UFC 205 prelims predictions: Will 'The Answer' get past Stephens?

Prior to UFC 205, theScore's Themistoklis Alexis and Alexander K. Lee give their predictions on the evening's noteworthy preliminary bouts.

Preliminaries

Featherweight Bout

Frankie Edgar (14-5-1 UFC, 20-5-1)
vs.
Jeremy Stephens (12-11 UFC, 25-12)

Themistoklis Alexis: Even the ever-durable Frankie Edgar can't withstand Jeremy Stephens' wrath.

"The Answer" tends to seal his victories in the latter rounds of his myriad five-round contests, but his dance with Stephens is only scheduled for three. Edgar's respect for the 30-year-old's power could prompt him to look for an early takedown and fish for a submission or a hard-fought decision, leaving Stephens little choice but to come out with his mitts ablaze. "Lil' Heathen" is rarely more than one clean strike from putting his opponents to sleep, and he'll waste little time in delivering the same fate to Edgar.

THE PICK: Stephens

Alexander K. Lee: Edgar will need to be at his most precise and elusive to avoid the hard-hitting Stephens. Fortunately for the former lightweight champion, he has plenty of options.

Aside from his trademark movement that has allowed him to triumph over much larger opponents throughout his career, Edgar also has superb timing on his takedowns. Look for him to put Stephens on his butt at the slightest sign of trouble and wear him down with ground-and-pound. Should Stephens become frustrated, he will get caught in a fight-ending submission.

THE PICK: Edgar

Lightweight Bout

Khabib Nurmagomedov (7-0 UFC, 23-0)
vs.
Michael Johnson (9-6 UFC, 17-10)

Lee: At his best, Michael Johnson is as good as almost any fighter in the lightweight division. The question is: what version of "The Menace" will we see on Saturday?

If he offers anything less than an elite performance against Khabib Nurmagomedov, then it's going to be a disappointing night for him. Nurmagomedov is arguably the best wrestler in all of MMA, and once he gets his hands on Johnson, he's going to send him for a ride that ends with a hard landing on the mat. Johnson has a decent ground game, but it won't be enough to stop the Russian from using his smothering top pressure to notch his 24th straight victory.

THE PICK: Nurmagomedov

Alexis: Johnson's laser-sighted hands don't mean a thing to Nurmagomedov.

The Menace may have reminded detractors of his one-punch knockout power in his September starching of Dustin Poirier, but he can ill afford to err against an accomplished grappler in Nurmagomedov, who should put him on his back in relatively short order. Look for "The Eagle" to ride his vaunted wrestling and treat viewers to some WWE-reminiscent suplexes over three rounds for a sweep of the scorecards.

THE PICK: Nurmagomedov

Fight Pass Prelims

Lightweight Bout

Jim Miller (16-7 UFC, 27-8)
vs.
Thiago Alves (13-7 UFC, 21-10)

Alexis: As if ending an 18-month layoff with a daunting weight cut wasn't a precarious enough proposition, Thiago Alves is making his lightweight debut opposite a streaking Jim Miller.

The New Jersey native owns the edge in the grappling department, but he can just as easily hassle Alves on the feet, as he's incredibly tough to put away and never shy to trade leather. Simply put, Miller's versatility and Alves' past weight-management trials foreshadow nothing short of imminent doom for the Brazilian.

Miller should take the fight to the ground before long and put the screws to one of Alves' limbs for the tapout.

THE PICK: Miller

Lee: The UFC matchmakers didn't do Alves any favors when they matched him up with Miller for his first-ever fight at 155 pounds.

The 33-year-old Miller is one of the most experienced lightweights in the sport, well-versed in almost every MMA discipline. Alves is no slouch himself with 20 UFC appearances under his belt, but shedding an extra 15 pounds for the first time sounds like a recipe for disaster, considering he twice failed to hit the welterweight mark.

Even discounting the weight cut, Miller's ability to absorb damage and push the pace is going to be too much for Alves to overcome.

THE PICK: Miller

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