Filed under: News, UFC
It’s going to be difficult – oh, I know it’s going to be difficult – but let’s try to take our attention away from everything that is going on around UFC 200 for at least a little while and focus on Friday’s finale card for “The Ultimate Fighter 23.”
The main event on this card, which is the second event of the UFC’s triple-header this week, has everything many fight fans want in a headlining bout. There’s drama, there’s animosity, it’s a rematch of a tightly contested first fight, and since the first fight took place almost 19 months ago, there’s the question of progress.
Honestly, what more could one ask from the bout between women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and the woman who has become her archrival, Claudia Gadelha?
Another reason to get excited for this card is the fact that former Bellator champion Will Brooks is fighting. Brooks, who joined the UFC in May, has won his last eight fights. Brooks’ opponent on Friday is 19-fight UFC veteran Ross Pearson.
Between those two fights, the UFC will crown the winners of “TUF 23” in the light heavyweight division and women’s strawweight division.
The TUF 23 Finale takes place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and it airs on FOX Sports 1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass. Here are 10 reasons you don’t want to miss this one.
1. What’s changed?
Claudia Gadelha and Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Heading into the first fight between Jedrzejczyk and Gadelha, Gadelha (13-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) was favored to win and move on to face then-champion Carla Esparza. That obviously didn’t happen, and to this day, Gadelha believes she won that contest.
Which begs the question: How will that split-decision loss affect her game plan heading into the rematch? Will Gadelha, No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA women’s strawweight rankings, be more aggressive in the hopes to avoid the judges, and will that aggression play into the hands of Jedrzejczyk (11-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC)?
Another thing to ponder is development and cage time. Gadelha has only one fight since the loss to Jedrzejczyk while the champion has three, including one five-round decision win. Gadelha has never gone past three rounds.
2. Looking for development
Andrew Sanchez
When Khalil Rountree was able to fight to his strengths on “TUF 23,” he looked pretty good. Sure, his technique wasn’t the cleanest, but there was no doubt that when he was throwing hands, he was looking for a knockout. And those soccer kicks to the body? Ouch!
However, when Rountree (4-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) found himself on the ground, he looked lost, and that could be a problem when he faces Andrew Sanchez in this light heavyweight tourney final. Sanchez (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who can handle himself on the feet and on the ground, is a well-rounded fighter who captured the RFA middleweight title prior to heading into the “TUF” house.
What to watch for here is how much progress Rountree has made since “TUF 23” filming.
3. Not just striker vs. wrestler
On paper, the “TUF 23” women’s strawweight tourney final looks like a classic striker vs. wrestler matchup, but that would really oversimplify things. Amanda Cooper (1-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) may have a boxing background, but as she displayed on the show, she’s a threat when the fight hits the ground as well; she earned two submissions in her three fights.
Cooper’s opponent, Tatiana Suarez (3-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), is a solid wrestler who will use strikes to get the fight to the ground if her takedowns fail. Once on the ground, Suarez shows a good fight IQ, mixed with an impressive amount of aggression. Suarez, like Cooper, earned two submissions in her three “TUF” bouts.
This has the makings of a very entertaining fight.
4. Turn that opportunity into gold
Will Brooks
Former Bellator lightweight champion and No. 11 ranked lightweight Brooks recently received the opportunity he wanted: signing with the UFC. His plan is to take that opportunity and turn it into a shiny gold belt. Brooks’ (17-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) first test toward that goal is a short notice fight against Pearson (19-10 MMA, 11-7 UFC).
Brooks hasn’t fought since November, which means he’s been on the shelf for eight months – a long time for a guy who fought six times in both 2011 and 2013.
Brooks has a lot to prove, and that time off is just one of a handful of worries he’ll contend with in this bout.
5. Someone’s not happy
Thiago Tavares
Thiago Tavares is clearly not excited that Doo Ho Choi is his opponent on this card, but fans shouldn’t share his displeasure. Both these fighters are coming off -fight-night-bonus performances, Choi (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) knocking out Sam Sicilia and Tavares (20-6-1 MMA, 10-6-1 UFC) submitting Clay Guida.
Choi may be young and a relative unknown, but he has two first-round knockouts to his name in two UFC fights, and before his most recent bout, commentator Kenny Florian predicted Choi will fight for the title before the end of 2016. That may be a bit presumptive, but there’s no doubt this is a fight to see in the featherweight division.
6. Unbeaten prospects
Andrew Holbrook
The lightweight bout between Andrew Holbrook (11-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Joaquim Silva (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is the classic someone’s-O-has-got-to-go matchup.
Both of these fighters made their UFC debuts in their last fights, and both scored split-decision wins while going the distance for the first time in their careers.
With the octagon jitters behind them and the knowledge that they can go three rounds, these two fighters face off in Vegas. While it won’t have an immediate impact on the lightweight rankings, this is a fight to watch for those who like to keep up on the happenings in the toughest division in the UFC.
7. Trying something new
Gray Maynard
Gray Maynard is dropping a weight division in the hopes of breaking out of a funk. Maynard (11-5-1 MMA, 9-5-1 UFC), who twice fought for the UFC lightweight title (and lost both of those contests to Frankie Edgar), is 1-5-1 dating back to January 2011, with four of those losses coming by way of knockout. His last fight came more than a year ago when Alexander Yakovlev defeated him by decision.
Maynard’s opponent, Fernando Bruno (15-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) lost to Glaico Franca in the lightweight final of “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 4.” He returns to featherweight for this contest.
8. Big fight for the little guys
John Moraga
John Moraga has four losses in his MMA career, and all of them have been to the best in the 125-pound division (one loss to Joseph Benavidez, two to John Dodson and one to champ Demetrious Johnson). Right now, 32-year-old Moraga (16-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) sits outside the top five in the division, coming in at No. 7. If Moraga hopes to fight the best in the division once again, he needs this win.
This is a tremendous opportunity for 23-year-old Matheus Nicolau (11-1-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC). A win over Moraga will immediately put him in the mix in a division that is in desperate need of fighters to face the champ.
9. Make the most of a second chance
Anthony Smith
Anthony Smith was cut from the UFC in June 2013 after a single loss. Since then he’s gone 8-1, including a win in his last fight, his return to the UFC. In that bout, Smith (25-11 MMA, 1-1 UFC) defeated Leonardo Augusto Leleco by decision on less than a week’s notice. For a fighter coming in on short notice, Smith looked good, at least in the first two rounds before fading in the third.
Now, with a full camp behind him, he’ll get a chance to show the UFC he belongs. For Smith to stick, he’s going to have to overcome Cezar Ferreira (9-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC), the winner of the first season of “TUF: Brazil.” He’s coming off a decision win over Oluwale Bamgbose.
10. See where they stand
Kevin Lee
There’s a lot to like about the matchmaking in the lightweight fight between Kevin Lee and Jake Matthews. These two are young and developing fighters in a highly competitive division, and the UFC is doing them both a favor in matching them up while they are so young; 23 in Lee’s (12-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) case and 21 for Matthews (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC).
This is a good fight for these two young men to find out where they stand in the 155-pound division’s pecking order.
For more on The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
Filed under: News, UFC