The Ultimate Fighter has revolutionized mixed martial arts world. If I would have told you three years ago that we’d be wrapping up the seventh installment of the show with the sport bigger and better than it’s ever been before, then you might have called me crazy.

But that’s exactly what has happened. The sport is near the top of the sports world – yet nowhere near its peak – and a ton of eyes will be on the little town of Las Vegas tonight as another Ultimate Fighter is crowned to join the ever-growing list of Diego Sanchez, Forrest Griffin, Joe Stevenson, Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping, Kendall Grove, Matt Serra, Travis Lutter, Nate Diaz, and Mac Danzig. Below is your full breakdown of all of the fights on the card.

Remember, the action starts at 9pm EST on Spike.

MW: Rob Kimmons (20-3) over Rob Yundt (6-1) – Yundt has UFC experience, but I’m not sure what losing to Ricardo Almeida could have done for him. Kimmons, who has won 11 of his last 12, is looking to put a decent win on his record. This should be an interesting fight, but I’ll go with the jiu-jitsu guy and the experience in Kimmons.

MW: Tim Credeur (9-2) over Cale Yarbrough (0-0) – Credeur, a submission fighter, was one of the favorites to win on TUF 7, but he failed to make it to the finals despite two chances to make it. Yarbrough is a tough young standup fighter that will do anything to win, but I just think that Credeur is too strong and too experienced in this one for young Cale.

MW: Jeremy Horn (79-17-5) over Dean Lister (10-5) – If you don’t like ground fights, then you might not want to watch this one. These two fought before, and Horn won a majority decision. Horn – a man known as “Gumby” because of his incredible flexibility that relates to his jiu-jitsu – is one of the most experienced fighters in the world, and he can submit just about anyone in the world. Lister – who has bounced around between MW and LHW throughout his career – will come into this fight as the bigger, yet more inexperienced fighter. He is also a jiu-jitsu fighter. Horn has lost 3 of his last 4, but those losses were all against world-class fighters (Nate Marquardt, Jorge Santiago, and Matt Lindland). That being said, I’m still taking him to get his first UFC win since 2006.

WW: Matt Brown (6-6) over Matt Arroyo (3-1) – Matt Brown was out of his league at 185 pounds on TUF 7, but I have been extremely impressed by this kid from my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. He’s a kid that never quits, and his striking and conditioning are well above average. Arroyo is another impressive young fighter, but he already has a loss from Brown on his record from 2006. If Arroyo can hang in this fight, then it might be one of the best on this card.

MW: Drew McFedries (6-3) over Marvin Eastman (15-7-1) – I’ve admittedly never been a big fan of Eastman, as his claim to fame has been one of the worst cuts I’ve ever seen. He’s a strong, stocky guy, and his 5-9 frame definitely gives him the leverage needed for him to use his wrestling background. McFedries is a guy who will look to knock you out early. If that doesn’t happen in this fight, it could be a very boring altercation.

WW: Dustin Hazelett (10-4) over Josh Burkman (9-5) – These are two fighters that look to be headed in opposite directions. Hazelett, who had a solid UFC debut in a loss to a game Josh Koscheck, is a young guy who trains with Rich Franklin, and he looks to have a solid career ahead of him in the sport. Burkman has been in the UFC for almost 3 years now, and he has a relatively unimpressive 5-3 record (including losing 2 of his last 3). I look at Burkman as a test for the young Hazelett, and I look for Hazelett to pass this test with a mid-round submission.

MW: Dante Rivera (10-2) over Matt Riddle (0-0) – Riddle is a young wrestling specialist with a bright future in the UFC, but the Renzo Gracie-trained Rivera is just too experienced and too skilled at this point in his career.

LW: Jeremy Stephens (13-2) over Spencer Fisher (20-4) – If you’ve been paying close attention to MMA recently, then there is a chance that you’ve heard a lot about Jeremy Stephens. He’s an exciting young fighter out of Iowa, and he debuted in January with an impressive win over another young gun, Cole Miller. Fisher has been a mainstay on the UFC stage for close to 3 years, and he has been training at Miletich Martial Arts in Iowa for longer than that. If Fisher doesn’t get the quick KO in this one, then he has no chance to win.

WW: Luigi Fioravanti (13-2) over Diego Sanchez (18-2) – I debated about whom to pick in this fight, but I was finally able to pull the trigger on Fioravanti. Fioravanti, who trains at American Top Team, is an impressive, young, well-rounded fighter, which is what you can say about almost all of the ATT fighters. Sanchez, who won the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, almost made it to the top of the UFC WW division, but he fell hard last year by losing to Josh Koscheck before losing to Jon Fitch. He rebounded this year with a win over David Bielkheden, but I think Fioravanti takes this one in a bit of an upset.

TUF 7 Finals - MW: CB Dollaway (6-0) over Amir Sadollah (0-0) – What can I say about Amir Sadollah to make him sound as impressive as he truly is? This kid could be the UFC MW champion one day, and I wouldn’t put it past him to go ahead and win this fight, which will surprisingly be his pro MMA debut. CB and Amir fought in the TUF house, and CB had the fight in the bag in the third round before Amir pulled out an armbar from nowhere.

But that’s about the only chance that Amir has in this one. He’ll have to surprise CB with something to pull out the win. And CB isn’t stupid; he’ll be respecting Amir this time and won’t leave in his arm for an armbar just to get a better striking position. This has always been CB’s tournament to win, but don’t be surprised to see either guy wearing the TUF 7 crown at the end of the night.

MW: Evan Tanner (32-7) over Kendall Grove (8-5) – I just don’t think that Kendall Grove gets it. I thought for awhile that I could be wrong as Grove won the third season of TUF before winning two more in the UFC, but Grove has come back down to Earth by losing his last two fights, both upsets. I’m not sure what it is about Grove, but I just don’t see him as a guy who could ever win a championship. Tanner, on the other hand, is a guy I know can win a championship, as he’s already been the UFC MW champion.

Tanner will look to stay inside on Grove in this one, because Kendall has six inches on him and will have a definite reach advantage. Tanner should look to get into the clench early in the fight, and he’ll then look to take him down. Grove needs to keep this fight standing. Unfortunately for Grove, Tanner’s experience will allow him to control this fight and take it where he wants. The loser of this fight is out of the UFC, make no doubt about it.


If Tanner comes out with this beard in the fight, there is little to no chance that he will lose.

As always…Let’s fight!

If you missed it: Random MMA Thoughts (Issue 11)