Author: Ben Fowlkes

Court McGee’s Fairytale Ending Is Just a New Beginning

Filed under: UFCLAS VEGAS — If there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching all those Wes Anderson movies, it’s that people love a good redemption plot. Maybe that explains why Court McGee’s story is so endlessly compelling for the fans and the media….

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Court McGeeLAS VEGAS — If there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching all those Wes Anderson movies, it’s that people love a good redemption plot. Maybe that explains why Court McGee‘s story is so endlessly compelling for the fans and the media.

For those who somehow haven’t heard it yet, the condensed version goes something like this: McGee was addicted to drugs and alcohol, overdosed on heroin and was declared legally dead, got clean and sober and became an upstanding family man, then won season 11 of “The Ultimate Fighter” with a submission victory over Kris McCray at Saturday night’s finale.

Pardon me for dwelling on it, but that’s some Greek myth, journey-through-the-underworld type stuff right there.

TUF 11 Finale: By the Odds

Filed under: UFCIf, like me, you’re in Las Vegas for tonight’s TUF 11 Finale, you have no shortage of gambling options. From the video slots that no one, least of all those playing, seem to actually enjoy, to the crowded craps tables where someone will…

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If, like me, you’re in Las Vegas for tonight’s TUF 11 Finale, you have no shortage of gambling options. From the video slots that no one, least of all those playing, seem to actually enjoy, to the crowded craps tables where someone will always shout ‘Come on, seven!’ presumably just because they want to replicate the experience they’ve seen on TV, it’s a carnival of different ways to lose some money.

But if you really want a thrill, try looking to a fight card populated with fighters on the way up and fighters on the way down. The exciting part is, it’s hard to know at first glance which ones are which. Below, let’s take a look at some of the betting odds for tonight’s finale of season 11 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”

TUF 11 Finale Weigh-In Results

Filed under: UFCLAS VEGAS – All fighters made weight on Friday afternoon for Saturday night’s Ultimate Fighter Finale. With the exception of lightweight Spencer Fisher, who had to strip to his birthday suit to hit the 156 mark, no one had any trouble c…

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LAS VEGAS – All fighters made weight on Friday afternoon for Saturday night’s Ultimate Fighter Finale. With the exception of lightweight Spencer Fisher, who had to strip to his birthday suit to hit the 156 mark, no one had any trouble coming in on target and making tomorrow night’s fight card official.

The two main event fighters and season eleven “Ultimate Fighter” finalists Kris McCray and Court McGee both got big ovations from the crowd in the Key West ballroom inside the Palms casino, while fellow contestant Jamie Yager entered to a mixture of cheers and jeers from the fans.

The event airs Saturday night on Spike TV at 9 pm ET/PT, and MMA Fighting will be live blogging all the action from the prelims to the main event. Full weigh-in results are below.

Court McGee and Kris McCray Face Defining Moment at TUF 11 Finale

Filed under: UFCLAS VEGAS – Court McGee and Kris McCray both knew they’d be here some day. Then again, so did hundreds of other fighters who tried out for season eleven of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Many months and even a couple of losses later, it’s down…

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LAS VEGAS – Court McGee and Kris McCray both knew they’d be here some day. Then again, so did hundreds of other fighters who tried out for season eleven of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Many months and even a couple of losses later, it’s down to just these two.

“Before I tried out I was sitting in my bathtub, just visualizing myself holding the trophy,” McGee told MMA Fighting. “It was just a thought that came to me. I saw that glass trophy, me being the next Ultimate Fighter, and it was pretty powerful.”

James McSweeney Looks to Show Fans Something New at TUF 11 Finale

Filed under: UFCYou won’t hear this often in the fight game, but James McSweeney is pretty sure that breaking his hand in the opening moments of his first official UFC bout was one of the best things that could have happened to him.

Not that it felt t…

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You won’t hear this often in the fight game, but James McSweeney is pretty sure that breaking his hand in the opening moments of his first official UFC bout was one of the best things that could have happened to him.

Not that it felt that way at the time. When it actually happened, during one of the first punching exchanges between McSweeney and Darrill Schoonover at December’s “Ultimate Fighter” Finale, what he felt was sickening pain.

“I knew it was bad. I felt a crunch, and I felt the pain move all the way up my forearm,” McSweeney said. “It wasn’t until two or three punches later that I really knew it was broken.”

Jamie Yager Weighs in on Reality TV Infamy, Tito Ortiz’s Character Flaws

Filed under: UFCLAS VEGAS — Jamie Yager knows that when he walks into the Pearl at the Palms to make his official UFC debut on Saturday night, he’ll be facing a crowd in the arena and an audience at home that has largely already made up its mind about…

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LAS VEGAS — Jamie Yager knows that when he walks into the Pearl at the Palms to make his official UFC debut on Saturday night, he’ll be facing a crowd in the arena and an audience at home that has largely already made up its mind about him.

What bothers him is that, at least the way he sees it, they don’t know the guy they’re judging quite as well as they think they do.

“America thinks they know who you are based on a really small sample,” Yager said. “We filmed 12 weeks, 24 hours a day, and they showed 12 hours. Not even 12 hours [with commercials]. 44 minutes every week.”