The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale

[INDYjon22]

Stephan Bonnar vs. Igor Pokrajac
Demian Maia (No. 4 MW) vs. Kendall Grove
Johny Hendricks vs. Rick Story
Jonathan Brookins vs. Michael Johnson
Nam Phan vs. Leonard Garcia
Kyle Watson vs. Sako Chivitchyan
Cody McKenzie vs. Aaron Wilkinson
Dave Branch vs. Rich Attonito
Ian Loveland vs. Tyler Toner
Nick Pace vs. Will Campuzano
Fredson Paixao vs. Pablo Garza​

As of today, this is the finalized card for The Ultimate 12 finale. I actually think this card will be fairly fun to watch. A lot of interesting match ups and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top of these fights.

Bonnar vs. Pokrajac is a fight between two guys coming off of wins that maybe saved their careers, at least for the time being. Bonnar has a job for life, Dana has made that clear, but Pokrajac really needs a win and this one would be very good for him. Pokrajac had built up a lot of steam before he made his UFC debut which has been rather lack luster so far, but this fight should be a great match up for both guys, since neither man is afraid to engage. I look forward to some fireworks.

Maia vs. Grove will most likely be a grappling match, but I am okay with that. If this fight turns out anything like the Maia/MacDonald fight from a few years ago then it will be really fun. I would be really surprised if either man got the KO or TKO. If I were a betting man I would put my money on Maia getting a second or third round submission or decision. However, there is a chance for Grove to out point Maia. Should be interesting.

Hendricks and Story are fairly exciting fighters who are both on hot streaks right now. A win for either man will push them up the ladder of the Welterweight division and maybe into a fight with one of more elite level fighters like a Matt Serra, Dan Hardy or Martin Kampmann. Should be exciting.

Brookins vs. Johnson has already been talked about, but lets discuss it some more. I personally think this fight will be similar to the Johnson/Pham fight, except that Brookins is going to win. Brookins has good striking and great grappling. I just don't see Johnson being able to overcome those skills, especially if his cardio is the same as it was against Nam. However, it should be a close fight nonetheless and an excellent final fight for the season.

Phan vs. Garcia is really interesting. It isn't often that a TUF fighter gets thrown in the cage against someone who wasn't on the show, at least in their first fight, but that is what we have here. I am not a Garcia fan, but the guy puts on awesome fights so I expect a great fight here. I really don't know who will win, but I am leaning towards Nam. I think his striking is more technically sound and he will be able to out point Garcia. I expect another war similar to Garcia/Jung and Garcia/Hominick. This will also mark the first 145Ibs fight I believe. Good times.

Watson vs. Chivitchyan. I don't really know who Sako got on the card, but Armenians tend to put on exciting fights. Watson won me over in his fight with Brookins. He is a tough guy and if Chivichyan's loss on the show is any indication, well he may be in for a long night.

McKenzie vs. Wilkinson is another odd but interesting fight. McKenzie has a sick guillotine which I think will win him this fight. Wilkinson has already shown a weakness to submissions, something McKenzie is good at. However, Wilkinson has heart so we shall see how it plays out.

The rest of the undercard is rather generic and does not interest me all that much. Rich Attonito has been on a hot streak since his stint on TUF so it will be interesting to see what he does, but nothing else really stands out to me. Overall this card looks to be really fun and something I cannot wait to see live.

 

[Reddannihilation]

For some strange reason, in spite of logic, I see MJ beating Brookins, it could be that the Brookins Aldo fight is clouding my judgement. But even in the Watson fight Brookins seems to dislike striking confrontations, to me it's fairly obvious he's at home on the ground. One of the things that I always keep in mind for comparing fights on TUF to ones at an actual event is that TUF is filmed over 6 weeks with the guys competing multiple times and doing heavy training in between the fights. Because of that it's difficult to judge skill sets entirely. In the same way that Sotiropoulos has looked much better since TUF then he did during it.

For Maia v. Grove I'm picking Maia, partly because I don't give a fuck about Grove. But also because Maia's BJJ is amazing. Hoping for a sub in the 2nd or 3rd. I've pretty much convinced myself of Bonnar winning, if not it'll be a decision for Igor, Bonnar is a difficult fellow to finish.

Phan's been pretty much thrown to the wolves against Garcia. Watson will sub the fence grabbing judokai. Wilkinson will probably beat McKenzie standing because the guillotine is McKenzie's only weapon and now everyone knows it. For the rest of the card I don't really know or care. I'm actually much more interested in Babalu v. Henderson and the rest of that card.

 

[Goliath Uterus]

First off, I love both Johnson and Brookins, both were two of the coolest guys in the house, and two of the guys who didn't look like jackassess throughout the season. I'm gonna root for Johnson though, he's a KC boy, and I do think he'll win this fight.

Brookins obviously has some major holes in his standup, I know it's been awhile since the show's been taped, but I doubt he's improved a whole lot, or is anywhere near MJ's level. Brookins has showed some immpressive wrestling throws, but I think Johnson is still the superior wrestler, and could stuff any takedown Brookins will go for. I suspect Johnson will dance around the cage and tag Brookins with vicious combos, eventually TKO'ing him. If Brookins does manage to ground him though, it'll be a whole nuther story.

 

[jmt225]

Good little free show here. Think I'll end up watching Strikeforce live though and then catch the TUF replay.

Anyways...

I see Stephan Bonnar completely dominating Igor Pokrajac. I have not been overly impressed with Igor since he debuted. I think Bonnar is just too well-rounded for someone as inexperienced as him. Bonnar should take the striking, and his ground game is too good to be controlled by someone like Igor. So, yeah... Bonnar gets a little streak going for himself after this one is over.

Demian Maia vs. Kendall Grove is a great fight and the one I'm most looking forward to on the card. I'm a big fan of Grove as I'm sure a lot of you already know, and I think he keeps this one standing up, and he dominates Maia on the feet. However, if somehow Maia is able to get the fight to the ground, then Grove may get himself in a lot trouble. But, I just don't see that happening. Also, I think Grove has enough athleticism to get right up if he's taken down, and enough BJJ knowledge to keep himself from getting tapped out if he does indeed find himself on the ground with Maia sometime throughout the fight.

Johny Hendricks vs. Rick Story is most likely going to be Fight of the Night. It's an impossible fight to pick, too. Could definitely go either way. Only thing to do is sit back and enjoy a war.

Jonathan Brookins vs. Michael Johnson.... like I said in the TUF 12 thread, this very well could end up being the best TUF Finale fight we've seen since Kendall Grove vs. Ed Herman. Both of these guys have an immense amount of heart and it will be hard for either guy to finish, so I see it going all three rounds to a decision. But, I think at the end of the day, Brookins takes it. Johnson can get wild in there, while Brookins always keeps his composure. I truly think that'll be the deciding factor of the fight.

And Nam Phan vs. Leonard Garcia should be a fun fight as well. Unfortunately, Nam Phan hasn't shown himself to have any knockout power, which I think will hurt him in a lot of fights, but not this one. I think Phan can take Garcia's best shots and keep this a technical stand-up battle, in which he'll undoubtedly win a decision. Should be a fun fight though.

Overall, great little show, for sure. Better than UFC 122 and UFC 120 combined. Any fight on the main card could end up being FOTN. I am kind of disappointed though there is no Bruce Leroy. I'm surprised by that since Dana seemed to be a huge fan of his during the show.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

This should be an entertaining card. Looking forward to the main event between Brookins/Johnson. I think Brookins will take it. The wrestler in Johnson will take the fight to the ground once he has Brookins in the clinch, and Brookins will Sub him from there. Either that or I see Johnson rushing him, trying to overpower him, Brookins takes his back and makes him tap by the RNC, like we seen when he fought the Armenians.

Bonnar vs. Pokrajac should be quite the war. You can never count Bonnar out, he can get his ass handed to him, then turn that right around and deliver an ass whooping of his own. I think Pokrajac will squeak away with a close decision. If Pokrajac does lose you can count on him getting the boot, from the way we've seen the recent releases.

Maia vs. Groove is a fight a see Maia grinding out a decision. I don't think Maia has enough power to KO Groove, so he will just grind out that decision or possibly a late submission. Like Jon said, it should be more like a grapple match.

I'm pumped Johnny Hendricks finally gets back to the main card. This guy has been money ever since he debuted in the WEC 2 years ago. Hendricks has an awesome stand up game if (when) he beats Story he should definitely get a top 10 contender for his next fight. Story is no slouch though he has been on a role as well, winning 4 in a row. This is my pick for FOTN.

Phan vs. Garcia should be like a lot like the Bonnar fight, an all out war. I expect some to see some heavy blows thrown throughout the fight. Tough fight to call, but I think Phan will edge out a decision.

For the under card McKenzie should pick a win against English. We all know McKenzie isn't that good on his feet, but English has a tough time defending the takedowns, so I think McKenzie will get him down and apply the McKenzietine for the win. Watson should handle Sako by some type of submission. I think Attonito will grind out a decision against Branch.

 

[INDYjon22]

Very good card to end the season on. Besides some subject judging the fights were very fun for the most part.

Nam vs. Garcia was an absolute war and I loved every minute of it. Garcia is a machine and even though I may not be a fan of his I do respect the hell out of the man. That said, the decision was bullshit and everyone knows it. Nam won that fight and judges fucked it up. I almost hope the rematch happens, but on the other hand I would just like to see Nam move on with his career. Great fight, shitty ending.

Hendricks vs. Story had an awesome first period for Story. Hendricks took the second in my eyes and the third could have gone either way, but I think the decision was correct. Story just did more in my eyes and that's all he needed to do.

Maia vs Grove was Maia all the way. I like Grove but he was just completely out matched in this one. Not much more to say except that I wouldn't be surprised at all if Kendall gets his pink slip in the next few days.

Bonnar vs. Pokrajac was a good fight. Bonnar deserved the decision and I am glad he didn't get fucked over because he definitely did more to win the fight. Once again, expect Pokrajac to be a free agent soon.

Johnson vs. Brookins was a great way to end the season. Johnson man handled Brookins in that first period and I thought it might be over. Luckily I was wrong. Brookins came back in the second round and just dominated with his superior wrestling and grappling. He is such a humble guy and I am very happy to see him win, though Johnson would have been a good winner as well. Great fight to end a great season.

 

[Johnny Dangerous]

A well deserved win for JB.This guy is young and has an incredible future ahead of him, especially with the addition of the lower weight classes in the UFC.

The win by Cody McKenzie was a total shock, as this guy appears to be a one trick pony. However his one trick seems to work extremely well. In the fight on TUF with Phan, he didn't play to his one trick and it cost him. This guy could go very far, or fizzle out very quickly. Only time will tell.

Nam Phan was robbed pure and simple. Garcia has a[slightly] bigger name, and was awarded the win. This was a horrible decision and IMO just a way to try and build some quick interest and controversy in the featherweight division. Hopefully the rematch ends in a clear cut decision, because that crap made the whole sport look bad.

 

[Window Licker 101]

What an absolute bull shit decision. Nam Phan won that fight 30-27. Seriously judges are dreadful and someone or something needs to adress this problem quickly. I like Garcia but man running forward swinging your arms like a windmill manages to win fights? It does in the judges eyes! I feel very sorry for Nam. He loses the TUF semi-final then drops a BS decision in a fight he clearly dominated, and I've watched the fight three times now and I can't even see how Garcia can win! This is by far the worst decision of the year. Worse than Dunham/Sherk and worse than Garcia/Korean Zombie.

I was still very angry after that fight to pay much attention to Hendricks vs Story. Story put on a very good performance and picked up the deserved win. Highlight of the fight was Joe Rogan's minute long rant on the state of judging in MMA today. I just about popped a boner when I heard him!

I think with a lot of focus on striking, Cody McKenzie could become a big time player in the UFC Lightweight division. His Mckenzie-tine is catching guys, even when they are fully aware of the dangers of his signature move! He may be a one trip pony but it is working effectively for him. Aaron Wilkinson was pretty poor on TUF and agaisnt McKenzie IMO.

Maia dominated Grove. I give some credit to Kendall Grove I was completely counting him out but he managed to hold his own agaisnt one of the best jiu-jitsu practioner in the world in Maia. Maia needs to improve his stand up in order to become a serious threat to the Middleweight crown. He looks awkward trying to stand up and it took him 90 seconds to decide he had enough of this stand up crap and shoot for a takedown. I would like to see him take on the winner of Bisping/Rivera. For Grove it is back to the drawing board, still not managing to muster back to back wins since 2007.

I felt disappointed by Bonnar/Pokrajac. Both were promising an absolute slug fest but when it came to put up or shut up, Bonnar carved out a decision victory. I have no problem with Bonnar winning but I was excited for this fight and it dully delivered. I think Pokrajac will be cut soon whilst I would like to see Bonnar fight someone like Vladimir Matyushenko.

I predicted Brookins would beat Johnson but I didn't expect Johnson to nearly KO Brookins. Great turn around victory by Brookins. He managed to take down and control Johnson on route to a decision and to become the next ultimate fighter. He looked the strongest throughout the show in my book and anyone who can go near three rounds with Jose Aldo has my respect.

I heard Garza's KO of Fredson Paixao was fucking brutal. Paixao was out for a few minutes. Wish they had time to show that.

Anyway I give TUF Finale 5/10.

 

[Via Armbar]

I'm so glad I chose to watch the Strikeforce card live and catch the TUF finale on replay. Not to say that the finale was as bad as 119 per say, but the matches that I was looking forward to the most turned out to be very average.

Brookins was my favorite heading into the show and him winning the competition didn't come as a surprise to many. What was rather surprising though was how crisp and effective Michael Johnson's striking was. I knew that defensive striking was Brookins weakness but credit has to go to Johnson for using that hole to his advantage. Though Brookins is an exciting fighter and should be put some very interesting matchups, I feel like he might be one of the weakest winners of the show thus far outside of Amir.

Bonnar did what I thought he would do. Always fun to watch and it's nice to see him get back to back wins even if the losers of the bouts aren't of the highest level competition wise. He's entering the twilight of his career and look for him to be booked in fights based more on entertainment as opposed to relevance. Look for Igor in the minor leagues.

Maia/Grove showed that Maia really is the best grappler the UFC has. One of few grapplers who are constantly on the offensive striking wise while maintaining position and making transitions. Showed great posture and Grove was just outclassed. There aren't very many options for Maia right now with Bisping, Rivera, Belfort, Leben, Stann and other names tied up. If Okami isn't waiting for the winner of Silva/Belfort then he could him on in what should be an interesting tilt. There's also Munoz and Palhares who could make for intriguing matchups, more so the former. Grove, eh cut him. Always bugged me.

Not much to note from the undercard. One of the worst robberies I've ever witnessed in Phan/Garcia and anyone that agrees with the decision needs to be shot in the face. Unspeakably hilarious seeing McKenzie catch another sucker in that damn guillotine. Haven't seen the KO from Garza yet but I have seen the gif and DAMN that's knee. Definitely someone to watch at 145, another being the only man to blemish Garza's record in Zhang Tie Quan.

 

[jmt225]

Outside of Phan vs. Garcia and the finale fight, I thought this was pretty much a lackluster show for the most part.

Nam Phan vs. Lenard Garcia was definitely the Fight of the Night. The fight went just as I predicted in my first post. Garcia fought wildly with constant haymakers, while Phan continuously picked him apart with his superior striking. Unfortunately, the judges weren't watching the same fight as I, since they awarded the damn thing to Garcia. Regardless, still a great fight, and the fans know who the real winner of it was.

Hendricks vs. Rick Story was boring as hell. Very disappointed with that fight. The only thing positive I can say about it was the judges I thought actually got the decision correct. But really... no one deserved to win that one. Just a complete snoozefest.

Stephan Bonnar vs. Igor Pokrajac was just okay. Bonnar tried to make a great fight out of it like he always does, but Igor thought he could get the better of Bonnar with his wrestling and jiu-jitsu... big mistake. Bonnar dominated him and got the decision. Hopefully Bonnar gets a step up in competition after this.

Maia completely dominated Grove, end of story. Maia's putting on weight now, and if he can continue to do that while also improve his striking... he's going to be a tough motherfucker to beat in the Middleweight Division. As far as Grove.. I think he'll stick around in the UFC for quite a while, but he'll never make it to the elite of competition, unfortunately.

And Brookins vs. Johnson was a good fight. I got worried for Brookins in that first round. He took a beating like no other, but man... dude has a hell of a chin, and a TON of heart. In the 2nd Round, Brookins didn't let up a bit. He constantly put the pressure on Johnson, rather than standing there just getting his face bashed in, and when someone like Brookins is constantly all over you, it's going to be hard for any Lightweight to get him off, let alone someone as inexperienced as Michael Johnson. Still though, Johnson has one hell of a future in this sport, but Saturday night was Brookins' night. Congrats to him. It was more than well deserved.