The Ultimate Fighting Championship travelled to the Gold Coast Convention Centre in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia on Saturday for UFC on FX 6: “Sotiropoulos vs Pearson.” The event was headlined by a lightweight bout between George Sotiropoulos and Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson.
Also on the main card, UFC newcomers Robert Whittaker and Brad Scott faced off in a featured welterweight bout. Colin “Freakshow” Fletcher battled fellow submission specialist “Stormin'” Norman Parke in a lightweight fight. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC on FX 6 main card.
Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson vs George Sotiropoulos
Round 1:
Pearson landed a counter one-two early in the fight and followed with a right hook. A hard right hand badly wobbled Sotiropoulos, but he managed to weather the storm of punches that followed from Pearson. Sotiropoulos clinched and the fighters traded knees. Sotiropoulos was still unsteady on his feet and Pearson landed another right hand.
Sotiropoulos threw a head kick, but Pearson sent him to the mat with a chopping leg kick. Pearson mixed up his punches and landed a combination. Sotiropoulos answered with a stiff jab. He clinched in search of a takedown and briefly got Pearson down. As Pearson stood, Sotiropoulos hopped on his back. He tried for a rear-naked choke, but Pearson rolled forward and escaped. Close round. 10-9 Pearson.
Round 2:
The second round began with an exchange of punches and Sotiropoulos kept his distance with jabs. Pearson targeted the body and landed a hard right hand to the jaw. Sotiropoulos landed more jabs, but Pearson continued to land the harder shots. Pearson countered jabs with a looping left hook. Sotiropoulos put together a combination of punches and a body kick, but Pearson dropped him with a left hook. Sotiropoulos stood and Pearson drilled him with another left. He stuffed a Sotiropoulos takedown attempt and landed more punches. 10-9 Pearson.
Round 3:
Pearson dropped Sotiropoulos with another left hook in round three and hurt Sotiropoulos again after he stood up. A one-two rocked Sotiropoulos and a second right sent him crashing to the mat. Pearson landed one more shot before referee Marc Goddard intervened to stop the fight.
Winner: Ross Pearson by TKO (Punches) at 0:41 of round three. He improves to 14-6-0.
TUF: The Smashes Welterweight Final
Robert Whittaker vs Bradley Scott
Round 1:
Cautious punches were exchanged until Scott clinched and backed Whittaker up to the cage one minute into the round. Both fighters landed short punches to the body until Whittaker circled away. Whittaker landed a counter left hook as Scott attempted a jumping knee. Scott landed a stiff jab and Whittaker flurried. He landed a leg kick and the fighters clinched.
Scott backed away from the clinch and Whittaker rushed forward with punches. He dropped Scott and swarmed with more strikes on the ground. Scott recovered and got back to his feet. A head kick landed for Whittaker and Scott clinched. He tried for a trip, but Whittaker stayed on his feet and scored with a hard combination. Scott answered a front kick with a right hook at the bell. 10-9 Whittaker.
Round 2:
Scott punched his way into a clinch in round two, but Whittaker shrugged him off and landed a nice left hook. Time was called after Scott was kicked in the groin. Action resumed and Whittaker just missed with a head kick. He landed uppercuts in close, but Scott took him down. Scott secured one hook and looked to set up a rear-naked choke with punches and hammerfists.
Scott kept Whittaker pinned down and threw knees to the body. He continued to work for a rear-naked choke and landed more punches. Whittaker nearly scrambled free, but Scott held him down. Whittaker exploded to his feet and Scott backed him up with jabs and a left cross. Scott landed an uppercut and blocked a head kick. 10-9 Scott.
Round 3:
Scott had early success with punches in the final round, but Whittaker countered with crisp one-twos and followed with a head kick. Whittaker began to take control of the striking exchanges and he mixed in standing elbows. Scott landed a counter left hook and Whittaker threw more elbows. Both fighters scored with punches in close and Whittaker landed a hard right hook.
Scott landed jabs and one-twos, but Whittaker appeared to be a step ahead in most of the exchanges. He landed quick punches and alternated between overhand rights and standing elbows. One of the elbows opened a cut on Scott’s upper forehead. Whittaker landed a lengthy combination and ended with an uppercut. More punches and a head kick scored for Whittaker in the final few seconds. 10-9 Whittaker.
Winner: Robert Whittaker by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 10-2-0 and becomes TUF: The Smashes Welterweight Winner.
TUF: The Smashes Lightweight Final
“Stormin'” Norman Parke vs Colin “Freakshow” Fletcher
Round 1:
Parke clinched and avoided knees from Fletcher early on. He backed him up to the cage and secured a takedown. Fletcher stood and Parke took him back down. Fletcher worked for a Kimura from the bottom and Parke punched from the top in half-guard. A big elbow scored for Parke and he moved to side control. Fletcher tried to scramble up, but Parke kept him pinned down and landed short punches. In a scramble, Parke attempted an inverted triangle choke, but lost the position and Fletcher closed out the round on top. 10-9 Parke.
Round 2:
Fletcher threw spinning kicks in round two and Parke took him down. He avoided Fletcher’s submission attempts and moved to side control. Parke worked to secure a guillotine choke from the top and used it to move to mount. Parke took Fletcher’s back and nearly locked on a rear-naked choke, but Fletcher was able to escape and stood up. Parke landed a left hook and Fletcher answered with kicks. More kicks were exchanged and Parke landed a hard three-punch combo. He scored a takedown at the bell. 10-9 Parke.
Round 3:
The final round began with an exchange of quick punches and Fletcher pressed forward with leg kicks. Fletcher ducked into a left uppercut, but appeared to be unfazed. He resumed kicking at Parke’s lead leg and Parke answered with punches. An overhand left scored for Parke and he opened a cut beside Fletcher’s left eye. Fletcher remained aggressive and walked forward with kicks and one-twos, but Parke countered nicely.
The fighters traded left hooks to the liver and Fletcher put together a combination of punches and a body kick. Fletcher mixed up his strikes and continued to land kicks to the body. Parke dragged Fletcher down and took his back in search of a rear-naked choke. Fletcher scrambled up and the fight ended with an exchange of punches. Close final round. 10-9 Fletcher by a slim margin.
Winner: Norman Parke by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 17-2-0 and becomes TUF: The Smashes Lightweight Winner.
Hector “Lightning” Lombard vs Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares
Round 1:
The fighters traded single kicks and punches early on and Lombard pressed forward as Palhares circled on the outside. Lombard sent Palhares to the mat with a looping hook and Palhares got back to his feet. Lombard remained aggressive and hurt Palhares again. He dropped him with a flurry of punches and settled into Palhares’s guard. Lombard stood and a bloodied Palhares followed. Palhares kicked at Lombard’s leg and Lombard swarmed with punches. Palhares fell to the ground and Lombard landed punches until Palhares was out cold.
Winner: Hector Lombard by KO (Punches) at 3:38 of round one. He improves to 32-3-1, 1 NC.
Undercard Fights:
Chad “Money” Mendes defeated Yaotzin Meza by KO (Punches) at 1:55 of round one. He improves to 13-1-0 with the win.
Joey “The Mexicutioner” Beltran defeated Igor “The Duke” Pokrajac by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 15-8-0 with the win.
Mike Pierce defeated Seth “The Polish Pistola” Baczynski by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 16-5-0 with the win.
Ben “Benny Blanco” Alloway defeated Manuel “Chalate” Rodriguez by KO (Front Kick & Punches) at 4:57 of round one. He improves to 13-3-0 with the win.
Mike “The Warrior” Wilkinson defeated Brendan Loughnane by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 8-0-0 with the win.
Cody “Donnybrook” Donovan defeated Nick Penner by KO (Punches) at 4:35 of round one. He improves to 8-2-0 with the win.