TUF Season 13 Finale: 5 Reasons to Tune in on Saturday NightBleacher Report’s Dwight Wakabayashi:The “Ultimate Fighter” season 13 finale will be held this Saturday night June 4, and it will be headlined by a much anticipated, high energy clash betwee…
TUF Season 13 Finale: 5 Reasons to Tune in on Saturday Night
Bleacher Report’s Dwight Wakabayashi:
The “Ultimate Fighter” season 13 finale will be held this Saturday night June 4, and it will be headlined by a much anticipated, high energy clash between UFC veteran and tough as nails contender Clay “The Carpenter” Guida against the last WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.
It has been a somewhat underachieving season this year and it will take a solid finale to salvage a bit of momentum heading in to season 14 Mayhem vs. The Count. The show finals is set with Ramzi Nijem vs. and to be honest, the finalists are two very solid fighters with potential.
I think the show is often if not always driven by the animosity and rivalry set up between the two coaches and the lack of that between JDS and Lesnar is the real culprit for the dip in ratings.
There are some things on this card to get pumped up about and here are five reasons you want to watch this event.
Season 13 of the UFC’s reality program The Ultimate Fighter will come to a conclusion on Saturday, June 4 from the Pears at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Fighting for the six-figure UFC contract will be Ramsey Nijem and Tony Ferguson, two fig…
Season 13 of the UFC’s reality program The Ultimate Fighter will come to a conclusion on Saturday, June 4 from the Pears at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
Fighting for the six-figure UFC contract will be Ramsey Nijem and Tony Ferguson, two fighters that did not go the distance in any of their previous fights during the filming of season 13 of TUF. Nijem enters the finals with two submission wins and one TKO while Ferguson has earned one KO victory to go along with two TKOs.
Also on the card will be a lightweight bout between former WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and Clay Guida. Pettis and Guida will both be looking to show the UFC brass that they deserve a shot at the UFC title with a win in this bout.
Pettis will be making his UFC debut on Saturday night while Guida will be appearing on his third TUF finale show. He is 0-2 in his previous efforts, losing to Roger Huerta and Diego Sanchez.
Spike TV will air the five-fight main card from this event, beginning at 9 pm ET.
Bleacher Report will be your source for news, analysis and opinions on The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 Finale fight card.
Rewind to WEC 53 in December.Anthony Pettis is a +170 underdog to then-WEC lightweight champion Ben Henderson going into their title fight. No one is picking the 24-year-old Roufusport prospect to walk out of Glendale, Ariz., with the belt, and most ar…
Rewind to WEC 53 in December.
Anthony Pettis is a +170 underdog to then-WEC lightweight champion Ben Henderson going into their title fight. No one is picking the 24-year-old Roufusport prospect to walk out of Glendale, Ariz., with the belt, and most are picking him to get finished inside of three rounds.
One kick off the cage later, and Pettis is one of the top lightweights in the world? How the hell did this happen?
I had the same reaction as everyone else when Pettis landed the ‘Showtime Kick’ off the cage, which was a gasp, my jaw hitting the floor, and a steady stream of expletives flowing from my mouth.
I’ll never forget where I was when I saw it, and it is still one of my favorite MMA moments. But aren’t we all overreacting a bit?
Guida is a genuine threat to the lightweight title at this point in his career. Since joining Greg Jackson’s camp in late 2009, Guida has gone 3-1 with three straight submission victories including a win over former Pride champion Takanori Gomi at UFC 125.
Somehow, Jackson has found a way to harness Guida’s relentless attack into a controlled chaos, making him not only much harder to hit, but turning his normally flawed striking into a some serious head movement and has him throwing punches and kicks from unpredictable angles.
While Pettis will still have the advantage on the feet, Guida’s chin is legendary and ‘The Carpenter’s’ constant pressure will make it tough for Pettis to get the room he needs to hit his flashy strikes.
Once the fight hits the ground, and it will, Pettis is in Guida’s world.
Guida has always had an overwhelming top game, but the knock on him was that he didn’t do enough to finish and left himself open to getting submitted because of it.
Not anymore.
Since joining Jackson’s camp, Guida has improved his submission game dramatically, and is constantly working to finish, forcing his opponents to focus on surviving rather than trying to win the fight. This will prevent Pettis from throwing up his tricky triangle choke that has won him so many fights.
Pettis is a tough fighter, and he could eventually be a UFC champion one day, but this weekend is Guida’s time to show he his no longer a gatekeeper at 155 and he’ll walk away with a unanimous-decision victory.
At this Saturday’s The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 13 Finale, Anthony Pettis will meet Clay Guida in a fight that could determine the next top contender in the lightweight division. Pettis had been promised an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title shot…
At this Saturday’s The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 13 Finale, Anthony Pettis will meet Clay Guida in a fight that could determine the next top contender in the lightweight division. Pettis had been promised an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title shot after winning his last fight against Ben Henderson.
Earlier today, Pettis addressed a number of topics during the pre-fight conference call for Saturday’s event. Among those topics discussed were his upcoming fight with Guida and the possibility of a future title shot.
While his fight with Henderson is the one that took him to a new level of recognition and popularity, Pettis credits his fight against Shane Roller at WEC 50 for taking his progression as a fighter to new heights.
“Yeah, the Shane Roller fight, that was the fight where I think I became more of a complete fighter,” Pettis said. “There was definitely potential before that, but that was just where I became a complete fighter and I actually got to implement my wrestling defense and my overall MMA skills. I think that’s the fight where I just started feeling more comfortable in the cage.”
After his fight with Henderson, which featured on of the most incredible head kicks ever performed in MMA history, Pettis went from a relative unknown in the sport to becoming recognized as one of the world’s best lightweights.
As fast as Pettis has risen, he can fall with a loss to Guida. So, Pettis doesn’t plan on making any alterations to what has helped him get to this point in his career.
“I think everything happens for a reason, and I’m at where I’m at for a reason. I train hard and I push myself to the limit every time I’m in the gym and it shows in my fights,” Pettis said.
“A year and a half ago, no one knew who Anthony Pettis was or cared about Anthony Pettis to now fighting a guy like Clay Guida and headlining the TUF Finale. It’s amazing, it’s a blessing and I’m going to keep doing what it took to get me here.”
Pettis exclusively trains at Roufusport in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wis. Pettis credits Roufusport head Duke Roufus for helping him grow as a fighter and preparing him for the spotlight that now shines down on him.
“I was blessed to have a gym like Duke Roufus and the Roufusport Fight Team in my home town. Most guys have to move away to find a good gym to train at or travel, but I have one in my own back yard,” Pettis said.
“I was blessed to have that gym there and I wouldn’t want it anywhere else. Duke’s been where I’m at in a different sport, in kickboxing, but he really relates to me on what to look out for and the ins-and-outs of the fight game.”
After being promised a title shot with his win over Henderson, Pettis was forced to take another fight when UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard fought to a draw in their last fight, which essentially required an immediate rematch.
Pettis admitted that the delay upset him initially, but he is now looking at the situation as an opportunity to prove himself to those who may still doubt that he is deserving of a title shot in the UFC.
“At first, I was a little mad, but I understand it,” Pettis said. “I want a clear champion and I want to show people that I earned to be the number one contender, so I don’t mind going out there and fighting a couple guys before I get my title shot. That’s just going to make me a more well-prepared Anthony Pettis.”
As for what could be in the cards with a win over Guida, Pettis is not concerned with that at the moment. Even if he was, he isn’t sure that a title shot is a given anymore.
“I’m not really looking past Clay right now. If I win this Clay fight, who knows what could happen. I thought, after I won against Henderson, I was going to get a title shot, but that didn’t work. I’m just going to stay ready and whoever they throw at me next I’ll be ready to fight them as well.”
While surfing the web for a new lovemaking mask, I stumbled across MMAOutlet.com, and it’s quickly become my go-to spot for MMA gear online. Now, MMAOutlet wants to give two $50 store credits to the Potato Nation, which you can use on their wide selection of MMA shorts, MMA gloves, Jiu Jitsu gis, and loud-ass t-shirts. But as usual, you’ll have to burn some calories to win a prize. So how’s about a little fight-picking action, for old time’s sake?
This Saturday night, the TUF 13 Finale will go down on Spike TV, headlined by Clay Guida vs. Anthony Pettis, and Tony Ferguson vs. Ramsey Nijem. If you want a shot at a $50 credit from MMAOutlet, here’s what you need to do…
While surfing the web for a new lovemaking mask, I stumbled across MMAOutlet.com, and it’s quickly become my go-to spot for MMA gear online. Now, MMAOutlet wants to give two $50 store credits to the Potato Nation, which you can use on their wide selection of MMA shorts, MMA gloves, Jiu Jitsu gis, and loud-ass t-shirts. But as usual, you’ll have to burn some calories to win a prize. So how’s about a little fight-picking action, for old time’s sake?
This Saturday night, the TUF 13 Finale will go down on Spike TV, headlined by Clay Guida vs. Anthony Pettis, and Tony Ferguson vs. Ramsey Nijem. If you want a shot at a $50 credit from MMAOutlet, here’s what you need to do…
Post your predictions for these two fights in the comments section below, including the winner’s name, the method of victory, and the time/round of stoppage (if any). Basically, your entry should look like this:
Clay Guida def. Anthony Pettis via submission, 3:30 of round 2 Ramsey Nijem def. Tony Ferguson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Yes, you should include the judges’ scores if you think a fight will end in a decision; we may need them for a tie-breaker. The most accurate prediction gets the $50 store credit. Entries must be in by this Saturday at noon ET, and we’ll announce the winner by Monday — and next week we’ll give away the other $50 credit with a pick-off for UFC 131. Any questions, let us know. Thanks to our new friends at MMAOutlet.com for the hookup!
It’s that time once again to crown another Ultimate Fighter, as The Ultimate Finale 13 takes place this Saturday night in Las Vegas, live on Spike TV.Along with a solid prelim series of matches, the main card is stacked full with some high-profile name…
It’s that time once again to crown another Ultimate Fighter, as The Ultimate Finale 13 takes place this Saturday night in Las Vegas, live on Spike TV.
Along with a solid prelim series of matches, the main card is stacked full with some high-profile names.
Headlining the show will be a battle between Ramsey Nijem and Tony Ferguson that will crown The Ultimate Fighter. Nijem, of Team Junior Dos Santos, and Ferguson, from Team Brock Lesnar, battled their way through a series of matches to reach this point.
Also on the card matchup that is sure to be filled with offensive firepower, as Clay Guida meets Anthony Pettis.
Kyle Kingsbury and Fabio Maldonado also will do battle, while TUF alums Ed Herman and Tim Credeur step inside the cage after over a year away for each.
Chris Cope and Chuck O’Neil, who each reached the semifinals of this past season’s reality show, take part in the main card as well.
