Tonight, join Inside Fights for the best live coverage of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Brock Lesnar vs. Team Junior Dos Santos. This evening, the Welterweight title of “The Ultimate Fighter” season 13 is up for grabs as Tony Ferguson takes on Ramsey Nijem. Also on the card is a huge match between Clay Guida and Anthony “Showtime” Pettis.
Watch along with us with six free prelims via Facebook starting at 6:30 PM ET before The Ultimate Fighter Finale begins on Spike at 9 PM ET.
Bantamweight Bout
Reuben Duran (7-3-1) vs. Francisco Rivera (5-1)
Round 1– Rivera comes in early and grabs an excellent looking guillotine choke. Duran looks to be in big trouble as Rivera keeps on squeezing and Duran seems to start to panic. Duran finally pops out in what seems like a miracle. He takes a few shots but the two stand back up and Rivera goes for another guillotine. This one never seems that dangerous and he releases the hold. The two continue to battle. They lock up against the cage and begin to exchange shots. Duran gets a few nice shots over the top of Rivera’s defense. Rivera throws a knee and Duran responds. Duran simply picks Rivera up and slams him down. Duran takes side control, but Rivera moves out of it but moves into a guillotine choke of Duran’s. It doesn’t look tight and Rivera escapes. Rivera then lands some painful looking elbows from the top. Rivera keeps pounding with the forearm and the round comes to a close. 10-9 Rivera as he nearly stole the fight in the opening seconds and despite some back and forth action delivered more damage overall.
Round 2– Leg kick from Duran to start things off. Lots of dancing and then all of a sudden Rivera nails a powerful combo that stuns Duran. Duran comes back with some shots of his own. Duran lands an accidental low blow and Herb Dean calls a halt to the action. After a minute or two they start back up. Duran charges in and Rivera locks on another tight guillotine. He drops to the ground and Duran escapes his third guillotine. Rivera is on bottom but looking for an arm bar. Duran starts peppering him with shots that sounds louder than they look. Duran passes into side control. Duran hits some elbows from the top to the head of Rivera. Rivera tries to stand but Duran transitions and takes the back. He’s clearly looking for the rear naked choke. Duran throws punches to try and soften Rivera. The round ends. 10-9 Duran as he makes up for the opening frame.
Round 3– Kick boxing from both early on. Duran seems a little sluggish but goes for a spinning back kick. Rivera throws a shot but Duran bulls through him, scores the takedown and gets side control. Duran focuses on the arm of Rivera’s looking for a crucifix. Rivera slides out but Duran grabs his back and gets the rear naked choke. It looks to be textbook and it gets the job done as Rivera taps out.
Reuben Duran def. Francisco Rivera via Submission (Rear Naked Choke), Round 3, 1:57
Bantamweight Bout
Ken Stone (9-2) vs. Scott Jorgensen (11-4)
Round 1– I’m literally in shock that Rogan just acknowledged Joe Warren and the fact that he is a Bellator champion. We of course last heard from Stone when he was being rushed to the hospital after Eddie Wineland nearly slammed him to death back in December. Inside leg kick from Stone who must be a huge underdog here. Jorgensen lands a big right. Jorgensen is the aggressor thus far. Another leg kick from Stone. Stone lands some nice kicks to the body. Jorgensen gets frustrated and locks him up against the fence. Stone sneaks a knee in. Jorgensen lands an elbow. Stone responds with a big shot to the jaw. Jorgensen ties him up again and this time takes him down. Stone almost gets a triangle. Jorgensen nearly walks into another one but has to slam his way out of it. Jorgensen on top now lands a big shot that dazes Stone, he follows it up with another massive right and another and Stone is out cold again. Big win for Jorgensen.
Scott Jorgensen def. Ken Stone via KO (strikes), Round 1, 4:01
Tough loss for Stone there because he was on pace to take that first round before things went terribly wrong for him yet again.
Welterweight Bout
Clay Harvison (6-1) vs. Justin Edwards (6-0)
Round 1– Nice matchmaking here. I was vocal throughout the season about my distaste for Harvison but there is no not respecting him considering the whole finger situation. Should be a close matchup. Edwards starts strong. He throws punches then goes for the takedown but Harvison is saved by the cage. He gets a double armed takedown and moves into side control. Harvison gets up and out of the kimura attempt but eats an elbow. Edwards moves in and gets a double leg takedown. I’m worried about Edwards’ stamina already. Harvison gets up but is quickly taken down again. Edwards goes for a guillotine, Harvison escapes. They stand back up and exchange knees to the body. They stand up and slug it out for a few seconds. Edwards chases him down and lands a knee to Harvison’s chin. Harvison has a nasty knot developing above his eye. Edwards goes for and almost gets a leg lock. He stays on top and lands in Harvison’s guard. Harvison almost gets an armbar but loses it. Edwards attempts an inverted triangle, misses it and Harvison ends up in side control. Harvison goes for a guillotine but only has ten seconds and never is able to get it locked in. 10-9 Edwards in a spectacular opening frame.
Round 2– They come out boxing in round 2. Harvison grabs Edwards’ head and tries for a knee. Edwards drops down to escape it. They stand up and tie up along the Octagon. Edwards looks to be running out of steam quickly. Harvison gets some nice elbows to the body. Edwards gets a knee of his own. Spinning back kick from Edwards that lands flush. Edwards ties Harvison up against the cage and tries for some knees. They trade knees again. Harvison charge and lands a shot. ROgan keeps harping on how tired Edwards is. Edwards tries for another spinning back kick but it doesn’t work out for him. They tie up again. The pace has slowed. Harvison lands a big shot on the jaw, Edwards goes for a takedown most likely because it stunned him. Edwards goes for another takedown and he simply doesn’t have the gas to do it. 10-9 Harvison in another close, though dramatically slower round.
Round 3– They come out throwing. Harvison is getting the better of it and wobbles Edwards on multiple occasions. Edwards seems to be going for the knockout because he knows he doesn’t have the energy to go another 5 minutes. Harvison is unable to score the knockout but gets a takedown. He sits in guard for a bit before landing some shots to the head of Edwards. Edwards looks for a triangle but doesn’t even come close. He goes for an armbar then, loses it and Harvison takes his back. Edwards escapes and they are back on their feet. Harvison himself looks to be gassed as well. Edwards tries to take advantage by going for a takedown, it looks to be in slow motion but he gets it. edwards goes for the guillotine but can’t get it. They stand back up and exchange blows. Edwards, in something of a minor miracle gets another takedown. 1 minute to go, Edwards takes the back. He slides off the back, Harvison goes to take control but Edwards pushes him off and down to the ground with his feet. Edwards takes control again and grabs the back again but as he goes to take advantage of it the bell rings and the fight is over. 10-9 Edwards, ultra close though and really a super fight.
Clay Harvison def. Justin Edwards via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Welterweight Bout
Shamar Bailey (11-3) vs. Ryan McGillivray (11-4-1)
Round 1– McGillivray is aggressive early on throwing tons of punches. Bailey responds with jabs of his own. First chance he gets though he takes McGillivray down. McGillivray tries to stand up but Bailey grabs the ankle and takes him back down. Bailey throws a shot and takes side control. McGillivray stands up, Bailey grabs the head and tries for about 4 knees, one lands perfectly. Bailey goes for a single leg takedown but can’t get it. Bailey taunts McGillivray into throwing, he does and Bailey responds with punches and knees of his own. Bailey gets the takedown, uses his wrestling to once again regain side control. McGillivray tries an ill advised D’Arce choke from the bottom. Bailey lets McGillivray stand up and Rogan keeps insisting that Bailey is exhausted. He looks a lot better than Edwards did in the last fight. They box some more and Bailey throws a kick and right at the bell gets another takedown. 10-9 Bailey.
Round 2– McGillivray looks ready to rumble as he comes out throwing lots of punches. Bailey moves in and tries for the takedown but is stuffed. Bailey lands a nice hook. Then he moves in and wrestles McGillivray to the ground. Bailey on top and McGillivray in half guard. McGillivray grabs a leg from the bottom but it does little to slow Bailey. Bailey gets the back for a second but McGillivray rolls out of it and into full guard. McGillivray has a tight body lock on Bailey from the bottom. Bailey gets out and lands a big shot to the grounded McGillivray. Bailey once again gets side control and once again McGillivray goes for that funky looking D’Arce choke. Bailey continues to wrestle circles around his opponent. Bailey gets a nice knee to the back of a grounded McGillivray. The crowd starts to boo and even I’ll admit that this round left plenty to be desired. 10-9 Bailey again.
Round 3– McGillivray opens with a head kick that pretty much lands. They wrestle each other to the ground, then back up. McGillivray goes for another head kick, misses, and Bailey gets another takedown and we are probably here to stay. Bailey works his wrestling magic. Bailey moves from side control to the back and back again. McGillivray flirts with getting up but Bailey gets him back down. McGillivray again tries to escape, Bailey goes for the guillotine but misses. Back in the stand up McGillivray starts swinging with purpose. Bailey takes a few shots but soon enough he gets McGillivray back down. Blood begins to drip out of McGillivray’s nose. The crowd continues to voice their restlessness. Bailey stays in side control and lands some forearms. Rogan points out that Bailey is cheating by grabbing hold of McGillivray’s glove. They stand up and McGillivray lands 2 nice punches. He goes for a kick but Bailey catches it and gains control again. 10-9 Bailey in what should be a unanimous shut out victory for the Strikeforce vet.
Shamar Bailey def. Ryan McGillivray via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Featherweight Bout
George Roop (11-7-1) vs. Josh Grispi (14-2)
Round 1– Grispi pushes forward and gets Roop tied up against the fence. Roop lands an elbow but Grispi lefts him up and takes him down. Roop has Grispi’s head but it doesn’t seem too dangerous. Grispi escapes and remains on top. Grispi gets ahold of Roop’s left arm but he loses it. Roop gets back to his feet but has to fight through 2 guillotine attempts. Grispi takes him down again but Roop is nailing him with shots that are causing Grispi obvious pain. Grispi works his way into full mount and tries for another guillotine. Roop escapes again and gets back up for a second. Roop continues to just blast Grispi in the face while he tries to work his wrestling. Grispi has control but has done far less damage than Roop. Gripis charges with punches and gets a shot or two in. Roop gains control along the cage, Grispi tries to pull guard but Roop lands on top and starts to pound away on Grispi. He is getting some clean shots in. That’s the round and I’m going 10-9 Roop in a very tough 5 minutes to score.
Round 2-Roop comes in and hits an awesome push kick to the gut of Grispi that lands Grispi flat on his back. He stays on top and starts to wail away again. Grispi is defending well and keeping Roop’s offense at bay. Roop’s ground and pound has been a solid A this fight thus far. Grispi is in full guard but Roop is still slipping elbows through. We have to figure that Roop is fighting for his job here considering his record. Roop takes the back of a keeling Grispi and keeps slugging away. 2 minutes left in the round. Grispi rolls but Roop maintains his position and takes top control. He lands another intense series of elbows to the face of Grispi. Big clean elbow to the forehead of Grispi. Grispi hasn’t done a damn thing all round. 10-8 Roop.
Round 3– Leg kick from Roop to start. Series of kicks from Roop, Grispi responds with a hook of his own. Again Roop pushes Grispi back with a nice looking series of kicks. Roop kicks again, Grispi catches it and takes him down with it. Roop defends well and stands up. They move across the cage and Grispi wrestles Roop back down to the mat. Grispi is looking tired. Roop is on top and has a sitting Grispi pushes up against the cage. There is a break for a lost mouth piece. Soon after Grispi loses it again and gets a warning from herb Dean. Roop puts on an amazing display of kicks and punches but punctuates it with a possible low kick. Grispi plays hurt and gets the break. Roop, on the start, hits another push kick. Then he moves in and nails a huge hook to the body that floors Grispi, Dean has seen enough and stops the fight. I’m going to go ahead and disagree with that stoppage but it makes little difference because Grispi was so completely outclassed here tonight.
George Roop def. Josh Grispi via TKO (strikes), Round 3, 3:14
Lightweight Bout
Jeremy Stephens (19-6) vs. Danny Downes (8-1)
Round 1– I’m a big fan of this fight too. Sure Stephens will probably smash him but Downes is an intriguing fighter who is capable of who knows what, I can’t wait personally. Stephens looks to capitalize on his size advantage but can’t get Downes down right away. They tie up and Downes throws a knee. Boxing here and Stephens move in with some supersonic uppercuts. Downes weathers the storm. Downes gets him tied up against the cage. Leg kick from Stephens. Another big uppercut from Stephens. Downes gets a knee of two but this looks like a man vs. boy fight out there. Ben Askren just got a shout out. Knee from Stephens. Big head kick from Downes is mostly blocked. Two nice knees from Stephens get through. Jab from Stephens. A series of uppercuts from Stephens. Another combo buckles Downes. Two huge shots from Stephens. Leg kick from Stephens. Downes comes forward near the end of the round but just isn’t doing damage. The horn sounds. 10-9 Stephens.
Round 2– Leg kick hook combo from Stephens. Downes comes forward with a few shots. Downes ties him up and presses him against the cage. Stephens gets a takedown but Downes has a hold of his head. Sadly my stream has stopped functioning. We’re back and there are two minutes left in the round. Body kick from Downes and he slips in the process. Goldberg is discussing the beating that Downes just survived. Downes lands a kick, it just so happens to be on the cup on Stephens. Downes comes forward with kicks, Stephens seems caught off guard. Two big shots from Stephens. Left hook from Stephens. Stephens then comes in and gets a lackluster takedown. Downes is sitting against the cage. Stephens hits a knee right before the bell. Afterwards we get video of what I missed which was a horrific looking kimura from Stephens. 10-9 Stephens and I feel confident in that assessment.
Round 3– Stephens wrestles Downes down early on. Downes is back up and pins Stephens against the cage. Somehow Downes was cut in that exchange and cut bad and blood begins to gush from above his left eye. Stephens grabs Downes, picks him up and runs across the cage with him before delivering a big slam. Stephens bangs a knee into the side of Downes face with the cut on it. Tie up against the fence, they break and Stephens cracks him with a body shot and follows it with another takedown. Downes up and he has to swallow a knee to the head again. Stephens swings and hits an elbow from a standing position. Takedown from Stephens. Downes is in guard but Stephens continues to pummel him nonetheless. Not much to say in this third round as it is all Jeremy Stephens. Stephens grabs a rear naked choke right before the bell but can’t finish it. Let’s call it 10-8 Stephens shall we?
Jeremy Stephens def. Danny Downes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
And with that we move off of Facebook and to Spike TV for the main card. I personally am going to scarf some food and I’ll be back soon.
Welterweight Bout
Chris Cope (4-1) vs. Chuck O’Neil (8-3)
Round 1– Leg kick from both cancel each other out. Cope moves in and hits a hook. Inside leg kick for Cope. O’Neil gets him tied up against the cage. Things stall for a moment, O’Neil then hits a knee to the body. Cope misses the Superman punch but hits a leg kick. O’Neil misses a looping head kick. Inside leg kick O’Neil. Left from Cope barely makes contact. Nasty left hook from Cope he moves in to take advantage but O’Neil grabs him to slow his progress. Leg kick from O’Neil. Nice hook from O’Neil. Inside leg kick lands for Cope. Cope moves in with a combo, body and head shot. Outside leg kick for Cope. Spinning back kick for Cope lands. More action from Cope, O’Neil seems caught in the headlights. Body kick for O’Neil. Another spinning back kick for Cope but this one is blocked. Close round but I would say Cope did enough to secure it. 10-9 Cope.
Round 2– Outside leg kick for O’Neil, then another. Cope fakes the Superman punch then lands a kick. Inside leg kick for a “Woo”-ing Cope. Tie up and then double under hooks for Cope. Knee from O’Neil during the tie up. Head kick from Cope is blocked, more or less. Another spinning back kick from Cope but he whiffs it. O’Neil catches him coming in with a shot. Cope goes Shlemenko on us again and again he catches nothing but air. It’s been all stand up but limited action in this fight thus far. Outside leg kick for Cope. Cope is undoubtedly the aggressor in this round and unless O’Neil shows something Cope is going to take it based on that alone. Cope is swinging away but most everything is blocked. Still Cope 10-9 in another close round for him.
Round 3– Cope is leaning heavily on his much hated “Woo”. O’Neil takes a few swipes at his head but Cope plows through and gets him tied up. O’Neil reverses. This round looks like the first two with cope striking and O’Neil blocking. Another missed Superman punch for Cope but he hits another leg kick. Body shot from Cope. Spinning kick to the face of O’Neil lands. Tie up along the cage, O’Neil goes for some knees but his offense looks very limp. Another knee for O’Neil. Knee from Cope. Leg kick and hook from Cope. Goldberg won’t shut up about how annoying the “Woo”s are. Combo for Cope. Cope continues to push forward with shot after shot. Not much gets through but O’Neil is doing nothing. O’Neil lands a leg kick in the final seconds, who cares, Cope dominated from start to finish. 10-9 Cope giving him a 30-27 win on the Inside Fights scorecard.
Chris Cope def. Chuck O’Neil via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Light Heavyweight Bout
Fabio Maldonado (18-3) vs. Kyle Kingsbury (10-2)
Round 1– Leg kick from Kingsbury to start. Another. They tie up and Kingsbury delivers some incredible knees to the head and body of Maldonado. Maldonado survives, surprising me, and they break. Maldonado hits a right hook. Kingsbury hits a jab that stuns his opponent. Another knee that also stuns Maldonado. Kingsbury gets the takedown but falls right into a guillotine. It’s a sturdy one but Kingsbury slides out of it. Jab from Kingbury. Maldonando gets a hook of his own in that hurts Kingsbury. More boxing. Leg kick from Kingsbury. Another big punch from Maldonado, this one also does damage. Maldonado is finding success with some body shots. Kingsbury wrestles him to the ground and lays there for a little bit. He starts working his elbow. He goes for a kimura but in doing so allows Maldonado to stand up and pound him with some nice shots. They break but Maldonado gets the best of last few seconds and he does enough to secure the round. 10-9 Maldonado.
Round 2– Crisp body kick followed by another for Kingsbury. Maldonado misses a shot and Kingsbury takes him down. Half guard for Maldonado. Maldonado gets out of it quickly and they are back in the stand up. Kingsbury goes for a takedown, fails, but then hits a knee and a very nice head kick. Kingsbury goes back to that Muay Thai clinch and hits three knees, he is doing great with that move this fight. Leg kick and jab for Kingsbury. Blood coming from Maldonado’s nose. Takedown from Kingsbury, Maldonado goes for a guillotine. They stand and Kingsbury gets another one of those knees. Tie up against the cage slows the action down significantly. Body kick for Kingsbury. Another knee to the chin, very reminiscent to last week and the Frank Mir fight. 10-9 Kingsbury.
Round 3– Big hook from Maldonado in the opening seconds. Leg kick from Kingsbury. Maldonado gets busted open on the corner of his right eye. Kingsbury hits a few open shots on Maldonado then bulls him over with a gigantic takedown. They crash into the cage but Kingsbury can’t keep him there. Blood coming out of Kingsbury now. Hook for Maldonado lands. Kingsbury is having trouble with the blood coming out of his nose. He goes for a takedown but can’t get it, they end up tied together against the cage. Few good punches slip through for Maldonado. They wrestle to the ground, Maldonado is on top. Kingsbury goes with the rubber guard and earns a stand up with it. Kingsbury eye is gruesome. Kingsbury goes for a final takedown but Maldonado brushes it off. Stright left for Kingsbury. At the very very end Maldonado gets a takedown basically by falling down and dragging Kingsbury with him. I’m going to say 10-9 Maldonado though it should be very interesting to see what the judges have to say about this one. we have it 29-28 Maldonado on the Inside Fights scorecard.
Kyle Kingsbury def. Fabio Maldonado via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Middleweight Bout
Ed Herman (19-7) vs. Tim Credeur (12-3)
Round 1– After some feeling out Herman strikes with a nice blow to the jaw of Credeur. Credeur hits a jab. They tie up in the clinch and Herman hits a blistering uppercut that lands Credeur flat on his back. He leaps forward and employs his ground and pound. He lands a good shot on the chin, then another, then another and Herb Dean jumps in to save the day. Big early knockout win for the returning Ed Herman.
Ed Herman def. Tim Credeur via TKO (strikes), Round 1, 0:48
Lightweight Bout
Clay Guida (28-11) vs. Anthony Pettis (11-1)
Round 1– Guida is dancing like a madman. Pettis hits a few short jabs. Big kick from Pettis. ANother kick from Pettis, caught and a takedown. Pettis looking for the triangle early. Guida defends it but Pettis’s guard is strong. Guida works hard and gets a shot or two through. Rogan working overtime to sell the hell out of Pettis. Pettis tries to kick off back, ducked under and Guida moves him up against the cage. Takedown from Guida, closed guard for Pettis. Guida looking for elbows. Rogan is convinced that Pettis is going to submit Guida off his back. Triangle attempt from Pettis. Guida moves into half guard but it didn’t come easy. He has Pettis flattened on the mat and he keeps it that way through the bell. 10-9 Guida, a very hard fought 10-9.
Round 2– Hook from Pettis. Leg kick from Guida. Guida goes for a takedown, Pettis backs up against the cage, blocks it for a second but then goes down. Guida drives his shoulder into Pettis. Guida just keeps grinding, not much advancement but he is neutralizing the former WEC champ. Pettis stands up. Guida keeps on driving Pettis into the cage. Knee from Guida. Pettis catches a quick uppercut. Kick from Pettis. Spinning back kick from Pettis playing off the cage a la his Henderson fight. Kick from Pettis almost caught. Big important takedown from Guida with a minute left. Rogan is back to his Pettis lovin’. Pettis nearly gets an armbar, Guida slides out, then another but the bell sounds. Wow, crazy close round. Let’s say 10-9 Guida in a toss up.
Round 3– Guida is throwing heavy early on. More feeling out, lots of apprehensive. Big right from Guida and then a takedown. Pettis has the right wrist of Guida which is stopping his action. Guida tries to pass but cannot. Elbow from Guida. Pettis comes close on a triangle but Guida slides out. Thrilling fight going on here just as we expected. Guida gets half guard and might be looking for an arm triangle. They move up against the cage, Guida lands a soft shot. 2 minutes to go. Pettis stands up, he needs to act fast now. Pettis tries to bullrush him, he gets him a reversal. Pettis takes control and gets the back with a little over a minute. Guida in massive trouble. Pettis goes for the rear naked choke but Guida slides out. Guida starts to take Pettis’s back. By a miracle Guida is going to take the round and the fight. 10-9 Guida. Final score 30-27 for Clay Guida.
Clay Guida def. Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Welterweight Bout
Tony Ferguson (10-2) vs. Ramsey Nijem (4-1)
Round 1– Nijem catches Ferguson but Ferguson gets through and earns a takedown. Half guard for Nijem. Nijem rolls, Ferguson avoids the takedown. Nijem looks to get up but Ferguson wails on him. Jab from Ferguson. Nijem moves in and catches him. Kick from Ferguson. Ferguson catches him with a left. Leg kick from Nijem. Now a right from Ferguson. Nijem returns fire, they hit the mat, scramble, Ferguson on top. Inside leg kick from Ferguson. Nijem comes forward with a heavy flurry. Straight right from Nijem. Ferguson comes back with a golden right that catches Nijem right on the button. He goes down in a very unnatural way. Ferguson smells blood, rightfully so, adds another right and the ref jumps in and we have a new Ultimate Fighter.
Tony Ferguson def. Ramsey Nijem via KO (Strikes), Round 1, 3:54.
They are going to show the Scott Jorgensen vs. Ken Stone KO from earlier to kill time.
If I may play Dana White for a minute here is how I would dole out the bonuses if I ruled the world.
Fight of the Night: Clay Guida vs. Anthony Pettis
Knockout of the Night: Tony Ferguson
Submission of the Night: Reuben Duran
