TUF 14 Preview
The Ultimate Fighter franchise is one of the biggest reasons for the growth of the UFC with the growth directly affected how popular it has become. From the very start the reality show the UFC saw something special as the first ever Ultimate Finale featured, what I consider to be the best fight in UFC history. This fight between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar was so good that it may have been the turning point in the UFC. Since then the UFC has continued to be the fastest growing sport in the world and it will all start over again. This Saturday the UFC will see two new fighters enter the roster in the TUF 14 Finale. These fighters will enter the newest divisions in the Bantamweight and Featherweights as the UFC looks to continue to add more fighters to two weight classes that are beginning to organize a pecking order. In the Bantamweight Finale for TUF 14 will be TJ Dillashaw from Team Bisping and John Dodson from Team Mayhem. Dillashaw was considered one of the best fighters on the show with a very well-rounded background. As a member of Team Alpha Male, one of the best camps for lighter weight fighters including Urijah Faber, Dillashaw came in as one of the most prepared fighters in the show. Dillashaw also garnered some hate in the house as he seemed to take the easiest road to the final wanting to fight the easier fighters in his path. Meanwhile John Dodson took his own amount of hate in the house as he was considered a traitor to his team. He would regularly tell Team Bisping who was fighting in order to help them prepare for the supposedly unknown. Dodson and Dillashaw are two very different fighters as Dillashaw is well-rounded but prefers to ground and pound and Dodson loves to be creative and come from anyway with fast hands. Dillashaw will have a tough time taking Dodson down as throughout the show he would be taken down and get up almost immediately. As good as Dillashaw is, the creative mind of Dodson will probably win out in this fight in a decision. The Featherweight fight will also feature two very good fighters on the show as Diego Brandao will take on Dennis Bermudez for a shot at a UFC contract. Diego Brandao was the first pick for Michael Bisping and he proved that he deserved that spot. One of the more intense guys in the house Diego rarely partied instead focusing on the fights and on winning the contract. Meanwhile Bermudez was the opposite but still proved to be one of the more dangerous fighters on the show regularly knocking out his opponents. Bermudez and Brandao both have KO power and both feel comfortable on the ground making this a very good and close matchup. The biggest difference is the pace that they fight with as Brandao loves to come out swinging and continues to come forward with seemingly no concern for defence. Bermudez has endless cardio but is much more careful with his attack and prefers to ground and pound. This will be another great matchup where both fighters may end up earning a contract from their performance but it seems like Brandao is just too motivated and too good to be beat unless he comes forward too fast and too aggressive and gets caught. Expect Brandao to win the fight by KO in round 3 and become the new fighter in the Featherweight Division.
The Main Event of the Night will take a backseat to these two fights for a contract as for only the second time in 14 seasons the two coaches will face off in the Finale. Michael Bisping and Jason Miller are two very different fighters both in the octagon and outside of it. Bisping is a very serious fighter who takes himself seriously, most of the time, while Miller is constantly making jokes both towards others and at his own expense. Both have had experience with the reality circuit as Bisping entered the UFC through the TUF franchise and Miller used to host his own reality show on MTV called Bully Beatdown, a show were bullies would fight against professional fighters to teach them a lesson about picking on people. In the octagon Bisping is a pure British Brawler with limited wrestling skills but is most known for his almost endless stamina that will be tested in this five round bout. Miller has the ability to brawl but much prefers to battle on the ground with his great Jiu Jitsu. Miller will make his first appearance in the UFC in 6 years after leaving the UFC in 2005 when he lost to Georges St. Pierre. Bisping will be making another appearance in the UFC riding a three fight win streak. One thing both men do have in common is their hate for each other that has become even more through the filming of the reality show. Bisping has respect for Miller but the attitudes of Bisping and Miller do not match up very well. Bisping is much more serious than Mayhem, as Miller is usually called, who takes everything as a joke. With both fighters at the opposite ends of the personality spectrum they are obviously not going to like each other very much making this fight one to watch. The fight will be the main event but will take a back seat to the two new fighters entering the UFC but the main event will still be a good fight. Both fighters will have a little more than pride on the line as well with both of them looking to get into the mix for the middleweight title. The winner will take one more step towards but Bisping may have the most to gain as a veteran UFC fighter while Mayhem might need a few more wins along with this one to get to the title. This classic matchup of jiu jitsu black belt and brawler will be sure to provide great entertainment for fights fans to finish off a night that will see two new fighters enter the roster.
Full Fight Card:
Main Event:
Michael “The Count” Bisping vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller (Sportsnet/Spike)
Main Card:
Diego “Ceara” Brandao vs. Dennis “The Menace” Bermudez [Featherweight Contract] (Sportsnet/Spike)
John “The Magician” Dodson vs. TJ Dillashaw [Bantamweight Contract] (Sportsnet/Spike)
Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson vs. Yves Edwards (Sportsnet/Spike)
Louis “Goodnight” Gaudinot vs. Johnny “Brutal” Bedford (Sportsnet/Spike)
Undercard:
Marcus “The Bama Beast” Brimage vs. Stephen “Big Fish” Bass
Dustin “The Disciple” Pague vs. John “Prince” Albert
Roland Delorme vs. Josh “Taz” Ferguson
“Super” Stephen Siler vs. Josh “The Gentleman” Clopton
Bryan “Kid Lightning” Caraway vs. Dustin “The Beast” Neace
The Sport Addiction 