The Ultimate Fighter Finale Results
The Ulitmate Fighter Finale really shaped up to be an exciting night of fighting. The first two matches left a little something to be desired but as soon as it came time for Troy Mandaloniz Vs. Richie Hightower the night took a turn for the exciting.
I fully expected Hightower to get worked in this fight and he came out blazing. He was throwing everything he had into every puch, getting in some good kicks, and really pushing the pace. I started to think that Mandaloniz might get a pretty quick loss. But about halfway through the first round Mandaloniz caught Hightower with a pretty good right and that was the turning point. Hightower started to progressively look more gased and then he stepped right into a solid left jab and was down. Mandaloniz wasted no time and jumped down with a couple of hammer fists and Hightower was lights out. Even though it was only one round it was an exciting fight.
Next can J Rock vs. WarMachine and the excitement continued. They both came out swinging and then it went to the ground pretty quickly with War Machine ending up on top, but don't let that fool you J Rock was kicken butt from the bottom. I have never seen someone throw such great elbows from the bottom before, J Rock was teeing off on the top of War Machine's head and opened up a huge gash. toward the end of the round War Machine also ended up opening a decent cut on J Rock's right eye. Then came round two and they were swinging again and to the ground again but this time with J Rock on top. J Rock dominated from the top and came pretty close to finishing the fight twice before the bell rang. Time for the third round, you could tell they were both exhausted but they came out strong again. J Rock tried to take War Machine down but War ended up on top. From the top War rained down some mean elbows but the pace slowed and they were brought to their feet. J Rock landed some great blows and War dropped to a squatting position and took a hugh knee to the head and I thought it would be over. War ended up on his back but he reversed it and started throwing down on J Rock and got the knock out. This was a fantastic fight, almost Forrest Griffin vs. Stephen Bonner like.
Next up was the fight for the six figure contract with Mac Danzig against Tommy Speer. Mac has a lot of MMA experience and Tommy is huge for a Welterweight and farm boy strong. The 1st round opened up with Tommy trying to bring Mac to the ground and Mac was able to reverse it and bring Tommy down, totally unexpected. Mac went almost directly to the full mount and started throwing down some good shots and a couple of elbows. Tommy ended up giving up his back and Mac put him in a rear naked choke and it was over exactly 2 minutes into the round. I think Mac is really going to be around for a while, he has a strong game, strong mind, and strong heart.
Then came the Matt Arroyo vs. John Keoloski. Not quite as exciting as the last couple of fights but still a good match. John came out ready to brawl and excited and usual and Matt was ready from the start to try and get a submission. It was like a BJJ clinic, everything John tried to do Matt had another submission attempt. Matt finally caught John in a text book arm bar and John tapped. I think Matt is going to be one of those guys that is kind of a sleeper, a little unassuming but has crazy good submission skills. I also think we have a lot more to see from Matt, I believe he just needs a bit more experience and to get on board with a good camp. You always want to see a guy do well that is so excited to be in the UFC.
Lastley for the main event it was Roger Huerta vs. Clay Guida. Clay came out like a mad man, he already looks a little crazy with all that hair and his low stance. A few blows were exchanged and Clay brought Roger down to the ground. Through out the first round Clay consistently kept taking Roger to the ground and out wresting him. In the second round they started out going toe to toe and just exchanging punches two at a time back and forth then Clay to Roger down again. Clay's pace you could see was becoming a little frustrating for Roger. They got back up to their feets and started throwing down again with Roger landing some pretty solid punches and then Clay came back with a huge right the knocked Roger to the ground. Clay pounced and started a fury of strikes but the round ended and it was not enought to stop the fight. Then in the begining of the third round Roger caught Clay with a huge knee that really softend him up, and then caught him with another and Roger was able to get Clay's back. After he had his back he got a rear naked choke sunk deep and it was over for Clay.
I want to give a big thank you to all the fighters tonight for some of the best fights we have seen in the last year. I also think we should be thanking the UFC and Spike TV for airing this on cable for free. This is what the UFC is all about.