Today was The Ultimate Fighter 25 finale. It featured a brawling main event between Michael Johnson and Justin Gaethje which could end up being fight of the year. The co-main saw the TUF finalists Dhiego Lima and Jesse Taylor squaring off for the title of "The Ultimate Fighter" and $250,000. The card was a typical Fox Sports card with a few oddities including Todd Grisham's butchering of MMA commentating, but overall an excellent card to prelude into UFC 213. I added some twitter gifs of the finishes/fighters getting rocked so make sure to check em out if you missed the fights.
Main Card:
Michael Johnson vs Justin Gaethje:
The first round was an all out brawl, both guys were rocked multiple times, Gaethje did control the octagon a bit better and landed more damaging punches overall. 10-9 Gaethje. Gaethje survived Johnson's best in round 1 and in round 2 it was Gaethje who laid it on Johnson. Johnson had no energy, he was gassed and Gaethje went for the finish and got it. Vicious knees spelled the end for Johnson in this fight. Justin Gaethje is someone to look out for in the lightweight division, it would be interesting to see how he would match-up against a guy like Eddie Alvarez or Tony Ferguson. Never the less one of the most impressive debuts in a while, great fight and likely a fight of the year candidate.
— Jonnyboy (@Jonnyboy_6969) July 8, 2017
Hmm, I vote Kevin Lee should be next for Justin Gaethje. #TUF25Finale pic.twitter.com/rmUdeZDIj9
Official Decision: Gaethje wins via Technical Knockout (Round 2)
Dhiego Lima vs Jesse Taylor:
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Taylor shot for a takedown early on in round one and got it. After the takedown he mauled Lima for the whole round maintaining top position. Easy 10-9 if not 10-8 for Taylor. Taylor was rocked in round 2, and fell to the canvas, but recovered quickly. He gained top position and sunk the choke in to complete his redemption story. $250,000 for winning The Ultimate Fighter. Great feel good story for Taylor who was kicked off The Ultimate Fighter years back for an incident during filming, now he has redemption and a loaded bank account.
— Jonnyboy (@Jonnyboy_6969) July 8, 2017
Well deserved. #TUF25Finale pic.twitter.com/IcsEbpSwaz
Official Decision: Taylor wins via submission due to RNC (Round 2)
Marc Diakiese vs Drakkar Klose:
Round one was a grappling battle, neither could keep top position for an extended period of time. Klose landed a deadly leg kick which ate up Diakiese's leg causing him to drop to the mat. 10-9 Klose. Klose continued to land leg kicks in the 2nd and was able to drop Diakiese with another leg kick. 20-18 Klose. Klose laid off a bit in the 3rd letting Diakiese get the output advantage. 29-28 Klose.
I scored it 29-28 Klose.
Official Decision: Klose wins by split decision: 29-28 (x2) 28-29
Jared Cannonier vs Nick Roehrick:
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Roehrick took this fight on 3 days notice and in the first round it showed, Cannonier seemed more prepared for the fight, and was landing the most powerful punches. 10-9 Cannonier. Cannonier did more of the same in the 2nd round and 3rd rounds. Midway through the 3rd round he clipped Roehrick and was able to mount him and ground and pound for the TKO finish. Cannonier is an exciting fighter and look forward to seeing him get another shot at someone in the top 15.
— Jonnyboy (@Jonnyboy_6969) July 8, 2017
Cannon finally gets em outta there. #TUF25Finale pic.twitter.com/q6ALaKyzoW
Official Decision: Cannonier wins via Technical Knockout (Round 3)
Brad Tavares vs Elias Theodorou:
Theodorou had a bit of a slow start in round 1, Tavares had a high output which gave him the round win. 10-9 Tavares. Tavares slowed down a little in round 2 while Theodorou landed some nice combos. 19-19. 3rd round was a bit of a back and forth round, good grappling/ground game from each, but Tavares got the better of Theodorou in the round. 29-28 Tavares.
I scored it 29-28 Tavares.
Official Decision: Tavares wins via unanimous decision: 29-28 (x3)
Jordan Johnson vs Marcel Fortuna:
Both men threw dangerously in round 1, but Fortuna seemed just a bit out of rhythm in comparison to Johnson. I gave the round to Johnson 10-9. Round 2 was more kickboxing between the two, Johnson was able to get a takedown at the end, but this round was a bit closer than the first. Toss-up round, but I gave it to Fortuna. 19-19. Johnson maintained octagon control in round 3 pushing forward any chance he got. Fairly even in terms of punching, but Fortuna was looking for a knockout blow, and did not get it. Johnson was the more consistent fighter throughout the fight which earned him the win.
I scored it 29-28 Johnson.
Official Decision: Johnson wins via Unanimous decision: 29-28 (x3)
Prelim Fights:
Angela Hill vs Ashley Yoder:
Round one demonstrated how Yoder isn't comfortable in the stand-up and relies on her ground game too much. Hill was able to keep the fight standing through round one and landed a few solid punches at range. 10-9 Hill. Yoder secured a takedown early round 2 and held it for a couple minutes before Hill was able to get up. Once they were up Hill landed a majority of the punches while Yoder just took them and didn't send many punches in return. The round could be a toss-up, but I gave it to Hill. 20-18 Hill. Yoder and Hill each landed a takedown in the final round, but most of the round stayed standing with Hill putting a striking clinic on Yoder. 30-27 Hill. Impressive win for Hill, hopefully she can get on the right track now and win fights against better competition now that she has more experience.
I scored it 30-27 Hill.
Official Decision: Hill wins via unanimous decision: 30-27 (x3)
James Krause vs Tom Gallicchio:
Round one was a close one, but Krause picked his punches selectively while Gallicchio was sloppy in the stand-up game. Both threw a bunch of jabs with Krause landing the best punches towards the end of the round. 10-9 Krause. Krause was able to keep his distance in round 2 and avoid most of Gallicchio's punches and landing many head shots of his own. 20-18 Krause. 3rd round stayed in the stand-up, both traded punches, with Krause continuing to get the better of Gallicchio. 30-27 Krause. Overall Gallicchio is just not on the same skill level as Krause.
— Jonnyboy (@Jonnyboy_6969) July 8, 2017
Fuck. #TUF25Finale pic.twitter.com/hFo825xjRn
I scored it 30-27 Krause.
Official Decision: Krause via unanimous decision: 30-27 (x3)
Ed Herman vs CB Dollaway:
Herman landed a punch flush near the right ear of Dollaway at the start of the first round, but it was all Dollaway after that. He threw a combo of knees to the body to get into the clinch, and then secured the takedown. Dollaway's wrestling kept him on top despite Herman trying to get top control. 10-9 Dollaway. 2nd Round Herman was able to keep it a stand-up fight for a good portion of the round when he knocked Dollaway down with a punch. Herman pounced on him and was able to hold the position for the final 2 minutes of the round. 19-19. Dollaway went back to what worked in the 3rd round, shooting for and securing the takedown early on in the 3rd round. He maintained control for the remainder of the round, landing some vicious elbows in the process. 29-28 Dollaway. Dollaway needed this win and he got it, been a rocky road for him including his injury at UFC 203 in the elevator, so it's a step in the right direction for him, but he needs to work on his cardio for future fights.
I scored the fight 29-28 Dollaway.
Official Decision: Dollaway wins via unanimous decision: 29-28, 29-27 (x2)
Tecia Torres vs Juliana Lima:
Source: http://mmajunkie.com/2017/07/tuf-25-finale-tecia-torres-chokes-out-juliana-lima-ufc
The first round featured a lot of grappling throughout the round and when they separated several kicks ensued back and forth. Torres controlled the grappling so I scored it 10-9 Torres in the first round. The 2nd round kicked off immediately when Lima tried to shoot for a takedown, but Torres stuffed it and wrapped around Lima taking her back in the process and sinking in the choke. Honestly a beautiful sequence to get the RNC finish.
— Jonnyboy (@Jonnyboy_6969) July 7, 2017
Nicely done.#TUF25Finale pic.twitter.com/NRXSu09OYk
Official Decision: Torres wins via submission due to RNC (Round 2)
Jessica Eye vs Aspen Ladd:
Fight canceled due to Aspen Ladd falling ill.
Gray Maynard vs Teruto Ishihara:
Gray Maynard was able to turn back time and be a dominant fighter again. He took down Ishihara multiple times and was able to keep him down with his pure strength advantage over Ishihara in the first round. 10-9 Maynard. Maynard was able to execute his gameplan in the 2nd round also, again securing multiple takedowns, without much resistance from Ishihara. 20-18 Maynard. The 3rd round was the same as the first 2 rounds with the exception of Maynard attempting 2 submissions, but not being able to finish either attempt. 30-27 Maynard. Overall dominant win for Maynard and gives him some momentum back after losing to Ryan Hall in his last fight.
I scored it 30-27 Maynard.
Official Decision: Maynard wins via unanimous decision: 30-26 x 3
*This is my first post on Steemit so It may be a bit rough, but I hope everyone enjoyed reading the recap of the fights. I promise to get better with each post, also let me know if you want me to add anything in future fight recaps :)
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