Tony Ferguson ekes out decision over Yves Edwards at TUF 14 finale

Tony Ferguson ekes out decision over Yves Edwards at TUF 14 finale

The previous winner of "The Ultimate Fighter," Tony Ferguson, got another win at a TUF finale, getting a decision over veteran fighter Yves Edwards on Saturday night in Las Vegas. The judges saw it 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 for Ferguson.

Ferguson started aggressively, throwing several leg kicks early in the first round. Edwards responded with a massive head kick and powerful strikes, catching Ferguson with a powerful leg kick as Ferguson was spinning around.  Ferguson came on strong late in the round with a series of combinations that shook Edwards. He struggled to find his bearing as he leaned against the fence, but managed to recover and hit Ferguson with a head kick.

In the final 30 seconds of the round, Edwards shot on Ferguson, who rolled to put Edwards in a shoulder lock. Edwards managed to get out of the bad position as the round ended.

Edwards came out strong in the second, landing several punches and a flying knee early in the round. Ferguson's nose began to bleed about halfway through the round from the flurry of action. With 1:30 left, Edwards rocked Ferguson with a punch, but he stayed on his feet. The bout finally went to the ground with about 20 seconds left, as Ferguson got a takedown.

Both men turned to kicks in the third round. Ferguson opened the round with a painful body kick, while Edwards used several leg kicks and head kicks to wear down "The Ultimate Fighter" winner. They finished with a big flurry in the final 10 seconds with both fighters throwing every punch they had to convince judges who won the fight.

Ferguson is now 3-0 in the UFC with an overall record of 13-2. Edwards, who was fighting professionally when Ferguson was still in high school, is now 41-18-1.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Tony-Ferguson-ekes-out-decision-over-Yves-Edward?urn=mma-wp10194

John Alessio  Houston Alexander Ricardo Almeida  Eddie Alvarez

Bonnar comes clean with Koscheck after UFC 139 win

Bonnar comes clean with Koscheck after UFC 139 winAfter winning a decision over Kyle Kingsbury at UFC 139, Stephan Bonnar was honest about a legal matter with a fellow fighter. After the win, he spoke with UFC commentator Joe Rogan and apologized to UFC welterweight Josh Koscheck.

"I have a little confession to make. I had this big plan to get this win, and then call out Koscheck. But you know what? Something about fighting makes you be honest with yourself. The truth is, he asked me not to make those shirts, and I did it anyway. So Koscheck, I apologize. You taught me a valuable lesson. From now on, fighters gotta approve of those shirts, and they'll get paid for every one of them."

Bonnar had a brewing feud with Koscheck. Though the two were castmates on the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter," they had recently fallen out when Bonnar's clothing company printed a parody t-shirt of Koscheck.

Based off the 1980s trading cards "Garbage Pail Kids," Bonnar's shirt depicted Koscheck as a Cabbage Patch Kid. The problem was that Bonnar didn't get permission from Koscheck to use his image.  Koscheck sued, and Bonnar responded by challenging the much-smaller Koscheck to a fight.

"Words cannot describe how bad I want to kick Josh Koscheck's [expletive] right now," Bonnar said in June. "Sometimes I can't sleep at night because I'm up just thinking about all the things I want to do to him ? and kick his [expletive]."

But Bonnar has put those feelings behind him. Getting permission and paying fighters for their images is the right thing to do. It's just surprising to see Koscheck, who is usually considered a "bad guy" in MMA, teach that lesson to Bonnar, a beloved fighter.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Bonnar-comes-clean-with-Koscheck-after-UFC-139-w?urn=mma-wp9715

Randy The Natural Couture  Dan Cramer Alberto Crane Marcio Pe de Pano Cruz

The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale Fight Card Complete with Dodson-Dillashaw, Brandao-Bermudez Finals

The lineup for Saturday's The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale is now complete following last night's final episode on Spike TV, as John Dodson and TJ Dillashaw will meet in the finals of the bantamweight tournament, while Diego Brandao and Dennis Bermudez will sqaure off in the featherweight tourney final.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/26810/the-ultimate-fighter-14-finale-fight-card-complete-with-dodson-dillashaw-brandao-bermudez-finals/

Matt Hamill Volk Han Joachim Hansen Antoni Hardonk

?TUF 14? Featherweight and Bantamweight Finals Betting Odds

Now that we know which contestants will be battling it out in the finals of “The Ultimate Fighter 14,” the next logical move is to find out who is favored to take their respective tournaments and walk away with six-figure UFC contracts. After sifting through 32 contestants, the bantamweight and featherweight brackets are nearly complete. [...]

Source: http://www.5thRound.com/98125/tuf-14-featherweight-and-bantamweight-finals-betting-odds/

Marvin Eastman  Stav Crazy Bear Economou  Yves Edwards  Justin Eilers 

UFC 139?s Alex Soto moonlights as a dolphin trainer

UFC 139?s Alex Soto moonlights as a dolphin trainer

When fighters are working up the ladder to the big time, they'll take any job to make ends meet. Cain Velasquez cleaned the mats at American Kickboxing Academy. Clay Guida was a fisherman in Alaska and then a union carpenter. Training to fight is a huge time commitment, and fighters need jobs that are flexible to deal with MMA's demands.

Alex Soto, who will make his UFC debut against Michael McDonald on Saturday, worked as a dolphin trainer. MMA Fighting reports that Soto works for the U.S. Navy, training dolphins. He started out at Sea World, when he volunteered to work with the animals because he wanted a challenge.

He'll face another stiff challenge at UFC 139, though this is not of the porpoise variety. He will face Michael McDonald on just two weeks notice. McDonald was impressive in his last three fights: a first-round submission of Clint Godfrey at WEC 52 and decision wins over Edwin Figueroa and Chris Cariaso in the UFC. Their bout will air on Spike before the pay-per-view fights begin.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/UFC-139-s-Alex-Soto-moonlights-as-a-dolphin-trai?urn=mma-wp9623

Stav Crazy Bear Economou  Yves Edwards  Justin Eilers  Jon Olav Einemo

Ryan Jimmo to make his UFC debut against Karlos Vemola at UFC on FX 1

It’s been a long road to the UFC for Ryan Jimmo but he’ll finally step foot in the octagon in January at UFC on FX 1 against powerhouse wrestler Karlos Vemola. UFC officials confirmed the light heavyweight battle on their official website. Jimmo was a contestant on Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter, but lost [...]

Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2011/11/29/ryan-jimmo-to-make-his-ufc-debut-against-karlos-vemola-at-ufc-on-fx-1/

Lee Hasdell Musse Hasselvall Daiki DJ taiki Hata He Peng

You told us your favorite ?The Ultimate Fighter? moments

You told us your favorite ?The Ultimate Fighter? momentsOn Saturday night, Spike will air "The Ultimate Fighter" for the final time. After 14 seasons, the show that helped jump start the UFC's popularity will move to the Fox family of networks. MMA Fighting broke the show down by the numbers, pointing out that three TUF alumni won championships, two left the show during tapings because of their girlfriends, and one competed in four different weight classes. The show has created countless memories, which Kevin Iole wrote about here, and you so kindly shared on your Facebook page.

Both Jason Moles and Larry Morgan mentioned the season one incident when much of the cast was drunk, and Josh Koscheck sprayed Chris Leben with a hose as he slept outside. Morgan also liked the run-ins between coaches Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz, as well as Matt Riddle's devastating knockout to get into the house.

Nick Thompson's favorite moments involved season five's Andy Wang. "To BJ giving him the boot, to him getting destroyed on the finale, and the uncontrollable crying following each of those events, Andy "Waaaaaaaaahhhhhh"ng!" Dan Burjooly's favorite also came from season five, when Nate Diaz and Karo Parisyan argued and argued and argued.

Two memories came from the 14th season. Morgan offered Johnny Bedford's knockout and confusion as to where he was after the bout, and James Guerino liked the the trash talk that Akira Corassani offered.

For me, I loved all the coaches' challenges, Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans' many shouting matches, and Josh Koscheck's heel attitude from day one. But my very favorite was a quiet moment between Jens Pulver and Nate Diaz from the fifth season. As Pulver prepared Diaz for a fight, Diaz, who is known for having a mouth, showed his appreciation to Pulver. "I'm really glad you're my coach," Diaz said.

That short moment gave a great glimpse into the relationship between a coach and fighter. It was sweet, and still sticks out in mind years after the show aired.

You can still share your favorites in the comment section or on Facebook.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/You-told-us-your-favorite-The-Ultimate-Fighter-?urn=mma-wp10129

Ao Hailin  Shinya Aoki  Andrei Arlovski  Ricardo Arona 

The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale Fight Card Complete with Dodson-Dillashaw, Brandao-Bermudez Finals

The lineup for Saturday's The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale is now complete following last night's final episode on Spike TV, as John Dodson and TJ Dillashaw will meet in the finals of the bantamweight tournament, while Diego Brandao and Dennis Bermudez will sqaure off in the featherweight tourney final.

Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/26810/the-ultimate-fighter-14-finale-fight-card-complete-with-dodson-dillashaw-brandao-bermudez-finals/

Clay Guida Jason Guida Melvin Guillard Cody Guinn