The UFC heads to Chicago for ‘UFC On FOX 6’ this weekend and we’ve got our predictions for all the fights for you below.
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Main Card:
Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson
This fight could well turn out to be a classic grappler vs striker match-up with Johnson’s biggest strength in this fight being his wrestling, while Dodson is unquestionably the better striker.
Dodson’s got a full arsenal of strikes at his disposal, but he’ll have some difficulty finding his target as Johnson is very fast and is continually in motion making him hard to pinpoint. He’ll also have to be wary of the takedown, and while he’s got good defense in that regard I think that Johnson’s persistence is eventually going to pay off in that regard.
Johnson has the better work-rate too and I see him being able to gradually grind down Dodson with his wrestling and overall pace that he sets over five rounds to claim victory, though there’s always that chance that Dodson will magic up a spectacular finish out of nowhere.
Demetrious Johnson to win by decision.
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Quinton Jackson vs. Glover Teixeira
‘Rampage’ Jackson has been looking for a fight with someone who’ll engage him directly in a stand-up fight for a long time, and in Teixeira he’s found just the guy for the job.
However, it could well be that ‘Rampage’ has bitten off more than he can chew here. On his day he is a good striker who defends well and packs a powerful punch, but more often than not these days he lacks that spark and looks like a shadow of his former self.
That’s a big concern against Teixiera who’s hungry to prove himself and climb to the top in the UFC and is himself a dynamic, powerful striker with a more diverse range of attack who can also mix it up on the mat if need be.
I expect ‘Rampage’ will rise to the occasion if this turns into a fire-fight, at least in the early stages of the fight, but I think Teixeira will get the better of him and really pour it on in the later rounds as Jackson begins to tire leading to a third round stoppage.
Glover Teixiera to win by TKO in Rd3.
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Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis
Hopefully this will prove to be as entertaining a lightweight encounter as it looks on paper. Both of these fighters are very good strikers who can mix up punches and kicks, but while Cerrone is as tough as old boots I do think that Pettis is the more technical, dynamic striker and could give him problems.
Cerrone’s best bet might be to mix things up a little and attempt to bring the fight to the floor at times as he’s very good offensively with submissions, but despite his striking prowess Pettis is actually pretty decent defensively and I’m not convinced Cerrone’s going to be able to keep him down for long.
I believe it’s more likely this fight takes place primarily on the feet and I see Pettis landing the better shots and offering up a more varied offense to claim a hard-fought decision victory.
Anthony Pettis to win by decision.
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Erik Koch vs. Ricardo Lamas
This should be a fun featherweight scrap between two well-rounded fighters in the title hunt.
These two are pretty well matched with good striking and good submissions at their disposal. For my money Koch is more effective on the feet and is very crafty in the way he’s able to pounce on potential submission, but Lamas has the better wrestling and is perhaps a little more sound in his BJJ skills as a whole.
This is a close one, but Koch has had a long layoff which is a concern and I think Lamas might just get the better of him thanks to his wrestling and general savvy skills on the mat.
Ricardo Lamas to win by decision.
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Prelims:
T.J. Grant vs. Matt Wiman
Clay Guida vs. Hatsu Hioki
Ryan Bader vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
David Mitchell vs. Simeon Thoresen
Shawn Jordan vs. Mike Russow
Pascal Krauss vs. Mike Stumpf
Magnus Cedenblad vs. Rafael Natal
