Ross Pearson punches George Sotiropoulos during their lightweight fight at UFC on FX 6. Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images.
Ross Pearson beat George Sotiropoulos in the main event of UFC on FX 6, grabbing the technical knockout over the TUF Smashes coach in the third round on Saturday in Golden Coast, Australia. In addition, Robert Whittaker topped Bradley Scott and became the welterweight winner of TUF Smashes, and Norman Parke bested Colin Fletcher to win the reality show’s lightweight bracket.
Early in the main event, Pearson hit his opponent with a good blow and Sotiropoulos felt it immediately. The Australian recovered and made good at the end of the round, acquiring the Englishman’s back and trying to finish with a rear naked choke. Pearson, however, defended well and finished the round with the advantage.
Upon returning in the second frame, Pearson continued on the offensive, knocking his opponent down again with punches. Sotiropoulos tried to strike back, but Pearson absorbed all blows from his opponent without major problems.
In the third round, Sotiropoulos was surprised by another strong punch by Pearson, which sent him falling the ground for the final time, ending the clash. The finish came at 0:41 of the time period.
Welterweight TUF Smashes Final
Whittaker, the only Australian to compete for the six-figure UFC contract, was all over Scott in the first round and gave no room for him to work his game. A combination of punches and kicks kept Scott from mounting a formidable offense, giving Whittaker the advantage in the first time period.
In the second round, Scott was able to bring Whittaker to the ground and began to bring the fight more to his advantage. Stifling his opponent’s strikes by grappling on the canvas, Scott won the round.
The third round was a dramatic clash with strikes coming from both competitors, but Whittaker managed to connect more often and come out the winner by unanimous decision. The judges scored the bout 29-28 across the panel.
Lightweight TUF Smashes Final
Fletcher tried to impose his will with a standing fight at the beginning of the round, but Parke brought his opponent to the ground, stabilizing and controlling his opponent in the opening frame.
The second round started similarly, with Parke controlling Fletcher on the floor and working the fight the way he wanted. Despite Fletcher making a small comeback and scoring points at the end of the round, Parke showed to control the fight for a majority of the time allotted.
Fletcher came forward in the third round, trying to land effective strikes, but couldn’t land the knockout punch. Parke won the unanimous decision with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28, and took home the six-figure contract for the lightweights.
Lombard Demolishes Palhares
In the first fight of the main card, Hector Lombard topped Rousimar Palhares, knocking out “Toquinho” in the first round of their contest.
The fight began with Lombard moving forward and controlling the center of the octagon. Toquinho respected his opponent, kept his distance and landed effective leg kicks. However, Lombard’s striking proved to be too intense for the Brazilian, and he knocked out his opponent at 3:38 of the opening round.
Here are the full results for the UFC on FX 6 card:
- Ross Pearson def. George Sotiropoulos by TKO at 0:41, R3
- Robert Whittaker def. Bradley Scott by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
- Norman Parke def. Colin Fletcher by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Hector Lombard def. Rousimar Palhares by TKO at 3:38, R1
- Chad Mendes def. Yaotzin Meza at 1:55, R1
- Joey Beltran def. Igor Pokrajac by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Mike Pierce def. Seth Baczynski by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Ben Alloway def. Manuel Rodriguez by knockout at 4:57, R1
- Mike Wilkinson def. Brendan Loughnane by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
- Cody Donovan def. Nick Penner by TKO at 4:35, R1