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The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale — Live Results & Commentary

(“You maaaad, you maaaaad, you maaaaad!” Photo via MMAMania)

Tonight, TUF as we know it comes to an end. Before us lies a shadowy, uncertain world of live fights aired on F/X on Friday nights and international spin-offs. But no matter what comes next, you can feel secure in the fact that we’ll still be complaining about the show just as much as we always have, because we know no other way to live.

Welcome, friends, to our liveblog of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller Finale. On the menu this evening — Diego Brandao and Dennis Bermudez battle to decide the first featherweight TUF winner in UFC history, while John Dodson and TJ Dillashaw do the same for the bantamweights. Plus, heavy-handed TUF 13 winner Tony Ferguson steps up against seasoned vet Yves Edwards, and in the main event, Michael Bisping looks to remove the smirk off the face of his latest rival, Jason “Mayhem” Miller, who will be making his first Octagon appearance in over six years.

Round-by-round results from the TUF 14 Finale main card on Spike TV will be piling up after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest.

(“You maaaad, you maaaaad, you maaaaad!” Photo via MMAMania)

Round-by-round results from the TUF 14 Finale main card on Spike TV will be piling up after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest.

Preliminary card results:

– Marcus Brimage def. Stephen Bass via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)

– John Albert def. Dustin Pague via TKO, 1:09 of round 1

– Roland Delorme def. Josh Ferguson via submission (rear-naked choke), 0:22 of round 3

– Steven Siler def. Josh Clopton via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)

– Bryan Caraway def. Dustin Neace via submission (rear-naked choke), 3:38 of round 2

We open the Spike broadcast with the traditional pan through the Las Vegas crowd. A fat guy with a thick red beard screaming his lungs out will surely be the subject of an animated GIF tomorrow. We’re reminded that later on the show they’ll be announcing the Fight of the Season, Knockout of the Season, and Submission of the Season awards from TUF 14, each one worth $25,000 to a hungry castmember.

Louis Gaudinot vs. Johnny Bedford

Bedford got a haircut, and Gaudinot’s green mop is even more insane tonight. He’s like a bantamweight Clay Guida/Kermit the Frog hybrid. Bedford is seven inches taller and has an eight-inch reach advantage. Gaudinot is basically just killing time until the UFC opens up a flyweight division.

Round 1: Gaudinot misses a leg kick and gets tagged with one in return. Bedford with a long right straight and a takedown. Elbow from the top from Bedford. Gaudinot rolls to stand and Bedford grabs a headlock. Gaudinot stands and Bedford lands a knee, then a punch in the clinch. Another knee from Bedford and they separate. Bedford with another takedown and he moves quickly to mount. Punches from the top, and Gaudinot can’t do much except cover up. He bucks, but it doesn’t work. Bedford tying up Gaudinot’s arms. Gaudinot rolls to his knees and Bedford takes his back. Gaudinot trying to get to his feet, but Bedford stretches him back out on the mat. Gaudinot returns to his back, establishes half-guard. Bedford gets some space and throws down a punch. Gaudinot scrambles to a knee and eats a pair of punches. Gaudinot gets up, Bedford knees him in the gut and strolls off at the bell. 10-8 Bedford; Gaudinot did zero offensively in that round.

Round 2: Leg kick Gaudinot. Gaudinot gets in with a punch and kick, and exits. Bedford returns fire. He misses a spinning backfist but scores with a takedown. Gaudinot gets up, but Bedford is landing on him. Bedford goes for the ankle pick and gets it after some struggle. Bedford on top of Gaudinot in half guard. Bedford with punches to the body. A solid elbow. Bedford briefly gets mount again, but Gaudinot escapes. Bedford throws down a barrage of punches, and again, Gaudinot can’t do much except minimize damage. Gaudinot twists his body around and Bedford goes to north/south. Mount again. Bedford smashes Gaudinot with elbows. Bedford grabs an arm and tries for a straight armbar, but Gaudinot defends it on sheer muscle. There’s the bell. Either 10-9 or 10-8 for Bedford. I guess it doesn’t matter at this point; Gaudinot is going to need a miracle stoppage in round three.

Round 3: Bedford clinches up, throws a pair of knees. Gaudinot tries a leg kick. Another clinch/knee series from Bedford. Gaudinot fakes low and lands a backfist. Bedford makes him pay, swarming with strikes and dropping Gaudinot with a body shot and knee. He follows it up with a soccer-kick to the ribs, and slugs him with punches and knees from the top. Referee Steve Mazzagatti has finally seen enough.

Johnny Bedford def. Louis Gaudinot via TKO, 1:58 of round 3. “That’s fun to watch right there,” Bedford says, admiring the replay of his body shots. A good debut for Bedford, though beating up Louis Gaudinot doesn’t guarantee that he’ll be a force at 135 in the UFC.

Hey, an ad for Gina Carano’s Haywire! OPENING DAY, SON.

Tony Ferguson vs. Yves Edwards

Round 1: Leg kick Ferg. Another. Edwards throws back a jab, and Ferguson lands three leg kicks in quick succession. Edwards scores with a stright left to the grilland one to the body. Ferguson tries a teep to the body. Ferguson with a leg kick that’s checked, then throws two jabs. Edwards lands a punch then a head kick. Edwards lands a left in a firefight. Punch/leg kick from Edwards that spins Ferguson around. Leg kick again from Ferguson. Another. Edwards lands a punch but gets countered hard. Ferguson pushing forward with punches. Ferguson lands uppercut, then blitzes forward with punches. Edwards is hurt and covering up as Ferguson bombs out on him. Edwards returns a head kick then shoots in. Ferguson defends with an omoplata and gets to his feet. Awesome finish to the round. You gotta give it to Ferguson 10-9 for putting Edwards in trouble.

Round 2: Ferguson with a lead uppercut. He goes inside with the leg kick. Edwards lands a great right hand counter, then a head kick and a leg kick that stumbles Ferguson. Edwards fires a flying knee and one more in a clinch. Leg kick Ferguson. Ferguson switches to southpaw, jabs, and goes back to orthodox. Ferguson fires a hard right hook, then an uppercut that makes solid contact. Ferg misses a jab and Edwards lands in return. Ferguson lands the better punches in a boxing exchange. Edwards tries the head kick again. Edwards shoots, gets stuffed. Ferguson shoots and gets his takedown but the round ends before he can do anything with it.

Round 3: Ferguson touches Edwards with his jab. Edwards lands a great leg kick at the end of a punch combo, but slips and has to retreat. Body kick Ferguson. Ferguson kicks high. Edwards lands another leg kick that puts Ferguson off balance. Ferguson lands a left. They trade low kicks. Edwards with a straight left. Ferguson with a superman jab. Edwards responds with a leg kick. Edwards with another head kick that rolls off Ferguson’s shoulder. Leg kick Edwards. Side push kick from Ferguson. Head kick from Edwards. Edwards shoots, gets stuffed. Ferguson trying to land some punches, but missing. That’s the end. Tough one to call.

Tony Ferguson def. Yves Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28). Damn, Ferguson is sponsored by Jimmy John’s? I want to be sponsored by Jimmy John’s.

On the next page: The TUF 14 winners are decided.

TUF 14 Finale Weigh-In Video

Filed under: UFCAll the fighters stepping into the Octagon for Saturday night’s Ultimate Fighter Season 14 Finale will first step onto the scale at the Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale weigh-in, and we’ll have the live video right here at MMAFighting.com.

I…

Filed under: UFC

All the fighters stepping into the Octagon for Saturday night’s Ultimate Fighter Season 14 Finale will first step onto the scale at the Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale weigh-in, and we’ll have the live video right here at MMAFighting.com.

In the fight between the coaches, Michael Bisping and Jason “Mayhem” Miller will have to make the middleweight limit of 186 pounds. In the featherweight finale, Diego Brandao and Dennis Bermudez will have to make 146 pounds. And in the bantamweight finale, John Dodson and T.J. Dillashaw will have to make 136 pounds.

The weigh-in starts at 7 p.m. ET and the video is below.

(Editor’s Note: The video is back up. Just hit the all free video bar.)

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Stepping Into the Spotlight Makes for Whirlwind Week for TUF 14 Finalists

Filed under: UFCLAS VEGAS — On Thursday morning at 9 a.m. the UFC PR staff spread this season’s Ultimate Fighter finalists out across two conference rooms at the Palms hotel and casino and introduced them to one of the less glamorous aspects of life i…

Filed under: UFC

LAS VEGAS — On Thursday morning at 9 a.m. the UFC PR staff spread this season’s Ultimate Fighter finalists out across two conference rooms at the Palms hotel and casino and introduced them to one of the less glamorous aspects of life in a big time fight promotion: the dreaded pre-fight interviews.

“It’s going to be about an hour of talking,” UFC director of media relations Ant Evans explained as he sat TUF 14 bantamweight finalist T.J. Dillashaw down to begin a series of rapid-fire phone interviews. One look at Dillashaw’s face, and you could see he wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about the idea.

It could be worse, Evans explained. He could be like Michael Bisping and “Mayhem” Miller, who had two or three hours of interviews scheduled. Somehow, this failed to raise Dillashaw’s spirits.

“It’s just so fast,” he told me later, once it was my turn to monopolize his time. “You’re used to not very much media attention at all, and suddenly it’s a lot.”

That’s the case for all four of this year’s finalists. In general, bantamweights and featherweights don’t get as much love as the bigger fighters on the MMA scene, and the spotlight is even dimmer outside the UFC. After fighting their way onto the reality show and then earning a spot in the finals, they’re all finding out for the first time what it’s like to stand in the spotlight. Each has his own way of adjusting to this new life on fight week.

“The first time, I cried when I saw [myself] on TV,” said featherweight Diego Brandao. “It was crazy.”

Brandao’s opponent for Saturday night’s finale — Dennis Bermudez — played it a little cooler. In the next room over, sitting with his coach, Bermudez shrugged off the media pressure.

“I did a lot of high school newspaper articles for wrestling, stuff like that,” he said. “For me, it’s like a bunch of those, I guess.”

What he was happiest about was simply being out of the TUF house and free to move about, he said. People keep telling him that his career is about to be defined by how he performs against Brandao, who seems to have instilled a deep terror into most of his previous opponents, but Bermudez isn’t sweating it just yet.

“My mindset is, it’s another fight. People are like, it’s the biggest fight of your career. Well, it’s the biggest fight of my career right now. I’m sure I’ll have bigger fights later on.”

Bantamweight John Dodson — the only fighter who was all smiles even early in the morning, practically bouncing out of his chair with enthusiasm — is taking a similar approach. It’s not a must-win, he said. Especially not for a guy who’s really a natural flyweight, just waiting for the UFC to open the division up. The way he sees it, if he puts on an exciting fight, people will remember him regardless of whether he wins or loses.

“You’re telling me you don’t remember Stephan Bonnar?” he said. “You don’t remember Kenny Florian?”

For Dodson, the show was a bit of a mixed bag. He was painted as a traitor at times for sharing fight pairing news with the opposing team, and drew the ire of his coach, “Mayhem” Miller, who Dodson did a spot-on impression of as he mimicked Miller’s cry of, “Dodson, whyyyy!?!“

“I’m not going to lie, it’s still cool to have him talking about me,” Dodson grinned.

In fact, that’s his take on all the buzz surrounding his reality show stint. That’s why he thanked those who hated him most during the show’s run.

“People were asking me, why are you thanking the haters? It’s because, if I don’t have any haters, then it means I wasn’t doing anything right. There’s a reason people were talking about me.”

And while it’s nice to be talked about, both Dodson and Dillashaw are hoping that theirs is the fight that becomes the focus of the good kind of post-event talk rather than the bad. You can be a hero or a villain, but one thing these up-and-comers have learned is that you just can’t be boring.

“I don’t want to put this pressure on myself like I have to win this fight, because I really don’t,” said Dillashaw. “This sport’s for entertainment. I just need to go out there and put on a show. I’m going to win, but I’m going to put on an awesome show and go a hundred miles an hour.”

Just don’t tell him that reward for success is more interviews. You don’t want to send the poor guy in there with mixed emotions.

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Gambling Addiction Enabler: TUF 14 Finale Edition

The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale is just two days away, and though the bookies haven’t given us much to work with, we decided to throw y’all some last minute betting advice come fight night in case you plan on bluffing the piss out of Johnny Chan in the Palms Casino afterward. Check out the betting lines, courtesy of BestFightOdds, along with the almighty wisdom of the Great Potato, below.

Main Card (Spike TV)
Michael Bisping (-185) vs. Jason Miller (+160)
T.J. Dillashaw (-205) vs. John Dodson (+165)
Diego Brandao (-320) vs. Dennis Bermudez (+250)
Tony Ferguson (-255) vs. Yves Edwards (+205)

The Main Event: Let’s get right to it. Bisping has a lot of advantages going into this fight: he’s never been submitted, which is Miller’s bread and butter, he’s fought more in the past year, and he has considerably less pressure on him than Mayhem, who is out to prove to casual and hardcore fans alike that he is more than just a goofball TV personality. And we all know that Bisping will do anything, and I mean anything, to destroy those who slander him publicly, so Miller will most definitely be facing at a steep hill to climb for his first appearance in the octagon since 2005. But there are a couple crucial outside factors here. As Miller has stated, he is one hard headed son of a bitch, and despite what Bisping’s record says, have we ever seen him truly overwhelm an opponent as tough as Mayhem on the feet? You could argue Denis Kang, but I would respond to that argument with a pat on your head and a condescending chuckle.

Now let’s talk about grappling, shall we? Miller showed that he could roll with the best in his five rounder against Jake Shields, at one point even managing to catch the Cesar Gracie black belt in a rear naked choke late in the second round. Granted he would go on to lose that fight, but it’s not crazy to think that if Miller can take this fight to the ground, then he could hold a distinct advantage. But Miller has said that he plans to keep it standing, so it really comes down to whether you think Bisping can finish Miller on the feet (or at least jab and jog a decision over him) and whether or not Mayhem will allow that to happen.

The TUF Finals: Since we’ve recently been made aware of the fact that Dodson has the ability to KO you back to your hometown, he’s looking pretty good as a modest underdog. He’s easily the quicker of the two, and probably more athletic. But if Dillashaw can do anything, it’s take you to the mat and unleash a clinic of ground-and-pound. And though Dodson has been able to spring to his feet quickly after being taken down in his time on the show, he has still shown the ability to be taken down, and to far inferior grapplers than Dillashaw, nonetheless. The wrestling game is going to determine the winner of this one, and I think Dillashaw will come out on top.

I’m not totally counting out Dennis Bermudez, but I’m pretty damn close to. Diego Brandao is a killer, ladies and gentlemen, and if Akira Corissani was able to tag Bermudez as much as he did, then someone with Brandao’s power will surely put him away. Plus, can any of you remember the last TUF contestant to run through all three of his opponents on the show via first round TKO? I’ll give you a hint; he’s also fighting Saturday, and he won last season’s The Ultimate Fighter. Brandao has got this one.

The Other Fight: Yves Edwards is a tough, well rounded veteran who has the tools to put just about anyone in trouble, and given Ferguson’s lack of octagon experience, we’ve yet to see both his chin and ground game tested. But Ferguson is a precise striker that has an ability to punish your jaw worse than a Now & Later, and since Sam Stout already showed him the road to Edwards’ off button, expect Ferguson to sprinkle that road with the teeth of the “Thugjitsu Master” en route to a second or third round TKO.

Official CagePotato Parlay: We’re going balls out for this one and parlaying the entire main card. Since the fate of mankind lies in his hands (and we’ve always loved a good underdog) it’s going something like this:

Miller + Dillashaw + Brandao + Ferguson

50 bucks gets you just under a 300 dollar payout.

-The Great Potato

Dodson-Dillashaw, Brandao-Bermudez Lead Completed TUF 14 Finale Pairings

Filed under: UFC, NewsThe Ultimate Fighter season 14 finale is set after Wednesday night’s episode determined the divisional championship pairings to take place at The Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas on Saturday.

In the bantamweight class, John Dodson…

Filed under: UFC, News

The Ultimate Fighter season 14 finale is set after Wednesday night’s episode determined the divisional championship pairings to take place at The Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas on Saturday.

In the bantamweight class, John Dodson advanced to the final and will face TJ Dillashaw, while Diego Brandao navigated his way through the featherweight brackets to meet Dennis Bermudez.

Those were two of the eight pairings announced by the UFC following completion of the series.

Dodson faced heat from his Team Miller group all season long for leaking inside information to the opposition, and fellow semifinalist Johnny Bedford vowed revenge, but Dodson had the last laugh with a spectacular second-round KO.

He’ll face Dillashaw in the finals. Dillashaw had previously defeated Dustin Pague to advance.

Brandao notched his third straight first-round knockout victory in advancing to the final, where he’ll be matched up against Dennis Bermudez. Interestingly, Bermudez also finished all three of his TUF fights thus far, two by TKO and one by submission.

Also taking place on the main card, televised on Spike, is a bantamweight bout pitting the colorful Louis Gaudinot and Johnny Bedford. All three of those bouts, along with a lightweight fight with veteran Yves Edwards against season 13 winner Tony Ferguson will support the main event bout between coaches Michael Bisping and Jason “Mayhem” Miller. The full card is below.

Main Card
Michael Bisping vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller
Diego Brandao vs. Dennis Bermudez
John Dodson vs. T.J. Dillashaw
Yves Edwards vs. Tony Ferguson
Louis Gaudinot vs. Johnny Bedford

Preliminary Card
Stephan Bass vs. Marcus Brimage
John Albert vs. Dustin Pague
Roland Delorme vs. Josh Ferguson
Steven Siler vs. Josh Clopton
Bryan Caraway vs. Dustin Neace

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‘TUF 14? Episode 7 Recap: The Easy Road

(Round two of Dillashaw vs. Delorme, via IronForgesIron)

Roland Delorme’s foot is still as red and lumpy as Bruce Vilanch’s face. It still hurts like a bitch, but at least he can’t transmit it to anybody else, whatever it is. And there’s a still a good chance he’ll be cleared to fight, so fingers crossed.

Jason Miller brings in former Chute Boxe coach Rafael Cordeiro — who currently trains Mayhem at Kings MMA in Huntington Beach — to work with the Team Miller guys on striking drills. But Michael Bisping ups the ante, bringing in Tito Ortiz — his coach on TUF 3 — for a ground-and-pound clinic. “It’s not about the money or fame,” Ortiz tells the blue team. “It’s about us being men and seeing who’s the baddest guy alive.” Marcus Brimage is star-struck: “I was like, wow…that’s a big fucking head!”

Brimage and Akira Corassani are still harping on the fact that TJ Dillashaw asked to fight Delorme instead of Dodson, looking for an easy road to the bantamweight semi-finals. So Akira and Diego Brandao hatch a plan to get even with TJ. It’s a pretty simple plan, really — they plan to beat the shit out of him at practice.

(Round two of Dillashaw vs. Delorme, via IronForgesIron)

The plan is a success. TJ gets armbarred, leglocked, slammed, punched in the face, etc. It’s an ego-check, no doubt. But finally Dillashaw takes Akira down hard, and Akira walks off nursing his elbow. Still amped up, TJ starts slugging with Marcus, and the sparring session escalates into an all-out war followed by a shouting match. Bisping actually thinks it’s good for their training, but he and Tiki step in to douse the tension and prevent further in-fighting.

Delorme is cleared to bang. His doctor told him not to kick with the swollen foot until the fight, and the illness actually helped keep his weight down. Now, he just needs to knock some rust off before it’s go time.

Mayhem wants to get even for the towing of his car, so he gets some of his blue-collar buddies to haul in highway barricades and block in Tiki’s fancy pickup truck. Tiki sees it, and cries on the inside.

Final pre-fight chatter: Roland had a restaurant outside of Winnipeg, but sold it to pursue his fighting dream. TJ says he’s not one of those typical wrestlers that just wants to lay on you; he wants to have exciting fights. Roland thinks his grappling will be the kryptonite to TJ’s wrestling. Says Dillashaw: “It gives me confidence when guys are scared of my abilities and what I can do.” Delorme has a four-inch reach advantage. Okay? Let’s get to it…

Round 1: Delorme fires a leg kick, Dillashaw catches it and takes him down. Delorme pops up, avoids a guillotine. Dillashaw almost catches another kick. He muscles Delorme to the mat, and starts punching from inside guard. Dillashaw passes to side control and drops some elbows. Delorme spins out and escapes. Nice uppercut from Dillashaw, Delorme returns with strikes. Another takedown from Dillashaw. He tries to take Delorme’s back, Delorme rolls to defend. Heavy ground-and-pound from Dillashaw, who’s landing and smashing Delorme up. Delorme gets up, Dillashaw hangs on to a leg and trips him down. Dillashaw looks for a choke on the ground. Delorme escapes to his feet, lands a body shot and a jab. Dillashaw connects with a right straight. Punch and body kick from Delorme. Dillashaw shoots, lands some knees from clinch. Delorme trips Dillashaw down and tries to work his jits, but Dillashaw reverses and ends the round on top. Big round for TJ.

Round 2: Dillashaw lands a right straight that knocks Delorme on his ass. Dillashaw starts celebrating, but Delorme stays conscious, so Dillashaw has to dive on and continue beating on him. Dillashaw with big elbows and punches from the top. Delorme trying to work his guard, but he’s dazed. Delorme tries to explode out, but Dillashaw stays on him, takes Delorme’s back and ends the fight with a choke. TJ Dillashaw makes it into the bantamweight semis.

Delorme has quite a lump on his face from the punishment Dillashaw was dishing out. He’s emotional. “I wanted it,” he says, choking back tears. “I didn’t get it.”

The score ends up 5-3 in Team Miller’s favor at the end of the quarterfinals, which means that two of his 135-pounders will have to fight each other in the semis. The coaches and Dana White bring in the fighters one by one to get their input.

First, the bantamweights come in. TJ Dillashaw wants “Vanilla Ice,” Dustin Pague, as it would be an exciting fight against somebody with a hole in his game. John Dodson wants TJ, or Johnny Bedford because Bedford fought three of Dodson’s teammates and beat them. Pague and Bedford both want to fight their teammate, Dodson, for being a snake-ass snitch. Mayhem and Bisping both agree that TJ and Dodson are the best 135-pounders, and would produce a great fight. (“Finally we agree on something,” Miller says. “Well, don’t get used to it,” Bisping says.)

The featherweights are brought in next. Bryan Caraway implies that he wants to fight Diego Brandao in the finals, but not in the semis. Unfortunately for him, the coaches both want Caraway vs. Diego and Akira vs. Dennis Bermudez.

The semis are announced. At bantamweight, TJ Dillashaw will meet Dustin Pague, and John Dodson will face Johnny Bedford. Akira says TJ picked the easy road again. Dodson says Bedford is too lanky too deal with him, and Pague compliments Dillashaw on being a “pretty good looking guy.”

At featherweight, it’s Akira Corassani vs. Dennis Bermudez and Diego Brandao vs. Bryan Caraway. Akira says Dennis is scared of his standup. Bermudez wants to pay Akira back for all the pranks in the house. Caraway, as expected, isn’t pleased with his matchup. He thinks him vs. Diego is “the true finals match.”

Says TJ: “Caraway is definitely scared of Diego. I train with Caraway back home and I know how good he is…he has to start believing it too. Diego’s super mentally strong, and Caraway isn’t, and that might be a factor in this fight.”