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UFC 127 Prelims: TUF 9 Winner Pearson Outduels Fisher

Ross Pearson (file photo) outworked Spencer Fisher at UFC 127. | Sherdog.com



“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 9 winner Ross Pearson took a unanimous decision from UFC mainstay Spencer Fisher in a lightweight firefight at UFC 127 “Penn vs. Fitch” on Sunday at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. All three cage-side judges scored it for Pearson: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.

Fisher found a home for a straight left hand, mixed in leg kicks and scored with a takedown in the first round, but the momentum was short-lived. The Cashiers, N.C., native stayed on the offensive for much of the match, but Pearson loosened up as the 155-pound battle deepened. The Team Rough House representative put together crisp combinations, often punctuating them with kicks to the leg and body.

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Pearson removed all doubt in round three, as he secured three takedowns and racked up the standup points. The 26-year-old has won five of his past six fights.

Gustaffson Choke Taps Te Huna

Swedish import Alexander Gustafsson weathered an early blitz from James Te Huna and submitted the 2009 Cage Fighting Championships light heavyweight grand prix winner with a rear-naked choke in the final minute of the first round. He finished it 4:27 into round one.

Te Huna secured a takedown inside the first 30 seconds and swarmed Gustaffson from the top. The Swede kept his wits, survived the attack and later scored with a takedown of his own. The 24-year-old took Te Huna’s back during a scramble, weakened him with punches from the mount and cinched the choke for the submission.

Gustaffson improved to 3-1 inside the UFC. The defeat snapped Te Huna’s six-fight winning streak.

Ring Tops Fukuda in Controversial Decision

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 11 quarterfinalist Nick Ring took a controversial unanimous decision from Deep middleweight champion Riki Fukuda on the undercard. All three judges scored it 29-28 for Ring, who remains unbeaten in 11 professional appearances.

Fukuda appeared to control much of the 15-minute fight with superior grappling and wrestling, as he secured takedowns in all three rounds. Ring attacked effectively with leg kicks and occasional punches, but Fukuda’s strikes landed with more steam.

The Japanese middleweight dominated the third round, as he delivered a pair of takedowns and kept Ring on his back. Still, Fukuda’s work went for naught in the eyes of the judges. The defeat snapped his seven-fight winning streak.

Anthony Perosh file photo

Perosh notched his first UFC win.
Perosh Submits UFC Rookie Blackledge

Anthony Perosh posted his first win inside the Octagon, as he submitted Cage Rage veteran Tom Blackledge with an opening-round rear-naked choke in their light heavyweight dark match. Blackledge succumbed to the choke 2:45 into round one.

Persistence paid off for Perosh, as the 38-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt tried and failed more than once to get the fight to the ground. Blackledge obliged, however, when he pulled guard on an attempted guillotine. The choke failed, and the Englishman wound up on his belly with Perosh on his back. The rear-naked choke followed, as Perosh softened Blackledge with punches and snaked his arms around his foe’s neck for the submission.

Zhang Guillotine Taps Reinhardt

Chinese import Tie Quan Zhang made the most of his UFC debut -- at Jason Reinhardt’s expense.

Zhang needed less than a minute to finish the 41-year-old journeyman, as he cinched a fight-ending guillotine choke 48 seconds into the first round of their preliminary featherweight encounter. Reinhardt tapped out, but the hold rendered him unconscious before Zhang released him.

A China Top Team representative, the 32-year-old Zhang rebounded well from his first career defeat -- a unanimous decision to Duke Roufus protégé Daniel Downes at WEC 53 in December. Reinhardt has not escaped the first round in either of his Octagon appearances.

Hunt Snaps Skid, Stops ‘The Crowbar’

Former K-1 World Grand Prix winner Mark Hunt notched his first MMA victory in nearly five years, as he stopped Chris Tuchscherer on second-round strikes in a preliminary heavyweight duel. The end came 1:41 into round two.

Hunt drew blood with heavy punches in the first round, escaped some potential trouble on the ground and never looked back. The 36-year-old New Zealand native, who entered the cage on a six-fight losing streak, sealed it in the second, as he followed a stiff jab with a ringing right uppercut that put away Tuchscherer.

Warburton Decisions Jewtuszko

Wolfslair Academy representative Curt Warburton leaned on takedowns and ground-and-pound, as he outpointed previously unbeaten Polish import Maciej Jewtuszko en route to a unanimous decision in their lightweight dark match. All three cage-side judges sided with Warburton by matching 29-28 counts.

Warburton, who evened his record in the UFC, delivered takedowns in all three rounds and kept the WEC veteran from finding an offensive rhythm. Jewtuszko, perhaps sensing he was behind, picked up his pace and scored effectively with his strikes in the third round, though his efforts were not enough to erase the deficit he faced.


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