UFC on Fox 6 | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

UFC on Fox 6: John Dodson’s Challenging Road to Title Contention

John Dodson is just days away from the biggest fight of his career.On Saturday night in Chicago, “The Magician” will step in against UFC flyweight champion Demetrius Johnson in the main event of UFC on Fox 6, and a the 28-year-old will finally have his…

John Dodson is just days away from the biggest fight of his career.

On Saturday night in Chicago, “The Magician” will step in against UFC flyweight champion Demetrius Johnson in the main event of UFC on Fox 6, and a the 28-year-old will finally have his opportunity to prove he is the best flyweight on the planet.

With Dodson being a relatively new face in the UFC fold, describing his title shot as “long awaited” may seem strange, but when you consider the long road Dodson has traveled to reach MMA‘s biggest stage, it becomes clear Saturday night will be a moment years in the making.

After seven years competing on the regional circuit, the Jackson-Winkeljohn fighter made his official introduction to the UFC fan base by winning the 14th season of The Ultimate Fighter. Competing as a bantamweight, Dodson steamrolled through the reality show’s tournament and capped off his impressive run with a first round knockout of T.J. Dillashaw at the TUF 14 Finale.

Immediately following his victory over the Team Alpha Male fighter, Dodson joined the ranks of the newly formed flyweight division and wasted no time making his presence felt in the 125-pound weight class.

Dodson collected back-to-back victories in his first two showings at flyweight, with his most recent performance against Jussier Formiga at UFC on FX 5 earning the Albuquerque-native an opportunity to face Johnson for the flyweight title.

When he steps in against “Mighty Mouse” on Saturday night in the United Center, his moment to validate the struggles and sacrifices will finally arrive.

“It has been a long time coming,” Dodson told Bleacher Report. “I’ve worked hard inside the gym and outside as well, to make sure I can get to this point, and everything can finally come together. I’m glad that it has come a long now rather than at an early time when I was a bit more inexperienced.”

The match-up between the UFC’s two top flyweights promises to be a full-throttle affair.

Both fighters are known to bring the action at a furious pace and their respective strengths present interesting problems for each to overcome. Where Johnson has found success using his wrestling foundation and an attack that always moves forward, Dodson’s take down defense and counter striking accuracy make him dangerous at all times.

The stylistic differences between Dodson and Johnson make it an intriguing bout and one the former TUF winner believes he can win by using his skill set correctly.

“I think take down defense and my power are going to be the two things that are going to help me secure the victory,” Dodson said. “I really need to stay focused on those two things. I need to make sure I hit him with clean shots from the outside and be prepared to take him down. On the other hand, I have to work to make sure I’m not taken down.

“Demetrius Johnson pushes a really good pace and is so quick with his level changes. He can disguise a take down behind a punch and also the same thing on the follow-up. If he doesn’t get his take downs, he comes right back up and continues striking. I have to match his aggressiveness. My aggressiveness has to meet his forward pressure.”

While the main event on Fox is a championship tilt, there has been some brush back from the contestants involved as to how the upcoming fight has been embraced by the fan base.

The UFC flyweight division was only added a year ago, and the match-ups have been met with varying degrees of excitement and disdain from the normally passionate fan base. In addition to the fan feedback, recent UFC on Fox 6 promo spots ran during the NFC Conference Championship game, but failed to mention the weight class.

Dodson believes it will only be a matter of time before the fan base embraces the lighter weight fighters. That being said, he believes the moment to solidify himself as a marketable star has arrived and is eager to establish his name with a worldwide audience.

“Yes and no,” Dodson replied when asked if this fight was the “big stage” showcase he has been waiting for. “Yes, in the sense that it is a main event on Fox. I’m going for the world title and I’m looking to do something most people haven’t been able to and that is to defeat Demetrius Johnson in impressive fashion. That is what I want to do. I know it is going to be an all-out war, a lot of back-and-forth, and I would like to see it come out in my favor.

“Part of me saying ‘no’ is because I want it to be on a wider stage. I want more people to be able to tune into the fight and really be behind me on this. I’ve only been in the UFC for a little over a year. I know I don’t have that much of a fan following and I would appreciate if I had a little more of that fan backing so that people can understand who I am. Even if it is haters, that is still people talking about my fight.

“It’s not a pay-per-view thing at all. I just want more of a fan following. I want people to sit there and realize I am a guy to watch. A lot of people are sitting there not wanting to watch the fight because of the fact that we are flyweights. [Fox] didn’t even mention it during the ads that ran on T.V, and all they would say is that it was a world-title fight or a UFC title fight. They said our names, but didn’t mention the weight class because people have such a taboo hearing about 125-pound fighters. They think that weight should only be for females and kids.

“People say, ‘oh I haven’t weighed that since I was in the third grade.’ And you know what…it’s true. A lot of people haven’t been that weight for a long time, but it’s not the weight I walk around at either. I have to make that weight for the fight, but I walk around at what Donald [Cerrone] is fighting at right now.“

“I’ve been telling everyone it is just a matter of time before people embrace the lighter weight classes,” Dodson added. “Boxing is a great example. Boxing was all about the heavyweights because you had Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. But then “Sugar” Ray Leonard came a long and it all changed. He came in and people started to recognize talent at the lighter weights. Then Cory Spinks came along, and the process continued all the way down to the littlest dude who got all the attention in Manny Pacquiao.”

When the cage door closes on Saturday night, Dodson will attempt to make his dream of being a UFC champion a reality. Where winning one divisional title is an experience never realized by the majority of fighters, for Dodson it would be the first step in his master plan that includes adding titles in both the bantamweight and featherweight divisions as well.

It is undoubtedly a lofty goal, but ambition is never in short supply for Dodson.

“Being a champion in three weight classes is one of my goals,” he said. “It is something I want to do because everyone wants to dream about doing big things—but when you set goals, you have more of a reason to obtain them.

Duane Finley is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Pettis Determined to Prove He’s a Top Contender in UFC Lightweight Division

Being one of the most promising young talents in a sport as competitive as mixed martial arts is a position that comes with interesting conditions. As a fighter’s profile elevates, the intensity increases with every step. Pressure and expectation…

It is a situation where finding balance can become a difficult task. In some cases, a fighter never recovers and potential goes unfulfilled. But for some, adversity is the catalyst which sparks great progress and sets the tone for remarkable accomplishments.

Over the past three years, Anthony Pettis has proven to be one of the best 155-pound fighters on the planet, but it is a journey that has come with a fair share of challenges and obstacles. Despite the success that made him one of the sport’s best lightweights, an ill-timed loss to Clay Guida and multiple injuries stalled his once rapid ascension. Undeterred, Pettis has battled through adversity and continued to push towards his ultimate goal of becoming the number one lightweight in the world.

The next step on his quest comes this Saturday night when he faces Donald Cerrone at UFC on Fox 6.

“A year off makes me hungry,” Pettis told Bleacher Report. “It’s been a long time. I’ve watched these guys fight for the whole year. It’s been win some, lose some for Cowboy, but I was stuck on the sidelines. Now I get to go in there and take my spot back.

“I’m going to the top this year and nothing less. I’m going after greatness. I’m coming out there to prove a point and to make sure everybody knows I’m the number one 155’er in the world.”

When the match-up between Pettis and Cerrone was announced, a buzz resonated throughout the MMA community. Both fighters possess versatile, well-rounded skill sets and bring a unique brand of excitement every time they step into the Octagon.

The show down between two of the UFC’s top lightweights is an early favorite for “Fight of the Night” honors. While Pettis likes the stylistic match-up with “Cowboy”, he doesn’t plan on sharing fight night bonus honors with his opponent.

“Everybody you fight, you have to evolve your game to be better than they are,” Pettis said. “[Cerrone] has some dangerous things he does and some strong points. He also makes some mistakes. I’m trying to exploit his mistakes, stay away from his strong points, and use my game plan.

“I don’t like getting hit and I’m not trying to have a ‘Fight of the Night’. I want to get ‘Knockout of the Night’ or ‘Submission of the Night’. ‘Fight of the Night’ means you had to fight somebody and I come to this thing to be way better than my opponent. I want a knockout or submission bonus. “

Facing a dangerous opponent like Cerrone provided plenty of motivation to prepare, but adding in the lengthy layoff due to injury, Pettis needed the best out of his training partners. The team at Roufusport is considered to be one of the most talented collections in mixed martial arts, and with his teammates (Erik Koch, Ben Askren, Pascal Krauss) all preparing for fights of their own, the energy in Milwaukee was something special.

“The vibe was on fire man,” Pettis said. “We had a slow last year for the whole gym and this year we really want to prove something. We have top-level training partners in our gym and not only that, but Chico Camus is fighting next weekend and we have guys who aren’t in the big show yet that are fighting this month. Everybody was getting ready for a fight and the atmosphere was crazy. Everybody pushed each other and motivated one another. Training camps aren’t easy. You are busting your ass for 8, 10, 12 weeks. We were in there dying together but we win as a team and celebrate as a team.”

With a victory over Cerrone this Saturday, Pettis will find himself on the doorstep of a long-awaited shot at the UFC title. It is familiar territory for the Duke Roufus-trained fighter.

Following the WEC’s merger into the UFC, Pettis was promised an opportunity to fight for the lightweight strap pending the outcome of Frankie Edgar versus Gray Maynard’s bout at UFC 125. Unfortunately for the Milwaukee-native, a majority draw between the two rivals put his promised title shot in the wind.

In the aftermath of the Edgar vs. Maynard trilogy, the entire upper tier of the 155-pound weight class reshuffled. The chaos ultimately made the division one of the most competitive under the UFC banner and, with another wave of fighters coming over from the now defunct Strikeforce promotion, the race will only become more intense. While a title shot is the ultimate goal, past experiences have taught Pettis to keep his focus on the here and now.

“You can’t look at it all,” Pettis said. “You have to just take it one fight at a time. If I look at all these guys coming over, or guys [the UFC] are trying to sign; it’s a headache. I just take it one fight at a time. I’ve got Cowboy next and he’s a tough guy. But I’m better and I can beat him. I’m going to go out there, do work on Cowboy, and then everybody is going to be talking about me. That’s just how it works. The guy with the most recent win is the hottest 155’er. Then the guy who fights the next weekend becomes the hottest.

“You just have to keep your name relevant. I’ve had a year off and haven’t had a chance to do that. This year I’m going to take advantage of it and get back to where I’m supposed to be.”

Duane Finley is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on Fox 6: Keys to Victory for Rampage Jackson

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will step inside the Octagon for what could be the final time this Saturday against Glover Teixeira. He will try to exit the company by defeating the top 205-pound prospect.Teixeira has looked phenomenal in his two outings thu…

Teixeira has looked phenomenal in his two outings thus far, but Rampage is a big step up in competition.

With that being said, Jackson is a significant underdog in this bout. Based on the recent performances of both competitors, the bookmakers have tilted the lines against Rampage. However, with all of his experience and knockout power, no one should count him out of the fight.

Here are five keys to victory for Rampage’s last UFC fight.

Begin Slideshow

CagePotato Databomb #3: Breaking Down the UFC Flyweights by Striking Performance

(Click chart for full-size version. For previous Databombs, click here.)

By Reed Kuhn, @Fightnomics

The UFC flyweights comprise the smallest division — both in size, and in numbers — but they’ll get a prominent showcase this Saturday at UFC on FOX 6, as Demetrious Johnson defends his title against John Dodson. So how do Mighty Mouse and the Magician stack up against the rest of their 125-pound competition? Analyzing an entire UFC weight class with a point-in-time assessment allows us to see how fighters might perform against each other, even though they may not meet in the Octagon for a long time (if ever). And since every fight starts standing up, we’ll also start with striking.

The Analysis:

In order to understand standup striking performance, which is more multifaceted in MMA than it is in boxing, I need to boil down a few of the most important variables that determine success as a striker. These are fairly uncomplicated variables in isolation, but together they can summarize a fighter’s overall capabilities. Here, I’ve focused on three fundamental, offensive metrics:

Accuracy: I’ve used power head-striking accuracy (as opposed to body or leg strikes, or jabs to the head), where the average for UFC Flyweights is about 25%. Certainly, great strikers can attack the body and legs, but the most likely way to end a fight by strikes is by aiming at the head. The accuracy of the power head strike is a great indicator of a fighter’s striking prowess, and there’s a wide range within a single division, as we’ll see. This is the vertical axis, so more accurate fighters are higher in the graph.

Standup Striking Pace: Prior analysis reveals that outpacing your opponent is a key predictor of success, and certainly correlates with winning decisions as it reflects which fighter is dictating the pace of the fight. Here, I’ve used the total number of standup strikes thrown as a ratio to the same output from a fighter’s opponents. All strikes attempted from a standup position are counted, including body shots and leg kicks. This is the horizontal axis in the graph, and the average for the whole division must be 1, so fighters with superior pace appear further to the right.

Knockdown Rate: The objective of every strike thrown is to hurt your opponent, and knockdowns reflect which fighters connect with the most powerful strikes. I’ve used the total number of knockdowns a fighter has landed in their matches*, divided by the number of power head strikes landed to see who does the most damage per strike. The size of the bubble for a fighter indicates their relative knockdown rate; the bigger the bubble, the higher their knockdown rate. The very small bubbles indicate fighters who have yet to score a knockdown in their Zuffa fights.

* The data includes all UFC, WEC, and Strikeforce fights through UFC 155 on December 29th, 2012. Many of these fighters competed in other higher weight classes, but for the purposes of this analysis, that data was still included and analyzed.

Now that we know how to interpret the chart, let’s see which fighters stand out…

(Click chart for full-size version. For previous Databombs, click here.)

By Reed Kuhn, @Fightnomics

The Analysis:

Now that we know how to interpret the chart, let’s see which fighters stand out…

The Winners

Sniper Award: Louis Gaudinot landed 49% of his power head strikes in his two UFC appearances, while his most recent slugfest earned him Fight of the Night honors against John Lineker.

Energizer Bunny Award: Southpaw Brazilian John Lineker has outpaced his opponents by 60% while standing.

Biggest Ball(s) Award: John Dodson has landed 3 knockdowns in his 26 minutes of UFC action, finishing two fights by TKO. Given that size does matter in MMA when it comes to knockouts, it’s not surprising that a lot of flyweights haven’t scored a knockdown yet. But statistically speaking, Dodson is definitely punching above his weight.

Swing and a Miss Award: Newcomer Phil Harris landed just 1 of his 17 attempted power head strikes in his debut loss, resulting in his division lowest 6% accuracy.

The Losers

Smallest Ball(s): the Flyweights get a pass here, as 10 of 14 fighters have yet to record a knockdown. With more cage time, we’ll see how this shakes out.

Starnes Award for Inaction: Jussier Da Silva was severely outworked in his UFC debut, barely attempting one-third as many strikes as his opponent, John Dodson. Not surprisingly, Jussier has never recorded a (T)KO victory in his 14 career wins.

Introduced barely a year ago, Flyweights haven’t had a lot of cage time yet, and I do expect these numbers to shift with more fights recorded. And keep in mind that that caliber of opponents also influences a fighter’s performance, so the “MMA Math” trap also applies here. This Saturday we’ll see if Demetrious Johnson’s experience against top tier opponents in larger weight classes will allow him to outstrike John Dodson, the division’s current best-in-class striker.

Next week, we’ll look at the featherweights in time to see how Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar stack up with the rest of their division. Predictions?

For more on the science and stats of MMA, follow @Fightnomics on Twitter or on Facebook. See more MMA analytical research at www.fightnomics.com.

UFC on FOX 6: Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More for Johnson vs. Dodson

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 dynam…

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.

Follow Brian Mazique and Franchiseplay on YouTube and Twitter for reactions, analysis and news from the world of sports and sports video games.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on Fox: Favorites to Win the Fight Night Bonuses

Chicago is the location for the next UFC on Fox event this weekend, when UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson defends his title against top contender John Dodson. It is a main event that should attract a big crowd.Also on the card are a number of …

Also on the card are a number of other top contenders in their respective weight divisions. This includes Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone, Ricardo Lamas and Erik Koch.

Here are the favorites for the fight night bonuses on a card that could be very competitive for each paycheck.

Begin Slideshow