The Ultimate Fighter 19.13: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

By Nathan McCarter

The Ultimate Fighter had its final episode before the finale for the 19th season, and it went out with a whimper. The entire season has been letdown after letdown, and has provided nothing redeeming.

The finale episode featured the final two semi-final bouts, and after the action, the finalists faced off in the cage. Now, we wait for Sunday. The Ultimate Fighter Finale takes place the day after UFC 175, with coaches Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn squaring off for the third time in the main event.

Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from the final episode of the 19th season:

The Good:

There were two fights for the final episode, and that meant there was little time for filler. And we can all be thankful for that. At this point in the season we don’t need any more filler.
Dhiego Lima finished his fight impressively. He got a quick armbar submission to advance to the finals.
Matt Van Buren lost the first round of his fight, but he came out strong in the second. He finished Daniel Spohn by TKO after rocking him and keeping the pressure up. Inside the cage, Van Buren proved he’s one of the better light heavyweights on the season.

The Bad:

Team Edgar was on their way to the second fight, and they were doing a chant reminiscent of a little league team. I understand the cabin fever they must have had at this point, but it was just a poor attempt at a team chant.
Van Buren just never shuts up.

The Ugly:

The entire season goes here. No one stood out, and the fights were not great. The exciting fights of the season were sloppy. This will be one of the easily forgotten season of The Ultimate Fighter. The bright side? Next season should be amazing.

The finals are set. Light heavyweights Matt Van Buren meets Corey Anderson, and middleweights Dhiego Lima faces Eddie Gordon. All four men are from Team Edgar.