The most recent international version of The Ultimate Fighter is set to wrap up with the finale on Saturday from the Cotai Arena in Cotai, Macau. The venue has become a hotbed for combat sports over the past year.
It hosted Manny Pacquiao’s return bout against Brandon Rios and a few Zou Shiming fights.
The UFC will supply the entertainment this time around. The card is headlined by a welterweight scrap between South Korean Dong Hyun Kim and John Hathaway from England. The card also features the finale bout from the welterweight tournament from the show.
The featherweight class had its finale postponed due to an undisclosed injury, per Tristen Critchfield of Sherdog.
Still, it should be an exciting night of fights. There won’t be any television coverage of this event, but it will be viewable via UFC Fight Pass.
Here’s how you can watch.
When: Saturday, March 1, 5:45 a.m. EST
Where: Cotai Arena in Cotai, Macau
Live Stream: UFC Fight Pass (subscription required)
Main Bouts
- John “The Hitman” Hathaway (17-1) vs. “Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim (18-2-1)
- Welterweight Final: Wang Sai (6-4-1) vs. Lipeng Zhang (6-7-1)
- Matt Mitrione (6-3) vs. Shawn Jordan (15-5)
- Hatsu Hioki (26-7-2) vs. Ivan Menjivar (25-11)
Preliminary Bouts
- Kazuki Tokudome (12-4-1) vs. Yui Chul Nam (17-4-1)
- Nam Phan (18-12) vs. Vaughan Lee (13-9-1)
- Zak Cummings (16-3) vs. Alberto Mina (10-0)
- Albert Cheng (2-2) vs. Anying Wang (1-0)
- Jumabieke Tuerxun (14-0) vs. Mark Eddiva (5-0)
Most Intriguing Matchups
Phan vs. Lee
Phan has made a habit out of participating in exciting bouts. His bout with Leonard Garcia won Fight of the Night at UFC 136.
He was well on his way to another FOTN honor at the UFC Fight Night in Australia after losing to Takeya Mizugaki in December. Then Mark Hunt vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva happened, and everyone forgot about every other fight on the card.
Despite the excitement of his bouts, Phan has lost two fights in a row, three of his last four and five of his last seven. He’ll be fighting with a sense of urgency in this one.
Lee is also coming off a loss, but it came at the hands of the very impressive Raphael Assuncao. The 31-year-old still has an opportunity to make a mark in the UFC, but he needs to beat Phan to be taken seriously.
Mitrione vs. Jordan
Neither Mitrione nor Jordan will ever be serious contenders for the heavyweight title, but both are big, strong and athletic guys who can thump.
If for no other reason than to witness what might be the Fight of the Night, or a memorable KO, this one is worth watching. E. Spencer Kyte of UFC.com couldn’t have been more accurate in describing this bout. He writes:
It’s a pairing of two of the more explosive athletes in the heavyweight ranks, and one that will surely be listed in the traditional pre-fight “Hot Seat” pieces that detail which fighters are presumed to be battling to stay in the MMA big leagues.
Sai vs. Zhang
Sai looked phenomenal during the TUF season and of all the fighters involved, his future could be the brightest. During the tournament, he showed his submission and striking ability. He’ll have to be wary of Zhang on the ground, though. The contrasting styles make this another candidate for FOTN.
Hathaway vs. Kim
The man they call the Stun Gun is one of the most underrated welterweights in the world. He’s ranked just 11th in the UFC in his weight class despite his only convincing loss coming at the hands of Carlos Condit in 2011.
He did technically lose to Demian Maia in July 2012, but the bout was stopped when Kim suffered an abdominal injury. It’s debatable whether Maia would have won that fight had Kim been able to finish.
In Kim’s career, he’s beaten Matt Brown, TJ Grant, Nate Diaz, Paulo Thiago and most recently Erick Silva. He is a real contender for the 170-pound title.
His opponent is young, well-rounded and on a hot streak. He’s 7-1 with his only slip-up coming against Mike Pyle in 2010. He’s building his resume for a shot at the title at 170, but he has a significant challenge ahead of him.
After reading his tweet, you can clearly see he is excited about the opportunity to continue his ascension up the 170-pound rankings.
Can he or Kim come away with the signature win of the event? Get up early on Saturday morning to find out.
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