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.
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.
(“New episode of ‘Coal’? YEAH, BABY! GET SOME!” / Gif via IronForgesIron.com)
The quarterfinal round kicked off in last night’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bellyache vs. Team Stare Directly at the Camera While Being Interviewed by Megan Olivi, and Shamar Bailey’s not feeling a personal best. The gray-team standout tweaked his back, and direct pressure ain’t comfortable. As he discusses it with Justin Edwards, Chris Cope lurks by, as if on cue, and screams “Woo!”
“I’mma choke that voice box out,” Shamar says.
But before he gets a chance to do that, Ramsey Nijem and Clay Harvison will square off. Dos Santos feels Ramsey is the best wrestler on his team. Ramsey says that his Palestinian heritage helps him be the fighter he is. He’s seen the road-stops, the walls, the guns; he feels grateful to be fighting in a controlled environment, and not for his life.
Dana White brings UFC middleweight contender and war hero Brian Stann to the gym. Stann tells the guys about being a Marine Corps captain, the lifestyle of discipline, how success breeds success…wait a minute. Is this just an ad for the Marines? This is like those segments on The Biggest Loser where they teach the contestants how to cook with Jennie-O-brand turkey. Come on, you know what I’m talking about. I can’t stand that crap. Anyway, Brock tells some of these long-haired punks to fill out an application.
(“New episode of ‘Coal’? YEAH, BABY! GET SOME!” / Gif via IronForgesIron.com)
The quarterfinal round kicked off in last night’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bellyache vs. Team Stare Directly at the Camera While Being Interviewed by Megan Olivi, and Shamar Bailey’s not feeling a personal best. The gray-team standout tweaked his back, and direct pressure ain’t comfortable. As he discusses it with Justin Edwards, Chris Cope lurks by, as if on cue, and screams “Woo!”
“I’mma choke that voice box out,” Shamar says.
But before he gets a chance to do that, Ramsey Nijem and Clay Harvison will square off. Dos Santos feels Ramsey is the best wrestler on his team. Ramsey says that his Palestinian heritage helps him be the fighter he is. He’s seen the road-stops, the walls, the guns; he feels grateful to be fighting in a controlled environment, and not for his life.
Dana White brings UFC middleweight contender and war hero Brian Stann to the gym. Stann tells the guys about being a Marine Corps captain, the lifestyle of discipline, how success breeds success…wait a minute. Is this just an ad for the Marines? This is like those segments on The Biggest Loser where they teach the contestants how to cook with Jennie-O-brand turkey. Come on, you know what I’m talking about. I can’t stand that crap. Anyway, Brock tells some of these long-haired punks to fill out an application.
Clay still can’t bend his dislocated finger completely, but he’s gonna throw down anyway. Brock works with Clay and Chris on their wrestling — which they’ll need, since their opponents both specialize in it — and shows them the whizzer defense that Shane Carwin pulled on him in the beginning of their fight last year.
Ramsey shows up to weigh-ins in classic Palestinian style, with some jacked-ass hip briefs. He gets in Clay’s face in a very loving way, then bends over to complete the Nick Ring impression. Unfortunately, Ramsey feels sick before the fight, and he’s not one of those dudes who normally get sick before fights. Could be an issue, but there’s no time to worry about it…
Round 1: Brock screams for the whizzer before Ramsey even tries his first takedown. Ramsey fires an overhand right. Clay launches forward with a 1-2. Ramsey grabs him coming in and takes him down easily. Clay tries to get up and Ramsey takes his back. Clay nearly rolls out, but Ramsey stays in control. Ramsey flattens Clay out on the mat and sinks the rear-naked choke. Clay taps. God damn, that didn’t last long. Ramsey Nijem is TUF 13′s first semi-finalist.
DW: “That was the fastest and most decisive finish of the season…Junior might be right, this kid might be the kid to beat.”
Dos Santos: “That’s how you fight when you get sick? WOOOOW!”
Clay is pissed at himself, obviously. “Stripper Ramsey, what the fuck. That’s how you screw the pooch, ladies and gentlemen.”
Brock: “Clay just got outclassed in wrestling. Giving up your back like that to a wrestler is just self-destruction.”
Moving on. Shamar wants to make Chris Cope pay for the constant screaming thing. His plan is to meet Chris in the middle of the Octagon, make him move backwards, beat him up on the feet, and take him down when he feels like it.
Coach Brock realizes that Cope is a big underdog here: “The first 30 seconds of this, you’re just gonna have to weather the storm,” he says. He calls the fight a classic matchup of “wrestler vs…Chris.” Once again, they drill the whizzer, hoping it might actually work this time. Brock points at the ad in the middle of the cage. “Do whatever you need to do to own Burger King. This is your house right here, Burger King.”
In the face-off, Chris smiles and nods while Shamar mean-mugs and shakes his head. Could they be any different?
The night before the fight, Cope tries to get some tips from Nordin Asrih, who previously lost to Shamar by decision. “His game plan is easy,” Nordin says. “To put you down and hold you down. He doesn’t want to fuck with you.” Nordin gives Chris some angry notes on his guillotine setup, which seems to leave him open for punches. “There’s no time bro,” Nordin says. “I’m fighting tomorrow, don’t be an asshole,” Chris says.
Shamar is mad intense before the fight: “He made a mistake, he woke up a beast.”
Says Chris: “Shamar, the ‘woo’ that you get so angry about? Win, lose, or draw, I’m still gonna do it.” And then he does.
Round 1: Shamar starts out as the aggressor, pushing forward, chasing Chris around the cage. He lands a left straight. Chris throws some punches but doesn’t land anything worthwhile. Shamar shoots from too far away, Chris defends it and slugs him in the head while pressed against the fence. Chris turns him around. Shamar puts Chris’s back against fence. Chris escapes. Shamar comes in with punches and a clinch. They trade knees to the legs. Cope escapes again. Left straight and a clinch from Shamar. Knee to the ribs from Chris, and some dirty boxing exchanged between the fighters. Another knee from Chris, and he escapes. Shamar with a left overhand/right low grab/clinch, which will become his trademark for the rest of the fight. Chris grabs a headlock and uses it to escape. Shamar does his hi/lo/clinch trick again, and works hard to drag Cope to the mat but he can’t pull it off.
“Let your fuckin’ hands go kid,” Dana shouts at Chris. Brock tells his fighter the same thing.
Round 2: Shamar stalks forward and lands a jab. Chris brushes him back with counter-punches. He’s throwing more now. Shamar fires to the body. Chris jacks a short hook. He lands the jab while Shamar is coming in. Shamar with that hi/lo/clinch. Chris gets out after some dirty boxing. He lands a couple on the feet, and seems to be gaining some momentum. No big shots, but he’s making Shamar respect him. Shamar shoots, settles for the clinch, and lands an uppercut on the exit. Shamar comes in to engage and they clash heads. Chris jabs. Shamar lands a clean punch combo. Both guys throwing now. Shamar shoots, Chris puts him against the fence. Shamar reverses the position. Chris escapes. They slug it out. Shamar shoots and puts Chris’s back against the fence. Chris fires some punches to his head. Chris turns Shamar around and escapes as the horn sounds.
The way I saw it, Shamar won the first round with his takedown attempts and pressure, and Chris out-boxed Shamar by a slight margin in the second. Chris’s takedown defense was really the story of the fight, but he was a little hesitant to throw in the first frame. This one should go to sudden victory. But it doesn’t. All three judges score it 20-18 for…Chris Cope? Damn. The fact that all three judges scored the first round for Chris is kind of absurd. Junior shouts “what?” Brock says that Chris wowed him and — you guessed it — made chicken salad out of chicken shit.
Shamar talks to Dana afterwards, and says he wanted to show that he could do more than wrestle. DW is like, “well, it looks like you tried to take him down.” (Burn!) Shamar tells Dana he sprained his back. And now Shamar is going to be haunted by that Woo! for the rest of his life.
On the next episode: Tony Ferguson goes apeshit into a glass coffee table, two more quarterfinal fights, and the semi-final announcements. We’re moving along nicely, here.
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.
