UFC on FX 6 Main Card Recap

Hector Lombard vs. Rousimar Palhares: Now this was the Hector Lombard that we were all waiting for! He instantly came out aggressive and was looking for the knockout from the get go. Palhares’ weakness has always been his striking and Lombard took full advantage of it. He consistently went for the right hook KO and eventually about halfway through the first round, he landed. It dropped Paul Harris and he finished him off with ground and pound.

Possible matchups for Lombard: Now that Hector Lombard has officially arrived in the UFC, I want to see him fight a bigger name. I know he called out Michael Bisping, but that isn’t going to happen right now. But he could possibly get his wish. I would like to see Lombard fight the loser of Bisping vs. Vitor Belfort, either way could be an amazing fight.

Possible matchups for Palhares: This fight further cemented the fact that Rousimar Palhares could very well be the most overrated fighter in the UFC today. Ed Herman is coming off of a decision loss to Jake Shields, though it was overturned to a No-contest after Shields tested positive for steroids. Ed Herman is definitely a well-rounded enough fighter to be able to defeat Palhares.

Colin Fletcher vs. Norman Parke: I do believe we have found a new name that could become a contender in the near future. Norman Parke has solid grappling skills and strength that can hold down a majority of the lightweights in the UFC. He needs to work on his standup, and once he does that he could be a legitimate threat at 155. The first two rounds were Parke going in and taking Fletcher down and grinding him out with his superior grappling. The third round was an absolute slugfest and Fletcher landed some really solid kicks. It was an awesome fight and I can’t wait to see how he develops as a fighter.

Possible matchups for Parke: As I said before, Parke has all the skills to be a future contender. But he should be moved at a slower pace, I want them to work him up to contention without rushing him. Ramsey Nijem is on a solid 3 fight win streak and has a lot of name value. A win over Nijem would be huge for Parke.

Possible matchups for Fletcher: This guy is an entertainer, that is for sure. He is also a very talented fighter. But he desperately needs to work on his takedown defense. He is very well rounded but his bottom game is very questionable when he is being controlled well. He should fight the Canadian Mitch Clarke to get back on track.

Robert Whittaker vs. Brad Scott: This fight was exactly as I expected it. It was an all-out bloody war from beginning to end. It was a razor thin unanimous decision for Whittaker. He was the more accurate striker from the beginning, landing more combos and more kicks. Scott is a tough as nails mini British version of Forrest Griffin and I see him gaining some star power. Remember both of these guys’ names.

Possible matchups for Whittaker: This is a similar situation as Norman Parke; tons of potential but needs to be moved at the right pace. Dan Miller is coming off of a big 3^rd round submission win over Ricardo Funch and has always been a very tough outing for everyone. A fight between these two would be very fun and could show how much potential Whittaker truly holds.

Possible matchups for Scott: The British Forrest Griffin is an awesome fighter. He’s extremely skilled and he is tough-as-nails in every sense of the term. I really want to see him stick around for a while. I think the fight to keep Scott around would be a scrap with Brock Jardine.

Ross Pearson vs. George Sotiropoulos: There is no doubt as to who the better man is after tonight. From the moment that the first bell rang, Ross imposed his will over the Australian and dropped him on multiple occasions. George had his back for a minute or two at the end of the first round but that was really the only high point for George. Ross dropped him again early in the third round and finished off his rival in under a minute into the third.

Possible matchups for Pearson: Ross Pearson is undoubtedly better at lightweight than he is at featherweight. His striking is faster, his cardio is better, and he is mentally more together. Yves Edwards is coming off of a huge first round KO win over Jeremy Stephens and a fight between these two just spells barnburner.

Possible matchups for Sotiropoulos: At 35 years old and three losses in a row where he was KO’d in two and almost finished in the other, Sotiropoulos needs to start thinking about retirement. It’s a shame but it’s true. His technique is amazing but his chin is quickly, quickly deteriorating. Sam Stout is coming off of a huge upset decision loss to John Makdessi. This fight makes perfect sense at this point in their careers.

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.