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The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale Las Vegas live results: Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Claudia Gadelha 2

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

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.

The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale Obeserver Picks & Preview
The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale DFS Playbook

Coverage provided by Dave Meltzer

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 7 PM ET/4 PM PT)

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.

Scores:  All three have it 29-28 Ferreira

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
CORY HENDRICKS (3-0, 0-0 UFC) VS. JOSH STANSBURY (7-2, 0-0 UFC)

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.

UFC WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
(C) JOANNA JEDRZEJCZYK (11-0, 5-0 UFC) VS. (#1) CLAUD

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.

Scores:  48-46, 48-45 and 48-46 for JJ 

TUF 23 Finale DFS Playbook: value picks, who to avoid

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

The second of three straight nights of UFC action is upon us. This time it is The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale in Las Vegas, headlined by UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk defending against her heated rival, Claudia Gadelha. It is another night for fantasy players to win some money. Below are our studs, value plays and fighters to avoid for Friday night’s event.

STUDS

Will Brooks ($11,100)

Will Brooks is making his UFC debut on Friday night with a lot of hype surrounding him, and for good reason. He is the former Bellator Lightweight Champion, and he never lost that championship as he was stripped of the belt and released from the promotion after many public battles with the promotion. He just wanted to fight and defend the belt, but the promotion seemed to make that hard for him, almost like they didn’t want him as champion.

Brooks now finds himself where he wants to be in the UFC, and he is coming in looking to quickly earn his way to a title shot for UFC gold. He gets a tough first test in the form of Ross Pearson, and Brooks is actually a late replacement for the fight having just signed and being placed in the bout on June 15, though he has been preparing for a while. Brooks is 18-1 in his career and has a well-rounded attack complete with solid striking, good submissions and strong wrestling.

Pearson is a good match-up for him, but Brooks should be the solid favorite to get a win. I like his chances to win and to get a solid amount of points, and he is an excellent play on a very tight card.

Doo Ho Choi ($10,800)

Doo Ho Choi enters Friday night’s event with a 14-1 record and 12 straight wins, including two straight since signing with the UFC. He has scored first-round finishes over Juan Puig and Sam Sicilia, with them coming in a combined less than two minutes. Overall, he has scored eleven knockout wins in his career, with nine in the first round.

He is a super prospect at 145 pounds, but he is getting thrown right in there with a tough veteran in Thiago Tavares on Saturday night. Tavares has been fighting inside the Octagon since 2007 and has 17 fights, with ten wins on his record. He has also won three of his last four and is on the cusp of breaking into the top-15 of the featherweight rankings.

It is a tough test for Choi, but it’s a fight I see Choi having a lot of success in. Four of Tavares’ six losses have been by knockout, so he can be finished, and Choi is a power striker at 145 pounds. I have full confidence that Choi will be scoring an impressive win.

VALUE PLAYS

Cory Hendricks ($9,200)

Many viewers of this season of The Ultimate Fighter thought Cory Hendricks was one of the best male fighter on the cast, and he got a raw deal when his time in the competition was cut short due to a neck injury. Hendricks is still in the early stages of his career as he is just 3-0 in his young career, but all three wins have come by submission.

He has good skills but finds himself as the underdog when he takes on Josh Stansbury at Friday night’s event. Stansbury has won seven straight fights since losing the first two of his career, but he was eliminated from the competition by losing a fight to Khalil Rountree, who actually replaced Hendricks on the show.

With both men not in the finals, it is the perfect time to see who would’ve won the originally scheduled bout. Hendricks is the underdog but I like his chances with his submission skills. He is a good value play.

Cezar Ferreira ($9,000)

Cezar Ferreira is looking to score his second straight win on Friday night when he takes on Anthony Smith. It is Ferreira’s second fight since making the move back up to the middleweight division. It looks like it’s the right move for him as his most recent performance, a decision win over Oluwale Bamgbose, was the best he has looked in the UFC.

He didn’t get the finish, but is was a solid performance. He only has one finish inside the Octagon, but his skills are still very good. Smith is a tough opponent, and Ferreira has been knocked out in four of his five losses, but Smith can be finished as well. Smith is also the winner of eight straight fights, but Ferreira is the toughest opponent he has fought since before that win streak.

Smith has also been finished in all eleven of his losses, so the odds are very good. Someone is getting finished here, and Ferreira is a good underdog bet to score the win.

FIGHTERS TO AVOID

Joaquim Silva ($9,600)

Joaquim Silva enters Friday’s event with a perfect 8-0 record, and he fights another undefeated fighter in Andrew Holbrook. Silva has scored finishes in seven of his eight wins, but his lone decision win came in his only UFC bout last September.

He didn’t even look all that impressive, and he was lucky to get that decision. The fact that he is essentially in a pick ’em fight with Holbrook should not be overlooked. Holbrook is much more well-rounded and looked more impressive in his one UFC bout. Holbrook has also scored ten of his eleven wins by stoppage, with nine submission wins.

I like Holbrook to win and that makes Silva a risky play. I’m avoiding him.

Matheus Nicolau ($8,800)

Matheus Nicolau has just one loss in his 13 career fights, and he is coming off an impressive submission win in his UFC debut. He is just 23-years-old and is a solid prospect in the flyweight division. He is taking a huge step forward in taking on John Moraga on Friday night.

Moraga is a former title challenger and one of the top fighters at 125 pounds, and he is a very well-rounded fighter with strong striking, strong submissions and solid wrestling. Moraga brings violence into the cage, and that is hard to do in the flyweight division. Five of Moraga’s six UFC wins have come by stoppage.

Nicolau is a big underdog in this fight, for very good reason, and I don’t see him getting the win. In another card of close match-ups, he is one of the easier fighters on this card to avoid.

OUR LINE-UPS

RYAN FREDERICK- Doo Ho Choi ($10,800), John Moraga ($10,600), Andrew Sanchez ($9,700), Claudia Gadelha ($9,500), Cezar Ferreira ($9,000)

I like Doo Ho Choi as one of my top plays and to get a stoppage win when he takes on Thiago Tavares. He has excellent knockout power. John Moraga is a strong favorite over Matheus Nicolau, and he has five stoppage wins in his six UFC wins. Andrew Sanchez is looking to win a six-figure contract, and he has looked impressive and is a good finisher. Cezar Ferreira is a solid underdog and has a lot of value, and I see him finishing Anthony Smith. Lastly, I’m going with Claudia Gadelha. I’m picking her to defeat Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and I think it goes the full 25 minutes, opening up more scoring chances.

PAUL FONTAINE- Jake Matthews ($9,900), Khalil Rountree ($9,700), Claudia Gadelha ($9,500), Cory Hendricks ($9,200), Amanda Cooper ($8,400)

Not a lot of analysis here as this card was only recently finalized with the last episode of TUF airing. I watched all the episodes and as such I’m picking three three fighters that impressed me the most over the season with Rountree, Hendricks and Cooper. They are all capable of finishes. Matthews has a lot of hype and despite a hiccup in his home country a few fights back, he should keep getting better. I’m picking Gadelha to score an upset and take the strawweight title. I think she won the first fight and this time, there will be no doubt as she gives Brazil another champion. 

PEACH MACHINE- Will Brooks ($11,100), John Moraga ($10,600), Joanna Jedrzejczyk ($10,100), Thiago Tavares ($8,600), Anton Zafir ($8,500)

Champion is my real pick. I let the kid sitting next to me have my next one and he took Brooks. I love moraga so he’s another real pick. I had to take the other two clowns because I got greedy early.