The Highs and Lows of UFC on FOX 6

By Roy Billington

On Saturday night, the UFC hit the Windy City with a main event that put the Flyweight Championship at the forefront. But the other fighters on the card did their part to try to get some of the spotlight for themselves. Here are the highs and lows of UFC on Fox 6:

The Highs

The night started on FX with a bout which on paper looked like a mismatch between BJJ black belt Rafael Natal and a Sean Spencer, a natural 170-pounder who took the fight on short notice. Despite looking impressive on the feet in the opening stanza, Sean Spencer wilted in the 2nd round, where Natal imposed his will on the UFC newcomer, Spencer was saved by the bell in the 2nd, but his luck ran out in the 3rd when Natal sunk in a deep side choke.

Despite losing I was impressed with Sean Spencer and I really look forward to his next fight at a weight he is more naturally suited to.

In the next bout of the evening, Chicago’s own Mike Russow faced the ever-athletic Shawn Jordan. In the first round Russow landed early with a flurry of strikes that cut his adversary, but unfortunately Russow invested too much in getting the early finish and this acted to his detriment, as he ended the round extremely fatigued. In the second, Jordan landed hard and often on the feet before taking the fight to the canvas and landing some brutal ground and pound, which forced Herb Dean to call a end to the bout.

Next time out I would love to see Shawn Jordan face AKA’s Todd Duffee.

Next up All-American wrestler Ryan Bader faced Vladimir Matyushenko in a light heavyweight contest, and it was “Darth” Bader who made light work of the veteran, Bader landed his trademark right hand and dropped his opponent before landing a modified guillotine choke.

Bader is a perennial top 10 fighter and next up I would love to see him face Ovince St. Preux to test how he deals with an opponent who is just as athletic as he is.

Matt Wiman faced T.J Grant at 155 lbs in a bout to see which resurgent fighter could finally enter the top 15, and Grant passed the challenge with flying colours — well one flying colour, and that was the crimson of Wiman’s blood that squirted onto the camera lens as Grant landed a devastating knockout from a standing elbow.

I would love a bout between Grant and a top 10 fighter next — maybe Pat Healy could fit the bill?

In the night’s main event Demetrious Johnson and John Dodson faced off in a fight for the ages. This bout was really what the division needed, and in my opinion this was the Fight of the Week, “Mighty Mouse” recovered amazingly from taking a beating in the second, and really rallied in the 4th and 5th, coming close to finishing in the final round with brutal knees in the clinch.

The Lows

In Clay Guida’s featherweight debut he faced noted Japanese grappler Hatsu Hioki. Since I got into this sport there have always been controversial judging calls, but this one really takes the cake. Hioki looked aggressive throughout and controlled the majority of the fight from his back, constantly attacking with submissions and completely nullifying Guida’s offence, but yet again the judges chose to award a decision based on positioning over aggression and control.

The commissions really need a more strenuous selection process for judges in high profile fights, as this really paints the sport in an unprofessional manner.

On the main card opener Eric Koch faced Ricardo Lamas, and Lamas continued his great run of late, but I was really disappointed in Koch’s performance, He looked very stale on Saturday night — maybe it was his extended absence from the Octagon leading to ring rust.

Lamas definitely deserves a title fight next, and I believe Koch needs to fight Hioki to see if he deserves to be in the division’s top 5.

In the next bout Donald Cerrone faced Anthony Pettis, and this grudge match ended quickly and brutally, Pettis landed a number of brutal body shots that lead to a TKO stoppage, and while I was impressed with Pettis, I was more so disappointed with Cerrone.

Cerrone clearly is among the most talented fighters in his division, but his mental game has let him down. It let him down in his second fight with Benson Henderson, in his fight with Nate Diaz, and on Saturday night. Pettis is very talented, but I believe Cerrone can clearly beat him if he can just solidify his mental game.

The co-main paired former champion Rampage Jackson and Glover Teixeira, and while Glover did what was expected of him and dominated, Rampage really disappointed.

There has been a noted decline in his form ever since he left the UFC to act in “The A-Team”. On Saturday he looked like he had never wrestled in his career — he literally fell over when Glover had a single leg. Rampage was great but it’s time to hang them up.