UFC Fight Night 30 Date: October 26, 2013 Arena: Phones4u Arena City: Manchester, England Lightweight bout: “Super Saiyan” Jon Tuck (+135) vs “Stormin’” Norman Parke (-155) Fight Breakdown: The main card for UFC Fight Night 30 on Fox Sports 2 will feature a scrap between two up and coming stars in the UFC’s lightweight division, when the Guamanian “Super Saiyan” Jon Tuck squares off against England’s own “Stormin’” Norman Parke. Tuck is currently the underdog in this bout at +135 ($100 to win $135), with Parke being the favorite at -155 ($155 to win $100) at Several Bookmakerss. “SUPER SAIYAN” JON TUCK (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Tiequan Zhang nearly one year ago. He turns after the long layoff looking to stay undefeated and make it 2-0 in the UFC, while simultaneously notching his second consecutive victory on enemy soil. His first bout was in China, against a Chinese opponent. This time around, he will be flying to England to take on the Brit, and Tuck generally has good conditioning, but will not have an advantage in that department as he heads into this bout against Parke. Training out of the MMA Lab in Glendale, A.Z., Tuck owns a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is well-versed in the submission game, both offensively and defensively. To compliment his ground game, Tuck is also solid on the feet. He has power behind his hands and is a definite finisher, owning three wins by knockout and three by tapout. He is unbeaten in his professional mixed martial arts career, though he did suffer a decision loss to Al Iaquinta in a fight to get into the Ultimate Fighter house in TUF: Live. “STORMIN’” NORMAN PARKE (18-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes, and he will be looking to make it three in a row in the Octagon, as he faces his toughest challenge to date in rising Guamanian prospect Jon Tuck. Parke is a talented wrestler and grinder who possesses great takedowns. Once he gets a hold of you, it is very tough to get him off you. He is a powerful lightweight who has great top control. He works a heavy top game, has good submissions, and displays a nice ground and pound attack. A student of Robert Drysdale’s, Parke is a talented Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner who owns 12 of 18 professional mixed martial arts career wins by submission. He is a well-conditioned athlete who is always capable of going a full 15 minutes without tiring. Parke has impressed in every fight he has been in since the first time he stepped inside a cage on the reality series. Fight Prediction: I think this fight will play out similar to Parke’s last fight, except this one will likely be closer. Both fighters will have their moments, but it will be Parke who gets the better of Tuck; enough so to take every round on the judges’ scorecards. Gabe’s Pick: Norman Parke by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 20-27, 30-27), though it will be closer than the scorecard indicates. Gabe’s Recommended Play: Big on Over 2.5 rounds -150 and moderate on both Parke -155 and Parke by Dec at dog odds (+200 or better) when line is released.
