Tag: UFC on FX 6

UFC on FX 6 Results: What We Learned from Robert Whittaker vs Brad Scott

Robert Whittaker and Brad Scott came to fight. The welterweight final for The Ultimate Fighter: Smashes delivered. It was an action-packed, even contest.Whittaker found a home for his strikes in the first round and looked to be on his way to an easy vi…

Robert Whittaker and Brad Scott came to fight. The welterweight final for The Ultimate Fighter: Smashes delivered. It was an action-packed, even contest.

Whittaker found a home for his strikes in the first round and looked to be on his way to an easy victory, but Scott hung around and made it a fight. Scott came on strong in the second. The third was a back and forth a battle, but eventually Whittaker landed more shots in the closing minutes.

Whittaker picked up the unanimous decision victory and the TUF: Smashes title.

 

What we’ll remember about this fight

We will remember how fun it was.

Sometimes these Ultimate Fighter fights leave a lot to be desired, but these two men put on a fantastic fight. Fans cannot ask for much more.

It was constant action from bell-to-bell, but not a brawl. Both fighters were technical in their striking. Scott got the takedown and showed some quality control on the mat, and Whittaker fought back showing his defense.

The third round exchanges were exciting and ultimately gave Whittaker the edge he needed.

 

What we learned about Robert Whittaker

Whitaker is a good young prospect.

He is only 21-years-old and ran through the TUF: Smashes competition.

Whittaker finished each opponent en route to the finale, and put on a quality performance that showed the youngster has skills already.

Over the next couple of years he will be an interesting prospect to watch grow inside the Octagon.

 

What we learned about Brad Scott

Beside his resemblance to former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin, we learned that Scott can take punishment and still push the action as he looks for a finish.

Whittaker landed several hard blows, but Scott weathered the storm. Not only that, but he came back to run the second round. He could not finish Whitaker on the mat, but he was looking for his opportunities to do so.

Scott is only 23 himself. TUF: Smashes has given us at least two young fighters with a potentially bright future to add to the UFC roster.

 

What’s next for Robert Whittaker

Even though he won the inaugural season of TUF: Smashes he still is nowhere near ready to be thrown in to the deep end of the UFC’s lightweight division.

Whittaker will need to start from scratch in the division. The UFC needs to build him slowly like they have done with past TUF winners. He is only 21 and has a lot of room to grow and improve as a fighter.

 

What’s next for Brad Scott

Scott falls in the same category as Whittaker.

The UFC should find a home for Scott on Facebook or Fuel prelims for the foreseeable future as he develops his overall MMA skills.

Perhaps Scott could face another TUF cast member in his next outing to determine who should keep their spot on the roster.

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Hector Lombard Reminds Doubters He’s a Serious Threat to the 185 Division

After a disappointing promotional debut at UFC 149, Hector Lombard made an incredible statement tonight. That statement seemed to say: I’m here, I’m every bit as vicious as billed, and what you witnessed at UFC 149 was nowhere near indicati…

After a disappointing promotional debut at UFC 149, Hector Lombard made an incredible statement tonight. That statement seemed to say: I’m here, I’m every bit as vicious as billed, and what you witnessed at UFC 149 was nowhere near indicative of my true abilities.

He also made a post-fight statement, bellowing Michael Bisping’s name, declaring, in pronounced fashion that the brash Brit is in his sights as a hopeful opponent in the near future.

The former Bellator champion clearly sports major disdain for the outspoken Englishman.

Given the ease with which he disposed of Rousimar Palhares, Lombard will likely leap frog a handful of dangerous middleweights, and put himself in a position to challenge some of the promotion’s most recognizable names.

Top tier contenders in Chris Weidman, Vitor Belfort and Michael Bisping aren’t likely to happen in the near future, but don’t be stunned to see this powerhouse tangle with a few of the Top 10 185-pounders in the immediate future.

Very few men dispatch of Palhares in the fashion that “Lightning” did tonight.

While Rousimar fired off a few impressive leg kicks early, it took Hector just over 3:30 to catch “Toquinho” with a barrage of savage hooks that sent the Brazilian crashing to the canvas. Lombard leaped in for the finish, and a few more sledgehammers to the visibly dazed Palhares turned the lights completely out.

Dan Henderson managed to secure a three-round decision victory over Rousimar at UFC 88, and Nate Marquardt forced Palhares’ mental instability to surface when he stopped the Brazilian with a clean punch after some serious confusion.

Palhares opted to complain mid-fight, that Nate had applied some grease to his lower extremities, and “The Great” made him pay dearly for it.

If that fight proved anything, it’s the fact that Palhares may benefit from a visit to a sports psychologist. The guy’s mental state completely collapses when faced with adversity.

In fact, Alan Belcher proved that case when he himself abused Rousimar at UFC on FOX 3.

Once “The Talent” had swiftly negated the submission attack of “Toquinho,” he proceeded to trounce his foe. Palhares had one simple answer: unstated forfeiture.

The man once more melted under pressure and Belcher exited the cage having handed the Brazilian his third defeat inside the confines of the octagon.

Those were all defeats worth mentioning, but Rousimar has never quite been pummeled in the fashion he was tonight. Lombard never for one moment looked anything other than completely focused, fast and hungry for a finish. Looks aren’t always deceiving.

Lombard isn’t poised to bull his way to the top of the division should he tear through his next opponent, but a pair of finishes as brutal as what we witnessed tonight at UFC on FX 6 will leave this Cuban defector a feared competitor that could certainly find himself in title contention.

If tonight’s performance proved anything about Lombard, it’s the fact that his inaugural promotional performance was a bit of a fluke.

Whether Lombard was injured, suffered from first time jitters, or simply overlooked Tim Boetsch and didn’t train adequately, he didn’t perform as he’s capable of performing.

The Hector Lombard we watched tonight looked every bit the killer who ran through 20 consecutive foes on his way to the UFC.

“Lightning” looks to be the real deal, the only lingering question is: Will “Lightning” strike the same place—the UFC—twice?

 

Follow Matt Molgaard on Twitter    

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UFC on FX 6: What We Learned from Colin Fletcher vs. Norman Parke

The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes concluded its lightweight bracket Friday night at UFC on FX 6 when sensational grappler Norman Parke squared off with the polarizing Colin “Freakshow” Fletcher. The two English teammates came to fight for thr…

The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes concluded its lightweight bracket Friday night at UFC on FX 6 when sensational grappler Norman Parke squared off with the polarizing Colin “Freakshow” Fletcher. 

The two English teammates came to fight for three full rounds, and Parke’s ground control proved to be the difference, as he earned a hard-fought decision victory. 

 

What we’ll remember from this fight

Nothing particularly spectacular or revealing happened in this fight. If you watched TUF: The Smashes, you knew Parke was a great grappler, and you knew Fletcher was a creative and lanky fighter who liked to throw kicks and spinning attacks. 

That is exactly what we saw at UFC on FX 6 from each man. Parke took Fletcher down at will, and, while Fletcher proved to be adept off his  back, Parke was never in danger of being submitted or battered on the canvas. 

His control was impressive, but Parke never threatened himself, either, so we did not really get to see his submission skills in this contest, unfortunately. He fought away some crafty set-ups from Fletcher, but he also showed an inability to finish from “Freakshow’s” back on two occasions. 

All in all, we’ll remember that two good friends came to throw down and put on a show for the crowd in this one. It wasn’t outrageous, but it was a solid 15 minutes of mixed martial arts action. 

 

What we learned about Parke

As I previously said, if you watched Parke on TUF: Smashes, you already knew he could control his opponents from top position. We saw this, but we also saw a pretty diverse and precise striking game from the night’s victor, which was a nice surprise. 

If Parke can continue to add stand-up elements to his arsenal and refine his submission game, he will become a very scary dude at 155. 

 

What we learned about Fletcher

Colin Fletcher throws a lot of kicks. A whole real lot. 

His 155 pounds is supported by a lanky 6’2″ frame, and for that, “Freakshow” holds a reach advantage over most of the lightweights of today. However, with this frame comes a lack of power, and nothing Fletcher threw tonight seemed to phase Parke or really hurt him. 

Fletcher connected with some solid leg kicks and body kicks (and I was just waiting for a Corey Hill moment), but he could never string together a combination that amounted to any damage. 

Where Fletcher’s ground skills are concerned, he struggled with defending Parke’s takedowns, but he never looked outclassed or outmatched on the canvas. He had a pretty solid and crafty bottom game, and he consistently avoided compromising situations and even attempted a few submissions of his own. 

Overall, Fletcher looked decent, but he’s definitely going to need to refine his striking game and add some strength training to his regimen if he wants to make the next step. 

 

What’s next for Norman Parke

The door is wide open for Parke as he enters the UFC’s stacked lightweight division. With his grappling abilities, Parke is well-equipped to take on a number of opponents. 

A matchup with former The Ultimate Fighter finalists Al Iaquinta or Michael Chiesa makes sense moving forward. 

 

What’s next for Colin Fletcher

I personally enjoy watching Fletcher fight, and his antics and personality could turn him into one of the light division’s biggest stars, if not solely for his abilities inside the Octagon. 

He has a lot of room for improvement, but a matchup with a low-level lightweight like Tiequan Zhang or Joe Proctor could be fun. 

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UFC on FX 6 Results: Can Hector Lombard Become a Top Contender at Middleweight?

Now that’s the Hector Lombard fight fans were expecting to see when he made his UFC debut earlier this year. Coming off of an abysmal performance against Tim Boetsch back at UFC 149 in July, Lombard was in desperate need of a big win over Rousima…

Now that’s the Hector Lombard fight fans were expecting to see when he made his UFC debut earlier this year.

Coming off of an abysmal performance against Tim Boetsch back at UFC 149 in July, Lombard was in desperate need of a big win over Rousimar Palhares in order to regain some of his lost momentum, and he earned quite a bit of it back with his dominant performance over “Taquinho.”

Lombard has been one of the most dominant middleweights in MMA over the past half decade, going 25-1-1 since a Pride FC loss to Gegard Mousasi back in 2006.

However, his inability to pull the trigger in his loss against Boetsch in his UFC debut caused many fans to question whether or not “Lightning” had the talent to compete with the best fighters in the world at 185 lbs.

He may have silenced those critics tonight with his destruction of Palhares, but even with the big win Lombard still has a long ways to go before he is considered a contender to Anderson Silva’s title again.

The UFC’s middleweight division is deeper than it has been in years, with Lombard looking to join top contenders like Michael Bisping, Vitor Belfort and Chris Weidman near the top of the heap if he can build off of the win he earned tonight.

While he’s still sitting a notch below the top guys at 185 at the moment, Lombard’s win over Palhares is a step in the right direction if he wants to get into the UFC title picture in the near future.

Based on natural ability alone, Lombard could eventually have a shot at adding a UFC title to his resume.

The former Bellator champion’s raw power and finishing ability have made him one of the most dangerous fighters in all of MMA, and fortunately for Lombard, the vast majority of the top fighters at 185 lbs prefer to stand and trade on the feet over a grappling match.

Lombard would have a legitimate chance to pull off the upset against a guy like Bisping or Belfort based on his punching power alone, and since Anderson Silva turns away challengers about as quickly as the UFC can throw them at him, all it takes is one or two big wins at 185 to become an instant contender.

It’s definitely not a sure thing, but if Hector Lombard can build off of the momentum he gained tonight and earn a big win or two over the next year, we could very easily see the former Bellator champion fight for a chance at UFC gold.

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UFC on FX 6 Results: Hector Lombard Proves He Belongs in the UFC with Win

Fire up the hype train once again.Hector Lombard destroyed Rousimar Palhares in the first round of their fight as part of the UFC on FX 6 card in Australia on Friday night (Saturday afternoon in Australia).Lombard entered the UFC with much fanfare…

Fire up the hype train once again.

Hector Lombard destroyed Rousimar Palhares in the first round of their fight as part of the UFC on FX 6 card in Australia on Friday night (Saturday afternoon in Australia).

Lombard entered the UFC with much fanfare against Tim Boetsch earlier this year at UFC 149 but struggled in a split decision loss to “The Barbarian.”

His second dance in the Octagon was exactly what the fans had thought they would see the first time Lombard fought. We saw a composed fighter with technical strikes and an overpowering presence inside the cage.

The knockout artist dropped Palhares in front of his hometown fans of Australia. With the win, Lombard improves to 1-1 with the UFC and 32-3-1 overall in his career. Eighteen of those 32 wins have come by knockout, and judging from what we saw in Australia, Lombard looks poised to surge through the middleweight ranks.

The man Lombard knocked out, Palhares, has been fighting in the UFC since 2008. With the loss, Palhares drops to 6-4 within the organization and has lost two straight. Palhares doesn’t have any signature wins, with the closest one being a victory over Jeremy Horn at UFC 93.

This win was crucial to the longevity of Lombard’s career within the Octagon. Another loss would have further diminished the reputation and star power he came to the UFC with. Fans now see what a physical specimen and good technical fighter he can be.

His knockout power will always be Lombard’s bread and butter as he works his way up the middleweight ladder. Lombard approaches age 35 in February, so the time is now and he can’t afford to have many more losses if he wants to be considered a true contender for the title.

It’s safe to say the lethargic performance he gave us in July is now way back in the rearview mirror.

 

Joe Chacon is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a staff writer for Operation Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @JoeChacon.

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UFC on FX 6 Results: What We Learned from Lombard vs Palhares

Hector Lombard atoned for his UFC debut with a first-round knockout over Rousimar Palhares.Lombard was measured with his striking. He stalked Palhares around and set up his shots. When he dropped Palhares the first time, he knew that he was not in a po…

Hector Lombard atoned for his UFC debut with a first-round knockout over Rousimar Palhares.

Lombard was measured with his striking. He stalked Palhares around and set up his shots. When he dropped Palhares the first time, he knew that he was not in a position to finish and did not make a crucial mistake on the ground. He allowed Palhares back to his feet, and the fight was soon over.

 

What we’ll remember about this fight

Lombard’s finishing flurry.

He dropped Palhares a second time and then finished him on the mat. The shot that put Palhares out was vicious. Lombard has the killer instinct and knows when to go for it all.

 

 What we learned about Hector Lombard

We learned that his fight IQ is high. With many highly aggressive fighters, that is not the case. Lombard, on the other hand, has controlled aggression.

He walked Palhares down and waited. He knows that with his Judo background, it will be extremely difficult for anyone to take him down. That gives him huge confidence. He can be aggressive and use his monster power. 

 

 What we learned about Rousimar Palhares

We learned that Palhares still has trouble taking a shot. For all of his jiu-jitsu prowess, he is still rudimentary on the feet.

Palhares is deadly on the mat, but he has a hard time fighting anyone who can defend being taken down. He made no attempt to take Lombard down to the mat and was constantly backpedaling. This allowed Lombard to come forward with virtually no worries.

With not a lot of offensive output, Lombard was still able to drop Palhares twice before the fatal blow on the mat.

 

 What’s next for Hector Lombard

Lombard called out Michael Bisping in the post-fight interview, but it is unlikely that he will meet the top contender.

He still commands significant respect in the division, and thus he will likely get a top-10 middleweight in his next outing. If Luke Rockhold joins the UFC in 2013, that would be a great matchup to welcome the Strikeforce champion. If not, Lombard would be an ideal opponent for the winner of Alan Belcher vs. Yushin Okami. Those two top-10 middleweights meet on December 29 at UFC 155.

 

 What’s next for Rousimar Palhares

After a second consecutive loss, Palhares will go to the back of the line.

Someone like Tom Lawlor would be a good opponent for Palhares. Lawlor suffered a controversial decision loss to Francis Carmont at UFC 154. The fight makes sense for both fighters. Palhares would have his back against the wall in the fight, but it would be a good addition to any UFC undercard.

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