current UFC middleweight Sam Alvey. He made his UFC debut in Mexico at UFC 180, where he knocked out Chris Heatherly with a devastating series of knees.
Pendred's style will never win him the most exciting fighter award, but it is effective. He will grind on Montano, who will struggle to make things exciting en route to a decision loss.
Prediction: Pendred def. Montano via decision
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Johnny Case vs. Francisco Trevino
4 of 7
When lightweights Johnny Case and Frank Trevino meet up, it could be a Fight of the Night contender.
A Mexican-American, Trevino has cut his teeth in Legacy FC and the Texas regional scene, where he has accumulated a 12-0 record. He is well-rounded with solid submissions, but his striking has been the best part of his game.
He made his UFC debut at UFC 171, which was his most recent outing. There, he outhustled Renee Forte with superior striking and takedown defense to earn a solid unanimous-decision victory.
As for Case, the Alliance MMA member is a striker in his own right. He is technical and powerful, which allows him to outmaneuver opponents before sending them to dreamland.
After a stint in the Iowa regional scene and a bout with RFA, Case signed with the UFC, where he is 2-0. After choking out Kazuki Tokudome in his debut, he thrashed Frankie Perez in his sophomore outing via knockout.
Case has been impressive so far, so expect him to continue that here. Trevino will give him a helluva fight, but it won't end victoriously for him.
Prediction: Case def. Trevino via submission
Alejandro Perez vs. Patrick Williams
5 of 7
The bantamweights will do battle next, as TUF Latin America winner Alejandro Perez looks to win on home soil against American Patrick Williams.
Perez, the aforementioned TUF Latin American winner, is a well-rounded fighter with a 15-5 record, though his ground game is his strength. He has a strong resume fighting in Mexico, beating some of his teammates from the reality show such as Henry Briones and Rodolfo Rubio.
He ran the table during his time on TUF, beating Fredy Serrano and Guido Cannetti en route to the finale. There, he gained revenge by beating Jose Quinonez via decision to score a win in his debut and earn the TUF crown.
As for Williams, we should not judge the Florida-based fighter by his 7-4 record, as he has improved as of late and is better than the numbers imply. That said, his UFC debut saw him on the wrong end of a highlight-reel knockout, as Chris Beal put him to sleep with a gorgeous flying knee.
Perez could surprise us here, but Williams should take this one. It would be a tough one to put money on, though.
Prediction: Williams def. Perez via decision
Drew Dober vs. Efrain Escudero
6 of 7
The lightweights square off next, as TUF 8 winner Efrain Escudero looks to fend off the underrated Drew Dober.
Escudero is a wrestler and ground fighter who is in his third tour of duty with the UFC. The Mexican-American has yet to live up to his potential that he earned by winning the eight season of TUF.
His inconsistencies have plagued his entire career. Despite that, he still earned this third stint, where he is 1-1 in the UFC with a win over Rodrigo de Lima and a loss against Leonardo Santos.
As for Dober, he is a brawler who loves to mix it up on the feet and does so thanks to his iron jaw. He is rarely in a boring fight, which is why fans look forward to watching his bouts.
His UFC stint has yet to be successful, as he is 1-2 with the company. Despite a win over Jamie Varner, Dober has fallen to Nick Hein and Sean Spencer while fighting in a controversial no-contest against Leandro Silva.
This is a close matchup on paper and could go either way. I trust the wrestling and grinding of Escudero in the event of a decision, whether or not he deserves to win. It's just a hard style to overcome.
Prediction: Escudero def. Dober via decision
Henry Cejudo vs. Chico Camus
7 of 7
The headliner of the prelims comes in the flyweight division, as top 125er Henry Cejudo looks to step closer to the title picture against Chico Camus.
Cejudo is an Olympic wrestler who has transitioned over to MMA nicely, as he has developed some great striking. He is 8-0 while fighting between flyweight and bantamweight, as weight issues in his present division have sent him up a couple of times.
His weight issues haven't allowed him to stay as busy as he's wanted with the UFC. That said, he is 2-0 with the company, dominating Dustin Kimura and Chris Cariaso en route to convincing decisions.
As for Camus, the 30-year-old fighter is a well-rounded fighter who can bang on the feet or compete on the ground. Half of his wins are by finish, though none have come during his time with the UFC.
He has taken a couple of losses in his UFC stint but has been solid with wins over Dustin Pague and Kyung Ho Kang. He has taken one fight at flyweight, where he upset Brad Pickett in a solid decision victory.
Cejudo is coming into his own, combining underrated striking and elite wrestling. This is his fight to lose, so it's up to him.
Prediction: Cejudo def. Camus via decision
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