UFC on FX 3 ‘McCall vs. Johnson 2’ Preview

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Welterweights

Seth Baczynski (15-7, 2-1 UFC) vs. Lance Benoist (6-0, 1-0 UFC): A quarterfinalist on the 11th season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Baczynski has fashioned a four-fight winning streak, most recently submitting Matt Brown with a guillotine choke at UFC 139. “The Polish Pistola” will mix it up on the feet with Benoist, who looked strong early but faded in round three in a unanimous decision win over Matt Riddle. Baczynski wears down his opponent and secures a third-round submission.

Welterweights

Mike Pierce (13-5, 5-3 UFC) vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha (9-1, 1-1 UFC): Rocha has been out of action for nearly a year-and-half since losing a split decision to Jake Ellenberger at UFC 126. The Brazilian is dangerous off his back and can put pressure on Pierce by creating scrambles and transitioning to various submission attempts. Pierce might be wise to keep this one standing, doing damage with his powerful right hand and with dirty boxing in the clinch. Pierce wins by decision.

Featherweights

Leonard Garcia (15-8-1, 2-4 UFC) vs. Matt Grice (14-4, 1-4 UFC): Even with losses in three of his last four fights, Garcia has the type of exciting style that gives him room for error in the UFC, especially given the vast number of events the promotion is producing these days. Grice would ideally like to plant Garcia on his back and work his ground-and-pound, but it is also possible he gets caught by the Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts product on the way in. This one will be frenetic, with “Bad Boy” landing the most significant shots before moving in to tap Grice late in round one.

Bantamweights

Dustin Pague (10-5, 0-1 UFC) vs. Jared Papazian (14-7, 0-1 UFC): Papazian waged an entertaining three-round war in his Octagon debut against Mike Easton; with good conditioning and aggressive standup, the King of the Cage champion will favor a fast pace against “The Ultimate Fighter 14” alum Dustin Pague. “The Disciple” will have to start more quickly than he did against John Albert, when he was stopped with punches in just 69 seconds. Papazian wins the majority of the exchanges and avoids Pague’s submissions to capture a decision.

Lightweights

Tim Means (17-3-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Justin Salas (10-3, 1-0 UFC): Means, a King of the Cage champion with 12 knockout victories to his credit, will try to use his reach to land straight punches and combinations from the outside. The key for Salas will be his ability to get the fight to the mat: he scored four takedowns in his UFC debut victory over Anton Kuivanen at UFC on Fuel 1, while Means stuffed all 11 of Bernardo Magalhaes’ attempts on that same card. Means finds a decent rhythm while fighting at range to earn the nod from the judges.

Middleweights

Buddy Roberts (11-2, 0-0 UFC) vs. Caio Magalhaes (5-0, 0-0 UFC): Roberts had his UFC debut unfortunately delayed when Sean Loeffler injured his ankle during warm-ups prior to their UFC on Fuel TV 1 meeting. Now he gets a promotional newcomer in Magalhaes, a former Shooto South American champion. Roberts, who began his career at heavyweight, figures to have the strength advantage. He outmuscles the Brazilian and earns a decision.

Lightweights

Henry Martinez (8-2, 0-1 UFC) vs. Bernardo Magalhaes (11-2, 0-1 UFC): Martinez gave a valiant effort against Matt Riddle in February, dropping a closely contested split decision while fighting at welterweight. While it was his standup that carried him against the larger Riddle, expect to see more of Martinez’s wrestling at his natural weight class. He outstrikes Magalhaes on the feet before getting a second-round technical knockout with ground-and-pound.

Welterweights

Sean Pierson (11-6, 1-2 UFC) vs. Jake Hecht (11-3, 1-1 UFC): Pierson has fallen in consecutive bouts to Jake Ellenberger and Dong Hyun Kim, while Hecht was submitted by T.J. Waldburger in just 55 seconds in his last outing. Pierson will have to use his jab to keep the aggressive Hecht at bay, but the “Hitman” has the potential to end the fight with powerful strikes in close quarters. Both men have decent wrestling, so this fight could be decided on the feet. Pierson wins by decision.