Evans gets a big greeting on Tuesday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He spoke about his training for UFC 108 and Thiago Silva. He also talks about not fighting Rampage Jackson after all the heat on the season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
So your curiosity has been piqued by the upcoming finale of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights, but you need a refresher on who’s who. Even if the only name you recognize on the fight card is “Kimbo”, I’ve got everything you need to know to be up to speed come fight night.
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: HEAVYWEIGHTS FINAL
Roy Nelson vs. Brendan Schaub
This is the biggie in more ways than one. Don’t think so? Just look at the UFC careers of past Ultimate Fighters such as Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Diego Sanchez, Joe Stevenson, Mike Bisping, etc. and you’ll see what winning this reality show competition can do for you.
On Saturday night, you’ll be treated to one of the most intriguing finale matchups yet, with former football player Brendan Schaub – an ultra-talented kid with a huge upside in this game – taking on Roy Nelson – a guy with the type of world-class experience that you can’t emphasize enough, especially at this level.
Can raw talent overcome experience? If Schaub can stop the takedowns that nipped at him on the show, he may get a chance to show off his hands against Nelson. On the other side of the Octagon, Big Country has been effective, but not pretty, in pounding his way to the finals.
This matchup marks a great clash of styles that will be riveting well past Saturday night; either way we’ll see a new – and unique — winner navigate the UFC heavyweight minefield.
CO-MAIN EVENT
Matt Hamill vs. Jon Jones
He’s only had nine professional fights (three in the UFC), but when you ask people about “Jonny Bones” Jones, the phrase “future of the sport” usually shows up in the conversation. Consider this – he’s only 22 years old, is extremely athletic, is a former JUCO national champion in wrestling and has an array of unorthodox strikes and throws that look like they’ve come straight out of a video game. Add in a win over veteran contender Stephan Bonnar and a recent change in training camps to the renowned Greg Jackson gym in Albuquerque, and the future may be now.
Having said that, Saturday brings Jones probably his toughest test to date in Matt Hamill, a former national championship wrestler himself. Hamill shone in The Ultimate Fighter season three cast, then as the first deaf fighter to compete in the Octagon. Oh, and he can fight too, as evidenced by six UFC wins, including a highlight reel head kick knockout of Mark Munoz in March.
This is an evenly matched battle of two talented 205-pound MMA fighters, but given their history – and Jones’ desire to prove a point – don’t be surprised if a wrestling match breaks out.
CATCHWEIGHT BOUT
Kimbo Slice vs. Houston Alexander
In the time it takes to read this paragraph, this explosive bout (which will be waged at a catchweight of 215 pounds) may be over. That’s a testament to the punching power and aggressive styles of both Houston “The Assassin” Alexander and Kimbo Slice.
Internet fans were the first to catch on to the Kimbo phenomenon as he specialized in unsanctioned fights aired on youtube.com. He has since moved up through the world of sanctioned mixed martial arts to The Ultimate Fighter and the UFC.
While many have questioned Kimbo’s ground game, he likely won’t have to worry about submisisons from Nebraska’s all-out banger Alexander. The Assassin has not been out of the first round since 2005 and owns opening round victories over Keith Jardine and Alessio Sakara.
You’ve heard it before, but this time I mean it – don’t blink.
LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT
Frankie Edgar vs Matt Veach
MTV “True Life” fans met Frankie Edgar as he prepared for his 2008 bout against Gray Maynard and for his wedding to his longtime girlfriend. Since then, “The Answer” has tied the knot, had a son, and continued to roar up the lightweight ranks of the UFC with wins over perennial contender Hermes Franca and former 155-pound champ Sean Sherk.
On Saturday, he takes on Illinois’ Matt Veach, a hard-nosed fellow wrestler with heavy hands and the type of resilience that can pull victory from the jaws of defeat. Stylistically, this is a matchup that can’t miss when it comes to fast-paced action.
HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT
Marcus Jones vs. Matt Mitrione
Viewers of TUF 10 know that there is no love lost between these two former NFL players. While they never had the opportunity to meet on the gridiron or TUF, Big Baby and the show’s biggest baby will finally settle the score with each other Saturday night.
Marcus Jones has made it clear that Matt Mitrione is not on his Christmas card list, and that could lead him to get emotional and toss his gameplan out the window. Mitrione will have his own issues to deal with in terms of making his professional debut in the UFC against an imposing (6 foot 6, 265 pound) opponent looking to take his head off.
Stylewise, Jones is a bit more versatile, as he has knockout power and a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Rob Kahn. But Mitrione is no slouch with his hands, and he has the type of heat behind his fastball that can change a fight around in a split second. Whatever way it goes, this is a great way to open up the TUF10 finale card.
PRELIM HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT:
Darrill Schoonover vs. James McSweeney
Win or lose, you may not see Darrill Schoonover in the UFC for a while, as the vet is being called back into active Army duty following his bout. Between that and opposing coach Quinton Jackson’s nonstop barbs, he should be good and motivated to leave an impression inside the Octagon. Add Schoonover’s unbeaten pro record, and the American Top Team member may just be a slight favorite.
But Schoonover likes to stand, and his Team Rashad squadmate James McSweeney is a world-class kickboxer who LOVES to stand. McSweeney’s record is spotty, but he does have Greg Jackson leading him into battle, so expect him to arrive with solid gameplan. Whether or not he can execute it is on him.
PRELIM HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT:
Jon Madsen vs. Justin Wren
Put two wrestlers like Justin Wren and Jon Madsen together and most of the time you’ll wind up with a kickboxing match. If that’s the case, Wren will have a slight edge in the standup department — The Viking almost got a third round against Roy Nelson, which could have landed him in the semis. This is a great chance for Wren to stamp his TUF10 experience with a final win before moving on to the big show.
But Madsen, unbeaten in his pro career thus far, can’t be counted out, especially given his wrestling ability and training partners at Matt Hughes’ H.I.T. Squad like Robbie Lawler, Matt Veach, and Brian Foster.
Frank sent this in:
Why do so many people still denigrate Kimbo Slice? Does the resentment exist because he only has a 3-1 pro record, has glaring holes in his ground game, yet enjoys superstar status? Personality cannot be the root of the disdain because let’s face it, never once has Kimbo Slice hyped himself as some kind of elite fighter or suggested he is God’s gift to MMA. Never has Kimbo Slice “called out” Brock Lesnar or Randy Couture or any other top heavyweight. Never has Kimbo Slice asked millions of people to watch Internet videos of his past street fights, nor did he ask prominent magazine and newspaper reporters to write their in-depth stories chronicling his life and unlikely rise to fame.
Behind that gruff, scary monster exterior, Kimbo Slice has been revealed as a sympathetic figure, a low-key fighter trying to grind out an honest living. Which is why former WEC featherweight champion Mike Thomas Brown, like many others, has come to admire the controversial heavyweight whom millions of people can’t resist watching.
“You get an image of this guy on TV, like he’s a bad guy or he’s a thug, but he’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met,” said Brown, who trains alongside Slice at the vaunted American Top Team academy in Coconut Creek, Fla. “What’s amazing is how humble he is and how much people talk s— about him, but he never says anything bad about anybody. Think of how many people have said, ‘Ah, Kimbo Slice sucks, he’s nothing.’ They all rag on him. But he never talks bad about anyone. He’s a tough guy and he’s humble and he’s not afraid to fight anybody. He just trains hard and loves to fight.”
While Brown will be cheering hard for Kimbo when he clashes with Houston Alexander on Saturday, WEC warrior extraordinaire Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone will be glued to the TUF 10 finale pitting former NFL player Brendan Schaub against Roy “Big Country” Nelson. Cerrone and Schaub, both raised in Colorado, have known each other for years and train together with Greg Jackson in New Mexico. Schaub even stayed at Cerrone’s house for weeks before departing for Las Vegas to be part of the cast on The Ultimate Fighter season 10 reality show.
“I knew he (Schaub) had a good chance to win the show because his main training partner at Jackson’s is Shane Carwin and he gives Shane a good run for his money, so I knew he was going to do big things,” said Cerrone, who will battle dangerous striker Ed “9mm” Ratcliff in WEC 45 main event on Dec. 19 (which will be broadcast live on Versus).
Known for epic bouts against Jamie Varner, Benson Henderson and “Razor” Rob McCullough, Cerrone predicted the Schaub-Nelson bout will be entertaining but he has no doubt Schaub will get his hand raised afterward and be awarded a six-figure contract with the UFC.
“Brendan’s just a big, tough S.O.B. He moves like a lightweight,” Cerrone said. “I think Brendan will knock him out. His jiu-jitsu is good, he’s got really good positioning, but his boxing is better than everything. I think he will outbox Big Country and I don’t think Big Country will be able to take him down. Brendan is in way better shape, he doesn’t have a big beer belly on the front of him.” .”
Ah, that enormous sack of blarb that adorns what used to be Big Country’s abdomen. Makes him so lovable, doesn’t it? But the robust BJJ black belt is just the latest in a steady stream of big guys who are exceptional pro athletes (guys like Charles Barkley, John Kruk, David Wells and boxer James Toney, to name a few). Chris Horodecki is another one of those fighters who doesn’t always look the part. With the face of a high school junior, the 22-year-old Canadian – who fights at 155 pounds – sometimes swells to 190 pounds between fights and packs quite a bit of girth himself. So Horodecki – who knows Nelson from their days in the now-defunct International Fight League – has witnessed Nelson dominate too many heavyweights with that portly physique to question the 263-pounder’s capabilities.
“It’s not a bodybuilding show, it’s not an appearance contest – it’s a fight,” said Horodecki, a gifted striker who will make his WEC debut against Anthony Njokuani on Dec. 19. “So you have to respect Big Country because he has skills in other areas. He’s still a well-conditioned fighter and has endurance, and he’s strong, he’s just got a deceiving look. He’s really skilled on the mat, his mat skills are top-notch. People don’t know that. He’s a fighter and I think that’s why people like him and can relate to him – because he does have a big belly.”
Many favor the wily veteran Nelson to beat Schaub, and the winner of their clash likely has a bright future ahead of him. But on Saturday, the two main event finalists just might have to take a backseat to the Slice-Alexander tussle when it comes to the matchup fans are most jazzed to see.
“Somebody’s going down for sure,” Brown predicted. “It’s exciting. The best thing about Kimbo is you want to see him fight. … Is he the best guy in the world? No, he’s probably not. But I definitely want to see him fight every time he goes out there.”
Below is the tentative fight card for UFC Fight Night 20: Maynard vs. Diaz, scheduled to take place on January 11, 2010, from the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA:
Main Bouts:
Preliminary Bouts:
Spike.com has released a video preview of the two-hour episode, which features the show’s final two preliminary bouts and both semifinal fights. The two remaining fighters meet for the show championship at Saturday’s live finale in Las Vegas.
Not that it was a total surprise, but Houston Alexander has confirmed that he will be facing Kimbo Slice during the finale of The Ultimate Fighter 10, scheduled to air on December 5 on Spike TV.
Both fighters are fighting for their UFC lives, both figuratively and literally. Slice is seeking his first UFC win while Alexander hasn’t won a bout in the UFC in over 2 years.
Um hmmm. Kimbo Slice on TUF 10. That should put a “spike” in Spike TV’s ratings.
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