Rosenthal League
Daniel Galvan: 40-15, .727
Tim Hickey: 118-61, .659
Benjamin Kohn: 125-65, .658
Josh Hall: 141-800, .638
Nolan Howell: 156-91, .632
Winslow League
Connor Dillon: 73-43, .629
Chris Groves: 30-19, .612
Earl Montclair: 55-38, .591
Luke Irwin: 170-123, .580
Lucas Bourdon: 27-20, .574
TC Engel: 59-47, .557
Lightweight Bout: Gray Maynard (11-2-1) vs. Nate Diaz (16-9)
Luke Irwin: Two guys coming off of nasty knockouts, I’m curious to see how they react. Gray hasn’t been nearly the same since his loss to Edgar, and Diaz lost via stoppage for the first time in 25 fights. This is a bit of a toss-up even though they’ve fought before. I think both guys are going to play it extremely close to the vest and we see a repeat of their last dismal effort. Maynard via SD.
Nolan Howell: I am an unabashed Diaz fan and I still believe Nate Diaz has what it takes for another title run. That is seemingly his career trajectory, where he will make a run for the upper echelon of the division and nab a win or two there, then drop a bout or two to bring him back to the bottom of the top ten.. I like him here to batter Maynard on the feet and be able to at least competently control him from his back to get a finish. Nate Diaz by third-round TKO.
Dan Galvan: I have no idea what’s going to happen in this fight, I just really want Nate Diaz to make another run in the lightweight division. Diaz via UD.
Josh Hall: I expect 3 rounds of Maynard attempting to inflict as little damage as possible while Diaz gets increasingly frustrated. I think Nate does more damage but Maynard’s wrestling will look good to the judges. Maynard via split decision.
The Ultimate Fighter Women’s Bantamweight Final: Jessica Rakoczy (1-3) vs. Julianna Pena (4-2)
Luke Irwin: Surprised with all the tons of name female talent in the house, two rather unheralded females make the finale. Pena is a nice story, but Rakoczy has been in BEEF MOE on the show. Rakoczy via R1 TKO.
Nolan Howell: Have not watched a minute of TUF this season. Looking at it, Rakoczy is a solid women’s boxer who is still getting better at MMA. Pena trains at Sikjitsu and I would assume has a gritty grappling style like the rest of that camp does. I’ll take her and kudos to her for constantly dumping on Rousey. She’s a good egg in my book. Julianna Pena by first-round submission.
Dan Galvan: Rakoczy is the more techinical boxer, but Pena’s wrestling should aid her in winning this fight with her heavy leather. Pena via 1st TKO.
Josh Hall: I like seeing a finals matchup of the 1st person picked vs the last person picked. And just because Rakoczy was picked last this is not a gimmie for Pena by any means. I’ll take the last pick to pull the upset by keeping Pena at range with her jab. Rakoczy via unanimous decision.
The Ultimate Fighter Bantamweight Final: Chris Holdsworth (4-0) vs. Davey Grant (8-1)
Luke Irwin: Meh. Not impressed with the male talent on this season. Holdsworth via R2 submission.
Nolan Howell: Battle of American regional talent with a legit camp versus a European regional talent who last beat a dude who was 6-34? Chris Holdsworth by second-round submission.
Dan Galvan: If you look at the trend of recent Ultimate Fighter winners you would realize two things, 1. the underdog usually wins and 2. it’s really sad that they are still doing The Ultimate Fighter. I’ll go against the trend and take Holdsworth. Holdsworth via 1st TKO.
Josh Hall: Holdsworth seems like the smart play here, but as Dan said that almost never works on TUF. Grant via split decision.
Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Jessamyn Duke (2-0) vs. Peggy Morgan (2-0)
Luke Irwin: Nice to see these two getting another shot. Morgan is a solid fighter, but I like Duke’s killer instinct more. Duke via R2 TKO.
Nolan Howell: Hey, a fight with two gals I have heard of! Jessamyn Duke impresses me with her gameness and physical advantages. I think she will fend Morgan off here and get the win. Jessamyn Duke by second-round TKO.
Dan Galvan: Close fight, but I’ll take Jessamyn Duke. She’s had a slightly more impressive resume up to this point. Duke via UD.
Josh Hall: When friends fight it always leads to fireworks. I think Duke is a little further along in her development, but Morgan is not an easy out at all. Duke via unanimous decision.
Women’s Bantamweight Bout: Raquel Pennington (3-3) vs. Roxanne Modaferri (15-10)
Luke Irwin: Picking with my heart here, even though Roxy hasn’t had a pro win in over three and a half years. Modaferri via R3 submission.
Nolan Howell: Poor Roxy. Raquel Pennington by first-round KO.
Dan Galvan: It’d be nice to see Modaferri snap her five fight win streak, but Raquel Pennington is just at a better stage in her career at this point. Pennington via UD.
Josh Hall: I am thrilled the UFC is giving Roxy a shot here despite being winless for so long. Nothing would make me happier than seeing her losing streak broken, but I think it is unlikely here. Pennington via 2nd round KO.
Featherweight Bout: Akira Corassani (11-3) vs. Maximo Blanco (9-4)
Luke Irwin: Corassani doesn’t have the wrestling or strength to keep Blanco tied up and keep his hands from flying. Blanco via R2 TKO.
Nolan Howell: Akira Corassani worries me because he is very injury-prone, but he is a game fighter when he eventually does fight. Will that be enough for Maxi Blanco? If it is the guy who searched and destroyed in Sengoku, I don’t think so. Let’s hope he shows up here. Maximo Blanco by second-round TKO.
Dan Galvan: I think the stock on Corassani is too high, while Blanco’s stock is too low. I expect Blanco to get a highlight reel KO here. Blanco via 1st KO.
Josh Hall: What has happened to the Maxi that tore through Sengoku not that long ago? I miss that guy. Maybe he reappears in this fight. Blanco via 1st round KO.
Featherweight Bout: Rani Yahya (19-7) vs. Tom Niinimaki (20-5-1)
Luke Irwin: I actually find this fight really interesting. Niinimaki is due for his shot, but he hasn’t faced anyone with the submission credentials of Yahya, and it’s been too long since he’s showed them off. I think Yahya catches him here to introduce him to the UFC. Yahya via R1 submission.
Nolan Howell: Rani Yahya’s grappling and all-around experience should be too much. Yahya has room to improve, but he is still servicable all-around to get to his world-class submission game that should notch him the win. Rani Yahya by second-round submission.
Dan Galvan: This looks like it’ll play out as a textbook victory for Rani Yahya. The gap between his and Niinimaki’s grappling game is vast. Yahya via 1st Sub.
Josh Hall: Yahya vs Niinimaki- A grappling clinic should ensue here. Yahya via 1st round submission.
Heavyweight Bout: Jared Rosholt (8-1) vs. Walter Harris (4-1)
Luke Irwin: I don’t like that the UFC signed two of the small number of legitimate heavyweight prospects out there and are having them face off against each other in their debut. Hm. Anyway, here we are, and while Harris is a monster that has fantastic potential despite his age, but Rosholt has been groomed for the UFC heavyweight divison since he was at Oklahoma State. Rosholt via UD.
Nolan Howell: Wrasslin’. Jared Rosholt by unanimous decision.
Dan Galvan: I actually really like Walt Harris. He’s a speedy striker that will undoubtedly have the advantage when this fight plays out on the feet, but I just don’t see how he’ll be able to stop any of Rosholt’s takedowns. Rosholt via UD.
Josh Hall: I don’t think all that much of Rosholt, but his wrestling is legit and should carry him through here. Rosholt via unanimous decision.
Welterweight Bout: Drew Dober (12-4) vs. Sean Spencer (10-2)
Luke Irwin: Spencer is going to have a decidedly large size advantage of Dober, but while Dober has a good submission game, he can get caught. Dober has a great submission game, both offensively and defensively, and I think he’ll get it done. Dober via R3 submission.
Nolan Howell: I like Sean Spencer, who just seems game enough in every fight to notch the win. Beating Yuri Villefort is a solid enough win and hanging against Rafael Natal was impressive as well, so I think he will slide by here as well. Sean Spencer by split decision.
Dan Galvan: When you look at this match-up, it becomes clear that there is simply no room in the UFC for scrubs like Ben Askren. Seriously though, what the fuck. My pick is, what the fuck is wrong with you UFC? Sign Ben Askren.
Josh Hall: The fact that this fight is on the card in lieu of any of the male fighters from this season of TUF says a lot about the quality of this season. Spencer via unanimous decision.
Flyweight Bout: Joshua Sampo (10-2) vs. Ryan Benoit (7-2)
Luke Irwin: Sampo has been on my radar for a long time, holding down the flyweight and bantamweight divisions for a number of big indies. Benoit hasn’t faced the level of competition that Sampo has, nor been as successful in the indies. Sampo via UD.
Nolan Howell: Having beaten guys like Alexis Vila and Antonio Banuelos, Joshua Sampo should be a guy that can certainly cruise through many at the lower level of the UFC flyweight division. Hate picking against a Benoit, but Sampo is too well-rounded and will grind down the explosive and dynamic starter in Benoit. Joshua Sampo by unanimous decision.
Dan Galvan: Even if Benoit wins the fight, Vince McMahon will come out and try to erase him from memory. Sampo via Decision.
Josh Hall: This should be a really fun flyweight scrap between two UFC newcomers. Sampo has some really solid wins on his resume, but Benoit is a fireball in there and this has FOTN potential. Benoit via split decision.
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