LAS VEGAS — This is the TUF 14 Finale live blog for Diego Brandao vs. Dennis Bermudez, a featherweight bout on tonight’s UFC on Spike TV event at the Pearl at the Palms.
Brandao and Bermudez are fighting to determine the season 14 featherweight tournament winner. Brandao (13-7) is an aggressive striker who likes to make quick work of his opponents. Bermudez (7-2) has a wrestling background and finished all three of his fights on the show.
Round 1: These two aren’t wasting time. They meet in the center and go right to work. In true Wanderlei Silva fashion (he did come out to his hero’s music), Brandao is putting his head down and winging those hooks. Bermudez briefly gets him down, but can’t keep him there. Good ovrhand right by Brandao. Bermudez forces him into the fence and then flies in with a kick to the body. Big shot by Brandao drops Bermudez, but he doesn’t follow him down and Bermudez is on his feet quickly. Bermudez comes back with a heavy right, and Brandao answers moments later. Brandao runs in with a knee and gets Bermudez down, slamming him back to the mat when tries to rise. Bermudez eventually gets to his feet and takes a glancing head kick on his way out. Brandao walks directly into a crushing right hand and goes down in a heap. I don’t know how his jaw is still attached. Bermudez hammers him with more punches from the top, but Brandao moves just enough to show referee Josh Rosenthal he’s still in it. Less than 30 seconds to go now, and Bermudez is pounding on Brandao. This is close to being stopped, but Brandao rolls for an armbar and locks it up from the bottom, flipping Bermudez over and forcing him to tap right away. Amazing fight, and an amazing finish. One of the best one-round fights of the year, right up there with Nick Diaz-Paul Daley?
Diego Brandao def. Dennis Bermudez via submission (armbar) at 4:51 of round one
LAS VEGAS — This is the TUF 14 Finale live blog for Diego Brandao vs. Dennis Bermudez, a featherweight bout on tonight’s UFC on Spike TV event at the Pearl at the Palms.
Brandao and Bermudez are fighting to determine the season 14 featherweight tournament winner. Brandao (13-7) is an aggressive striker who likes to make quick work of his opponents. Bermudez (7-2) has a wrestling background and finished all three of his fights on the show.
Round 1: These two aren’t wasting time. They meet in the center and go right to work. In true Wanderlei Silva fashion (he did come out to his hero’s music), Brandao is putting his head down and winging those hooks. Bermudez briefly gets him down, but can’t keep him there. Good ovrhand right by Brandao. Bermudez forces him into the fence and then flies in with a kick to the body. Big shot by Brandao drops Bermudez, but he doesn’t follow him down and Bermudez is on his feet quickly. Bermudez comes back with a heavy right, and Brandao answers moments later. Brandao runs in with a knee and gets Bermudez down, slamming him back to the mat when tries to rise. Bermudez eventually gets to his feet and takes a glancing head kick on his way out. Brandao walks directly into a crushing right hand and goes down in a heap. I don’t know how his jaw is still attached. Bermudez hammers him with more punches from the top, but Brandao moves just enough to show referee Josh Rosenthal he’s still in it. Less than 30 seconds to go now, and Bermudez is pounding on Brandao. This is close to being stopped, but Brandao rolls for an armbar and locks it up from the bottom, flipping Bermudez over and forcing him to tap right away. Amazing fight, and an amazing finish. One of the best one-round fights of the year, right up there with Nick Diaz-Paul Daley?
Diego Brandao def. Dennis Bermudez via submission (armbar) at 4:51 of round one
LAS VEGAS — This is the TUF 14 live blog for John Dodson vs. T.J. Dillashaw, a bantamweight bout on tonight’s UFC on Spike TV event at the Pearl at the Palms.
Dodson faces Dillashaw to determine the season 14 bantamweight tournament winner. Dodson (11-5) is a flashy fighter out of Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque, N.M. Dillashaw (4-0) is the less experienced fighter, but holds a strong wrestling background.
The live blog is below.
Round 1: Dodson starts of with a straight left counter that clips Dillashaw and sends him staggering back, but he recovers quickly. They trade leg kicks, and already Dodson looks like the quicker fighter. Dodson flicks out a left and then a head kick that stings Dillashaw. Dillashaw walks right into a left hook that catches him behind the ear, and he’s down. Dodson jumps on him with hammer fists, and referee Herb Dean jumps in just as Dodson is rolling to his stomach and looking for a single-leg. Might have been a quick stoppage, but Dillashaw staggers up to his feet and wobbles to one side, still on shaky legs. Dodson, meanwhile, runs up the side of the cage and does a backflip with a half gainer, then sprints across the cage and does the same thing on the other side. That was the most impressive physical feat he’s performed all night.
LAS VEGAS — This is the TUF 14 live blog for John Dodson vs. T.J. Dillashaw, a bantamweight bout on tonight’s UFC on Spike TV event at the Pearl at the Palms.
Dodson faces Dillashaw to determine the season 14 bantamweight tournament winner. Dodson (11-5) is a flashy fighter out of Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque, N.M. Dillashaw (4-0) is the less experienced fighter, but holds a strong wrestling background.
The live blog is below.
Round 1: Dodson starts of with a straight left counter that clips Dillashaw and sends him staggering back, but he recovers quickly. They trade leg kicks, and already Dodson looks like the quicker fighter. Dodson flicks out a left and then a head kick that stings Dillashaw. Dillashaw walks right into a left hook that catches him behind the ear, and he’s down. Dodson jumps on him with hammer fists, and referee Herb Dean jumps in just as Dodson is rolling to his stomach and looking for a single-leg. Might have been a quick stoppage, but Dillashaw staggers up to his feet and wobbles to one side, still on shaky legs. Dodson, meanwhile, runs up the side of the cage and does a backflip with a half gainer, then sprints across the cage and does the same thing on the other side. That was the most impressive physical feat he’s performed all night.
LAS VEGAS — This is the TUF 14 live blog for Yves Edwards vs. Tony Ferguson, a lightweight bout on tonight’s UFC on Spike TV event at the Pearl at the Palms.
Edwards (41-17-1) won in October with a head kick followed by punches against Rafaello Oliveira. Ferguson (12-2) won the season 13 title in June and went on to beat Aaron Riley at UFC 135.
Round 1: Ferguson pumps out the jab as each man tries to gauge the distance. Edwards bounces around on the outside, but makes absolutely no effort to check Ferguson’s leg kicks. Ferguson sees this, and tosses out a couple more in rapid succession. Nice head kick by Edwards fools Ferguson and lands flush, but he takes it well. Edwards digs to the body and then chops at the leg. Ferguson goes to work with a nasty uppercut that just misses its mark. More stinging leg kicks by Ferguson. There’s that uppercut again, and this time it may have clipped Edwards. Ferguson flips out a straight right and Edwards is on wobbly legs. Ferguson goes on the attack and Edwards is barely staying upright. He recovers another to smack Ferguson with another head kick that stops the assault. Edwards goes for a takedown and Ferguson rolls into a nifty oma plata before the round ends. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Ferguson.
Round 2: Round 2: Edwards punches his way in and takes a right hand behind the ear. Moments later Edwards catches Ferguson coming in and cracks him with a brutal right, followed by a head kick. Somehow Ferguson maintains his poker face, but Edwards looks positively menacing as he presses the attack. Ferguson weathers it well and blows a mix of blood and snot out his nose once the onslaught subsides. That might not have been a great idea if his nose is broken, which it may well be. Ferguson lands that right uppercut again and Edwards may have gone cross-eyed for just a moment. A looping left hand from Edwards smacks of Ferguson’s jaw. Seconds later, there’s that head kick again. Ferguson’s corner screams for him to get his hands up. He’s getting caught with that entirely too much. Edwards tries for a takedown in the final 30 seconds, but Ferguson defends and then gets one of his own before the horn. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Edwards.
Round 3: Round 3: Brutal, close fight so far, and neither man looks too tired as they start the final round. Ferguson does a nice job of staying in the pocket and landing some sharp counterpunches, but Edwards comes back with that head kick yet again. They trade kicks, and Edwards seems a tad reluctant to trade in close. “Get ready to drop that hammer,” says Ferguson’s corner. Another Edwards head kick sends sweat flying off Ferguson’s head. He tries to respond, but it’s blocked. Edwards is touching Ferguson to the body, but getting out of there in a hurry. Stiff right pops Edwards’ head back. Both men feeling a sense of urgency in the final minute, and Edwards gets the blood flowing from Ferguson’s nose again with a looping right. Good left hand from Edwards before the horn, and they two men exchange smiles, confident in the performance they put on. As for how this decision will go, neither can feel terribly confident right now. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Edwards, but the consensus opinion on press row is that the last round is almost a toss-up.
Tony Ferguson def. Yves Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Edwards looks stunned, and there’s a lot of eye-rolling on press row at the two 30-27s.
LAS VEGAS — This is the TUF 14 live blog for Yves Edwards vs. Tony Ferguson, a lightweight bout on tonight’s UFC on Spike TV event at the Pearl at the Palms.
Edwards (41-17-1) won in October with a head kick followed by punches against Rafaello Oliveira. Ferguson (12-2) won the season 13 title in June and went on to beat Aaron Riley at UFC 135.
Round 1: Ferguson pumps out the jab as each man tries to gauge the distance. Edwards bounces around on the outside, but makes absolutely no effort to check Ferguson’s leg kicks. Ferguson sees this, and tosses out a couple more in rapid succession. Nice head kick by Edwards fools Ferguson and lands flush, but he takes it well. Edwards digs to the body and then chops at the leg. Ferguson goes to work with a nasty uppercut that just misses its mark. More stinging leg kicks by Ferguson. There’s that uppercut again, and this time it may have clipped Edwards. Ferguson flips out a straight right and Edwards is on wobbly legs. Ferguson goes on the attack and Edwards is barely staying upright. He recovers another to smack Ferguson with another head kick that stops the assault. Edwards goes for a takedown and Ferguson rolls into a nifty oma plata before the round ends. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Ferguson.
Round 2: Round 2: Edwards punches his way in and takes a right hand behind the ear. Moments later Edwards catches Ferguson coming in and cracks him with a brutal right, followed by a head kick. Somehow Ferguson maintains his poker face, but Edwards looks positively menacing as he presses the attack. Ferguson weathers it well and blows a mix of blood and snot out his nose once the onslaught subsides. That might not have been a great idea if his nose is broken, which it may well be. Ferguson lands that right uppercut again and Edwards may have gone cross-eyed for just a moment. A looping left hand from Edwards smacks of Ferguson’s jaw. Seconds later, there’s that head kick again. Ferguson’s corner screams for him to get his hands up. He’s getting caught with that entirely too much. Edwards tries for a takedown in the final 30 seconds, but Ferguson defends and then gets one of his own before the horn. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Edwards.
Round 3: Round 3: Brutal, close fight so far, and neither man looks too tired as they start the final round. Ferguson does a nice job of staying in the pocket and landing some sharp counterpunches, but Edwards comes back with that head kick yet again. They trade kicks, and Edwards seems a tad reluctant to trade in close. “Get ready to drop that hammer,” says Ferguson’s corner. Another Edwards head kick sends sweat flying off Ferguson’s head. He tries to respond, but it’s blocked. Edwards is touching Ferguson to the body, but getting out of there in a hurry. Stiff right pops Edwards’ head back. Both men feeling a sense of urgency in the final minute, and Edwards gets the blood flowing from Ferguson’s nose again with a looping right. Good left hand from Edwards before the horn, and they two men exchange smiles, confident in the performance they put on. As for how this decision will go, neither can feel terribly confident right now. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Edwards, but the consensus opinion on press row is that the last round is almost a toss-up.
Tony Ferguson def. Yves Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Edwards looks stunned, and there’s a lot of eye-rolling on press row at the two 30-27s.
Filed under: UFCThe final season of The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV is in the books, and only Saturday night’s TUF 14 Finale stands between us and the end of an era. Don’t get misty on me just yet, though. Blink away those tears and enjoy some thought…
The final season of The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV is in the books, and only Saturday night’s TUF 14 Finale stands between us and the end of an era. Don’t get misty on me just yet, though. Blink away those tears and enjoy some thoughts, questions, predictions and observations before it all comes crashing down.
I. The UFC and Spike TV are going to kick each other in the balls all the way to the bitter end. That’s how White characterized Spike’s decision to counter-program one of the UFC’s events on Versus, and he hinted that he might find a way to land a groin strike of his own before it was all over. This week, with a live TUF Finale set to air on the network, he has. No open workouts. No media events at all to promote the show. If UFC.com was your only source of information, you probably wouldn’t even know Spike TV was still a network, let alone one that’s airing tonight’s UFC event. I realize that it’s strictly business, but it still feels a little sad. These two were so young and so in love once. There was a time when the UFC and Spike needed and appreciated one another. Now, with the relationship coming to an end, it feels like the fighters on this card are children caught in the crossfire of a bitter divorce.
II. And how are the fighters holding up during this nasty split? Depends who you ask.“Mayhem” Miller is so used to the old Strikeforce way of doing things, he didn’t even notice what an unusual fight week this was (until we told him). Michael Bisping, on the other hand, definitely notices. He also seems not totally thrilled about fighting on a Spike TV card in the cramped Pearl at the Palms rather than on a pay-per-view in a big arena, but he’s too much of a company man to complain publicly. The TUF finalists? They’re just happy to be here; they don’t know any better. In the grand scheme of things, this probably won’t change anyone’s life. One way or another, the fights that are worth seeing will get seen, and the UFC and Spike will both move on. As Miller said when I talked to him for this SI.com story, “They have their own battles. My battle is in a pair of tight shorts.”
III. Speaking of “Mayhem,” the man is so oddly calm heading into this fight that I fear he might have to change his nickname. Granted, Jason “Mild Disorder” Miller doesn’t sound anywhere near as cool, but the wildman we used to know seems to have given way to a mature, responsible individual. It’s weird, and even he thinks so. This is the same guy who used to dive on tables full of drinks at L.A. nightclubs. Now he almost seems like someone you’d trust to watch your kids, or at least your dog. Maybe it’s a consequence of age. Maybe the trials and tribulations of his last year with Strikeforce matured him a little. If Miller can shed some of the mercurial behavior that’s cost him in his career, yet keep the same fire in the cage, he might really go places in the UFC.
IV. Bisping, on the other hand, is about as calm as a hurricane. But then, anybody who attended Friday’s weigh-ins already knew that. He looked like he was about to explode when he stepped out on the stage, and the incessant boos didn’t do much to settle his spirits. Bisping’s an emotional guy, so maybe it will help him to go out there with a little extra fury in his fists. Then again, this is a five-rounder. If it goes into the late rounds with Miller grinding away at him, you have to wonder whether he might expend all that emotional energy too soon.
V. If you’re betting against Diego Brandao’s takedown defense, you might want to think twice. He’s been at Greg Jackson’s gym working with some excellent wrestlers of late, and the guys in that camp feel that his takedown defense has come a long way even in the short time since the show. That makes it seem unlikely that Dennis Bermudez will get by on wrestling alone in this fight. Even if he does manage to put the terrifying Brazilian on his back, it’s hard to see Bermudez finishing him there. That means he’ll have to ride it out for three rounds, which is a risky prospect against a guy with Brandao’s aggression and power. If you ask Bisping, he’ll tell you that this is a mismatch in Brandao’s favor. Unfortunately for Bermudez, he might be right.
VI. At least T.J. Dillashaw and John Dodson agree on one thing: they need to entertain rather than win at all costs. That’s what both were saying earlier this week, anyway. They have a good point, when you really think about it. The 135-pound division is still thin enough that the loser of this fight won’t get cast out into the darkness. Dodson is probably biding his time until the 125-pound class starts up in the UFC, and Dillashaw is a good-looking kid who the UFC will want to keep around for at least one more go, especially since bantamweights with any name recognition are in short supply these days. All they really have to do is put on a show. That said, it’s better to win than to lose, and don’t think for a second that either of them has forgotten that.
VII. The real victims of the UFC-Spike TV cold war? Yves Edwards and Tony Ferguson. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but that’s a hell of a good fight for free TV. It’s just a shame that it’s getting completely ignored. What really shocked me was when I went and looked at the betting odds and saw that Ferguson is a 3-1 favorite. Don’t get me wrong, he’s looked good in his last two fights, while Edwards is probably on the downslope of a prolific career. At the same time, you can’t count out a guy with that much experience in the art of Thug-jitsu.
Despite Jason Miller‘s basic-cable cred, Michael Bisping will be the biggest UFC star to compete at the TUF 14 Finale on Saturday night. He’s also one of the biggest villains on the UFC roster — a fighter who fans love to hate. To some extent, you can blame that on reality show editing, which Bisping in fact does, starting at the 10:18 mark of this video interview. But he’s also been responsible for some real-life behavior that’s just nasty and wrong. Like Josh Koscheck, the villain persona that has been hoisted on Bisping seems to be an exaggerated version of what’s already there.
In this 20-minute pre-fight chat, Ariel Helwani gets the Count’s thoughts on his fight with Mayhem Miller, and attempts to reconcile Michael Bisping the bully character with Michael Bisping the human being. Here’s a cheat sheet…
Despite Jason Miller‘s basic-cable cred, Michael Bisping will be the biggest UFC star to compete at the TUF 14 Finale on Saturday night. He’s also one of the biggest villains on the UFC roster — a fighter who fans love to hate. To some extent, you can blame that on reality show editing, which Bisping in fact does, starting at the 10:18 mark of this video interview. But he’s also been responsible for some real-life behavior that’s just nasty and wrong. Like Josh Koscheck, the villain persona that has been hoisted on Bisping seems to be an exaggerated version of what’s already there.
In this 20-minute pre-fight chat, Ariel Helwani gets the Count’s thoughts on his fight with Mayhem Miller, and attempts to reconcile Michael Bisping the bully character with Michael Bisping the human being. Here’s a cheat sheet…
— The smaller scale of the TUF 14 Finale doesn’t feel any different to him than his bigger fights, though it’s a bit of a disappointment not to be on a big PPV card.
— Six of Bisping’s last seven opponents have gone to the hospital afterwards, and Mayhem will be heading there as well.
— He doesn’t like being considered a “bad boy,” and has done nothing to purposefully play up that image. He’s often said things out of emotion that he regrets later.
— Haters hate on the Internet. In person, they show love.
— He’s happy as a pig in shit, most of the time.
— The footage of Bisping acting like a nice person in this episode was left on the cutting room floor, which annoyed him.
— “Mutual respect” is probably the wrong way to describe the relationship between Bisping and Miller.
— Steroids are “a massive problem” in MMA, and he knows that a lot of fighters use them. He also questions the idea that alpha-male MMA fighters would need testosterone therapy. (At 16:15, he thinks of something funny related to sex-changes, but doesn’t say it. Good man, you’re learning.) Of course, the two things are linked: “When you abuse steroids, that does affect your natural production of testosterone, hence, therefore, if you need testosterone replacement therapy…I would say that the people taking that have been abusing steroids in the past and therefore have low testosterone.”
— Bisping knows for a fact that his camp didn’t leak any information to Miller, but he couldn’t care less even if they had. Mayhem could watch Bisping’s training himself and it wouldn’t make a difference in their fight.
— Bisping’s prediction for the fight: “I’m going to beat him in all areas.”
LAS VEGAS — This is the TUF 14 Finale live blog for Diego Brandao vs. Dennis Bermudez, a featherweight bout on tonight’s UFC on Spike TV event at the Pearl at the Palms.
LAS VEGAS — This is the TUF 14 live blog for 
LAS VEGAS — This is the TUF 14 live blog for 
The final season of The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV is in the books, and only Saturday night’s