Julius Creed of American Made will be part of Daniel Cormier’s coaching staff for the upcoming season of UFC reality show The Ultimate Fighter.
UFC Hall of Famer Cormier announced his staff in a social media post, including Creed, real name Jacob Kasper, is a former NCAA All-American in amateur wrestling at Duke University where he competed from 2013 to 2017.
Creed signed with WWE in 2020 along with his younger brother Brutus (Drew Kasper), and the duo made their televised debut as The Creed Brothers on NXT in 2021. The Creed Brothers held the NXT tag Team titles once.
Along with Chad Gable and Ivy Nile, the Creeds comprise the American Made stable as part of the WWE Raw roster.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 33 will stream beginning on May 27 on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass. Cormier will coach one team of competitors, while Chael Sonnen will coach the other. Cormier is a former UFC Heavyweight and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
After several years away from the Octagon, former two-division champion and crossover star Conor McGregor will finally make his return to the UFC later this year.
McGregor and former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler will both coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, announced by UFC head Dana White Saturday morning.
The two will then fight at some point this year, but no details were provided in regard to date, venue or weight class. White said it will be after this season concludes.
The 31st season of the show will debut on Tuesday, May 30th and will run through Tuesday, August 15th on both ESPN and ESPN+.
McGregor hasn’t fought since July 2021 when he lost to Dustin Poirier in their trilogy fight and snapped his tibia in doing so. He is on a two-fight losing streak while Chandler has lost three of his last four — the last being to Poirier at last year’s UFC 281.
Since the aforementioned Poirier loss, McGregor has stayed in the news for mostly legal reasons: both running afoul of the law and being sued by former teammate Artem Lobov over the creation of his Proper Twelve whisky brand.
Tony Ferguson was rumored at one point to be the coach opposite McGregor.
UFC kicks off their final stretch of 2018 with a two show weekend, highlighted by two interesting main events with younger fighters looking to take the spot of veterans.
Helping me look at some of the highlights of both shows are our MMA staff writers Ryan Frederick and Paul Fontaine.
UFC TUF Finale Friday / UFC Fight Night Saturday
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Kamaru Usman (Friday)
Pedro Munhoz vs. Bryan Caraway (Friday)
Joseph Benavidez vs. Alex Perez (Friday)
Junior dos Santos vs. Tai Tuivasa (Saturday)
Mark Hunt vs. Justin Willis (Saturday)
Tyson Pedro vs. Shogun Rua (Saturday)
What are you most looking forward to?
Paul: For the weekend to be over, honestly. Between two UFC shows and two Bellator shows, it’s a full time job keeping up with everything. Seriously though, there’s some good fights all around. I’m always down to see Mark Hunt fight and Tyson Pedro could take another step toward stardom with an impressive win over former champion Shogun Rua.
Ryan: It’s a super packed weekend for combat sports with two UFC events, two Bellator events, and the Wilder-Fury boxing match. For UFC, the fight I’m looking forward to the most is tonight’s Dos Anjos vs. Usman fight. I have long thought that Usman is going to be the champion at 170 pounds, and this is a test he must pass to obtain that goal. I think he should be given a title shot with a win in this one, especially if he finishes Dos Anjos. It is a big fight for him.
Josh: Usman-RDA because it will answer a lot of questions (hopefully) about both guys. On paper, Usman should have already got a title shot, but we all know how that goes. RDA looked great in a dominant win over Robbie Lawler, but equally got dominated against Colby Covington after a lot of talk between the two. He needs an impressive win, but this is way more important for Usman who has pushed his chips in the middle of the table again.
Anything being slept on?
Paul: The debut of Antonina Shevchenko kicking off the Fight Pass prelims on the TUF Finale show. The older sister of the future women’s flyweight champion Valentina looked great in her fight on the Dana White Contender Series and adds to what it fast becoming the deepest division for women in UFC.
Ryan: I don’t know if it is being slept on considering it is the main event of Saturday’s UFC event, but Dos Santos against Tuivasa is kind of flying under the radar. Tuivasa has a lot of charisma and is getting to a headline spot pretty quickly, and this is a really tough test against a former heavyweight champion. Dos Santos hasn’t finished an opponent in a long time, and his best days may be behind him…or he could just be gearing up for another title run. Either way, this is a big spot for both.
Josh: Pedro vs. Rua. ‘Shogun’ got crushed by Anthony Smith, but that was coming off a three fight win streak. He’s 4-4 in his last eight, but is unpredictable even after all these years. After a buzzworthy stat, Pedro has lost two of his last three and got submitted in the first by Ovince Saint Preux in his last outing. Given their recent propensity to get finished, this could be a fun one. I could also add that former flyweight title contender Benavidez is essentially a ghost on this show, buried in the prelims, and can’t be thrilled about it. Plus, his opponent is a very good fighter riding an eight fight win streak.
Anything not doing it for you?
Paul: The TUF matches. This has been the lowest rated season of he show in history and there is next to no buzz about any of these fighters. I’ve been watching almost since the beginning and every episode of every season….until this year. I’ve watched less than half his year and Pannie Kianzad is the only fighter I’m familiar with and that’s from seeing her fight five times in Invicta.
Ryan: I’m not really interested in the TUF finals. The women’s featherweight finals has Macy Chiasson in just her third professional fight, and the heavyweight finals has a 38-year-old in Juan Espino. The TUF concept is dead, and while it is going to continue, so they say, it doesn’t need to. The Contender Series is a much better way to find new talent.
Josh: Agreed. TUF got me into the sport and I even wrote a 10-year history piece on the show for Fight Magazine back in the day. But the Contender Series is far superior and it feels like the only reason the show exists at this point is to troll fans and media who rail against it.
What will be people talking about most after the show is done?
Paul: Not a lot, probably. The Australia shows are usually pretty fun with a lot of finishes so maybe they’ll be talking about the quality of that card. Possibly a new prime time low on FS1 for one of the UFC’s last shows on that network Friday or Saturday night….or both.
Ryan: That there was just too much MMA this weekend and that we’re glad it’s over with, that next weekend’s UFC card looks like one of the best of the year, that Kamaru Usman is definitely the welterweight champion in waiting, and so long from the UFC Mark Hunt. It has been fun.
Josh: I think it will be where Hunt goes next, even with a loss. If Usman wins, it has to be that he’s next in line for the winner of Tyron Woodley-Colby Covington, assuming that fight happens as planned.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale: Johnson vs. Gaethje, emanating from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The first fight card of International Fight Week in Las Vegas sees an explosive lightweight five-round main event as Michael Johnson takes on Justin Gaethje, who will be making his UFC debut.
While Johnson has been hanging on to his top-five status, he has struggled recently in the Octagon, losing three of his last four fights. Meanwhile, Gaethje enters the UFC undefeated in his career, with 17 wins, and he is one of the most explosive and exciting fighters at 155 pounds, with 14 wins by knockout.
The co-main event is the finals of this season of The Ultimate Fighter, which featured a “Redemption” theme with former TUF competitors. The finals pits Dhiego Lima, marking the second time he has been a TUF finalist, against Jesse Taylor, who had a prolific turn of events on season seven of TUF, with the winner receiving a $250,000 prize.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
BREAKING: A scheduled women’s bantamweight bout between Jessica Eye and Aspen Ladd was pulled from the event about an hour before the event was scheduled to start. Ladd was forced to the hospital due to an illness, and was subsequently pulled from the bout. It is unclear if the bout will be rescheduled for a later date. The event will now begin at 6:30 p.m. eastern time.
Maynard got a quick takedown and pushed Ishihara against the fence. Ishihara briefly got to his feet before Maynard got him down again. Maynard held him down for a bit before Ishihara got up. Ishihara flew a flying knee but Maynard countered into another takedown. Maynard held him down for a bit before they got back to their feet. Ishihara landed a nice body kick. Maynard got another takedown with 30 seconds to go in the round and landed some late punches. 10-9 Maynard.
Maynard got another early takedown and was working to take the back. He moved to the back but it allowed Ishihara to get up but Maynard took him right back down. Maynard was landing punches and holding Ishihara on the mat with relative ease. Ishihara got to his feet and landed a knee but Maynard took him right back down. Maynard score one more takedown at the end of the round. 10-9 Maynard, 20-18 Maynard.
Maynard got yet another takedown right at the start of the round. Ishihara needs to get up and get a finish here. Maynard grabbed an arm and was working for a kimura but let go. Ishihara landed an upkick. Maynard got a guillotine choke locked in but Ishihara was next to the fence which helped him escape. Ishihara landed an illegal upkick and we had a timeout. Back to action and Maynard held Ishihara down for a bit, Ishihara got up but was taken back down. Story of the fight. Dominant showing by Maynard. There may be some 10-8 scores in there. 10-9 Maynard, 30-27 Maynard.
Official Result- Gray Maynard def. Teruto Ishihara by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS | 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
> Tecia Torres (#5, 8-1, 4-1 UFC) vs. Juliana Lima (9-3, 3-2 UFC) Women’s Strawweights
Lima caught a kick and got an early takedown. Torres got to her feet and grabbed the neck of Lima and almost got a takedown. They were battling for underhooks against the fence. Torres almost got a takedown but Lima grabbed the fence to stop it and got a warning for it. They are broken up by the referee for no action and Torres landed some strikes before clinching and getting a brief takedown. Torres worked for the takedown but ran out of time. Uneventful round. 10-9 Torres.
Torres landed some punches and then got to the back of Lima in a scramble and had a rear-naked choke locked in. Lima tapped out! Submission win for Torres and it is her first career stoppage win. She is also the first to ever defeat Lima by stoppage. Torres called for a fight with Michelle Waterson in her post-fight interview.
Official Result- Tecia Torres def. Juliana Lima by submission (rear-naked choke) at :53 of Round 2
> Ed Herman (23-12 1 NC, 10-8 1 NC UFC) vs. CB Dollaway (15-8, 9-8 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Herman landed a big right hand to start off that rocked Dollaway. Dollaway recovered and scored a takedown. Dollaway got into the full guard and was landing some punches and elbows. Herman got up for a moment but Dollaway took him right back down. Herman got to his feet. Dollaway got another takedown and was landing punches from the back. Dollaway looked for a kimura but Herman got out. Dollaway landed from the top at the end. 10-9 Dollaway.
Herman dropped Dollaway with a right hand but Dollaway was able to get back up. They both landed big right hands. Herman knocked Dollaway again with a right hand. Herman went to the mat and Dollaway almost had a heel hook locked in but Herman was able to scramble out to the top. Herman was landing punches and elbows from the top. Dollaway scrambled to the top but didn’t have time to do much. 10-9 Herman, 19-19.
Dollaway landed a slow but big right hand and then got a takedown. Kimura attempt from Herman on the bottom but Dollaway escaped and then started going for a kimura himself. Dollaway let go and went into the guard and was landing punches. Dollaway started to land elbows and was in control from the top. They scrambled and Herman was going for a kneebar but it didn’t work and Dollaway landed punches to end the fight. 10-9 Dollaway, 29-28 Dollaway.
Official Result- CB Dollway def. Ed Herman by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
> James Krause (23-7, 4-3 UFC) vs. Tom Gallicchio (19-9, 0-0 UFC) Welterweights
Krause landed a front kick and Gallicchio grabbed it and took Krause to the mat. Krause got up but gave up his back and Gallicchio looked for the choke. They got to their feet and separated. Krause landed a head kick. Krause landed a couple of punches. Krause is landing at will as Gallicchio has shown no head movement. Krause defended a takedown attempt. Krause landed another head kick. Krause landed two more right hands at the end. 10-9 Krause.
Krause landed another right hand. Gallicchio landed a right hand and was starting to use head movement. They were trading and Krause landed the better punches. Both landed left hooks. Krause with some right hands. Gallicchio is throwing but missing. Krause landed a left hand late. Not much to the round. 10-9 Krause, 20-18 Krause.
Gallicchio was throwing but missing. Krause was landing everytime Gallicchio was coming in. Gallicchio landed a leg kick. Krause keeping him at distance with the jab. They were trading. Krause stuffed a takedown attempt from Gallicchio. Gallicchio did land a right hand. Krause landed a head kick that rocked Gallicchio. Gallicchio went for a takedown but it was stuffed and Krause was landing punches. Krause with a big knee at the end. 10-9 Krause, 30-27 Krause.
Official Result- James Krause def. Tom Gallicchio by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> Angela Hill (6-3, 1-3 UFC) vs. Ashley Yoder (5-2, 0-1 UFC) Women’s Strawweights
Yoder landed a high kick. Hill lands a right hand and Yoder gets a takedown. Hill got to her feet and they were clinched against the fence. Hill landed a kick. Hill with a right hand but Yoder came back with a body kick. Hill lands a couple of leg kicks. Hill landed a couple of nice combinations. Hill lands some more and then lands a head kick. Hill landed more at the end. 10-9 Hill.
Yoder got a takedown right at the start of the round and was landing some from the top. Yoder remained on top as Hill was having trouble getting from the bottom. Yoder stood up and Hill got up quickly. Yoder jumped right on the back but Hill was able to wiggle into the guard of Yoder. They got back to their feet. Yoder landed a left hand but Hill landed a head kick. Hill with a right hand. Close round. 10-9 Yoder, 19-19.
Hill landed a big right hand and Yoder scored a takedown. Hill was able to scramble to the back of Yoder but spun back. Yoder got another takedown. They got back to their feet. Hill got a takedown and was working in the guard of Yoder. They got to their feet. Hill with some leg kicks and lands some solid punches at the end. 10-9 Hill, 29-28 Hill.
Official Result- Angela Hill def. Ashley Yoder by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
FOX SPORTS 1 MAIN CARD | 9 PM ET/6 PM PT
> Jordan Johnson (7-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Marcel Fortuna (9-1, 1-0 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Johnson with a quick takedown and he lands some big right hands before Fortuna gets back to his feet. Not much was happening until Johnson grabbed the body lock. Johnson picked Fortuna up to slam him but Fortuna grabbed the top of the fence to block the takedown. That really should be a point deduction. Fortuna landed a solid uppercut. They traded at the end. 10-9 Johnson.
They came out trading and Fortuna landed a big right hand that stunned Johnson, but he recovered. Fortuna landed a couple of left hooks that stunned Johnson. Johnson faked a takedown and landed a right hand. Fortuna with a head kick and then an uppercut. Fortuna with a leg kick. Johnson went for a takedown but there was another fence grab by Fortuna. Johnson got it anyways but Fortuna got back up and landed some punches at the end. 10-9 Fortuna, 19-19.
They came out throwing. Fortuna looked to have more power in his punches. They were both throwing sloppy punches and missing on takedowns. Neither man has been busy this round but Johnson has been working more this round and controlling the Octagon. Fortuna with a couple of body kicks late. Johnson landed a right hand to the body. 10-9 Johnson, 29-28 Johnson.
Official Result- Jordan Johnson def. Marcel Fortuna by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Brad Tavares (14-4, 9-4 UFC) vs. Elias Theodorou (13-1, 5-1 UFC) Middleweights
They went to the mat early and Tavares took the back but they scrambled back to their feet. Theodorou with a front kick and then a leg kick. They clinched and Theodorou landed some body punches. Tavares landed a right hand. Tavares with a combo and a head kick. Theodorou with a high kick. Tavares lands a nice right hand at the end. Close round. 10-9 Tavares.
Theodorou quickly clinched up and Tavares reversed and scored a quick takedown. Theodorou landed a knee in the clinch and just barely landed an uppercut. They traded right hands in the clinch and Tavares had more power behind his. They clinched and Theodorou landed some knees but Tavares landed a combo on the break. Tavares landed a knee in close as Theodorou shot for a takedown. Tavares with a head kick. Close round. 10-9 Theodorou, 19-19.
Theodorou got a big takedown in the first thirty seconds of the round. Tavares was able to hit a switch and get to his feet but Theodorou had Tavares pressed against the fence. Theodorou got another brief takedown but they got up and Tavares took the body lock. They were both working to get each other on the mat. Tavares got the back and was looking for the choke. Tavares got top but Theodorou switched and then Tavares switched back to the top before they scrambled to their feet. Tavares with a head kick. Close fight, good fight. 10-9 Tavares, 29-28 Tavares.
Official Result- Brad Tavares def. Elias Theodorou by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Jared Cannonier (9-2, 2-2 UFC) vs. Nick Roehrick (7-0, 0-0 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Roehrick took this fight on three days’ notice. He came out throwing hands as Cannonier was coming forward. Cannonier landed a right hand. Roehrick landed a right hand. Cannonier landed some big punches that Roehrick ate. Cannonier with a huge head kick. Cannonier landed a combo against the fence but Roehrick landed a right hand of his own in return. Cannonier landed a right hand and an uppercut. Roehrick looked for a takedown but couldn’t get it. 10-9 Cannonier.
They were still trading with both men landing some solid punches. Cannonier landed a big right hand and then took Roehrick down and was landing some big punches. Cannonier was close to finishing it but Roehrick got up and scrambled away after eating more big punches. Roehrick landed some nice right hands but was bleeding pretty good. Cannonier with a body kick late. 10-9 Cannonier, 20-18 Cannonier.
Cannonier looks to have slowed at the start of the third. Roehrick was landing the jab and landing more of his punches early on. Cannonier landed a left hook. Cannonier landed a body kick and then a left hand and a knee and Cannonier took the fight to the mat and was landing massive elbows and the fight was stopped by John McCarthy. A big beatdown by Jared Cannonier. Roehrick looked tough but that was a beating he took.
Official Result- Jared Cannonier def. Nick Roehrick by TKO (elbows) at 2:08 of Round 3
> Marc Diakiese (12-0, 3-0 UFC) vs. Drakkar Klose (7-0-1, 1-0 UFC) Lightweights
Klose starts off with some leg kicks. Klose ducked under a punch and got a takedown against the fence. Klose with some foot stomps against the fence. Diakiese got a takedown. They got up and Diakiese with another takedown but they got back to their feet. Diakiese with a slam but they scrambled back to their feet. Diakiese was landing some punches and then Klose dropped Diakiese with a leg kick and Klose started pounding away from the top. Diakiese went for a heel hook but ended up scrambling to the guard. Fun round. 10-9 Klose.
Diakiese was looking to land a big punch and landed some but they clinched for a bit before breaking. Klose with a leg kick and then another. Diakiese went for a spin kick but Klose was able to turn it into a takedown but they got back up. They clinched and Diakiese landed a low knee and we have a timeout. They clinched and Klose landed a body kick on the break. Diakiese with a knee. Diakiese slipped on a spin kick and Klose took advantage and stayed busy. Klose dropped Diakiese with another leg kick and Klose ended the round on top. 10-9 Klose, 20-18 Klose.
Diakiese with a jumping switch kick that landed right in the jaw. Diakiese with a body kick. Klose fires back a combo. Klose gets a takedown but Diakiese is able to reverse and they get up. Klose with some back elbows as Diakiese has his back. Diakiese working for a takedown and lands a high kick on the break. Diakiese with a spinning kick to the body. Klose with a leg kick and he goes for a takedown but Diakiese grabs the neck and goes for a guillotine. Klose landed a right hand late. 10-9 Diakiese, 29-28 Klose.
Official Result- Drakkar Klose def. Marc Diakiese by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
> Dhiego Lima (12-5, 1-3 UFC) vs. Jesse Taylor (30-15, 0-1 UFC) The Ultimate Fighter 25 Welterweight Finals
Taylor got a takedown right away and took the back as Lima was scrambling to his feet. Taylor got another takedown even though Lima tried to grab the fence. Taylor is in the full guard. Taylor with more punches from the top and then moves to the back and was looking for the choke but Lima had some good defense and escaped. Taylor looking for the back again and has it and is under the chin but Lima rotated out of it. Taylor with elbows and still working for the choke. Taylor with more punches from the top and he nearly finished it at the end. Complete domination by Taylor. 10-8 Taylor.
Lima dropped Taylor with a counter left hook at the start but Taylor was quick to reverse to the back. Taylor had the hooks locked in and had the rear-naked choke locked in and Lima tapped. What a comeback and redemption for Jesse Taylor after all of these years.
Official Result- Jesse Taylor def. Dhiego Lima by submission (rear-naked choke) at :43 of Round 2
> Michael Johnson (#5, 17-11, 9-7 UFC) vs. Justin Gaethje (17-0, 0-0 UFC) Lightweights
Johnson rocked Gaethje quick with a left hand. Gaethje looked recovered. Gaethje then landed a big right hand followed by a knee. They are brawling early. Gaethje landing some leg kicks. He has Johnson’s back against the fence as Johnson circles around. Johnson lands a left hand. Gaethje with more leg kicks. Gaethje landing more punches now but Johnson is landing as well. Gaethje lands a big right hand. They are throwing punch after punch and knee after knee. Johnson rocked Gaethje big time with a right hand and got a takedown. Johnson is firing away and close to a finish but Gaethje makes it to the end of the round. Fantastic round. 10-9 Johnson.
They are firing back-and-forth once again. Gaethje landing the leg kicks and Johnson isn’t doing anything to check them. Johnson rocks Gaethje with a right hand and he’s in a lot of trouble again. Gaethje with some elbows and a knee and he might be recovered. Johnson with a combo to the body. Both men looking tired already. Gaethje with a right hand. Both men landing punches. Gaethje rocks Johnson with an uppercut and now he is looking for a finish as Johnson is stumbling around. Big elbows from Gaethje and Johnson crashes to the mat and John McCarthy tells Johnson to get up. Gaethje with a leg kick and he’s having trouble staying on his feet. Gaethje with a flying knee and he finishes Johnson! What an incredible fight! Gaethje from the brink of defeat to finish Johnson.
Official Result- Justin Gaethje def. Michael Johnson by TKO (strikes) at 4:48 of Round 2
On last night’s UFC Fight Night 103 broadcast, the promotion announced that The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption will debut on April 19th with a two-hour season premiere on FS1.
The coaches for the season will be bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt and former champ TJ Dillashaw. The show will lead to them squaring off for the title at a yet-to-be-determined date, but it would make sense to have that fight take place some time during International Fight Week.
TUF: Redemption will feature winners from past seasons as well as at least one active member of the UFC roster.
Garbrandt won the title from Dominick Cruz at UFC 207 last month and was called out by Dillashaw shortly after. Dillashaw had previously lost the title to Cruz, and is a former Team Alpha Male teammate of the champion. He has claimed that he knocked out Garbrandt during training sessions.
Also announced last night was that UFC 210 will mark the company’s return to Buffalo, New York. No fights were announced for that show, which will air on PPV.
Sixteen flyweight champions from around the world will compete for the chance to challenge for the UFC Flyweight Championship when The Ultimate Fighter 24 kicks off on August 31. They will compete in a tournament as the competitors are seeded, and the winner will receive an immediate title shot at the UFC Flyweight Championship, currently held by Demetrious Johnson.
The fighters will be broken up into two teams coached by former title challengers Joseph Benavidez and Henry Cejudo, who will square off at the finale on December 3 in Las Vegas at a venue to be announced.
The cast is as follows:
Adam Antolin, 34, Tachi Palace champion from San Jose, California with an 11-3 record
Alexandre Pantoja, 26, RFA champion from Arraial Do Cabo, Brazil with a 16-2 record
Brandon Moreno, 22, World Fighting Federation champion from Tijuana, Mexico with an 11-3 record
Charlie Alaniz, 30, Hex Fight Series in Australia champion from Albuquerque, New Mexico with an 8-1 record
Damacio Page, 33, former UFC fighter and Legacy FC champion from Albuquerque, New Mexico with a 19-10 record
Eric Shelton, 25, Caged Aggression champion from Galesburg, Illinois with a 10-2 record
Hiromasa Ogikubo, 29, Shooto Japan champion from Chiba, Japan with a 15-3 record
Jaime Alvarez, 28, Absolute Fighting Championship champion from Coconut Creek, Florida with a 6-1 record
Kai Kara-France, 23, Bragging Rights in Australia champion from Auckland, New Zealand with a 12-5 (1 NC) record
Matt Rizzo, 30, Ring Of Combat champion from Levittown, Pennsylvania with a 9-2 record
Matt Schnell, 26, Legacy FC interim champion from Coconut Creek, Florida with a 9-2 record
Nkazimulo Zulu, 27, EFC in Africa champion from Tribal South, South Africa with a 7-2 record
Ronaldo Candido, 27, Shooto South America champion from San Jose dos Campos, Brazil with a 6-0 record
Terrence Mitchell, 26, Alaska FC champion from Anchorage, Alaska with an 11-2 record
Tim Elliott, 29, former UFC fighter and Titan FC champion from Lee’s Summit, Missouri with a 16-6 record
Yoni Sherbatov, 27, XFFC champion from Montreal, Quebec, Canada with a 5-0-1 record
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale: Jedrzejczyk vs. Gadelha 2 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the second of three straight nights of UFC action as International Fight Week continues in Las Vegas.
This event is headlined by a rematch between UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk taking on Claudia Gadelha, this time with Jedrzejczyk’s title on the line. In addition, there will be the crowning of two new winners of The Ultimate Fighter as the finals take place. Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 7 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
WELTERWEIGHTS LI JINGLIANG (10-4, 2-2 UFC) VS. ANTON ZAFIR (7-2, 0-1 UFC)
ROUND 1- Zafir with a leg kick and then lands a right hand. They trade punches. Zafir scores a takedown and is in the full guard of Jingliang. He passes to half-guard. They get back to their feet and Zafir gets another takedown. Jingliang reverses and knocks Zafir right out with a series of right hands. That came out of nowhere and Jingliang gets the big knockout win.
Official Result- Li Jingliang def. Anton Zafir by knockout (punches) at 2:46 of Round 1
LIGHTWEIGHTS JAKE MATTHEWS (10-1, 4-1 UFC) VS. KEVIN LEE (12-2, 5-2 UFC)
First round: Lee picked him up and slammed him down. Lee landing punches from the top. Matthews back to his feet. They traded kknees. Matthew sin with punches and landed a high kick. Lee acted like it was nothing. Lee landed a big shot knocking out his mouthpiece. Lee with another takedown and got his back. He’s got the hooks in and is landing punches. Lee landed a lot of punches and it was stopped. Matthews didn’t seem hurt and was blocking most of the punches. 4:06
Lee made the most use of his interview time, he directly challenged Al Iaquinta for November in Madison Square Garden. Iaquinta is logical for that show as a New Yorker.
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
MIDDLEWEIGHTS CEZAR FERREIRA (9-5, 5-3 UFC) VS. ANTHONY SMITH (25-11, 1-1 UFC)
First round: Body kick by Ferreira. Body kick by Smith. Smith threw a kick and Ferreira took him down. Ref Chris Tognoni ordered a stand-up. Body kicks by Ferreira. Smith landed a punch and Ferreira took him down. Ferreira landed a few elbows from the top at the end of the round. 10-9 Ferreira
Second round: Smith with a body kick. Ferreira with a takedown. Smith rocked him with a punch and landed a spin kick to the body. Smith landed a left. Ferreira got a takedown with 2:12 left in the round. Ferreira did nothing from the top and a standup was ordered. Smith landed hard elbows and a punch. Smith’s round so 19-19 after two.
Third round: Both trading punches. Ferreira with a takedown. Smith is bleeding. Another standup was ordered and I have no idea why. Ferreria shot for another takedown but Smith has him in a guillotine. Ferreria is out of trouble. Ferreira landing weak strikes from the top but he’s busy. Ferreira 29-28. Not too exciting of a fight.
First round: Hendricks with a body kick. Stansbury hurt him with a wild punch. Hendricks with a body kick. Another body kick by Hendricks. Both swinging and missing. Stansbury went for a takedown but Hendricks threw some elbows. Stansbury is bleeding from the left side of the head. Body kick and punches by Hendricks. Spinning backfist by Stansbury. Hard right by Stansbusy and Hendricks back. Close round. Hendricks 10-9
Second round: Stansbury tried a takedown but it was blocked. Hendricks tried a takedown, but Stansbury blocked it and landed on top. A standup was ordered. Body kick by Hendericks. Stansbury with a right. Body kick by Hendricks. Both are in a clinch as the round came to an end. Another close round. Stansbury so 19-19.
Third round: Stansbury took him down into side control. He’s keeping position but doing little in the way of damage. Noting happened at all this round but Stansbury kept his position. He threw a few punches here and there. Stansbury’s round for sure, but first two could go either way 29-28 Stansbury.
Scores: 29-27 Stansbury 29-27 Stansbury 28-28 draw. All the judges must have given a 10-8 third. It was one-sided but not enough damage for me to score it that way.
FLYWEIGHTS (#6) JOHN MORAGA (16-4, 5-3 UFC) VS. MATHEUS NICOLAU (11-1-1, 1-0 UFC)
First round: Nothing much happened. Finally they traded punches. Nice right by Nicolau. Uppercut by Moraga. Very little happened. Nicolau 10-9.
Second round: Nicolau landed a nice right. Moraga landed a left. Low kick by Moraga. Right by Nicolau. They traded body kicks. Left by Nicoalu sent Moraga backwards. Nicolau’s round 20-18.
Third round: Low kick by Nicolau. The crowd is finally booing these guys. It’s really been a non-fight so far. Spinning backfist by Nicolau. Right by Nicolau. I don’t know what’s going on in Moraga’s head because he’ s not trying to win this fight. The crowd is booing again. Nicolau with a takedown. Nicolau has his back. Nicolau 30-27. Crowd booed heavily when the fight ended.
Scores: 29-28 Nicolau 29-28 Moraga 29-28 Nicolau
FEATHERWEIGHTS GRAY MAYNARD (11-5-1 1 NC, 9-5-1 1 NC UFC) VS. FERNANDO BRUNO (15-3, 0-1 UFC)
First round: Both swinging wildly. This is a crazy fight. Both swinging wildly. Bruno took Maynard down and Maynard reversed to the top. Bruno knocked Maynard down with a left. Bruno landed a hard left. Both swinging big punches again. Head kick by Bruno. Maynard knocked him to a knee with a punch. Knee by Maynard. Maynand is bleeding. Bruno trying for a takedown and got him down. Maynard back up. Bruno working for another takedown but Maynard blocked it. Bruno 10-9
Second round: Bruno swinging and missing. Bruno landed a number of punches. Maynard back with a right. Maynard with a left. Bruno took him down. Maynard reversed to the top. Maynard working for a guillotine. He gave it up. Bruno landing several punches. Maynard got another takedown and has his back. Maynard took him down again. Maynard’s round so 19-19 after two.
Third round: Maynard got another takedown. Bruno has a guillotine. But Mayanrd escaped. Both look tired. Bruno missed punches, and then slipped and Maynard controlled him on the ground. Maynard’s round so he should win 29-28. Can’t say he resembled the old Maynard.
Scores: All three had it 30-27 for Maynard
MAIN CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 10 PM ET/7 PM PT)
LIGHTWEIGHTS JOAQUIM SILVA (8-0, 1-0 UFC) VS. ANDREW HOLBROOK (11-0, 1-0 UFC)
First round: Holbrook threw a kick, Silva grabbed his foot and took him down and landed several punches on the ground and it was over. Silva was bouncing his head on the ground with five hard punches. :34
FEATHERWEIGHTS DOO HO CHOI (14-1, 2-0 UFC) VS. THIAGO TAVARES (20-6-1, 10-6-1 UFC)
First round: Choi with a knee. Tavares then took him down. Tavares took him down again. Choi back up. Choi landing punches and knocked him out on the third shot, a right cross. Choi has some amazing firepower in that right. 2:42
Choi issued a challenge to Cub Swanson next, but said that if Tatsuya Kawajiri beats Swanson, he wants him.
LIGHTWEIGHTS ROSS PEARSON (19-10 1 NC, 11-7 1 NC UFC) VS. WILL BROOKS (18-1, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Trading low kicks. Knee by Brooks. Body kick by Pearson. Knee by Brooks. Pearson bleeding from the forehead. They traded body kicks. They’re in a clinch. Brooks with a punch, Pearson with knees. Very close round, Brooks 10-9.
Second round: Body kick and knee by Brooks. Both trading. Brooks with a knee. Brooks with a takedown. Brooks has his back. Knee by Brooks. Brooks with an elbow. Brooks with a body shot Front kick by Brooks. Brooks lost his balance and Pearson ended up on top as the round ended. Brooks 20-18.
Third round: Trading body kicks. Brooks tried a takedown and didn’t get it. Knee by Brooks and he pushed Pearson into the cage. Pearson landed some punches and a knee. Pearson starting to land. Hard body kick by Pearson. Brooks landed a right. Pearson landing a lot of punches now., especially to the body. Best offense of the fight. Pearson with punches and an elbow and a low kick. Pearson continues to work the body. Knee by Brooks . They area trading knees and Brooks took him down. Pearson up and they are trading knees again. Brooks with an elbow. Pearon with a knee. Pearson landed punches at the end. Pearson won the third round, so it’ll come down to the first round, I’ve got 29-28 Brooks
Scores: All three had it 29-28 Brooks. A lot of booing the decision. But it was a fair decision. Brooks challenged Eddie Alvarez, he talked about Alvarez running from him “in another organization.” He put over how talented Pearson is.
TUF 23 WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT FINALS TATIANA SUAREZ (3-0, 0-0 UFC) VS. AMANDA COOPER (1-1, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Suarez is the crowd favorite. Suarez took her right down. Suarez ground and pounding her. Cooper went for an armbar form the bottom. Suarez out and on top. Suarez with punches and Cooper reversed to the top. Suarez up. Suarez with a takedown. Suarez landing punches. She’s working for a D’arce choke and it’s over. The crowd is going crazy. Pretty clear a lot of people watched this season in the crowd and liked her.
Suarez said she got a D’arce onher in practice and talked about beating cancer. The crowd likes her a lot. She came across like a star. Jon Anik talked about her mic skills.
TUF 23 LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT FINALS ANDREW SANCHEZ (7-2, 0-0 UFC) VS. KHALIL ROUNTREE (4-0, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Sanchez took him down. Another takedown by Sanchez. Sanchez with some punches on the ground but mostly just controlling him. Rountree back up. Crowd popped when Rountree broke free. Sanchez took him right down. 10-9 Sanchez.
Second round: They traded punches. Sanchez is fighting for a takedown but Rountree i s defending well. Sanchez finally got him down. The crowd is booing as Sanchez has his back and keeping him there. Rountree is from Las Vegas so he’s the crowd favorite but he’s not getting any offense. Sanchez is throwing punches from back position. Sanchez 20-18.
Third round: Rountree blocked a takedown. Rounhtree landed a punch. Sanchez is going for a takedown but doesn’t have it Sanchez got him down again. Sanchez has his back and is working for a choke. Sanchez is keeping the position and the crowd is booing. Sanchez keeps landing punches from that position. The crowd is booing heavily. Sanchez 30-27, the crowd is heavily booing.
Scores: 30-25, 30-25 and 30-26. Crowd booed this pretty heavily.
First round: Gadelha got a big reaction. Joanna got very light boos, mostly cheers, also a big reaction. Great staredown. The crowd is really psyched for this. Gadelha dropped her right away with a punch and then took her down. JJ back up Both trading punches. Gadelha pushed her into the cage. Another takedown by Gadelha. Gadlelha landing punches from the top. She’s now landing elbows to the body. JJ back up. Big trade of punches. Body kick by JJ. Big trade. Gadelha hurt her left knee. Shje’s not moving well and JJ kicking at the knee. Gadelha 10-9
Second round: Gadelha pushed her into the fence but can’t take her down. Gadelha with some punches and got the takedown. Gadelha with punches on the ground. JJ back up. Knee by JJ. Gadelha trying for a takedown. JJ blocked it. She tried it and JJ blocked and on top but Gadelha back up. Gadelha 20-18.
Third round: JJ starting to land now. Gadelha landing back and took her down once again. JJ back up. Trading elbows as JJ is back up. JJ going after the left knee. Body kick and punches by JJ. JJ landing while Gadelha has slowed down. JJ landed a flurry of punches. Gadelha back with punches. Gadelha took her down again. JJ reversed and punched her on the ground, then backed off and told Gadelha to get up. Both trading. JJ is landing a lot and Gadelha threw a hard right that hurt JJ. This is a great fight. JJ with hard elbows and Gadelha aback with an elbow. Elbow by JJ and punches back by Gadelha. The whole place is standing after that round. JJ’s round so 29-28 for Gadelha after three.
Fourth round: JJ landing a lot of punches. She’s also kicking the bad leg. Hard right by JJ. Gadelha is really tired. Gadelha back with punches. Front kick by JJ. JJ landing lefts and low kicks. JJ continuing to land. JJ landed a head kick and punches and is just taking her apart now. Gadelha’s in trouble. Elbow by JJ. JJ with punches and kicks. 10-8 for JJ so I’ve got JJ ahead 38-37 after four.
Fifth round: JJ taking her apart now. JJ landing hard shots. Gadelha rushed in. She’s fighting for a takedown. JJ escaped and landed punches a a high kick. JJ continuing to jab. Front kick by JJ. JJ landing punches. Gadelha tried a takedown but JJ on top and threw a few punches. She told Gadelha to get up. JJ landing al kinds of punches as has Gadelha hurt now. JJ’s round, could be another 10-8, but I’ll go 10-9 and have JJ winning 48-46.
Due to the rousing success of TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) season one, specifically the TV ratings for the finale, which featured the famous Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar match, TUF season two was produced quickly and came on the air only a few months later. The finale for season two would set a ratings record doing a 2.0 (2 million viewers), edging out the season one finale, which did a 1.9 (1.9 million viewers). (You can read “Retrospective: TUF Season One” here)
Season two was basically the exact same as season one. Season two was also the only season (until recently) where all the house fights were considered professional bouts by the NSAC. Typically, the “in-house” fights are only considered “practice” and don’t effect a fighter’s record. These fights counted.
The Ultimate Fighter – Season TWO
Airdate: Spike TV, August 22, 2005 – November 5, 2005
Weight Classes: Heavyweight and Welterweight
Coaches: Matt Hughes (blue), Rich Franklin (green)
Team Hughes: Joe Stevenson (w), Josh Burkman* (w), Sammy Morgan (w), Luke Cummo (w), Mike Whitehead (h), Dan Christison (h), Rob MacDonald (h), Tom Murphy (h) *Burkman was replaced by Jason Von Flue due to injury on episode 2
Team Franklin: Jorge Gurgel (w), Marcus Davis (w), Anthony Torres (w), Melvin Guillard (w), Keith Jardine (h), Seth Petruzelli (h), Rashad Evans (h), Brad Imes (h)
The Finale:
Joe Stevenson beat Luke Cummo by unanimous decision in three rounds to become the TUF welterweight winner
Rashad Evans beat Brad Imes by split decision to become the TUF heavyweight winner
In the main event, Diego Sanchez beat Nick Diaz by unanimous decision
This season was pretty uneventful. It really became clear about half way through that Chris Leben should have been hired to be on every season, just to hang out, get drunk, and cause problems. These fighters seemed to get along much better. However, there were some interesting things that happened this season:
Heavyweight Kerry Schall was eliminated due to a knee injury
Eli Joslin chose to leave the show, citing his reasons as not being able to handle the camera environment at the house (as an aspiring fighter, this made me so mad)
Dan Christison joined the show to replace the injured Schall
Josh Burkman was forced to leave the competition after breaking his arm in his match with Melvin Guillard
Jason Von Flue joined the show to replace Burkman
Evans caused controversy by showboating in his fight against Tom Murphy
Coach Hughes sent Von Flue over to Team Franklin for reshuffling, which made Von Flue mad
Even though Cummo and Imes were both the last picked for their respective divisions, they both made it to the finale
There wasn’t much memorable that happened, but I do remember when Rashad won the heavyweight finals. It made me fall in love with him as a fighter. Here was this smooth talking undersized athlete taking on this monstrous rugged cowboy. Rashad was clearly too small to be a heavyweight, but he won anyway. I’m not sure when he took the nickname “Suga” but I gave that name (Sugar) to my third dog in his honor.
Where are the champions now?
Joe ”Daddy” Stevenson: Stevenson’s last fight in the UFC was a loss to Javier Vazquez on June 26, 2011. It was his fourth loss in a row. He was cut by UFC and has since lost two more times putting his losing streak at six. He most recently fought one year ago on January 30, 2015, for Swarm Entertainment at Super Brawl 1 losing by split decision to Dominique Robinson. My guess is that there was never a Super Brawl 2. His current record is 31-16 and rumor has it that he’s retired from active fighting at age 33, which is probably a smart decision.
“Suga” Rashad Evans: Evans’ is still in the UFC. He is 36 and was most recently seen being defeated by Ryan Bader at UFC 192 on October 3, 2015. Rumor has it that he will be facing Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC on FOX 19 on April 16, 2016. His record is 19-4, and he actually had a brief light-heavyweight title reign taking the strap from season-one alum Forrest Griffin, only to have the title taken from him in his first defense against Lyoto Machida.
(Editor’s Note: This should have ran earlier last week, but due to an error, it didn’t. Our apologies to Steve!)
It’s a whole new season and Conor McGregor is the reason, as he and Urijah Faber go toe to toe as coaching foes on The Ultimate Fighter. They won’t duke it out after the season is done, but there’s still pride on the line, not to mention Conor’s reputation as the newest badass on the block. Join us each episode for “The Notorious Quote of the Week” as Conor puts his mouth where UFC’s money is! We’ll also spice things up with some predictions for week two about who could go all the way this season – two “Fighters to Watch” for each recap.
The Notorious Quote of the Week: “That was a f—ing beautiful performance against a very solid guy.”
Last week, Julian Erosa got a majority decision to hand control back to the U.S. team, and Urijah Faber chose Thanh Le (USA) vs. Martin Svensson (Europe) for this week’s fight. If Svensson wins he’ll tie the competition 3-all, and if Le wins then the U.S. team will have a commanding 4-2 lead.
Svensson is talking trash on the U.S. fighters and says they all act like clowns and don’t try to go all out in the two rounds that they have. Artem Lobov is even pissed that they sprayed Erosa down with NOS energy drinks to celebrate his victory. “I want to at least be remembered as the guy who didn’t wear a stupid bandana with a penis drawn on it.”
Svensson says Swedish people are only polite until they get in a cage. McGregor says he can exhaust Le and then finish him with a rear naked choke. After rolling with McGregor on the ground, Svensson says there’s little doubt he’s a world champion.
Thanh Le says he’s been doing martial arts since he was five. He works as a personal trainer when he’s not fighting, and he works hard both in and outside the cage so he can afford to go see his son in Nebraska as often as possible. I’ll try not to let that have any positive bias in my view of him. He says he’ll remember to be strategic and not try to go toe-to-toe and punch-for-punch with Svensson. It’s that kind of thinking that makes Svensson a Fighter to Watch.
There’s some serious drinking going on back at the TUF house for the U.S. team – the most we’ve seen for the entire season. At first they decide to go sit poolside and chill, but then Julian Erosa starts talking smack on Chris Gruetzemacher being boring. Gruetzemacher throws water on him, and Erosa keeps running his mouth, and more and more non-water liquids are thrown on him, and eventually they start shoving.
The rest of team U.S. inside the house sees what’s going on by the pool and they run outside to intervene. It winds up with a couple of minutes of footage that are bleeped out. Team McGregor tries to have a good laugh at their expense – saying they’d rather fight each other than fight them.
I’m putting Chris Gruetzemacher on my Fighter to Watch list. Even though he’s already won to advance in theory, Dana White instructed both teams that one winning fighter will be cut. The pressure is on “Gritz” because his team believes he had a boring fight and won’t make the cut – and how he handles himself in situations like this going forward will be key.
Urijah Faber takes is team to the thrift store to buy them some loud over-the-top suits and make them look like Conor McGregor. Tom Gallichio: “The outfits we got are very Conor-esque. They’re very tight, very flashy.”
Weigh-ins: Martin Svensson is 155 even. Thanh Le is 155 too.
Lightweight: Martin Svensson (Europe) vs. Thanh Le (USA)
Le is in the blue and Svensson the gray. Instead of giving you the blow by blow this week, let’s go for round by round analysis. Svensson used takedowns, ground control, and a back mount to dominate the first 3:45 of R1. Le sprawled effectively and got on top to throw some elbows in the last half minute, but it’s unclear if that final flurry was enough to steal the round. In my mind it’s not.
Svensson goes right back to the ground game early in R2, and goes from trying to get the hooks in to winding up in full mount to getting a body lock and working his way toward a submission. Le keeps squirming his way out of danger and even tries to throw up a triangle but Svensson avoids it. Eventually Le just runs out of escapes and taps to the RNC at 3:39. Team McGregor evens it up!
McGregor announces his picks for next week’s fight: Artem Lobov (Europe) vs. James Jenkins (USA). Come back to see what happens next week!
