UFC on FOX 2 fight card: George Roop vs. Cub Swanson prediction, preview and breakdown

Two Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweights will be in "Prelims" action on the undercard of UFC on Fox 2: "Evans vs. Davis" TONIGHT (Jan. 28, 2012) when George Roop takes on Cub Swanson, which will air on FUEL TV.

Both have battled with relative inconsistency throughout the last several years, each failing to put together extended win streaks. They will look to avoid stringing together back-to-back losses when they look to rebound from losses in their last outings.

Roop is only 3-2-1 in his last six bouts, while Swanson has also failed to be consistent over his last six bouts, alternating wins and losses.

The Jackson Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)-trained fighter, Swanson, hopes to put on a winning performance on FOX, as his first go around at UFC on Fox 1 against Ricardo Lamas was unsuccessful, losing via submission in the second round.

They both need a win in a very bad way, but as in all sports, there can be only one winner.

Follow me after the jump for a complete breakdown of the UFC on FOX 2 featherweight fight between George Roop vs. Cub Swanson:

The Breakdown

After his first stint with the UFC, Roop competed in World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), but had sub-par results with his highlight coming at the expense of Chan Sung Jung, knocking out "The Korean Zombie" with a devastating head kick.

After resigning with the UFC, Roop suffered a quick first round knockout to Mark Hominick at UFC: "Fight for The Troops," but redeemed himself by defeating Josh Grispi five months later. He then lost a razor thin decision to Hatsu Hioki at UFC 137.

With Roop, it’s hard to guess which fighter will show up, the lightweight the was put on Queer Street by Hominick or the featherweight who gave one of the best 145-pound fighters in the world all he could handle in Hioki.

A Muay-Thai practitioner, Roop definitely prefers to swing leather and Swanson is a type of fighter who is more than willing to oblige.

Training with famed coaches Greg Jackson and Mike WinkleJohn in Albuquerque, N.M., Swanson will benefit from great game planning, if he can remain composed. Swanson is battle tested to say the least, taking on MMA greats such as Jens Pulver, Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes.

Swanson is a fighter who can catch you with a submission given the chance, but doesn’t mind going toe-to-toe and exchange punches.

The ground is not Swanson’s best friend, however, losing three of his five bouts via choke. He won’t have to be too preoccupied with Roop’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills in this one though, as his last submission victory came more than five years ago.

The Pick

Roop will enjoy a four-inch reach advantage on the smaller Swanson, and can use this in his favor if he utilized good footwork to not allow a crafty Swanson to close the distance. Swanson, on the other hand, will need to employ a good strategy to overcome the reach and size difference that Roop will possess.

Though both prefer to stand and trade, expect for Swanson to look for the takedowns once in the clinch, and deliver some ground-and-pound action.

The keys to victory for each fighter, in my opinion, are simple.

If Roop can keep the distance, he will pick apart the smaller foe for the duration of the bout.

After taking a few good shots from Roop, Swanson’s best hope is to take it to the ground and control the majority of the fight on the mat. He will do so and do enough to get a unanimous decision victory, but not before surviving a scare from Roop.

Swanson defeats Roop via unanimous decision

That's a wrap for now. Be sure to share your thoughts on this fight and more in the comments section below.

Be sure to join MMAmania.com this evening for LIVE, detailed UFC on FOX 2 results of all the "Evans vs. Davis" action on primetime. It will include blow-by-blow coverage of the "Prelims" under card bouts, and of course, the network telecast. We'll start RIGHT HERE at around 5 p.m. ET and carry straight on through into early Saturday morning.

See you then!