• UFC 112

British quartet prepare siege on UFC 112 undercard

UFC 112 comes to Abu Dhabi on April 10 and it's live on ESPNUK. To guarantee your ringside seat for the event, click here to sign up for ESPN. Below, ESPN.co.uk previews the preliminary card.

Paul Kelly v Matt Veach
Paul Kelly says he can feel a knockout coming at UFC 112, and he is backed up by team-mate Terry Etim, who predicts a first or second round KO for the Liverpudlian lightweight in Abu Dhabi. Just one problem, Kelly is yet to knock anybody out in his five UFC bouts to date.

The former Wolfslair fighter is up against a wrestling powerhouse in Matt Veach, a man who gave No. 1 contender Frankie Edgar a hard time in his last outing before succumbing to second round submission. Therein lies Kelly's plan for this fight.

Kelly's camp consider Veach to have suspect cardio, so the Brit is ready to take a first-round beating in order to press home his superior fitness in the later rounds. Veach will be expected to take Kelly down, but Kelly is excellent at powering back to his feet. If he can do that successfully, he arguably has heavier hands than the ones Edgar used to drop Veach, while Kelly's ground-and-pound is also relentless.

However, whether Kelly's boxing is smart enough to repeat Edgar's performance is questionable, and a frustrating decision victory for Veach would not be a surprise.

Paul Taylor v John Gunderson
Following a harrowing 15-minute beating from Jon Hathaway, Paul Taylor drops to lightweight for his 155lb debut in Abu Dhabi, where his extra size should provide marginal aid against the takedown offence of his opponent.

Taylor is a typecast kickboxer, capable of dropping Marcus Davis and taking Chris Lytle to a decision in a bout that won Fight of the Night honours. Therein lies the secret to his prolonged stay in the UFC, despite going 2-4 in his last six fights. Paul Taylor delivers excitement.

Against John Gunderson, who lost on UFC debut to Rafaello Oliveira, Taylor's takedown defence should not be overly stretched. Gunderson is a grappler who likes to secure top position, but his ability to shoot hardly threatens Georges St-Pierre. Taylor should be able to remain upright, where he will have total control in the stand-up - forcing a late stoppage.

Nick Osipczak won a lot of new fans against Matt Riddle © UFC

Enlarge

Nick Osipczak v Rick Story
Nick Osipczak's professional MMA record remains blemish-free after five fights, but he faces his sternest examination against southpaw wrestler Rick Story. Osipczak got the MEN Arena crowd at UFC 105 on their feet with a third-round stoppage of Matt Riddle in his last fight, but Story is a step up in quality.

Story dropped a hairline decision to Jon Hathaway on UFC debut, and he has since bounced back with two impressive victories. "The Horror's" wrestling base is exceptionally powerful, and it is matched by his clear ambition, which saw him state upon entering the UFC: "I would like to emulate Fedor's aggressive instinct, Anderson Silva's elusive, quick striking, and B.J. Penn's ability to hype a fight."

Osipczak will undoubtedly hit the mat at some point against Story, but the Team Rough House fighter has severely underrated Jiu-Jitsu, which could see him turn Story's strength into a weakness. Osipczak's stand-up is also ever-improving as he trains alongside Dan Hardy and Paul Daley, but he is unlikely to be able to use much of it against Story. Unless the Brit can pull out some more crowd-pleasing sweeps, Story could be on his way to a unanimous decision on Saturday.

Jon Madsen v Mostapha Al Turk
In the eyes of many, this is Mostapha Al Turk's unofficial debut in the UFC, despite the fact he has already fought and lost twice. Al Turk has had arguably the toughest introduction in history, having suffered TKO defeats to Cheick Kongo and Mirko Cro Cop. The loss to Cro Cop even came after a poke to the eye that went unnoticed by the match referee.

Now Al Turk gets the chance to build some momentum, which he should take against Jon Madsen. Al Turk actually gave Cro Cop plenty of problems before the controversial finish at UFC 99, and with victories over James McSweeney and Mark Kerr to his name, he should have too much for TUF 10 alumni Madsen, whose chin is not the strongest.

Phil Davis' takedown offence was relentless against Brian Stann © UFC

Enlarge

Alexander Gustafsson v Phil Davis
Undoubtedly the most eagerly awaited bout on the preliminary card, Phil Davis is already beginning to attract the same "how far will he go?" questions being afforded to Jon Jones. However, unlike the flamboyant unpredictability Jones, the interest in Davis is purely based on his potential for sheer demolition.

Fighting in the light-heavyweight division, Davis' takedown offence drew comparisons to Georges St-Pierre against Brian Stann at UFC 109, when the more-than-adequate game of Stann was overwhelmed by Davis' power. That fight ended in a decision, but expect Davis to find a TKO stoppage against Gustafsson.

Swedish 23-year-old Gustafsson is a fine prospect in his own right, having won all nine of his pro-MMA fights, finishing seven by TKO or KO. He will undoubtedly go on to beat many more opponents at 205lbs, but a knockout specialist is often rendered helpless when sat on his back for 15 minutes, as Davis surely will on April 10.

DaMarques Johnson v Brad Blackburn
In the other fight of the night, we have something of a stylistic conflict between submissions man DaMarques Johnson and striker Brad Blackburn. Or more accurately, mayhem vs controlled aggression.

Johnson has barely adequate stand-up, just enough to take the fight towards a scramble, where he will attempt to finish the fight. In fact, he is often at his most dangerous right before he looks set to lose the fight. However, Blackburn has the better hands and the greater reach, and he should be able to dictate the scrap unless he falls into Johnson's trap.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.