Once again, it's time for another awesome season of the Ultimate Fighter to come to an end. Following the street fights, the cake-based hilarity and ridiculously awesome ping-pong matches, actual MMA fights were once again the main focus during last night's Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale.Coaches BJ Penn and Jens Pulver headlined the show, in a match that was dominated by the Hawaiian phenom.
BJ opened up with a wild right that rattled Pulver, followed by an excellent display of takedown and ground skill, featuring a good slam and a world-class guard pass. Penn's submission attempts were almost too difficult for Pulver to dodge, but the resilient veteran managed to defend both an armbar and a triangle to last out the first round.
The second round was much of the same in the first; Penn went for the takedown, gained the full mount and pounded Pulver until he gave up his back. Penn leaped on the opportunity and finished the match via rear naked choke, perhaps even holding onto the hold a little longer than was absolutely necessary.
The actual finale of the show was just as thrilling, with a somewhat surprising ending. Manny Gamburyan, who had been impressive during his Ultimate Fighter tenure, lost the fight due to a tapout in the second round. However, this was not the result of anything that Nathan Diaz, his opponent, had applied.
The first round was an interesting exchange, with Gamburyan attempting to get a guillotine choke on his opponent. Diaz then defended well, pulling guard and going for a plethora of submissions including an omoplata and a good kimura attempt. Although Diaz worked well, Gamburyan took this round.
Then came the second round. Following a takedown attempt, Gamburyan tapped immediately; it then became clear that he had dislocated his shoulder on the takedown. Realizing this, the fighter tapped, rendering him incapable of continuing to fight and risk further damage.
Following previous precedents in the UFC though, I don't think this is the last we'll see of the unlucky Gamburyan. Congratulations, however, to Diaz on his win and on becoming the 155lb "Ultimate Fighter".
Controversy was brought to the boil on the undercard, where Gray Maynard and Rob Emerson were the two fighters involved in a bizarre no contest that saw one fighter rendered unconscious while the other tapped.
Early in the second round, Maynard came out with a well executed uppercut, followed by a slam that both knocked him out and injured his opponent.
After the referee called the bout, Maynard complained, claiming he was never out and that he should have been awarded the win.
Whilst I applaud his warrior spirit, you've got to be an idiot to forget that these are trained referees and doctors with full access to video replays of the fights immediately after they happen. As such, in this case, Maynard should just cut his losses and return on another show.
Overall, this show was DEFINITELY one of the more entertaining UFC shows in recent memory, if not just for the controversy and bizarre events. This show proved that the lighter weights can be entertaining, contrary to popular belief.
If you didn't see this show, check it out somehow, especially if you've not been watching the ultimate fighter season.
Quick results:
Matt Wiman def. Brian Geraghty via TKO
Leonard Garcia def. Allen Berubie via Submission
Gray Maynard and Rob Emerson fight to a No Contest after 1 Round.
Cole Miller def. Andy Wang via TKO
Joe Lauzon def. Brandon Melendez via Submission
Roger Huerta def. Doug Evans via TKO
Thales Leites def. Floyd Sword via Submission
Nate Diaz def. Manny Gamburyan via Submission (tapout due to injury)
B.J. Penn def. Jens Pulver via Submission
3 comments: on "Penn Settles Score, Diaz Takes Deal"
I watched this show last night on replay, and while I was familiar with Huerta only because of his SI cover, I felt like he was incredibly lucky to escape that first round.
While I have no doubt he's a bad sumbitch it looked like to me that he just took Evans really lightly in that first round. I noticed several times he just rolled his eyes and huffed and puffed. The glance at the clock near the end of the round didn't bother me, but made me think, damn does he really not think this guy is shit? In the end Huerta won, but will this make way for Evans to be a future contender?
By the way even though UFC is keeping the number they gave the upcoming PPV a name: Stacked
For sure. I mean, with the current trend of UFC fighters getting upset (I'm thinking GSP, Tim Sylva and Keith Jardine), you'd think people would see that it's possible to underestimate an opponent.
I'm not sure if he'll get another showing in the UFC, but they have previously invited fighters back that have shown a good effort and a good amount of improvement.
And that card IS Stacked!
I must admit, that's one of the better cards the UFC has thrown together.
Nogueira vs Herring, Evans vs Ortiz, Franca vs Sherk, and SO much more. That's gonna be an amazing show!
With the current trend of upsets being the "big thing" wouldn't it be rather smart on the part of UFC to pay attention to this big underdog upsets and set a card that features 2-3 prominent fighters against 2-3 up and comers or new guys, or guys that have shown great effort in the initial fight?
I think Evans did incredibly well, I just think that after he was on the mat he quit, mind, body and soul just gave up. I went from really wanting his to win, and as soon as he just stopped I wanted Huerta to punch a hole in the top of his head. If he doesn't get a re-invite I have a feeling it's because he just gave up, had he kept fighting and the ref stopped it, I definently think he'd have another showing.
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