UFC 127 Prelims Preview

Tonight’s UFC 127 preliminary bouts boast the usual combination of up-and-coming prospects, debuting fighters, competitors trying to avoid the dreaded pink slip and a couple of fight of the night candidates. Fortunately, fans can take advantage of two bouts on ION and another two on Facebook to see the majority of the fights for the grand total of $0.00, which is a hard deal to pass up. Let’s take a look at the preliminary fights for tonight.

Maciej Jewtuszko vs. Curt Warburton

Curt “The War” Warburton, that is. Get it straight! This is important, people. I know, it’s no Rick “The Horror” Story, but it’s what we have to work with.

The problem for Warburton is that a war with Jewtuszko is exactly what he doesn’t need. Warburton is a confident striker who beat Ross Pearson a few years ago while exchanging competently throughout their bout (which was won with the help of an illegal knee strike and some screwy refereeing, to boot), but Jewtuszko is a different animal altogether. Well, that is to say, he is an animal, really.

Warburton has developed some bad habits that taller, rangy fighters sometimes end up with, such as leaning back, chin in the air to get out of the range of shorter opponents’ punches. He also likes to move straight back, again taking advantage of his reach to counter. Problem is, Jewtuszko is pretty tall for a lightweight, too. He’s also more focused with his aggression than Warburton and may put him in trouble early on. If Warburton could survive, he could be fresher later on and take advantage of Jewtuszko’s inexperience in fights that go deep, but I just don’t see that happening.

Prediction: Jewtuszko by KO/TKO

Mark Hunt vs. Chris Tuchscherer

Hunt is coming off of a loss to Sean McCorkle that ended in a painful straight armbar submission. Meanwhile, Tuchscherer is 1-2 in the UFC, so the loser is certainly facing UFC elimination in this one.

Apparently, Hunt wouldn’t even be in the UFC were it not for a clause of some sort that obligated Zuffa to bring him in after they purchased Pride Fighting Championships. What’s unfortunate is that the UFC hasn’t taken the opportunity to throw Hunt in a memorable brawl or two- as much as they seem to want fan-pleasing bouts, tossing someone with a granite chin and a willingness to go at it like Hunt in with a like-minded opponent seems like the obvious way to go.

Instead, he’s going to face his second opponent in a row who should be able to take him down and exploit his considerable weaknesses on the mat in short order. Hunt has a superb chin and great power in his hands, but his takedown defense and overall ground game have long lacked quality. Barring some kind of improvement since we last saw him or a bad decision by Tuchscherer to try his hand standing, this one looks to go Tuchscherer’s way.

Prediction: Tucscherer by submission

Riki Fukuda vs. Nick Ring

There are so many angles to take with this one. Fukuda is a Japanese fighter debuting in the UFC, and we all know how well that has gone historically. Meanwhile, Ring has had a long layoff since his knee injury during TUF 11 caused him to drop out of the show’s competition. Will Fukuda, who has fought stateside in the past in EliteXC, be able to impose his will? Will Ring be 100% or have a slow start due to ring rust?

This could well be a close and rather crazy fight. Ring admits he has no real game plan other than to “punch and kick” Fukuda, while Fukuda could give Ring trouble if he works doggedly for takedowns and puts Ring on the defensive early and often. Ring is certainly better in the standup realm, but I’m not sure that he has the power to put Fukuda away with one or two shots, either. I think Fukuda will take the first round from a rusty Ring and split the next two for a decision victory in what could be a very good fight.

Prediction: Fukuda by decision

Tom Blackledge vs. Anthony Perosh

Both fighters sport 10-6 record, with Blackledge building his while fighting mostly in his native England, and Perosh having fought in his native Australia as well as having fought (and lost) three times in the UFC. This one is clear insofar as Blackledge has a decisive edge standing and Perosh would seem to have the edge on the mat.

However, I think Blackledge has okay wrestling and will probably be able to stay off the mat most of the time. He can likely survive if the fight works its way to the floor, too. Perosh, on the other hand, will be a fish out of water while the two are standing, and I expect Blackledge to deliver Perosh a second straight UFC loss in his home country tonight.

Prediction: Blackledge by KO/TKO

Jason Reinhardt vs. Tiequan Zhang

The second of the two Facebook-aired bouts pits WEC veteran Zhang against Midwestern fighter Reinhardt, who has built a 20-1 record by fighting in smaller shows and King of the Cage events, most of which were in the Iowa-Illinois area. Reinhardt’s lone loss was in his other UFC appearance, where he was swarmed and submitted by Joe Lauzon in just over a minute way back at UFC 78.

Zhang, on the other hand, has had some success against tough fighters, having handed Pablo Garza his lone career defeat at WEC 51. There could be some exciting moments here, as Reinhardt has a very active guard and Zhang is active on the mat, as well. I think Zhang will put Reinhardt on the mat often and eventually get the submission, however.

Prediction: Zhang by submission

Alexander Gustafsson vs. James Te Huna

Both men have done well in the UFC, with Gustafsson posting a 2-1 record (the lone loss to super-prospect Phil Davis) and Te Huna winning his lone fight against Igor Pokrajac last year. Both are willing to strike, but Te Huna can be overly aggressive, as well as overly willing to absorb shots in order to land them in return.

Gustafsson packs deceptive power in his hands and while he doesn’t use his considerable reach in an ideal way, he does mix up his punches well and finishes when he has the chance. I think he’ll outlast Te Huna, possibly after Te Huna goes too hard in the early goings and gasses. Gustafsson’s edge on the mat provides him with another possible out besides a knockout, too.

Prediction: Gustafsson by submission

Spencer Fisher vs. Ross Pearson

Fisher is a fighter that I like a lot, and he’s done well in his lengthy UFC tenure, though he hasn’t been able to string together enough wins to contend for a title at any point. He had a nice winning streak going until recent back-to-back losses to Joe Stevenson and Dennis Siver put him in danger of losing his UFC roster spot. He beat Curt Warburton in his last outing, but a loss here would mean three losses in four fights in a division that sees fighters being cut on a monthly basis for less than that.

Meanwhile, Pearson is a very skilled striker who has the type of fundamentals that are more common in the lightweight division than among heavier MMA fighters. The stylistic matchup here promises to make for an exciting fight, even if it’s doubtful that either man will land a shot that will knock out the other. It’s really tempting to take Pearson here, especially because Fisher seems to be on a decline after a long career. Fisher is just 34 years old, but lightweights do not age gracefully, especially strikers. I’ve pretty much just talked myself into picking Pearson, though I’m pulling for Fisher to win and extend his UFC career.

Prediction: Pearson by decision

E-Mail Jon Hartley

Tags: Alexander Gustafsson, Anthony Perosh, Chris Tuchscherer, Curt Warburton, James Te-Huna, Jason Reinhardt, Maciej Jewtuszko, Mark Hunt, Nick Ring, Riki Fukuda, Ross Pearson, Spencer Fisher, Tiequan Zhang, Tom Blackledge, UFC, UFC 127