Miesha Tate vs Cat Zingano

STUDIO MMA, LAS VEGAS – The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale Facebook prelims starts at 2:30 pm/PT and rolls over to Fuel TV at 3pm PT. Main Card starts at 6pm/9pm PT/ET. Warm up with our interviews, open workout videos and the TUF 17 Finale Weigh-In!

Miesha Tate Pre Fight Interview + Open Workout

Travis Browne Pre Fight Interview

Urijah Faber Pre Fight Interview

Uriah Hall Pre Fight Interview + Open Workout

Urijah Faber Hitting Pads with Master Thong

TUF 17 Finale Weigh-In

Are they Ultimate Fighters or about to have a rap battle against B-Rabbit in the movie “8 Mile?”
Who can say?

With the weigh-ins for tomorrow night’s finale all said and done, I can tell I’m already going to miss this season of The Ultimate Fighter.

For one, I mean just look at this photo.  Pretty cool, right?  Aside from the fact it looks like both teams are about to engage in a druid-esque rap battle (spoiler alert: they did, it was awful).

Nonetheless, this season was a vast improvement over the last few cycles of the show.  Who knew that minimizing the amount of air time for alcohol abuse and juvenile pranks could make such a difference?

Oh wait, everyone.

It was just refreshing to see a show that was primarily about the fighting.  Sure, we had some fun nonsense thrown in for good measure (Hooters, the rap battles, practically everyone cheating at Bowling), but it looked like all parties involved stepped up their game this year.  From the fighters to FX ponying up some more cash for those fancy HD talking head cameras.

Most commendably, you had two coaches who were happy to set their own egos aside for their own upcoming fight and focus primarily on the overall experience of their teams.

In the span of three months, we rediscovered our love for Chael Sonnen’s nonsense (the talk of him not deserving a title shot seems to have subsided a bit).  And I’m happy to see the nice change of pace in the rivalry between him and Jon Jones.  Granted, there are still two weeks until UFC 159 goes down, so anything can still happen.

Which is why in our latest PODCAST, we bid farewell to this season of The Ultimate Fighter—with not just one, but TWO one minute reviews.

We then talk with Bubba McDaniel about his loss to Uriah Hall, the psychology of the fight game, his final thoughts about the Ultimate Fighter house, a few of your twitter questions, and even learn a little bit more about the feud that exists between him and Gilbert Smith (who he faces this Saturday on the finale).

And, yes, we did ask about the infamous weigh-ins photo op against Uriah that everyone seemed to talk about—even if he thinks people blew it out of proportion (including Coach Jon Jones).

Bubba also gives us a rare at one of the motivating factors for his fight going into this weekend that’s worthy of a listen.

So there you have it.  Give a listen to our tribute to The Ultimate Fighter and let us know what you think.

And to all of the fighters on the show this year: Thanks much for all the hard work you put in the Octagon.  Good luck to you all tomorrow night and we look forward to talking with some of you in the near future.

We are sorry to inform that due to technical difficulties we do not have the option to write the live play by play, we will only be able to post the results continuously.

Prelims
Papy Abedi def. Besam Yousef by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Tom Lawlor def. Michael Kuiper by submission (RNC) in round 2 (1:05)
Ryan LaFlare def. Ben Alloway by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30,27)
Conor McGregor def. Marcus Brimage by TKO in round 1 (1:07)
Adlan Amagov def. Chris Spang by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Tor Troeng def. Adam Cella by submission (RNC) in round 1 (3:11)
Reza Madadi def. Michael Johnson by submission (anaconda choke) in round 3 (1:33)

Main Card
Hamid Corassani def. Robbie Peralta by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Diego Brandao def. Pablo Garza by submission (arm triangle) in round 1 (3:27)
Brad Pickett def. Mike Easton by unanimous decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
Matt Mitrione def. Phil De Fries by TKO (punches) in round 1 (0:19)
Ross Pearson def. Ryan Couture by TKO (punches) in round 2 (3:25)
Gegard Mousasi def. Ilir Latifi by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

STUDIO MMA, LOS ANGELES – Marcus Kowal hosted StudioMMA’s UFC on Fuel TV 9: Mousasi vs. Latifi pre-fight show from Stockholm, Sweden. Numerous fighters joined Marcus on set. Including tonight’s competitors Diego Brandao, Marcus Brimage, Mike Easton, Ben Alloway and Brad Pickett. Also co-headliners Ross Pearson and Ryan Couture made special appearances to discuss their pending battle.

StudioMMA Talk Show – Diego Brandao andd Marcus Brimage

StudioMMA Talk Show – Mike Easton

StudioMMA Talk Show – Cub Swanson and Benny Alloway

StudioMMA Talk Show – Mike Brown & Brad Pickett

StudioMMA Talk Show – Ross Pearson

StudioMMA Talk Show – Robbie Peralta och John Hughes

StudioMMA Talk Show – Ryan Couture, Tim Lane & Omar Bouiche

STUDIO MMA, LOS ANGELES – Marcus Kowal hosts StudioMMA’s UFC Stockholm pre-fight show. In studio we have UFC veteran Frank Trigg, Conor McGregor who is taking on Marcus Brimage at tomorrows event. Also the Brazilian/Swede Bruno “B.C” Carvalho guests the show with Sweden’s own BJJ coach Waldo Zapata.

StudioMMA Talk Show – Frank Trigg, David ”D-Flex” Seisay, & Bruno Carvalho Part 2

StudioMMA Talk Show – Frank Trigg, Conor McGregor, & Bruno Carvalho Part 1

That just happened to be the case when both Luke Barnatt and Bubba McDaniel stopped by the VERBAL TAP podcast this week.

Not only did the two Ultimate Fighter cast members share what was it like to talk with “Iron” Mike Tyson (with one of them going as far to say they felt they were moments away from having their own “Hangover” experience), but they also spoke candidly about the environment in the house leading into the quarterfinal match ups.

What I’ve appreciated most about doing interviews with members of The Ultimate Fighter is the ability to gain perspective.  When you have a show with fourteen very different personalities, it’s easy to let the editors dictate how you process each of these fighters’ narratives—as a majority of the moments they’ve spent on the show end up on the cutting room floor and, in some instances, get entirely chopped and re-arranged.

Such was the case with Luke “Big Slow” Barnatt.  On our podcast, The European Gangster was able to qualify one particular talking head statement that was taken wildly out of context by the Ultimate Fighter editors.  And, in addition to a well-detailed breakdown of his wild fight against Dylan Andrews, Barnatt wasn’t afraid to share an opinion or two about internet trolls, Jon Jones, and Ronda Rousey.

And if you can’t get enough of the Big Slow on our podcast, be sure to check out his blog Banter with Big Slow.  The guy is every bit as entertaining as he is on the show and it’s definitely worth a read.

Kevin and I were also pleasantly surprised when Bubba McDaniel came back to the show with the gift of vocal mimicry.  Normally I handle a bulk of the show’s accents and impressions, but it turns out Bubba has an impression of his own that’s pretty damn funny.

This time around, Bubba describes what it was like be cageside for the fight between Barnatt and Andrews (even going as far to call it one of his favorites of the season) and chats with us about the crazy last minute rescheduling of this weekend’s UFC on FUEL 9 fights.

For all these reasons and more you really do owe it to yourself to give the podcast a listen.  So stop reading and start listening!

I suppose being the guy who calls out other fighters out of turn (is that really such a big deal?), has a pre-existing relationship with TUF coach Jon Jones (the nerve of this guy), and speaks his mind freely doesn’t necessarily sit well with some viewers.

Then again, a nice and polite Ultimate Fighter sounds boring as hell and completely against anything Dana White would ever put his name on.

I mean, shit.  He even made Dana White make this face.

A post-fight question from Bubba McDaniel prompts Dana White to do his best Robert DeNiro impression.

Nonetheless, his status as a polarizing figure on the show has earned him fans and foes all over social media—with some crazed fans even going as far as to bring mentions of his family into the kinds of hate messages he’s received (seriously, get a life, people).

But, from our perspective, Bubba’s journey has provided a great narrative through piece for this season of The Ultimate Fighter: A man widely regarded as a house favorite, loses in the prelims to a young prospect and still manages to fight his way back into the quarterfinals.

In the latest installment of VERBAL TAP, we got an exclusive chance to talk with Bubba about a wide range of topics, including:

• How he thought the editors depicted him on the show.
• What are his real thoughts on Kevin Casey?
• Who surprised him most in the house?
• How it felt to lose his fight against Kelvin Gastelum?
• The fight that almost brought tears to his eyes.
• What it was like to cut weight while the other fighters celebrated Thanksgiving?
• And who wins the fight between Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen at UFC 159?

So love ‘em/hate ‘em, give it a listen and let us know what you think—as we’re proud to present a raw and unfiltered look at Bubba McDaniel.

But all was not lost at UFC 158.  If you weren’t a fan of Dana White and St. Pierre tricking you into purchasing a set of “wolf tickets,” you still got some bang with your buck with a superb fight between Johny Hendricks and Carlos Condit—a fight that truly earned Fight of the Night honors.

Some other things happened, as well, that you may or may not have watched.  But don’t fret, my partner and I here at the VERBAL TAP podcast (the incomparable Kevin Phillips) walk you through all of the fights you missed or were too drunk to remember (we get it, it was St. Patrick’s Day weekend).  You can listen to our latest installment here.

This week we give you a full report on UFC 158, review the latest episode of The Ultimate Fighter, and talk about other MMA headlines making the news like Dana White being challenged to a match by… Vince McMahon?

Yep, you read that right. The story is every bit as weird as it sounds.

So go head, make our day: Listen to the podcast and let us know in the comment section what song Dana White would have walked out to if he actually took the fight against Vince McMahon (my vote is something AC/DC, probably “Back in Black.”).  And, while you’re at it, don’t be skurd to drop us a line in the comment section to let us know what you think about the podcast.

Which reminds me: Did I mention we talk to both UFC 158 main eventers themselves in said podcast: “Georges St. Pierre” and “Nick Diaz?”  Yeah, that’s gotta be worth a listen, right?  So get on it.

“Wait, Vince is on the line and what’s to do WHAT?!”

Our slant on the official #UFC158 poster, we think it’s a little more accurate this way.

STUDIO MMA, NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA – Hello gang, it’s been awhile (I might even venture to say “far too long”), but your favorite contributing writer, Raf Esparza, is back here for your amusement.

With a big set of fights coming up this weekend at UFC 158, I thought this might be the perfect time to update you on what I’ve been up to.  In the time since my last article, I’ve been working with a buddy (fellow idiot and MMA enthusiast, Kevin Phillips) on a new MMA themed podcast we like to call VERBAL TAP.  Our motto is simple: Fighting is much easier from outside of the cage.

It’s a hybrid of all things we both enjoy: discussions on all the latest MMA headlines, reviews of all major fights and events, and a few jokes and fun nonsense thrown in for good measure.  If you like your MMA discussions off-set with a good sense of humor, then give us a listen.  And even if you don’t like that kind of thing all that much, you’re welcome to listen in and hate on us anyway.

The good folks here at Studio MMA have been nice enough to let us post about it on occasion and we’d love it if you’d give the following link a click here.  Give us a listen and let us know what you think (Seriously. There’s always room for improvement).  In this week’s installment: we preview UFC 158, interview “Georges St. Pierre,” and even do a world famous one minute recap of the latest episode of The Ultimate Fighter (and, yes, my co-host was SO excited to post this podcast, he couldn’t even spell our podcast name right–but that matters NOT, the important thing is that we’re excited about these fights!).

So far, we’ve gotten the attention of several of The Ultimate Fighter cast members, some of our favorite UFC fighters, and even the big man himself, Mr. Dana White.  And if you’re a fan, you can also follow our antics over on twitter.

Thanks much for the time, it’s good to be back.  You’ll certainly be hearing more from me.   Looking forward to hearing what y’all have to say about the podcast!

(Photo via Facebook)