Recap and Aftermath: TUF 10 Finale
Making his ring entrance to the song “Fat” by Weird Al Yankovic, Roy “Big Country” Nelson proved that a big belly was nothing to be ashamed of as he showcased a dangerous striking game by knocking out Brendan Schaub to claim the title of “The Ultimate Fighter” on Saturday night at the TUF 10 Live Finale in Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson made a successful UFC debut, edging Houston Alexander via unanimous decision in a lackluster bout at the Pearl at the Palms.
Let’s take a look at the results and assess where Saturday’s winners and losers go from here.
Roy Nelson wins “The Ultimate Fighter” with knockout of Brendan Schaub
The story going into the heavyweight final was Nelson’s vastly superior submission game against Schaub’s seemingly destructive hands. After taking him down to the ground early in the first round, Nelson failed to put the Greg Jackson MMA product away as he muscled back to his feet. Schaub displayed quicker hands and kept Nelson at bay with his jab. However, Nelson capitalized the moment Schaub let down his guard and connected with a punishing overhand right to knock him out cold.
The win was easily Nelson’s most impressive victory in recent memory and it earned him some well-deserved praise from UFC President Dana White.
Nelson also pocketed an extra $25,000 for his efforts as he claimed the “Knockout of the Night” bonus.
The favourite to win from day one, Nelson did what he needed to do through each stage of the show and he saved his best performance for last.
It should be interesting to see where Nelson stands amongst the UFC’s top heavyweights and we will find out soon enough. “Big Country” could fare well against less-seasoned fighters like Patrick Barry, Mostapha al Turk and Stefan Struve, but he could also be a tough test for veterans such as Cheick Kongo and Heath Herring.
The sky is the limit for Nelson, who seems to have matured since his first day in the “TUF” house. At first stubborn about a new training regimen, Nelson has now hinted at moving to New Mexico to train with Greg Jackson on a full-time basis. If he makes the move, Nelson will only become more dangerous inside the octagon.
Meanwhile, Schaub displayed solid striking and lots of power by pushing Nelson back early on and escaping a near-crucifix position on the ground. The 26-year-old former NFL player still appears somewhat green and needs to continue to polish his MMA game before he can make a legitimate impact in the UFC.
It remains to be seen if he will stay with the UFC or pursue some tune-up bouts in smaller organizations. The latter might be the wisest choice for the young BJJ purple belt. Schaub should return to the UFC after honing his skills against some unsigned UFC veterans such as Ricco Rodriguez or Dan Christison.
Matt Hamill earns controversial DQ win over Jon Jones
The hype has been high for Jones, who has been touted as the best light heavyweight prospect to come along since Strikeforce champion Gegard Mousasi.
The pressure was on and Jones delivered an impeccable performance against the wrestling standout Hamill. Jones, who appeared to be a much bigger fighter physically, flustered Hamill with an assortment of tricks on his feet before taking him down and pounding him out with a vicious ground-and-pound assault. Hamill was already in no man’s land and Jones made a costly mistake by dropping a downward elbow and splitting Hamill’s nose.
We witnessed the first-ever case of the instant replay rule, implemented by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, coming into effect. Referee Steve Mazzagatti declared that Jones’ illegal elbows led to Hamill being unable to continue the fight. As such, Hamill was declared the victor by disqualification.
The classy Jones has been apologetic for the infraction and has accepted the first loss on his record. After all, Jones was dominating Hamill and the end was near, so there is no question as to who the superior fighter was on Saturday night.
With successive wins over Hamill, Jake O’Brien and Stephan Bonnar, Jones is on the verge of being considered a top-10 light heavyweight.
Several potential opponents for Jones come to mind. With Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell set to coach the next season of “TUF,” that means Forrest Griffin will not be facing Ortiz in a rematch anytime soon. Griffin would be a great test for the 22-year-old. Other challengers that could make sense for Jones include Luiz Cane, Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira or Thiago Silva, if he comes out on the losing end against Rashad Evans.
Meanwhile, Hamill, who is believed to have suffered a broken shoulder in the bout, will continue to assume a gatekeeper role in the UFC. A potential fight against preliminary card winner Brian Stann could make sense for his next outing.
Kimbo Slice shows improvement in decision victory against Houston Alexander
No one expected the Alexander vs. Slice matchup to go more than one round and it went three.
Much to the disappointment of the live crowd, the opening stanza was uneventful as Alexander managed to land a few leg kicks while circling around Slice for five minutes. In round two, the stalemate seemed like it was going to continue until Slice finally hurt Alexander with a jab. Slice went on to dominate him for the whole round, exhibiting some of his improved skills, including powerful suplexes, dirty boxing in the clinch, ground-and-pound and even some submission attempts. In round three, both men were gassed and winged punches back and forth with neither man garnering a decisive edge.
In the end, Slice earned the unanimous decision on scores of 29-28 twice and 30-27.
Though definitely a better fighter than when we last saw him, Slice, who had American Top Team head trainer Ricardo Liborio in his corner, is still a work in progress. He lacked the gas tank and killer instinct needed to be a force in the UFC, not to mention his sloppy ground game and failure to check leg kicks are weaknesses that could be easily exploited by more experienced opponents.
Slice was successful against Alexander because “The Assassin,” typically a 205-pound fighter, failed to evolve his deficient grappling. Additionally, Alexander was overpowered by a bigger heavyweight who clearly possessed the power advantage. It was an uninspired performance as Alexander hesitated to engage and perhaps gave Slice too much credit on his feet.
Slice’s next opponent, virtually any light heavyweight in the UFC, is likely to expose his limited MMA game. Slice risks defeat against the lowest light heavyweights on the UFC totem pole, including Stephan Bonnar, Eric Schafer, Steve Cantwell and James Irvin. Ironically, both Schafer and Irvin have beaten Alexander in the past.
“The Assassin,” who was favoured to win, is probably going to get his walking papers from the UFC if the promotion hopes to maintain its legitimacy. Aside from a lucky knockout of Keith Jardine, Alexander has been exposed for a plethora of holes in his game and he needs to tune up his skills before returning against the top 205-pound opposition in the world.
Frankie Edgar submits Matt Veach in lightweight action
In an entertaining 155-pound tilt that earned both men an extra $25,000 for “Fight of the Night” honors, Edgar submitted Veach after a razor-thin first frame that could have gone either way.
In the second, Edgar, the smaller fighter, caught Veach with a straight rand hand and pounced on him with a barrage of strikes until the previously unbeaten Veach gave up his back and allowed Edgar to lock on a rear-naked choke for the win.
Edgar, who is 6-1 in the octagon, has now asked for a lightweight title shot. With wins over Sean Sherk, Tyson Griffin and Spencer Fisher, Edgar has proven himself against top fighters in the division already.
However, given his lone setback against Gray Maynard, one can argue “The Bully” Maynard should get a title shot before him.
Edgar needs another big test before he earns a shot at the crown. The three possibilities that come to mind include the loser of B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez, the winner of Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida or a rematch against Maynard after he fights Nathan Diaz in January.
Veach remains a solid prospect in the deep division and could position himself near the top of the heap if he can get by an experienced veteran like Caol Uno.
Matt Mitrione weathers early storm to knock out Marcus Jones
In the first main card bout featuring a pair of NFL veterans, Mitrione survived a near-submission predicament in round one to score a violent knockout against Jones in the second round.
Mitrione showed off his heavy hands against the crafty submission specialist, who seemed to tire midway through the opening frame.
Neither man is ready for the UFC.
Jones needs to decide if he’s serious about an MMA career. If that’s the case, he needs to work heavily on his standup game as he’s susceptible to getting knocked out in a division full of heavy-handed sluggers.
Mitrione, meanwhile, is hardly the complete package himself. His conditioning and submission defense could use work and his mental stability is still in question. Nonetheless, it would be unsurprising if he stuck around to fight another day in the octagon.
In preliminary action…
Mark Bocek earned $25,000 for the “Submission of the Night” as he used a rear-naked choke to put away outmatched UFC first-timer Joe Brammer. The Canadian BJJ black belt is now on a three-fight winning streak and could use a step up in competition.
James McSweeney was far more impressive than during his stint on “TUF” as he completely dominated Darrill Schoonover before securing the TKO win at 3:20 of the final round. McSweeney will likely stick around as a gatekeeper in the UFC until he is deemed “not good enough” to last in the promotion, while Schoonover reports back to active military duty.
John Howard was on the verge of losing a unanimous decision to the returning 50+ fight veteran Dennis Hallman until he surprised Hallman with a beautiful left hand in round three for the knockout victory. Howard will fight another day in the UFC, while Hallman will find out the hard way if he can still hang with the sport’s young sharks.
In a battle of “TUF 10” teammates, Jon Madsen edged Justin Wren via split decision. Both are solid prospects, but neither man is ready to make any kind of impact in the UFC.
Former WEC light heavyweight kingpin Brian Stann spoiled the UFC debut of Rodney Wallace, notching a unanimous decision. Stann vs. Hamill could be on the radar, while Wallace will probably get only one more chance to prove he is worthy of a spot on the UFC roster.
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