JWGunslinger
Warrior Forever
Official Fight Card
Middleweight bout: Michael Bisping vs. Jason Miller
Bantamweight TUF Finale: T.J. Dillashaw vs. John Dodson
Featherweight TUF Finale: Dennis Bermudez vs. Diego Brandao
Lightweight bout: Tony Ferguson vs. Yves Edwards
Bantamweight bout: Johnny Bedford vs. Louis Gaudinot
Bantamweight bout: Dustin Pague vs. John Albert
Featherweight bout: Akira Corrasani vs. Bryan Caraway
Featherweight bout: Marcus Brimage vs. Stephen Bass
The Ultimate Fighter 14 has been one of the most talent rich and exciting seasons of TUF that we have seen since the show first began,it's cast of the first Featheweights and Bantamweights to be displayed on TUF have set the bar very high for future seasons and after so many amazing fights throughout the course of the show the finale is no less impressive. If you would like a run through of the season check out the Ultimate Fighter 14 thread and I have a review of each episode, with that let's breakdown the card.
Marcus Brimmage vs Stephen Bass
Brimmage is a guy who I liked from the start, partially because of his Gary Coleman looks and voice, also because he had a hell of a war with that tough ass hawaiian kid to get onto the show. From then I expected him to get a bit farther and atleast win one fight once they made it in the house but his lack of ground skills showed when he was dominated by Bryan Caraway's wrestling and he got choked out. Bass also had a good brawl to get into the house but in his next fight he was dominated Dennis Bermudez and didn't make much of an effort to listen to his coaches which resulted in him being TKO'd. These two both had impressive fights to get on the show but didn't deliver once they got there, this time Marcus is going to deliver and his superior hands and power are going to earn him the win.
Brimmage by TKO
Akira Corrasani vs. Bryan Caraway
Stiker vs Grappler at it's finest as we see Team Bisping's Akira go up against Team Mayhem standout Bryan. I knew Bryan before he came to TUF and I knew what he could do when he was set mentally, and for his two first fights he definitely was. He kind of coasted in his fight to get in the house and won an easy decision without really working to kill, but then he had a more impressive showing in his first fight in the house when he subbed Brimmage with a Rear Naked Choke. In his loss to Diego in the semi finals I was very impressed with his heart and chin, he hung in there and I give him major props for surviving more from Diego than anyone else could. Akira was my second pick to win his weight class after his extremely entertaining fight to get into the house where he showed plenty of confidence, agression and stand up skills, and once again used that to win a fight with Dustin Neace in the house. However when it came to a guy with good wrestling he was screwed, and after a good start where he clipped his opponent several times he was submitted by Dennis Bermudez with a Guillotine Choke. Caraway is an amazing wrestler and Akira does have that weak ground game, he could hit him on the way in but I see Caraway doing what he pleases and submitting Akira.
Caraway by Submission(Arm Triangle)
Dustin Pague vs. John Albert
This one should be good, on one end we've got a tough as nails christian against a guy named prince, you guess who wins. Pague impressed me from the beginning, he had an absolute battle to get into the house and his impressive underdog win over Louis Gaudinot made me a fan for sure, however he came up short in his fight with finalist TJ Dillishaw when he couldn't deal with TJ's wrestling. Albert never really impressed me much, he finished his fight to get in the house but then was served up to John Dodson, and while it was a tough fight I didn't see much from him. I see Dustin controlling this fight on the feet and knocking him out or winning a decision.
Pague by TKO
Johnny Bedford vs Louis Gaudinot
Bedford was my pick to win the bantamweight finale, but unfortunatly after having two great wins over Carson Beebe and Josh Ferguson he was viciously knockout out by finalist John Dodson. Louis has a similar story, after one of the best wars from the elimination round where he went 3 rounds with Paul Mcveigh he went into a fight with Dustin Pague as a favorite from Team Bisping and was picked apart until he was choked out. Both guys here are looking for redemption but I think that Bedford wants this more and has the skills to put Louis on his butt throughout the fight.
Bedford by Decision
Tony Ferguson vs. Yves Edwards
Outside of the coaches fight, I am looking forward to this one most. Saturday we will see the second showing of Tony "El Cucuey" Ferguson since beating Ramsey Njiem to become season 13's TUF winner, and boy am I excited. Much like this season's Diego Brandao, when Tony was on TUF I was not a fan of his personality but I knew that as a fighter he was going places. He tore apart his competition on the show, knocked the hell out of Ramsey in the finale and then at UFC 135 he picked up a very solid win over cagey veteran Aaron Riley when he broke his jaw with a wicked uppercut and was awarded a TKO win, now he's got an even stiffer test in another tough vet who was once on the brink of the lightweight championship. Yves is known to most from his early days in the UFC when he was facing the likes of Hermes Franca and Josh Thompson, then he went on to fight in other organizations until his return last year. Since then he has gone 3-1 and is coming off a very impressive performance over Rafaello Oliveira. I really like Ferguson, I think his boxing is one of the most beautiful things to watch in the octagon and I see him doing to Yves what Sam Stout did to him back at UFC 131.
Ferguson by KO
Featherweight TUF Finale: Dennis Bermudez vs. Diego Brandao
Hate to say I told you so, I called Diego Brandao making the finals from the instant he finished his first fight. Since then everyone has feared this man, he wrecked Stephen Silver in just a few seconds and did the same to a tougher Bryan Caraway in the semi finals. This guy is motivated, talented and just plain scary, but I don't think his opponent Dennis Bermudez minds. Bermudez was doubted from the beginning, from his almost getting finished in two of his fights perhaps but he was able to come back in both of those and finished the fight, as well as another TKO victory over Stephen Bass. Neither man will be backing down, but I see Bermudez trying to stand with Diego when he can't take him down and then getting knocked out.
Diego Brandao by KO to become Season 14's Featherweight Winner
Bantamweight TUF Finale: T.J. Dillashaw vs. John Dodson
Who would have thought that the two men in the finale would be The Snitch and The Draft Dodger? Both men are infamous for their activities on the show, Dodson telling his friends on the opposing team secrets about his teams fight picks and gameplans. While TJ decided that because he was better than everyone he should get the easier fights to get to the finale because he had the best chance of winning, well I don't see it working out well for him in the end. Dodson's personality is a bit annoying but as an athlete the guy is incredible, he is super quick, well built and has great power. Dillashaw is pretty fast but he has good hands and wrestling, but who wins this? If this wasn't the finale I wouldn't care but because it is I see Dodson being too fast and difficult to hold down, he wins a decision or by KO.
Dodson by Decision to become Season 14's Bantamweight Winner
Coach Fight:Michael Bisping vs Jason "Mayhem" Miller
If you are a fan of cute puppies then you want Michael Bisping to lose, just kidding, but seriously it's true. Bisping is one of the biggest douchebags in MMA and sports history, and his actions throughout this season of TUF have only further proven that. Meanwhile Mayhem is one of the funniest and nicest guys around, and as the host of MTV's Bully Beatdown he's coming into this fight to shut up the biggest bully he's faced yet. There is no doubting though that Bisping is a very talented fighter and will give Mayhem a lot of problems on the feet, but Jason will be wanting to take this one to the ground. I think that is he gets the fight there that he will be able to finish it but otherwise Bisping wins a decision and continues his reign as the king of assholes. In the first coaches fight on the actual finale since Pulver vs Penn from season 5, I am hoping and praying that Bisping wakes up after the fight not knowing where he is just like the last time he coached TUF.
Miller by Submission(D'Arce Choke)
So now I ask you my fellow fans, what are your thoughts on the event and the fights? Discuss!
