Predictive control and feedback linearization are two popular approaches for the control of nonlinear systems. In this paper, a cascade combination of the two methods is proposed, where control based on input- output feedback linearization forms the inner lo op, and predictive control the outer lo op. With this scheme, predictive control is applied to the internal dynamics instead of the system dynamics. The proposed cascade scheme is advantageous for unstable minimum-phase systems and for unstable nonminimum-phase systems with slower internal dynamics compared to the system dynamics. A stability analysis of the global scheme is provided based on singular perturbation theory. The approach is illustrated via the simulation of an inverted pendulum on a cart system.