Another season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ is in the books, and as usual the finale is broadcast live from Las Vegas. The final matchup for ‘TUF 10: Rashad vs. Rampage’ ended up being Roy ‘Big Country’ Nelson vs. Brendan Schaub (both fighters were members of Team Rashad on the show). The card was headlined by a light-heavyweight bout between Matt Hamill and Jon Jones, and featured all of the TUF 10 cast members who won at least one fight on the show, not to mention Kimbo ‘Kevin Ferguson’ Slice. Here’s how it all went down:
Marcus Jones vs. Matt Mitrione (HW)
Round 1: Jones wastes no time taking Mitrione down. Jones lands in side control and attempts to improve his position further but Mitrione is able to get back to his feet. Jones eats a knee moving in to clinch. Jones pushes Mitrione against the fence. Mitrione changes levels for a takedown as Jones grabs hold of a guillotine choke and pulls guard. The choke is not locked in and Mitrione is able to back out and stand up. Jones with another takedown and Mitrione escapes again. Jones looks tired and eats a big combination but is able to get yet another takedown as the round ends. Round 10-9 Jones
Round 2: Jones comes out with a sloppy kick. Mitrione lands two right hands, dropping Jones. Jones is out.
Aftermath: Marcus Jones possess impressive grappling skills for a man his size, and could work on his striking and conditioning, but there is no training for his chin. At his age, Jones is not likely to become a UFC-level fighter.
Matt Mitrione shows some potential but is very raw. He needs to be developed slowly, and should next fight another TUF 10 cast-mate, like Brendan Schaub or Jon Madsen.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Frankie Edgar vs Matt Veach (155 lbs)
Round 1: Edgar is looking to strike and Veach to grapple. Veach fails on the first two takedown attempts but his persistence pays off and he eventually lands a big slam. Edgard pops right back up and is slammed down again. Edgar escapes and peppers Veach with combinations. Veach is swinging for the fences but doesn’t connect. Edgar goes for a takedown of his own but gets stuffed. Veach misses a superman punch and goes for another takedown. Round 10-9 Veach
Round 2: Veach looks tired and now Edgar is able to defend his takedowns. Edgar throws combinations until a right hand finds its target, dropping Veach. Edgar mounts Matt and pounds away. Veach rolls over, giving up his back, and Edgar secures a rear-naked choke forcing a tapout.
Aftermath: This was somewhat of a mismatch, with Matt Veach stepping in on short notice to replace an injured Kurt Pellegrino who was originally scheduled to face Frank Edgar. Veach performed well considering it was his second UFC bout against a veteran and one of the division’s top contenders. Edgar retains his position near the top of the lightweight division. I’d like to see him fight Joe Stevenson next.
Fight Grade: 3/5
James McSweeney vs. Darril Schoonover (HW)
Round 1: McSweeney comes out aggressive with punches and kicks, making Schoonover back up and eventually dropping him to his knees with a punch. Schoonover desperately grabs McSweeney’s leg to survive, and James pulls guard with a guillotine. Schoonover recovers and escapes the choke. Schoonover stands up and does a flying guard pass. He looks for mount but McSweeney sweeps and passes into mount himself. McSweeney’s ground and pound forced Schoonover to roll over and give up his back; McSweeney looks for a choke but Schoonover eventually escapes to his feet. Schoonover lands a solid combination as the round ends. Round 10-9 McSweeney
Round 2: Schoonover lands several good punches; McSweeney counters with greater success and knocks Schoonover off-balance then follows him down into guard. McSweeney punches from the top. Schoonover attempts a submission but ends up turtled up on all fours with McSweeney landing mostly effective strikes. Schoonover regains guard then sweeps but McSweeney quickly reverses and is back on top. McSweeney gets Darril’s back as Schoonover tries to get back to his feet. Round 10-9 McSweeney
Round 3: Both fighters are tired and throwing mostly haymakers. McSweeney shoves Schoonover to the canvas and drops down into side control. Schoonover regains half-guard and they stall out on the ground. Referee stands them up and they go back to sloppy striking. McSweeney lands a series of knees and a glancing head kick. Schoonover is rocked and McSweeney lands heavy punches until Schoonover drops. James keeps punching and the referee stops the bout.
Aftermath: James McSweeney showed some improvement since his fights in the show, but still has a cardio issue. He will get an opportunity to improve against other lower-level UFC heavyweights, weeding out his TUF house-mates like Kimbo Slice or Justin Wren.
Darril Schoonover will leave for an Army tour in Afghanistan shortly, and it was clear that he did not properly prepare for this fight, coming in much heavier and in poorer shape than on the show. Hopefully he will return from his mission with health intact, and continue his MMA career as a light heavyweight.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Houston Alexander vs. Kevin ‘Kimbo Slice’ Ferguson (catch-weight of 215 lbs)
Round 1: Both fighters tentative to start. Kimbo advances towards Houston, who circles to the right. This sets the pace for the entire round, with Kimbo advancing and Houston circling away. Houston throws an occasional leg kick without much snap behind them. Kimbo throws an occasional counter. Very low output from Alexander and even less from Kimbo. Halfway through the round they clinch and exchange a few strikes; Kimbo backs out of the clinch and they go back to circling. Awful round. Round 10-9 Alexander
Round 2: The first round starts out much as the second, with Kimbo moving forward and Houston circling away. Kimbo finally decides to attack and throws Houston from clinch. Slice lands in mount. Houston quickly shakes him off and gets up. They struggle in clinch and Kimbo launches Alexander with a huge throw. Alexander lands on his head and is dazed for a moment but Kimbo can’t capitalize. Kimbo is in mount and Alexander gives up his back. Kimbo looks for a choke but doesn’t know how to finish, and Houston escapes to his feet. Kimbo throws him again but this time Houston lands on top in mount, and the round is over. Round 10-8 Kimbo
Round 3: More circling and both fighters look very tired. Alexander finally decides to throw some hands. They exchange, both landing punches. Alexander with another low kick that knocks Kimbo down. Kimbo is very slow to get up; looks like he might be done but Alexander hesitates to attack. Alexander finally attacks but Kimbo latches on to his leg and scores a takedown. They stall out with Kimbo in Houston’s half-guard, and the ref calls for a standup. They exchange as the round ends, with Alexander getting the better of the final exchange. Round 10-9 Alexander
Kevin Ferguson defeats Houston Alexander by unanimous decision with the scores of 30-27, 29-28, 29-28
Aftermath: Both fighters looked bad, unwilling to engage knowing that their UFC career might be over if they get knocked out. The decision could have gone either way, thought the score of 30-27 Ferguson was surprising. Houston Alexander loses his fourth straight UFC bout and will likely not be brought back after implementing a Kaleb Starves – like strategy. Kimbo will surely return, though UFC is going to have a hard time finding opponents that he would be competitive with. If he remains at heavyweight, he should fight someone like McSweeney or Mitrione. If Slice decides to drop further down to light-heavyweight, UFC will likely pit him against some unheralded newcomers.
Fight Grade: 2/5
Matt Hamill vs. Jon Jones (205 lbs)
Round 1: Jones is throwing kicks and spinning elbows as usual. Hamill responds with some unorthodox strikes of his own, attempting spinning elbows and backfists. Neither fighter lands anything significant. Hamill attempts a takedown and is thwarted. They clinch and Jones throws Hamill with a mighty trip. Jones almost instantly passes into mount, postures up and begins unloading elbows. Most of the strikes miss their target but Hamill is taking some punishment and making no effort to get up. Jones lands three spiked elbow strikes that open a big cut on the bridge of Hamill’s nose. Referee Steve Mazzagatti notices the illegal ’12-6′ elbows and halts the bout to deduct a point from Jones. Mazzagatti asks Hamill if he wants to continue, but Matt has blood in both eyes and remains on the canvas motionless. Jones celebrates, until the official ruling is called – Hamill wins by DQ due to illegal elbows.
Aftermath: It seems that Matt Hamill dislocated his shoulder as the result of a throw, hence the inability to continue. It also turns out that Mazzagatti did not make the disqualification ruling until viewing the end of the fight on instant replay, marking the first time instant replay has been used in a UFC fight since it’s recent institution as a part of the unified rules. A bizarre ending to what started out as a dominant performance by Jon Jones.
Fight Grade: 5 4/5 1 point deduction for the odd finish
Matt Bocek vs. Joe Brammer (155 lbs)
Round 1: Brammer throws kicks to keep Bocek at bay. Bocek blocks the kicks and clinches. Bocek lands several strikes from clinch then slams Brammer. Brammer gets up quickly but gets taken down again in a scramble. Bocek takes Brammer’s back and looks for the rear naked choke. Brammer rolls and eventually stands up but Bocek does not let go and sinks the choke deeper. Brammer is trapped and forced to tap out.
Aftermath: Though Bocek wins his third consecutive UFC bout, I still feel that he is too small to make an impact at 155 lbs. Brammer gets a rough welcome to the Octagon and loses his undefeated record.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Roy Nelson vs. Brendan Schaub (HW ‘Ultimate Fighter’ tournament final)
Round 1: Schaub is throwing flurries out the gate, backing Nelson up against the cage. Nelson covers up and slips most of the punches. Nelson attempts a takedown but Schaub sprawls. Nelson gets it on second attempt and passes into side control. Nelson attempts his patented crucifix but Schaub escapes and stands up. Schaub goes back to punching away while Nelson covers up and rolls with the punches. Nelson lands a good counter. Nelson lands a huge hook to Schaub’s temple and Brendan collapses. Nelson lands another punch before the referee ends the fight. Roy ‘Big Country’ Nelson is the next Ultimate Fighter!
Aftermath: A great performance for Roy Nelson, who was a lock to win this season’s tournament from the beginning, but did not look great during the show. If Ben Rothwell gets past Mirko Filipovic, Nelson and Rothwell should have a rematch to settle their controversial decision in the IFL.
Schaub still has more potential than most of the TUF 10 heavyweights, but needs to be brought along slowly. His next bout should be against McSweeney, Mitrione, or Madsen.
Fight Grade: 5/5
The Kimbo – Alexander fight was hard to watch, and the Hamill – Jones bout had a bizzare ending that ruined what started out as a great fight, but Roy Nelson delivered in the main event, salvaging a mediocre show.