The Fight report for WSOF 6

With an action-packed MMA weekend, Saturday night’s WSOF 6 is just what you need to cap it all off.  Below I’ve highlighted some of the more competitive and interesting fights of the evening across the main and prelim cards, where WSOF’s home-grown products will look to shine, and veteran fighters will look up upset.

Check it out.

Josh Burkman vs. Steve Carl: Outside of Randy Couture and Vitor Belfort, no one has had a resurgence in this sport like Josh Burkman. Having gone from a second string UFC fighter, Burkman took some time to train other fighters before returning to work on his own game, and somewhere along the line, everything clicked.  Now a vicious striker with a new-found balance and dynamic approach to fighting, Burkman is chewing up every Welterweight in his path and will look to capture the inaugural WSOF strap here.

Steve Carl stands firmly in Burkman’s way to that title, riding a six-fight win streak. A tough-as-nails competitor with an outstanding submission wrestling game, Carl is equally as comfortable grinding as he is employing his lethal finishing skills if an opponent leaves an opening. With an endless supply of endurance and comfort across every stage of combat, Carl won’t roll over for anyone on his trip to the title.

This is a tough call, as Carl’s defensive abilities are outstanding and in a pitched battle, and he may be able to edge Burkman in terms of positioning and output. It really comes down to exchanges and scrambles here, and while Carl can survive them, I’m not sure he can fire back effectively unless Burkman tires late. This should be a wild fight that favors Carl the longer is goes, but in terms of hitting a finish or taking those first three rounds, I have to give Burkman the edge here, making him my favorite to take his first major title.

Dan Lauzon vs. Justin Gaethje: An easy pick for best fight of the night, murderous slugger Dan Lauzon will look to keep the ball rolling in the WSOF, taking on meteoric new star Justin Gaethje. Lauzon put on an absolute clinic on MMA striking in his last bout, showing a strong base, multi-level striking and superior exchange accuracy against a tough foe in Gunderson. While his game has never been world-class, his smart yet relentless attacks have made him a feared opponent none-the-less.

While Lauzon was picking Gunderson apart last time out, Gaethje was struggling in his own bout with Brian Cobb, finally getting an opponent to test his mettle. Despite being hurt and put into compromising positions against Cobb, Gaethje showed a depth of skill and determination we didn’t know he possessed as he kicked Cobb’s leg to oblivion and kept his undefeated record intact. With some of the most explosive wrestling since Jon Jones and a rapidly evolving game, Gaethje will look to prove his worth again with a win over Lauzon.

Gaethje has the advantage of wrestling, which tends to be Lauzon’s bane, yet he also has a love of ring time at this stage in his career. While I can appreciate a fighter looking to “learn on the job” as it were, Lauzon is someone who should be approached with the utmost respect due to his monstrous power.  Look for Gaethje to play with fire just long enough to feel like he’s been in a fight before working his takedowns and putting Lauzon through the wringer, getting a submission late in the second round.

Jon Fitch vs. Marcela Alfaya: What appears to be a gimmie fight for Fitch may be anything but, as the UFC stand-out takes on the BJJ ace. The fighters that can avoid a ground fight with Fitch are few and far between on this Earth, and Alfaya isn’t someone who has the grappling chops to keep it standing either.  What he does have a laser for a right hand and serious power behind it and could well zap Fitch in the early goings. Add in the X-factor of Fitch being mentally conflicted with his career as of late, and we have someone ripe for upset. It all comes down to the takedown from Fitch and his ability to hold top position, as if he fails in either avenue, he could well be handed a crushing defeat by the stone fists of Alfaya.

Marlon Moraes vs. Carson Beebe: A fighter being pushed hard by the promotion, Marlon Moraes is primed to be the lighter weight figurehead of the WSOF, taking on Carson Beebe. Beebe was given a gift in his last fight against Joe Murphy, with the prize being a crack at the stellar Moraes; a somewhat unenviable task. Beebe has some decent wrestling and a full gas tank, but he can’t hope to match Moraes at any range standing and could find himself worked over on the mat as well due to Moraes’ top tier BJJ skills. It’s a no-win fight for Beebe, who needs to fight a perfect match to win against someone with plenty of finishing skills in every stage of the fight. Look for Moraes to play evasively at the beginning of the match to force long shots from Beebe, ultimately plinking him with an uppercut that sends him to the canvas.

Jacob Volkman vs. Luiz Firmino: A fun grappler versus grappler match, Jacob Volkman takes on former Pride and IFL fighter Luiz Firmino. Firmino is a bit of a throwback at this point, using traditional BJJ and simple muay thai to strong effect. This is a case of Firmino being the perfect fighter to pick up on Volkman’s defensive gaps, but he’ll need perfect timing to get onto the offensive against him early enough to make it count. A few near hooks from Firmino are all she wrote early, as Volkman survives and works his top game for the eventual decision win.

WSOF 6 will be the last of the four MMA events this weekend and is one that should not be missed.

Tags: Carson Beebe, Dan Lauzon, Jacob Volkman, Jon Fitch, Josh Burkman, Justin Gaethje, Luiz Firmino, Marcela Alfaya, Marlon Moraes, MMA, Steve Carl, The Fight Report, World Series of Fighting, WSOF 6

Category: MMA, World Series of Fighting