Penick's Take
UFC ON FX 6 PREVIEW: Penick's quick thoughts and fight picks for FX main card in Australia
Dec 14, 2012 - 12:45:12 PM UFC ON FX 6 PREVIEW: Penick's quick thoughts and fight picks for FX main card in Australia

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The UFC emanates from Australia for the second time this year tonight with UFC on FX 6, but they're venturing out of Sydney this time around, bringing an event to Gold Coast in Queensland. The event will essentially serve as a finale card for the Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes, the UFC's first-ever Team UK vs. Team Australia season of the reality show. The two hour FX card will bring finals bouts in the lightweight and welterweight tournaments from the international TUF season, as well as a lightweight bout between coaches Ross Pearson and George Sotiropoulos, as well as a middleweight bout between Hector Lombard and Rousimar Palhares. Here's what's coming up on FX tonight:

Ross Pearson vs. George Sotiropoulos (Lightweight): Pearson is moving back up to lightweight for this fight, which will also see Sotiropoulos in action for the first time in a year and a half. The Brit was looking solid in his last bout against Cub Swanson, but then got cracked by a big series of strikes in the second round that put him out. Sotiropoulos as well suffered a vicious KO loss in his last fight, though that came in July of 2011 to Rafael dos Anjos.

This is a really good matchup of styles here, with Pearson's striking game going up against the superb ground game of Sotiropoulos. What makes things a bit more interesting in this fight is that Sotiropoulos isn't a terrible striker, and Pearson's got some excellent takedown defense. In fact, his one submission loss in the UFC came after he got knocked down in a striking exchange against Cole Miller.

So in this fight, it's going to be very clear what both fighters want to do. It's just a matter of which one is able to get done what he wants to get done. If Sotiropoulos can find a way to get Pearson to the ground, his top game is fantastic and he can submit most anyone. If Pearson can avoid the takedowns, he's a better striker, and can defeat Sotiropoulos on the feet. This is a total coin flip type fight, and though there are arguments all around, I'll go with Sotiropoulos via decision.


Hector Lombard vs. Rousimar Palhares (Middleweight): This is a similar fight to Pearson-Sotiropoulos in that it's a classic "striker vs. grappler" match, though Palhares isn't all that adept in his striking game. Lombard's no slouch on the ground himself, with seven career wins by submission, but he's not necessarily the type of fighter who can go to the ground with Palhares and leave with his legs intact.

Lombard's the much better striker, though he didn't exactly set the UFC's fanbase on fire with his debut in July against Tim Boetsch. Both fighters are short and stocky for 185 lbs., but they've each been mostly successful in their respective careers as well.

Palhares ran up against an elite fighter in Alan Belcher his last time out, which ended with him getting stopped. There's a very real chance of that happening again, but this time the end will most likely begin on the feet. In what will hopefully be a more entertaining fight than at UFC 149, I think Lombard takes the decision.


Robert Whittaker vs. Brad Scott (TUF Welterweight Finals): Whittaker is the only member of Team Australia in the two finals bouts from "The Smashes" season of TUF, and the 21-year-old enters tonight's event with a 9-2 record. He faces off against 23-year-old Scott, who has won six straight fights and holds an 8-1 record.

During their time in The Ultimate Fighter house, both faced a common opponent in Xavier Lucas. Scott took a close decision early in the show, and when a replacement was needed in the semifinal round to face Whittaker, Lucas was plugged in. However, Whittaker knocked him out just over a minute into the fight, clocking under two minutes of fight time during TUF filming.

Though Scott had won all of his fights by stoppage coming into TUF, he didn't earn any stoppages during the show. He seems like a tough opponent, and he hasn't been stopped since a fight in 2009. However, Whittaker is the one on a roll, in his home country. I'll take Whittaker via TKO in the second round.


Colin Fletcher vs. Norman Parke (TUF Lightweight Finals): It's England vs. Northern Ireland in an all Team UK final in the lightweight division. Sunderland comes in the elder by four years, but gives up the experience edge to Parke, who has nearly twice as many fights under his belt at the age of 25.

Fletcher's a very tall lightweight at 6'3", and his only career loss came when he suffered an injury in May of last year. Parke holds a 16-2 record into this fight, but he'll be giving up a significant height and reach advantage in this fight. Of course, neither is likely to try keeping this fight standing, as they have a combined 19 submission wins between them.

We're likely in for a striking battle between two grapplers, or a battle of attrition on the ground until one comes up victorious. Either way, I'll take Fletcher to win this one.