The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale Prelim Recap

TJ Waldburger made a great come-from-behind victory over the very strong Nick Catone
Picture via DevotedMMA.com

Only one decision in seven fights with that one decision being a potential Fight of the Night? Now that is a way to start off an event that people weren't talking about. With three brutal knockouts and two very slick submissions, the prelims have continued to provide with a ton of entertainment. 

Timothy Elliot vs. Jared Papazian: This fight went exactly how I expected it. An all-out war wherever the fight, whether it was on the ground or it was on the feet, neither of these guys gave up. Papazian is one of the more aggressive fighters at 125 and he continued to show it this fight. He instantly stalked Elliot backwards but Elliot would get him down on several occasions and threatened with a few guillotine chokes. Papazian is a pretty one-dimensional striker and Elliot took advantage of that with several takedown attempts. But once when Papazian was standing, he threw a knee as Elliot was falling backwards and it landed flush in the chin. Elliot’s butt was on the ground so it was highly illegal and Elliot was badly hurt. When they broke it up, he was stumbling all over the place and it seemed as though the fight would be stopped. The ref let it continue and Elliot continued to show dominance, the third round especially. Elliot took Papazian down and got his back. From there, he beat “The Jackhammer” down and bloodied him up. It was an easy 10-8 round and the judges agreed. This makes Papazian 0-3 in the UFC; he’s simply not UFC caliber and will be release.

Possible matchups for Elliot: I really like this kid: extremely entertaining, very talented, and charismatic. That is all the makings of a future UFC star. Considering the fact that he had such a close decision to the present number-one contender in John Dodson shows me he has the makings a contender. There aren’t a lot of choices at flyweight so I would like to see him fight John Lineker, who is coming off of a very dominant victory over Yasuhiro Urushitani.

Mike Rio vs. John Cofer: This was the one fight that I honestly had very little interest going into it. It was a shockingly fun fight from beginning to end. Cofer showed a very improved standup game right from the start, with quick leg kicks and powerful left hands. Rio, though, showed a very strong wrestling game, which we all knew going in, and landed some huge takedowns. Going into the third after two close first rounds, they both seemed to be drastically slowing down. Rio ended up getting a takedown and mounting him. He went for an armbar and after a long battle for it, Rio secured it for the tap. Cofer, now 0-2 in in two third round finishes, will be released following this loss.

Possible matchups for Rio: After not being able to compete at the TUF: Live due to a knee injury, this was a much needed win for Rio in his UFC debut. Now that he has the UFC jitters off his chest, I’m sure his next performance will be much better. The man for him to fight would be fellow grappler in Fabricio Camoes

Reuban Duran vs. Hugo Viana: We have a new name to watch at 135 pounds. Hugo Viana was the better fighter from the start on Saturday and he showed that he is much more comfortable at bantamweight than he is at featherweight. Duran is an extremely large bantamweight so Viana had his hands full in being able to cover distance in order to land anything. But his speed was lightning fast and Duran’s ring rust was apparent after taking a year and a half off. Viana dropped him three times in the first with the last finally putting Duran out and earning himself a 1^st round TKO victory (though it should have been a KO).

Possible matchups for Viana: This Brazilian has a ton of potential and I can’t wait to see how he develops as a fighter. His hand speed and power is very impressive for a 135er. I would like to see him fight the winner of Erik Perez vs. Byron Bloodworth (in other words, Perez).

Possible matchups for Duran: This fight now makes Duran 1-2 in the UFC, so he will be fighting for his job his next time out. There aren’t a lot of bantamweights that are close to being released so I would like to see him fight the loser of Perez vs. Bloodworth (in other words, Bloodworth).

TJ Waldburger vs. Nick Catone: This was a super fun grappling match. Catone looked to utilize his strength in the first round and, for the most part, succeeded quite well. He took Waldburger down and controlled him the majority of the opening stanza. In the second, Waldburger was a different man. He rocked Catone early and went for a guillotine. When he lost the guillotine, he locked in a really tight triangle and choked the New Jersey native unconscious.

Possible matchups for Waldburger: The Texan native is one of the most promising fighters in the UFC today. His striking is continually improving and his ground game is damn near masterful. Yoshihiro Akiyama is riding a 4-fight losing streak, but is still a very talented fighter. He would be a very hard test for the young Waldburger and I would love to see how TJ would do.

Possible matchups for Catone: This is Nick Catone’s second loss in a row in which he was finished. He will undoubtedly be fighting for his job his next time out so it only makes sense to have him fight in a loser goes home bout next. Lance Benoist is in a similar position so it only makes sense to have them fight.

Vinc Pichel vs. Rustam Khabilov: Holy crap do we have a future champ on our hands. Now, I did pick Khabilov to win but in no way did I think he was going to do what he did. After a moment of feeling each other out, the Sambo champion in Khabilov came out and he slammed the very large Pichel three times. Not just slams, but suplexes. It looked similar to what Rory MacDonald did to Nate Diaz back at UFC 129. But the third one put Pichel out and he finished him off with strikes. It was also an extremely late stoppage.

Possible matchups for Khabilov: Not only does Khabilov train out of Jackson’s MMA, but he is also only 26 years old. He has unlimited potential and I see him fighting for the title in the coming years. I think a fight that could be a very fun scrap between two very promising prospects would be with Makdessi and Khabilov.

Possible matchups for Pichel: I wouldn’t be surprised of Vinc is released following this loss, but he is a talented fighter. Brendan Loughnane is coming off of a very hard-fought decision loss to Mike Wilkinson and I would love to see a fight between these two.

Marcos Vinicius vs. Johnny Bedford: Here is another future contender to watch at 135. Marcos Vinicius had absolutely nothing on Bedford this whole fight. Johnny came out aggressive and picked Vinicius apart. He took him down and beat him there as well. It was a very dominant first round. In the second, Bedford did much of the same. He dropped Marcos early, landed a nasty body kick and knocked him out cold in a minute into the second round. Brutal is an extremely apt nickname for the TUF alumnus.

Possible matchups for Bedford: This guy holds a lot of potential in his hands. I’m very glad that he has finally healed up after a knee injury and I’m sure he is too. A fellow member of TUF 14 was Bryan Caraway, who is coming off of a fantastic 3^rd round submission win over Canadian Mitch Gagnon. This would be a very close, entertaining, and big fight for these guys.

Possible matchups for Vinicius: Marcos Vinicius almost lost his fight to Wagner Campos in his UFC debut at UFC 147 and after this loss to Bedford, he will be fighting for his job next time out. Jeff Hougland is coming off of two decisive decision losses to Yves Jabouin and Takeya Mizugaki. This fight makes perfect sense at these stages of their careers.

James Head vs. Mike Pyle: This was a fantastic two minute fight. Both these guys were looking to continue their winning streaks and they both fought like it. Head came out strong and really hurt Pyle on multiple occasions. Head has very technical standup and it showed in this fight. Pyle, though, is an extremely tenacious veteran and he came back with a knee and punches to finish off Head.

Possible matchups for Pyle: At 37 years old, Pyle is continuing to improve. After this performance, I would like to see him fight Mike Pierce, who is coming off of a win over Seth Baczynski just yesterday.

Possible matchups for Head: James Head started this fight strong, but Pyle was just too tough and Head exposed himself to a knee. I would like to see him fight Seth Baczynksi, who just lost to Mike Pierce yesterday.