TUF Nations Finale Preview
The Ultimate Fighter is now a staple for all UFC fans as the reality show has become a constant for the UFC and has almost become a minor leagues for the big promotion. The fighters that are a part of the reality show can become big names in the UFC and every time that the show premieres there is a new crop of potential fighters that may enter the UFC. As the show continues to get bigger the UFC looks to new places to find a new crop of fighters. They would start the new pattern when they created TUF Brazil in 2012 and followed with TUF Smashes later in the same year. TUF Brazil was made to find more Brazilian talent in a country that has more MMA fighters than almost any other country in the world. TUF Smashes would be the chance for the UFC to bring in more Australian and British fighters as two teams of Aussies and Brits faced off in the hopes that a new British and Australia start would be found. The additions of TUF China and TUF Brazil II and III would continue this trend as the UFC uses this show to travel to different parts of the world in hopes that they can find new stars from different countries. Those countries would include Canada and Australia, once again, in their latest attempt to find new stars. The Ultimate Fighter: Nations would feature teams from Australia and Canada in the hopes that both MMA crazed countries would be able to produce the next TUF Champion. For the Aussies it was a chance to follow in the footsteps of former Australian TUF champion Robert Whittaker who would his weight class in TUF: The Smashes. They would all look to become the second Australian TUF champion since the show began. For the Canadians it was a chance to become the first ever TUF champion from Canada despite the amount of Canadians that have been on the show. In every season of The Ultimate Fighter there have been Canadians with promising runs on the show but none have won yet and TUF Nations was a better chance to find that first ever Canadian TUF champion. The goal for the Canadians will come true as there will be a Canadian TUF Champion after the Canadian team swept the show and put four fighters in the finals. The Australians had a good showing but in the end it was the Canadians who came out on top and who will look to take on their teammates to determine the next Ultimate Fighter. In the Middleweight Division it will be the grinder Elias Theodorou taking on the underdog of the year in Sheldon Westcott. Theodorou was a well-respected fighter coming into the show and was considered one of the fighters that could make it all the way. His pressing style wears fighters out as he looks to take fights right to the end and would do exactly that with two Unanimous Decision wins during the season. He will take on Sheldon Westcott who represents the complete opposite of the show as a fighter that was not widely known and who was not considered to go far. He almost didn’t get that far though as a neck injury would limit him in training and he would only get to fight in the semi-finals after being cleared by the doctors a few days before his fight. Now the underdog and the superstar get the chance to earn the TUF championship and earn their spot on the UFC roster. In the Welterweight Division it will be the young fighter who many are calling the new Georges St. Pierre against a quiet and unassuming man of faith. Olivier Aubin-Mercier is a young star that may very well become the best Canadian prospect in the UFC as he has shown dominance in his fights with a Unanimous Decision and a submission to earn his spot in the final. The younger Québécois kid looks to continue his run and begin a run at the title that his hero and training partner Georges St. Pierre once held. I n his way will be Chad Laprise who owns one of the most brutal knockouts in TUF history. Laprise has shown plenty of ability to challenge Aubin-Mercier with a submission win and a KO against Kajan Johnson that would break the jaw of the veteran fighter. These four fighters will all square off in the octagon in Quebec City as they all look to be named the first Canadian fighter to win TUF and more importantly the fighter that earns a UFC contract and achieves a dream.
With TUF: Nations taking centre stage in the fight it is easy to overlook the fact that the UFC will travel to a brand new city yet again. The UFC will take over the Colisée Pepsi for the first time ever as they travel down the road from Montreal to Quebec City. The It will be yet another chance for the UFC to put their name in front of more fans in a new place. They will take full advantage as well in providing two big fights plus the TUF: Nations final fights. First the Quebec hero Patrick Cote will take on Kyle Noke in the matchup of coaches from the TUF Nations season. Patrick Cote was once the top contender in the Middleweight Division but would lose to Anderson Silva when he blew out his knee during the fight. Since that loss Cote struggled to stay in the octagon and to win fights. With only four fights since 2012 Cote is hoping that this fight will be the start to a comeback as he hopes to move back into the top fighters in the division. His opponent is also coming off of a long layoff as he would have no fights in 2013 and would split his two fights in 2012. Now he is looking to make an impact in his return to the octagon by beating the home favourite and earning some revenge for his Australian team not putting any fighters into the finals. The action will not stop there though as the UFC will also bring a big fight in the Middleweight Division against two top ten fighters. Michael Bisping will return to the octagon after a year layoff where he recovered from a number of injuries but remain the #5 fighter in the division. He will take on Tim Kennedy who is riding a three fight win streak into the fight and is trying to add another name to his win column. Both fighters are looking for the same thing as a win here could put them in potential title contention. If either fighter wins it could push them among the top fighters in the division and although it is not a #1 contender fight a win could put them in that situation. Of course these fighters do not like each other, as it is with every fight involving Michael Bisping, which will only make it that much better and will close out a great card. The TUF: Nations Finale features some great fights as the coaches will face off while a grudge match is in the main event and two new fighters will join the roster as there is plenty to watch for this Wednesday.
Fight Card
Main Event:
Michael “The Count” Bisping vs. Tim Kennedy (Sportsnet 360/Fox Sports 1)
Main Card:
Patrick “The Predator” Cote vs. Kyle Noke (Sportsnet 360/Fox Sports 1)
Elias “The Spartan” Theodorou vs. Sheldon Westcott [TUF Nations Middleweight Title] (Sportsnet 360/Fox Sports 1)
Chad “The Disciple” Laprise vs. Olivier Aubin-Mercier [TUF Nations Welterweight Title] (Sportsnet 360/Fox Sports 1)
Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier vs. Akira Corassani (Sportsnet 360/Fox Sports 1)
Undercard:
Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout vs. KJ Noons (Sportsnet 360/Fox Sports 1)
Sarah Kaufman vs. Leslie “The Peacemaker” Smith (Sportsnet 360/Fox Sports 1)
Ryan “The Big Deal” Jimmo vs. Sean “The Real OC” O’Connell (Sportsnet 360/Fox Sports 1)
George Roop vs. Dustin “The Diamond” Kimura (Sportsnet 360/Fox Sports 1)
Mark Bocek vs. Mike “El Cucuy” De La Torre (UFC Fight Pass)
Nordine Taleb vs. Vik “The Spartan” Grujic (UFC Fight Pass)
Richard “Filthy” Walsh vs. Chris “The Savage” Indich (UFC Fight Pass)
Mitch Gagnon vs. Tim “The Psycho” Gorman (UFC Fight Pass)
The Sport Addiction 