UFC Fight Night 58 'Prelims' preview and predictions, Pt. 1

Well, this isn't a fight I would have ever expected to be good Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) matchmaking two years ago, but I guess things can change that quick in mixed martial arts (MMA).

Emphasis on "guess."

After falling to champion Chris Weidman in his Middleweight title bid, former 205-pound champ Lyoto Machida returns to the Octagon this Saturday (Dec. 20, 2014) to face the surprisingly-resurgent C.B. Dollaway in the UFC Fight Night 58 main event from Ginasio Jose Correa in Barueri, Brazil.

Hometown favorite Renan Barao will also be in action, looking to erase the embarrassment of his title loss to T.J. Dillashaw and weight cut failure when he takes on rising Canuck Mitch Gagnon, while The Ultimate Fighter (TUF): "Brazil 3" winner, Antonio Carlos Jr., faces Pat Cummins at Light Heavyweight.

Six "Prelims" under card matches are scheduled for UFC Fight Night 58, two on Fight Pass and the rest on FOX Sports 1.

Let's get started:

135 lbs.: Leandro Issa vs. Yuta Sasaki

Leandro Issa (12-4) rebounded from losing his ONE FC title, defeating fellow grappling specialist Yusup Saadulaev and opening the door for him to join UFC. After falling to Russell Donane in his debut, "Brodinho" scored a late submission over Jumabiekke Tuerxun, earning both "Performance of the Night" and "Fight of the Night" in the process.

He will give up four inches of height to Yuta Sasaki (18-1-2).

"Ulka," who debuted in 2010, went unbeaten in 11 fights to earn a UFC crack. He wasted little time once there, choking out Roland Delorme in 66 seconds.

This will be his fifth fight of 2014.

Issa’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu credentials are impeccable and, on paper, that makes him a rough match up for the grappling-based Sasaki. In action, though, Issa has been something of a disappointment. His chin may be a liability and his wrestling doesn’t seem up to snuff.

Both of these bode ill against a big, powerful grappler like Sasaki.

"Ulka’s" Judo should be sufficient to dictate position and I believe him capable of overcoming both Issa’s striking and bottom game. Expect him to control the action for a clear decision victory.

Prediction: Sasaki via unanimous decision

170 lbs.: Marcio Alexandre Jr. vs. Tim Means

Marcio Alexandre Jr. (12-1) made his way to TUF: "Brazil 3" Finale on a wave of upsets, having taken out Team Wanderlei top picks Paulo Costa and Ricardo Abreu. He couldn’t repeat the effort against teammate Warlley Alves, though, falling to a guillotine choke in the third round.

"Lyoto" has never gone the distance, ending all but one win inside the first round.

Consecutive losses to Jorge Masvidal and Danny Castillo, the latter of which he missed weight for, resulted in Tim Means (21-6-1) being removed from UFC. Moving up to welterweight, Means returned after two knockout wins on the regional circuit and has gone 1-1 in his latest run, most recently defeating Hernani Perpetuo.

He stands two inches taller than Alexandre.

Alexandre certainly has a lot of talent, but an examination of his record reveals some red flags, namely that he has yet to fight an opponent with a winning record and has fought multiple men making their debuts, including two of the last three he faced before TUF.

While Means benefited a lot from the size advantage he had at 155 pounds -- and I don’t expect him to make the same kind of impact at welterweight -- he’s very skilled and a huge step up.

Means’ length and Muay Thai onslaught make him a dangerous foe for anyone unable to take him down. For "Lyoto" -- who has spent far too long as a beneficiary of favorable matchmaking -- he’s too stiff a test. Means controls the striking before ending things in the clinch sometime in the second.

Prediction: Means via second-round technical knockout

185 lbs.: Vitor Miranda vs. Jake Collier

Vitor Miranda (9-1) impressed on TUF: "Brazil 3," knocking out three opponents en route to the Finale. Once there, he struggled with the grappling chops of jiu-jitsu champ Antonio "Cara de Sapato," losing a unanimous decision.

"Lex Luthor" has stopped eight professional opponents, including six by form of knockout.

Jake Collier (8-1) hit his first career roadblock four fights in, submitting to current World Series of Fighting (WSOF) fighter Kelvin Tiller by triangle choke. He has yet to taste defeat since, scoring first-round finishes in four of his last five fights.

He stands two inches taller than Miranda at 6’3."

I’m going to be honest here: I know next to nothing about Collier. His most recent fight got yanked off the Internet and none of the fights I can find are recent. I do know about Miranda, however, especially that he proved more than capable of felling Heavyweights with his strikes.

The cut to 185 pounds is unknown territory for him and his strength of schedule leaves much to be desired, but he’s got more experience and fights out of a better camp than Collier in Team Nogueira. After all of this rigorous scientific analysis, I have determined that Miranda will lay him out somewhere in the first round.

Prediction: Miranda via first-round technical knockout

Three more "Prelims" matches to preview and tomorrow, including some more TUF: "Brazil" veterans.

See you there, Maniacs.

Remember, too, that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 58 fight card below, starting with the Fight Pass "Prelims" matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET, and then the remaining under card balance on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET, before the FOX Sports 1 main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.