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SALT LAKE CITY -- On Saturday, Spike TV aired the final episode in a history-making Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) show, the Ultimate Fighter. Better known to the MMA community as “TUF,” the series is what many say brought MMA out of the underground to the mainstream.
After its debut in 2005, the inaugural season ended with a fight that is now considered to be pivotal in MMA’s rise, Stephan Bonner vs. Forrest Griffin. This fight drew millions of viewers and captured many fans — and kept the series going for 14 seasons.
On the final episode, it was the first time to showcase the talents at the 135- and 145-pound divisions. The two coaches squared off as well, the first time since season five. The final season proved to be the most dynamic and skilled. It brought fighters from all over the world and even one person you may have already know, Steven “Super” Siler. Siler is from Ogden, and is part of Pit Elevated in Lehi.
Siler made it into the house by beating the one who most thought was going to win the whole contest, Micha Miller. Siler ended up submitting Micha with a guillotine choke. Although Siler wouldn’t go on to win the show, he was able to get another chance to prove he belonged in the UFC. He squared off against Josh Clopton in the finale and won a unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards.
The 135-pound contest would pit John Dodson against T.J. Dillashaw. These two would only face each other for 1:54 in the first round, before Dodson would eventually make referee Herb Dean step in and call a stop to the contest. Some are saying the stoppage may have been premature, although I believe it was justified.
With one winner earning a six-figure contract, it was now time to see who was going to take the title of Ultimate Fighter in the 145-pound division. The two left standing for this title were Diego Brandao and Dennis Bermudez. This fight wouldn’t make it out of the first round either, as Brandao would came out swinging, and it looked like it was going to be a knockout victory.
Bermudez quickly changed the pace of the fight when he landed a short, yet hard right hand. This put Brandao on his back looking at the lights, and Bermudez quickly followed him to the ground to finish. While trying desperately to finish, Bermudez made a very small technical error, leaving an arm behind. This small mistake gave Brandao the opportunity to slap on an arm bar and bring home his first victory in the UFC. After winning, Brandao explained how excited he was to finally be able to purchase a home for his mother with his winnings.
The main event for the night had the brash Brit, Michael “the Count” Bisping and Jason “Mayhem” Miller squaring off in the cage. Bisping and Miller had a genuine animosity toward each other which built up over the season. The fight was somewhat lackluster since this was Mayhem’s first fight in the UFC since facing George St. Pierre in 2005. You could almost immediately see the bright lights and ring rust quickly take its toll on Mayhem. Bisping got the referee to eventually step in before Mayhem took any more punishment at 3:34 into the third round of a scheduled fight of five rounds.
The students definitely outshined the teachers in this event. Even with a disappointing main event, the rest of the card was exciting and action-packed.
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