Pettis, who was first in line for a lightweight title shot, passed on waiting for a Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard winner after their January draw. He asked for Guida. And Guida made him pay on Saturday night.
Guida steered clear of most of Pettis’ highlight-reel offense, landed takedowns each round and grinded out a unanimous decision 30-27 sweep of Pettis, who was a more than 2-to-1 favorite, at “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 13 Finale.
By knocking off the previous top UFC lightweight contender, Guida, who has now won four straight, likely finds himself as the top contender. But because the Edgar-Maynard rematch is on hold due to injuries for the two, Guida could be on hold for a while, himself – if he were to be given the next title shot and elected to wait.
But on Saturday, UFC president Dana White told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani that won’t be the case. White said despite Guida’s win over Pettis, Jim Miller, who is riding a seven-fight winning streak, is still ahead of Guida in the rankings.
Guida (29-11, 9-5 UFC) said after the fight he, too, believes Miller to be ahead of him – but wanted to make clear he’s ready for a title shot.
“Ben Henderson and Jim Miller, who knows?,” Guida said. “Jim Miller, I think could be the frontrunner. But everyone who sees me fight knows I fight the toughest competition. I’d love to get that shot – I’ve been here five years in October (and) 9-5 in the UFC does not sit well with me. That’s a very average record for me.”
Henderson, the former WEC champ who lost his title to Pettis (13-2, 0-1 UFC) in December, fights Miller in August.
Guida said he wanted an impressive win – a stoppage – to show White and matchmaker Joe Silva he was ready to be next in line.
“I didn’t want to see it go to the judges,” Guida said. “Obviously a dominating finish would’ve looked more highly in the eyes of the UFC.”
Pettis attempted several “Showtime”-type kicks, including one from his back, that kept Guida concerned about distance. But Guida used takedowns in every round to execute his offense and grind out the victory. Afterward, Guida said takedowns were a big part of his game plan in the fight, as well as staving off Pettis’ offense.
“There’s no secret anymore: wrestling wins championships,” Guida said. “He’s the most tricky guy in guard I’ve ever fought. He’s a super talented kid.”
In the main event, Tony Ferguson and Ramsey Nijem met to determine the Season 13 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter.” After a back and forth opening few minutes, Ferguson landed a big left hook that stiffened Nijem immediately, dropping him to the canvas. Ferguson landed one more shot before the fight could be stopped.
Ferguson became Season 13’s villain late in the season, and said coming in to the fight that he regretted how he came off on the show – and that he hoped to learn from it and set a better example for younger fans in the future. He reiterated that sentiment immediately after collecting his trophy from White.
“I learned a lot about myself in (the TUF house),” Ferguson said. “I’ve got a lot of guardian angels up there looking after me. I know (Nijem) caught me a couple times, but I weathered the storm.”
A feel-good story saw Ed Herman return from a layoff of nearly two years – and two knee surgeries – to score a quick 48-second TKO of Tim Credeur, who was also coming back following a long layoff. A short right uppercut from Herman dropped Credeur, and he finished him quickly with three shots on the ground.
In the night’s biggest upset, George Roop, beat Josh Grispi with a third-round TKO from a body shot. Grispi was a 6-to-1 favorite in the fight. The loss is the second straight for Grispi, who was supposed to get a featherweight title shot at UFC 125 in January against Jose Aldo. Aldo got injured, Grispi took a fight with Dustin Poirier, and was upset then, too.
Roop reteamed with coach Shawn Tompkins for the fight after going without him in January for his fight with Mark Hominick – also a Tompkins student and one of Tompkins’ best friends. Roop said he was glad to get his first UFC win out of the way.
“It’s been a struggle here lately, and it feels good to get this behind me,” Roop said. “My game plan worked, and I’m happy about my performance, but there’s still work to do. Finishing the fight that way was incredible. I hadn’t planned for it happen like that.”
Grispi said he’ll have to get past the mental anguish that might hit him after another setback.
“I need to stop overthinking it,” Grispi said. “It’s just a fight. I felt like my submission attempts were solid, but I need to go back to the drawing board. I’m only 22 and I’ve got time to grow in this sport.”
White gave the event’s bonus awards to Kyle Kingsbury and Fabio Maldonado for Fight of the Night, Reuben Duran for Submission of the Night and Ferguson for Knockout of the Night. Each won an additional $40,000 bonus.
(Kyle Kingsbury is wearing that rainbow fanny-pack in honor of all the brave men and women who gave their lives defending our freedom in the Candyland-Disco War of Sissystan. / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this album, click here.)
TUF 13 reaches its conclusion tonight, with “Stripper” Ramsey Nijem facing off against “Jerkwad” Tony Ferguson for the mythical six-figure contract and glass trophy. Plus: Anthony Pettis makes his official UFC debut against Clay Guida in a guaranteed thriller with lightweight title implications, the suddenly-badass Kyle Kingsbury looks to put Fabio Maldonado’s 11-fight win streak to an end, and much more.
If you’ve got nothing better to do, it’s not a bad way to spend a Saturday night. (If you do have something better to do, count yourself lucky, and come back later to let us know what the outside world is like.) The action is already underway at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas — and streaming live on Facebook — but we’ll save the spoilers until the end of the night, because some of you crybabies get sooooo sensitive. Round-by-round results from the Spike TV broadcast will begin to pile up after the jump starting at 9 p.m. ET; refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest.
(Kyle Kingsbury is wearing that rainbow fanny-pack in honor of all the brave men and women who gave their lives defending our freedom in the Candyland-Disco War of Sissystan. / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this album, click here.)
TUF 13 reaches its conclusion tonight, with “Stripper” Ramsey Nijem facing off against “Jerkwad” Tony Ferguson for the mythical six-figure contract and glass trophy. Plus: Anthony Pettis makes his official UFC debut against Clay Guida in a guaranteed thriller with lightweight title implications, the suddenly-badass Kyle Kingsbury looks to put Fabio Maldonado’s 11-fight win streak to an end, and much more.
If you’ve got nothing better to do, it’s not a bad way to spend a Saturday night. (If you do have something better to do, count yourself lucky, and come back later to let us know what the outside world is like.) The action is already underway at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas — and streaming live on Facebook — but we’ll save the spoilers until the end of the night, because some of you crybabies get sooooo sensitive. Round-by-round results from the Spike TV broadcast will begin to pile up after the jump starting at 9 p.m. ET; refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest.
“Everybody who saw the Ultimate Fighter knows that Tony is a dick and he does not deserve this,” Ramsey says in the pre-fight reel. Mike Goldberg mentions the beginning of the “Showtime Era” not once but twice, officially cursing Anthony Pettis tonight.
Chris “C-Murder” Cope vs. Chuck “Cold Steel” O’Neil
Round 1: Cope lands the first jab. O’Neil with a leg kick. Somebody in the crowd (or Cope’s corner?) is WOO!’ing like a jackass every time Chris makes contact. They clinch up. Cope gets in a short-range punch, a knee, and they separate. Leg kick from O’Neil. He throws a wide head kick and almost topples over. They trade low kicks. Cope gets in a hook, but eats a body kick. Cope drills that hook, even harder this time, and stalks O’Neil to the cage. They clinch for a bit, trade knees, and break. Leg kick O’Neil. Cope fires back some punches. Leg kick Cope. Cope goes body/head, but O’Neil counters. Cope sticks a spinning back kick. Nice high kick from Cope. O’Neil returns a hard body kick. Cope tries the spinning kick again, and O’Neil mimics him. The horn sounds and they hug it out before returning to their corners. Cope WOO!ing on the stool, and the crowd gives it right back.
Round 2: Leg kick O’Neil. Cope throws a punch combo. He gets in a leg kick. O’Neil returns. Cope presses forward with punches to different levels. I really hope the crowd stops WOO!ing after this fight. They clinch up and trade knees. O’Neil puts Cope’s back against the fence, but Cope shoves him off. Leg kick O’Neil, Cope throws a high one. Cope telegraphs a spinning back kick and hits air. O’Neil lands a left as Cope comes in. Another spinning kick from Cope, and O’Neil tries one too. Come on guys, stop it with that shit. Leg kick Cope. Both guys throwing punches steadily, but not landing anything cleanly. Superman punch/leg kick/superman punch from Cope. Cope throws a superman jab. One last leg kick from Cope, and the round is over.
Round 3: The between-round WOO!ing has to be screwing with O’Neil’s concentration. Cope puts O’Neil against the fence and gets in a sharp short hook. O’Neil shrugs him off. Cope the aggressor with strikes. He lands a big looping left hook. Cope dashes in with a leg kick. He sticks a jab, and a body shot. Cope throws a couple of high kicks, one of them of the spinning variety. O’Neil locks up on him, looking for a takedown against the fence. Cope turns him around. O’Neil gets in a knee to the body. Cope separates and WOO!s, getting the crowd behind him. Cope pouring it on with flashy kicks, punches in bunches, a spinning backfist. An inside leg kick from Cope. Body/head from Cope. Cope presses forward with punches, a head kick. He continues to attack until the horn. Should be a unanimous decision for Ric Flair Jr.
Chris Cope def. Chuck O’Neil via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3). Cope tells Joe Rogan that a lot of people doubted him when he was growing up, but “how do you like me now, in high definition?” Woo, bro. Woo.
Kyle “Kingsbu” Kingsbury vs. Fabio Maldonado
They show highlights of Maldonado absolutely clowning James McSweeney in his UFC debut, and man is it sweet. “My goal is knock out everybody in the light-heavyweight division,” he says. I’m kinda looking forward to this one. Are my ears deceiving me, or did Kingsbury come out to “Power of Love” by Huey Lewis?
Round 1: Leg kick immediately off the bell from Kingsbury, then a punch to the torso. Kingsbu teeing off with kicks to the legs and body. Kingsbury clinches up and gets in a half-dozen knees. Dude’s lookin’ real strong so far. But Maldonando lands with a nice left hook. Left-hand counter for Kingsbury, who clinches up again and drills Maldonado with a knee. Kingsbury shoots and gets a takedown, but almost gets stuck in a guillotine before pulling out and getting up. Another clinch/knee from Kingsbury. Maldonado pushes forward, lands a left hook, backing Kingsbury up. They trade shots. Maldonado lands the left hook again in an exchange. Kingsbury with the thai clinch again, works his knees again. He tries it again but Maldonado shrugs him off. Kingsbury clinches and trips Maldonado to the mat. Kingsbury on top in half guard, throwing down short elbows. He goes for a kimura, but Maldonado escapes. Kingsbury with more clinch/knee punishment. He lands a nasty one to Maldonado’s forehead. Kingsbury slips to the mat during a striking exchange and the round ends. I’d give it to Kingsbu, easy.
Round 2: Body kicks and teeps from Kingsbury. Kingsbury shoots and scores the takedown. Kingsbury on top in half guard for a hot second, but Maldonado slickly reverses the position, and Kingsbury escapes to his feet. Huge head kick from Kingsbury. Kingsbury works the thai clinch again, and Maldonado punches out of it. But Kingsbury is relentless, clinching again, throwing more knees. Kingsbury tries for the trip-takedown, but botches it and falls to the mat. Maldonado lets him up. Kingsbury scores another takedown, but Maldonado quickly gets up, eating a knee on the way up. They clinch up. Knees to the legs from Kingsbury. Maldonado throws a knee of his own and they break. Straight right from Maldonado. Kingsbury tries for a takedown, settles for a knee. Maldonado throwing hooks at the horn, landing one very blatantly after the bell.
Round 3: Kingsbury with a jab. He tries a couple leg kicks, Maldonado returns some counter-punches. Maldonado with a 1-2. And again. Kingbury with the thai clinch and knees, Maldonado gets in some shots when they break. Kingsbury gets a takedown, but Maldonado is up immediately and they jockey for position against the fence. Hard knee to the dome from Kingsbury. Maldonado jabbing to the body. Maldonado teeing off as Kingsbury is visibly slowing. Kingsbury tries for another takedown to slow down the action, but Maldonado defends. Kingsbury’s left eye is swollen shut. Maldonado with a body shot. Kingsbury tries a takedown, but Maldonado reverses it and lands on top. Kingsbury locks him down with rubber guard until the ref stands them up. Maldonado pressing forward, punching. Kingsbury gets in a knee to the face and Maldonado loses his mouthpiece. A brief pause to get it back in. Kingsbury shoots in again, Maldonado defends. Maldonado drags Kingsbury down in the closing seconds but runs out of time to take advantage. There’s the horn. Should be a decision win for Kingsbury. The two fighters embrace and raise their hands, lobbying for that Fight of the Night bonus.
Kyle Kingsbury def. Fabio Maldonado via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3). Kingsbury’s eye is straight-up disgusting. He says it was the hardest fight of his life. Gritty showing from both guys, but Maldonado may want to consider a drop to middleweight; Kyle seemed to dwarf him out there.
Joe Rogan checks in with Shane Carwin via satellite, hyping up next week’s fight against Junior Dos Santos. Carwin is feeling better than ever after getting surgery on his neck and revamping his diet, and thinking about the Dos Santos match gives him goosebumps. He promises some brutal blows.
Ed “Short Fuse” Herman vs. “Crazy” Tim Credeur
Because of injuries, both of these guys have been out of action since 2009. Who’s ready to see some ring rust?
Round 1: They trade jabs. Herman the aggressor, following Credeur around the cage, initiating the exchanges. Herman lands a pair of uppercuts that drop Credeur, and follows up with some savage shots from the top that flip Credeur’s switch to the off position. Damn. Welcome back, Ed.
Ed Herman def. Tim Credeur via TKO, 0:48 of round 1. Herman plugs his new gym in Fort Collins, Colorado, that he’s running with Ryan Schultz. So swing by if you’re in the area.
And now Rogan checks in with Junior Dos Santos. I like how JDS starts every single answer with “Yeah,” even when he’s not being asked yes/no questions. “Thank you guys, and don’t blink!” he says at the end. Terrible advice from a medical perspective, but the sentiment is clear.
Anthony “Showtime” Pettis vs. Clay “The Carpenter” Guida
Line of the night, from Clay Guida: “If you think you’re gonna come into my Octagon with your circus kicks and your flashy moves, you’re gonna pay dearly when I take your legs out from under you and pound your head through the canvas.” #BOOM. Pettis does a little foot-spring off the cage in his warm-up lap around the Octagon. Just getting comfortable with the environment. Protect yourself at all times, Clay. Pettis gives off a little WOO! during the introductions.
Round 1: Clay bouncing around, as he does. He fakes a leg kick, and Pettis pops a pair of punches. Pettis fires his first left head kick. He throws a leg kick and Clay catches it and takes Pettis down. Pettis threatens with an armbar. Clay trying to get to a safer position. Pettis with a very active guard. Clay throws down a punch. And another. Pettis jacks Guida with a punch off his back. Guida gets to his feet, and Pettis throws a roundhouse kick off his back before getting to his feet. Guida puts Pettis on his back again. Pettis looking for the triangle setup. Guida tries to shake out, and finally does. Guida with shoulder-shrugs on top, stuffing Pettis’s head into the cage. The horn sounds, and the judges will probably give it to Guida just for being on top for the majority of the round.
Round 2: Pettis more aggressive with the punch combos now. Guida throws a leg kick, gets countered. Guida grabs a double-leg and dumps Pettis. Guida goes back to humping Pettis’s face against the cage. But he’s not doing much else, and the crowd starts to boo him. Pettis stands, Guida attached to him at the hip. Knees to the leg from Guida. Pettis escapes and pops a couple punches. And a jab. Pettis tries a *reverse* variation of his off the cage kick, but sadly, doesn’t really land it. Will make for a nice GIF, though. Guida scores another takedown. Pettis goes for a triangle, Guida shakes out. Pettis grabs an armbar, Guida somersaults to escape it. Pettis grabs it again but runs out of time.
Round 3: They meet in the middle of the cage and throw punches. Guida fires an overhand right, and pushes forward with a left hook. Another overhand right from Guida, and he shoots for the takedown, landing in Pettis’s dangerous guard, once again. Elbow from the top from Guida. Pettis looking for the triangle, once again. Clay on top in half-guard, jacking his shoulder into Pettis’s face. Punches from the top from Clay. Pettis gets to his feet. Clay tries to dump Pettis, but Pettis reverses it and gets on top. Guida rolls and Pettis takes his back. A minute left. Guida blasts out and gets back on top. Pettis shifts to his knees and now Guida takes Pettis’s back. But time runs out. The look of disappointment on Pettis’s face is obvious as he returns to his corner.
Clay Guida def. Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3). Jason Guida drags a giant Clay Guida fathead into the cage. Rogan has to cut Clay off during a long list of shoutouts, but the Carpenter gets back on message, telling everybody that he’s the real lightweight #1 contender, and 2011 is his year.
Ramsey Nijem’s distance-runner girlfriend in Utah supported his broke ass during his MMA journey, so now it’s time to pay her back. He’s training with Court McGee and Jonathan Brookins at the Pit Elevated in Orem, Utah…not a bad crew if you want to be a TUF winner. Ferguson proposed to his girlfriend right after he got off the show. He actually trained at Brock Lesnar’s Death Clutch gym following TUF, but calls Southern California his home.
Ramsey Nijem vs. Tony Ferguson
Round 1: Nijem jabs, closing the distance. Ferguson scores a quick takedown and gets in half-guard. Ramsey spins out, scrambles to his feet as Ferguson fires punches at his head. Leg kick Ferguson. Nijem with a right, Ferguson with a counter left hook. Another left hook from Ferguson. 1-2 from Ferguson, but a counter from Nijem wobbles him. Nijem attacks, but Ferguson grabs him and takes the fight to the mat. Nijem back on his feet. Quick leg kick from Ferguson. Nijem scores with a straight right. Nijem lands it again. Ferguson responds with a right straight/left hook that drops Nijem cold. Ferguson follows Nijem to the mat and gets in a couple more hard shots from the top as the ref jumps in to end it.
Tony Ferguson def. Ramsey Nijem via KO, 3:54 of round 1. Tony Ferguson is the winner of the Ultimate Fighter Season 13, and has knocked out four straight dudes to get there. He deserves his moment — and has a lot of potential in the sport.
We get the Scott Jorgensen vs. Ken Stone fight from the prelims. Stone making things very difficult for Jorgensen in the early going, using his range and battering Jorgensen with punches. Jorgensen scores a takedown. Stone tries to kick him off, but Scotty gets some space and pounds the damn daylights out of Stone from the top; the fight is called at the 4:01 mark of round 1 via KO.
Other results from the prelims…
– Jeremy Stephens def. Danny Downes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26 x2)
– George Roop def. Josh Grispi via TKO (liver punch), 3:14 of round 3
– Shamar Bailey def. Ryan McGillivray via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Clay Harvison def. Justin Edwards via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
– Rueben Duran def. Francisco Rivera via submission (rear naked choke), 1:57 of round 3
Oh snap…well, I guess you know how this Roop/Grispi fight is going to end. Lets put this liveblog to bed. Thanks for coming out tonight. I leave you with this:
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.
Filed under: UFCLAS VEGAS – Over the last couple years, unless they’re fighting against them, fighters sharing a card with Clay Guida or Anthony Pettis have been able to pretty much assume their post-fight bonus chances will be cut by one-third.
LAS VEGAS – Over the last couple years, unless they’re fighting against them, fighters sharing a card with Clay Guida or Anthony Pettis have been able to pretty much assume their post-fight bonus chances will be cut by one-third.
Guida has won four UFC bonuses in his last six fights – two Submission of the Night wins and a pair of Fight of the Night checks. Pettis, while in the WEC, won three bonuses in his last four appearances. Add them together, and Dana White is writing checks for them at a 70 percent clip – not too shabby.
So when their fight against each other was announced earlier this year for Saturday’s live Season 13 finale of “The Ultimate Fighter,” it wasn’t hard to make an early prediction for Fight of the Night, or even Fight of the Year. (Guida has a pair of those to his credit in the last four years, as well.)
Pettis on Thursday told MMA Fighting on a media call that when it comes to putting on a show, it seems to come naturally to him, just like it does for Guida.
“I don’t feel any pressure at all to go out there and try to one-up myself or win Fight of the Night,” Pettis said. “We always bring exciting fights, and putting two guys like us in the cage together is going to be a great fight. The fans can expect an awesome fight, but the biggest thing is getting your hand raised at the end. We’re both looking to win and I think we’re going to put on a good show doing it.”
Pettis has been waiting a while to put on his next show. After he beat Ben Henderson in December to become the last WEC lightweight champ in history, he watched his immediate UFC title shot hopes go out the window when Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard fought to a draw at UFC 125. Rather than waiting, Pettis decided to stay busy – and got the red-hot Guida, who submitted Takanori Gomi on the same UFC 125 card.
Pettis said after some aggravation over not getting the title shot he was promised, he came to grips with it.
“At first I was a little mad, but I understand it,” Pettis said. “I want there to be a clear champion and I want to show people that I earned being the No. 1 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.”
With three straight wins – and three straight submissions – to his credit, Guida knows a win could put him right where he wants to be, and that’s title contention, perhaps in line to meet the winner of the rematch between Edgar and Maynard, who were scheduled to fight last week, but both went on the shelf with injuries.
“I think a dominating victory will definitely look better in the eyes of Dana White, Joe Silva and the UFC,” Guida said. “I think there’s a couple of guys up there – Jim Miller is on a tear, but he’s fighting one of Anthony’s former opponents in Ben Henderson. It’s an interesting little debacle in the lightweight division right now. There’s a lot of stuff going on, and unfortunately it’s going to be a little delayed with the injuries to Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. But the most Anthony and I can do is go out and put on a great show, which I know is exactly what we’re going to do.”
Guida has twice fought at The Pearl at The Palms on TUF Finale cards, and twice he last come away empty handed. In 2007, Roger Huerta submitted him in the third round at the TUF 6 Finale. At TUF 9, his slugfest bloodbath against Diego Sanchez ended in a close split decision loss – and sent Sanchez on to a title fight against BJ Penn.
Guida told Ariel Helwani on Tuesday’s edition of “The MMA Hour” he believes the bout will be an instant Fight of the Year candidate. On Thursday, he told MMA Fighting the win is the most important thing, and if the bonus comes, it comes. “To me, the most important bonus check is my win bonus,” Guida said.
But somehow, no one, least of all White when he writes the check, likely will be surprised if Guida or Pettis – or both – add yet another bonus to their resumes.
Guida and Pettis fight on the main card of the TUF 13 Finale on Saturday, which airs live on Spike TV at 9 p.m. Eastern. Also on the main card, Season 13 finalists Ramsey Nijem and Tony Ferguson meet to decide the next TUF champion.
LAS VEGAS – If Season 13 of “The Ultimate Fighter” was a test for Ramsey Nijem, he certainly could have done worse than Court McGee as his study guide.
McGee, the Season 11 winner of the show, is a friend and training partner of Nijem, who fights in …
McGee, the Season 11 winner of the show, is a friend and training partner of Nijem, who fights in this season’s finale on Saturday. Watching McGee go through the same trials and tribulations in the house got him prepared for what he would have to face when his turn came.
Now things are going just about as planned, with one last hurdle to clear.
“I’m good friends with Court McGee, and when he went through the house I saw what he was able to accomplish,” Nijem said Thursday after a training session at The Palms, site of Saturday’s TUF 13 Finale. “I just took his advice and did what he did, and it’s had the same results so far.”
Nijem’s run through the Season 13 welterweight bracket has been as dominant as that of his Saturday opponent, Tony Ferguson. Ferguson finished his three fights on the show by knockout. Nijem, a member of coach Junior dos Santos’ team, had a pair of rear naked choke wins and a TKO in the semifinals.
But Nijem, who trains at John Hackelman’s Pit camp in California, as well as The Pit Elevated in Utah, believes his quarterfinal win over Clay Harvison, a quick first-round submission, was when he really believed this season’s title could be his for the taking.
“Once I finished that quarterfinal fight in under a minute, I felt like I made a statement there,” Nijem said. “I felt like I was going to win the show.”
Nijem also perhaps endeared himself to viewers with some of his antics on the show and a carefree attitude. Ferguson on Thursday implied Nijem’s on-screen personality was merely a persona: “It’s just an image – everybody’s got to stand out, I guess,” he said.
His “Stripper Ramsey” nickname came from his impromptu striptease on the show, and his allegiance to the TV show “Glee” also had housemates rolling their eyes. But Nijem said the goofy side of him has always been around.
“If you ask any of the guys on my team, they’ll say ‘That’s Ramsey,'” Nijem said. “Everyone’s like, ‘Your family, how do they feel about this?’ and they shake their head. My mom, I’ve been embarrassing her since I was born. So it’s just another opportunity for me to embarrass my mom. That’s what she expected. She was like, ‘At least you were yourself.’ My mom’s a fun person. Christmas Eve, we turn on the music and start having a dance party at Christmas. And clothes got off in the family living room. It’s just how me and my family are. We’re fun and we’re kinda wild.”
If Nijem is the feel-good story of this season’s finale, his opponent has set himself apart as the heel. A late-season outburst that brought housemate Charlie Rader’s family into play went too far, Nijem said.
At the end of the day, though, Nijem said his personal feelings for Ferguson don’t matter. He has a trophy and contract to win.
“He made an idiot of himself,” Nijem said. “He went out there and said some very inappropriate things about someone’s family, which is a line that you shouldn’t cross. I sensed that in the beginning, and I was always kind of wary about him and his true colors came out. But I’m not going to go in there and say, ‘I hate Tony and I’m going to kill him and F him’ and this and that. Tony’s an opponent and he’s in the way of my dream and that’s it. It doesn’t matter who’s across from me. I’ll fight the same way and with the same kind of attitude.”
Nijem and Ferguson fight in the main event of Saturday’s TUF 13 Finale at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas. The main card airs live on Spike TV at 9 p.m. Eastern and also features a lightweight bout between contenders Anthony Pettis and Clay Guida, plus the return of Tim Credeur and Ed Herman, who face each other after nearly two years off a piece due to injuries.
LAS VEGAS — And just like that, Clay Guida and Anthony Pettis may have traded places. 
LAS VEGAS – For the ninth straight event, the UFC will air preliminary card fights on its 
LAS VEGAS – Over the last couple years, unless they’re fighting against them, fighters sharing a card with 
LAS VEGAS – If Season 13 of “