TUF 17 Finale Preview
The Ultimate Fighter would get through yet another season as the reality show that launched UFC into the stratosphere would bring another fighter to the UFC roster. This year’s version of the show may go down as one of the best with plenty of great fights and a lot of talent. One thing did change though throughout the season as the coaches would get to show their true personalities throughout the show. Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones would be the coaches of this season with both facing off for the Light Heavyweight Championship later this month. The interesting part is that Chael Sonnen, who has spent his career talking and being the bad guy, came off much more of a good guy. Meanwhile Jon Jones came off more as a quite reserved man with a sense of cockiness to him. This is the wonder of the reality show as fans get to see the fighters on the show and the coaches for who they really are. It is an insight in to the world of these fighters and coaches and can change their standing among fans. It is a view inside the fighters world and the mentality of many of these fighters. It can create fan favorites and enemies immediately as fans get to see the real personalities of these fighters. They can see the ones who work hard and the ones that believe they are already champions. This year will see two extremes during the show face-off for the UFC contract when Uriah Hall and Kelvin Gastelum square off in the octagon. Uriah Hall represents the best of the best in the show as a fighter who was seen as a real contender from the very start. He would open his TUF stint with a win to get in the house that showed his athleticism even if he didn’t finish. Then he would truly show his ability while in the house earning two of the most devastating knockouts in TUF and even UFC history. His first would be a spinning heel kick KO of Adam Cella and then would end his fight against Bubba McDaniel with a vicious hook with both KOs resulting in hospital visits. The semi-final would end the same way but did not seem to be going that way to start with as Hall would go two rounds with Dylan Andrews until being taken down. From the bottom Hall would unleash serious strikes and would end the fight with a TKO that sent him to the finals. Kelvin Gastelum was a much different story though as he had gotten into the house with a decision win that was not the most impressive win. For that he would not be picked very high and would fall into the middle of the pack among some very good fighters. He would take on the much more experienced Bubba McDaniel in his first round fight and would begin to impress everyone with a submission victory. Still he remained the underdog for the next fight where he would be Collin Hart via KO in the first round. Then again he would go into the next round as an underdog against Josh Samman, who many considered to be a favorite. Kelvin would once again surprise everyone winning with a first round submission. Both fighters would show the two sides of the show with Kelvin staying mentally tough throughout the show even as the youngest fighter in show history. Uriah on the other hand was not as mentally strong, taking offence to jokes and getting into verbal fights with many of the housemates all the while doubting his ability. They are two very different fighters and will face off for a UFC contract as they try to make their impact in the top fighting promotion in the world. When looking at it the fight seems very easy to predict as Uriah Hall looks too good to be beat as he may have a real shot at becoming one of the best in the UFC. Then again Kelvin Gastelum is always the underdog and has yet to lose. The talent of Hall is too much to overcome though as he just seems to be too good to beat as he will win this fight with a second round KO.
On the same night that the newest Ultimate Fighter is crowned two more very important fights will take place. They may not be title fights but they could be the closest thing to it as four fighters look to make their mark in their divisions. First will be the second women’s fight in UFC history as Miesha Tate takes on Cat Zingano. The fight will be for the #1 contender spot in the Women’s Bantamweight Division but will also be for more than that. The fight will also determine who the next coach on The Ultimate Fighter will be. The Ultimate Fighter 18 will feature Women and Men Bantamweight fighters with Ronda Rousey taking the first coaching spot. The winner of this fight between Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano will take the other coaching spot and will get their shot at the Women’s title when the show is finished. It will not be the only big fight of the night as the main event will also feature a potential division changing matchup. Urijah Faber and Scott Jorgensen will face off in the main event of the night in a fight that may just determine the next challenger for the Bantamweight division. Urijah Faber is currently ranked #2 in the UFC behind interim Champion Renan Barao, who will fight #4 ranked Eddie Wineland later this year. Faber will take on #7 Scott Jorgensen who will have a chance to launch himself up the rankings if he can beat Faber. With a win Jorgensen will add a big name to his win column and will take a giant step towards a title shot. Faber on the other hand is looking for the win to stay at the top of the rankings for when Dominick Cruz can finally return to the UFC. These two fights will mean big things for both divisions while the next Ultimate Fighter will be determined in a big fight card to end another great season of The Ultimate Fighter.
Fight Card
Main Event:
Urijah “The California Kid” Faber vs. Scott “Young Guns” Jorgensen (FX Canada/FX)
Main Card:
Uriah “Prime Time” Hall vs. Kelvin Gastelum [TUF 17 Finale] (FX Canada/FX)
Miesha “Cupcake” Tate vs. Cat “Alpha” Zingano (FX Canada/FX)
Travis “Hapa” Browne vs. Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga (FX Canada/FX)
Bubba “The Menace” McDaniel vs. Gilbert “Jamal” Smith (FX Canada/FX)
Cole “Magrinho” Miller vs. Bart “Bartimus” Palaszewski (FX Canada/FX)
Undercard:
Josh Samman vs. Kevin “King” Casey (Sportsnet ONE)
Luke “The Bigslow” Barnatt vs. Collin Hart (Sportsnet ONE)
Dylan “The Villain” Andrews vs. Jimmy “Crash” Quinlan (Sportsnet ONE)
Sam Sicilia vs. Maximo “Maxi” Blanco (Sportsnet ONE)
Justin “The American Kidd” Lawrence vs. Daniel “The Pit” Pineda (Facebook)
Clint “Headbussa” Hester vs. Bristol Marunde (Facebook)
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