Friend of our site


MMA Headlines


UFC HP


Bleacher Report


MMA Fighting


MMA Torch


MMA Weekly


Sherdog (News)


Sherdog (Articles)


Liver Kick


MMA Junkie


MMA Mania


MMA Ratings


Rating Fights


Yahoo MMA Blog


MMA Betting


Search this site



Latest Articles


News Corner


MMA Rising


Audio Corner


Oddscast


Sherdog Radio


Video Corner


Fight Hub


Special thanks to...

Link Rolodex

Site Index


To access our list of posting topics and archives, click here.

Friend of our site


Buy and sell MMA photos at MMA Prints

Site feedback


Fox Sports: "Zach Arnold's Fight Opinion site is one of the best spots on the Web for thought-provoking MMA pieces."

« | Home | »

Last look: Card for UFC Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale

By Zach Arnold | June 3, 2011

Print Friendly and PDF

Venue: The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas
TV: Spike (9 PM EST live feed/9 PM PST delayed feed)

Dark matches

Main card

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 21 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

21 Responses to “Last look: Card for UFC Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale”

  1. Nepal says:

    I read your article Edub. I’m a little, actually a lot less excited about the TUF fights… well actually Ferguson vs. Nijem is interesting. The problem is TUF mostly normally recruit guys that are nowhere near UFC calibre. Guys like Cope and Chuck, despite willingness to fight are not spring chickens and simply at a pretty low level.

    The other guys from the TUF show are not at all interesting.

    Kingsbury vs Moldanado is interesting. I couldn’t pick a winner.

    Herman vs Credeur, 2 guys not at UFC levels. However they could certainly put together a good fight.

    Grispi vs Hoop is interesting, can Grispi come back from that last showing???

    Love watching Stevens fight so we’ll see what happens here.

    The main fight (for MMA fans) Pettis vs Guida is really exciting. Pettis has looked great. Problem is, we don’t really know yet, were the WEC guys really that good or did they just look good because they were fighting a lower level of talent? It will take a few more fights before that all becomes clear. Regardless, I see Pettis taking this one. He is better in all areas I think… even wrestling in its MMA wrestling form. Speed and cardio make be the 2 things that allow Guida to take this but I don’t think they’ll be enough to overcome Pettis’ overall superior game.

  2. Jonathan says:

    There is a card tonight?

  3. 45 Huddle says:

    I only watched the first episode of TUF this season. Didn’t even bother to watch the last episode where typically the semi-finals take place. So I have no clue about the guys from the show.

    I’m excited for the main event. And slightly excited for the Kingsbury fight. That’s about it.

  4. Jonathan says:

    the first fight didn’t have alot to offer…I don’t think either of those guys will go very far in the UFC.

  5. 45 Huddle says:

    I had Kingsbury winning the first 2 rounds. Maldonado is the better fighter but he made key mistakes that made him lose the decision.

    The biggest mistake was putting his head down far too often and allowing himself to get knee’d a lot. Even though a lot of the knees were blocked, enough of them got through that it lost him the fight.

  6. Jonathan says:

    Damn..the name of the game is takedown defense…I will say it again.

    I did not think that Clay Guida was that good, but it just proves what 45 has been saying all around..it is either the UFC or it does not count. Even the WEC was a lower cut at the weight classes shared by the UFC.

    Hard fought win by Guida, and he deserved it.

    • 45 Huddle says:

      And Guida isn’t even top of the food chain in the UFC. And he made Pettis look downright awful.

      I do think Ben Henderson’s style will do better in the UFC, but he is far too wreckless to be dominant.

      • Jonathan says:

        So it really just that simple? Part of me feels that it can’t be…but the logical side of me says that it is.

        The UFC is just that different….just that much more dominant

        • 45 Huddle says:

          Wait until you see Nick Diaz look beyond average against GSP. It’s going to happen. And for the guys like David M who think it’s a great fight…. Just watch what happened to Pettis. Or how great Shields was in Strikeforce and how mediocre he has looked in 2 UFC fights.

          The UFC has the best scouts and offers the most money. Which means the real talented fighters…. The ones who honestly know they are the best…. Will naturally make their way to the UFC. And their matchmaking really tests fighters and forces them to get better or be out of the organization.

          It’s sort of like amateur wrestling in certain parts of the country. The level of competition makes people better by default.

          Nick Diaz has’t been forced to improve as much as his counterparts in the UFC because he hasn’t been fighting the competition that warrants it.

          Pettis was hyped up by default. He never deserved to even be mentioned in the title picture. Holding a paper weight means nothing. Just like Diaz’s paperweight means nothing.

  7. EJ says:

    Well so much for the Showtime hypetrain, there’s never been a guy who got so many fans from a kick that didn’t even end the fight than him. Guida made him look second rate for 3 rounds and should be next for the winner of Edgar vs. Maynard. Overall it was a solid night of fights, very happy to see that the UFC actually showed some undercard fights after the ME which helped.

    • Steve4192 says:

      I still think Pettis has a boatload of potential. He just needs to work on his counter-wrestling, BJJ sweeps, and his boxing (so he doesn’t have to rely so much on kicks) a little bit more.

      Pettis found out tonight that there difference between fighting a great wrestler and fighting a good wrestler who has fully adapted his wrestling to MMA. Shane Roller is 10 times the wrestler that Clay Guida is, and Pettis shut him down with ease. What Pettis didn’t take into account is that Guida is far less predictable than Roller. Guida was able to get in deep on Pettis’ hips whenever he wanted to.

  8. David M says:

    I am going to say this in the least insulting way to Clay Guida possible, because I have nothing against him and he seems to be a good guy. He is beyond a doubt the least talented successful fighter I have ever seen. He has no striking, nothing off his back, no ground and pound, never hurts anyone except for 1 fluke jaw injury, and really does nothing except hold guys down and lie on top of them. Mazzafuckstick should have stood that fight up many times; it was embarrassing for the sport to see a “fight” where one guy’s entire goal is to avoid fighting.

    This isn’t about being against grappling or for grappling; some of the most exciting fighters in mma are wrestlers, but they use their wrestling to lead to offense, not just lead to hugging. Clay did the exact same thing he did against Nate Diaz and Mac Danzig in 2 other undeserving wins he had: hold, hug, smother, don’t punch, don’t go for submissions, and avoid fighting at all costs. I watched tonight with a few friends who were casual fans, and they were all turned off at how much of a bitch he fights like. Literally he landed one blow the entire fight. Takedowns that lead to no damage should not be scored. Pettis did more damage off his back than Guida did from the top, and threatened with submission after submission. Guida did nothing except fend off subs and maintain his position in the guard, where Mazzabitch let them stay for 15 fucking minutes. What a horrid fight. I realize Joe Rogan is a huge fanboy for Guida, but shit, saying that was a great and exciting fight was just a bold faced lie.

    This fight cemented several things for me: 1)MMA fights should have 3 minute rounds, not 5 minute rounds. There is nothing worse from a fan’s perspective from seeing a guy secure a takedown and get to spend 1/3 of the fight lying on top of his opponent doing nothing. It is distasteful and Guida showed an utter lack of ability to pass guard or do anything. Just lied on top of Pettis avoiding submissions and putting his dirty ass hair in Anthony’s face.
    2) The rule preventing upkicks to the head from an opponent on the bottom is nothing short of retarded. I understand that the athletic commissions find the idea of kicking a man in the head to be less than palatable, but how the fuck can you say elbowing a man on his back in the face is ok, but letting that man fight with kicks to the head of the guy on top is bad? UFC rules are so disgustingly slanted in favor of top control boring wrestler types like Fitch and Guida that it makes me want to stop watching the sport entirely. Allow upkicks to the head, allow knees to the head of a downed opponent, and have shorter rounds so that there are more opportunities for actual fighting, and less time spent watching Guida hump and do no damage.

    I watched Frotch vs Glen Johnson before switching over to Guida humping Pettis, and the difference in quality between the two fights was astounding. In the former, the two guys did everything possible to win and hurt their opponents and put it all on the line. In the latter, Guida did everything possible to avoid fighting and to do as little damage as possible. That was fucking despicable.

    • 45 Huddle says:

      1) If a fighter can’t get off his back, it’s not the refs job to constantly save them from having a poor takedown defense.

      2) You are right. Guida did do this against Diaz and Danzig. And he didn’t do this against Kenny Florian, because Kenny is just too good. And he couldn’t do it against Sanchez the entire fight because he got kicked in the head silly. And he tried to do it to Huerta, but Roger made him pay. Pettis wasn’tgood enough. That’s the bottom line.

      3) Your idea of having shorter rounds would only make your complaints WORSE. 3 minute rounds would guarantee that 1 takedown automatically wins the fighter the round. It would overly favor the wrestlers who would spar for 1 minute, get the takedown, ride out the clock and win the round. 5 minute rounds don’t allow for that as much and forces them to work.

      4) You can only allow up kicks if you allow down kicks and that is something the American culture will never get use to.

      5) You think the rules favor the wrestlers?? BWAHAHAHAHA!!!! THAT IS A JOKE!! Headbutts favor wrestlers on top. Those are illegal. Knees to a downed opponent favor the wrestlers on top. Those are illegal. Wrestlers are masters of the front headlock where they could also use knees and that isn’t allowed. The current rules hinder wrestlers more then they help, and the wrestlers are STILL dominating.

      • EJ says:

        Well said all around 45, you saved me alot of time replying to that post.

      • Steve4192 says:

        “4) You can only allow up kicks if you allow down kicks and that is something the American culture will never get use to.”

        You can if you change the definition of ‘down’.

        Get rid of the silly knees or hands being considered ‘down’ BS. Change the definition to part of the torso has to be in contact with the ground. Problem solved.

      • David m says:

        Three points: when I say shorter rounds, I mean that in conjunction with more rounds so the fighter has more opportunities to dislodge the lay and pray artist from consciousness. Second point is that your assertions on Diaz having no shot because Pettis lost are ridiculous. Like when you said Nick has no shot because Nate got out-wrestled. Third point is that I am in favor of all kicks and knees on the ground, not just from the guy on the bottom. I want exciting fights; I don’t particularly care who wins. Lol at saying a cage where you pin a man’s head, elbows from the top, and no knees to the head after you stop a takedown attempt (to say nothing of American judges) doesn’t favor wrestlers.

        Here is what Ben Askren said about the Untalented Mister Guida: I might wrestle some dudes but guida didn’t attempt to pass guard one time a whole new level of dry humping

    • 45 Huddle says:

      And did you see how good Pettis looked in the WEC and how below average he looked in the UFC?

      This is EXACTLY why Diaz has no business fighting for the belt right now.

      The same thing will happen with GSP. Diaz will get taken down, smothered, beaten up, and look like Dan Hardy. Rick Story or Jon Fitch are more of a real threat to GSP.

      These non UFC fighters aren’t of the same quality.

      • David M says:

        Pettis didn’t look that great in the WEC. He was seconds from losing to Shane Roller.

        Saying fighters who don’t fight in the UFC are of lower talent is a gross oversimplification. Do you really think that Chris Tuchsherer or Roy Nelson is better than Werdum or Overeem or Giant Silva? Do you think Guida is better than Melendez? Do you think Dennis Hallman is better than Nick Diaz? Etc etc.

        WEC doesn’t have the talent level Strikeforce does, also. You can’t say every mma promotion is the same. Mo Lawal, Jacare, Henderson, Fedor, big Silva, Barnett, Gilbert Melendez, Overeem, Werdum, and Daley are all UFC level fighters. Melendez would not be much of an underdog against Edgar or Maynard. Werdum, Overeem, and Big Silva would be favorites over most of the hws in the UFC. Fedor and Hendo would be favorites over most 205ers in the UFC. Daley was a 1 win away from a title shot. Barnett beat down Randy in his prime (and before you say anything about steroids, remember that you always say steroids don’t help).

        Jon Fitch will never in his life be a threat to GSP. He isn’t as good at anything as GSP; he is a homeless man’s GSP in fact. Rick Story similarly would be outclassed, although he is a much more advanced striker than Fitch as well as being stronger physically.

        Diaz is a better striker than GSP. He has better jiu jitsu. That presents a matchup problem. We saw against Shields that GSP doesn’t want to be on the ground with someone with better jiu jitsu than his own. What will GSP do when he is stuck between boxing with someone better than he is and taking someone down who can submit him? Conventional wisdom says GSP will LnP his way to a boring decision, but I legitimately think Diaz is going to threaten him. Over 5 rounds, Diaz is going to hit Georges at some point, and may even be able to bait him into, you know, a fight. If that happens, St Pierre is going to get KTFO.

  9. Salty Dog says:

    Guida is boring and will draw no particular interest if he gets a title shot. This is not what adds fans to the sport of MMA. I would better spend my time watching collegiate wrestling than what Guida does.

Comments

*
To prove you're a person (not a spam script), type the security word shown in the picture.
Anti-spam image