The UFC 276 prelim card features four bouts, all of which will be previewed in this post. It will be capped by an exciting lightweight bout between rising stars Brad Riddell and Jalin Turner. It will also feature a bout between UFC legends Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (pictured above left) and Jim Miller (pictured above right). All win probabilities are based on a fighter’s CC Rating and their place in the CC Rankings.

You can read the previews for the early prelim card HERE.

Brad Tavares vs. Dricus Du Plessis (Men’s Middleweight)

Subjective Spin on Objective Reality: Tavares (NR CC, #12 UFC) is a veteran of the game who has aged very well over twenty UFC fights. Despite the longevity, his strength of still approaches 1650, which is relatively high. He’s 14-6 over those 20 fights in the UFC. The one drawback to his game is that he is not a finisher. This could be an issue against Du Plessis, who has a perfect 100 percent finish rate. The South African can hunt for finishes in any way, shape, and form without being too concerned about Tavares ending the fight. The one hangup for Du Plessis could be his stamina. With a perfect finish rate, that means he’s never gone the distance. This could open him up to gassing himself out chasing a finish against a guy who’s accustomed to winning decisions. How long this bout goes could determine the victor.

Editor’s Pick: Tavares

Ian Garry vs. Gabe Green (Men’s Welterweight)

Subjective Spin on Objective Reality: Garry is definitely one of the most hyped prospects in the sport today. The undefeated Irishman has plenty of talent, but as you can see, has fought a very weak schedule thus far in the UFC. He does have good power in his hands, though, and in his last bout, he demonstrated the ability to go the distance and secure a win. Green finds himself on a two-fight win streak. He finished his last bout via second round KO. He’s only ever won via the scorecards once in his career. Green will come in a little smaller and in terms of raw talent, will be at a disadvantage. However, he can use his versatility to even the playing field. Expect Garry, though, to rise to this challenge.

Editor’s Pick: Garry

Jim Miller vs. Donald Cerrone (Men’s Welterweight)

Subjective Spin on Objective Reality: The winner of this bout will have the most wins in UFC history. Both men are part of a three-way tie for that honor (heavyweight Andrei Arlovski is the third man). Cerrone and Miller are second and third (respectively) in terms of most finishes in UFC history. This bout is simply historic. Their storied careers are now, however, on different trajectories. Cerrone is winless in his last five fights. Miller, on the other hand, has delivered two consecutive KO victories, an oddity, as he is typically a submission artist. Both men have fought the best of the best through their careers and their strength of opponent averages reflect that. Though neither has tasted gold, they should both be future hall-of-famers. However, considering recent performance and the fact that this is technically a short notice bout for Cerrone, it’ll be hard to pick against Miller.

Editor’s Pick: Miller

Brad Riddell vs. Jalin Turner (Men’s Lightweight)

Subjective Spin on Objective Reality: Riddell (NR CC, #14 UFC) just suffered his first UFC loss, but had been rolling through some top-level competition prior. Some people are forgetting why he was able to break into the UFC’s top 15 so early. The finishing power in his pre-UFC days hasn’t yet made an appearance, but it may still be there somewhere. Now would be a good time as Turner is becoming on of the scarier KO artists in the UFC. “The Tarantula” has strung together five finishes in five UFC wins. It’s again important to note that Riddell has shown the stamina to win a decision, whereas Turner’s lost every fight in his career that went beyond two rounds.

Editor’s Pick: Riddell

Photo Credit: MMANews.com