After 11 episodes and 28 fights featuring 28 UFC hopefuls, a winner from the 12th season of "The Ultimate Fighter" will finally emerge as Jonathan Brookins meets Michael Johnson at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
Four more bouts, including a light heavyweight clash pitting Stephan Bonnar against Igor Pokrajac, are on tap for "The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale," televised live this Saturday night on Spike TV.
Here's a breakdown of the main card:
Stephan Bonnar (12-7) vs. Igor Pokrajac (22-7)
In a somewhat surprising choice for the Spike TV featured attraction, the UFC has paired the fan favorite Bonnar against a relatively unknown Croatian prospect.
The 33-year-old Bonnar won over fans with his courageous effort against Forrest Griffin at "The Ultimate Fighter 1 Finale." Despite coming out on the losing end,, it's only fitting to have Bonnar back five years later headlining another "TUF Finale" card.
Since his loss to Griffin, Bonnar has gone 6-5 in the octagon with notable wins over Keith Jardine and Eric Schafer. Bonnar avenged a prior loss to Polish-Canadian fighter Krzysztof Soszysnki with a TKO win this past July.
Bonnar's record is somewhat deceiving as he has dropped decisions to some of the division's premier talent, including former champion Rashad Evans and fast-rising phenom Jon Jones.
A BJJ black belt initially trained under the great Carlson Gracie, Bonnar seems willing to engage in wild slugfests with his opponents. Although he has the grappling credentials to hold his own against top submission players, we have yet to witness Bonnar threaten opponents with his ground game. Additionally, Bonnar has actively worked with Mark DellaGrotte at Team Sityodtong to improve his stand-up technique.
Pokrajac, 31, is a product of Croatian Top Team. The submission grappler has trained with the best his country has to offer, including Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.
Having competed in his native Croatia for the majority of his career, Pokrajac was served a harsh lesson when he was matched up against Vladimir Matyushenko in his UFC debut on American soil. Following the unanimous decision loss, he suffered a TKO setback against Australian up-and-comer James Te Huna. In his most recent bout, Pokrajac submitted an undersized James Irvin in the first round to record his first UFC win.
Given the lopsided odds, Pokrajac might be worth a bet. Bonnar's inconsistency, lackluster wrestling and wild style have led to his downfall on more than one occasion. But Bonnar's decisive edge in experience competing against elite fighters in the UFC could be the difference-maker come Saturday night.
Michael Johnson (8-4) vs. Jonathan Brookins (11-3)
My pick to win this season of "The Ultimate Fighter" from Day 1, Brookins could be in for a tough test against a fellow member of "Team GSP" in Johnson.
Brookins already picked up several notable wins in his MMA career before "TUF" and, at 25, he's only getting started. Brookins has stoppage victories over Canadian WEC veteran Yves Jabouin and Peruvian Bellator veteran Luis Palomino.
Although Brookins had previously dropped close decisions to Harris Sarmiento and Greg Loughran, his first stoppage loss was dealt to him by current WEC featherweight king and pound-for-pound wrecking machine Jose Aldo, who was recently named "Fighter of the Year" at the 2010 World MMA Awards.
It is worth noting Brookins lasted longer with Aldo than most other opponents and he has improved his game significantly since his lone WEC appearance in November 2008.
A solid wrestler, the Gracie Barra Orlando pupil has dominated his opposition in the "TUF" house, defeating Ran Weathers, Sevak Magakian, Sako Chivitchian and Kyle Watson.
The 24-year-old Johnson, meanwhile, has suffered several submission losses throughout his career, exposing a clear weakness in his repertoire.
The Springfield Fight Club product, who has recently trained at Greg Jackson's academy in New Mexico, has showcased improvement with each passing fight on the reality show.
St-Pierre's first pick for his team, Johnson victimized Pablo Garza, Aaron Wilkinson, Alex Caceres and Nam Phan to advance to the finals.
Both coming from wrestling backgrounds, Brookins and Johnson excel in similar areas, but Johnson should possess a slight size advantage over the former featherweight.
St-Pierre's personal project Brookins has faced and beaten better fighters than Johnson in the past, which makes him a clear favorite over St-Pierre's No. 1 pick in a fight that will likely go all three rounds.
Demian Maia (13-2) vs. Kendall Grove (12-7)
Sublime submissions will be the order of the day as Maia and Grove meet in a thrilling middleweight encounter.
Maia, a 2nd degree BJJ black belt, is one of the best in the sport when it comes to his ground game. He submitted five straight opponents in the UFC, including Chael Sonnen, before suffering his first career loss — a 21-second knockout at the hands of Nate Marquardt.
On short notice, Maia accepted a fight against middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 112, but he was unable to get the champion down to the floor. As a result, he was outclassed on his feet by Silva over five rounds, losing a unanimous decision in the process.
In his last bout, the 33-year-old Brazilian southpaw controlled compatriot Mario Miranda over three rounds to take home a unanimous decision win of his own.
Already a world-renowned submission wizard, Maia has demonstrated improved hands over his last number of appearances. In particular, his boxing was key in his win over Dan Miller in February.
The 28-year-old Hawaiian Grove won the third season of "The Ultimate Fighter" after dispatching Ross Pointon, Kalib Starnes and Ed Herman.
Grove's potential seemed limitless as he submitted durable middleweight Alan Belcher before back-to-back knockout losses to Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera.
Over the past two years, Grove has beaten the late Evan Tanner, Jake Rosholt and Goran Reljic, while suffering defeats at the hands of Ricardo Almeida and Mark Munoz.
A longtime training partner of UFC legend B.J. Penn, Grove, like his opponent, continues to build on his dangerous submissions by developing his striking. However, Grove's loss to Almeida in August 2009 proved his vulnerability against other elite grapplers the caliber of his opponent.
The true question lies in if Grove's striking is dangerous enough to threaten Maia, whose BJJ credentials are leaps and bounds ahead of his. Unless the confident Hawaiian can stun Maia with a big shot, he will find himself at the mercy of Maia's relentless top control.
Johny Hendricks (9-0); vs. Rick Story (11-3)
Quality welterweight prospects on impressive winning streaks are set to face off on Saturday night.
The 27-year-old Hendricks is a two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion, three-time Big 12 conference champion and four-time All-American at Oklahoma State University. His wrestling background is among the most impressive of any fighter in the UFC's welterweight division.
The Team Takedown member, whose training partners include Rosholt and WEC veteran Shane Roller, is unbeaten in nine pro bouts.
After a brief stint in the WEC, Hendricks surprised Amir Sadollah with a first-round stoppage in his August 2009 UFC debut. Since that victory, Hendricks has continued to impress critics who deemed him a one-dimensional wrestler, defeating formidable opponents Ricardo Funch, T.J. Grant and Charlie Brenneman. As evidenced by his five knockout wins, the heavy-handed Hendricks is hardly a one trick pony.
Story, a well-rounded 26-year-old Washington native, has been on a four-fight winning tear since a decision loss to British standout John Hathaway in June 2009.
The Brave Legion team member has vanquished several notable adversaries. He won a decision against powerful IFL veteran and current UFC contender Jake Ellenberger. He submitted H.I.T. Squad product Brian Foster. And, this past August, he stopped crafty submission magician Dustin Hazelett.
With only three years of experience and 14 fights already under his belt, Story is proving to be the real deal in a division filled with hungry competitors.
This is an example of great matchmaking from UFC vice president of talent relations Joe Silva. It is difficult to pick a clear-cut favorite, but Hendricks has yet to end up on the receiving end of an offensive assault from a powerful opponent. If Story can let his hands fly and stuff Hendricks' takedowns, which is easier said than done, he will become the first man to beat him.
Leonard Garcia (14-6-1) vs. Nam Phan (16-7)
This late featherweight addition will be an entertaining war.
A longtime WEC competitor, the 31-year-old Garcia is actually making his UFC return, where he lost a hard-fought decision to Roger Huerta in April 2007.
He was initially slated to compete on the undercard of this event against Tyler Toner, but the showman has ended up back on the televised portion.
Garcia's WEC run had its ups and downs. Knockout wins over Hiroyuki Takaya and Jens Pulver in 2008 earned Garcia a title shot, but he was submitted by then-champion Mike Thomas Brown at WEC 39.
Although both decisions were controversial, Garcia won "Fight of the Night" for his split draw against George Roop and his split decision win over Chan Sung Jung this past year. The crowd-pleasing Greg Jackson prodigy is coming off a split decision loss to dynamic Canadian kickboxer Mark Hominick in September.
Phan, 27, is coming off a razor-thin decision loss to Johnson in a semifinal bout on this past season of "The Ultimate Fighter." Leading up to that fight, Phan had defeated Mike Budnik, Spencer Paige and Cody McKenzie.
A BJJ black belt and Muay Thai practitioner, the Vietnamese-American Phan is a veteran of several notable promotions, including World Victory Road's Sengoku, Strikeforce, King of the Cage and the WEC.
Of his seven career losses, he has dropped bouts to top talent including Michihiro Omigawa, Billy Evangelista, Gesias Cavalcante, Josh Thomson and Rob McCullough. His key wins include Hideki Kadowaki, Shad Smith and Ryan Diaz.
As is the case with most of Garcia's bouts, he will engage Phan in a fire-fight. Fans can expect an evenly matched featherweight clash with both fighters trading blows over the course of 15 minutes.
An early candidate for "Fight of the Night," Garcia will be targeting his third career knockout as Phan looks to prove his worth in the UFC's featherweight division.
After a lightweight run on this season of "TUF," Phan is making a wise career move by dropping to 145 pounds. Garcia is a tough opponent for his first test in the promotion, but a lively and hard-fought performance could cement Phan as a future fixture in the UFC.
