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Once again, the beauty of Mixed Martial Arts was on display last night, as the UFC put together another exciting card for the finale of the sixth season of The Ultimate Fighter Reality series, Team Hughes vs Team Serra. To cap it all off, lightweight contenders Roger ‘El Matador’ Huerta and Clay ‘The Carpenter’ Guida proved once again why the 155 lbs bracket is the most exciting in the sport today.
Quick Results and Analysis
Roger Huerta def. Clay Guida via submission (rear naked choke), R3
Huerta came back in the third round from being knocked flat on the canvas in the second with a thunderous knee to Guida’s chin, forcing him to change his action plan quick. In the midst of it all, Huerta was able to take his back and sink in a rear naked choke to end the fight. Huerta has officially served notice to all fighters in the division: Bring it, cause he’s here to stay.
Mac Danzig def. Tommy Speer via submission (rear naked choke), R1
It did not take long for Danzig’s superior technical game to get the better of the much stronger Tommy Speer. Before many of us could exhale from the deep breath we all took during the sound of the opening bell, Danzig took Speer down, mounted him and pounded away until Speer gave up his back and neck. Like a cat on a mouse, Danzig pounced quickly and easily, locking in the choke giving Speer no escape route and forcing him to tap out. Danzig wins the Season Six Ultimate Fighter Finale Six Figure Contract and immediately confirmed rumours he will be dropping down to the lightweight division.
Jon Koppenhaver def. Jared Rollins via TKO, R3
While I had originally pegged Jared Rollins to steamroll Koppenhaver in this bout, the man they call the ‘War Machine’ was on a mission to prove why he is the real deal. Koppenhaver fought an incredible bout while bleeding heavily from some exceptionally executed elbows from the guard, courtesy of Rollins. Back and forth they went until Koppenhaver dropped Rollins with a thunderous shot, finishing him off with some surgical ground and pound.
George Sotiropoulos def. Billy Miles via submission (rear naked choke), R1
It didn’t take long for Sotiropoulos to take out Miles proving once again that his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu submission skills are his bread’n'butter and his meal ticket to victory. While Sotiropoulos finished Miles off rather quickly, it’s important to point out that many an experienced fighter can learn from the youngster. Sotiropoulos used his strikes from all angles and positions to set up the choke, something you do not always see in the elite, more experienced fighters which drives me absolutely nuts.
Ben Saunders def. Dan Barrera via unanimous decision
While this bout was not the most actioned packed one of the night, it was definetly an educatonal piece of guard defence, strategies and techinques. Saunders showcased how a fighter on the bottom can defend his opponents onslaught while setting up submissions, sweeps and escapes. Good on both fighters for giving it their all, even though some of the crowd were not overly impressed.
Matt Arroyo def. John Kolosci via submission (armbar), R1
This was my lock of the night, as I just felt confident that Arroyo was going to make an example of Kolosci. Give credit where credit is due as Kolosci’s submission defence is incredible and no one can ever question is heart. Arroyo is just simply a better fighter and proved why with a nicely setup arm bar to finish the fight.
Troy Mandaloniz def. Richie Hightower via TKO, R1
This was the rock’em, sock’em fight of the night as both these guys came to trade bombs. Back and forth they went until Mandaloniz (a close friend and training partner of UFC Lightweight sensation BJ Penn) was able to get the better of the exchanges dropping Hightower to the ground. Great fight and definetly one that will require some major ice on the knuckles this morning.
Roman Mitichyan def. Dorian Price via submission (ankle lock), R1
This one did not last long as it took Mitichyan 29 seconds to take this fight to the ground and finish off Price with an ankle lock. I pegged Mitichyan to win up until about 3 hours before fight time, when I decided to go with Price, due to over analyzing the bout. I figured Mitichyan’s inactivity vs Price’s busy schedule would be his downfall. I was definetly out to lunch on that prediction.
Jonathan Goulet def. Paul Georgieff via submission (rear naked choke), R1
After being stunned with a left hand from Paul Georgieff, the experience of Jonathan Goulet took over as the Canadian took the fight down to the ground, slapping on a rear naked choke to finish the bout. A close call for the Montreal native but once again he proves why being calm under pressure is often an important key to victory.
Big UFC Announcement
In case you missed it, UFC President Dana White announced that Forrest Griffin would be one of the new coaches for next season’s installment of the popular reality series. The second coach will be announced during tonight’s Spike Tv Video Game awards. Rumour has it that current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson will be unveiled as coach number two.
More on this story in the following days to come.
Joe Ferraro
Joe@Showdown.ca
