A young fighter looking to establish himself in the UFC is a difficult task unto itself. But when the path to do so involves battling through one of the deepest and most competitive divisions under the UFC banner, the challenges are going to come fast …
A young fighter looking to establish himself in the UFC is a difficult task unto itself. But when the path to do so involves battling through one of the deepest and most competitive divisions under the UFC banner, the challenges are going to come fast and furious.
The pace and constant pressure to progress can be a nightmare for up-and-coming talent, but thus far in his journey, 25-year-old Ramsey Nijem has taken each step in stride.
As a finalist in the 13th season of The Ultimate Fighter, the John Hackleman-trained fighter came up short in his bid to earn the coveted six-figure contract. Despite the setback in his Octagon debut, Nijem charged back with vigor and has claimed victory in his last three outings.
The California native’s impressive run of performances and unorthodox style have put him on the map as a developing prospect in the UFC’s ultra-competitive lightweight division, and he has no intention of letting his foot off the gas as he looks to continue making his way up the divisional ladder.
Nijem will square off with another rising prospect this weekend in San Jose when he mixes it up with fellow TUF alum Myles Jury at UFC on Fox 7. The bout will feature two fighters looking to lead the next wave in the 155-pound weight class, and Nijem is looking forward to the scrap on Saturday night.
The Pit Elevated fighter recently spoke with Bleacher Report’s The Ultimate Show, where he discussed his upcoming tilt with Jury and much more.
Over the past five years, the term “superfight” has lingered like a storm cloud over the MMA landscape. Certainly, the thought of pound-for-pound great Anderson Silva stepping in against welterweight king Georges St-Pierre or light heavyweight phenom J…
Over the past five years, the term “superfight” has lingered like a storm cloud over the MMA landscape. Certainly, the thought of pound-for-pound great Anderson Silva stepping in against welterweight king Georges St-Pierre or light heavyweight phenom Jon Jones has gotten everyone’s attention anytime the potential matchups have swirled about in the air, but until they materialize and bring the lightning, rather than the rumblings of thunder, fans will continue to do what they have been conditioned to do and move along.
The problem with the notion that a “superfight” has to consist of one of the previously mentioned champions, is that fans may fail to recognize when something truly unique has come before them. This weekend’s bout between UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson and former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez presents a scenario that may never occur again in the modern era of mixed martial arts, and, for the most part, this aspect of the fight is being overlooked.
A true champion-vs.-champion fight will take place this weekend at UFC on Fox 7 in San Jose, and it’s something that needs to be celebrated.
Granted, there doesn’t appear to be anyone sleeping on the fact that this bout will feature two of the best 155-pound fighters in the sport. But what does appear to have been passed over for the most part is that this matchup will feature two reigning champions from different major promotions. This, of course, is due in large part to the now-defunct Strikeforce organization having gone the way of the dodo, but the promotion’s fate doesn’t change the fact that its lightweight champion reigned until its final breath.
Melendez isn’t coming into this fight with Henderson as a “former” champion in the sense that he was dethroned and is working his way back up the ladder. It has been over four years since “El Nino” visited the loss column, and the 31-year-old has collected seven consecutive victories over this stretch.
As for “Bendo,” the UFC champion has made two successful defenses of his lightweight title since claiming the strap from Frankie Edgar at UFC 144 in February 2012. His most recent win over Melendez’s friend and training partner Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox 5 in December was his most dominant performance under the UFC banner and his sixth-straight victory.
The larger point I’m getting at is that this fight features two champions who are set to collide on an ascending trajectory. While other “superfights” appeal in different ways (greatest fighter of all time vs. the future of MMA, etc.), this bout features two of the best fighters in one weight class, each of whom has built tremendous momentum, and the aftermath of their scrap in San Jose will clear up the argument once and for all as to who is truly the best 155-pound fighter on the planet.
The last time these conditions arose, Dan Henderson was representing the former Pride organization in the UFC. In back-to-back fights, “Hendo” tested his light heavyweight and middleweight titles against the respective UFC champions. Unfortunately for the former Olympian, neither of the tilts went in his favor, but that’s beside the point. It was a rare moment in the sport when a champion from a competing organization squared off with the standing champion in the UFC.
The potential for this scenario was there with Nick Diaz, but by the time he faced Georges St-Pierre last month at UFC 158, the Stocktonian had already suffered a setback at the hands of Carlos Condit.
Fans and media in combat sports love to dabble in the hypothetical, and this weekend’s clash between Henderson and Melendez is one of the rare occasions when we get to see an actual result. The “what if’s” will finally be put to the test, and, for all the hyped-up and rumored fights we have speculated about over the years, on Saturday night, there will finally be a payoff in that category.
It is also an understood fact that much like Henderson’s Pride titles, Melendez’s Strikeforce belt isn’t up for grabs here. Pride and the San Jose-based promotions are no longer in existence, but that doesn’t mean the accomplishments of Melendez and Henderson were meaningless. They were champions going into their bouts in the UFC and deserve to be recognized as such.
In my opinion, the UFC dropped the ball a bit in its pre-fight buildup to this weekend’s tilt by tagging Melendez as a “top contender” in the promotional spots. If the fight were to be pushed as a champion-vs.-champion clash, fans would get the feeling that they are about to witness something special. At the very least, Henderson vs. Melendez is significant because of the prominence of the organizations they championed. While the UFC has been the most successful promotion in mixed martial arts for the better part of the past decade, Strikeforce was widely recognized as the second-best organization in the sport.
That being said, this fight features one fighter who has been on a mission for the last three years to prove he’s the No. 1 155-pound fighter in the world, and another fighter who holds the top spot because he is the UFC champion. Make no mistake about it: I’m not taking anything away from Melendez in that regard, but perception is reality, and most consider the tag “UFC fighter” on a resume to carry far more value than if it were any other organization in the sport. And that is why I believe this fight carries tremendous importance.
It’s champion vs. champion. Two of the best lightweight fighters in the world will scrap it out to determine who is truly the best in the weight class.
There will be one battle on the sport’s biggest stage, and the victor will walk away with the most coveted title in mixed martial arts.
In the realms of the actual and the hypothetical, it simply doesn’t get better than this. Maybe one day it will, but until those other “superfights” become more than just talk, this Saturday in San Jose, fans will finally get a chance to see what happens when two of the best fighters on the planet, from opposing organizations, collide to determine who is the true champion.
Finale events for The Ultimate Fighter series are somewhat of a unique beast in the realm of the UFC. Where a typical UFC card normally consists of a handful of high-profile fights, a few showcases for up-and-comers and a bout to affect a divisional pi…
Finale events for The Ultimate Fighter series are somewhat of a unique beast in the realm of the UFC. Where a typical UFC card normally consists of a handful of high-profile fights, a few showcases for up-and-comers and a bout to affect a divisional picture or two, a TUF finale bears little resemblance to the standard product the promotion delivers on a regular basis.
In past cases, these events would be lucky to have at least one of the above listed options. But coming into Saturday night’s card for The Ultimate Fighter 17 finale, the runt of the litter in the UFC stable had the potential to have its moment—or moments—in the spotlight.
With a solid main event between Urijah Faber and Scott Jorgensen being the one guaranteed lock to deliver the action, there were plenty of variables afloat which had the power to make or break the event. In the week leading up to fight night, questions hovered on multiple fronts.
Did this season’s perpetual underdog, Kelvin Gastelum, stand a chance against highly touted wrecking machine Urijah Hall?
Would the fight between Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano fall flat and tip the direction of the UFC’s effort to establish a female presence toward disaster?
Fortunately for the UFC, those questions and several others were answered in enigmatic fashion. Here is a look at the good, bad and strange from The Ultimate Fighter 17 finale.
The Good
There were several high points during the event, but the night belonged to Gastelum. The 21-year-old Arizona native completed his run as this season’s perpetual underdog when he pulled off an impressive upset over the heavily favored Uriah Hall.
Despite being the last man picked for Team Sonnen, Gastelum beat the odds throughout every step of the tournament. The final obstacle on his path to a six-figure contract with the UFC was a man Dana White called “the nastiest, deadliest, meanest” competitor in the history of the program (h/t Case Keefer of the Las Vegas Sun).
While those adjectives certainly sound menacing and Hall undoubtedly did the work to earn his place in the finals, Gastelum refused to put the New York native on a pedestal and attacked from the opening bell. Over the course of the three-round tilt, both fighters had their moments, but when the judge’s cards were read, Gastelum edged out Hall via split decision to become the next Ultimate Fighter.
With the victory, Gastelum cemented himself in the UFC history books, as he became the youngest fighter to ever win the tournament and will have a future competing on the sport’s biggest stage to look forward to.
It would be impossible to top Gastelum’s moment at the finale, but Zingano’s comeback performance certainly came close.
After being on the business end of a beating from Tate for the better part of two rounds, “Alpha” shifted into a different gear in the final round and turned the tide of the fight. With Tate reeling, the 30-year-old pounced, unleashing a brutal series of knees to Tate’s face before dropping the former Strikeforce bantamweight champion with a standing elbow to end the fight.
In addition to scoring an impressive victory over a seasoned competitor the likes of Tate, Zingano’s win came with several rewards intact. The Colorado-based fighter not only earned the opportunity to face champion Ronda Rousey for the women’s bantamweight title, but Zingano will also join “Rowdy” as a coach in the next season of The Ultimate Fighter.
While the decision to make Rousey and the Zingano/Tate winner the next coaches appeared to some to be a pre-wired vehicle for the Rousey versus Tate rivalry to continue, Zingano threw the proverbial wrench in those works as she defeated Tate and properly introduced herself to a new fanbase.
The Bad
It’s easy to pick at a fighter when he comes up short in a bout he was heavily favored to win, and terms such as “hype-train derailed” are thrown about, but Hall losing to Gastelum isn’t the reason I’m mentioning him in this category.
Over the course of the fight, there were many things Hall did well, and there were a handful of moments where his undeniable talent shined through. On the other hand, the one glaring element of Hall’s approach to the fight that lands him in this category is the fashion in which he handled the majority of the first round.
Stylistically speaking, Hall is levels above Gastelum in most aspects of mixed martial arts. That being said, the one aspect of the fight game where Gastelum had the advantage in the matchup was in the wrestling department.
When the action got underway, Hall allowed Gastelum to walk him backward and into the fence, which is the last place he needed to be. But what made matters worse was the fact that he chose to stay there, hands down, back against the fence, inviting Gastelum to come forward.
The Arizonian wasted zero time capitalizing on Hall’s hubris and used the position to score a takedown. Gastelum’s action from top position allowed him to take the opening frame and played a large role in his earning the split-decision victory.
While there is no doubt in my mind Hall will go on to have some success competing under the UFC banner, there was an obvious hole in his game plan against Gastelum. Whether that flaw was a mental lapse or overconfidence, he will have to shore up that aspect of his approach in order to reach his full potential.
Outside of Hall’s first-round defense, the other entry into this category has to do with the finale itself. The card is comprised of matchups made between the rest of the season’s contestants who did not make the finals, and this drives me crazy. Aside from the occasional grudge match—which seems to happen every three or four seasons—the fights are mostly pointless.
Other than getting one more opportunity to compete in front of the UFC fanbase, they serve no grand purpose because they fail to show us anything we haven’t learned from watching the reality show.
Bubba McDaniel, Luke Barnatt and Dylan Andrews earning victories over their housemates proved absolutely nothing in the larger picture. On the other hand, had those fighters been matched up with fighters who were already on the UFC roster, those bouts would have served a purpose.
Making them would have at least provided a gauge of some sort instead of prolonging what will ultimately be the inevitable for some of the fighters involved in Saturday night’s event.
As the show goes forward, I believe mixing up the matchmaking in the future would be a huge step in the right direction.
The Strange
In the category of all things curious and weird, the strangest question lingering in the aftermath of the TUF 17 finale is what to do with Urijah Faber?
In his victory over Scott Jorgensen, “The California Kid” once again proved he is a beast and a force to be reckoned with in the bantamweight division. The Team Alpha Male leader remained undefeated in his career when competing without a title on the line. When you consider the fact he has been competing as a professional for nearly a decade, that is an impressive accomplishment by any measure.
On the flip side of that coin, the 33-year-old has come out on the business end of the five title opportunities he’s had since 2008. Nevertheless, Faber has refused to relent in his quest to become a UFC champion and has continued to battle his way back to the top after every misstep.
But with his most recent attempt coming last July against interim champion Renan Barao, the thought of Faber earning another opportunity seems a bit off.
At the same time, Faber is undoubtedly one of the best 135-pound fighters on the planet, and any fight outside of title contention doesn’t make sense.
With Barao and Eddie Wineland scheduled to trade leather in June at UFC 161, Faber could very well fight the winner. Then again, Dominick Cruz is still pushing to make his return in 2013, and along with “The Dominator” comes an immediate title unification bout.
This situation leaves Faber in limbo, and that is what I find so strange about his position. He is hands down one of the best bantamweight fighters in the UFC fold, but with the title picture locked up and no reason to fight—what Faber does next is anyone’s guess.
Perhaps the only thing more strange than Faber’s current predicament was the Jon Anik lead interview between Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen.
Awkwardness reigned supreme in this exchange, as the light heavyweight champion refused to engage, aside from the occasional one-word response, while Sonnen rattled off promotional material in rapid-fire fashion. Anik tried to steer the truck out of the ditch several times, but was unsuccessful in his attempts.
With the interview going down in flames, the clock ticking down and Sonnen carrying the segment, “The Gangster from West Linn” threw out his “Knibb High Football Rules” effort when he mentioned “Save Olympic Wrestling.”
Jones walked off. Sonnen and Anik stood trapped in the strangeness. And fight fans took to Twitter to relive the experience.
As a writer who has made a career out of doing interviews and features, I have come to learn catching fighters during fight week and in the middle of their weight cut, as something to be avoided if possible. Unfortunately with the hectic schedule …
As a writer who has made a career out of doing interviews and features, I have come to learn catching fighters during fight week and in the middle of their weight cut, as something to be avoided if possible.
Unfortunately with the hectic schedule of recent years, sometimes fight week is the only opening available, and the only chance you will have to get the quotes you need.
Before the interview ever takes place, you know the fighter you are about to speak with has been asked a variation of the same 10 questions over and over, and is heading into your phone call dreading hearing those questions asked one more time save for a different voice on the line.
As writers, we understand the reality of this situation but the pre-fight interview is a necessary evil. That being said, this time around I wanted to try something different. I wanted to pick a fighter on the fight week schedule for this weekend’s TUF 17 Finale and go off the beaten path.
The hope is that the subject of the interview will find this unique batch of questions as a breath of fresh air and have a bit of fun in the process.
I’m not sure if this will be a regular feature going forward, but in the spirit of traveling new avenues, I wanted to at least give it one go around the block.
For our first journey into outer space, I chose Scott Jorgensen. The Idaho-based fighter is set to throw down with Urijah Faber in the main event on Saturday night, and I imagined by the time I reached Scott on the phone, every aspect of every story line heading into the fight had been covered.
Another aspect of this feature I believe is worth noting is the Q & A style presentation. While I favor the narrative form of interview-based features, because these topics have a drastic amount of variety, I figured the Q & A format would be the best way to guide the reader through the journey.
I have seen a few of the things you’ve posted on Facebook and Twitter that lead me to believe you are a Charles Bronson fan. Am I accurate in believing this to be the case?
(Laughs) Yeah not really too much. We just get a kick out of it. My coach Mark Montoya and I were at a fight for Joe Warren up in Ohio and I grew this little mustache. He told me I looked like Bronson and started calling me Chuck. It went from there man and turned into its own little monster.
I have seen a few variations of the Jorgensen mustache and I was wondering if you could get to that steely Bronson level.
My facial hair game is pretty weak. I don’t think it is something I could pull off.
But your ink game is solid and that has to make up for what you mustache game lacks, at least in some form of fashion; would you agree?
Yeah, my tattoo game is strong and I have a lot of good things going on in that department.
I wanted to stick with the Bronson theme for one more question. Bronson is a classic anti-hero and in the bantamweight division, there are a lot of baby-faced hero types. There is Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber but the division is lacking a good anti-hero. Can Scott Jorgensen be the anti-hero the bantamweight division desperately needs?
I’m going to play spoiler on Saturday and if that is your anti-hero, then I’m definitely going to be it. I know a lot of people are giving me no chance to win this fight. Everybody loves Urijah and I’m going in there to play spoiler.
I saw that you recently became engaged, so congrats on taking that leap so to speak.
Thank you very much…I think. I’m kidding, by the way.
As a married man myself, I know the left hand gets a little heavier once you put that ring on. You have knockout power as is but are you expecting to have a little more power in your left hand after carrying the weight of your wedding ring?
I do expect to develop a bit more power in my left. My power hand is my right and it should balance everything out.
This fight came together short and quick and you are not getting a ton of due in the media as far as your chances to win on Saturday. What are your thoughts on the matchup?
We are going to go out there and fight. I don’t care what other people think. I’ve never cared at any time in my career what the media thinks. I just know people think Urijah is great and he’s so far above me, but he’s not.
When this fight starts, and they close that door and ring that bell, we are going to meet up in the middle and the fight will go from there. A fight is a fight and you can’t predict how it will go. Especially against a guy like Urijah. He’s wild and he scrambles, but I do too.
We are going to end up in some wild and crazy positions. I haven’t made any predictions in my head on how this fight is going to go. I’m coming in there with a clean slate and ready for whatever happens.
I know former Bellator champion and former Olympian Joe Warren is a close friend and training partner of yours, but I saw on Facebook you are starting a “I hate Joe Warren” campaign. Would you like to use this platform to further that message?
Yeah Joe is getting pretty frustrated. He finally created his first Facebook and it’s a personal account, not a fan page. It’s one where you can accept friends or deny them. He’s recently become very annoyed by it and is wondering how people are finding him on there.
Our jiu-jitsu coach and I have taken it upon ourselves to gather him some friends. We are encouraging people to go find Joe Warren’s personal page and send him messages, friend requests, poke him or whatever.
We want to aggravate him as much as possible. He is already threatening to shut his page down because he doesn’t understand how all of these people are getting his name and finding him on Facebook. It’s been pretty funny so far.
There you have it, folks.
Take a little bit of time out of your day and send a message to “The Baddest Man on the Planet” if you get the chance. Also, make sure you tune in to watch Faber and Jorgensen scrap it out in the main event of the TUF 17 Finale on Saturday night, where the winner will get one step closer to a shot at the UFC bantamweight title.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
It’s been less than two months since Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche broke down barriers inside the Octagon, and this weekend at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, the next wave will step up to take their time in the spotlight.Former Strikeforce bantamweig…
It’s been less than two months since Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche broke down barriers inside the Octagon, and this weekend at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, the next wave will step up to take their time in the spotlight.
Former Strikeforce bantamweight champion Miesha Tate will square off with Cat Zingano to determine not only who gets the next title shot at 135 pounds, but who will also fill the coaching role opposite of Rousey on the next installment of the reality program.
While two coveted prizes are awaiting the winner, there is more than the spoils of victory at stake. The “Ronda Rousey Show” delivered on all fronts as the bout with Carmouche was action-packed, but more importantly, the pay-per-view numbers came in higher than many expected.
That being said, the critics of women competing in the UFC are still hovering overhead, and that makes the upcoming bout between Zingano and Tate all the more important.
If two of the top bantamweight female fighters in the sport come out and put on an excellent fight, the show will undoubtedly roll on with force. On the other hand, if the two women involved fail to produce an exciting scrap, the progress could stand to lose tremendous momentum.
To put it simply: Everything involved in this situation brings pressure. But Zingano thrives off moments when the chips are down, and she’s ready to make a proper introduction to the UFC fanbase.
The undefeated Colorado-based fighter is fully aware of what is at stake, but believes this is the one thing she was destined to do. In fact, becoming a UFC champion isn’t her only goal; she is in pursuit of greatness.
“It’s a huge compliment to be chosen for this opportunity,” Zingano told Bleacher Report. “I’ve worked very hard and I’m definitely the right girl for the job. I’ve been training my entire life for something like this.
“As a child, I never knew exactly what it was, but I knew I was meant to be great at something. I’m not average. I know what I bring to this sport, and any sport I’ve ever competed in, has been more than what the average person brings. I’m really happy this is the sport that took for me.
“I’ve been involved in many different sports in my life and every time: I came, I saw, I conquered. I did well in every avenue I traveled. With the other sports, they all eventually fizzled out. But with MMA, I’m constantly learning new things and there is always a new challenge.
“I’m improving daily and I have personal goals I am meeting all the time. The matches are a challenge of will vs. will, and to me there is no better competition than that.
“It’s pretty interesting because I almost feel like I’m in my own TUF tryouts,” Zingano added.”I’m fighting someone and the result could potentially put me in the fighter house and could potentially earn me a title shot. In a weird, roundabout way, it is almost like The Ultimate Fighter because there is something to look past to beyond this fight.
“The only difference is that I refuse to look past this fight. I’m looking at Miesha dead on. I’m taking her very seriously. I know there are added bonuses and prizes to be won if this fight goes well, but nothing will take my eyes off her.
“I’m excited about the opportunities available, but I know in order to get to any of those I need to get through this fight successfully. I don’t want to just be successful, I want to be extraordinary. I want to be amazing and everything will happen the way it’s supposed to.”
Outside of the main event of UFC 157, Zingano was one of four other women announced as the next round of contract female fighters added to the organization. The promotional push given to the newest faces under the UFC banner immediately came with high expectation, a circumstance which multiplied drastically following the Rousey vs. Carmouche fight.
While this scenario creates a different element of an already pressure-filled situation, Zingano feels there is a separation between her and the rest of the women on the UFC roster. And while a portion of the weight of the moment rests on her, Zingano believes her end goal is far different than the rest of her peers.
“This whole thing is about a personal accomplishment to me,” Zingano said. “I’m not trying to be famous and I don’t want my face on a Wheaties box. I’m really out here because I want to be the best at what I apply myself to. This is what that is.
“Will I be sad if the women’s division dies out? Absolutely because I believe we all worked hard together by putting on great fights in order to get us this far. However, I will feel accomplished I fought hard and made it to the UFC.
“I’ll know I worked hard and cut no corners to get where I’m at. I trained my ass off and I’m absolutely content with the life I have lived and the relationships I’ve built because of joining this sport. Life will go on for me no matter what.
“I’m excited that there are people who are supportive of us and I appreciate them. For the people that dislike what we are doing and don’t want us here; that’s their prerogative. I’ve lived through this before.
“Women didn’t belong in men’s wrestling when I was younger. I’m used to seeing both sides of the coin. It’s something I’ve built some really thick skin with over the years, and I really want to go out and represent the women of this sport to the best of my capability.
“I do this for fun,” Zingano added. “It’s these other girls who have something to lose. It’s really just something that is really enjoyable to me. This is my 12th fight including my amateur career. I have experience but my real experience comes from the other matches I’ve had in different aspects of my life.
“To look at a record and to see how many I’ve fought compared to how many times my opponent has fought, I really don’t see how that develops a standard of who a fighter is.
“If you consider the amount of matches or combative situations I’ve been in throughout my lifetime; this is just another form of that. I have a lot of experience and I have a lot of confidence in myself.
“I know sticking true to myself that I’m going to go out there and wow the people. I always have done that. The best part is hearing the crowd cheer and I’m looking forward to hearing that on Saturday night.”
For her first assignment inside the Octagon, Zingano will be facing one of the most recognizable names in WMMA. Miesha Tate is a former Strikeforce champion and is seasoned to competing on the the biggest stages available for female fighters in mixed martial arts.
“Cupcake” brings an aggressive and smothering wrestling style into the cage where her tenacity has been the foundation of her success thus far. That being said, in the moments where Tate has struggled have come when her opponent refuses to allow her to dictate the pace of the fight.
This is exactly the type of heat Zingano intends to bring to Tate on Saturday night and she believes it will cause her opponent fits inside the Octagon.
“All I have is push,” Zingano said. “All I have is moving forward. That is something I often have to apologize to my coaches afterwards because we work weeks and weeks and weeks on game plan and strategy that actually never pan out.
“I’m always apologizing for not listening, but the door closed, they said go and I blacked out. My animal instincts kicked in and figuring out how to win the fight is what happened. Whether they told me to try standing or to go to the ground; it all comes down to how my body decided to react.
“One thing I can always count on is that my heart is always saying, ‘Go, go, go.’ My heart tells me to get there first and to take the fight wherever I want to. I don’t like to wait to see what other people do. I like to get after it, dictate the action and have complete dominance. I think those things are definitely not in Miesha’s favor.
“It’s not even a mental choice of mine. It’s something that naturally happens. It’s just in my blood. We’ll see how it goes, but if I show up myself that night, she’s going to have a lot to deal with. I’m definitely a threat to her style.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
The MMA community may be putting Uriah Hall on a pedestal and donning him the next great thing to hit the UFC, but there is one fighter in particular who isn’t prepared to accept that reality.Kelvin Gastelum is going to do everything in his power to en…
The MMA community may be putting Uriah Hall on a pedestal and donning him the next great thing to hit the UFC, but there is one fighter in particular who isn’t prepared to accept that reality.
Kelvin Gastelum is going to do everything in his power to ensure he steals the show this Saturday at the TUF 17 Finale in Las Vegas. And underdog or not, the 21-year-old knows the only thing standing between him and a UFC contract is the lights out striking of Hall.
In fact, if you’ve followed the story lines of this season of The Ultimate Fighter, the Yuma-based Gastelum was the underdog from jump street. He was selected to be a member of Team Sonnen and earned his way into the house by defeating Kito Andrews in the preliminary round.
While his first fight went to the judge’s cards, it would be the only bout of the tournament to do so. With his place in the competition intact, Gastelum set about smashing his way towards the six-figure contract at the end of the road.
All throughout the tournament, Gastelum pulled upset after upset until he secured his place in the finals by defeating Josh Samman. And while he doesn’t quite understand why so many have overlooked him, Gastelum has his biggest opportunity yet to shock the world, and he plans on seizing the moment this Saturday night.
“I’m definitely looking to make another upset,” Gastelum told Bleacher Report. “I don’t know why people keep underestimating me. I have proved them wrong time after time, but it is what it is. This is going to be another great fight and another upset.
“I put the motivation and all the pressure on myself because I really want to win this UFC contract. I want to be The Ultimate Fighter and derail the Uriah Hall hype-train.”
While Gastelum‘s journey through the tournament was impressive, in comparison to Hall’s run it was relatively silent. With every trip into the Octagon, the New York native produced highlight reel material as he disposed of his opposition in brutal fashion.
Hall’s elimination-round knockout of Adam Cella looked more like an execution, and the video footage of the brutal finish hit made headlines at every major MMA media site. The moment appeared to have a ripple effect on the opposition to come as Hall’s next two opponents appeared to be trigger shy and timid once they entered the cage with Hall.
Gastelum recognizes where Hall’s past opposition were beaten before they stepped in to fight, and promises this won’t be the case when the cage door close this weekend in Las Vegas.
“The guys that he fought weren’t there mentally or prepared physically,” Gastelum said. “They didn’t bring the fight like I’m going to. The plan is to keep the pressure on him and get right in his face. This is going to be a war because I’m not going to go down and he’s not going to go down. This is going to be a battle of wills and we are going to see who wants it more.”
Regardless of what happens at the finale on Saturday night, Gastelum will always have the unique experience of being on The Ultimate Fighter under his belt.
As a member of a season being heralded as one of the best in the series history, Gastelum was able to train and be mentored by a fighter who proved to have amazing coaching chops in ChaelSonnen.
While the fighting this season certainly delivered, Sonnen‘s job guiding his team of young, up-and-coming fighters was definitely one of the highlights of the experience for Gastelum.
“Chael should win an award for ‘Coach of the Year,” Gastelum said. “It was great working with him. I was a huge fan of his before I went on the show and had a chance to meet him. It was an honor to work with him and his team.”
“It was awesome to be a part of, and Chael really brought the team together. He made it more of a team environment which made the experience that much better.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Over the past five years, the term “superfight” has lingered like a storm cloud over the