UFC 134 Preview: The Prelims

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Bantamweights
Yves Jabouin (15-7, 0-1 UFC) vs. Ian Loveland (14-8, 1-1 UFC)

The Matchup: A striker meets a wrestler in this one, with the winner gaining some all-important leeway and breathing room in the lower tier of the UFC’s 135-pound division.

Dropping down from 145 pounds, Jabouin may be too weakened from the cut to effectively keep it on the feet, which is the kind of fight that favors him. He may prove that sentiment wrong, but a general rule of thumb holds that dropping a weight class is always harder for fighters who do not have wrestling backgrounds to call upon.

Jabouin is a talented striker with a solid all-around game. Loveland, however, has the edge in wrestling and takedowns and showed a degree of toughness in his decision loss to the talented Joseph Benavidez at UFC 128 in March.

The Pick: Loveland will take some shots early from the clever Jabouin, but he eventually hits enough takedowns to slow him up and grind out a late stoppage or decision win.

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