July 6, 2018 T.U.F Finale Las Vegas
This is the Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale Team Stipe vs Team DC
Team Stipe has Jay Cucciniello in the Featherweight divisionvs Team DC’s Brad Katona
Team Stipe has Michael Trizano in the Lightweight division vs Team DC’s Joe Gianetti
We will start with the fights at 7pm of Fight Pass.
First fight is Oskar Piechota 11-0-1 vs Gerald Meershcaret 27-9
Oskar is undefeated. His draw came way of a split draw. His last win however came in a devastating sequence of strikes against UFC newcomer but MMA Vet Tim Williams. Of his 11 wins he has five by way of KO/TKO, five submissions and one decision. Oskar has a well-rounded game and can finish either standing or on the ground.
Gerald has an impressive 27 wins in his career. They come by way of six KO/TKO, 19 submissions, and two decisions. Fights out of the Duke Rofus camp. He has an excellent ground game and will look to take the fight to the ground.
Look for Oskar to keep his momentum going and get the win in this matchup.
Matt Bessette 22-8 vs Steven Peterson 16-7
Matt’s 22 wins are by seven KO/TKO, eight submissions, and seven decisions. He is 7-1-1 in his last nine fights. He can finish the fight anywhere. He will look to go to the ground though.
Steven’s 16 wins are by four KO/TKO, eight submissions, and four decisions. He is aggressive with great conditioning. He is well rounded and may look to take the fight to the ground.
This should be a good matchup for both. I see this fight going all three rounds and into the judge’s hands, with Matt coming out on top.
Next is the Prelims on Fox Sports 1 at 8pm.
John Gunther 4-0 vs Allan Zuniga 13-0
John’s four wins are by one KO/TKO, one submission, and two decisions. This is his first UFC event. He has a well-rounded game.
Allan’s 13 wins are by three KO/TKO, four submissions, and six decisions. This is also his first UFC event. Also is well rounded, but has more experience.
I see the cage veteran Allan coming away with his undefeated record still intact.
Luis Pena 2-0 vs Richie Smullen 3-0-1.
Luis’s two wins are by one KO/TKO and one submission. This is his first UFC Event. He will look to go to the ground. He likes to take the back and get the rear naked choke.
Richie has one KO/TKO and two submissions. It will also be his first UFC event. He will also look to go to the ground. He likes using heel hooks and kneebars.
This will be more of a Jiu jitsu match than an MMA fight. It won’t look exciting to the average fan, but I see some high-level grappling going on with these guys.
I see Richie winning with some type of leg lock over Luis.
Montana De La Rosa 8-4 vs Rachel Ostovich 4-3
Montana’s wins come by six submissions and two decisions. She is riding a two-fight win streak. She will look to take this to the ground.
Rachel’s four wins are by way of two submissions and two decisions. Despite being the shorter of the two, she will look to keep this fight standing and avoid Montana’s ground game.
Montana winning by way of submission
Main Card 10pm
Alessio Di Chirico 11-2 vs Julian Marquez 7-1
Alessio’s wins are by five KO/TKO, four submissions, and two decisions. He has a strong ground game but is also very dangerous on his feet. He can finish the fight standing or on the ground. He is a very explosive fighter so look for big takedowns and shots.
Julian has six KO/TKO and one submission. Has a five-fight win streak and two of those fights came against Darren Stewart and Veteran Matt Hammil. He is well versed in wrestling, Jiu jitsu, and Thai Boxing.
This fight can go either way. But I see the win coming to Julian with that momentum he has going for him right now.
Roxanne Modafferi 21-14 vs Barb Honchak 10-3
Roxanne has three KO/TKO, five submissions, and 13 decisions in her career. This is her 15th year in MMA and is considered part of pioneering women’s MMA. She has a great Jiu jitsu game. She also has the reach in this fight. She has the experience and has been more active than her opponent in recent years.
Barb’s 10 wins are by one KO/TKO, two submissions, and seven decisions. She has wins over Felice Herring and Roxanne from early in her career. Her last fight was in December 2017 and that was her first fight in 3 years.
I see this fight going the distance and Roxanne getting another win by decision.
Alex Caceres 13-11-1 vs Martin Bravo 11-1
Alex’s 13 wins are by three KO/TKO, five submissions, and five decisions. He has one win in his last four fights. Once an exciting fighter to watch he seems to have lost his ways over the last few years. He is well versed in both standing and his ground game. He is also an unorthodox style fighter.
Martin’s 11 wins are four KO/TKO, five submissions, and two decisions. He is an up and coming fighter out of Mexico and is looking to make a name for himself against the UFC vet in Caceres. Also has a well-rounded game.
I see the veteran Caceres getting a win in this fight. I feel if he doesn’t get the win he may be cut from the roster.
Team Stipe’s Jay Cucciniello 9-0 vs Team DC’s Brad Katona 7-0 Featherweight Match
Jay has four wins by KO/TKO and five submissions. He has six first round finishes. Watch for a big judo throw or takedown for him to get this fight to the ground for the finish.
Brad has one KO/TKO, three submissions, and three decisions. Despite him having only one KO/TKO he has a great stand up game. He was the 2013 Canadian Golden Gloves Champion. He needs to keep this fight standing.
Should be a great fight. I see Jay and Team Stipe coming out on top of this one.
Team Stipe’s Michael Trizano 6-0 vs Team DC’s Joe Giannetti 6-0 Lightweight Match
Michael’s wins come by two KO/TKO, two submissions, and two decisions. He is very well rounded. Has a strong kickboxing background. If it goes to the ground, look for him to setup a triangle choke. He will want to keep this fight standing.
Joe’s six wins are by five submissions, and one decision. He will want this fight on the ground, so he can work his Jiu jitsu. He has five first round finishes.
Another great matchup. But I see Joe and Team DC getting the win with this.
If Team Stipe wins one, and Team DC wins one, this will make the main event for Saturdays main event that much better. Who would prevail in coaching and in the cage Stipe or DC?
Main Event
Brad Tavares 18-5 vs Israel Adesanya 13-0
Brad’s 18 wins are by five KO/TKO, two submissions, and 10 decisions. He is currently on a four-fight win streak which includes wins over Krystof Jotko and Thales Leittes. His losses are against some tough opponents though. He has lost to Robert Whitaker, Tim Boetsch, and Yoel Romero. Look for Tavares to take Israel to the ground in this fight. For Brad to get the win he can’t stand and trade strikes with him.
Israrel is brining and impressive 13 fight undefeated record. 12 of those have been KO/TKO and one decision. His most notable win came last year in Australia over veteran Melvin Guillad. He will need to keep this fight standing for him to get the win. He needs to avoid and takedown attempts from his opponent.
This is a great match up. Israel is looking to make a name for himself in the UFC while Tavares is looking to climb the ladder. Tavares will need to take the fight to the ground as soon as he can and wear down Israel. Look for Israel to finish this fight within 2 rounds.
I see Israel coming out with the win over Tavares.
GPP Picks
Israel $8200
Giannetti $8600
Smullen $6900
Cucciniello $7600
Piechota $9000
Editor’s note – Friday’s card is limited to a few contests before Saturday’s big event.