The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale: The Carpenter's Nightmare

On June 20, an unusual situation will arise.

The finale for the The Ultimate Fighter 9 series will be held and the headliners will now be two lightweight fighters with incredible amounts of enthusiasm and staying power: Clay "the Carpenter" Guida and Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez.

For the Nightmare, this will be his second outing as a lightweight, after his win over Joe "Daddy" Stevenson in a very close fight.

Sanchez made the weight easily without sacrificing strength or running out of gas, as many had predicted he would.

In all, his game plan and conditioning lead to his success at the lighter weight.

His future success may lead to either BJ Penn or Ken Florian for a title shot.

This will be the third time that Guida will go up against an Ultimate Fighter Champion, having defeated both "the Vegan" Mac Danzig and Nate Diaz.

Will the third time be a charm for my favorite Energizer Bunny imitator or a "Nightmare" of trying to build a house without a level?

Both fighters have energy, aggression, and are good on the ground and standing.

As always, Guidahas a disadvantage height wise and a shorter reach. This didn't hurt him at all with Mac or Nate, so it may not be an issue with Diego either.

The Carpenter has a tendency to wade right into the arms of his opponents and tie them up or get inside their strike zone.

Where there is a will and an opening, Clay will sneak in and take his opponent by surprise.

Just as Sanchez will rush upon an opponent and rain punishment down before they can prepare for his attack, Guida is quick to trip the trigger.

Except for the height/reach disparity, the fighters are remarkably equal.

What excitement and explosive fighting techniques will be displayed on the night of June 20.

This is one night I will have no trouble remembering!