Two New Fighters Enter the Fold
The Ultimate Fighter finished a long and beneficial relationship with Spike TV with the TUF 14 Finale. For 14 seasons ago Spike TV and the UFC got together to make The Ultimate Fighter, a reality show where fighters got the chance to fight themselves into a UFC contract. This relationship was one of the best for both institutions as the UFC became the fastest growing sports in the world and Spike became a successful network. Both the UFC and Spike grew up together but earlier in the year this relationship was separated when the UFC signed a multi-year deal with Fox. Both Spike and the UFC wanted to go their separate ways as the UFC wanted to enter into mainstream TV and Spike wanted to focus on other programming. The TUF 14 Finale was the last fight that Spike will host on their network and marked the last TUF to be shown on Spike. The next version of the reality show will now be featured on Spike with weekly fights on Fox and Spike will move on to other programs. The TUF 14 Finale also marked the beginning of two careers in the UFC as four fighters faced off to earn their chance at a UFC contract. This year the reality show featured the two most recent additions to the UFC as the fighters would look to enter the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions. The first contract fight featured the Bantamweight fighters as John Dodson took on TJ Dillashaw for their chance to fight in the UFC. The fight matched up the very creative Dodson against a very skilled and very well-trained Dillashaw who is a member of the Alpha Male team in Sacramento that is headed up by Urijah Faber. Dillashaw was also considered a snake on the show as he chose the easy route to the finals avoiding Dodson in the semi-finals to take on the lesser skilled fighter. Dodson also had his detractors as he was considered a traitor in the house as he told the opposing team the upcoming fights before they were announced. Both fighters had seen their share of hate in the house and with Dodson claiming Dillashaw had dodged him twice in the show they were both ready to show who was the better fighter. It did not take long either as Dodson came out with a big left hook that caught Dillashaw behind the head and made him stumble and then Dodson followed up with another big left that put Dillashaw down. Dodson jumped on Dillashaw and forced the ref to end the fight as he took home the UFC contract and will be one to watch in the Bantamweight Division. The second contract fight was between the two Featherweights as Diego Brandao took on Dennis Bermudez. Diego had made a name for himself in the house through his big power and his intense attitude where he did nothing that would not allow him to win the show. Bermudez was also known for his great power in the house but he was a little more playful as he partied with the rest of the house. Both were intent on winning this contract but Brandao was looking to do it for his mother as he promised to buy a house for his mother in Brazil with the winnings, if he would win the fight. This fight was a feverish one as both fighters came out swinging and both landed a number of punches. Then it looked like it would be over quick as Bermudez caught Brandao with a big right hand that dropped the Brazilian. With Brandao down Bermudez jumped on the chance and began throwing some vicious punches from the top position. While he started his ground and pound Bermudez seemed to get a little sloppy and within a few seconds Brandao had grabbed an arm, flipped Bermudez around, and locked in an Armbar. The fight was over so fast and Brandao became the new Featherweight fighter and the TUF 14 Featherweight champion. Dodson and Brandao will be the new kids on the block but both seem to have what it takes to be a factor in their weight classes.
After the new contracts were handed out a UFC veteran and an MMA veteran faced off in the octagon. Jason Miller had only fought in the UFC once before in 2006 and was making his return to the UFC as a coach on TUF 14. Bisping came into the UFC through the reality show and had return as a coach this season as a veteran of the UFC. Both faced off after the fighters they had coached faced off for their contracts as Miller was looking to make an impression in his first fight in the UFC in years and Bisping was looking to make an impression and earn a title shot. It was also a matchup of two fighters that were very different with Bisping a very good boxer and Miller a very good Jiu Jitsu practitioner. The first round of the fight showcased this difference as they came out boxing with Miller throwing punches that seemed very weak and seemed to be just a distraction for a takedown attempt. On his second takedown attempt Miller got Bisping down and dominated him against the fence throwing good punches in a strange position. The round ended and Miller had easily won the round but was looking a little tired. The next two rounds were very different as Miller seemed to be completely gassed and Bisping seemed like nothing was affecting him. They entered into a boxing match in which Miller took the brunt of the damage especially when leaving his chin wide open in his half taunt, half “Let me Show You How Tough I am” actions. By the end of the third round Miller had nothing left as Bisping got the better position on the ground and began beating up on Miller. Bisping threw great punches forcing Miller to turtle and when that happened Bisping began the big knees that forced the ref to stop the fight. Bisping won the fight but said after the fight that he is clearly not ready for a title fight due to the first round and will simply continue climbing the Middleweight ladder. Miller took the loss in a less than impressive fashion and will hope that Dana White will let him keep fighting to redeem himself for a very poor performance.
The TUF 14 Bonuses totaled $40,000 for everyone involved and one fighter got a lot more than just a contract for his introduction to the UFC. Diego Brandao won his contract and did it in impressive fashion as he earned the “Submission of the Night” an, along with Dennis Bermudez, won the “Fight of the Night” for his feverish fight win. With those two awards gone the only one left was the “Knockout of the Night” that went to another new fighter as John Dodson took home the $40,000 bonus for his KO of TJ Dillashaw.
Full Results:
Michael “The Count” Bisping def. Jason “Mayhem” Miller
(TKO; Rd. 3)
Diego “Ceara” Brandao def. Dennis “The Menace” Bermudez [Featherweight Contract]
(Submission; Armbar, Rd. 1)
John “The Magician” Dodson def. TJ Dillashaw [Bantamweight Contract]
(TKO; Rd. 1)
Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson def. Yves Edwards
(Unanimous Decision)
Johnny “Brutal” Bedford def. Louis “Goodnight” Gaudinot
(TKO; Rd. 3)
Marcus “The Bama Beast” Brimage def. Stephen “Bigfish” Bass
(Unanimous Decision)
John “Prince” Albert def. Dustin “The Disciple” Pague
(TKO; Rd. 1)
Roland Delorme def. Josh “Taz” Ferguson
(Submission; Rear Naked Choke, Rd. 3)
Steven “Super” Silar def. Josh “The Gentleman” Clopton
(Unanimous Decision)
Bryan “Kid Lightning” Caraway def. Dustin “The Beast” Neace
(Submission; Rear Naked Choke, Rd. 2)
Upcoming Events:
UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida (December 10th; 9:00 pm)
– Toronto, Ontario (Air Canada Centre)
– Main Event: Jon “Bones” Jones vs. Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida [Light Heavyweight Title]
– Notable: Frank Mir vs. Minotauro “Big Nog” Nogueira
– Notable: “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio “Little Nog” Nogueira
UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem (December 30th; 10:00 pm)
– Las Vegas, Nevada (MGM Grand Garden Arena)
– Main Event: Brock Lesnar vs. Allistair “The Reem” Overeem
– Notable: Nate Diaz vs. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone
– Notable: Jon Fitch vs. Johny Hendricks
UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes (January 14th; 10:00 pm)
– Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (HSBC Arena)
– Main Event: Jose “Junior” Aldo vs. Chad “Money” Mendes [Featherweight Title]
– Notable: Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort vs. Anthony “Rumble” Johnson
– Notable: Erick Silva vs. Siyar Bahadzurada
The Sport Addiction 