Filed under: UFCThis is the TUF 13 Finale undercard live blog for all the preliminary bouts in support of tonight’s Spike TV card from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
There are six bouts on tonight’s prelims: Reuben Duran vs. Francisco Rivera, J…
This is the TUF 13 Finale undercard live blog for all the preliminary bouts in support of tonight’s Spike TV card from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
There are six bouts on tonight’s prelims: Reuben Duran vs. Francisco Rivera, Josh Grispi vs. George Roop, Jeremy Stephens vs. Danny Downes, Scott Jorgensen vs. Ken Stone, Justin Edwards vs. Clay Harvison and Shamar Bailey vs. Ryan McGillivray. All six undercard fights will air on Facebook at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Round 1: We start with a couple of bantamweight bouts. We dance for the first , 30 seconds, then a shoot from Duran. But Rivera locks in a guillotine, and it looks close. But Duran finally slips out of it, leaving Duran on top looking to posture up in Rivera’s guard. They work their way to their feet, and Rivera again works for a guillotine as Duran throws body shots to get his head out. Duran finally bullies Rivera to the cage and the two trade body shots in the clinch, then some good clubs to each other’s heads. Then traded high elbows, then knees. Duran throws an uppercut in tight, but Rivera answers. They stay clinched against the fence, but both are working as Herb Dean looks in. Rivera again sinks in a guillotine, but Duran slams out of it and gets to half guard, looking to pass to side control. It’s not there, and Duran locks in a guillotine of his own as Rivera tries to get to his feet. Rivera gets out, though, and with 30 seconds he begins workin gsome good ground-and-pound from on top. It’s a really fun back-and-forth first round, but MMA Fighting will score it narrowly for Rivera, 10-9.
Round 2: Early kick from Duran, then a couple nice jabs and a roundhouse right that is blocked. The two fire off a couple bombs, and Rivera tags Duran and stumbles him. After a few traded jabs and uppercuts, Duran catches Rivera with an accidental low blow and Rivera takes a breather. Duran comes in with a big shot, but Rivera once again sinks in the guillotine in defense. After 20 seconds of squirming, Duran gets out and is on top. After some ground scrambles, Duran works his way to a late rear naked choke attempt, but Rivera survives the round. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Duran.
LAS VEGAS – For the ninth straight event, the UFC will air preliminary card fights on its Facebook page.
Saturday’s live finale of Season 13 of “The Ultimate Fighter” will feature six bouts at the social networking online giant leading in to the main…
LAS VEGAS – For the ninth straight event, the UFC will air preliminary card fights on its Facebook page.
Saturday’s live finale of Season 13 of “The Ultimate Fighter” will feature six bouts at the social networking online giant leading in to the main card, which will air on Spike TV. The UFC made the announcement on its Twitter account an hour after Friday’s weigh-in event for the Saturday card.
Scott Jorgensen, in his first fight since losing a unanimous decision to Dominick Cruz in a December bantamweight title fight in the WEC’s swan song, returns to face Ken Stone. And Reuben Duran fights Francisco Rivera.
To gain access to the fights, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, viewers must “like” the UFC on Facebook. As of Friday afternoon, the UFC had more than 5.6 million fans at the site.
The UFC began streaming preliminary fights in January with its Fight for the Troops 2 show at Fort Hood, Texas. Since then, the promotion has included free Facebook fights for each event, regardless of the main card’s platform – be it on pay-per-view, Spike or the Versus cable station. For the historic UFC 129 card in Toronto in April, five prelims were aired on Facebook, followed by a pair on Spike leading into the pay-per-view – meaning for the first time, fans were guaranteed the opportunity to see each fight on the card. That continued for last week’s UFC 130 with three Facebook prelims, a pair of Spike prelims and a five-bout main card pay-per-view.
The main card for the TUF 13 Finale begins at 9 p.m. Eastern on Spike and features a main event between this season’s welterweight finalists, Ramsey Nijem and Tony Ferguson. In addition, a lightweight contenders fight between Anthony Pettis, the last 155-pound champion in WEC history before the merger with the UFC, and Clay Guida could determine the next challenger for the lightweight title – after champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard recover from injuries that delayed their scheduled rematch.
Say what you will about The Ultimate Fighter (not like you need an invitation), but the finale shows tend to be pretty damn fun. This season, we actually have two fairly solid finalists, a dynamite co-main in Pettis-Guida, plus a handful of other matchups calibrated for striking showdowns and crowd amazement.
Here’s a quick and dirty rundown of the fights scheduled for this weekend, with a few of those fancy moving pictures that you like so much. Who ya got?
Ramsey Nijem
VS
Tony Ferguson
Well, either this fight is the one you’ve been waiting for, or you’re just wondering what these two nobodies are doing on your UFC card. Tune in to find out which guy gets a contract with the UFC. (Spoiler Alert: It’ll be both of them.)
Dammit, who are all you guys again?
Say what you will about The Ultimate Fighter (not like you need an invitation), but the finale shows tend to be pretty damn fun. This season, we actually have two fairly solid finalists, a dynamite co-main in Pettis-Guida, plus a handful of other matchups calibrated for striking showdowns and crowd amazement.
Here’s a quick and dirty rundown of the fights scheduled for this weekend, with a few of those fancy moving pictures that you like so much. Who ya got?
Ramsey Nijem
VS
Tony Ferguson
Well, either this fight is the one you’ve been waiting for, or you’re just wondering what these two nobodies are doing on your UFC card. Tune in to find out which guy gets a contract with the UFC. (Spoiler Alert: It’ll be both of them.)
Anthony Pettis
VS
Clay Guida
If you aren’t looking forward to this fight, you just go ahead and get the hell out of our website. Neither dude is capable of being in a boring fight. Guida is confident that he’ll handle Pettis; meanwhile we’ve gotten reports that Showtime is practicing something called a “Shaolin-McTwist bicycle kick.” Now, maybe we made that up, but maybe not.
Fabio Maldonado
VS
Kyle Kingsbury
Maldonado (18-3) made his UFC debut in October last year, when the Brazilian boxer TKO’d James McSweeney in his hometown. Maldonado has hands of stone and a chin to match – he’ll want to sleepify Kingsbury standing. Kingsbury (10-2) has been tearing up the undercard scene ever since he lost to Tom Lawlor in the TUF 8 finals, plus he’s been getting some high-tech training. This one has flown under the radar, but it should be a good scrap. We got Kingsbu.
Ed Herman
vs
Tim Credeur
It’s been almost two years (and two surgeries) since Ed Herman’s injury TKO loss to Aaron Simpson. Of course, Short Fuse (19-7) is coming back better than ever — they all say that. His opponent will be Tim Credeur (12-3), who is taking a step up in competition after nearly two years away from the cage himself. We’re leaning toward Herman here, but after that long away from the cage, it comes down to who knocks off the ring rust better.
Chris Cope
VS
Chuck O’Neil
The two guys who lost in the semis will mix it up for third place, presumably for a smaller etched-glass thingie and a nice TapouT watch.
Danny Downes (8-1) v Jeremy Stephens (19-6)
Danny Boy Downes steps in on short notice to replace Jonathan Brookins for his UFC debut after going 2-1 in the WEC. He’ll look to match firepower with Jeremy Stephens in a knockout race, which we are totally fine with. Why yes, we would like some popcorn. Thank you.
George Roop (11-7) vs Josh Grispi (14-2)
George Roop has lost to the cream of the crop at 145 and 155, including Eddie Wineland, George Sotiropoulos, and Mark Hominick, so try not to focus on the numbers too much. On the other hand, his opponent is 22 year old Josh Grispi, who was in line for a shot at Jose Aldo before losing to Dustin Poirier at UFC 125. Expect Grispi to return to form Saturday night and finish the fight in the first round.
Scott Jorgensen (11-4) v Ken Stone (9-2)
Damn, Ken Stone gets Slampaged at the last-ever WEC show, and his return fight is Scott Jorgensen? That just doesn’t seem right. Jorgensen is going to make an impression in his UFC debut, especially after that frustrating loss to Dominick Cruz. We’re looking for Jorgensen to score a submission win over Keith Stone’s little bro.
Clay Harvison (6-1) vs Justin Edwards (6-0)
Justin Edwards didn’t last long in TUF, suffering a KO loss to Tony Ferguson in the first round of fights. That’s the risk you run when you’re an offense-first kind of guy. Edwards has never been to a decision, and a fight with Clay Harvison is likely to be the first. Expect a brawl … and a knockout. We’re thinking Harvison, if only because he seems to have a better chin.
Shamar Bailey (13-6) vs Ryan McGillivray (11-4)
McGillivray is the guy that Mike Russel referred to as “the Canadian guy”, while Shamar Bailey has a vanity website. The Canadian guy lost to finalist Tony Ferguson in the quarterfinal round, while Sham-Wow got sniped off by Chris Cope. If one of them pulls of a spectacular finish, you can expect to see him around. Otherwise, expect them to pick up some wins in the minors before getting an invite back.
Francisco Rivera (5-1) v Reuben Duran (7-3-1)
Both coming off losses in their debut fights under the Zuffa banner, Rivera and Duran both need to impress some people if they want to stay on at the big show.
This Saturday, Jeremy Stephens will meet Danny Downes at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale in Las Vegas, Nevada. Coming off of an incredible come-from-behind knockout of Marcus Davis at UFC 125, Stephens is looking to continue his run at the UFC Lightweig…
This Saturday, Jeremy Stephens will meet Danny Downes at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale in Las Vegas, Nevada. Coming off of an incredible come-from-behind knockout of Marcus Davis at UFC 125, Stephens is looking to continue his run at the UFC Lightweight Championship with a win over Downes.
Recently, Stephens took some time to talk exclusively with the Bleacher Report about his fight with Downes, the UFC’s new Twitter bonus program and more.
Not long before this interview, the UFC had announced that it would be giving away $5,000 bonuses to the UFC and Strikeforce fighters who could gain the most followers and post the most creative tweets. Just days after the announcement, Stephens had already gotten to work on attracting new followers to his profile.
“Right now, I’m just posting all my blogs and my website. Trying to get some good followers, you know, trying to get that Twitter bonus. And my 6,001st follower, I told the fans that I’d fly them in for three days to come train here in San Diego and just enjoy [San Diego]. Hopefully it can be after my fight, so I get a chance to have some one-on-one time, help them out and introduce them to the Victory family.”
Many were surprised to hear the UFC would be encouraging its fighters to use Twitter more often while other sports leagues such as the NFL have gone as far as fining their players for online activity. Count Stephens as one who thinks the bonus program is a great idea to bring fans closer to their favorite fighters.
“It’s pretty cool. For the UFC to do that, I actually think it’s a good thing that they do initiate some stuff like that. Twitter is like a personal [look at] your favorite fighter and what they’re doing, so it’s actually a cool thing. I’m surprised that they actually ban people from using it.”
While Stephens is doing his best to get more people to follow him, he doesn’t plan on changing his behavior whatsoever in an effort to draw attention to himself.
“I don’t look to call anybody out. I just go in and fight and let Joe Silva do the matchmaking.”
To expand on that, Stephens went on to say that he is strictly a fighter, not an entertainer. With four fight bonuses in his last eight fights, Stephens may be considered one of the most entertaining fighters in the UFC, but he says that is only a result of his aggressive fighting style every time he steps into the Octagon.
“I’ve always been a pretty relaxed, cool guy in and outside the cage. I feel like I’m very humble and always watch what I say. I’ve been doing this for a long time and my style has always attracted fans and put good people around me. As far as being an entertainer, that’s just my style of fighting is aggressive and very fast paced. I always bring it. Fans all around the world send me letters and I always sign cards for them and they thank me putting the hard work in the gym and being an entertaining fighter. As far as being an entertainer, I’m not. I’m just a fighter. Ilike to fight, I like to go for it and go for broke every time.”
Two rounds into his most recent fight, Stephens was down on the scorecards against Davis and needed a finish. Then fans knew it, Stephens’ coaches knew it and Stephens himself knew it. Potentially facing a release from the UFC in the event of a loss, Stephens did let adversity hold him back as he came out as aggressive as ever in the third round and finished Davis with a knockout that is still worthy of a 2011 Knockout of the Year nomination.
“Yeah, of course I knew I was down. My coaches had explained to me very well going into that third round that I was down. I knew it was pretty obvious. I just knew I had to make something happen in that third round. I don’t ever give up just because I’m down a round or two. Even if I’m winning, I’m always trying to finish. I don’t even like going into the third round. So, I’m going into the third round trying to take your head off. I got to finish the fight. I don’t want to leave a decision, especially after that [Melvin] Guillard fight and the way it went down. I knew I was losing, so I had to do something fast and I just kept pressing the action and once I landed I was happy as hell and I still got my job.”
Stephens was originally expected to fight Jonathan Brookins at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale, but Brookins was forced to withdraw from that bout due to injury. The cancellation of the Brookins fight was unfortunate for Stephens, but he is just happy to still have a fight on the card.
“It’s something that happens. It’s something that you got to prepare yourself for. Brookins is a tough guy. I trained very hard for him and I knew it was going to be a good fight, but unfortunately that happened. But as of this day, I’m still training harder than ever, I’m peaking right at the right time and I’m excited to fight Danny Downes. I’m just happy that I’m on the card and not getting pushed back to who knows when, because there’s a lot of guys that have fought and won that are on the prelims such as Guillard and other people. So, I’m just happy to be fighting, regardless who it is, and I’m still going to go out there and perform my best and go for that knockout or submission. I’m going there to win.”
Stephens wasn’t going to give his game plan away, but he acknowledged the fact that Downes is a very different fighter from his originally expected opponent, Brookins. Although Downes isn’t as well-known as Brookins, Stephens still expects a game opponent.
“Downes is more of a stand-up fighter compared to Brookins, who is more of a wrestler. Downes has got muay thai and trains hard at Duke Roufus’ camp. I’ve trained with a good friend of theirs, Erik Koch, who is actually a friend of mine. So, I know they train hard and they’re good at stand-up as far as mixed martial arts. I know he’s going to be well prepared and he has nothing to lose. He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing as my roommate likes to say and that makes him a very dangerous opponent. It’s kind of like me coming into the Dean Thomas fight. No one really gave me a chance, but when I got in there I shocked a lot of people, so I’m not looking to get shocked. I’m coming in there like he’s a game opponent and I’m training very hard. I’m going to go out there, execute my gameplan and I will win.”
After previously fighting in the WEC, Downes will be making his UFC debut against Stephens. While many UFC newcomers have gotten off to slow starts in their debuts due to nerves, Stephens expects Downes to be at his best from start to finish on Saturday.
“He’s a tough guy. He keeps coming and I think everything he’s good at I’m better at. I have to keep that in mind. I can’t make any mistakes. I think his nerves may play a factor, but I’m not counting on it. I’m counting on having the best Danny Downes step in front of me. He has nothing to lose and he’s going to come and bring it. I hope he does, because it’s going to make for an exciting fight and we’re going to give the fans what they deserve. I going to give them that knockout.”
Having recently gone to a narrow decision with a current contender in Guillard, Stephens is capable of competing with just about any lightweight in the world. Nonetheless, Stephens isn’t concerned with how many fights he is away from a title shot at the moment. Right now, he is more concerned with staying active and continuing to win fights.
“With most of the guys being hurt right now, that doesn’t even matter to me as far as getting a title shot. I wish them the best recovery and everything like that, so I’m just looking to fight right now. I’m a fighter. I want to keep fighting and just keep progressing. I’m in no hurry to get that title shot. I’m still very young in my career, I’m healthy and I’m happy with what I do. So, I’ll just keep continuing to fight and keep kicking people’s asses. Once that time comes it’ll come at the right moment and I’ll be ready.”
2011 is not even halfway through and we already have 10 awesome one-punch KOs to show for it. We have also been treated to some amazing head-kick KOs (thank you, Steven Seagal), but please, let us not forget the one-punch knockout. Usually fighters…
2011 is not even halfway through and we already have 10 awesome one-punch KOs to show for it.
We have also been treated to some amazing head-kick KOs (thank you, Steven Seagal), but please, let us not forget the one-punch knockout.
Usually fighters notch knockouts due to an accumulation of punches, but these come from some of the lucky few who’ve done the job with a single throw of a fist.
How many more great one-punch knockouts are we going to get to see this year?
Dana White announced the winner of BJ Penn vs. Jon Fitch will get the next Welterweight title-shot… which goes to show you how far ahead GSP is from the rest of the fighters in his division. The next contender is either the guy who is currently 1-1 as a Welterweight or the guy he’s […]
Dana White announced the winner of BJ Penn vs. Jon Fitch will get the next Welterweight title-shot… which goes to show you how far ahead GSP is from the rest of the fighters in his division. The next contender is either the guy who is currently 1-1 as a Welterweight or the guy he’s already beaten before and is on a 5 fight Unanimous Decision win-streak over middle of the pack guys, which include 2 fighters dropped by the UFC (Akihiro Gono and Ben Saunders)… of course, I am assuming that St. Pierre will be beating Jake Shields. Silly me to jump to conclusions.
Jeremy Stephens vs. TUF 12 winner, Jonathan Brookins is expected for the TUF 13 Finale in June. You can learn more about Stephens by reading our recent interview: here.
Jason Brilz vs. the undefeated Phil Davis may be on tap for UFC 129.
Sengoku Middleweight Champion, Jorge Santiago signs a multi-fight contract with the UFC. He could face Brian Stann at UFC 130 as a replacement for Wanderlei Silva.
Ryan Couture returns for his second pro-fight in Strikeforce Challengers 14 this Friday night. Couture faces Lee Higgins. Listen to our podcast interview with Couture and Xtreme Couture Coach, Ron Frazier: here.
Following a devastating doctor stoppage TKO loss at last Saturday’s Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva, the Heavyweight legend, Fedor Emelianenko says he will not be retiring and Strikeforce promoter, Scott Coker says Fedor may serve as an alternate as the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament continues.
Bellator adds Wrestling Trainer and MMA Fighter, Nik Fekete to their Light Heavyweight Title Tournament. Fekete, who is based in Las Vegas has trained Forrest Griffin, Gray Maynard, and Roy Nelson among several other well-known fighters.
This is the TUF 13 Finale undercard live blog for all the preliminary bouts in support of tonight’s Spike TV card from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS – For the ninth straight event, the UFC will air preliminary card fights on its 
