Everybody knows how the second preliminary matchup on the Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen ends, but how will they get there?
This week, Team Sonnen fighter and highly touted prospect Uriah Hall meets Team Jones’ underdog Adam Cella in a bout that already has everybody guessing who ends up unconscious at the end of the show.
The previews for this week’s fight are already out and it has UFC President Dana White saying the finish is “one of the nastiest knockouts I’ve ever seen in the fight business, let alone on The Ultimate Fighter.” So we know either Hall or Cella is getting knocked out, but who has the better chance of landing the finishing blow?
Following their debut fights, Uriah Hall became an instant fan favorite for his flashy, dynamic style, one that a lot of people compared to coach and UFC champion Jon Jones. Meanwhile, Cella slipped under the radar in many ways despite an impressive finish by submission to eliminate Jake Heun.
Both Hall and Cella come from striking backgrounds, so it’s no surprise that their fight ends in a knockout, but who puts who away is still up for debate.
Uriah Hall comes to The Ultimate Fighter by way of Team Tiger Schulmann in New York City, and right away when looking at his 7-2 record you notice something. He’s won a lot of fights by knockout, which should be no secret given his style, but his only losses have come from two of the UFC’s most elite middleweights – Chris Weidman and Costas Philippou (who he lost to by majority decision in a close fight). Hall can hang with the best on the planet and his record proves it.
As for Adam Cella, he’s a different case study of a fighter that just fell in love with fighting, and decided to give it a go. With an estimated 50 amateur kickboxing matches to his credit, Cella is no slouch in the striking department. While only 4-0 as a pro fighter, Cella has developed his overall MMA game quickly as he showed with his submission win to kick off the show this year.
Now it has to be noted that Hall is a decided favorite going into this fight. Hall was picked by a whopping 52.1-percent of fans as their choice to win the entire season of TUF, while Cella actually came in last at only .6-percent.
Hall’s quick attacks and explosive finishing power have everyone sold that not only will he be the one putting Cella in the ambulance (as shown in previews for this week’s episode), but ultimately the winner when the show comes to a close in April.
Cella’s talent should not be ignored however and a man with nothing to lose is awfully dangerous inside the cage. He’s not being picked to win now and he likely wasn’t favored to win while filming the show either. That could be just the recipe to pull a huge upset and eliminate Chael Sonnen‘s No. 2 overall pick.
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