Author: By Damon Martin

Following a couple tough weeks that included one of the greatest knockouts of all-time, Team Jon Jones finally got on track with Collin Hart’s dominant win over Kevin Casey to put the fight selection back in their control over Team Chael Sonnen.

For his first fight pick, Jones chose his real life teammate Bubba McDaniel to take on the last pick for Team Sonnen and one of the quietest members of the cast, Kelvin Gastelum, in the next round of the tournament.

McDaniel came to The Ultimate Fighter season 17 on his third attempt to make the reality show, but he also enters the fray as one of the most experienced competitors to step foot inside the Octagon for the tournament. With a 20-6 record, McDaniel is a veteran inside the cage and also has big fight experience competing in other major promotions throughout his career.

Training out of Team Greg Jackson in New Mexico, McDaniel works on one of the most elite teams in all of mixed martial arts, and actually serves as a regular sparring partner for his coach and UFC light heavyweight champion Jones.

McDaniel may come off a bit cocky on the show, but he’s got the record to back up his attitude. He’s got 20 career wins with only one going to decision, 15 victories by submission and 4 knockouts. McDaniel’s credentials speak for themselves, but could he possibly be overlooking Gastelum?

Kelvin Gastelum could easily be described as the quiet guy on The Ultimate Fighter because we haven’t seen much of him since he was the final pick by coach Sonnen on the show. Gastelum was chosen it seems because Team Jones is looking to put one of their strongest competitors against one of Team Sonnen’s perceived weakest links.

With only four professional fights to his name, Gastelum doesn’t come near the experience of McDaniel, but he does work with a good group of fighters in Arizona. Gastelum comes from a wrestling background and is a former Arizona state high school champion and works alongside UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson and his cast of regulars at the MMA Lab in Arizona.

Gastelum has four finishes in four fights so he’s no slouch, but his best bet in this fight is to use his wrestling to negate McDaniel’s overall MMA game. It’s a tall order, and Jones knew exactly the type of fight he was putting together when he matched these two fighters up for the next round of the tournament.

McDaniel is a huge favorite going into the fight and he should be favored to win. He has the veteran experience, knockout power and complete arsenal to give anyone in the Ultimate Fighter house a challenge. Gastelum is still a solid underdog who has nothing to lose in this fight, but his best bet is grinding out a fight on the ground. McDaniel’s attitude may be rubbing some people the wrong way on television, but he’s got the game to back up his mouth and he has a great chance to do it in this matchup.

UFC on FUEL TV 7 not only features the first ever championship bout broadcast on the network, but it showcases some of the closest matchups on one card so far in 2013. Every fight is expected to be closely contested, including the main event pitting interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao against up and coming star Michael McDonald.

With a total of 12 fights on the card, FightMetric has listed a total of five as tight matchups, with only one fight featuring a serious underdog. That means getting everything correct, down to the method of victory and round will be extra important for this card taking place in England on Saturday.

Here are a few key points to watch for UFC on Fuel 7 as you make your picks for UFC.com/Fantasy:

1) Renan Barao and Michael McDonald present some interesting contrasts when it comes down to their main event fight on Saturday. Barao has the best takedown defense in UFC/WEC history, with a whopping 95-percent success rate of stopping his opponents from taking the fight to the ground. He’s faced some great wrestlers during that time as well, including Scott Jorgensen and Urijah Faber, so it’s no illusion that he can stop the fight from going to the ground if that’s his intention. Michael McDonald has a good wrestling game, but typically his best weapon is a quick finish. He’s had 12-first round finishes either by submission or knockout in his career. The problem McDonald might have in this fight is time – he’s never seen the fourth or fifth rounds of a fight, and as time wears on, if he can’t put Barao away early, he may be in trouble late. Add to that the fact that McDonald has been out since last April and it would seem that if this fight makes it past round two, Renan Barao could look pretty good as a fantasy pick.

2) Chances are if you’re watching the fight between Jimi Manuwa and Cyrille Diabate, you’re going to see a knockout. Both fighters come from standup backgrounds, with Manuwa holding 12 wins in his career, 11 by knockout, while Diabate is a former professional kickboxer who actually holds a win in that sport over UFC middleweight contender Michael Bisping. If Manuwa can get inside of Diabate’s long reach (he stands 6’6″ tall), he has the power and strength to put this fight away within the distance. Diabate can easily fire back with his own striking, but he has to keep it tactical and technical. If a slugfest ensues, Manuwa will likely stand victorious.

3) One prospect to watch on this card is Iceland native and Renzo Gracie black belt Gunnar Nelson. This grappling prodigy has long been touted as one of the sport’s rising stars, and now that he’s in the UFC he has the chance to prove it. He quickly dispatched of UFC veteran DeMarques Johnson in his last fight, but his second bout could be tougher. He faces UFC and Strikeforce veteran Jorge Santiago, who returns to the Octagon for the first time since 2011. This is also Santiago’s first fight at welterweight, so the weight cut could be an issue in this one. Nelson is the fighter to watch here, so he could be a big favorite to most fantasy voters, but don’t sleep on Santiago. He’s faced much stiffer competition than Nelson throughout his career, and while he has defeats on his record, he’s lost to only the best fighters in the world. If Nelson is the overwhelming choice going into the card, Santiago might be a good sleeper pick if you want to risk it.

4) Another tight matchup on the card features light heavyweights James Te Huna and Ryan Jimmo, who both look to gain ground in the 205-pound division with this fight. Te Huna is a knockout artist who has painted his canvas with the suffering of his opponents in seven of his last eight wins. Jimmo is no slouch in that department either especially considering the seven second knockout he picked up in his UFC debut. Typically however, Jimmo is a more controlled, disciplined fighter who can outpoint his opponents over the course of 15 or 25 minutes. Te Huna is nasty with his punching power, and if he can hurt Jimmo early, look for a first round finish courtesy of the New Zealand native. The longer the fight goes however, Jimmo could take control.

5) Submission specialist Paul Sass returns to face Danny Castillo after both suffered losses recently. Prior to his loss to Matt Wiman last September, Sass had a perfect 13-0 record with a bevy of submission wins to his credit. Castillo comes into the fight with knockout power in his hands, but wrestling as his bread and butter. That could make all the difference in this fight because Sass has put away more than a few wrestlers in his time, including Jacob Volkmann and Michael Johnson – both of whom hold wins over Castillo in the UFC.

Visit UFC.com/Fantasy to get in on the action and make your picks today

Ultimate Fighter competitors Collin Hart and Kevin Casey have a tough act to follow this week as they are the featured fight just one week after Uriah Hall knocked out Adam Cella in one of the most spectacular finishes in the show’s 17 season history.

Team Sonnen’s Kevin Casey was chosen by his coach to face off with Team Jones’ Collin Hart in the next round of the tournament, as Chael Sonnen and his squad of middleweights look to continue their undefeated run thus far this season. It’s actually a battle of Gracie-trained fighters, as both Casey and Hart come from the tutelage of the first family of mixed martial arts.

Prior to his appearance on the Ultimate Fighter, “King” Kevin Casey may most be remembered for a YouTube video that circled the MMA world a few years back featuring the young fighter alongside his best friend and then manager, former reality show star Spencer Pratt. The gimmick did eventually earn Casey a shot in Strikeforce, although that came crashing to a halt when he was defeated by former UFC middleweight contender Matt Lindland in his second fight with the promotion.

Now with the YouTube history and Spencer Pratt safely tucked away in the past, Casey is focused on making it big with his MMA career by going through the Ultimate Fighter tournament. Casey is an experienced grappler who earned his black belt under legendary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert Rickson Gracie.

Casey has also upped his training recently by teaming up with Black House MMA, where he works alongside famous names like UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida. While the ground is still his safe haven, Casey has been working on improving his standup skills to become a more well rounded mixed martial artist.

Facing Casey on Tuesday’s episode will be Nor-Cal Fighting Alliance fighter Collin Hart, who comes to the show with a 4-1-1 overall record training under former UFC middleweight contender and Cesar Gracie black belt David Terrell. Hart is a former college wrestler and football player who finally found his true passion once he started training MMA under Terrell.

While Hart’s ground game has come along working under a ground wiz like Terrell, he still loves to look for the knockout. This fight with Casey comes down to one fighter likely looking for the ground while the other will probably try to keep it standing.

When the fight was announced, Casey kept a serious scowl on his face while Hart looked like a kid in a candy store who was just handed a crisp $20 bill. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything for the fight, but Hart looked loose and excited to fight and that can make all the difference once they step in the cage.

If Casey struggles to get the takedown early in the fight, it could mean his demise. It’s not to say he can’t win on the feet, but his chances are cut down dramatically facing a heavy-handed puncher like Hart. Add to that, Hart has to know Casey will be looking for the ground early and often in this fight, so if he can use his wrestling to become anti-wrestling, the action could swing in his favor.

Don’t underestimate Casey’s ground work, because if he can manage to get the fight to the mat, he’s ultra aggressive and always looking for the finish, and has nasty punches and elbows to boot.

Slight advantage to Casey overall because his ground game could be the difference maker, but if Hart keeps it standing there could be another highlight reel knockout on the way.

To play in the TUF Fantasy Tournament, visit fantasy.ultimatefighter.com

Each and every March, from boardrooms to classrooms, men, women and even children watch with bated breath as the NCAA announces the 68 teams that will fill out the brackets for the men’s basketball tournament.

It’s become a tradition for just about everybody to pick their favorites all the way through March Madness until a national champion is crowned in early April.

Over the years, the Ultimate Fighter has followed a similar format with a roster of young, up and coming hopefuls living in a house trying to make their way through a tournament with the end goal being afforded a six-figure contract with the UFC.

Now fans have a chance to play along with the TUF tournament just like March Madness with the new TUF Tournament Fantasy game.

Fans have already started picking the fighter they believe will go all the way through the tournament, but they can also come back each week to select the winners in each individual fight, and unlike the NCAA Tournament, one game – or in this case one fight – doesn’t eliminate you from the competition.

The Ultimate Fighter then becomes an interactive experience that goes beyond watching as a reality show, and transforms you the viewer into a talent scout as you pick and predict each fight along the way.
 
“It’s a great way to follow along with the show because normally people get an attachment to the fighters because of their personalities, but this is also your chance to follow a fighter based on his skills,” said Rami Genauer from FightMetric.com.

“Normally people take a look at the field ahead of time, and you see articles all over the place about which of these guys will be good. Well, once you start watching the show you get one impression of every guy, and based on those impressions and the training you see during the tournament you make your pick. Maybe you’re right, maybe you’re wrong, but either way you get to keep going in the tournament just like the fighters do.”

Like every season of The Ultimate Fighter, there are always fighters that appear to be favorites and those that come in as underdogs. Coaches Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen will hope to lead each of their fighters to victory, and with the TUF Tournament Fantasy game, you now have a chance to not only see the veteran talent that’s already on the show, but the competitors that come from the shadows and develop during their time in the house.

“It’s almost like being a talent scout,” said Genauer. “Because unfortunately these guys don’t have a lot of history behind them. This is an opportunity to use your eagle eye to spot the diamond in the rough because there’s a bunch of guys who you are going to see for the first time.

“If you can spot the guy ahead of time that no one knows about, and you’re right and ride that guy all the way through the tournament, you’re going to get rewarded. Instead of this being a passive viewing experience, it turns it into an interactive experience. You can really turn the Ultimate Fighter season into an interactive experience instead of just a TV viewing experience.”

The Ultimate Fighter fantasy tournament is now underway. Click here to join in.

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.

To play in the TUF Fantasy Tournament, visit fantasy.ultimatefighter.com

With only a few days remaining until UFC 156 kicks off, the new UFC Pick ‘Em game is in full swing ahead of the featherweight main event showdown between champion Jose Aldo and challenger Frankie Edgar as well as the other ten fights on the card.

Today we will take a look at some of the major factors to take into consideration when picking and choosing the winners and losers ahead of this weekend’s card in Las Vegas.

1) Title fights are always worth more point,s so getting it right makes all the difference in the world. The featherweight title is on the line as champion Jose Aldo takes on former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. The key to this fight might come down to the later rounds because as devastating a finisher as Jose Aldo has been throughout his career (eight KO’s/TKO’s in 11 victories in the UFC/WEC), Frankie Edgar is as tough as they come. Through 14 UFC fights, Edgar has never been finished, and that includes six title bouts along the way. He’s also the only fighter in UFC history to be knocked down three times in a fight and not get finished. And don’t discount the fact that Jose Aldo has been out for over a year, while he’s facing an absolute conditioning machine in Frankie Edgar. The longer this fight goes, the more it favors the former lightweight champion.

2) Don’t expect the heavyweight fight between Alistair Overeem and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva to last long. This featured bout on the main card of UFC 156 pits two of the biggest finishers in the heavyweight division. Overeem has an astonishing 94.4-percent finishing rate, putting away 34 of his 36 wins before the final bell. Meanwhile, Silva has 12 first round stoppages, and has only seen the third round three times in 20 career fights. Overeem also happens to have the most significant strike accuracy in Strikeforce history, so a first round knockout might be the way to go if “The Reem” is your pick.

3) Underdog bets are always a great way to pick up points in UFC Pick’Em, but in the light heavyweight co-main event, the tough choice would be Antonio Rogerio Nogueira even though he comes along with a 175-point bonus if you pick him and he’s victorious. The problem here is the match-up with former Michigan State wrestler Rashad Evans. The stats show that Nogueira has the 4th best takedown defense among light heavyweights in the UFC, but he has also struggled under wrestlers like Phil Davis and Ryan Bader. Rashad Evans has the most takedowns in UFC light heavyweight history, and has the second best accuracy for the takedown (No. 1 is champion Jon Jones). Evans’ ability to take Nogueira to the ground could be the difference in this match-up.

4) One debuting fighter to keep an eye on for this card is former Strikeforce welterweight title contender Tyron Woodley who makes his first UFC appearance against Jay Hieron. Woodley, a former Missouri wrestler, is a legit prospect at 170 pounds, and with it being his first fight in the Octagon he comes along with an extra 40 points if you pick him. Hieron is an extremely tough first test, especially considering his wrestling prowess to stop Woodley’s takedowns. Still, for a debuting fighter, Woodley is a prospect to watch.

5) Finally, in the lightweight division make sure to keep an eye on the fight between Jacob Volkmann and Strikeforce transfer Bobby Green. Volkmann is a wrestler that can absolutely suffocate and frustrate an opponent into exhaustion. His takedowns are next to unstoppable, and while Bobby Green has faced another high level wrestler in his career (a submission victory over former NCAA All-American J.P. Reese), in his first fight in the UFC, matchmaker Joe Silva did him no favors matching him up with the ultra tough Jacob Volkmann.

Visit UFC.com/Fantasy to get in on the action and make your picks today