Post TUF 17 Finale Thoughts

Well, we saw how volatile the sport of MMA is last night. Uriah Hall came into the fight with Kelvin Gastelum as a 3:1 favorite and probably one of the must hyped TUF contestants in a long time. Gastelum was able to hold his own on the feet and hit the takedowns he needed to pull off the upset. Gastelum was easily forgotten this season because of the hype behind Hall but at age 21 he proves to be an intriguing prospect. He hasn’t faced any top competition before coming to the house but he was able to smartly defeat Hall in his UFC debut. He is a purple belt at 10th Planet Jiu Jitsue and he is very active on the ground. Last night he was constantly looking to set up submissions and pass guard. His bread and butter going forward is going to be his grappling game. Hall is still in the mix as an interesting prospect and might have needed a wake-up call like this to get him focused. Hall got some offense going in the second round but he truly gave a way the first with his cockyness. It was clear Hall didn’t respect Gastelum’s striking or takedowns as as a result he was beaten by Gastelum.

Urijah Faber may still have one run left in him at the Bantamweight division. He still has some popularity with the casual fan which is always going to work in his favor. With the future of Cruz’s belt in flux, Faber may find himself in a favorable position once again if he can rattle off a few wins. Jorgensen is the classic case of a guy who is good but not great. Every time he has faced truly elite fighters he has faltered. Jorgensen isn’t exactly old but at age 30, he has had many chances to break through and has failed to do so. You have to think that he has peaked as a fighter and he’s just never going to make it into that top echelon of Bantamweights.

Cat Zingano looked impressive but also a little shaky at times. She essentially stopped moving in the midst that leg-lock attempt in the second round and maybe that was a case of octagon jitters. A more experienced fighter would have worked harder to get out of the submission but she kind of just froze. On the other hand, her grappling was impressive and once she got Miesha Tate down midway through the second round, she was able to beat her down. Tate could not get to her feet in either the second or third rounds and struggled to defend herself against Zingano’s punches. I think the stoppage by Kim Winslow was fine because of the overall accumulation of damage. Tate hadn’t really made effort to defend herself over the course of a minute or so. We’re going to miss out on the potential drama of Ronda Rousey and Tate coaching against each other but Rousey always seems to find a way to create pre-fight drama.

Gabriel Gonzaga took some hard shots and has had questions about his chin for a while. It might be time for him to decide whether or not he wants to retire once more. On the other hand, we didn’t necessarily learn anything new about Travis Browne. Hopefully he can get back in the cage soon and continue developing as a fighter because the fight was so short.

 

TUF 17 Finale Results And Recap

The Ultimate Fighter Season 17 Finale will air tonight at 9pm/6pm from The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Nevada.

 

The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale Weigh-In Results

It’s time to crown another Ultimate Fighter, as Uriah Hall will face Kelvin Gastelum Saturday night in the co-main event of The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale.

Hall, Gastelum, main eventers Urijah Hall and Scott Jorgensen, and the rest of the card stepped on the scales earlier today for the official weigh-ins.

Complete results can be found below:

MAIN CARD (FX)

Urijah Faber (136 lbs.) vs. Scott Jorgensen (135.5 lbs.)

The Ultimate Fighter 17 Final
Uriah Hall (185 lbs.) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (186 lbs.)

Miesha Tate (135.5 lbs.) vs. Cat Zingano (136 lbs.)

Travis Browne (239 lbs.) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga (261 lbs.)

Bubba McDaniel (184.5 lbs.) vs. Gilbert Smith (185 lbs.)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FUEL TV)

Josh Samman (184 lbs.) vs. Kevin Casey (185 lbs.)

Luke Barnatt (185 lbs.) vs. Collin Hart (184.5 lbs.)

Dylan Andrews (186 lbs.) vs. Jimmy Quinlan (185 lbs.)

Clint Hester (185 lbs.) vs. Bristol Marunde (185.5 lbs.)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FACEBOOK)

Bart Palaszewski (145 lbs.) vs. Cole Miller (146 lbs.)

Maximo Blanco (147 lbs.) vs. Sam Sicilia (146 lbs.)

Daniel Pineda (145 lbs.) vs. Justin Lawrence (145 lbs.)

 

Urijah Faber And Scott Jorgensen Laugh Prior To Fighting

Urijah Faber and Scott Jorgensen are friends first. Though they are set to fight tomorrow, that doesn’t let them be hostile to one another, as they have both adopted a “business” outlook on the fight.

 

Scott Jorgensen Doesn’t Feel Fight With Urijah Faber Will Jeopardize Their Friendship

Scott Jorgensen and Urijah Faber are ok with fighting each other. Jorgensen feels like both men will be able to separate their friendship and business to deliver an exciting fight for the fans.

 

Urijah Faber-Scott Jorgensen Booked As New TUF 17 Finale Main Event

Former WEC champion Urijah Faber will return to the Octagon sooner rather than later, as “The California Kid” has agreed to meet Scott Jorgensen at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale.

UFC president Dana White confirmed the fight on Twitter after the original main event between UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and John Moraga was forced to be pulled due to an injury to Johnson.

Faber (27-6) recently improved to 6-0 in his last six non-title fights, submitting Ivan Menjivar in the first round. He is 0-5 in his last five title matches in both the WEC and UFC.

Jorgensen (14-6) snapped a two-fight losing skid with a submission victory over John Moraga in December. He is also a former WEC fighter, and owns a 3-2 record inside the Octagon.

This should be another quick victory for Faber, as his skill-set is above-and-beyond that of Jorgensen. If Faber allows Jorgensen to take the fight to the ground, though, he could be in trouble, as the former Boise State University wrestler is sound with his mat work.

 

Dominick Cruz, Renan Barao, Urijah Faber: UFC Bantamweight Breakdown

Photo credit: Tracy Lee/Yahoo! Sports

The UFC’s bantamweight division is a healthy mix of known names and up-and-coming fighters, as two sit atop the class.

Dominick Cruz, who has worn the UFC’s 135-pound title since the weight class debuted in the promotion, is currently on the sidelines recovering from a second knee operation.

That caused UFC officials to put together an interim title match between Renan Barao and Urijah Faber, which Barao won. The Brazilian is set to defend his title next Saturday against Michael McDonald, another of the fresh faces, in London.

So, with the UFC’s first official rankings having been released recently, let’s take a look at some of the top names in the bantamweight division right now.

Dominick Cruz (UFC bantamweight champion)

Despite being sidelined since late in 2011, “The Dominator” is still the UFC bantamweight champion.

Two knee operations have many questioning what kind of fighter Cruz will be once he returns, but being just 27 years old, we should still expect to see that always-moving super-athlete.

Cruz has not lost since a 2007 submission defeat to Urijah Faber, winning each of his last 10 bouts. He’s defeated the likes of Demetrious Johnson, Faber, Scott Jorgensen and Joseph Benavidez – twice – during his streak.

Photo credit: MMAFighting

Renan Barao (interim UFC bantamweight champion)

As impressive of win streak as Dominick Cruz has, Barao can top it, as the Brazilian has not lost since his debut fight in 2005.

Barao is unbeaten in 30 professional fights, including UFC wins over Faber, Jorgensen and Brad Pickett.

Of his 29 career wins, 13 have come by submission and another six are of the knockout variety.

Barao will face Michael McDonald next Saturday in defense of his title from London.

Michael McDonald

McDonald will be chasing history when he faces Barao for the interim title, as the 22-year-old can become the youngest UFC champion with a win.

Since debuting in the UFC in 2011, the fighter has reeled off four wins, including back-to-back first round knockouts over Miguel Torres and Alex Soto.

The only flaw on McDonald’s resume is a 2009 TKO defeat at the hands of Cole Escovedo, to which he avenged a year later with a second round knockout win.

Urijah Faber

Faber is the poster child for the UFC’s lighter weights, as “The California Kid” has helped open many doors for bantamweights, featherweights and flyweights.

Faber, a former WEC champion, has fallen twice in UFC title matches, but he remains a key fighter in the division. He has fought the who’s who, including Cruz, Baro, Jose Aldo and Mike Brown.

While he is just 2-2 since the UFC-WEC merger, Faber sports a career record of 26-6 and was a coach on the first live season of The Ultimate Fighter with Cruz.

Photo credit Combat Lifestyle

Eddie Wineland

Wineland appears on the cusp of competing for the UFC title following a pair of wins over Brad Pickett and Jorgensen after opening his UFC career with losses to Faber and Joseph Benavidez.

The former WEC champion, though, packs quite the punch as evident by his 10 career KO wins. If you try and take it to the ground, Wineland has five submission wins, as well.

Photo credit: Combat Lifestyle

Raphael Assuncao

With three straight wins to his credit, Assuncao has proven his rough 2010-11 run was nothing to be overly concerned about.

The Brazilian defeated Mike Easton late in 2012, serving notice that he wants another top contender in the division this year.

Eight submission wins in 18 career victories fill Assuncao’s resume, along with three knockout triumphs.

Photo credit: Combat Lifestyle

Scott Jorgensen

Jorgensen’s been able to compete – and defeat – just about anybody he enters the cage with. But, it’s those higher-profile fighters that give the former Boise State University standout trouble.

Since 2009, his only losses have come at the hands of Cruz, Barao and Wineland – all former or current champions in either the UFC or WEC.

A submission win over John Albert to conclude 2012 snapped a two-fight losing skid for “Young Guns,” and likely earned him another fight with the UFC.

Brian Bowles

Bowles, the Mark Wahlberg lookalike from “Boogie Nights,” hasn’t been seen since late in 2011.

But, with a 10-2 record – the losses coming against Faber and Cruz – he is a definite contender in the division.

Bowles has earned himself six submission victories, with all of them coming via form of choke. Of course, his most recent loss came by the same hold he has perfected, as Faber locked in a guillotine back in 2011.

Ivan Menjivar

Menjivar has a chance to make a giant leap up the rankings this month, as he faces Faber in a key battle.

After a loss to Easton snapped a three-fight win streak, he rebounded to submit Azamat Gashimov in the first round.

Nineteen of Menjivar’s 25 career wins have been stoppage victories, including 10 via submission.

 

UFC On FX 3 Medical Suspensions: Grice Indefinite, Three Others Receive 60 Days

Matt Grice is on indefinite medical suspension following news of a possible broken foot suffered at UFC on FX: Johnson vs. McCall. The complete list of medical suspensions were given to MMAjunkie.com recently by the Florida State Boxing Commission.

Josh Neer, Eddie Wineland and Scott Jorgensen each received 60-day suspensions. Wineland and Jorgensen were awarded the Fight of the Night honors for their incredible performance.

UFC ON FX: JOHNSON VS. MCCALL MEDICAL SUSPENSIONS

• Matt Grice: Indefinite suspension pending orthopedic clearance due to possible left foot fracture

• Josh Neer: Suspended 60 days for precautionary reasons due to knockout

• Eddie Wineland: Suspneded 60 days due to forehead laceration

• Scott Jorgensen: Suspended 60 days due to possible concussion

• Lance Benoist: Suspended 45 days sue to lacerations on right eyebrow and under right eye

• Sean Pierson: Suspended 45 days due to scalp laceration

• Justin Salas: Suspended 30 days due to chin laceration

 

UFC On FX 3 Fighter Salaries Revealed

Mike Pyle racked up a cool $66,000 for his recent victory over Josh Neer at UFC on FX: Johnson vs. McCall.

Pyle, in figures released to BloodyElbow.com by the Florida State Boxing Commission, top the charts in terms of released numbers. He was awarded a $33,000 win bonus for his knockout over Neer.

Demetrious Johnson earned $40,000 by defeating Ian McCall in the main event to advance to the finals of the UFC flyweight tournament.

UFC ON FX: JOHNSON VS. MCCALL FIGHTER SALARIES

Demetrious Johnson: $40,000 ($20,000 to show, $20,000 to win)

Ian McCall: $9,000

Erick Silva: $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)

Charlie Brenneman: $18,000

Mike Pyle: $66,000 ($33,000 to show, $33,000 to win)

Josh Neer: $14,000

Eddie Wineland: $20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win bonus)

Scott Jorgensen: $20,500

Mike Pierce: $40,000 ($20,000 to show, $20,000 to win)

Carlos Eduardo Rocha: $8,000

Seth Baczynski: $20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win)

Lance Benoist: $8,000

Matt Grice: $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 to win)

Leonard Garcia: $20,000

Dustin Pague: $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)

Jared Papazian: $6,000

Tim Means: $16,000 ($8,000 to show, $8,000 to win)

Justin Salas: $8,000

Buddy Roberts: $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 to win)

Caio Magalhaes: $8,000

Henry Martinez: $12,000 ($6,000 to show, $6,000 to win)

Bernardo Magalhaes: $6,000

Sean Pierson: $20,000 ($10,000 to show, $10,000 to win)

Jake Hecht: $8,000

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

 

UFC on FX 3 Fight Bonuses: Jorgensen, Wineland, Pyle, Silva Take Home $40K

UFC officials announced immediately after UFC on FX 3 who the bonus recipients following tonight’s event were.

Fight of the Night: Scott Jorgensen vs Eddie Wineland

Knockout of the Night: Mike Pyle

Submission of the Night: Erick Silva

Each of these four fighters will receive a $40,000 bonus for their efforts.

Stick with MMAConvert for more coverage from UFC on FX 3.