UFC on FX 6 Prelim Recap

The prelims were a perfect way to to start this card. Many people entered this fight believing that this card would lack in entertainment due to the fact that it lacked any star power. There were two nasty KO's and two wars. The prelims couldn't have gone any better.

Nick Penner vs. Cody Donovan: I have to admit, this fight was a lot more exciting than I was expecting. It looked as if Donovan was getting the better of Penner but then “The Quiet Assassin" caught Donovan on the ear with a counter right hook. It dropped the Australian and Penner nearly finished the fight. It happened again but with an uppercut and looked as though Donovan was out. He got up again and eventually dropped Penner himself. Donovan capped it off with ground and pound and earned a victory in his UFC debut. Now with this making Penner 0-2 with two first round TKO losses, I project he will be released.

Possible matchups for Donovan: This was a huge win for the Aussie. He took the fight on short notice and made a comeback for a first round TKO victory in front of his hometown. Penner was definitely a fighter at the bottom of the heap so this win doesn’t do much for Donovan’s stock. I believe he should fight the winner of Roger Hollett and Wagner Prado next.

Mike Wilkinson vs. Brendan Loughnane: This fight was downright awesome. Brendan came out in the first round and looked to have a really good gameplan, sticking and moving with inside leg kicks. It was definitely working on the smaller Wilkinson, but the second round was a different story. Wilkinson really started to push forward and was landing some solid hooks that would have dropped most fighters but Loughnane showed an amazing chin. The rest of the fight was exactly like this and Wilkinson eked out a close unanimous decision win. I really hope the UFC keeps around Loughnane, but history shows that fighters from TUF who lose in the finale are released.

Possible matchups for Wilkinson: This was a really tough fight for a guy who was a pretty big favorite heading in. Wilkinson is a natural featherweight and I would predict he will make a return following this win. If he does, I would like to see him fight Felipe Arantes who is coming off of a draw to Milton Vieira.

Ben Alloway vs. Manny Rodriguez: This was an early contender for KOOTN. Manny came out strong right away and pretty easily took Alloway down on several occasions. Alloway did get up each time and showed he does have a solid ground game, though he does need to work on his takedown defense. In the later stages of the round, he landed an accidental groin kick. Once they got back to the fight, Alloway threw a front kick and Rodriguez leaned right into it. Rodriguez fell back and Alloway put him out cold with some ground and pound. Manny is a very talented fighter but he will have the same problem as Brendan Loughnane.

Possible matchups for Alloway: I really like Ben Alloway, all his fights with the UFC (TUF included) have been fantastic. If he can work on his takedown defense, he could be a name to watch. I want them to move him at the right pace so a fight with 0-2 David Mitchell could be the fight to make.

Mike Pierce vs. Seth Baczynski: From beginning to end, Mike Pierce fought like… well, Mike Pierce. From the opening bell to the closing bell, Pierce smothered and outwrestled Baczynski en route to a unanimous decision win. In the third round, though, Baczysnki started to light up Mike Pierce and gave the favorite a nasty mouse. But it wasn’t enough, as Pierce continued to outwrestle “The Polish Pistola”.

Possible matchups for Pierce: The wrestler in Mike Pierce put a stop to the momentum of up and comer Seth Baczysnki with his much superior grappling. Thiago Alves is looking for a rebound fight after losing to Martin Kampmann by submission and if Pierce can beat Alves, that would be a huge name on his resume and launch him into title contention.

Possible matchups for Baczynski: This was a very big loss for Seth. He was 4-0 since his return to the UFC and his step up in competition didn’t exactly go as planned. He is still a top-20 welterweight and I would love to see him fight the loser of Mike Pyle vs. James Head this Saturday.

Igor Pokrajac vs. Joey Beltran: Just like how Mike Pierce fought like Mike Pirece, Joey Beltran fought like Joey Beltran. But this was an improved Joey Beltran. Typically when he comes out, he rushes forward and slugs it out for 15 minutes. Beltran instead used a great gameplan of pushing Igor against the fence and utilized some brutal dirty boxing. Of course, there were several points where they did stand in the middle and slugged without pause for 30 seconds. But other than that, Beltran saved his UFC career with his best performance in his MMA career.

Possible matchups for Beltran: This was easily the best fight of the fan friendly Joey Beltran’s career. He actually seemed to have had a gameplan this time out. I know he isn’t a particularly talented fighter, but he looked great Friday night. I think the fight to make is against Fabio Maldonado. That has all the makings to be fight of the year.

Possible matchups for Pokrajac: This was an absolutely devastating loss for the Croatian  The only plus he gets from this fight is that he showed he also has an incredible chin. Other than that, he looked terrible. He couldn’t ever get anything off and Beltran dominated him from the start. He desperately needs a rebound fight if he doesn’t want to be released and the man to match him up with would be Chad Griggs. If Griggs isn’t already released following his loss to Diabate, this is the fight to make.

Chad Mendes vs. Yaotzin Meza: If this fight was a surprise to you, you’re either related to Meza or you train with him. Either way, this fight went exactly as expected. Mendes stalked forward, noticed that Meza was holding his chin a tad bit too high, and capitalized. It was a brutal KO and now hopefully Mendes will finally get the type of fight that his talent deserves.

Possible matchups for Mendes: Now that Mendes has (hopefully) ridden past this mismatch curse of his, he should get a top-10 opponent. The Korean Zombie is the fight everyone has been begging the UFC to make and I believe now is the best time.

Possible matchups for Meza: For a guy like Yaotzin Meza, it’s hard to find a matchup that makes sense. I’m not even sure if he’s UFC material. My guess is that he will fight a UFC newcomer himself next, but if not, he should fight Joey Gambino in a loser goes home fight.

UFC on FX 6: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson Predictions

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Ross Pearson vs. George Sotiropoulos: This should be a fun one. I think Pearson has the more technical standup and has more power but Sots has a much better ground game. In my opinion this whole fight boils down to Sots’ takedown ability. He has had trouble in the past getting guys down or at least not down soon enough.  However, I think Sots can avoid Pearson’s power and grind out a somewhat close decision. = Sotiropoulos by unanimous decision.

Brad Scott vs. Robert Whittaker: Scott seems like a well rounded and decent fighter but Whitaker seems like a killer and I see Whitaker coming out and ending this quick with a highlight reel KO. = Whitaker by KO in round 1. My Pick for KO of the Night!

Colin Fletcher vs. Norman Parke: This fight is a tough pick for me. I really think Fletcher’s ground game might be too much for Parke. Parke does have the wrestling ability to win this but he will have to be defending takedowns left and right. I just think the safest pick here is Fletcher grabbing on to a limb and ending it. = Fletcher by submission in round 2. My Pick for Submission of the Night!

Hector Lombard vs. Rousimar Palhares: I believe that Palhares in the world of BJJ is an beast but in MMA he is one of the most overrated fighters in the middleweight division. Don’t believe me? Look at who he was beaten recently. I think Lombard is smart enough and strong enough to avoid the submission attempts of Paul Harris. I see Lombard dictating the standup and staying out of trouble en route to a boring decision. = Lombard by unanimous decision.

Prelims

Chad Mendes vs. Yaotzin Meza = Mendes by unanimous decision.

Joey Beltran vs. Igor Pokrajac = Igor by unanimous decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!

Seth Baczynski vs. Mike Pierce = Pierce by split decision.

Ben Alloway vs. Manuel Rodriguez = Rodriguez by submission in round 2.

Brendan Loughnane vs. Mike Wilkinson = Wilkinson by split decision.

Cody Donovan vs. Nick Penner: Penner by split decision.

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Ross Pearson vs. George Sotiropoulos: These TUF coaches’ fights are really difficult to pick. Both of these guys are in a bit of a slump at the moment, but more so for George, who is coming off losses to Dennis Siver and a KO at the hands of Rafael dos Anjos. Pearson himself is coming off a TKO loss to Cub Swanson. It’s kind of a striker vs. grappler matchup but they’re both well rounded. Pearson’s striking is very technical and fast but Sotiropoulos’ ground game is extremely slick. It’s going to be a very close fight but I see a late submission win for the Aussie = Sotiropoulos via 4^th round submission (choke). My pick for SOTN! My 2^nd pick for FOTN!

Brad Scott vs. Robert Whittaker: Dave nailed this right in the head in my opinion. Scott is definitely a good fighter, but Whittaker’s blitzing attack will be too much. Remember Whittaker’s name, he has a very bright future = Whittaker via 1^st round KO. My pick for KOOTN!

Colin Fletcher vs. Norman Parke: This one is much tougher for me to pick than the other final. Parke is very strong and pretty well rounded but Fletcher is just the better fighter. Parke has good wrestling but he sticks his head in for a guillotine and that is Freakshow’s specialty = Fletcher via 1^st round guillotine choke.

Hector Lombard vs. Rousimar Palhares: This could be a fight between the two most overrated fighters in the UFC today. But Lombard may not be overrated. His all-around game is fantastic while Palhares is really just a one trick pony. Paul Harris also lacks toughness; you hit him with a solid punch and he turtles. Lombard will make up for his last fight with this one = Lombard via 1^st round TKO.

Prelims

Chad Mendes vs. Yaotzin Meza = Mendes via unanimous decision.

Joey Beltran vs. Igor Pokrajac = Igor via unanimous decision. My 1^st pick for FOTN!

Seth Baczynski vs. Mike Pierce = Pierce via split decision.

Ben Alloway vs. Manuel Rodriguez = Alloway via 3^rd round TKO.

Brendan Loughnane vs. Mike Wilkinson = Wilkinson via unanimous decision. My 3^rd pick for FOTN!

Cody Donovan vs. Nick Penner = Donovan via split decision.

UFC on Fuel TV 4 Main Card Recap

Chris Weidman finishing the fight.
Photo by The Fight Nation

Overall, this was a very good night of fights.  We got to see a potential dethroner of Anderson Silva’s long reign show why he is being considered the next big thing in MMA with his win. We also got to see a potential Fight of the Year and several other rising prospects show that they are ready for a step up in competition. Only two fights were not entertaining, that’s a rarity that there were only two. Anyway, into the recap!

Rafael dos Anjos vs. Anthony Njokuani: Dos Anjos continues to show why he should be such a feared fighter. He beat a kick boxer at his own game and dominated the ground game with wrestling and BJJ. Dos Anjos ended up dominating every round, even though one of the judges gave one to Njokuani.

Possible matchups for dos Anjos: The guy deserves a top-10 opponent. I thought that he beat Tibau and he was winning against Clay Guida before his jaw broke and he had to tap out when Guida was putting pressure on it. Donald Cerrone looked fantastic in his last fight with Jeremy Stephens. Dos Anjos and Cerrone would put on one hell of a brawl. Dos Anjos and him are similar but Cerrone has the better technical and fast standup while dos Anjos is wild but powerful with his.

Possible matchups for Njokuani: Paul Taylor and Njokuani were supposed to fight twice before, including on this card. That fight would be spectacular so lets try again, third times the charm.

Vaughan Lee vs. TJ Dillashaw: Lee started off very good in the standup, getting the better of the exchanges and landing some solid kicks to the body. He started to get a little wild and missed a head kick, which was caught and he was instantly taken down. His back was taken and the fight was over. First round submission for Team Alpha Male.

Possible matchups for Dillashaw: TJ still really needs to work on his standup. His ground game is fantastic but his stand up is too wide and can be easily countered. He should face off against the winner of Mizugaki and Hougland. Both of those guys would be a tough test for TJ; Mizugaki in the standup and Hougland on the ground.

Possible matchups for Lee: Lee seems very undersized at 135 to me. I think a move down to 125 would pay off very well. He is very well rounded and very fast on his feet. Another bantamweight that just moved down to 125 is Jared Papazian. These guys would put on an amazing fight and I would hate to see either of them go for the loser would most likely be cut.

Francis Carmont vs. Karlos Vemola: I really like both of these guys. They both have tons of potential and like to finish fights. The first round was close but Carmont most likely won for his takedowns and controlling the standup. Eventually in the second round, he had Vemola in a crucifix and transitioned into a RNC for the finish.

Possible matchups for Carmont: Carmont wants a top-10 guy, I say not yet. Him and Costa Philippou have been doing very well at middleweight lately and they should face off in the near future. The winner of that fight should be able to take big step up in competition, possibly top-10.

Possible matchups for Vemola: The heavyweight turned middleweight has one big problem in his fights: impatience. He thinks he finds a guillotine, so he dives on it without trying to set it up. He sprints forward for the takedown and gets caught doing so. If he can be patient, he could do big things. Clifford Starks could be the perfect opponent to help him with that. Starks is a big and very athletic 185er who is a hard fight for anyone not named Anderson Silva at middleweight. If Vemola could be patient in a fight with Starks, he would win.

Aaron Simpson vs. Kenny Robertson: This fight was the second one mentioned in the first paragraph. The first round was pretty fun but after that, the best shots landed were knees to the butt. Seriously. Eventually, Simpson won the dominant decision win.

Possible matchups for Simpson: I’m still interested to see how well Jon Fitch will recover from his loss to Hendricks. I wouldn’t mind seeing them fight eventually.

Possible matchups for Robertson: I don’t really have much interest in Robertson after this performance and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is cut. But a fight between him and Besam Yousef would be a loser goes home fight.

James Te Huna vs. Joey Beltran: “The Mexicutioner” never fails to put on an awesome fight. This was one of the best fights so far this year and will most likely be running for FOTY later in 2012. Te Huna also landed the most significant strikes in one round and the whole fight; a record for the 205 pound division. It was a dominant win for Te Huna and I believe that he is ready to take on some big names.

Possible matchups for Te Huna: Glover Teixeira is fighting Rampage at UFC 153. Win or lose, Te Huna vs. Glover Teixeira is guaranteed fireworks. They both love to finish and I believe that Te Huna would be a really tough test for Glover.

Possible matchups for Beltran: The newest addition to the UFC light heavyweight division is Jimi Manuwa, who is now the former BAMMA 205 champion. He still doesn’t have his debut fight set up and Beltran is always a good test for new comers.

Chris Weidman vs. Mark Munoz: No one has ever, EVER, dominated Mark Munoz like that. I thought that Weidman would have the slightest wrestling advantage but not as big as it showed in this fight. Weidman took down Mark at will, and held him there. Weidman was continually going for chokes and armbars and kimuras. He was relentless. He did the same again in the beginning of the second round but Munoz got back up. Mark swung a big right hand; Chris ducked under it and elbowed him straight in the face, nearly knocking out Munoz. He drops to the floor and Weidman lands around 15 unanswered punches to the side of the head of Munoz. It was brutal and one of the latest stoppages that I have ever seen.

Possible matchups for Weidman: This 28-year-old kid could very well be the person to dethrone Anderson Silva. It’s only his 9^th fight in his career and he dominated a top-3 middleweight. He has the wrestling that can beat Anderson. He has a submission game so he can defend against Silva’s attacks off his back. His standup is the only question but it looked amazing on Wednesday. Munoz never even landed a single punch. He is basically a better, stronger, more humble version of Chael Sonnen. If he does get this fight with Silva, which I think he deserves, I might just go with him.

Possible matchups for Munoz: This was a devastating loss for Mark. The guy is a class act and I never like to see him lose. But he is still a top-10 middleweight. Hector Lombard and Tim Boetsch are fighting in a week, so the loser of that could come fight Munoz for a rebound fight.

For Prelim Recap Click Here