UFC on Fox 6 Prelim Recap

Ryan Bader sinks in a guillotine on Vladimir Matyushenko.
Photo via MMAConnected.com.

Simeon Thoreson vs. David Mitchell: This was a surprisingly good back and forth ground battle throughout. I had a feeling heading in that Mitchell’s strength would play a huge part in this fight, and it did. Being a six foot tall welterweight can really help during grappling exchanges. Mitchell pretty easily won the first two rounds but the third was much closer for Thoreson. Good showing by both guys but Mitchell was just too strong.

Possible matchups for Mitchell: Mitchell’s stature and grappling abilities could carry him to a decently successful UFC career. If he wants to continue his rise, he should fight someone with a big name but at the same level as him. Yoshihiro Akiyama is riding a four fight losing streak but is still considered a solid fighter. If Akiyama wants to stay with the UFC he needs to beat Mitchell, and if Mitchell wants to continue up the ranks, he should beat Akiyama.

Possible matchups for Thoreson: This is now two straight losses for Thoreson, which will give him a loser goes home bout his next time out. If he wants to stay with the UFC, he should fight another fighter riding a two fight losing streak. That man would be Papy Abedi.

Rafael Natal vs. Sean Spencer: For a guy taking a fight on about two weeks’ notice, Spencer did a fantastic job in this fight for what he was given. Natal is a very solid fighter, which was shown throughout this fight. Though Spencer had his moments in the first round, Natal was able to control this fight from beginning to end with his much superior grappling. Spencer showed intense toughness as he somehow escaped an Americana that should have snapped his shoulder. Natal eventually synched up the arm triangle and finished from the mount in the third.

Possible matchups for Natal: Following his KO loss to Andrew Craig, Natal was ready to rebound from the devastating loss. He did so successfully with this win over Spencer. Thiago Bodao, a semi-finalist on the first season of TUF Brazil, has yet to make his return after his TKO win at UFC 147 over Leonardo Mafra. These two should fight sometime in the spring.

Possible matchups for Spencer: With his entertaining fighting style and extreme toughness, Spencer is a welcomed addition to the UFC’s middleweight division. Though he was finished in his debut, he deserves another shot in the UFC, as he not only took this fight on short notice but he put up such a fight. Caio Magalhaes, a talented grappler, is coming off of a decision loss in his UFC debut against Buddy Roberts back in June of last year. A bout between these two could prove to be a fun fight, but would ultimately lead to the release of the loser.

Mike Russow vs. Shawn Jordan: Well, we have an early favorite for comeback of the year with this fight. In in the first round, Russow absolutely obliterated Jordan with shockingly good standup as he nearly finished the Jackson’s MMA product on almost three occasions. Going into the second round, Jordan easily took the fatigued Russow down on multiple occasions and softened him up with some violent ground and pound. Eventually, Jordan got Russow’s back and pounded him out with violent ground and pound for the finish and great comeback. Russow has looked terrible in his last two fights despite looking great in the first round against Jordan. I predict a pink slip forthcoming.

Possible matchups for Jordan: Despite his extremely lackluster loss to Kongo and poor first round against Russow, Jordan is still one of the more promising heavyweights in MMA. Todd Duffee, an even more promising heavyweight prospect, is coming off of a 1^st round KO victory over Phil de Fries in his return to the octagon. A fight between Jordan and Duffee could very well be slugfest in the making.

Ryan Bader vs. Vladimir Matyushenko: I think it’s time for Matyushenko to retire. At 42 years old and riding a two fight losing streak, Vladimir should hang up the gloves. Bader came out hungry and aggressive, landing a left hand that dropped Matyushenko and then choking him out with a guillotine choke. The fight only lasted 50 seconds and is now the fastest submission win in the history of the UFC’s light heavyweight division.

Possible matchups for Bader: Despite this huge win, I’m not going to consider Bader a title contender just yet. He needs one more win over a fellow up and comer if he wants to be mentioned in the title picture. James Te Huna and Ryan Jimmo will be fighting in the near a future and the winner of that should fight Ryan Bader in a fight that will launch the winner into title contention.

Pascal Krauss vs. Mike Stumpf: Right from the get-go, Krauss easily out-struck Stumpf. Krauss landed tons of quick combinations throughout, even throwing something I’ve never seen before: a superman uppercut. Both times he threw it he landed it very solid. Stumpf did take Krauss down on a few occasions, but Krauss was able to get up and destroy Stumpf on the feet. This now makes Stumpf 0-2 in the UFC against mid-tier competition; he will be released shortly after.

Possible matchups for Krauss: With a very solid all-around game, Krauss is one of the more exciting prospects in the UFC’s welterweight division. Another fighter who is an exciting welterweight prospect is Ben Alloway, who is coming off of a first round front kick KO over Manny Rodriguez at UFC on FX in Australia. Both of these fighters bring a very dynamic standup game but Krauss brings in the better ground game.

Clay Guida vs. Hatsu Hioki: It seems as though Guida is quickly starting to lose his “insanely entertaining” persona. This was a very close grappling match right from the start but Hioki was the more aggressive on the ground, despite being on his back the whole time. Guida took him down on multiple occasions but Hioki consistently threatened with submissions, leading many to believe the Hioki won the fight. It was such a close fight that the last two rounds really could have gone either way. Guida did take the split decision much to the chagrin of many grappling fans.

Possible matchups for Guida: With this huge win in his featherweight debut, Guida is now instantly put into title contention. With solid striking and powerful wrestling, his fighting style is very similar to that of Chad Mendes, who is fighting Manny Gamburyan at UFC 157. The winner of that bout should fight Guida in a potential number one contender’s bout.

Possible matchups for Hioki: A two fight losing streak is never good for anyone, even if you are a title contender like Hatsu Hioki. He desperately needs a rebound fight against a solid competitor. Pablo Garza is coming off of a dominant decision upset win over former title challenger in Mark Hominick. If Hioki wants to stay in the UFC, he needs a win over Garza.

TJ Grant vs. Matt Wiman: In the fight I was having the most trouble in predicting and saying it was going to be very close, turned out to be a one sided beat down. Grant just absolutely destroyed Wiman with superior striking and takedown defense. Grant continually caught Wiman with hooks and elbows whenever they got in close. Eventually with only about 10 seconds left, Grant dropped Wiman down and knocked him unconscious with ground and pound.

Possible matchups for Grant: With this huge KO win over Wiman, this puts Grant right into the top of the UFC’s lightweight division. I would guess that he is only about 2 wins away from a title shot. I would like to see him fight Gray Maynard and the winner of that is put into a number one contender’s bout. Grant poses a lot of problems for the former title challenger in Maynard.

Possible matchups for Wiman: This was a devastating loss that plummets Wiman down the lightweight ladder. Another fighter who is coming off of a brutal loss is Mark Bocek. Bocek is probably still healing after the brutal beat down that he received from Rafael dos Anjos. Both these guys should fight for a fun lightweight affair.

UFC on Fox 6: Johnson vs. Dodson Predictions

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson: Speed; the one word that is surrounding this whole title fight. Who will be the faster one? Who will have the advantage on the ground? These are two most important factors entering the fight. And the man to have the advantage in both is the champion, Demetrious Johnson. He has the better footwork, wrestling, and submissions. Dodson has the power to knock anyone at featherweight and under on their butt, but overall, Johnson is the more well-rounded fighter. Keeping distance away and moving in and out of Dodson’s power punches with some takedowns mixed in should be Johnson’s gameplan. It will be an extremely close fight, but Johnson’s superior skills will earn him the nod = Johnson via unanimous decision (48-47). My 3^rd pick for FOTN!

Rampage Jackson vs. Glover Teixeira: I really try not to fall into hype trains, and mostly fail, but I don’t think that Teixeira is a hype train. He is a legitimate contender and can defeat almost anybody at 205. A year ago, I would have picked Rampage hands down, but his lack of motivation is a turn off. He said he was motivated heading into his fight with Bader, but he was dominated. His heart just isn’t in it anymore, and Teixeira is just heading into his prime = Teixeira via unanimous decision (30-26).

Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis: BARNBURNER ALERT: When having two of the most entertaining guys in MMA facing off, it typically leads to an amazing fight. When you add in the fact that they really dislike each other and that there’s a title shot on the line, you have yourselves a fight of the year in the works. That is exactly what this fight is. Possibly the most interesting variable heading into this fight is the fact that both of these guys are really good off their back. They love the triangle and are very good at sweeps. One of Cerrone’s last outings against Jeremy Stephens was arguably the most impressive Donald Cerrone that we have ever seen, and he fought with a horrific intestinal problem. If you compare the difference in both Pettis’ and Cerrone’s last fights with Jeremy Stephens, it’s completely different. Pettis arguably lost to Jeremy and Cerrone absolutely destroyed him. Though this is MMA and anything can happen, but Cerrone is just too hard to bet against = Cerrone via split decision. My 1st pick for FOTN!

Erik Koch vs. Ricardo Lamas: I really, really hope that this is a number one contender’s bout. Lamas derailed Hioki’s title hopes with a shocking (though not to me) decision win over him. Koch is one of the more promising fighters in MMA today, possessing rare finishing ability for a featherweight. Koch’s one blemish to his record comes at the hands of Chad Mendes, a very strong wrestler. Guess what Lamas is. Yep, a very strong wrestler, and arguably stronger than Mendes. Lamas could possibly be the strongest featherweight in the UFC. Lamas’ last three wins are much more impressive than Koch’s. Koch has beaten Francisco Rivera by 1st round TKO (a bantamweight), Raphael Assuncao by 1st round KO (also a bantamweight), and a debatable win over Jonathan Brookins (who is semi-retired at the moment). Lamas murdered Matt Grice by 1st round TKO (a decent wrestler, nothing insane), demolished Cub Swanson by second round arm triangle (who is on a three fight win streak all by (T)KO) and an upset over former number 1 contender in Hatsu Hioki. Also, Koch hasn’t fought in 15 months = Lamas via unanimous decision.

Prelims

TJ Grant vs. Matt Wiman: I’m having a lot trouble picking between these two guys. Both have looked fantastic lately against very solid competition. It’s fun to see two of the more underrated guys in the UFC fight to finally become someone relevant in the title picture. When breaking down the aspects of MMA, Grant has the advantage overall. His striking is improving rapidly and looked great against Evan Dunham, his wrestling is better and his submission game is very dangerous. Wiman is a bit of a wild card though; he takes everyone by surprise, he certainly did against Paul Sass in his last outing. With them being such similar fighters talent-wise, I’m leaning towards the stronger fighter = Grant via split decision. My 2nd pick for FOTN!

Hatsu Hioki vs. Clay Guida: I don’t really see as to why people are having so much trouble predicting this fight. The last person that Hioki fought was Ricardo Lamas, a strong and powerful wrestler with solid striking. Guida is a strong and powerful wrestler with fantastic striking. Hioki has looked terrible in the UFC thus far (minus his fight with Palaszewski, he looked fantastic) and Guida is almost a better version of Lamas = Guida via unanimous decision.

Ryan Bader vs. Vladimir Matyushenko: I love Matyushenko but his days are quickly coming to an end. He can’t hang with solid fighters anymore. Bader is still a contender and he will rebound from his last loss to Machida with a violent KO, or a grinding decision = Bader via 1st round KO. MY pick for KOOTN!

Mike Russow vs. Shawn Jordan: Even though Jordan’s last fight with Kongo was truly one of the worst fights that my eyes have ever beheld, he is still an exciting prospect. He is crazy athletic for a heavyweight, which is always a plus in MMA. Russow is a very different fighter though. He isn’t particularly athletic, but he knows how to get the job done. His superior grappling will grind Jordan out to a decision win. I just hope the UFC keeps Jordan around to show his potential = Russow via unanimous decision.

Pascal Krauss vs. Mike Stumpf = Krauss via 1st round submission (armbar). My pick for FOTN!

Rafael Natal vs. Sean Spencer = Natal via 3rd round submission.

David Mitchell vs. Simeon Thoresen = Thoresen via unanimous decision.

Dave's Picks

Main Card

Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson: This will be the fastest fight any of us will ever see. These guys might be the fastest fighters in MMA, but I think this fight will be pretty similar to Johnson vs. Benavidez. I see Johnson outwrestling Dodson due to being the faster fighter and having the better wrestling. I do think Dodson will be stronger and have more punching power but other than that I think Johnson has every advantage. This will be close, just like every Johnson fight, but the champ will take it due to superior wrestling and speed. = Johnson by unanimous decision.

Quinton Jackson vs. Glover Teixeira: This fight should be a brawl. Glover is going to kill Rampage and it’s going to be awesome. Rampage has been easily handled in his last two fights and hasn’t fought in 11 months. Glover hasn’t lost since 2005…and is coming off of two huge wins in the UFC. Be prepared to see a legend of the sport get totally outclassed on the feet and on the ground. This will be brutal and if you are a Rampage fan, this is the fight for you to go to the kitchen and grab another slice of pizza until you hear Goldy say “It’s all over!” = Glover by submission in round 2. My Pick for Submission of the Night!

Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis: Definitely my pick for Fight of the Night! These guys are elite kick boxers and good on the ground. This fight will be incredibly fun to watch but very hard to predict. Pettis has shown a weakness to strikers and wrestlers who are aggressive and have good submission defense. (Stephens, Guida, Ben Henderson, Palaszewski). Cerrone can struggle against strikers who are diverse in their attacks (like Ben Henderson, Nate Diaz) and Pettis is incredibly diverse in his attack. Pettis hasn’t fought in almost a year and Cerrone’s camp (Jackson) has been studying Pettis for some time now. This is so hard to pick but I’m going with the Jackson camp. = Cerrone by split decision. My Pick for Fight of the Night!

Erik Koch vs. Ricardo Lamas: This is another possible Fight of the Night candidate. Sam and I were the only people picking Lamas against Hioki and he ended up beating him handily. Koch has his work cut out for him due to the fact that Lamas is one hell of a wrestler. Koch’s only loss is to a wrestler (Chad Mendes). My only concern in picking Lamas is that his two loses have been by KO. Koch has the ability to KO anyone at 145 pounds. I think the safer bet is to always go with the fighter most likely to control the fight then it is to pick the fighter that might have a chance at a KO = Lamas by unanimous decision.

Prelims

T.J. Grant vs. Matt Wiman: This fight should be an awesome one as well. Grant should have the better wrestling and striking but Wiman definitely has the better submissions and fight IQ. I think Grant can use his superior size advantage to bully Wiman for 3 rounds but I wouldn’t be shocked if Wiman found a way to win. Both of these guys are highly underrated and I can’t wait to see this one. = Grant by unanimous decision.

Clay Guida vs. Hatsu Hioki: This fight depends solely on Hioki’s takedown defense and submission offense. I see Guida pushing the pace and roughing Hioki up against the fence while Hioki tries to find a submission. This is a very hard fight to pick but I just have not been impressed with Hioki at all since he joined the UFC = Guida by split decision.

Ryan Bader vs. Vladimir Matyushenko: This fight should be exciting. I am a huge fan of both guys. I think Bader will just be too big and strong for Vlad. I think that Vlad has the chance to KO Bader but I believe Bader will out wrestle Vlad for a decision win = Bader by unanimous decision.

Shawn Jordan vs. Mike Russow = Jordan by TKO in round 2. My Pick for KO of the Night!

Pascal Krauss vs. Mike Stumpf = Krauss by unanimous decision.

Rafael Natal vs. Sean Spencer = Natal by split decision.

David Mitchell vs. Simeon Thoresen = Thoresen by unanimous 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