T.U.F. Finale Predictions

Time for some fight predictions for The Ultimate Fighter Finale.

Matt Riddle 0-0 vs. Dante Rivera 10-2
This one ain't gonna be pretty folks. Riddle is younger, stronger, faster, and in my opinion tougher. He was so raw on the show but showed amazing toughness and strength. He has been training the last few months in Arizona with C.B. Dolloway and you can bet he is going to be a best in the octagon. Rivera gets the edge for experience, but that's about it.

Prediction: Riddle by knockout, first round.

Spencer "The King" Fisher 21-3 vs. Jeremy "Lil Heathen" Stevens 15-2
Fisher has had a rough go of late posting a 3-3 record in his last 6 fights. He is a well rounded fighter out of the Miletich camp in Betandorf, Iowa and boasts notable wins over Thiago Alves and Matt Wiman. Stephens is a puncher who is currently riding a 3 fight win streak. When having trouble predicting a fight, I always go with the boxer. Plus, I just cant get behind a guy who chose a bird for his nickname.

Prediction: Stephens by TKO, second round.

Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez 21-2 vs Luigi Fioravanti 14-3
Sanchez appeared to be on the fast track to a title fight following his dominating performance in The Ultimate Fighter. Losses to Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch have derailed those plans momentarily. Make no mistake though, this guy has the goods to be a champion. He has vicious ground and pound and is a world class wrestler. Fioravanti is a striker out of American Top Team. He also saw back to back losses knock him down in the rankings. This should be a great showing of MMA skills and is my pick for fight of the night.

Prediction: Sanchez by submission, second round.

Amir Sadollah 0-0 vs. C.B. Dolloway 6-0
This is a really tough fight to call. Experience and technique heavily favors C.B., but I cant get away from a few facts. A. Sadollah finished every one of his fights on the show, B. Sadollah doesn't appear to feel pain, C. I love rooting for the underdog. Regardless of how this ends up, I think both guys are going to have great careers in the UFC.

Prediction: C.B. Dolloway by split decision.

Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove 10-5 vs. Evan "Grizzly Adams" Tanner 34-8 (OK the nickname was a joke but have you seen this guys beard this week?)
Grove is another T.U.F. champion who has hit a rough spot in the UFC with back to back loses to Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera. To his advantage, he trains with some of the toughest guys in the sport at Team Punishment. Grove is a submission specialist who at 6'6" holds a major height advantage over his opponents. Tanner is also a submission artist and a former UFC champion. His experience is a huge advantage and Grove certainly has his work cut out for him. The T.U.F. Finale has always been about young fighters and I think this night will be no different.

Prediction: Grove by TKO, second round.

This is a very entertaining card with a lot of fights that could go either way. I think we will see Diego Sanchez and Kendall Grove with impressive victories as both begin their climb to the top of their divisions.