If UFC events were still carrying colorful tag lines like “Vendetta,” or “Onslaught,” UFC on Fox 6 from the United Center in Chicago would be called “Redemption.”
Of the 22 men scheduled to scrap on Saturday, 12 of them lost their last fight. This dynamic is especially apparent throughout the preliminary bouts.
Don’t take that to mean that the action will be subpar, as there are some very talented fighters slated to perform before the main card gets underway.
This event will largely serve as a means to separate the true contenders who have hit bumps in the road and the pretenders who need to rethink their career choices.
Here is a breakdown of the event.
When: Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, preliminaries start at 4:30 p.m. ET, main card begins at 8 p.m. ET
Where: United Center in Chicago
TV: Fox for Main Card, FX TV and Facebook Live Stream for Preliminary Fights
Full Card
Facebook Preliminary
Simeon Thoresen (17-3-1) vs. David Mitchell (11-2), Welterweights
FX TV Preliminaries
TJ Grant (19-5) vs. Matt Wiman (15-6), Lightweights
Clay Guida (29-13) vs. Hatsu Hioki (26-5-2), Lightweights
Mike Stumpf (11-3) vs. Pascal Krauss (10-1), Welterweights
Ryan Bader (14-3) vs. Vladimir Matyushenko (26-6), Light Heavyweights
Mike Russow (15-2) vs. Shawn Jordan (13-4), Heavyweights
Rafael Natal (14-4-1) vs. Sean Spencer (9-1), Middleweights
Predictions for the Main Card
Erik Koch (13-1) vs. Ricardo Lamas (12-2), Featherweights
These two dynamic, young featherweights could put on a show. Koch’s explosiveness and Lamas’ poise and strong grappling make for a great style mix.
If there is a major weakness in Lamas’ game, it is his ability in stand-up. Against Cub Swanson at UFC on Fox 1, Lamas was being outfought on his feet before he submitted the veteran via arm-triangle choke.
He lacks the hand speed to stand and fight with skilled strikers, as both of his losses have come by TKO from punches.
Koch is very explosive, and his quickness will lead to a spectacular KO victory.
Anthony Pettis (15-2) vs. Donald Cerrone (19-4), Lightweights
I’m very excited to see this fight.
I believe that Pettis is the only lightweight in the world with the quickness and length to challenge Benson Henderson.
Pettis is the last man to beat Henderson, which happened back when both men were competing in the WEC.
Cerrone is a tough, well-rounded fighter, but Pettis’ athleticism, unpredictable attacks and underrated ground game will be too much for Cerrone.
In what should be an entertaining bout, Pettis will defeat Cerrone by decision.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (32-10) vs. Glover Teixeira (19-2), Light Heavyweights
Rampage is set to leave the UFC after this fight (ESPN), so it would be great to see him in an old-fashioned slugfest to culminate his time with the promotion.
Teixeira certainly has the stand-up game to bang with Rampage, but he’d be smart to take the fight to the mat.
Jackson has become increasingly ineffective because he doesn’t have any offense on the ground. Superior grapplers take him down and control position for easy victories.
Teixeira won’t risk an opportunity to score a win over a huge name for the sake of entertaining the crowd. He’ll use the aforementioned tactics to beat Rampage by decision.
(c) Demetrious Johnson (16-2-1) vs. John Dodson (14-5), UFC Flyweight Championship
Johnson doesn’t get the attention that he deserves because many fight fans are biased against the smaller weight classes. But make no mistake, if you are compiling a pound-for-pound list in MMA, Mighty Mouse deserves a spot in your top five.
He’s one of the most well-rounded fighters in the world.
Dodson is very explosive and nearly as quick as Johnson, but the difference in this fight will be the champion’s grappling ability.
He’s so quick, strong and technically sound when the fight hits the mat, it is a perfect balance for his speedy attacks and defense in the stand-up. This will be entertaining, but Johnson will capture the win by submission.
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