The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale: Free Event on Spike Features Some Strange Fights

Share on Facebook posted 12-07-09 by John George

The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale event, shown Saturday night on Spike, featured a bunch of fun fights in addition to the main event that resulted in Roy “Big Country” Nelson winning this season’s competition on the popular reality show.

Kimbo’s Unpredictable Battle With The Assassin

Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson (4-1-0), the season’s most hyped contestant, had his first real UFC battle against UFC light heavyweight bruiser Houston “The Assassin” Alexander (9-5-0). The two fought at a catch weight of 215 pounds. While Kimbo fought on the show, The Ultimate Fighter bouts are considered exhibition matches and don’t count on fighters’ professional records.

Kimbo is an underground streetfighter who rose to fame for his fights broadcast on YouTube. He’s a very powerful striker, who is built like a toy superhero action figure and has a head like a giant Ewok with gold teeth. He was defeated by Nelson on the show when Big Country pinned the streetfighter under his ponderous belly and punched him in the forehead until the referee called a stop to the contest.

Alexander is one the UFC’s hardest-hitting light heavyweights, with some serious knockout power in his mitts. He also has what may be the weakest ground game of any of the fighters in his decision, making him pretty defenseless once you get him down.

Since Kimbo showed a pretty non-existent ground game of his own on the show, most people probably expected the fighters to stand and bang. I don’t think many people expected the fight to last more than a minute or two of the first round. But I don’t anyone predicted what actually happened.

Houston spent the entire first round circling around the cage’s perimeter, periodically throwing kicks at Kimbo’s bum knee. (It was disclosed during the show that Kimbo is missing cartilage and suffering from pretty bad arthritis.) It was really a bizarre scene, as Kimbo turned around and around in the center of the cage and Alexander circled on the outside.

My buddy, with whom I was watching the fight, suggested that maybe Alexander was trying to make Kimbo dizzy. If that was the case, it didn’t work. The leg kicks didn’t really work either. I think they may have hurt and annoyed Kimbo, but they didn’t seem to do any real damage or impede his ability to fight.

The fight took a turn for the better in the second round, as Kimbo poured on the heat. He managed to land some punches and also had a beautiful takedown in the form of slam. It really was a thing of beauty, and something you’d expect from a world-class grappler more than from a reformed streetfighter. Once on the ground, Kimbo actually got a full mount, showing a drastically improved ground game. Kimbo’s clearly not yet a wizard on the mat, but he’s also showing that he’s learning some new skills and evolving as a fighter.

The third round got back to being boring, with both fighters getting too tired to do much. Alexander landed a good leg kick that actually managed to knock Kimbo down, but he was too exhausted to follow up. One of the highlights of the fight, for me, was when both fighters immediately doubled over, put their hands on their knees and began gulping air simultaneously as the final bell rang, announcing the end of the fight. Kimbo got the judges decision, which he clearly deserved.

Bones Smashes The Hammer, But Loses Anyway

The light heavyweight fight between Jon “Bones” Jones (9-1-0) and Matt “The Hammer” Hamill (8-2-0) was another matchup that had a strange twist. Jones is a very interesting fighter who blends fluidity with power and is very creative with his strikes, in addition to being an excellent wrestler. Hamill is a deaf fighter who has shown tremendous heart. He’s a very powerful striker and an awesome wrestler.

I expected this fight to be a bloody grind, going at least two rounds. But Jones got an amazing takedown fairly early in the first round, then totally dominated Hamill on the ground. Referee Steve Mazzagatti stopped the pounding and deducted a point when Jones landed an up-and-down elbow during his barrage. Apparently, these are illegal moves in the UFC. Unfortunately, Hamill was unable to continue, and Bones was disqualified, since the fight essentially ended because of his illegal move.

Even though Hamill got the win on his record, Bones was clearly the winner of the fight. I was very, very impressed with his performance. I think he is a true threat at light heavyweight, and I think he’s got a shot against any of the top contenders and even the champion himself, Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida. Bones’ stance and unorthodox style actually reminded me a little of Machida’s own karate techniques.

The Answer Chokes Out Veach

In a lightweight bout, Frankie “The Answer” Edgar (11-1-0) turned in a tremendously dominating performance against Matt Veach (11-1-0). Though only an inch taller than Edgar’s five feet, six inches, Veach looked to be the much bigger man in the ring. Edgar is a relatively small 155-pounder, while Veach is a pretty big one. But Edgar’s skill rendered any size difference irrelevant.

Veach got two good slams against Edgar in the first round, but the latter showed his toughness, recovering and getting back up to his feet each time. During the stand-up, Edgar seemed to have the better of it, landing more clean shots. In the second round, Edgar landed a right hook that knocked Veach down. Edgar followed him down, pounded on him until Veach gave up his back, and Edgar finished with a rear naked choke.

Edgar already has wins over some top lightweights, including Sean Sherk, Hermes Franka, Tyson Griffin and Mark Bocek. This latest victory should further reinforce his status as a top contender for the lightweight belt.

Mitrione Turns Off The Darkness’ Lights

Marcus “Big Baby” Jones (4-2-0), formerly nicknamed “The Darkness,” was one of the most charming and likeable contestants on this season of The Ultimate Fighter. The six-foot, six-inch former pro football player displayed excellent jiu jitsu and wrestling during the show, but his inability to take a hard punch led to his semifinal loss to Brendan Schaub.

Matt Mitrione (1-0-0) was one of the least likeable contestants on TUF 10, seeking attention like an insecure adolescent through immature ploys like feigning injuries. Also a former pro football player, he looked pretty good in the cage until he got caught by James McSweeney in a guillotine choke during the show’s semifinals.

Sadly for Big Baby, his ability to take a punch didn’t improve in the time since the show ended. In the first round of their heavyweight fight during the TUF 10 Finale, Jones was able to take Mitrione down, but he couldn’t capitalize on it, and Mitrione was able to get back to his feet. Mitrione definitely seemed to have the advantage in striking, and he capitalized in the opening seconds of the second round, knocking Jones out with a couple of solid shots to the jaw.

Much as I hate to say it, Mitrione looked good in the fight. He even seemed like a decent guy in the post-fight interview. With good training, he may be an excellent UFC fighter. Big Baby, on the other hand, should probably stick to a fighting sport that doesn’t involve striking. With his size, strength, skills and talent, he’d be a true threat in any grappling competition. But he should avoid any sport in which his chin is a target.

McSweeney Defeats Tough, Plump Schoonover

Darrill Schoonover (10-1-0) came out looking like he gained a good 30 pounds since the show ended, and he was quite juicy and plump as he rolled on the mat with British fighter and fellow TUF 10 veteran James McSweeney (4-4-0) in their heavyweight fight. Despite his jiggly appearance, Schoonover showed great heart in the fight, surviving some tough submission attempts and showing pretty good striking for two and a half rounds.

Unfortunately, heart wasn’t enough to overcome McSweeney’s superior skills. As fatigue overtook Schoonover in the third round, McSweeney was able to connect with several punches that knocked Schoonover down. McSweeney followed him down and punched him until the referee stopped.

Both Schoonover and McSweeney looked like they need some extra work before they can really compete with the best fighters in the UFC. I don’t think either would last too long against the top heavyweights in the division.

Mark Bocek Submits Joe Brammer

Canadian fighter Mark Bocek (8-2-0) was relentless in his grappling assault Joe Brammer (7-1-1) during their lightweight bout. After trading a few strikes, Bocek slammed Brammer to the mat and stayed on him like a tiger on a wounded buffalo. While scrambling on the ground, Bocek attached himself to Brammer’s back and went for a rear choke. Brammer managed to stand up, but Bocek hung on the back and managed to sink the choke in, forcing Brammer to tap. It was a fine display of jiu jitsu in a dominating performance by the Canadian.

Other Fights

The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale also had several fights that were not broadcast on Spike. John Madsen (3-0-0) earned a split decision over Justin Wren (6-2-0) in the heavyweight contest between the two TUF 10 veterans. Brian “All American” Stann (8-2-0) won a unanimous decision victory over Rodney “Sho Nuff the Master” Wallace (9-1-0) during their light heavyweight bout. Finally, John “Doomsday” Howard (14-4-0) knocked out Dennis “Superman” Hallman (41-13-2) with five seconds left in the third and final round of their fight.