UFC on Fox 6 Prelims: Clay Guida Takes Split Verdict Over Hatsu Hioki in Featherweight Debut

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Phase one in the Clay Guida rebranding process is complete.

Takedowns, a suffocating top game and airtight submission defense carried Guida (30-13, 10-7 UFC) to a split decision over former Sengoku champion Hatsu Hioki at UFC on Fox 6 “Johnson vs. Dodson” on Saturday at the United Center in Chicago.

Two of the three cageside judges scored it for Guida by 30-27 and 29-28 counts; a third cast a dissenting 29-28 vote in favor of Hioki (26-6-2, 2-2 UFC), who had won six of his previous seven bouts.

In his first appearance at 145 pounds, Guida delivered takedowns in all three rounds, thwarted Hioki with topside pressure and effectively neutralized the Japanese star’s dangerous guard. Hioki was clearly the superior fighter on the feet, as he tagged Guida with exquisite left hooks to the body, stiff jabs and a second-round head kick. However, he failed to stay upright long enough for the judges’ liking, and his active bottom game, which featured numerous submission attempts, was not enough to sway the verdict in his favor.

Surging Grant Wipes Out Wiman

T.J. Grant put away “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 alum Matt Wiman with a series of savage standing elbows and follow-up ground strikes in the first round of their lightweight duel. Battered and bloodied, Wiman (15-7, 9-5 UFC) met his end 4:51 into round one.

Grant (20-5, 7-3 UFC) was flawless, as he stayed unbeaten at 155 pounds. He cracked the durable Wiman with clean punches on the feet and delivered a number of punishing knees to the ribcage from the Thai plum. However, his standing elbows were the story.

Grant leveled the American with a pair of them late in the round, trailed him to the canvas and finished it with punches and hammerfists.

“It turned out perfectly,” Grant said. “My plan was to keep Matt on his feet and try to expose some holes. I know how tough and durable he’s been, and I was just really glad to really hurt him and put him away. My hat goes off to him. It was a great fight. I’m just really happy right now.

“He’s a really good fighter at coming forward, as am I,” he added, “but I felt like I had more crisp striking and I could definitely take advantage of some areas.”

Roufusport’s Krauss Outpoints Stumpf

A multi-pronged standup attack paired with a strong clinch game carried Roufusport representative Pascal Krauss to a unanimous decision over Mike Stumpf in an undercard match at 170 pounds. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Krauss (11-1, 2-1 UFC).

The onetime Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder battered Stumpf (11-4, 0-2 UFC) with crisp, clean punches throughout the 15-minute affair, knocking the Jeff Curran protégé off his feet with a right uppercut in the first round.

Jabs, crosses, kicks, standing elbows and even a handful of Superman uppercuts flowed from Krauss, a promising German welterweight who trains under former world kickboxing champion Duke Roufus in Milwaukee.

Stumpf tried to alter the complexion of the fight, but those efforts went for naught. Five of his seven takedown attempts were denied, leaving him to absorb punishment on the feet.

Bader Guillotine Taps Matyushenko

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 winner Ryan Bader coaxed a tapout from former International Fight League champion Vladimir Matyushenko with a modified guillotine choke 50 seconds into the first round of their light heavyweight encounter. Matyushenko (26-7, 7-5 UFC), who made his professional debut in September 1997, had never before been submitted.

The heavy-handed Bader clipped the 42-year-old Belarusian with a searing left hook inside the first 30 seconds, sending Matyushenko to the canvas. He pounced immediately, trapped Matyushenko in the choke
and elicited the tapout.

“I’ve been working on that my whole camp, trapping an arm and getting an angle on it, and I ended up hitting it,” Bader said. “I brought my arm all the way over to his shoulder, and it’s super tight. I didn’t get my legs over, but I didn’t have to. When I locked that leg down, there was a little more pressure on his neck. I felt him going, but then he got out. Then I tightened it back up, and I’m glad I got it.”

Jordan Springs Upset, Stops Russow

Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts export Shawn Jordan upset the world-ranked Mike Russow, stopping the Chicago police officer with second-round punches in a preliminary heavyweight clash. Jordan (14-4, 2-1 UFC) brought it to a close 3:48 into round two.

Russow (15-3, 4-2 UFC) let his hands do the work in a one-sided first frame, rattling the former Louisiana State University fullback with a series of thudding rights and leaving him with cuts on the right cheek and above the left eye. However, Jordan survived the attack, and Russow began a slow fade.

In the second round, Jordan scored with beautiful combinations and a pair of takedowns, twice moving to full mount on the respected grappler. Ultimately, his ground-and-pound became too much for Russow to withstand. The blows grew in intensity with the Pride Fighting Championships veteran flattened out and trapped belly-down on the canvas, resulting in the technical knockout.

Natal Choke Submits Spencer

Rafael Natal submitted promotional newcomer Sean Spencer with an arm-triangle choke in an undercard bout at 185 pounds. Spencer (9-2, 0-1 UFC), a late replacement for the injured Magnus Cedenblad, conceded defeat 2:13 into round three.

Natal (15-4-1, 3-2-1 UFC) secured takedowns in all three rounds and twice mounted the Dallas-based boxer. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt slowly wore down the game Spencer with accurate strikes on the feet and a heavy, punishing top game on the ground.

In the third round, Natal advanced to the mounted crucifix and fired away with a series of unabated elbows to the head. Eventually, he moved to full mount, locked up the arm-triangle choke and finished it.

Mitchell Notches First UFC Victory

Clean power punches, effective counterstriking and quality grappling carried David Mitchell to a unanimous verdict over Simeon Thoresen in a preliminary welterweight tilt. All three cageside judges arrived at the same ruling: a 30-27 decision for Mitchell (12-2, 1-2 UFC).

Thoresen (17-4-1, 1-2 UFC) never found his rhythm. Mitchell leaned on his jab, pairing it with left hooks, right uppercuts and right crosses. He wobbled Thoresen with one of those hooks in the second period and swarmed for the finish.

The Norwegian weathered the onslaught, but the punishment left his foe with a nasty cut to his left eyelid, nearly forcing a doctor’s stoppage in between rounds one and two.