There’s some serious talent coming out of TUF that’s ready to make an impact in the UFC.
This weekend, three men will be crowned “The Ultimate Fighter.” Tonight, it’s the TUF: Smashes finale as we come to the end of the memorable season between the Brits and Aussies. In the welterweight finale, Australian Robert Whittaker takes on Brit Brad Scott in what should be a scintillating tilt. And in the lightweight finale, England’s Colin Fletcher takes on Northern Ireland’s Norman Parke in a fight that is not going the distance.
If you didn’t watch The Smashes, then let me tell you that all four fighters, but Whittaker and Fletcher especially, are really special prospects. Expect the 21-year-old Whittaker to make an impact in the UFC very soon with his heavy hands, and watch as Fletcher becomes a crowd favourite due to his funny style of dress and unique personality. Scott and Parke are solid prospects, too, and all four men are deserving of being in the finale.
In addition, tomorrow night is the TUF 16 finale. In the co-main event of that card, Canadian welterweight Mike Ricci meets American Colton Smith in an intriguing bout between a striker and grappler. They were the two best fighters in the TUF house and deserve to have made it to the finale to battle it out for a six-figure contract and a glass plaque commemorating the occasion.
I know TUF gets a bad rap for its stale format, but there is some serious talent among these six finalists, and I expect a few of them to be contending for a title in a few years down the road. Maybe that’s a little optimistic of me, but really, these fighters are all supremely skilled, and all of them are under 30 years of age. Unless they hit a roadblock in their careers and stop progressing (which could very well happen), I do believe all six of these men are going to keep improving.
Expect all three finalists representing the U.K. to be staples of UFC undercards when the promotion makes its visits to England and Ireland and whatnot. If he wins the tournament, expect Ricci to get a spot on the Montreal card, UFC 158 in March, alongside his training partners RoryMacDonald and UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, and to continue to have a place on Canadian undercards in the future. As for Smith, if he wins the tournament he will be pushed up the ladder, but because of his fan-unfriendly style, he’ll probably be one of those fighters relegated to Facebook if he loses. But the UFC needs fighters to fill the preliminary cards, and Smith is exactly that kind of guy.
There is actually a lot to be excited about for this weekend. Yes, the ratings for TUF were awful (at least TUF 16, as TUF: Smashes did well) and the show sucked, but you know what? The right fighters made the finals, and at the end of the day, the show is about producing new UFC talent.
And on that level, at least, the show was a success. The entertainment portion of the show, though? Eh, I believe it left a lot to be desired, but hopefully that changes next season with Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen as the coaches. And I have a feeling that it will.
