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D. FOX: Preliminary card preview for The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale
Dec 11, 2014 - 9:25:13 PM D. FOX: Preliminary card preview for The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale

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By: Dayne Fox, MMATorch Contributor

After another long season of The Ultimate Fighter, we have finally arrived at the end! While the action in the ring wasn't horrible, the cattiness amongst the ladies was getting to be too much to handle. It did help to establish a bit of rivalry among some of the ladies, but I'll take the "Let me bang bro!” moments over patty cake any day.

On second thought, can we just skip the house drama from now on?

Felice Herrig vs. Lisa Ellis (Women's Strawweight)

Is it any surprise that Herrig represents the headliner for the preliminary card? Sex appeal will do that for ya. And Ellis seems like the she is being set up to get Herrig off to a good start in her official UFC debut…

Herrig's style kind of belies her appearance, as there is little that is pretty about it. Knees and dirty boxing from the clinch are her primary weapons while standing, as she usually pushes the fight against the fence. Not exactly an aesthetically pleasing style. From there she likes to drag her opponents to the ground using her not so powerful ground-and-pound to soften them up as she looks for a submission.

The good thing for Herrig is that Ellis is the perfect type of matchup for her. Ellis isn't a very big strawweight, and was bullied by Jessica Penne both in the tournament and in their fight at the first Invicta show. Ellis will look to get the fight to the ground herself, as she is very adept at submissions (as illustrated by 10 of her 15 wins coming that way) and is a sneaky good wrestler. But she had last fought two years prior to the show due to becoming a mother and she didn't seem to be back mentally 100% on the show. Then again, the house isn't an easy situation for anyone.

Herrig got overconfident in her bout with Randa Markos on the show and ended up tapping out. It could happen again against Ellis, but look for her to play it safe under the bright lights of a live audience. As for Ellis, she doesn't want to be remembered as the crying mom who was an easy out in the tournament. She'll give a spirited effort, but seeing as how she is past her prime it won't be enough. Herrig via TKO in the third round


Bec Rawlings vs. Heather Clark, (Women's Strawweight)

Clark may have started the show as Herrig's rival, but it was clear by the end of it that Rawlings couldn't have cared less about her as well. No doubt both women wanted this fight. Wait a minute… I thought Clark tore her ACL?

As opposed to her good friend Herrig, Rawlings style is sure to get the fans' attention. She throws solid leather using good boxing combinations to the head, and isn't afraid to let the fight break down into a brawl. In fact, she welcomes it. She needs the fight to be in boxing range, though, as the clinch isn't her strong suit, and she is prone at kicking distance. On the ground she knows her submissions but would much rather pound out her opponent. Plain and simple, violence is the name of the game for Rawlings.

It is surprising to see Clark fighting after the noise she made about her knee followed by the diagnosis. If the knee is bothering her at all she is in trouble. She has never looked very comfortable standing in the pocket and trading as her punches primarily serve as a way to close ground and attempt a takedown. If her mobility is limited, Rawlings will make her pay. She'll be in good shape if she can get the takedown as she has a good base from the top, very good submission skills (including from the bottom), and great survival instincts on the mat.

Tecia Torres kept Rawlings at a distance with a number of kicks fired rapidly, and that was one of the biggest factors in her victory for the tournament. Clark doesn't have bad kicks, but they aren't at Torres' level, and her knee will likely limit her. Rawlings will go for the kill and get it. Rawlings via KO in the second round


Tecia Torres vs. Angela Magana, (Women's Strawweight)

An early choice for the Fight of the Night as Torres and Magana are two aggressive fighters who won't back down. Need more be said?

Torres lives up to her Tiny Tornado nickname, as she throws a bit of everything and is very technically proficient. One would think her 5'1” frame would limit her range, but as somewhat mentioned earlier, her kicks are very proficient from a distance and she throws them in combination with her punches too. Even though Randa Markos showed that a smart and aggressive ground fighter can give her problems, you can't say she was exposed as she was active with both punches and submissions from the bottom.

The UFC knew what they were doing when they made this match, as Magana is most similar to Markos out of the rest of the competitors from the house… and that was a damn good fight! Magana is aggressive and efficient on the ground capable of quickly advancing her position before her opponent knows what hit them. She'll close space as soon as possible with Torres as a result. Her striking looks sharper and more diverse since she started training out of Thailand, but it isn't on the same level as Torres by any means.

Magana has a little bit of crazy in her that gives this fight a nice wild card to it that could help or hurt her making this fight one to keep an eye on. She also gassed out a bit against Aisling Daly in the tournament, though, and that will likely be a bigger factor. Torres will pick her apart, especially in the last round. Torres via Decision


Joanne Calderwood vs. Seo Hee Ham, (Women's Strawweight)

Most fans are unfamiliar with Ham, and probably think she is being fed to Calderwood. Chances are that they are going to be pleasantly surprised by what they see.

When it comes to picking their spots, few are better than Calderwood. She is patient in waiting for an opening, and an expert at utilizing footwork and angles. Her Muay Thai base creates an unorthodox stance that some of her opponents haven't known how to adjust to, and when they close the distance on her she can be devastating in the clinch. Rose Namajunas went right at her and took the fight to the ground where Calderwood isn't as polished and pulled out a submission, exposing a massive chink in her armor. Calderwood can hang with most on the ground, but a savvy ground fighter can handle her.

Don't let the lack of KO's on her record fool you. With a nickname like Hamderlei Silva, you can guess what type of style Ham presents. She is almost always coming forward on her feet and possesses knockdown power, not something seen too often in the women's lighter classes. For roughly the last two years, Ham has been fighting at 105 lbs., and hasn't lost since dropping to atomweight. What kind of impact will moving back to strawweight have on her? She'll be smaller than most (definitely smaller than Calderwood), but it shouldn't change her style much.

Ham is fun to watch, but her forward style plays very well into Calderwood's counter style. Ham is probably better versed in submissions, but it won't be easy for her to get the fight to the ground as she moves up in weight. Ham will have moments, but this is Calderwood's fight. Calderwood via Decision


Aisling Daly vs. Alex Chambers, (Women's Strawweight)

Very little to draw the casual fan in this one… unless you happen to be from Ireland or Australia.

Daly is difficult to prepare for in a striking war as she switches her stance and in constant movement. She has gotten a reputation of a brawler, but that is unfair to her; she can survive better than most in that environment. She is skilled in submissions (particularly armbars as of late), but also has had a tendency to get herself in bad situations on the ground as well. At least she has great survival instincts as she has never been submitted.

It's hard to get excited about Chambers' chances as she came into her tournament fight mentally defeated, and is a more natural atomweight. Seeing as how Daly has spent the majority of her career at flyweight, Chambers will be massively outsized. She does have some effective kicks from her karate background, and has shown some slick BJJ which could cause Daly problems, but she is going to have to maintain her space from Daly to avoid getting drawn into a dog fight as her boxing is nothing special.

Chambers was physically overwhelmed by an aggressive Namajunas and will now have to deal with an aggressive and larger Daly. Daly knows Chambers will need space to throw her kicks, and she won't give it to her. Don't be surprised to see this end quickly. Daly via TKO 1st Round


Angela Hill vs. Emily Kagan, (Women's Strawweight)

Hill could be a diamond in the rough. Whereas Kagan's ceiling may not be as high, she is tough as nails, and wants a roster spot just as bad.

Hill is still very raw on the ground, and has a long ways to go to even be considered average, as she even struggles with landing efficient ground and pound, as ground position and guard passing are still very new to her. Her never-say-die attitude bodes well, though, as she doesn't quit moving when on the defensive, and has proven to be a fast learner. If she can keep the fight on the feet it should be academic, as she is a Muay Thai champion with fast and crisp strikes and deadly knees in the clinch.

Kagan may very well have been the least physically talented fighter in the house, but she is tough and savvy, making her a difficult out for anyone. She utilizes good movement and footwork in her standup, but offers very little power. As a result, her opponents often have little respect for her on her feet and she can bullied against the cage. She'll definitely have the ground advantage here and shows good submission skills, but has struggled to get the fight to the ground. It will be damn near impossible for her to win if she can't get there.

Hill has the potential for the most improvement between the time that taping finished until the time of the fight and expect it to show. She couldn't have received a more favorable fight, as the UFC seems to think she'll become an action fighter worth hanging onto for a while. She'll out-land Kagan by a significant amount. Hill via Decision