Jeff Hougland vs. Donny Walker: This is an interesting case of two UFC newcomers making their UFC debuts against each other. That doesn’t usually happen, so there must be a good reason for it. I think the reasoning behind this fight is that both men are veterans that are currently on long win-streaks: Walker has fought since 2004 and has won his last six fights, Hougland has been fighting since 2002 and won his last eight. But the fact that Hougland was once 1-4 as a professional, with all four losses by stoppage, shines a very harsh light on him. Plus, Walker has faced some decently-big names in his day. Since I haven’t seen either man fight, I don’t know how likely it is that they’ll finish this fight. So I’m picking Donny Walker to win, period.

Anthony Njokuani vs. Andre Winner: I think Anthony Njokuani still has some fight left in him. Even though he lost his UFC debut, it was a “Fight of the Night” performance. Njokuani is a very skilled striker, and with this fight likely staying on the feet for the majority of the bout, I’ve got to favor Njokuani to win. Winner has never been KO’d before, but I think there’s a first time for everything. Anthony Njokuani wins by TKO in Round 2.

Brad Tavares vs. Aaron Simpson: It’s a tough fight to call, really. Tavares is the one that’s unbeaten, Simpson has lost two of his last three. But Simpson has faced the tougher competition, and that’s the kind of Octagon experience that wins fights. Tavares has only been to a decision once, Simpson started his career a perfect 6-0 with six stoppages. I think it’s going to be a close fight, but ultimately, the high-level fight experience of Aaron Simpson will win out. Aaron Simpson wins by Split Decision.

Brian Bowles vs. Takeya Mizugaki: Takeya Mizugaki is always willing to step in there with the best fighters in the world… he just never beats them. He’s never beaten a top-flight Bantamweight, and the last time he tried he was choked unconscious so badly that part of me was scared for his health. Bowles looked pretty good in his UFC debut, and I think he’s hungry for another shot at a championship. Brian Bowles wins by either TKO in Round 2 or KO in Round 1.

George Sotiropoulos vs. Rafael dos Anjos: Rafael is good, make no mistake about that. It’s just that George is better. This fight will play itself out almost exclusively on the ground, and that fight favors the man who was thought of as the UFC’s Lightweight submission magician. Dos Anjos is too good on the ground, so he will not get submitted. But he will be controlled, and George Sotiropoulos will take a Unanimous Decision win.

Melvin Guillard vs. Shane Roller: I really think this new Melvin Guillard can’t be stopped, at least not until he faces some of the best talent in the division. Guillard still has the tenacity and explosive finishing ability he’s always had, but he now has the technique and skill that comes with training at one of the best MMA gyms in the world and quite possibly ever. Roller certainly won’t make it easy for him, but I do think Guillard wins this fight. So I’ll play it a bit safe and say that Guillard will take a Unanimous Decision, although it wouldn’t surprise me if either of these fighters finished this fight quickly and dramatically.

While most of the attention has been made toward the new light heavyweight champion, Jon “Bones” Jones, he was not a fighter that earned an additional bonus when it came to the “Fight Night” awards.

In fact, three preliminary fighters were the large talk of the show, and even Brendan Schaub snuck a peak at bonus infamy after he did work on the main-card opposite of legend and his idol, Mikro “Cro Cop”.

Erik Koch entered into the UFC with a bang, when he knocked out perennial contender and former top-10 featherweight Raphael Assuncao, whom has fought and defeated some of the best in the sport, including Jorge Masvidal, Joe Lauzon, and L.C. Davis. However experience was not a factor come last Saturday as Koch, a product of the infamous Duke Roufus, was able to connect on a right hook that sent the Brazilian crashing to the mat inside of the first-round. The win helped Erik nab the evening’s “Knockout of the Night” award, in addition to $70k.

Schaub had the benefit of no fighter submitting anyone on the pay-per-view event, so when he stepped into the cage with the aforementioned Mirko “Cro Cop”, he too had the opportunity to pocket his “Knockout of the Night”, which he did. After a back-and-forth battle over the course of two-rounds of action, Brendan finally connected on a right-hand which sent the former PRIDE GP Champion crashing to the mat. Another right hand sealed the deal, and though bloody and bruised, he managed to secure his signature win over a legend in the sport.

Anthony Njokuani, one of the top lightweight stars coming out of the WEC, made a statement upon his inception into the UFC against prospect Edson Barboza on the Spike TV televised bout. Both men engaged in a contentious stand up battle where both men had their moments on the feet. The action was fast and very methodical, and where it seemed Edson stole the first-round, Njokuani came back strong in the second, however Edson may have stolen the third on the judges score cards when he connected on a beautiful spinning back kick to the dome, rocking Njokuani momentarily before the bell sounded. Though Barboza took the decision, both men earned the evenings “Fight of the Night” bonus, and justifiably so.

Kurt Pellegrino vs. Gleison Tibau: This is definitely the fight I’m looking forward to the most. Pellegrino is a veteran of twenty fights, while Tibau is only a few fights shy of reaching the thirty-fight mark. Both have had their high points and low points, but you can almost always count on these two for an entertaining performance. Thanks to their many years of experience, I see both men grinding this one out and giving fans a pretty good fight. I personally think Pellegrino has had bigger wins over better competition, so I’m calling for Kurt Pellegrino to win by Unanimous Decision.

Ricardo Almeida vs. Mike Pyle: There’s a certain section of the fanbase that’s come out against this fight being on the prelims, and I have to say that I agree. Mike Pyle just had a huge victory over John Hathaway, Ricardo Almeida is only seven months removed from facing UFC legend Matt Hughes. As to the fight itself, both men have a ton of experience but Almeida is a bad match-up for Pyle. Both men’s strong suits are the ground game, but Almeida is simply at a much higher level than Pyle. Ricardo Almeida wins by submission in Round 2.

Edson Barboza vs. Anthony Njokuani: I’ve always been impressed and entertained whenever I see Anthony Njokuani fight, but Edson Barboza is an undefeated prospect that has finished all seven of his professional fights, six of them by (T)KO and five of them within the first round. Njokuani will definitely put up a fight, but I think this will be the big win Barboza needs in order to get him on major MMA cards for the foreseeable future. Barboza wins by (T)KO in Round 2.

Luiz Cane vs. Eliot Marshall: Luiz Cane never fully realized his potential in the UFC, but then again, neither did Eliot Marshall. However, Marshall getting booted from the UFC seems to have reinvigorated him: he’s won three straight fights. Meanwhile, Luiz Cane hasn’t fought since May 2010 and is currently in the midst of a two-fight losing-streak, with both losses being by TKO. Simply put, Marshall is out of the woods and back on the path while Cane is still deeply lost. Eliot Marshall wins by Unanimous Decision.

And that’s what I think, fans and friends. I probably won’t do this series too often, but when the UFC and/or Strikeforce (or any other company for that matter) gives me access to preliminary fights that deserve to be talked about, you can bet that you’ll see a new “Prelims Predictions” before long. Until then, what’s your opinion on the UFC 128 prelims?

UFC 128, which is expected to take place on March 19 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey will feature a championship headliner, pitting light heavyweight title holder Mauricio “Shogun” Rua as he looks to defend the 205-pound strap for the first time against former champ Rashad Evans.

Recently, a new rumored addition to the pay-per-view event will feature a special lightweight attraction that will have all fans in attendance jumping out of their seats.

UFC newcomer Anthony Njokuani will be making his octagon debut as he takes on lightweight prospect Edson Barboza at the March event.

While Njokuani will be a newcomer to the UFC, he is no stranger to the Zuffa umbrella. Anthony will be one of many fighters who will be making the transition into the UFC following the merger of it’s sister promotion, the WEC. During his stint under the World Extreme Cagefighting banner, Anthony worked his way up to contender status when he rattled off a three-fight win streak within the promotion, all by way of knockout. However after a two-fight skid against top-flight competition, the Nigerian returned to his winning ways when he picked up a much needed victory over newbie Edward Faaloloto at WEC 52 this past November.

Barboza, meanwhile has already come face-to-face with his octagon debut, having dealt with any possible octagon “jitters” when he dispatched of Mike Lullo at UFC 123 in November. The Brazilian striker worked his leg kicks early, and eventually the damage mounted and Edson recorded the TKO victory when Lullo was unable to continue. The stand up clinic Barboza displayed had many clamoring for more, even praising his striking to the likes of current UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo.

Both Njokuani and Edson are both proven, explosive strikers in the lightweight division. This bout will most likely go in one of two ways: a three-round brawl, or a knockout.

So, MMA peeps, what do you make of the news? Most fans would be more comfortable in leaning towards Anthony because that’s who they are familiar with, but make no mistake, Edson is for real. Sound off in the comment section below.

The 2009 event opened up to a large audience, and has become a propellant in the mixed martial arts world, opening up the eyes to a mainstream audience, by the community taking leaps and bounds in order to legitimize itself as not only a legitimate sport, but one that deserves that same sort of recognition that most others receive, here in these United States.

While some categories have changed, in order to be politically correct, must stay the same. Voting continues until November 26, where till then you can cast your votes online at All winners are determined by a fan vote, and ballots can be cast through Nov. 26 at www.worldmmaawards.com.

The full list, which was formatted by MMAJunkie.com, of finalists includes:

CHARLES “MASK” LEWIS FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Anderson Silva
* Brock Lesnar
* Frankie Edgar
* Jose Aldo
* Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

FIGHT OF THE YEAR

* Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 117
* Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin at UFC 116
* Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung at WEC 48
* Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116
* Jorge Santiago vs. Kazuo Misaki at Sengoku 14

KO OF THE YEAR

* Anthony Njokuani vs. Chris Horodecki at WEC 45
* Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 110
* Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Lyoto Machida at UFC 113
* Mike Russow vs. Todd Duffee at UFC 114
* Rich Franklin vs. Chuck Liddell at UFC 115

SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR

* Matt Hughes vs. Ricardo Almeida at UFC 117
* Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 116
* Cole Miller vs. Dan Lauzon at UFC 108
* Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 118
* Fabricio Werdum vs. Fedor Emelianenko at “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum”

BEST PROMOTION

* Bellator
* DREAM
* Strikeforce
* UFC
* WEC

LEADING MAN OF THE YEAR

* Bjorn Rebney, Bellator founder and CEO
* Dana White, UFC president
* Joe Silva, UFC VP of talent relations
* Michael Schiavello, HDNet broadcaster
* Scott Coker, Strikeforce founder and CEO

INTERNATIONAL FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Alistair Overeem
* Dan Hardy
* George Sotiropoulos
* John Hathaway
* Shinya Aoki

BREAKTHROUGH FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Charles Oliveira
* Evan Dunham
* George Sotiropoulos
* John Hathaway
* Jon Jones

FEMALE FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

* Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos
* Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii
* Miesha Tate
* Sarah Kaufman
* Zoila Frausto

COACH OF THE YEAR

* Cesar Gracie
* Firas Zahabi
* Greg Jackson
* Rafael Cordeiro
* Shawn Tompkins

GYM OF THE YEAR

* American Kickboxing Academy
* American Top Team
* Black House MMA
* Greg Jackson’s Submission Fighting
* Wand Fight Team

RING GIRL OF THE YEAR

* Arianny Celeste
* Brittney Palmer
* Chandella Powell
* Natalie Skyy
* Rachelle Leah

BEST LIFESTYLE CLOTHING BRAND

* Affliction
* Fight Chix
* RVCA
* Silverstar
* TapouT

REFEREE OF THE YEAR

* “Big” John McCarthy
* Dan Miragliotta
* Herb Dean
* Josh Rosenthal
* Mario Yamasaki

MOST MEMORABLE RING ENTRANCE

* Anderson Silva
* Clay Guida
* Jason “Mayhem” Miller
* Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal
* Tom Lawlor

BEST TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT BRAND

* Everlast MMA
* Fairtex
* Hayabusa
* TapouT
* Venum

BEST TECHNICAL CLOTHING BRAND

* Bad Boy
* Hayabusa
* Jaco
* TapouT
* Venum

MEDIA SOURCE OF THE YEAR

* “Inside MMA” on HDNet
* MMAjunkie.com
* MMAWeekly.com
* MMAFighting.com
* Sherdog.com

MMA JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

* Aaron “Tru” Teweles, Freelance
* Ariel Helwani, MMAFighting.com/Versus.com
* Conner Cordova, MMAReligion.com
* Gareth A. Davies, Telegraph.com
* John Morgan, MMAjunkie.com

So, MMA peeps, any surprises here? Anyone you would have liked to seen in some of these categories? Who do you think will take home some of the honors of the night? Sound off in the comments section below.

But, doe’s that mean that Benavidez, a challenger to champion Dominick Cruz’ title, should earn more then the number one guy in his weight class?

MMAJunkie.com has gathered information from Keith Kizer of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, who emailed the preliminary figures to the mma-based media outlet.

According to which, Benavidez stands to earn an event high of $35,000 should he prove successful in his bout to claim the 135-pound title from current champion Cruz. Dominick, meanwhile, stands to earn only $22,000 according to the email, should he retain the title successfully, in his first formal defense.

While Joseph has been a spitfire in the bantamweight division, with wins over Rahni Yahiya and former champion Miguel Torres anchoring his credentials, do his accolades prove more impressive than Cruz’, who earned his bid in becoming a champion when was the first to defeat Brian Bowles.

The figures below we’re formatted by MMAJunkie, through the email given by Keith Kizer of the NSAC.

MAIN CARD

* Champ Dominick Cruz ($11,000/$11,000) vs. Joseph Benavidez ($17,500/$17,500)
* Anthony Pettis ($6,000/$6,000) vs. Shane Roller ($16,000/$16,000)
* Chad Mendes ($5,500/$5,500) vs. Cub Swanson ($11,000/$10,000)
* Scott Jorgensen ($12,500/$12,500) vs. Brad Pickett ($5,000/$5,000)
* Zach Micklewright ($3,000/$3,000) vs. Bart Palaszewski ($8,000/$8,000)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Mackens Semerzier ($4,000/$4,000) vs. Javier Vazquez ($8,000/$8,000)
* Maciej Jewtuszko ($3,000/$3,000) vs. Anthony Njokuani ($7,000/$7,000)
* Dave Jansen ($4,000/$4,000) vs. Ricardo Lamas ($7,000/$7,000)
* Bryan Caraway ($4,000/$4,000) vs. Fredson Paixao ($3,000/$3,000)
* Danny Castillo ($9,500/$9,500) vs. Dustin Poirier ($3,000/$3,000)

So, is anyone surprised by the figures, or is it business as usual?

Benavidez and Cruz have tangles once before, as Dominick was able to earn a decision nod over the scrappy “Team Alpha Male” product, after planting well placed punches and knee-picking take downs, nearly at will.

Joseph will have a chance to avenge his one and only loss come Wednesday.

A bout pitting the tattoo hero, Scott Jorgensen and British slugger Brad “One Punch” Pickett will likely determine the next contender for the 135-pound title.

Shane Roller and Anthony Pettis meanwhile, are in the same boat as Jorgensen and Pickett. The lightweight fighters have both been on impressive streaks as of late, and the bout will likely serve as a number one contender fight, though the promotion is largely hush hush when it comes to contender rankings. It’s a decision that both matchmaker Sean Shelby and General Manager Reed Harris make together, with a lot of careful thought and precision, and that formula hasn’t failed the WEC yet.

The following was formatted by MMAJunkie.com, who was live to attend the weigh-ins.

The full weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD

* Champ Dominick Cruz (134) vs. Joseph Benavidez (134)
* Anthony Pettis (155) vs. Shane Roller (156)
* Chad Mendes (145) vs. Cub Swanson (146)
* Scott Jorgensen (135) vs. Brad Pickett (136)
* Zach Micklewright (156) vs. Bart Palaszewski (156)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Maciej Jewtuszko (155) vs. Anthony Njokuani (154)
* Mackens Semerzier (146) vs. Javier Vazquez (145)
* Dave Jansen (156) vs. Ricardo Lamas (155)
* Bryan Caraway (145) vs. Fredson Paixao (145)
* Danny Castillo (156) vs. Dustin Poirier (156)

A veteran at just 22-years old, former IFL title challenger Horodecki will debut in the WEC.  He submitted “Bull” William Sriyapai (8-5) in a rear naked choke at FFI in Biloxi June 27.

Njokuani TKO’d Muhsin Corbbrey (6-4) at WEC 43 in San Antonio October 10.

Henderson consistently put Cerrone on his back while swinging power shots from top position and avoiding an arm triangle in round four and a Kimura in the final round.

Henderson and WEC lightweight champion “Worm” Jamie Varner (16-3) will now fight to consolidate the titles.

Lightweight Dave Jansen (14-0) won a three-round UD over “Cleat” Richard Crunkilton, Jr. (16-3) by judges’ scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice.  Jansen was debuting in the WEC.

Featherweight “Tiger” Yves Jabouin (12-5) fought ferociously in his WEC debut, but Rafael Assuncao (13-1) eeked out a split decision victory by judges’ scores of 30-27 and 29-28 for Assuncao and 30-27 for Jabouin.

Bantamweight “Angel of Death” Damacio Page (10-5) tapped out WEC newcomer William Campuzano (6-1) in a rear naked choke at 1:02 of round one.

Lightweight Anthony Njokuani (10-2) TKO’d Muhsin Corbbrey (6-4) when the referee stopped the fight at 1:42 of round two.

Bantamweight “Young Guns” Scott Jorgensen (6-2) TKO’d The Ultimate Fighter 5 contestant Noah Thomas (14-7) at 3:13 of round one.

In a featherweight upset, Mackens Semerzier (5-0) tapped out BJJ ace and 145-pound contender Wagnney Fabiano (12-2) in a triangle choke at 2:14 of round one.

Bantamweight Eddie Windeland (14-6-1) won a three-round UD over “Mangler” Manny Tapia (10-3-1) by judges’ scores of 30-27 three times.  Tapia has lost both fights since his WEC bantamweight title challenge versus Miguel Torres (36-2) at WEC 37 in Las Vegas last December.

Bantamweight Charlie Valencia (11-5) won a three-round unanimous decision over “Ox” Coty Wheeler (9-1) by judges’ scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice.

Lightweight Deividas Taurosevicius (11-3) won a controversial three-round split decision over “Showtime” Javier Vazquez (13-4) by judges’ scores of 29-28 twice for Taurosevicius and 29-28 one for Vazquez.