UFC Live 6...The Breakdown

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Greetings once again my fellow MMAniacs! As I got to thinking about writing up this breakdown for UFC Live 6, that this will be the second of 3 (that’s right! 3!) weeks that there will be a UFC event playing. Is this sport great or what? But now let’s move onto the task at hand. UFC Live 6 looks to be an exciting card from top to bottom. As if it isn’t enough to be treated to the free viewing of Bantamweight Champ, Dominick Cruz, making his attempt at a fourth title defense we will also get see two heavyweights who just love swinging for the fences, a match deciding the next entrant into the welterweight elite, and a lightweight rematch for redemption. Without further ado, let’s take a look at who I think will be standing tall in the glory of victory and who will be wallowing in the mire of defeat.

Lightweight Bout: Mac Danzig vs. Matt Wiman

These two met once in 2010 with the result of Wiman getting his had raised for a controversial submission victory. I say controversial because the ref did not look to see if Danzig had actually tapped out (he hadn’t). Now these warriors find themselves across from one another again in the hopes that this time the outcome will be more concrete. As with their last encounter, this match will really come down to who has the better mat skills. Danzig has a solid jiu jitsu game but Wiman comes into this matchup as the better wrestler. I tend to see Danzig as being slightly more technically sound in the standup department and perhaps he may find some success there, but sooner or later this one will hit the ground. When that happens, expect see Matt Wiman come on with some good ground and pound and to outwork Danzig in general. Wiman takes this one by decision.

Welterweight Bout: Anthony Johnson vs. Charlie Brenneman

How great was it watching Charlie Brenneman defying the odds and taking a victory over vaunted prospect Rick Story at UFC Live 4? Seeing that kind of fight unfold just goes to show how one should never underestimate what any given fighter is capable of. Brenneman proved that his fast paced wrestling and scrambling skills are something to be taken seriously, but I wonder how well those skills stack up against those of Anthony Johnson. In addition to being no slouch in the wrestling department himself, Johnson possesses dynamite in his fists and he’ll be coming into the match as both the bigger (he cuts weight from close to 200 pounds) and stronger man. The size advantage can begin to work against Johnson over time however, as he has been seen tiring considerably once his fights reach their mid point. The longer the fight goes on, the more it favors Brenneman, but I honestly don’t see Brenneman being able to stand up to Anthony Johnson’s strength and knockout power for very long. I’m picking Anthony Johnson by (t)ko early in round 2.

Heavyweight Bout: Pat Barry vs. Stefan Struve

This is a match with which I have some problems breaking down. The problems stem from the fact that both of these men have some great talent within them, but neither seems to further develop what they already have or add new elements to their games. Stefan Struve is an extremely gifted grappler who (for reasons unknown) constantly gets sucked into brawls and usually winds up facedown on the canvas as a result. Given his size and length advantages, one would think he’d put some serious time into developing a solid jab but he just seems content to slug it out unless he’s able to realize he’s losing and gets the fight to the ground before getting his lights turned off. On the other hand, Pat Barry is a striking dynamo but lacks the mat skills to stay alive long in a ground war. Additionally, he makes far to many rash decisions in the heat of his fights. Personally, this is a pick’em one for me. But whichever way this fight goes, you can bet it’ll be entertaining. I’m going with Pat Barry by KO in the first based solely on Stefan Struve’s desire to stand and punch it out when he should be taking guys down.

Bantamweight Championship Bout: Dominick Cruz (c) vs. Demetrious Johnson

No matter how you slice it, Dominick Cruz has just been nothing short of phenomenal in his ruling over the bantamweight division. With his “in and out” approach to striking and excellent wrestling skills, it is becoming quite the task to determine who can present him with a challenge let alone defeat him. But Demetrious Johnson seems utterly determined to do just that and put an end to “The Dominator’s” epic championship run. Johnson comes into this fight with some great fast paced wrestling and a heck of a lot of natural talent. Whatever one may think about his previous controversial win over Miguel Torres, one has to admire how Johnson was just able to stay alive and keep finding his way out of submissions in that fight. Add to that the fact that he has some decent power in his hands, and it's easy to see how he is worthy of this title shot. Thankfully for Johnson, he probably won't have to worry about the threat of submissions in this match up, but he will be facing a foe with wrestling skills comparable to his own and excellent technical standup to boot. On paper, both Joseph Benavidez and Urijah Faber were the better wrestlers, yet Cruz was able to outwrestle each of them at the time of each fight. Additionally, Benavidez and Faber brought in much better striking than Johnson has previously shone, and even though they were able to give Cruz some fits, it was never enough get one up over him. This will be yet another tough, fast paced title defense for Dominick Cruz, but his combination of illusive striking and elite wrestling will win him this fight. Cruz wins by decision.

Well there we have it my friends. As always, it's a joy writing these pieces up for all of you. Whether you love or hate my picks, I do hope you enjoy the awesome...and...oh yeah...FREE show that we're getting Saturday night. Also, feel free to just rub my face in it if these fights go the other way. Until next time, keep those hands up!

-The Blue Eyed Ronin