On Wednesday, Michael Bisping and Tim Kennedy will look to take one step closer to the top of the middleweight division. The 185-pound bout will serve as the main attraction at The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia finale, but several more important fights will be held on the fight card.
This TUF season’s coaches, Patrick Cote and Kyle Noke, will also meet on Wednesday. Cote coached four Canadians to the competition’s finals, so Noke will be looking to exact some revenge for his Australian team.
In the middleweight final, Sheldon Westcott and Elias Theodorou will battle for a guaranteed spot on the UFC roster. Also, welterweights Chad Laprise and Olivier Aubin-Mercier will be looking to earn a TUF crown.
On the other end of the spectrum, multiple fighters could be battling for their UFC jobs. Here are the fighters whose UFC roster spots could be in jeopardy heading into Wednesday.
Ryan Jimmo
Just one fight removed from a decision win over Igor Pokrajac, Ryan Jimmo isn’t on a long losing streak. However, he still can’t afford to lose his matchup with UFC newcomer Sean O’Connell.
A loss to O’Connell, who replaced Steve Bosse on the card, would leave Jimmo with losses in three of his past four fights. Coming off of a fight with a veteran, that wouldn’t be so bad, but it could be costly following a bout with a UFC debutante who wasn’t originally expected to compete on the fight card.
It also wouldn’t help that Jimmo doesn’t exactly have a reputation for being ultraexciting. Aside from his quick knockout win over Anthony Perosh, Jimmo‘s only other finish in his past eight wins came via a doctor’s stoppage in the third round.
He’s a heavy favorite in this matchup, so Jimmo needs to take care of business to avoid putting himself in a bad situation.
Mark Bocek
Like Jimmo, Bocek isn’t in danger of losing a third straight fight. In fact, Bocek has actually won two of his past three fights.
That said, Bocek is also in a situation where he’s meeting a UFC newcomer who stepped up on short notice following an injury to Evan Dunham. Mike de la Torre could be a solid lightweight prospect, but he’s a fighter Bocek is expected to roll through.
If he doesn’t, Bocek could be in danger of losing his job.
While he hasn’t lost consecutive fights, Bocek has been out of action for 17 months, meaning his last win came nearly two years ago. Should he extend that drought and look bad in doing so against a UFC neophyte, Bocek wouldn’t be safe by any means.
Nordine Taleb and Vik Grujic
This one is the standard contract eliminator between TUF contestants.
Nordine Taleb and Vik Grujic fell short of the competition’s middleweight final, but they impressed enough to get one more shot inside the Octagon.
Taleb was beaten in the quarterfinals by Tyler Manawaroa, who was not given an opportunity on Wednesday’s fight card due to some dirty laundry discovered on his Instagram account after the season wrapped up filming.
Grujic, meanwhile, reached the semifinals, where he was beaten by Westcott via submission. If Grujic doesn’t find a way to win against Taleb, TUF Nations: Canada vs. Australia will have failed to add an Australian middleweight to the UFC roster.
Richard Walsh and Chris Indich
While it is possible no 185-pound Australian’s will join the UFC as a result of TUF Nations, at least one Australian welterweight should start a lengthy career inside the Octagon.
In another battle between TUF contestants, Team Australia members Richard Walsh and Chris Indich will battle for their UFC careers. It’s possible both men could remain on the roster, but the pair would likely need to score Fight of the Night honors to make that happen.
During the competition, Walsh was submitted by Aubin-Mercier in the semifinals, while Indich fell in a decision to eventual finalist Chad Laprise during the quarterfinals. The other semifinal loser, Kajan Johnson, will likely get his last shot inside the Octagon at UFC 174, where he’ll meet Tae Hyun Bang.
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