Going head-to-head against UFC promo king Chael Sonnen would be a tall order for anybody — but you’d think that Jon Jones would at least try to make it competitive. In case you missed it, here’s Jon and Chael’s interview segment from the TUF 17 Finale broadcast, in which Jones acts like a 15-year-old whose weed stash was just discovered by his stepdad. The first words out of Jones’s mouth are a slurred jumble of Ortizian proportions. He can’t stop swinging his arms. He won’t make direct eye contact. He refuses to address Sonnen — who continues his carnival-barking, undeterred — even though this segment was specifically arranged to generate interest in their UFC 159 fight in two weeks. As David Letterman might say, “Jon, I’m sorry you couldn’t be here tonight.”
This clip unfortunately leaves off the very end, in which Jones sulks off stage left at his first opportunity, while Sonnen remains standing next to Jon Anik; Jones may still be the light-heavyweight ruler of the Octagon, but Sonnen has rightfully claimed his territory in front of the camera. We’ll give Jon the benefit of the doubt and say he was trying to come off as intensely focused, instead of bored, or pissed off, or half-drunk. Either way, it was a missed opportunity to spark some more fan-interest in a fight that is completely uninteresting from a competitive standpoint. That’s no way to get some fans, bro.
Going head-to-head against UFC promo king Chael Sonnen would be a tall order for anybody — but you’d think that Jon Jones would at least try to make it competitive. In case you missed it, here’s Jon and Chael’s interview segment from the TUF 17 Finale broadcast, in which Jones acts like a 15-year-old whose weed stash was just discovered by his stepdad. The first words out of Jones’s mouth are a slurred jumble of Ortizian proportions. He can’t stop swinging his arms. He won’t make direct eye contact. He refuses to address Sonnen — who continues his carnival-barking, undeterred — even though this segment was specifically arranged to generate interest in their UFC 159 fight in two weeks. As David Letterman might say, “Jon, I’m sorry you couldn’t be here tonight.”
This clip unfortunately leaves off the very end, in which Jones sulks off stage left at his first opportunity, while Sonnen remains standing next to Jon Anik; Jones may still be the light-heavyweight ruler of the Octagon, but Sonnen has rightfully claimed his territory in front of the camera. We’ll give Jon the benefit of the doubt and say he was trying to come off as intensely focused, instead of bored, or pissed off, or half-drunk. Either way, it was a missed opportunity to spark some more fan-interest in a fight that is completely uninteresting from a competitive standpoint. That’s no way to get some fans, bro.
Every UFC main event has to be about something, and when there aren’t any titles on the line, things tend to get pretty creative. Leading up to the main event of the TUF 17 Finale, the talk surrounding the bout focused on the friendship between competitors Urijah Faber and Scott Jorgensen and how it may affect the bout. Whether the two were actually the close friends that the media made them out to be was completely irrelevant; which is good, because Jorgensen revealed during fight week that they weren’t.
What we were left with was a bout between the number two and number seven ranked bantamweights that played out as expected. This isn’t to say that the fight wasn’t entertaining (it was), but Jorgensen was outgunned early and often by Faber before “The California Kid” sank in the fight ending rear-naked choke in the fourth round. It was closer than the gambling odds indicated it would be, but not exactly a close fight, and though Jorgensen managed to mount some offense of his own, he never appeared to be any real threat to Faber.
The bantamweight division is very top-heavy, which perhaps more than anything explains why Urijah Faber is seemingly always one fight away from a title shot. The gap between the top five guys and the rest of the division is wider than most fans would care to acknowledge, and it showed last night. Still, I’d rather watch Urijah Faber fight Michael McDonald than watch him get crammed into yet another title fight. I doubt I’m in the minority here – at least among hardcore fans.
Photo Courtesy of Getty Images.
Every UFC main event has to be about something, and when there aren’t any titles on the line, things tend to get pretty creative. Leading up to the main event of the TUF 17 Finale, the talk surrounding the bout focused on the friendship between competitors Urijah Faber and Scott Jorgensen and how it may affect the bout. Whether the two were actually the close friends that the media made them out to be was completely irrelevant; which is good, because Jorgensen revealed during fight week that they weren’t.
What we were left with was a bout between the number two and number seven ranked bantamweights that played out as expected. This isn’t to say that the fight wasn’t entertaining (it was), but Jorgensen was outgunned early and often by Faber before “The California Kid” sank in the fight ending rear-naked choke in the fourth round. It was closer than the gambling odds indicated it would be, but not exactly a close fight, and though Jorgensen managed to mount some offense of his own, he never appeared to be any real threat to Faber.
The bantamweight division is very top-heavy, which perhaps more than anything explains why Urijah Faber is seemingly always one fight away from a title shot. The gap between the top five guys and the rest of the division is wider than most fans would care to acknowledge, and it showed last night. Still, I’d rather watch Urijah Faber fight Michael McDonald than watch him get crammed into yet another title fight. I doubt I’m in the minority here – at least among hardcore fans.
Of course, the “friendship” angle between Faber and Jorgensen wasn’t the only storyline from last night to abruptly fall apart. After Anik’s interview with Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen, it’s safe to say that any possibility of the UFC marketing these two guys as bitter rivals/sworn enemies/anything other than apathetic about fighting each other is off the table. Judging by the comments on last night’s liveblog, I may be the only person who actually enjoyed the segment, but I digress. Oh, one more obvious storyline fell apart last night, too.
Elsewhere on the card…
– Throughout this season of The Ultimate Fighter, it seemed obvious that Uriah Hall was destined for stardom. He steamrolled his way through his competition on the show, impressed us with flashy, Tekken-inspired kicks and appeared ready to make an immediate impact on the UFC middleweight division. On paper, Hall’s co-main event clash with Kelvin Gastelum for this season’s championship was strictly a formality, as Gastelum was no threat to actually win this fight, right?
Not quite. Gastelum surprised many – including Hall – by being more than willing to press the action against the feared striker, and earned takedowns throughout the course of the bout. Even though Hall managed to reverse some of Gastelum’s attempts, in the end Gastelum took the fight – and this season’s championship – by way of split decision.
Perhaps it’s fitting that the most interesting season of The Ultimate Fighter in recent memory ended with an underdog winning it all, but don’t be quick to dismiss Kelvin Gastelum. Gastelum may not have the resume that Hall has, but a good wrestler who doesn’t get gun-shy has unlimited upward mobility in the UFC. As the youngest TUF champion in the history of the show, Gastelum has the potential to make quite the impact on the middleweight division. Likewise, don’t give up on Uriah Hall just yet. The close loss may be a product of Hall having the Octagon jitters, something that happens to many fighters the first time they fight in the UFC. Time will tell how Hall bounces back from this defeat.
– The $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus rightfully went to Cat Zingano and Miesha Tate for their three round brawl. Although Zingano kept the bout close, Tate’s wrestling earned her the edge on the judge’s scorecards heading into the third round. However, Zingano was in complete control in the third round, earning a takedown and landing strikes at will against Tate. After catching Tate with a knee during a scramble, Zingano kept swinging until Kim Winslow stopped the bout. Cat Zingano earned a coaching slot on The Ultimate Fighter 18 alongside Ronda Rousey – as well as a title shot at the end of the season – with the victory.
Fights are virtually guaranteed to end in controversy whenever Kim Winslow is in the cage, and this fight proved to be no exception. After the event, Miesha Tate expressed her anger over the stoppage, claiming that Winslow waived things off too soon. “She told me, ‘Show me something,’” said Tate. “I don’t know what you want. I sat up, I shot a double, I got back to my feet. I took some damage because of that, because I was trying to listen to the referee, and she fucking stopped the fight.” Despite Tate’s argument that the stoppage was early (for what it’s worth, I didn’t think it was), it was a great fight that further demonstrated why women belong in the UFC.
– Travis Browne is certainly one of the most creative strikers in the UFC, but I know I can’t be the only person who thought “not this again” when he started his bout against Gabriel Gonzaga with a wild high kick that completely missed its target. Throughout the next minute of the fight, it was obvious that Gonzaga wanted nothing to do with Browne’s striking. During the last six seconds of the fight, it was obvious why. Despite Gonzaga’s best efforts to neutralize Browne’s dynamic stand-up, Browne only needed a few standing hellbows to shut out Napao’s lights, earning himself the $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus.
– If you didn’t like watching Bubba McDaniel thoroughly outclass Gilbert Smith on his way to a third round triangle choke victory, you’ll possibly take comfort in knowing that he didn’t win the $50,000 Submission of the Night bonus for his efforts. Instead, the honor went to Daniel Pineda, who kicked off the card with a first round victory by kimura over Justin Lawrence.
– As for the $25,000 End of the Season awards, Fight of the Season went to Dylan Andrews and Luke Barnatt for their back-and-forth quarterfinal fight that Andrews eventually won by TKO, Submission of the Season went to Kelvin Gastelum for his rear-naked choke victory over Josh Samman during the semifinals, and I think it’s pretty obvious who took home Knockout of the Season.
Full Results:
Main Card:
Urijah Faber def. Scott Jorgensen via submission (rear-naked choke), 3:16 of Round Four
Kelvin Gastelum def. Uriah Hall via Split-Decision
Cat Zingano def. Miesha Tate via TKO (knees & elbow), 2:55 of Round Three
Travis Browne def. Gabriel Gonzaga via KO (elbows), 1:11 of Round One
Bubba McDaniel def. Gilbert Smith via submission (triangle choke), 2:49 of Round Three
Preliminary card:
Josh Samman def. Kevin Casey via TKO (knees), 2:17 of Round Two
Luke Barnatt def. Collin Hart via Unanimous Decision
Dylan Andrews def. Jimmy Quinlan via TKO (punches), 3:22 of Round One
Clint Hester def. Bristol Marunde via KO (elbow), 3:53 of Round Three
Cole Miller def. Bart Palaszewski via submission (rear-naked choke), 4:23 of Round One
Maximo Blanco def. Sam Sicilia via Unanimous Decision
Daniel Pineda def. Justin Lawrence via submission (kimura), 1:35 of Round One
Handling play-by-play duties for our TUF 17 Finale liveblog is Alex Giardini, who will stack up results from the FX main card broadcast after the jump beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and please share your own thoughts in the comments section.
(“Nice hair, douchebag.” — Both of them. / Image via MMAFighting.com)
Handling play-by-play duties for our TUF 17 Finale liveblog is Alex Giardini, who will stack up results from the FX main card broadcast after the jump beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and please share your own thoughts in the comments section.
Hello there, tasty ones…welcome to The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale. Tonight’s main event features title shot alumni Urijah Faber against Miami Ink’s own, Scott Jorgensen. A win for Faber means “The California Kid” could be next in line for a light heavyweight or middleweight title shot (his choice, really) and a win for Jorgensen means…well, a two-fight win streak.
The Ultimate Fighter middleweight tournament winner will be crown as Uriah Hall takes on Kelvin Gastelum, who at this point probably has three people in this world who thinks he’s going to leave Las Vegas the winner. In all seriousness, this fight should be a lot closer than most people think.
A salivating (creep alert) matchup between Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano will also take place on this card and I’m warning you now, updates may take a little longer during this one. Technically, you are all ‘Taters…but tonight I’m sure there will be some ‘Zingers in the house too. Anyway, the winner of this one gets a title shot and coaches alongside Ronda Rousey in next season’s Big Brother.
A heavyweight scrap between Gabriel Gonzaga and Travis Browne should be thoroughly entertaining and opening the night is a scrap between TUF 17 castoffs Bubba McDaniel and Gilbert Smith. Also on the card tonight are former Strikeforce ring card girls Chrissy Blair and Vanessa Hanson. Good God, those bangs-ba-bangs-bangs-bangs….let’s do the damn thang.
Intro video begins and I must say Tate and Zingano are by far the prettiest fighters ever to take part in this montage. Yeah, you’re going to have to deal with this all night. Gastelum declares himself as the underdog once again – hard not to root for guys like that. Faber says he’s basically getting another title shot with this win. Hmm, would have never thought…
I’m also expecting a .gif of that blonde in the crowd wearing the white tanktop by tomorrow morning, courtesy of the MMA community (a.k.a. sick freaks).
Bubba McDaniel vs. Gilbert Smith
Round 1: They do not touch gloves. Smith with a miss to the body. Bubba with a left that misses but pushes Smith towards the fence. Smith with a good knee, could have been a groin. Bubba with a nice combo, left and rights. Smith gets a takedown by pulling Bubba’s foot from underneath of him and sets up his guard. Bubba reverses and ends up in half-guard. Good elbow from the position by Bubba. Bubba with some jabs and Smith gets up, setting up a double-leg takedown. Smith attempts a triangle but fails. Smith in Bubba’s guard, not staying very busy. Bubba with a few elbows from the bottom. Bubba works his way to the cage and posts his back against the fence. Smith still grinding as Bubba is attempting to standup. Bubba on his knees, firing elbows to the side of Smith’s head. He gets up shortly but Smith takes him back down. Bubba working a guillotine. It looks quite deep but doesn’t commit and switches to a sweep. Bubba now in side control, works and gets Smith’s back. A big knee to the ribs by Bubba at the end of the round. Close, but Bubba did more damage. 10-9 Bubba.
Round 2: Both men clinch at the center. Smith charges Bubba all the way to the fence and is working another takedown. Bubba pressures him and ends up reversing Smith against the fence. Smith attempts a kimura but no success. Smith working a single, Bubba defending with his back against the cage and laying down some hammerfists. Knee to the head by Bubba. Both men now exchanging, Bubba using effective legkicks. Smith misses a wild left. Bubba attempts the takedown and Smith gets him in a guillotine. It looks very tight. Bubba gets out of it and is now in side control. Bubba moves to the back, gets double-underhooks and rains down punches. Bubba in half-guard and clips Smith with a good elbow. Smith gets up and they are both on their feet. Jab misses by Smith. Bubba with a nice right hook. Smith jabs but Bubba shuffles away. 10-9 Bubba.
Round 3: They touch gloves and Bubba knocks him down with a left shortly after. Bubba gets another left hook in but Smith responds with the same. Smith goes for a takedown but Bubba reverses it into a takedown of his own. Bubba in side control, passes guard and mounts. Bubba back in half-guard after Smith postures effectively. Bubba takes the back after a crossface. Bubba looking for underhooks, secures one. Bubba attempting to stretch Smith out for a rear-naked choke. Smith countering very well, and reverses Bubba. However Bubba gets a triangle-armbar in. Smith tries to escape but Bubba locks it in and Smith eventually taps.
Bubba McDaniel def. Gilbert Smith by Submission (Triangle choke), Round 3, 2:49.
Decent fight to start the main card. Nice promo video for next week’s card, featuring Mir, Cormier, Nate, Melendez and etc.
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Travis Browne
Round 1: Browne with a wild overhead kick that misses and Gonzaga nearly turns it into a takedown. Gonzaga has Browne clinched up against the fence. Gonzaga working a single-leg, Browne defending with a left-underhook. Ref warns Browne not to grab fence. Browne hits Gonzaga with four or five elbows and my goodness, Gonzaga falls flat, out cold.
Travis Brown def. Gabriel Gonzaga by KO (Elbows), Round 1, 1:11.
Those elbows were brutal. Some hit the temple, some hit the ear, one definitely hit the back of his head. More or less inevitable when you’re trying to pound someone’s lights out. Anik interviews Browne, who says he’s got to show these young bucks how to get bonuses. Fair enough.
Crowd shots of both CM Punk, promoting straight-edgery with an “X” in the air and IBF Light Middleweight champ Ishe Smith.
Anik joined by Jones and Sonnen. Jones says the final should be a great fight. Sonnen hits a promo on the final, business as usual. Anik asks Jones a question in which Jones shrugs off and says the work is done. Sonnen says if he goes down, he will go down as a gangster. Jones does not even look at Sonnen. Jones said it’s not about hate, it’s about love. Yeah, honestly I’m as confused as you are. Whatever, second-women’s-fight-in-UFC-history time and aww, shot of Rousey in the crowd.
Miesha Tate vs. Cat Zingano
Zingano stares at Tate intensely before “Cupcake” can even get into the cage. Tate dancing in her corner and rapping alongside Nicki Minaj before Buffer spews their names. Cuuuuuute.
Round 1: Lurdge Winslow gets them going. Tate comes out blazing and gets the takedown. Cat escapes and now Tate securing in a choke. Tate digs Cat into the fence and Cat working a guillotine of her own. Cat relaxed against the fence. Cat has a guillotine in tight, trips Cat and now they’re back on their feet. Tate rocks Cat with a number of punches and Cat drags Tate to the bottom, getting in another choke. Cat now in side control. Cat on top, trying to work an armlock. They both get up and Cat gets a nice highkick in. Tate rocks Cat back with a huge right. Big knee from Cat! Followed by a jab and big uppercut from Cat. Tate gets another takedown, aggressively trying to work. Tate now in side control and trying to mount. Tate has her leg caught in Cat’s half-guard. Big elbow from the top from Tate followed by one more. Tate trying to get her leg free. Tate with a big elbow from the top. Round ends with Miesha on top, raining down punches. As Tate gets up, she shoves her hand in Cat’s face who walks towards Tate but Winslow separates them. Oh my. 10-9 Tate.
Round 2: Cat comes forward with a flying knee, misses. They scramble for takedowns and Miesha now in side control against the fence. Tate trying to find an advantageous position but Cat still trapping that leg. Tate trying to mount. Big shots from the top, by Tate who transitions into armbar. Cat escapes and both are in an opposite north-south position, battling for supremacy. Cat in mount once more, raining down punches. Tate in side control once more, trying to mount. Now Cat reverses and is on top. Tate sets up a leglock. Cat trying to break her leg free and Tate gets her in a heel-hook. Cat patiently waiting for an opportunity. Cat with some punches to the legs of Tate and her face. Tate still working off her back. Tate trying to turn but Cat counters. Big shots from Cat on top. Cat raining down some ground and pound revenge. Cat still in top position. Tate gets up, Cat misses with a knee and both try for a takedown as the horn sounds. FOTN, easily. 10-9 Tate.
Round 3: Tate bleeding from the nose. Both circle, faking. Cat misses a highkick and falls but gets up. Cat works a takedown and charges Tate down. Warning from Winslow for Cat to watch the eyes. Big elbow from side control by Cat. Tate on her back and Cat drilling down punches. Good, short elbow from Cat from the top. Cat looking for a choke. Cat pounding away, with shots and elbows. Tate scrambling but Cat is relentless in side control. Tate’s nose looks messy. Cat really pounding away, Tate gets up and Cat drops her with a knee. Tate gets up and another knee from Tate. Cat with a few more big strikes, elbows, and the ref steps in.
Holy hell, that fight was intense. Shot of Rousey sitting by Chael, who is giving the champ some advice based on what he saw. Rousey looks intrigued by Cat.
Cat Zingano def. Miesha Tate by TKO (Strikes), Round 3, 2:55.
Rousey and Dana with Anik now. Rousey said she’s really able to perform under pressure and Dana said she looked amazing tonight. I wonder if The Baldfather told Rousey to wear that blazer to promote next season’s Big Brother. Dana announces next season will move to Fox Sports One. In other news, many of the commenters down below will masturbate to the replay of our last fight in approximately 53 minutes.
Pre-fight promo video shows Gastelum with his mother back at home. She talks about his trophies and triumphs. He says he owes his life to her. Screen shots of NY and footage of Uriah’s sister busting his chops. His mother tells him, “Mama says Knock him out”. Uriah says Kelvin does not possess what he has. Bring on the winner…
Uriah Hall vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Round 1: Herb Dean gets us going. They touch gloves and Gastelum takes the centre. Both very patient, feeling each other out. Hall working backwards. Gastelum lands with a left after missing a wild one. Gastelum clinching Hall against the fence, working with knees. Gastelum with a shoulder strike after his arms are being controlled by Hall. Both men still clinched against the fence. They separate and Gastelum gets a legkick in. Hall goes for a lead-in knee and misses his right hook. Hall connects with a short right. Gastelum with a superman punch and rocks Hall. Gastelum swinging for the fences. Gastelum misses a wild right and sets up a takedown. Throwing bombs from side control, Gastelum mounts. He ends up in half-guard and clips Hall with a short punch. Gastelum trying to ground and pound but Hall looks like he’s doing well from the bottom. Hall uses the fence to get up and Gastelum knees him. Hall gets in a beautiful inside legkick that nearly spins Gastelum around. Hall with a big takedown but Gastelum gets up and Hall ends the round by clinching him against the fence. Gastelum 10-9.
Round 2: Hall comes out blazing and misses a frontkick. Gastelum moving nicely, shuffling back and forth. Hall misses with a spinning strike but gets a straight right in. Big highkick by Hall. Hall misses with a few fancy highkicks and Gastelum secures another takedown. Gastelum trying to mount but Hall working nicely off his back. Gastelum secures and underhook but Hall reverses him and gets on top. Hall stands up and lays into Gastelum with a big knee, who also gets up seconds after Hall. Gastelum has Hall clinched up against the fence again. Trip by Hall and ends up on top of Gastelum on the ground. Short elbow by Hall on the ground. Dean urges Hall to work. Hall ends up getting Gastelum’s back as they both on their feet and a huge belly-to-back suplex by Hall. Gastelum quickly rises and turns Hall against the fence. Gastelum using his wrestling background effectively. Knee lands inside by Gastelum. Tough one to score. 10-9 Gastelum.
Round 3: Gastelum misses with a wild right hook and Hall hits him with a knee to the body. Gastelum points to the crotch and the fight stops. After a few seconds, Gastelum is ok. Hall misses with a patented karate kick. Hall trying to catch his opponent with those familiar spinning kicks. Hall with his hands down catches Gastelum with a big jab. Gastelum takes him down from the back and Hall escapes and gets a takedown of his own, dropping bombs from the top. Both men standup and Gastelum clinches Hall towards the fence once more. Hall misses with a jab. Hall gets a nice left jab in. Hall almost catches him with a highkick. Hall misses with a frontkick to the body. Gastelum catches Hall with an overhead left. Inside legkick by Gastelum. Big double-leg takedown by Gastelum and he transitions into an armbar. Hall going for a triangle off his back. Gastelum escapes and is mounted, trying to do damage from the top. Hall firing away from the bottom with wild, hard punches. Gastelum goes for an armlock and Hall reverses it, gets his back and the horn sounds. Sudden victory round could be looming. 10-9 Gastelum.
Kelvin Gastelum def. Uriah Hall by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Rocky Balboa never got tired of the underdog role, so why should Gastelum. Congrats to Kelvin, The Ultimate Fighter 17 Middleweight Winner.
Main event time…
Urijah Faber vs. Scott Jorgensen
Round 1: Both men come out aggressively. Faber lands with a few strikes and works on a front headlock. Faber clinches Jorgensen against the fence. Jorgensen gets a takedown and tries to work on the bottom. Faber attempts an armbar but no dice. Nice reversal by Faber and he takes down Jorgensen. Faber attempts a guillotine and takes his back instead. Both men get to their feet and both land a few jabs. Huge knee to the midsection by Faber. Jorgensen drops and Faber capitalizes on top of him. Faber takes his back and secures position for a rear-naked choke. Jorgensen tries to escape but Faber relentlessly continuing. Jorgensen escapes but Faber gets in a guillotine. Faber shuffles and continues to secure the choke. Faber switches position and gets Jorgensen’s back once more. Faber gets an underhook in as Jorgensen tries to get to his feet and the horn sounds. All Faber in the first. 10-9 Faber.
Round 2: Both fighters come to trade in the centre. Jorgensen misses a big left hook. Faber misses with a combo. Faber kicks Jorgensen in the groin by accident and Jorgensen drops. After about a minute, Jorgensen continues. Good jab by Jorgensen. Beautiful knee by Faber to the face. Straight right by Faber and a counter by Jorgensen. Uppercut by Faber and Jorgensen gets a takedown. Faber gets up quickly and clocks Jorgensen with another knee. Faber checks a highkick from Jorgensen. Nice left hook by Faber. Faber going to the body, using kicks and hits Jorgensen with a nice elbow. Faber with a nice left hook. Faber with a kick to the midsection. Jorgensen working his combinations effectively but Faber is so fast that nothing is landing. Takedown by Faber. Jorgensen trying to work a kimura from the bottom. Faber scrambles and both men stand up. Nice left by Jorgensen. Uppercut by Jorgensen. Faber lands a big right. Faber clinches Jorgensen against the fence. Jorgensen reverses and gets a bodylock against the cage. Both jockeying for position. Both men fight off to get to the center and Jorgensen closes the second round with a nice left hook. 10-9 Faber.
Round 3: Both men circle at the center. Nice straights by Jorgensen but he can’t catch Faber clean. Good knee by Faber. Jorgensen connecting with his lead jab. Nice right hand by Jorgensen. Knee to the body by Jorgensen. Faber misses with a right but lands a legkick. Good combo by Faber, closes with a left hook. Nice combination by Jorgensen that lands. Body shot by Faber. Faber with a good left hook. Faber again with a left hook as Jorgensen comes forward. Jorgensen has Faber against the fence and works double-underhooks. Jorgensen now has Faber’s back and misses with a big elbow. Faber escapes and catches him with a big right hand. Jorgensen gets a right in of his own and sneaks in a takedown. He has Faber’s back and Faber escapes but eats an elbow on the inside. Jorgensen connects with an uppercut and a few good punches. Legkick by Jorgensen. Jorgensen throws another kick but almost slips. Good counter punch by Faber. Faber gets a double-leg and now has Jorgensen’s back. Horn sounds and a big round for Jorgensen. 10-9 Jorgensen.
Round 4: Jorgensen opens the round with a right hook. Faber connects with a straight right. Jorgensen connecting with a string of punches. Faber catches him with a right hand. Jab by Faber. Jorgensen shoots for a takedown but ends up in a high-elbow guillotine. Jorgensen escapes and both exchanges punches. Faber stuffs a takedown. Jorgensen gets in a knee to the body as Faber went forward. Big elbow by Faber. Both men clinch at the center. They break apart and Faber clocks him with a right. Faber fainting successfully and jabs Jorgensen. Left hook by Faber. Big takedown by Faber. Faber gets his back and gets an arm in across Jorgensen’s face. Faber gets in a rear-naked choke and Jorgensen is an inch away from the fence, trying to escape. Faber sinks it in deep and Jorgensen taps. Another submission for “The California Kid”.
Urijah Faber def. Scott Jorgensen by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), Round 4, 3:16.
Fun card…these TUF Finales usually are. Faber praises his buddy and hopes they fight for the belt one day. Tate and Zingano definitely the highlight of the night. Hope y’all enjoyed the card. Take care homies.
(This “20 Staredowns That Got Physical” video conveniently cuts off before Ricardo Mayorga flash-KO’s Din Thomas with a karate chop to the neck. Props: MMADigest)
(This “20 Staredowns That Got Physical” video conveniently cuts off before Ricardo Mayorga flash-KO’s Din Thomas with a karate chop to the neck. Props: MMADigest)
On paper, this Saturday’s TUF 17 Finale card is dominated by wide mismatches. But which fights will actually be blowouts, and which ones will end in profitable upsets? Check out the betting lines below (via bestfightodds.com) and let’s see if we can win some cash off this thing.
MAIN CARD (FX, 9 p.m. ET)
Urijah Faber (-435) vs. Scott Jorgensen (+375)
Uriah Hall (-309) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (+325)
Cat Zingano (-115) vs. Miesha Tate (+106)
Travis Browne (-250) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (+240)
Robert McDaniel (-166) vs. Gilbert Smith (+155)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FUEL TV, 7 p.m. ET)
Josh Samman (-445) vs. Kevin Casey (+370)
Luke Barnatt (-124) vs. Collin Hart (+115)
Jimmy Quinlan (+100) vs. Dylan Andrews (+105)
Clint Hester (-160) vs. Bristol Marunde (+150)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 5:30 p.m. ET)
Bart Palaszewski (-160) vs. Cole Miller (+155)
Daniel Pineda (-120) vs. Justin Lawrence (+109)
Maximo Blanco (-200) vs. Sam Sicilia (+195)
If you’re confused about what the numbers mean, read this. Otherwise, let’s proceed…
On paper, this Saturday’s TUF 17 Finale card is dominated by wide mismatches. But which fights will actually be blowouts, and which ones will end in profitable upsets? Check out the betting lines below (via bestfightodds.com) and let’s see if we can win some cash off this thing.
MAIN CARD (FX, 9 p.m. ET)
Urijah Faber (-435) vs. Scott Jorgensen (+375)
Uriah Hall (-309) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (+325)
Cat Zingano (-115) vs. Miesha Tate (+106)
Travis Browne (-250) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (+240)
Robert McDaniel (-166) vs. Gilbert Smith (+155)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FUEL TV, 7 p.m. ET)
Josh Samman (-445) vs. Kevin Casey (+370)
Luke Barnatt (-124) vs. Collin Hart (+115)
Jimmy Quinlan (+100) vs. Dylan Andrews (+105)
Clint Hester (-160) vs. Bristol Marunde (+150)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 5:30 p.m. ET)
Bart Palaszewski (-160) vs. Cole Miller (+155)
Daniel Pineda (-120) vs. Justin Lawrence (+109)
Maximo Blanco (-200) vs. Sam Sicilia (+195)
If you’re confused about what the numbers mean, read this. Otherwise, let’s proceed…
The Main Event: Without disrespecting the man too much, let’s just say that Scott Jorgensen is only in the main event because Urijah Faber needed somebody to fight. A win for Faber is the most likely scenario here…but man, are those odds bloated or what? Keep in mind that Faber has been relatively inconsistent since his WEC heyday, and has been alternating neatly between wins and losses during his UFC career. (Both Faber and Jorgensen are coming off of submission victories, by the way.) At -435, putting money on the California Kid is definitely not worth the risk. On the other hand, a small bet on Jorgensen (+375) might be. Consider it.
The Co-Main Event: I have to admit, the Uriah Hall hype train has swept me off my feet and I like it, baby. I think Hall is a lock against Kelvin Gastelum, and it’s not just because of his explosive power or flashy Tekken-kicks — it’s also his maturity, his confidence, and his experience edge. Of the five opponents on Gastelum’s professional record, only one had a winning record when they fought. Meanwhile, Hall has already been in the cage with UFC-level talents like Chris Weidman and Costa Philippou, and learned valuable lessons from those fights. Gastelum is an incredible raw talent, but he needs seasoning; Hall already has it. Betting on Uriah won’t be profitable, but it’s a fairly safe investment.
The Ladies: It’s somewhat surprising that Cat Zingano — who isn’t a familiar Strikeforce crossover — is a slight favorite over a known quantity like Miesha Tate. Zingano certainly looks the part, and Rose Namajunas told us that she’s a stud wrestler and rapidly improving striker, in addition to her BJJ base. But until Cat experiences her first fight on a big stage against a top talent like Tate, I wouldn’t suggest betting on her. Small money on Miesha is probably the way to go.
Another Good ‘Dog: If Cole Miller (+155) can bring the fight to the ground, Bart Palaszewski is in deep shit. That is all.
Proceed With Caution: Six months ago, Browne vs. Gonzaga would have been a no-brainer. Travis Browne was the nasty up-and-comer, and Gabriel Gonzaga was the irrelevant can-crusher. Then, Browne blew a hammy while firing some ridiculously unnecessary jumping front kicks against Bigfoot Silva, and Gonzaga went and choked out Ben Rothwell — his greatest UFC victory since his infamous head kick knockout of Mirko Cro Cop. So is Napao back? And will Browne keep it simple this time, for God’s sake? My gut tells me that Browne has this in the bag, but my mind tells me to skip it, just in case.
The Official CagePotato “Safe” Parlay: $5 on Faber+Hall+Tate+Barnatt returns a $22.77 profit on BetUS.
The Unofficial CagePotato “So Crazy It Just Might Work?” Parlay: $5 on Jorgensen+Gonzaga+Casey+Marunde+Miller+Sicilia returns a $5,431.40 profit.
It couldn’t have worked out better, really. Last night’s semifinals episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Sonnen left us with two fantastic middleweight prospects: A ferociously powerful striker who’s been the show’s front-runner since his first knockout in the house, and a 21-year-old rookie who kicks ass like a seasoned pro and harbors a not-so-secret crush on Ronda Rousey. In the interest of spoiler-sensitivity, we won’t post their names right here, but come on, you all know who we’re talking about.
Follow us after the jump as we recap the two fights from TUF 17 episode 12, which both ended in stoppages. Plus: The complete fight lineup for this Saturday’s TUF 17 Finale in Las Vegas, which includes one surprising (i.e., indefensibly terrible) matchup on the main card.
It couldn’t have worked out better, really. Last night’s semifinals episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Sonnen left us with two fantastic middleweight prospects: A ferociously powerful striker who’s been the show’s front-runner since his first knockout in the house, and a 21-year-old rookie who kicks ass like a seasoned pro and harbors a not-so-secret crush on Ronda Rousey. In the interest of spoiler-sensitivity, we won’t post their names right here, but come on, you all know who we’re talking about.
Follow us after the jump as we recap the two fights from TUF 17 episode 12, which both ended in stoppages. Plus: The complete fight lineup for this Saturday’s TUF 17 Finale in Las Vegas, which includes one surprising (i.e., indefensibly terrible) matchup on the main card.
Though he’s always up for a good brawl, Kelvin Gastelum brought out his wrestling chops early to clinch with Josh Samman and take the fight to the mat. Samman was active off his back, attempting an armbar then a kimura before getting back to his feet. But Gastelum was on him like a bad smell, clinching with Samman against the fence and depositing him back on the canvas. The ground-and-pound came swiftly and with brutal force. Gastelum battered Samman with elbows and punches until Samman exposed his back while attempting to escape. Gastelum immediately sunk a rear-naked choke, picking up his third win by stoppage in the TUF house, and punching his ticket to the finals. Gastelum def. Samman via submission (RNC), round 1. [GIF HERE VIA ZOMBIE PROPHET]
Two weeks ago, we compared Dylan Andrews to Florida Gulf Coast University, which would make Uriah Hall the Florida Gators — the odds-on favorite putting an abrupt end to Dylan’s Cinderella story. Hall’s performance in the first round wasn’t a violent blitzkrieg, but a calm, controlled showcase of his precision. As Andrews took the center of the cage and tried to push the action, Hall hung back and landed a variety of strikes, landing at will as the round drew to a close. After five minutes, it was clear that Andrews was outmatched.
Hall stepped on the gas in round two, landing on Andrews from all angles and knocking down the New Zealand native with a front push kick. Andrews scored a takedown in an attempt to change the tenor of the fight, and it turned out to be his undoing. Hall spent some time chasing a kimura attempt, but when it didn’t pan out he decided to just tee off on Andrews with punches from the bottom. When was the last time you saw an MMA fighter turtle up on top of his opponent? Because that’s what happened last night, and it was kind of incredible. Hall flipped over the wounded Andrews and smashed him with more punches to end the fight. Hall def. Andrews via TKO, round 2. [GIF HERE VIA ZOMBIE PROPHET]
Dana calls Uriah Hall the nastiest guy in the history of the show. And suddenly, Mac Danzig and Tony Ferguson are but distant memories…
With both of his fighters in the finals, Chael Sonnen wins that Harley Davidson motorcycle that he was hawking on episode 1. And with the TUF 17 middleweight final in place, the full lineup for the TUF 17 Finale was announced…
Main card (FX at 9 p.m. ET)
Urijah Faber vs. Scott Jorgensen
Uriah Hall vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Miesha Tate vs. Cat Zingano
Travis Browne vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Robert “Bubba” McDaniel vs. Gilbert Smith
Undercard (FUEL at 7 p.m. ET)
Josh Samman vs. Kevin Casey
Luke Barnatt vs. Collin Hart
Dylan Andrews vs. Jimmy Quinlan
Clint Hester vs. Bristol Marunde
Undercard (Facebook)
Cole Miller vs. Bart Palaszewski
Sam Sicilia vs. Maximo Blanco
Justin Lawrence vs. Daniel Pineda
There is nothing wrong with your computer screen. Bubba McDaniel — who went 1-2 in the house and suffered a minor nervous breakdown — is actually on the main card, by virtue of being the most annoying person on the show. (I guess his relationship with Jon Jonesdoesn’t hurt either.) Ugh. At least Junie Browning was an entertaining mess. And since he needs an opponent, Gilbert Smith — the constantly-naked fireplug who was eliminated on episode 2 — will also be on the main card. Meanwhile, semifinalists Josh Samman and Dylan Andrews are buried on FUEL. Get the fuck out of here. And yes, two guys named Urijah/Uriah are on the main card. How long before Hall is the more popular one?
For your records, here’s the TUF 17 middleweight bracket, courtesy of Wikipedia (click image for larger version):
Note:To get into the house, Uriah Hall defeated Andy Enz by decision and Kelvin Gastelum defeated Kito Andrews by decision.
