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 152 Prelim Recap

Vinny subbing Igor (Photo by bloodyelbow.com)

UFC 152 was one of the best events of this year. With upsets, brutal KOs, slick submissions, and bloody all out wars aplenty; UFC 152 fired on all cylinders. There are some big matchups to make after such a huge event, so let us dive in.

Charlie Brenneman vs. Kyle Noke: The opener on this card was a quick and surprising one. Noke was becoming one of the more promising fighters to come from the 11th season of the TUF. Following two more wins cemented that fact but he then ran into Andrew Craig and Ed Herman. I felt that a drop down to welterweight was a smart idea. But when the UFC announced that Brenneman would welcome him back I felt that Brenneman would easily out grapple him en route to a unanimous decision win. Noke's standup looked improved by leaps and bounds, and it showed through his 40 second TKO victory over "The Spaniard". Some would say it was a premature stoppage, but Brenneman went limp more than once. He will most likely be released following this loss, as it was his 3rd in his last 4 fights.

Possible matchups for Noke: The Australian looked amazing on Saturday. He is typically pegged as a grappler but his striking looked crisp and powerful. Claude Patrick still hasn't had his next fight announced and this fight could prove to be a good grappling match, or even an underrated standup fight.

Walel Watson vs. Mitch Gagnon: These guys are two promising fighters that came out to tonight to prove a point following their recent losses. Watson had a clear reach advantage that he was looking to utilize, but wasn't able to. Mitch countered a superman punch of Watson's and dropped him. Mitch followed it up with some nasty ground and pound from the back. Once Watson nearly made it to his feet, Gagnon literally dragged him to the ground with a choke. It wasn't necessarily technical, but it was pretty awesome. Gagnon cinched up the RNC in only 69 seconds. The Canadian really got the crowd going then. Sadly, this is the 3rd loss in a row for "The Gazelle" and his release is inevitable.

Possible matchups for Gagnon: Two of the most promising bantamweights in the UFC right now are both Gagnon and Chico Camus. Camus was an underdog in his UFC debut against Dustin Pague and he dominated that fight. A fight between the two could be a fight of the night and would show us who's ready for a step up.

Seth Baszynski vs. Simeon Thoreson: Simeon Thoreson was another rising prospect on the UFC 152 card. He was really utilizing his reach advantage over Seth and was winning the standup. But, MMA is the most unpredictable sport in the world and Seth landed an uppercut and dropped the Norway native and finished him off with a couple more punches. Thoreson was unconscious for awhile but this will be a big learning experience for him.

Possible matchups for Baszynski: Seth Baszynski was asking for a top 15 welterweight following his last win over Lance Benoist. I thought it was time for him to take a step up and Thoreson isn't really a step up from Benoist. John Maguire and John Hathaway are fighting this coming Saturday and the winner of that will most likely become a top 15. Baszynski should fight the winner of that.

Possible matchups for Thoreson: Is was too bad to see such a promising fighter be completely knocked unconscious like that, but I'm sure it will be a huge learning experience. Another welterweight who is coming off a loss is Kenny Robertson. Simeon could easily win this fight if he took it to the ground. 

Jimy Hettes vs. Marcus Brimage: This fight was the second most surprising to me. I, and many others, believed that Hettes was going to easily just wipe the floor with Brimage. Brimage easily won the fight from beginning to end, minus the second round. Marcus landed some solid shots that would put most middleweights out but Hettes showed off one of the best chins we’ve seen in some time. Brimage also showed an improved ground game as he escaped some really close submission attempts. Brimage ultimately won two of three rounds and proved he is both one of the most promising prospects in MMA and one of the most underrated fighters in the world.

Possible matchups for Brimage: As I just said, Brimage is possibly the most underrated fighter in MMA today. He was a massive underdog in his last two fights and won them both. How can we count him out anymore? Max Holloway is another fighter that really deserves a step up but with both of these guys on their way up the ranks, a fight between the two would show who's ready for that step.

Possible matchups for Hettes: Despite this loss, Hettes still has a lot of time to grow and can still become a great fighter. His main problem is his standup. It's very bad. His ground game is fantastic but his standup is atrocious. He needs a fight to rebound and Cody McKenzie is just the fighter to do that.

Sean Pierson vs. Lance Benoist: Although this fight wasn't particularly great, it was nice to see the Canadian get the win in his hometown. Pierson had a clear boxing advantage which was shown right off the bat. Benoist had a lot of trouble trying to get inside and land some shots. The only time he was really able to do that was in the third, and he actually almost won the fight. Benoist was dangerously close to making a great comeback but Pierson is a vet and a tough SOB and maintained composure until the final bell.

Possible matchups for Pierson: Originally, Pierson was slated to fight the elder Miller brother, Dan. But, fortunately (yes, fortunately) Dan Miller pulled out of the fight due to his son getting a successful kidney transplant. All the best to his family! Anyway, this fight still makes perfect sense.

Possible matchups for Benoist: This is a second decision loss for Benoist now under the UFC banner. He's starting to cut it close to being released by the promotion. It's a shame because he is a promising young fighter. Rich Attonito still has yet to have his next fight set up so once he heals from his most recent injury, these two guys should try and rebound from their most recent losses.

TJ Grant vs. Evan Dunham: I really felt that this fight was going to be a rather boring grappling affair. Whoever would have expected this fight to be one of the best slugfests so far this year. From the very beginning, Grant was the aggressor and was constantly throwing knees and crazy flurries and Dunham tried to counter them with punches but wasn't exactly having the best of luck. Dunham did get takedowns at the end of each round but I felt that Grant did enough in the standup to win at least two of the three rounds. It was quite the bloodbath.

Possible matchups for Grant: Grant has been one of the more underrated fighters under the Zuffs banner. Constantly a top 20 or 15 fighter, Grant finally showed everyone why he is a solid fighter and has really hit his stride as a lightweight. Another one of the most underrated fighters in the world is Rafael dos Anjos. These guys should fight and the winner would get a top-10 lightweight.

Possible matchups for Dunham: This was a really tough loss for Dunham. It was a close, bloody war and he was on the losing end of it. Another fighter coming off of a tough decision loss is Anthony Njokuani. They both need rebound fights and this would be a fun striker versus grappler matchup.

Igor Pokrajac vs. Vinny Magalhaes: There was a lot of hype formed around Vinny's return to the UFC. After his release, he went on to become the M-1 light heavyweight champ and had a few amazing submission wins, including the highly rare gogoplata. Pokrajac is a stiff test for anyone but Vinny made it look easy. He won the first round with his highly superior BJJ game. But in the second round, Pokrajac oddly took Vinny down and walked right into an armbar. Now, when the armbar happened live, I thought it was nice, but I didn't realize the detail in it. When it showed a better angle, I actually got chills from just how amazing that armbar was. The sweep... Oh man, it's hard to put into words the amount of intricacies was in that submission. Vinny was seriously screwed out of a "Submission of the Night" bonus.

Possible matchups for Magalhaes: With this win, Vinny is instantly one of the top-15 guys in the UFC's light heavyweight division. Not a lot of people were able to do what Vinny was able to do to Igor. Brandon Vera was just in a potential number one contenders bout with Shogun and he actually did really good. These guys should fight and the winner should get a top-10 fighter.

Possible matchups for Pokrajac: "The Duke" was on an impressive 3 fight winning streak and it was snapped by an armbar (sorry, I hate puns too). He is still a very talented fighter but he definitely went down rankings with this loss. Chad Griggs and Cyrille Diabate are fighting soon so Igor should fight the winner of this fight.

For the Main Card Recap click here