The Ultimate Finale 10 Recap

December 06, 2009 | Tim | Comments 0

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Another winner of The Ultimate Fighter was crowned, one of MMA’s best young fighters showed what all the hype was about, and Kimbo Slice won his UFC debut. However, that sentence made the event sound much better than it actually was.

All eyes were on Kimbo Slice as he made his UFC debut against Houston Alexander. Alexander had come off three straight losses in the Octagon. However, as an exciting striker with no ground game to speak of, Alexander appeared to be a good stylistic matchup for Slice. No one expected this fight to last three rounds or hit the floor, but it actually did both.

Alexander spent the majority of the first round circling on the outside, offering little besides the occasional leg kick. Kimbo didn’t seem willing to press the action either, though he landed a couple decent jabs when Alexander got within striking range.

The action picked up a little in the second round. Kimbo connected with a decent jab, and moments later, used a clinch and took Alexander down. Kimbo quickly moved to mount, but Alexander escaped to his feet. Another clinch came later in the round, and this time Kimbo slammed Alexander. He landed a few good shots while Alexander was still a little dazed from the slam, but again Alexander got to his feet. One more takedown, a half-hearted rear naked choke attempt from Kimbo, and a few more punches ended the round, a clear win for Slice.

The third round featured two gassed fighters. Alexander threw a few more leg kicks, one which seemed to hurt Kimbo. Kimbo had one more takedown where he did little damage, but that was about the extent of the action for the last round. The first and third rounds were difficult to score due to the lack of action between the two fighters. In the end, all three judges scored the fight for Kimbo, 29-28 (twice) and 30-27.

There were definitely some positive signs for fans of Kimbo. His ground game was improved from what we’ve seen in the past, but a few things need to be kept in mind. First, Alexander has shown no semblance of a ground game in any of his previous fights either. A fighter with better ground skills wouldn’t have been controlled like Alexander was. Second, Alexander is a natural light heavyweight. Kimbo cut down to take the fight at a catchweight of 215 pounds, but has stated he doesn’t want to fight in the light heavyweight division. Therefore, the majority of guys that Kimbo fights in the future won’t be 208 pound light heavyweights, they will be guys in the neighborhood of 240 pounds or more. He won’t be able to throw guys that size around like he did to Alexander.

Kimbo needs to learn how to check leg kicks, as his bad left knee was clearly a target for Alexander. His striking looked a little better in general, but we really didn’t get to see enough of it to make a clear judgment. It will be interesting who the UFC decides to put against Kimbo in the future. There aren’t many heavyweights currently in the UFC that I think Kimbo can really handle.

In the co-main event of the evening, Jon Jones showed why there has been so much hype about his future in the sport. At just 22 years old, Jones basically manhandled a solid light heavyweight with a good wrestling pedigree in Matt Hamill. Jones successfully defended a takedown attempt from Hamill, and moments later, utilized his own Greco-Roman wrestling background to throw Hamill to the canvas. He got full mount and was raining down shots on Hamill. He looked like he thought the fight should have been stopped, but eventually began to drop down 12 to 6 elbows (elbows that come straight down as opposed to elbows that come from the side or diagonally). The blows are illegal in the Unified rules, and since Hamill was unable to continue, Jones was disqualified.

Even though the fight will show up as a loss on his record, Jones basically will be looked at as the winner of the contest. The loss will have no bearing on his advancement through the light heavyweight division. Jones moves to 4-0 inside the UFC. Look for him to matchup with another mid-level UFC light heavyweight in the near future. There’s no need for the UFC to rush him to the front of the class with his whole future ahead of him. There are still some things that Jones needs to work on before he can hang with the top of the division, but his training with Greg Jackson will help him continue to improve.

In finale of The Ultimate Fighter, MMA veteran Roy Nelson took on Brendan Schaub. The striking was pretty even early, as Schaub was connecting with decent jabs. Nelson was able to get the clinch and a takedown, but Schaub was able to scramble to his feet without taking much damage. However, the end would come soon after. Schaub landed a few more good shots before a big right hook from Nelson landed behind Schaub’s ear. The shot knocked Schaub out cold, and a follow up shot from Nelson finished the fight.

Nelson, the favorite before the show started, claim’s the “six-figure contract.” Since Nelson has much more MMA experience than most of the past Ultimate Fighter winners, expect him to get a shot at a mid-tier heavyweight for his next fight. He’s a good addition to the UFC’s heavyweight crop, and can compete with almost anyone in the division. I still think Schaub is a good prospect as well. He’ll probably land a UFC contract of his own. Hopefully they’ll work him up very slowly.

Full Results:

Roy Nelson def. Brendan Schaub via KO (punch) – Round 1, 3:45

Matt Hamill def. Jon Jones via DQ (illegal elbow strike) – Round 1, 4:14

Kimbo Slice def. Houston Alexander via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Frankie Edgar def. Matt Veach via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:22

Matt Mitrione def. Marcus Jones via KO (punches) – Round 2, 0:10

James McSweeney def. Darrill Schoonover via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 3:20

Jon Madsen def. Justin Wren via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Brian Stann def. Rodney Wallace via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

John Howard def. Dennis Hallman via KO (punches) – Round 3, 4:55

Mark Bocek def. Joe Brammer via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:36

Photo courtesy of Sherdog.