UFC 128 Preview: The Prelims

The key to any fight with Joseph Benavidez (right) is speed. | D. Mandel/Sherdog.com

The Matchup: Speedy bantamweight Benavidez debuts in the UFC after an excellent showing in the WEC. After his second decision loss to 135-pound champion Dominick Cruz, Benavidez submitted Wagnney Fabiano in an impressive showing at WEC 52. With teammate and mentor Urijah Faber now in the hunt for a shot against Cruz, Benavidez remains a top contender who may be the best argument going, along with Demetrious Johnson, for the institution of a 125-pound division in the UFC.

Loveland, dropping down from 145, has faced solid opposition, including Fabiano, Tyler Toner and Will Kerr.

The key to any fight with Benavidez is speed. If he has more of it than his opponent, his opponent has problems. The reason he lost twice to Cruz was because Cruz was rangier and equally quick; they pretty much canceled one another out, except for Cruz’s superior movement and reach. Benavidez gives up a little size in this one, but his confidence in his outstanding guillotine and the ability to scramble out of bad positions gives him options from multiple positions.

The Pick: Look for a feeling-out round in the first before Benavidez goes to work, using his quickness and dizzying combination of strikes and shoots to get a submission in the second.

Next Fight: Raphael Assuncao vs. Erik Koch