MMA Gospel

Undefeated Cat Zingano (purple shorts) adapted well and scored a huge upset finish over former Strikeforce champ Miesha Tate (pink trunks). (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

While it was not a spectacular night of fights, the TUF 17 Finale was a solid night of bouts that went over without any real controversy or other disappointments. What did provide a fair amount of excitement was the fact that three of the night’s five-main-card bouts ended in major upsets. “The Menace” Bubba McDaniel (21-6) opened the card with a third-round submission of Gilbert Smith (5-2) that was not unexpected, but then “Hapa” Travis Browne (14-1-1) shut down the red hot submission expert “Napao” Gabriel Gonzaga (14-7)  with a barrage of elbows from the sprawl against the cage. The ladies then stepped into the Octagon for the second time in UFC history and blue chipper “Alpha” Cat Zingano (8-0) overcame early struggles to demolish the heavily favored “Cupcake” Miesha Tate (13-4) with a “Fight of the Night” winning third-round stoppage. The upsets continued into the championship bout of The Ultimate Fighter 17 tournament as ultra-hyped number one seed Uriah Hall (7-3) came out flat and dropped a Split Decision to last-picked wrestler Kelvin Gastelum (6-0). In the main event, “The California Kid” Urijah Faber (28-6) showed the world why he is the eternal top contender at 135lbs. when he finished off fellow top bantamweight “Young Guns” Scott Jorgensen (14-7) in the fourth round.  Continue reading »

Urijah Faber (black trunks) has a powerful top control game that gives him an edge over fellow wrestler Scott Jorgensen. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The curtain has been called on the seventeenth season of The Ultimate Fighter and all that’s left is for the UFC to crown the winner on Saturday night at The Joint at The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Opening duties for the main card on FX will fall on quarter-finalist “Bubba” Robert McDaniel (20-6) as he debuts against teammate Gilbert Smith (5-1). Next out, “Hapa” Travis Browne (13-1-1) will look to rebound against former heavyweight title challenger “Napao” Gabriel Gonzaga (14-6). “Cupcake” Miesha Tate (13-3) will battle undefeated “Alpha” Cat Zingano (7-0) for a coaching position on TUF 18 to anchor the card. Filling the traditional co-main slot is the TUF Season 17 finale between Team Sonnen teammates Uriah Hall (7-2) and Kelvin Gastelum (5-0), and pulling headlining duties is a battle between former WEC Featherweight Champion “The California Kid” Urijah Faber (27-6) and “Young Guns” Scott Jorgensen (14-6). Continue reading »