Proving Their Worth in Vegas
If there was a theme to International Fight Week it had to be that a number of fighters hitting the main stage had something to prove.
At UFC 213 the biggest fights will involve fighters that are looking to show that they are worthy of the attention of the fans despite usually being forgotten.
The fights began with The Ultimate Fighter Finale though and on that card, there were fighters looking to prove that they belong in the UFC.
It is the biggest promotion in the world and the promotion with the best fighters in the world as only the best are able to fight in the UFC.
To get there it can take a lot of work and stay there it is only tougher so when fighters get their chance they need to take advantage of it or sink back to regional shows.
There are plenty of stories of good fighters trying to make it in the UFC and losing two or three fights in a row before they are cut.
At The Ultimate Fighter Finale, there were three fighters looking to show that they do belong in the UFC among the best.
First up was the Finale of the 25th season of The Ultimate Fighter where everyone was looking to prove that they belong.
The Ultimate Fighter 25 was the redemption season where fighters from past TUF seasons got the chance to win the show and for the majority to get into the UFC.
It was a second chance for so many and that included Dhiego Lima and Jesse Taylor who made their way to the Finale.
Both were some of the best fighters in The Ultimate Fighter during their original seasons but neither could make it in the UFC.
Lima struggled after losing in the Finale of his season as he still earned a UFC contract but couldn’t stick.
Taylor looked like a sure winner in his season until a night out to celebrate turned into a disaster and saw him pulled from the competition.
Both entered the octagon looking to show that they do belong in the UFC and that they deserved the second chance.
Taylor did that perfectly as right from the start he did what got him so far in the first season and in the redemption season.
He looked to take the fight to the ground right away and got it there in the first round dominated the scorecards.
He did the same in round two but this time sunk in a Rear Naked Choke to end the fight and earn the title of Ultimate Fighter.
More importantly, he showed that he does belong in the top promotion and although it was far later than he was hoping he still gets his chance to fight the best in the world.
The next fighter with something to prove was in the main event putting him in the spotlight with a big chance of exposing himself.
Justin Gaethje had been a hyped prospect for the UFC but there are doubters as he came from the World Series of Fighting which was never a major competitor for the UFC.
Although he was one of the best fighters in the WSOF, he still had never fought in the UFC against the best fighters in the world.
There was a lot of hype surrounding Gaethje but everyone wondered how good he would be if he took on fighters at the calibre of the UFC.
Would he still be a championship contender? Would he even be able to compete with the middle of the pack in the UFC?
Everyone got their chance to see exactly what would happen as Gaethje was set to take on UFC veteran Michael Johnson who had fought some of the best in the world.
Johnson is one of the more powerful fighters in the lightweight division and Gaethje was certainly not getting an easy debut to prove that he belongs in the UFC.
All of the questions would be answered and the mystery would be solved as Gaethje as going to try to show that he can fight the best and Johnson was going to show that he didn’t belong.
From the start, this fight was something else as both fighters came in ready to prove their point and ready to do anything to prove it.
They went all out going back and forth with big shots landed by each yet neither would go down or give anything to the other.
It was a real battle throughout the fight but eventually, Gaethje swung the momentum into his corner.
The second round saw Gaethje land a great short uppercut to put Johnson on the back foot and eventually finished him off.
Gaethje had proven in a big way that he belongs among the best in the world and that he might just become a fan favourite.
Both Gaethje and Taylor came in looking to show that they should be considered among the best fighter in MMA and to do that they needed to prove that they belonged in the UFC.
Both did it in great fashion finishing their fights and showing that the UFC is where they should be, among the top fighters.
The Sport Addiction 