UFC on Fuel 6: Franklin vs. Le Prelim Recap

Lineker and Urushitani slug it out. 

The UFC’s sixth event on Fuel TV and first to China came with mixed results, but was ultimately a success. It had several great fights, breakouts of future stars, and a spectacular knockout and comeback. It also showed us several fighters who don’t have what it takes to be in the UFC. Let’s see what these fights were and give them some matchups.

Riki Fukuda vs. Tom DeBlass: This was a surprisingly good fight. I was expecting this fight to be one of the more boring fights on this card, but both men really impressed me. From start to finish Fukuda won everywhere the fight went, but not without DeBlass having some memorable moments himself. Fukuda’s wrestling would ultimately overpower DeBlass’ BJJ. With a record of 0-2 within the UFC against lower-tier fighters, DeBlass will most likely receive a pink slip.

Possible matchups for Fukuda: Riki Fukuda is a legitimate fighter in the UFC, even though he only has a 2-2 record, which should really be 3-1. In his wins over both Steve Cantwell and Tom DeBlass, Fukuda has shown good wrestling and very technical kickboxing. He is definitely looking for stiffer competition, but I’m not sure he’s ready just yet. Another fighter in a similar position is Chris Camozzi. These two should fight to see who’s ready for some stiffer competition.

Yasuhiro Urushitani vs. John Lineker: This fight was awesome. I also believe it showed the breakout of a future star. Lineker showed superior power from the very beginning of this fight. The first round was very close and could have gone either way. In the closing minute, Lineker did drop Urushitani, which would become routine in the following rounds. Lineker would stalk down his opponent, eating shots, pushing forward, and delivering knockout blows. His technique was great and his power was very impressive. There was one combo that I remember that Lineker landed in the second round that seriously impressed me. He pushed Urushitani into the cage and unloaded on his body and head. The Japanese star has now lost twice definitively in the UFC and I foresee a pink slip.

Possible matchups for Lineker: Like I said in the last paragraph, I believe that Lineker will become a star within the UFC. With devastating standup and a great chin, he has a lot of the attributes for a future champion. The scary part is that he is only 22 years old. Urushitani was a top-10 or maybe even top-5 going into this fight and Lineker easily beat him. I was extremely impressed. Darren Uyenoyama is also coming off of a very impressive submission win over Phil Harris and I would love to see these two guys fight.

Alex Caceres vs. Motonobu Tezuka: This was a really fun grappling match with two very promising bantamweights. Tezuka clearly had the better wrestling, as he took down Caceres on multiple occasions, though it was Caceres who was the busier fighter on the ground, both on the top and bottom. Though I did score all three rounds in favor of Caceres, one could certainly make the case for two rounds in favor of Tezuka. Both guys impressed me, but Tezuka even more so. Even though he lost, it was extremely close and he took this fight on only about one week’s notice against a surging up and comer.

Possible matchups for Caceres: The standup of Caceres looked much improved in this fight. His jab was spot on and his kicks looked solid. I want to see his skills really tested against another fighter who won in China: Takeya Mizugaki. Caceres will certainly have his skills tested against a veteran like Mizugaki and it would show just how far he has come.

Possible matchups for Tezuka: I liked how Tezuka looked in this fight. He shows a lot of promise. But the fact of the matter is, he lost his debut so he is going to have to fight lower tier fighters. Dustin Pague has a 1-3 record within the UFC and this would be a fun loser goes home grappling match. 

Click here for the main card recap.

UFC on Fuel 6 Predictions

Sam’s Picks

Main Card

Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le: BARNBURNER ALERT: Man, oh man is this fight going to be awesome. Both these guys always put on fight of the night performances. Cung Le comes with a “Kung Fu” style while Franklin takes a simpler approach with very technical kickboxing. Le has not impressed me in the slightest since coming over to the UFC though. His loss to Wanderlei Silva was brutal and detrimental to his career and standings in the middleweight division rankings and his win over Cote was hardly impressive. It was a really close decision against someone who was making his return into the UFC after previously being released. Franklin, on the other hand, looked great in his last win over Wanderlei, despite nearly being knocked out in the second round. Franklin also has way better cardio, he almost never gasses while Le can gas after the second round. This is a five round fight. Franklin will find an opening and finish him = Franklin via 4th round TKO. My 1st pick for FOTN!

Thiago Silva vs. Stanislav Nedkov: I am very excited to see what Nedkov can do against a former title contender in Thiago Silva. Nedkov has dynamic striking that is very powerful and can be technical, but so is Silva’s. Nedkov also hasn’t fought since August of 2011, which is over a year. Silva fought back in April, which will make him the much fresher fighter. Silva is on another level than Nedkov, it is just too much too soon = Silva via unanimous decision. My 2nd pick for FOTN!

Dong Hyun Kim vs. Paulo Thiago: Both these guys were at one point considered to be title contenders, but now they are both battling to keep their jobs with the UFC, especially Paulo Thiago. He’s 1-3 in his last 4 and he’s coming off of an absolutely brutal knockout from the hands of Siyar Bahadurzada. Kim is coming off of a bizarre and quick TKO loss to Demian Maia that left many scratching their heads, but it turned out to be a body spasm. Thiago has a definite striking advantage while Kim has a slight grappling advantage. I think Thiago will take a close decision win = Thiago via split decision.

Mac Danzig vs. Takanori Gomi: I really like Danzig in this fight. Gomi has looked like absolute garbage since joining the UFC, which I hate to say. Danzig looked great in his last fight with Efrain Escudero, beating him everywhere that their fight went. Gomi’s only chance of winning this fight is with one punch and Danzig has a great chin, which is something that people don’t always talk about. Danzig will take down Gomi and will eventually work for a submission = Danzig via 3rd round submission (arm). My pick for SOTN!

Tiequan Zhang vs. Jon Tuck: Jon Tuck is a promising fighter with a solid all-around game and solid standup. Zhang isn’t good in any part of MMA except his guillotine. Tuck will easily win this as long as he doesn't get caught in a guillotine = Tuck via 3rd round KO. My pick for KOOTN!

Takeya Mizugaki vs. Jeff Hougland: Personally, this fight doesn't make any sense to me. Hougland is a one dimensional submission wrestler with horrible standup while Mizugaki is a really well rounded title contender. Even though they are both coming off of losses, Mizugaki's "loss" was a highly controversial decision to Chris Cariaso. Hougland on the other hand, is coming off of the wrong side of a beatdown from Yves Jabouin. Hougland is a tough guy, but Mizugaki will man handle him = Mizugaki via unanimous decision.

Prelims

Alex Caceres vs. Motonobu Tezuka = Caceres via 1st round submission. (Interview with Caceres here)

John Lineker vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani = Urushitani via 1st round submission. My 3rd pick for FOTN!

Tom DeBlass vs. Riki Fukuda = Fukuda via unanimous decision.

David Mitchell vs. Hyun Gyu Lim = Mitchell via split decision.

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le: This is such a fun fight. This should definitely be a slugfest and I believe Franklin should win this. He is the better overall mixed martial artist. Le has looked old in his two fights in the UFC. I think Franklin’s chin is something to worry about but I see this fight going like Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva 2. Franklin might get rocked but he will keep it together and take the decision. I do believe that Franklin could finish the fight but he has been fighting very safe lately and I believe that will continue here. I got Franklin outpointing Le until the bell rings. = Franklin by unanimous decision.

Thiago Silva vs. Stanislav Nedkov: This fight will be a bloody war. Nedkov literally comes out wind-milling until he finds a chin. Silva is a much more precise and calculated striker, however, Silva can become sloppy when engaged in a crazy war. The way Nedkov wins is by landing a big overhand sloppy punch. Silva has more ways to win and should win the striking as long as he does not get sucked into a sloppy war. I see Silva outpointing Nedkov on the feet and maybe taking it to the ground and finishing him there; Silva’s ground and pound is awesome and BJJ top control is great as well. Nedkov better land that lucky punch early or he is in for a rough night. = Silva by TKO in round 2. My Pick for KO of the Night! My Pick for Fight of the Night!

Dong Hyun Kim vs. Paulo Thiago: Thiago has not had much success lately. He has looked flat and not technical. This fight could be a standup war because both are primarily grapplers or it could be an awesome ground battle. Kim is the stronger, faster and just a much better fighter than Thiago. I think Thiago might receive the pink slip after this one. = Kim by unanimous decision.

Mac Danzig vs. Takanori Gomi: Oh Gomi, I will miss you. Mac is not exactly an elite fighter but he is definitely better than Gomi  at this point. Gomi has become a shell of his former self. He puts his head out there and gets hit way too much and just throws inaccurate bombs. Mac has the better boxing and better ground game. No matter where this fight goes Mac should be winning it. I think Mac will start landing punches, Gomi will go for a takedown and eventually Mac will sub Gomi. = Danzig by submission in round 2.

Tiequan Zhang vs. Jon Tuck: If Tiequan Zhang was not born in China he would not be in the UFC at this moment. To put it plainly Zhang is not a good fighter. He seems like a nice guy but he is not UFC caliber. On the other side, I do not know much about Tuck except that he hasn’t fought in a year and before that, another 2 years. That makes me very nervous. However, Tuck does have an impressive KO win over the hyped Eduard Folayang, but that was back in 2009. This fight should not be on the main card. Lineker vs. Urushitani should be on here instead. But anyway, I can’t tell you much about this fight except as long as Tuck stays out of Zhang’s chokes, he should be fine. = Tuck by unanimous decision.

Jeff Hougland vs. Takeya Mizugaki: Mizugaki is a much better fighter in every area of MMA. I see Hougland trying to take this to the ground ASAP and getting KOd soon after. = Mizugaki by KO in round 2.

Prelims

Alex Caceres vs. Motonobu Tezuka: Caceres by 2^nd round submission. My Pick for Submission of the Night! (Interview with Caceres here)

John Lineker vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani = Lineker by split decision.

Tom DeBlass vs. Riki Fukuda = Fukuda via unanimous decision.

David Mitchell vs. Hyun Gyu Lim = Mitchell via split decision.

MMA Flyweight Rankings: September Edition

As we here at CR continue our rankings, we are heading into the UFC’s smallest division: flyweight.

I was ecstatic when the UFC finally announced that they were bringing in the 125-pound division. It holds some of the best talent in the world and they were going unrecognized, that is, until now.

Since starting the 125-pound division, the UFC has signed several of the biggest names with in that weight class including Yasuhiro Urushitani, Jussier “Formiga” da Silva, Ulysses Gomez, and fan-favorite, Ian McCall. There are still a few left that have yet to be signed.

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

10. John Moraga – This guy exploded onto the UFC scene. Going into his fight with former top-10 ranked Ulysses Gomez at UFC on Fox 4, he was a sizable underdog and a relative unknown. That all changed within 3:46. He blitzed Gomez and knocked him out in the first round. The guy looked like a world-beater and is definitely a guy to look out for in the coming years.

Look at that afro. Just look at it.

9. Mamoru Yamaguchi – Mamoru Yamaguchi is awesome. Enough said. The guy is one of the flashiest fighters in the world today and he is still a top-10 fighter. He holds a win over Yasuhiro Urushitani and has been fighting the best in the world for years now. He hasn’t fought since his last decision loss to Jussier da Silva back in August of 2011, but no news has reached of his retirement. Let’s hope he fights in the UFC before he hangs ‘em up.

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

8. Darrel Montague – Darrel Montague is extremely well rounded. With a record of 11-2, he has 5 (T)KO wins and 4 submission wins. With his only two losses being to Ian McCall and the oversized Robbie Peralta, Montague still has world-class skills. He holds wins over Ulysses Gomez and Jeremy Bolt and has also had championship experience as his win over Gomez got him the belt at Tachi Palace fighting. He is the main guy in which the UFC still has yet to sign.

Photo via ProMMANow.com

7. Chris Cariaso – “Kamikaze” is insanely under appreciated. The guy was a solid bantamweight and fought fighters much larger than him like Takeya Mizugaki, Michael McDonald, Will Campuzano, and above all, Renan Barao. He beat both Mizugaki and Campuzano and his fight with McDonald was extremely close, no one would have argued if Cariaso won. After his win over Josh Ferguson in his flyweight debut, Cariaso should be only one win away from a title shot.

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

6. Yasuhiro Urushitani – Although his UFC debut was far from impressive, Urushitani is still one of the best fighters in the world at 125. He holds wins over Yuki Shojo, Mamoru Yamaguchi, John Dodson, and two draws with Shinichi Kojima. He has amazing Muay Thai that should never be overlooked and although he lacks finishing ability (only 5 finishes in 19 wins) he has the skill to put anyone away at any moment.

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

5. John Dodson – Although his last win over Tim Elliott wasn’t particularly spectacular; John Dodson is still one of the best in the world in his division. He’s beaten Tim Elliott, TJ Dillashaw, and John Moraga. With his incredible hand speed that also holds a ton of power, Dodson is one of the top guys up for a title shot. His next fight against Jussier da Silva is undoubtedly a top contender fight.

4. Jussier da Silva – When the news broke that Jussier da Silva was signed to the UFC, hardcore MMA fans around the world were saying to themselves, “finally”! Everyone expected him to be in the tournament that they held instead of Urushitani. He easily holds the best BJJ at 125 including wins over Michael William Costa (twice), Alexandre Pantoja Passidimo, Jose Maria Tome, Shinichi Kojima, Danny Martinez, and Mamoru Yamaguchi. His only loss in his 15-fight career is a decision loss to Ian McCall.

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

3. Ian McCall – The former number-1 flyweight in the world, Ian McCall is quite a character. With the best mustache in MMA, possibly the world, Ian McCall’s skill is right up there with his mustache. He holds wins over Coty Wheeler, Dustin Ortiz, Darrel Montague, and Jussier da Silva. In his first fight with Demetrious Johnson, many people believe that he won, showing that he could also hold a win over the former number one contender at 135. With his only losses to the aforementioned Johnson, Charlie Valencia, and UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, Ian McCall is still one of the best fighters in the world at 125.

Photo via FightLink.com

2. Demetrious Johnson – Although his first fight with McCall was very controversial, the second meeting wasn’t. Johnson wasn’t necessarily very dominant, but Ian McCall was the number-1 guy at flyweight and Johnson beat him. His next fight with the number-1 guy will show who is the first flyweight champion in UFC history.

Photo via MMAJunkie.com

1. Joseph Benavidez – Now, although Johnson did beat the number-1 guy at 125, his performance wasn’t extremely impressive in either fight. Benavidez was unbelievably impressive in his flyweight debut. Yasuhiro Urushitani was arguably top-3 and Benavidez dominated him and knocked him out at 11 seconds in the second round. Benavidez will be fighting Demetrious Johnson at UFC 152 for the first ever flyweight title in UFC history.

So what do you guys think? Let us know in the comments on what agreed or disagreed on.