UFC 192 'Prelims:' FOX Sports 1 undercard preview and predictions, Pt. 2

D.C. is under attack by Sweden. Are you a bad enough dude to protect the belt?

This Saturday evening (Oct. 3, 2015), former Olympian and recent "Rumble"-slayer, Daniel Cormier, puts his Light Heavyweight title on the line against the towering Alexander Gustafsson in the pay-per-view (PPV) main event of UFC192, which will emanate from Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

UFC 192 will also feature a bevy of heavy-handed wrestlers as Johny Hendricks dukes it out with Tyron Woodley, while Ryan Bader welcomes Rashad Evans back to the Octagon for the first time since 2013.

We've got some seriously stacked "Prelims" this time around. Check out the line up for FOX Sports 1 (For the "Fight Pass" portion click here):

125 lbs.: Joseph Benavidez vs. Ali Bagautinov

Joseph Benavidez's (22-4) second crack at division king Demetrious Johnson did not go quite as planned for "Joe B," who ate a massive right hand two minutes in for his first career stoppage kiss. He’s earned the win in all three subsequent fights, all of them quite entertaining.

He’s finished 15 opponents overall, eight via choke.

A thunderous knockout of Marcos Vinicius and decisions over Tim Elliott and John Lineker put Ali Bagautinov (13-3) in a position to challenge for the UFC Flyweight Championship. Things quickly went from bad to worse when, after a clear loss to Johnson, "Puncher" tested positive for EPO, resulting in a year-long suspension.

Five of his professional wins have come by form of knockout.

The long and short of this fight is that Benavidez can do pretty much everything that Bagautinov can, and he does more of it. The Russian has power, footwork and wrestling, but also has a tendency to hang back and wait for a perfect opportunity rather than make one himself.

As neither man seems likely to finish the other, this passivity should cost "Puncher" dearly.

Ideally, this fight should produce some nice scrambles and power-punching exchanges. Benavidez outworks the returning Russian for a unanimous decision.

Prediction: Benavidez def. Bagautinov via unanimous decision

145 lbs.: Yair Rodriguez vs. Daniel Hooker

Size and a kicking arsenal carried Yair Rodriguez (5-1) through The Ultimate Fighter (TUF): "Latin America," where he submitted two opponents before decisioning Leonardo Morales at UFC 180. Taking a big step up in competition, Rodriguez showcased his bottom game in a fun split decision over Charles Rosa this past June.

He is three years younger than his opponent at just 22.

Daniel Hooker (12-5) brought the violence in his first two UFC appearances, an elbow-based beatdown of Ian Entwistle and a brawl against Maximo Blanco that he ultimately lost. In May, he scored an impressive upset with a head kick knockout of Hatsu Hioki, becoming the first man in the Japanese veteran's 13-year-career to stop him via strikes.

"Hangman" has stopped 11 opponents, six via knockout.

With proper coaching, Rodriguez has the potential to make a real impact -- he’s just 22, has terrific physical abilities and has a working knowledge of most aspects of the game. If he can integrate the myriad aspects of his game into a cohesive whole, he could be a terror.

Though he’s not quite there yet, he should be too much for Hooker.

The Kiwi bruiser is tough as nails, but his porous takedown and striking defense are a bad combination against the likes of Rodriguez. Provided "Pantera" doesn’t get too comfortable off his back, I expect him to tap Hooker midway through, either via takedown or from rocking him first.

Prediction: Rodriguez via second-round submission

170 lbs.: Albert Tumenov vs. Alan Jouban

Russia’s Albert Tumenov (15-2) hit a stumbling block in his Octagon debut against Ildemar Alcantara, who managed to withstand "Einstein’s" power and edge him by split decision. He’s gone on to win three straight, most recently boxing up skilled Swede.

He was last scheduled to compete at UFC 188, only for his scheduled opponents to pull out because of injury and catastrophic weight cut failure, respectively.

Alan Jouban (12-3) began his UFC career with a savage knockout of Seth Baczynski, only to wind up on the wrong end of a questionable decision against Warlley Alves. A knockout of Richard Walsh and brawl with Matt Dwyer have both raised his UFC record to 3-1 and established him as one of the division’s most entertaining fighters.

"Brahma" has knocked out eight opponents, a ninth tapping to strikes.

Jouban is tough, powerful and a supremely entertaining fighter whom I hope to see plenty of in the future. Unfortunately, Tumenov might just be champion material. The Russian has some of the best speed, power and timing in the entire division, not to mention his ever-improving takedown defense.

You cannot be hittable when you fight this man.

Jouban will come to fight and might land some powerful shots in the early going, but it’s only a matter of time before he runs into Tumenov’s savage counter left. "Einstein" punches his way towards contendership with a stunning early knockout.

Prediction: Tumenov by first-round knockout

115 lbs.: Rose Namajunas vs. Angela Hill

Rose Namajunas (2-2) tore through TUF 20 with three straight submissions, including one of the show’s No. 2-ranked Joanne Calderwood. She fought hard on the Finale, but ultimately succumbed to the wrestling prowess of No. 1-ranked Carla Esparza.

"Thug" was scheduled to face Nina Ansaroff in May, only for Ansaroff to comie down with the flu at the last minute.

As the No. 16-ranked fighter on TUF 20, "Overkill" Hill had the unenviable task of facing Carla Esparza in the first round, losing via submission. In UFC proper, she’s pummeled Emily Kagan and lost a snoozer to Tecia Torres.

She will give up two inches of height to the 5’5" Namajunas.

As terrific as Namajunas has looked, her lack of wrestling remains a major weakness. Until she can consistently put opponents on their back without relying on the chaos of scrambles, she’s not going to be a threat to the likes of Esparza, Claudia Gadelha and Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Luckily, Hill is not in that league.

As solid as her striking is, Hill remains a non-entity on her back and likely doesn’t have the takedown defense to stay away from Namajunas’ venomous grappling. "Thug Rose" taps her out sometime in the first round.

Prediction: Namajunas def. Hill by first-round submission

This is just a damn good card, folks.

See you all on Saturday!

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 192 fight card, 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 PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.

Current UFC "Prelims" Prediction Record 2015: 90-61 (2 NC)