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.
To kick off a highly anticipated month of MMA, we have The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale.The Finale will have Anthony Pettis making his first appearance inside the Octagon and putting his title shot in jeopardy against Clay Guida. Guida will look to take …
To kick off a highly anticipated month of MMA, we have The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale.
The Finale will have Anthony Pettis making his first appearance inside the Octagon and putting his title shot in jeopardy against Clay Guida. Guida will look to take away and put on yet another “Fight of the Year” performance on the TUF Finale card.
Then of course you have the final showdown of the two finalists from this season of TUF. Tony Ferguson will look to end the night of the wrestling Ramsey Nijem. Ferguson and Nijem were both the favorites of the coaches by the time the tournament kicked up at the end of the season.
UFC 131: A Look at Every Fight on the CardBleacher Report’s Vince Carey:It’s easy to completely write off UFC 131 now that Brock Lesnar has been forced out due to injury. The main card isn’t as good as one would expect from the UFC, and it lacks a…
UFC 131: A Look at Every Fight on the Card
Bleacher Report’s Vince Carey:
It’s easy to completely write off UFC 131 now that Brock Lesnar has been forced out due to injury.
The main card isn’t as good as one would expect from the UFC, and it lacks a true co-main event, but overall, the card is still worth the $60 you know you’ll end up spending on it.
Making predictions for any sport is tough, but it’s even harder in MMA due to its unpredictable nature. I only bring this up because if you use these picks and lose some money, I can say, “I told you so.”
As fans are looking at the Ultimate Fighter Finale main event showdown between Anthony Pettis and Clay Guida, there is another interesting fight on the card between rising light heavyweights Kyle Kingsbury and Fabio Maldonado.Kingsbury has be…
As fans are looking at the Ultimate Fighter Finale main event showdown between Anthony Pettis and Clay Guida, there is another interesting fight on the card between rising light heavyweights Kyle Kingsbury and Fabio Maldonado.
Kingsbury has been involved with the UFC since his time on TUF Season 8 where he lost to the eventual winner Ryan Bader in a qualifying match. After an injury which let him return to the show, he then went on to lose a matchup against Krzysztof Soszynski.
Kingsbury had a tough run at that point in his career because he lost to Tony Lopez prior to TUF and lost to Tom Lawlor on TUF Finale, which had him on a four-fight losing streak.
Kingsbury has turned around his career by going on to win three straight matches while under the UFC banner, including his most dominant win against submission specialist Ricardo Romero which took only 21 seconds to finish.
Fabio Maldonado comes into this fight after taking out James McSweeney by way of TKO in his debut match for the UFC. That matchup with McSweeney showed he can take some serious punishment and that he has exceptional power in his hands. Maldonado has won 16 out of his last 17 fights as a MMA fighter and is currently riding an 11-fight win streak.
The real story here is how both of these fighters are progressing their all-around skills with their fight camps. Kingsbury trains with Ryan Bader, Aaron Simpson and C.B. Dolloway at Power MMA. Kingsbury also trains with AKA fighters Cain Velasquez, Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck while Maldonado is trained by the Nogueira brothers in Brazil.
The fight should stylistically be in favor of Kyle Kingsbury. Kingsbury should, in theory, be able to score takedowns on the former Brazilian boxer and keep him on the mat where Maldonado will be far less fearsome.
If he cannot secure takedowns or if he doesn’t possess the top control needed to keep Maldonado down, Kingsbury could find himself in a lot of trouble against the stand-up skills of Maldonado. If he is forced to stand and trade, Kingsbury would be wise to work a lot of leg kicks in to try and nullify the power behind Maldonado’s punches.
It will be no secret that Maldonado wants to keep this fight on the feet because that is where he is at his best. He also showcased a very good chin against McSweeney when he took a lot of punishment in the opening round and eventually won by TKO in Round 3.
He has also ended 12 fights by some form of knockout as his background as a boxer is his greatest strength as a fighter. As a boxer, Maldonado had a boxing record or 22-0 with 21 knockouts. The Brazilian also accomplished this while boxing a total of 43 rounds, which is less than 2 rounds per fight.
The downside, though, is that Maldonado does not possess good overall skill set, as he lacks in both takedown defense and submission skills when he fights inside the cage. With that being said, there won’t be much threat of kicks from Maldonado either.
This fight could be exciting or lackluster, depending on how much they both have improved as fighters. It could be Kingsbury taking advantage of a weak ground game or a standing war which Maldonado should be favored in.
This is an important matchup for both fighters not only for rankings, but to showcase their skills to the UFC brass as they continue to try and climb the light heavyweight ladder.
With the recent announcement of the GSP vs. Nick Diaz superfight, the MMA world has been set ablaze. Media and fans are jumping on every social site and outlet to share their thoughts on one of the biggest welterweight showdowns in MMA history. What ma…
With the recent announcement of the GSP vs. Nick Diaz superfight, the MMA world has been set ablaze. Media and fans are jumping on every social site and outlet to share their thoughts on one of the biggest welterweight showdowns in MMA history.
What makes this a superfight is defined simply by the two men who will face each other. On one side, you have Georges St. Pierre, UFC Welterweight Champion and one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in MMA. On the other you have Diaz, Strikeforce Welterweight Champion and one of the top welterweights in the world.
GSP has dominated his division in the UFC, and Diaz is the last opponent to truly define him as one of, if not the best, welterweights of all time.
Diaz has won his past 10 fights in a row, and he has successfully been the only person to hold the Strikeforce welterweight title. Diaz has defended the belt three times since its inception.
Now he comes for GSP’s title.
Diaz is a fighter not afraid to exchange with his opponent. He pushes forward and does not let the pace slow down. This is one of the biggest reasons why this could be a very interesting fight.
Diaz has attained 25 career wins in MMA. Impressive, but overshadowed by the fact that 21 of those wins were finishes. Diaz has shown that his striking is effective and has led to many TKOs or his pedigree. But his dominant strength comes on the ground.
His jiu-jitsu, under the study of Cesar Gracie, is at a very high level. This makes him dangerous on the ground as well as standing up.
This matters because it makes him a more well-rounded opponent for GSP, who has fought high-level wrestlers or strikers in the past. But in October, fans will see GSP being tested in all areas.
The main criticism that follows the Canadian champion is that he does not finish his fights. Some say he fights safe, while others say he just either doesn’t have the ability or get the chance. Now he faces off against an opponent who finishes his fights and has very few wins by decision. It is very much a battle of opposites being pitted against one another. UFC vs. Strikeforce, decision winner vs. finisher, Canada vs. USA.
But the fact that Diaz likes to push so much may lead to an opportunity for GSP. Instead of sitting back and avoiding GSP’s takedowns, Diaz may very well come at him and try to be the aggressor. This could give GSP the chance to grasp a finish that fans and critics alike have been clamoring for. For media relations, GSP needs a finish. Diaz could be the perfect candidate.
But not to sell the Strikeforce champion short. Iron sharpens iron, as they say, and Diaz is in no short supply. Training with the likes of his brother Nate Diaz, Gilbert Melendez, and Jake Shields does nothing but improve his own abilities. With training partner Shields having been GSP’s most recent opponent, Shields may be able to shed some light and provide helpful tactics for Nick’s match against the UFC champ.
With his own desire to please the fans and continue his legacy, GSP may very well step into the Octagon in October with a different mindset. He could see it as an opportunity to silence the media or, conversely, to permanently define himself in the welterweight division of MMA.
Come October, we will all find out.
Who do you think will win and why? (Make you predictions here: Include winner, method, which round and why you think so!)
