The 18th season of The Ultimate Fighter is set to close this Saturday, and the live finale will air on Fox Sports 1 from Las Vegas. This season features both male and female bantamweights, who will fight it out to win their respective tournaments on the card.
The card is headlined by Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz, who are set to fight for the third time ever. It is a competitive rivalry that dates back to TUF 5 and will likely end the night.
That being said, let’s take a look at the fights that could fish in fight night bonuses.
Submission of the Night: Chris Holdsworth
One man has run rampant through the competition on this season’s TUF, tapping out guys in the first round left and right. That man has been Chris Holdsworth.
In his time on the show, the Team Tate member has stopped Louis Fisette, Chris Beal and Michael Wootten via submission. All of his performances were quick and effective, making him an outright front-runner to win the male side of the bracket.
Davey Grant is big and tough on the ground, but the Team Alpha Male rep is on a different level and could secure a tapout as well as a post-fight bonus check.
Also in the running: Rani Yahya, Nate Diaz
Knockout of the Night: Jared Rosholt
There aren’t many possibilities for knockouts on this card, but heavyweight powerhouse Jared Rosholt can definitely get thing done with his fists.
The former Oklahoma State wrestler has shown intense stopping power and could easily stop Walter Harris. Not only could he stop it on the feet, but he could also use his nasty ground-and-pound to put the athletic Harris away.
Heavyweight knockouts are usually brutal, and if Rosholt can secure one himself, it could be a violent one.
Also in the running: Raquel Pennington, Gray Maynard
Fight of the Night: Gray Maynard-Nate Diaz
Nate Diaz is usually in fun firefights. Gray Maynard has been in slugfests recently. That could be the recipe for a Fight of the Night bonus.
Maynard’s power has been the key to his fights lately. His bouts with Frankie Edgar are evidence of that.
Diaz is a volume striker who lands multiple punches at a time. They aren’t the most powerful strikes, but they definitely add up.
This rubber match could be incredibly fun. Tune in to find out if these two put on a classic.
Also in the running: Julianna Pena-Jessica Rakoczy/Raquel Pennington, Jessamyn Duke-Peggy Morgan, Chris Holdsworth-Davey Grant
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