UFC on Versus 5 Fight Card: Preview, Analysis and Predictions

The UFC will return to free television on Sunday, August 14th as the organization presents UFC on Versus 5. The event will be headlined by Chris Lytle and Dan Hardy, two fighters in dire need of a victory.

While the card's main event might not be the most captivating matchup of the year, this card is stacked deep with talent. In the co-main event, Jim Miller could earn a title shot with a win over former WEC Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson.

Also fighting on the main card, in a potential Fight of the Night candidate, Charles Oliveira and Donald Cerrone will look to take another step toward the lightweight division's top 10.

Now, let's take a more in-depth look at every fight on the card.

Edwin Figueroa vs. Jason Reinhardt

At UFC on Versus 5, Edwin Figueroa returns to the Octagon after losing to Michael McDonald in the UFC debut. Despite the loss, Figueroa put on a surprisingly strong performance against the rising prospect in McDonald.

Jason Reinhardt is also coming off of a loss in his last fight against Tiequan Zhang. After the loss, the second of his 22-fight career, Reinhardt decided to drop from featherweight to bantamweight.

Having been submitted in both of his UFC appearances, Reinhardt's submission defense could lead to his release from the organization. Figueroa is more experienced on his feet, but he is definitely capable of catching Reinhardt on the ground.

Look for Reinhardt to come out strong before quickly fading once he feels the effects of his first cut to 135 lbs.

Figueroa defeats Reinhardt by submission in the second round.

Jacob Volkmann vs. Danny Castillo

Both Jacob Volkmann and Danny Castillo are coming off of the biggest wins of their MMA careers. At UFC 125, Volkmann defeated UFC newcomer Antonio McKee, who had been undefeated in his past 15 fights. In his past appearance, which was his debut with the UFC, Castillo earned a victory over Joe Stevenson.

Since dropping from welterweight to lightweight, Volkmann has been able to make better use of his outstanding wrestling background. A three-time All-American NCAA Division I wrestler, Volkmann should be able to outclass Castillo in the grappling department, which happens to be the strongest aspect of Castillo's game.

Put simply, this is a bad matchup for Castillo, whose aggressive stand-up will allow Volkmann to clinch and take the fight to the canvas, where Castillo will do well to simply survive for three rounds. Prepare for another interesting post-fight call out from Volkmann.

Volkmann defeats Castillo by unanimous decision.

Cole Miller vs. T.J. O'Brien

After losing to Paul Kelly in his UFC debut, T.J. O'Brien's spot in the organization will likely be on the line at UFC on Versus 5. Unfortunately for O'Brien, he will have a very dangerous opponent standing opposite him in Cole Miller.

Although Miller is coming off of a loss to Matt Wiman, he had won four of his prior five fights by way of submission. In his 22-fight career, Miller has never lost in consecutive fights.

Both Miller and O'Brien are extremely skilled on the ground, where both fighters have won a majority of their bouts by submission. However, O'Brien has been submitted in three of his four career losses, whereas Miller has never tapped.

Both fighters are going to want this fight to go to the ground, but Miller will simply be too much for O'Brien once it's there. Look for an early scramble to conclude with O'Brien being forced to submit.

Miller defeats O'Brien by submission in the first round.

Alex Caceres vs. Jim Hettes

After winning his first eight professional fights in smaller promotions, Jim Hettes will make his UFC debut against Alex Caceres at UFC Live on Versus 5.

Having lost three of his last four official fights, Caceres could very well be fighting for his sport on the UFC's roster in this fight.

Mixing excellent backgrounds in judo and jiu-jitsu, Hettes has won every single one of his fights by submission before the end of the second round. Caceres, on the other hand, has suffered all three of his professional losses by way of submission.

Caceres' only chance to win this fight will be to keep it standing, but Hettes should have no problem clinching and putting "Bruce Leeroy" on his back. Once there, it will only be a matter of time before Caceres is forced to tap.

Hettes defeats Caceres by submission in the first round.

Karlos Vemola vs. Ronny Markes

After losing to Jon Madsen in his UFC debut, Karlos Vemola made an extremely successful transition to the light heavyweight division, as he completely overwhelmed Seth Petruzelli in a first-round knockout.

After missing nine months due to injury, Vemola will return to welcome UFC newcomer Ronny Markes to the organization. Markes has won 11 of his 12 professional fights, most of which took place in smaller Brazilian organizations.

A six-time Czech Republic National Wrestling Champion, Vemola's strength and aggression poses problems for any light heavyweight. Vemola will look to take Markes down and finish the fight with brutal ground and pound.

Markes has several submission victories, but most of those came from the top position. Even if Markes is equally dangerous off of his back, he is going to have to weather a violent storm from Vemola early on in the fight.

Vemola defeats Markes by knockout in the first round.

Ed Herman vs. Kyle Noke

With wins in his first three UFC fights, Kyle Noke has solidified his job with the organization and will now look to work his way up the middleweight ladder.

In the biggest test of his career, Noke will meet fellow alumni of The Ultimate Fighter Ed Herman. After missing nearly two years due to a knee injury, Herman returned with a knockout win over Tim Credeur in June 2011.

Noke and Herman are both well-rounded fighters with few holes in their games. If one weakness had to be singled out for either fighter, it would most likely be Herman's submission defense, as he has been caught in multiple triangle chokes throughout his career.

Noke hasn't proven to be overly lethal off of his back, though, and Herman will likely try to keep this fight standing anyhow. Herman has the power and aggressive nature to surprise Noke in a second straight first-round finish.

Herman defeats Noke by knockout in the first round.

Joseph Benavidez vs. Eddie Wineland

In 16 professional fights, Joseph Benavidez's only losses have come against UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz. While Benavidez is still regarded as one of the best 135-pound fighters in the sport, it is only a matter of time until he makes the cut to 125 lbs. with the UFC's upcoming addition of the flyweight division.

Meanwhile, Eddie Wineland will look to get back on track after losing to Urijah Faber in the UFC debut for both fighters. Despite the loss, Wineland performed much better against Faber than many had anticipated he would.

A training partner of Faber's, Benavidez will have a strategic advantage over Wineland in this fight, as he will be given some inside information on his opponent. Furthermore, Benavidez also has a similar skillset as Faber, so Wineland is in for a tough assignment.

Benavidez defeats Wineland by unanimous decision.

C.B. Dollaway vs. Jared Hamman

C.B. Dollaway's three-fight winning streak came to an end when he was knocked out in the first round of his last fight by Mark Munoz. Now, Dollaway will look to return to the win column in a fight against Jared Hamman.

Hamman, who last fought in September 2010, will be making his middleweight debut at UFC on Versus 5. Hamman's last opponent, Kyle Kingsbury, trains with Dollaway from time to time and has been giving "The Doberman" some pointers on Hamman's style.

Even without Kingsbury's help, Dollaway should be able to put his All-American wrestling ability to use against Hamman. 

Dollaway defeats Hamman by unanimous decision.

Amir Sadollah vs. Duane Ludwig

Amir Sadollah will be looking for his third straight victory at UFC on Versus 5, as he is set to take on Duane Ludwig in a welterweight tussle.

Ludwig made a return to the welterweight division in his last fight, which he was able to win by split decision against Nick Osipczak.

Both Sadollah and Ludwig are recognized for their striking, but it is the former winner of The Ultimate Fighter who has more ways to finish this fight. Sadollah has an excellent ground game with the ability to finish from either the top or bottom position.

Sadollah defeats Ludwig by submission in the first round.

Charles Oliveira vs. Donald Cerrone

Two of the most exciting fighters in the lightweight division, Charles Oliveira and Donald Cerrone have the ability to produce a Fight of the Year candidate at UFC on Versus 5.

In his last fight, Oliveira scored a submission against Nik Lentz. However, replays showed that an illegal knee led to the finish, so the bout was overturned to a no contest. Therefore, Oliveira will be looking for his first win since September 2010.

Cerrone, who earned his last win only two months ago, has won in his last four appearances. He will now look to move into the lightweight division's top 10 with an impressive win over Oliveira.

While both fighters are extremely well-rounded, Oliveira and Cerrone have also been caught in submissions by fighters of each other's caliber. After a back-and-forth war, look for one fighter to catch the other in a late-fight submission.

Oliveira defeats Cerrone by submission in the third round.

Jim Miller vs. Ben Henderson

It has taken Jim Miller seven straight wins to get to this point. With a win over Ben Henderson, Miller will most likely receive his long-awaited shot at the lightweight title.

Meanwhile, Henderson is looking to earn another chance to become lightweight champion after losing the WEC Lightweight Championship to Anthony Pettis in the organization's final event.

This fight could turn into an excellent grappling match, as both Miller and Henderson have extremely well-rounded ground games with solid submission defense. These fighters are very evenly-matched, so the outcome may simply come down to which fighter wants it more.

Henderson is on a mission to return to the top, but Miller has worked too hard for this title shot to let it slip out of his hands now. Miller will hold the slightest of edges on the ground and come away with a narrow decision win.

Miller defeats Henderson by unanimous decision.

Dan Hardy vs. Chris Lytle

After more than 12 years, Chris Lytle's MMA career will finally come to an end after his fight against Dan Hardy in the main event of UFC on Versus 5. At the same time, Hardy has lost three straight fights and his job with the UFC could be riding on this fight.

Lytle has the ability to easily submit Hardy on the ground, but the former professional boxer wants to go out with a bang and could elect to stand toe to toe with the English striker.

In 53 professional fights, Lytle has only been stopped by cuts, so this fight has the potential to go the distance in an all-out slugfest. Hardy might be the more technical striker, but look for Lytle to land heavy shots more frequently.

Lytle defeats Hardy by split decision.