UFC/TUF 10 Finale: Analysis, Bonuses and What's Next

Well, that was interesting.

The UFC's fourth event in five weeks Saturday night gave us Kimbo Slice taking it to the ground, Matt Hamill getting destroyed yet still winning, and Frankie Edgar taking another step toward a well-deserved title shot.

Oh yeah, Roy Nelson knocked out Brendan Schaub to win a UFC contract, and the TUF 10 competition.

Roy Nelson Def. Brendan Schaub by First-Round KO (3:45)

Mark me down as one of the guys who appreciates Nelson for the skill he displays in the cage, but he is already wearing thin because of his histrionics (this is coming from a guy who used to be an indy wrestling ring announcer).

Between entering to Weird Al Yankovic's "I'm Fat," and a post-match interview in which he continued to show an inability to take anything seriously, I'm already looking forward to seeing him get beat.

Granted, he's different, and that's okay.

In a sport that seemingly has criteria that includes tattoos, short hair cuts, and a lack of verbal skills, Nelson is the exact opposite. But he's also seen as somewhat of a joke by those who don't know him, and I'm not sure if that's good for the UFC.

Instead of the focus being on his skills, there is one thing that sticks out (pun somewhat intended): his gut.

How will he fare against the upper-class of the division? We're about to find out. Between Dana White's comments during the filming of TUF, and his body language last night, you can tell he's not a big fan, but he often makes the best of any situation. Will he be thrown to the wolves right away? Probably not, but there is no doubt he'll get a stiff test in his next fight.

As for Schaub, he'll get another chance, but it's got to be against another inexperienced competitor. This is where the UFC has an issue as it has a big gap in experience with the majority of its roster, and guys like Schaub, Matt Mitrione and Slice.

This is where the Strikeforce Challengers concept is solid in telling fans, "these are the potential future stars." I think the Fight Nights should officially take that same approach for the UFC, but I think they feel that every event is a big one, and by placing an "up and comer" tag on fighters, people may think lesser of it.

Nelson's KO was good for $25k as "Knockout of The Night."


Matt Hamill Def. Jon Jones by First-Round DQ

That sounds like a pro wrestling finish, eh? This is one of the rare cases in which a guy looked better in a loss than the actual winner.

Jones made Hamill look like it was his first fight, throwing him around at will and controlling him at every junction. Sadly, he forgot the rules, and began dropping 12-to-six elbows to the grounded Hamill's head and face, which is illegal.

We thought the fight was stopped due to Hamill's inability to continue, but ref Steve Mazzagatti called the fight off as he felt Hamill couldn't continue due to the elbows. Later we found out it was his shoulder that really prevented him from going on, but the damage was done in every way possible.

In a cosmic karma kind of way, Hamill got his win back from being screwed over in the Michael Bisping decision loss, but I doubt he wanted it this way. How ugly was the final visual of him that looked like his eyes were bleeding? Creepy.

Jones is a freakin' star. Young, personable and full of unorthodox awesomeness, Double J is the UFC's next big breakout star. He just needs to learn the rules first.

Kimbo Slice Def. Houston Alexander by Unanimous Decision

Kimbo's got ground game? Get the f*** out of here!

Despite a bad first round in which the two were attempting a human re-enactment of a gear system, the second round was a fun one due to Slice's throws to the ground that shocked and awed everyone. Sure, he's still greener than Kermit the Frog, but if you take a step back, no one expected that.

What was also unexpected was Alexander's awful performance.

The guy who looked so great at one point a few years ago essentially decided to sign his UFC walking papers with a performance that was less about aggression, and more about submission.

I don't get it, but as the fight wore on, Alexander looked more and more defeated, even though he wasn't getting beaten up. Maybe he worked everything up too much in his mind, but that wasn't the Alexander we know. Where is that guy?

I'm still unclear as to what we have with Slice, but people are still into him...for now. That live crowd wasn't thrilled with that fight, and the last thing the sport needs is another big man who wants to take it to unanimous decisions.

Slice is at his best when he's throwing punches and attempting to knock guys out. If you mix that with a passable ground game, and build on that as a foundation, he might have a chance. Fighting against equally inexperienced fighters is going to be important though, at least through 2010, as he continues to learn.

He's a perfect Fight Night type of draw as someone who can pop a rating for Spike and continue to learn in front of smaller crowds with less pressure.


Frankie Edgar Def. Matt Veach by Second-Round Submission (2:22)

The 11-0 Veach looked awesome in the first round, slamming Edgar with multiple crowd-rousing slams, and controlling Lil' Frankie with wrestling. The comparison was made to a young Matt Hughes. Not bad, but there's a reason why fights are multiple rounds.

In the second, Edgar was patient and eventually caught Veach with a right hand, and then a left to drop him, immediately going into ground-and-pound mode. What followed was an exhibition in patience and experience as Edgar systematically worked Veach over, and eventually sunk in a rear naked choke for the win.

Veach was good early, but that's what a game plan is about, and Edgar executed his to perfection. A young veteran? I think so.

That leads to the next question of what's next for Edgar? A title shot at the winner of Saturday's BJ Penn/Diego Sanchez tilt seems appropriate even if Edgar isn't a major PPV draw, but Gray Maynard might have something to say about that. I wouldn't mind seeing Edgar face the winner of Kenny Florian vs. Clay Guida fight this Saturday, as I still think he needs a validating PPV win over a top competitor.

Both guys earned $25k for "Fight Of The Night." 


Matt Mitrione Def. Marcus Jones by Second-Round KO (:10)

In Mitrione's first pro MMA fight, he took it to Jones in the second round using a short right, then sent him down with another right on his way to cement it. There wasn't much doing in the first round as Jones didn't have any killer instinct in going after Double-M.

Where was the guy we loved during the season?

In any case, Mitrione is now 1-0 and could be the next opponent for Schaub, or even Slice. He's got a lot to work on and could use a good year, or two, in the regional circuit though.

Jones? I'm seeing retirement. He's 36 years old, and was ready to toss in the towel after getting beat on the show. Against more experienced guys, Jones would get destroyed. Too bad, but that's the way the fight game goes.


Mark Bocek Def. Joe Brammer by First-Round Submission (3:36)

There are two notes I had from this fight:

1. Brammer is sponsored by a group that is said to be affiliated with white supremacy groups and bands.

2. Bocek is about as exciting as a glass of warm milk. Nice rear-naked-choke win while crouched on a standing Brammer.

Bocek did earn $25k for "Submission Of The Night." 


James McSweeney Def. Darrill Schoonover by Third-Round TKO (3:20)

This was a pretty fun fight that was all about McSweeney dominating Schoonover, but unable to finish him early. He really should have finished the out-of-shape Schoonover earlier, but went on the attack in the third round, connecting on a huge flying knee, then following it up with kicks and punches.

Give Schoon some credit, as he survived, but he's too inexperienced for the UFC right now. I do wish him luck as he heads overseas to fight for the good ol' USA. That's a much more important fight.

McSweeney needs consistency.

Random Notes

I was watching with a casual MMA fan who, when Nelson appeared, both loved the guy and asked, "Is this real life? How did he win?" after the victory.

White couldn't have sounded less thrilled with the Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz TUF 11 announcement and the additional announcement that they're going to fight for a third time. Uhhhh, Liddell is fighting again? Shouldn't that be a huge deal? It was treated as second-rate news. Sounds like White doesn't want him to fight but Liddell was going to go somewhere to fight regardless. Ugh. 

Anyone catch Mitrione's "retard strength" line? He's got no filter, and that can only be good for entertainment value down the road.

I've heard it said, but wow...that crowd was late-arriving and dead . Think there's a little UFC fatigue right now? Oh right, I forgot. There's no such thing as too much MMA right now.

Not sure exactly what that BJ Penn/Diego Sanchez interview was supposed to accomplish, but I don't think it sold a single PPV. If Sanchez could show the same fire in promos as he does inside the ring, he'd be better off.

Total gate was 1,400 (non sellout), for $504,350 at the Palms in Las Vegas.

Josh Nason has published MMA, wrestling and boxing blog Ropes, Ring and Cage.com since 2007. He is a contributor to Fight Magazine and Bleacher Report and appears regularly on Fight Network Radio and Mauro Ranallo's The Fight Show . Follow him on Twitter.