UFC on Fuel TV 6 Preview

Lightweights

Tiequan Zhang (15-3, 1-2 UFC) vs. Jon Tuck (6-0, 0-0 UFC)

The Matchup: With three losses in his last four appearances, it is reasonable to question Zhang’s standing as a legitimate UFC talent. In his last outing, “The Mongolian Wolf” was underwhelming in suffering a second-round knockout defeat to Issei Tamura, a fighter who has gone the distance in five of his seven career victories. However, as the only Chinese citizen on the UFC roster, Zhang’s presence on this card is essential. While the promotion has stocked the UFC on Fuel TV 6 card with plenty of fighters from surrounding Asian nations, Zhang is the only one who hails from the same place as most of those in attendance.

Tuck appeared in a preliminary bout on Season 15 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” but he did not make it into the house. The Guamanian lightweight had a few interesting moments against eventual “TUF” finalist Al Iaquinta, attempting an armbar and briefly taking his opponent’s back, but the bout will be most remembered for the gruesome broken toe Tuck acquired in losing a unanimous decision.

That said, “Super Saiyan” is a decent prospect with six first-round finishes -- three knockouts and three submissions -- in six professional bouts. Most notably, he knocked out top One FC lightweight contender Eduard Folayang in eight seconds in a November 2009 contest.

Zhang will want to get this one to the floor as quickly as possible, especially on the heels of his performance against Tamura. The China Top Team representative is comfortable in his guard and has a nifty guillotine choke. He is decent in scrambles and transitions but is prone to fatiguing against someone who can match and exceed his pace on the canvas.

Tuck should be comfortable on the ground with Zhang, as he has plenty of grappling experience, but his ability to test his adversary’s chin could prove to be the deciding factor.

The Pick: Zhang did just enough to make it to the UFC’s first China card, but Tuck appears to have the greater upside. Tuck breaks even on the ground and does more damage upright en route to a unanimous decision.

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