Confuseyus: The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale Results

Confuseyus

Click the link below for results from tonight’s UFC The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale from Las Vegas (not Florida as first reported).

Confuseyus: The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale Quick Predictions

Confuseyus

With season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter now in the books, there’s one last chance to save a season that started with a bang but ended with a serious whimper-The Ultimate Finale. The final is set. The undercard is set. And Kimbo’s In The House. And a main event between two Light Heavyweights who need a win to get into title contention. Since the card was only finalized overnight there’s only enough time for quick picks, so here they are…

Confuseyus: The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale Results: Team UK Sweep, Fight Of The Year!

Confuseyus

Click the link below for results from tonight’s UFC The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale from Las Vegas.

The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale Weigh-In Results: One Fighter Misses Weight (Again) (Updated)

Click below for results from today’s Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale weigh-ins in Las Vegas. (Note: They weren’t watchable live online as UFC had promised. UFC feed issues)

Confuseyus: The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale Quick Predictions (Updated)

Confuseyus

As season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter wraps up this week, it’s time to get ready for the live Finale this Saturday night. The TUF 9 Lightweight and Welterweight Winners will be determined while the main event features an all-but-guaranteed Fight Of The Year candidate that will have potential title picture implications. Because the full card won’t be finalized until roughly Thursday I’ll only be able to do quick predictions for this one, won’t be enough time for detailed write-ups. (Note: This will be updated Thursday morning once the final matchup left to decide-the TUF 9 Welterweight Final-is set. That will be known after tonight’s [6/17] episode of TUF)
Updated 6/18 with final card.

The Ultimate Fighter 9: Episode 8 Recap & Review

Each week after I’ve watched it (usually after downloading the episodes LEGALLY from iTunes) I’ll post a review & recap of each episode of The Ultimate Fighter 9: US vs. UK. Click below to read my review & recap of episode 8-be advised this contains SPOILERS if you have not yet seen the episode.

The Ultimate Fighter 9: Episode 7 Recap & Review

Each week after I’ve watched it (usually after downloading the episodes LEGALLY from iTunes) I’ll post a review & recap of each episode of The Ultimate Fighter 9: US vs. UK. Click below to read my review & recap of episode 7-be advised this contains SPOILERS if you have not yet seen the episode.

The Ultimate Fighter 9: Episode 6 Recap & Review

Each week after I’ve watched it (usually after downloading the episodes LEGALLY from iTunes) I’ll post a review & recap of each episode of The Ultimate Fighter 9: US vs. UK. Click below to read my review & recap of episode 6-be advised this contains SPOILERS if you have not yet seen the episode.

The Ultimate Fighter 9: Episode 4 Recap & Review

Each week after I’ve watched it (usually after downloading the episodes LEGALLY from iTunes) I’ll post a review & recap of each episode of The Ultimate Fighter 9: US vs. UK. Click below to read my review & recap of episode 4-be advised this contains SPOILERS if you have not yet seen the episode.

The Ultimate Fighter 9: Episode 3 Recap & Review

Each week after I’ve watched it (usually after downloading the episodes LEGALLY from iTunes) I’ll post a review & recap of each episode of The Ultimate Fighter 9: US vs. UK. Click below to read my review & recap of episode 3-be advised this contains SPOILERS if you have not yet seen the episode.

The Ultimate Fighter 9: Episode 2 Recap & Review

Each week after I’ve watched it (usually after downloading the episodes LEGALLY from iTunes) I’ll post a review & recap of each episode of The Ultimate Fighter 9: US vs. UK. Click below to read my review & recap of episode 2-be advised this contains SPOILERS if you have not yet seen the episode.

The Ultimate Fighter 9: Episode 1 Recap & Review

Each week after I’ve watched it (usually after downloading the episodes LEGALLY from iTunes) I’ll post a review & recap of each episode of The Ultimate Fighter 9: US vs. UK. Click below to read my review & recap of episode 1-be advised this contains SPOILERS if you have not yet seen the episode.

The Ultimate Fighter: My Thoughts On Who Should Coach Season 10 & Why

Although season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter is probably 6-7 months off and 2-3 months at least from even taping, based on what I’ve heard the format (featured weight classes) will be, when it’ll probably air, and fights coming up, plus recently re-watching season 7 I’m going to offer my thoughts on who should coach the season and why it’s in everyone’s best interest…for the show and Spike anyway. UFC too.

The Ultimate Fighter 9: Meet The 32 Fighters

The list of contestants for season 9 of “The Ultimate Fighter” has just been revealed. Click the link below to see who made it:

The Ultimate Fighter: The Case For Keeping The Show Going: Part 2

Across MMA sites, blogs, and the like these last few months, there’s been one rather hot topic of debate: Is it time to cancel ‘The Ultimate Fighter”? The TV show, which just wrapped up its 8th season, helped launch the UFC into the prominent position it’s in today and helped MMA in general get more exposure. The show puts 16 fighters in a house, a la The Real World and similar, but guys aren’t voted off. They’re beaten off…at least since season 2, when it took on its current format full-time, a single-elimination tournament where 16 fight down to 1 and the last man standing gets a “6-figure UFC contract”, which apparently is 3 years at about $150,000 guaranteed, could be $300,000 if you win all the fights you should get on said deal (9). After the recent 8th season, a combination of the out-of-control pranks in the house and continually declining TV ratings on Spike further fueled thoughts that it’s time to pull the plug on TUF. I didn’t like the 8th season the most either, but I disagree. And just like the “Human Wrecking Balls” use science to show how man can destroy anything man-made, I’m going to use what I use best to make my cases in sports for my argument to keep TUF going: Stats. I’ll use TV ratings and fighter records, among other things, to make my case as to why it still works. Now, Part 2: TUF finalists still in UFC today.

Although they never mention it on TV, losing on TUF DOES NOT by any means end your chances of making it to UFC. It’s common knowledge that, unless you get injured or on Dana’s bad side to the point of being kicked off the show, you’re probably gonna fight at the TUF Finale that season and, if you win or make the final fight for the season, you’re probably gonna stick around, albeit with a lesser non-guaranteed contract. Shis not only is good for the fighter,it can be good for UFC as it helps stock the divisions with prospects wile giving them more chances to fight and keeping the talent pool well-stocked with fish angling for that big bite. And some of the big names currently in UFC competed on TUF and didn’t even win. Here’s who, from each season, is still in UFC today and how they’ve fared since TUF (records do not include TUF 1 Finale performances, but they are official fights):

Season 1:
Stephan Bonnar: 5-2. Lost to Forrest Griffin in TUF 1 Finale. Promising career temporarily derailed by consecutive losses to Rashad Evans & Griffin after winning 3 straight, and testing positive for Boldenone (horse steroids) after the second Griffin fight. Returned about 11 months after the drug test and has won his last 2 fights.

Mike Swick: 7-1. Beat Alex Schoenauer at TUF 1 Finale. “Quick” has been a top performer since the Finale, his only loss being a decision to Yushin Okami, which snapped a 5-fight win streak in UFC. He’s now on a 3 fight win streak and has dropped from Middleweight to Welterweight, where he is climbing up the division ladder steadily.

Josh Koscheck: 9-3. “Kos” beat Christopher Sanford at the TUF 1 Finale then beat Pete Spratt before losing to Drew Fickett, then won 5 straight and climbed into the Top 5 Welterweight rankings before losing a fairly lopsided decision to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 74. Kos then won back-to-back fights before a convincing loss to Thiago Alves put him another step back and cost Kos a title shot. He bounced back with an absolutely brutal textbook KO of Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC Fights For The Troops, a quick bounceback amidst a rumored contract dispute that threatened to get him dropped by UFC. The matter is unresolved but many expect Kos to be sticking around.

Kenny Florian: 9-1. “KenFlo” has become another TUF success story. He lost his Finale fight to Sanchez, then won 3 straight to earn a title shot, facing Sean Sherk for the then-vacant UFC Lightweight Championship. Florian came up short and lost, but has since won 6 straight and, assuming current champion BJ Penn loses to GSP at UFC 94 in a Welterweight Title fight, will get another LW Title shot. If Penn wins the WW Title, KenFlo will be in limbo again through no fault of his own. He’s also found a side career hosting the ESPN online video series “MMA Live”.

Nate Quarry: 4-2. Quarry won his finale fight and would win 2 more and earn a UFC Middleweight Title shot. In that fight, he lasted 2 1/2 minutes before champ Rich Franklin KO’d him. He then KO’d Pete Sell before the fight that made him famous-Kalib Starnes. Starnes apparently was injured early on and ran more than fought, so Quarry taunted Starnes the whole fight, scenes that would be immortalized in video clips & GIF animations that remain popular and funny to this date. You could say it made Quarry an internet superstar. He won but at UFC 91 was submitted by jiu-jitsu machine Demian Maia.

Chris Leben: 7-4. “The Crippler” won his Finale fight then won 4 in a row before running into some really good Brazillian air guitarist named Anderson Silva. He’s gone 3-3 since but a positive steroids test has put his once-promising career on hold until at least late next year. He remains an enigma.

Season 2:
Luke Cummo: 3-3. He became one of my first favorite fighters by essentially being the first “geek” to fight on TUF as the last guy picked on TUF 2. He rode the underdog wave to the Finale, where he came up short against winner Joe Stevenson. He’s struggled at times, including the Finale his UFC mark is only 3-4, which usually doesn’t cut it. His future is up in the air and he is, along with Leben, potentially one of very few holdovers who don’t parlay TUF success into UFC success.

Marcus Davis: 7-1. Lost at the TUF 2 Finale then left UFC for a while before returning at the Ortiz-Shamrock 3 special event. He came back riding a 5-fight win streak that ultimately became 10 before he lost to Swick. He bounced back with a win in his next fight. Now fights almost exclusively on UFC events in England, where his nickname “The Irish Hand Grenade” gets him feature status (He’s actually American-born and raised).

Keith Jardine: 5-3. “The Dean Of Mean” won his TUF 2 Finale fight and has stuck around by proving, win or lose, that he is one tough SOB. Wins against Forrest Griffin and Wilson Gouveia were bookended by losses to Stephan Bonnar and Houston Alexander. He then shocked the workd and made a name for himself by beating Chuck Liddell by decision, then was quickly KO’d by Wanderlei Silva. He bounced back from that loss to take a split deicsion win against Brandon Vera. Jardine has almost become a “gatekeeper”, he takes 2 steps towards a title shot then 1 step back. Nevertheless he’s always a threat and puts on a good hard fight everytime.

Season 3:
Ed Herman: 3-3. Lost in the TUF 3 Final to Kendall Grove but impressed Dana White enough to earn his own contract. He then lost his next fight but bounced back with 3 straight wins. 2 straight losses since have knocked him down a couple notches though.

Matt Hamill: 4-2. Hamill quickly garnered a lot of attention on TUF 3 because of his quest to become the first deaf fighter in UFC.  He wasn’t able to make it through the whole show due to injuries, but returned at the Finale and won. He won his next 2 before alternating wins & losses, although many feel he got robbed by hometown bias in losing a decision to Michael Bisping in Bisping’s native England, the general consensus was had this fight been in the US, Hamill would’ve won. He won his next fight then took a tough loss to Rich Franklin, but bounced back with a win against Reese Andy at UFC 92. Hamill tries hard to improve every fight, and his dedication, heart, and effos in both the cage and in post-fight interviews have made him a fan favorite and a wonderful inspirational story. He even has a movie coming next year based on his life and career so far (he likely will not star in it).

Season 4:
Rich Clementi: 5-2. Lost at TUF 4 Finale, then went 1-1 before winning 6 straight between UFC & indies. Lost his last fight to Gray Maynard. Drew controversy for a heated fight against Melvin Guillard, which Clementi won then made an obscene gesture post-fight.

Pete Sell: 2-4. Overall record includes a pre-TUF 4 win, a loss at the TUF 4 Finale, 3 straight losses after that (but a win in an Indy), then finally a UFC win at UFC 90, his first win in nearly 2 years. Started his career 6-0 but hasn’t been the same since.

Patrick Cote: 5-5. Overall record includes 3 pre-TUF 4 losses, a TUF 4 Finale loss, then 5 straight wins and a UFC Middleweight Title shot that he ultimately lost due to a freak injury. He will be out until at least mid-2009.

Chris Lytle: 5-8. Overall record includes a 2-4 pre-TUF 4 mark, a TUF 4 Finale loss, and a 3-3 mark since. Seems stuck in mid-card but, more often than not, wins one of the nightly event bonuses.

Season 5:
Gray Maynard: 4-0. Went to a No Contest at the TUF 5 Finale when he & Rob Emerson went to a very bizarre Double KO. Has been slowly but steadliy climbing the Lightweight ladder and was an assistant coach on TUF 7.

Matt Wiman: 4-2. Went 0-1 before TUF 5, lost at the TUF 5 Finale, then won 4 straight before dropping a decision to Jim Miller at FFTT.

Joe Lauzon: 3-1. Earned his spot on TUF 5 and shocked the MMA world by beating Jens Pulver in just 47 seconds at UFC 63 in a fight Pulver was supposed to win easily and convincingly. J-Lau came up short on TUF but won at the Finale then won 2 more before losing to Kenny Florian at UFN 13. He would bounce back with a win at UFN 15 and remains one of the top Lightweight up-and-comers in UFC.

Rob Emerson: 2-0. Went to the above-mentioned No Contest with Maynard, 2-0 since. Has had unspecified legal problems between fights but made an impact in his last fight, KO’ing fellow TUF 5 alum Manny Gamburyan in just 12 seconds.

Corey Hill: 1-2. Among the only fighter not to fight in the Finale. Considered a Lightweight freak of nature because he’s 6’4″ and fights at 155. Promising UFC career has been derailed due to a major injury suffered at FFTT, he fractured his right shin throwing a kick and underwent emergency surgery. It’s expected to be 12-18 months before he can fight again. His team, Gracie Tampa, has setup a “Get Well Fund” to help cover non-medical expenses for HIll and his family.

Manny Gamburyan: 2-1. Many feel he got unfairly screwed out of the TUF 5 championship due to a freak injury suffered in the final against Nate Diaz that has left many clamoring for a rematch. It has yet to happen. Gamburyan won his next 2 fights before Emerson KO’d him. A tenacious fighter who has another claim to fame-his cousin is fellow UFC fighter Karo Parisyan.

Cole Miller: 2-1. Won his TUF 5 Finale fight and is 2-1 since. A BJJ fighter who is already a solid trainer on the side at the still-young age of only 24. Like Gamburyan, MMA runs in his family-Cole’s cousin Micah fights in WEC.

Season 6:
Matt Arroyo: 0-1. Won at the TUF 6 Finale then lost to Matt Brown at the TUF 7 Finale for the 2nd time in his career.

Ben Saunders: 2-0. Won his TUF 6 Finale fight and remains unbeaten in his career, 6-0 since his first 2 fights were Draws.

George Sotiropoulos: 1-0. Won his TUF 6 Finale fight then beat Roman Mitchiyan at UFN 13. A scheduled fight with Karo Parisyan was called off due to an injury. He will return February 7.

Roman Mitchiyan: 0-1. Won his TUF 6 Finale fight after not getting to fight on the show due to injury. Then lost to Sotiropolous.

Season 7:
C.B. Dollaway: 2-0. Lost to Amir Sadollah in the TUF 7 final, but has stuck around and bounced back from the 2 controversial losses with 2 straight wins. Strong wrestling background makes him a top prospect in the Middleweight division.

Matthew Riddle: Won his TUF 7 Finale fight, but next fight, to have been at UFC 91, was called off due to injury. An early ’09 return is expected.

Dan Cramer: Forced off TUF 7 Finale due to injury. Returns at UFC 94.

Tim Credeur: 2-0. Forced off TUF 7 Finale due to using a prescription drug that is medically necessary but banned by the NSAC. Not disciplined because of his honesty and not fighting after disclosing this.

Matt Brown: 1-1. won at the TUF 7 Finale, then lost a very controversial split decision to Dong Hyun Kim, many felt Brown won. Bounced back with a win next time out at UFC 91 on short notice as an injury replacement for Riddle.

Cale Yarbrough: 0-1. See Tim Credeur, this was to have been this fight. It was later rescheduled, Yarbrough was TKO’d. FYI: No relation to the NASCAR driver of the same name (but maybe slightly different last name spelling).

Overall, guys who get to come back after their Finales are a cumulative 106-55 in UFC to date, with a handful of title shots between them while a couple, most notably Cote, have won titles in other promotions. And if we include season 8, an average of 4 guys get to stick around, and with a couple exceptions they do well enough to stick around while, on average, one from each season becomes a breakout star and cracks the top tire of his respective division. And the titles show they have success elsewhere too-Bobby Southworth, a contestant on season 1, is another great example-he went on to win the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship and held it for quite a while before recently dropping it to former UFC bad boy Renato Sobral. Further proof that if you can win at the TUF Finale, and some cases even if you lose, you’ve got a great career ahead of you if you keep doing what you did before and do it well.

Next time: The TUF TV and independent effects.