A new champion will be crowned at The Ultimate Fighter Season 26 Finale early on Saturday morning, as the reality show reaches its conclusion with the victor taking the newly-formed women’s flyweight crown.
Finalists Nicco Montano and Sijara Eubanks were due to clash in the finale, but Eubanks was hospitalised due to an excessive weight cut leading to reported kidney failure. Defeated semi-finalist Roxanne Modafferi replaces Eubanks and will look to live up to her number one seeding.
Modafferi is one of the elite flyweights in the world and is vastly more experienced than Montano with thirty-four professional bouts to just five. The division itself could have an interesting future with the likelihood of bringing in talents such as Jennifer Maia, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane and KSW champion Ariane Lipski.
We take a look at three fights outside of the main event that spark interest!
Sean O’Malley vs. Terrion Ware
The co-main event features Dana White’s Contender Series standout Sean O’Malley taking on Terrion Ware in a much-anticipated bantamweight bout. O’Malley gained his third consecutive first-round knockout over Alfred Khashakyan with the most-talked-about performance of the season.
Ware was on the wrong side of a decision in his octagon debut, losing to Cody Stamann at featherweight. He has spent most his career at bantamweight and returns to his more natural weight to take on the prospect, Sean O’Malley.
Does the twenty-three-year-old maintain his perfect record and get his UFC career off to the dream start, or does Ware upset the odds in Las Vegas?
Joe Soto vs. Brett Johns
@JoeSoto135 takes on @36Johns to kick off the @FS1 main card! #TUFFinale
Wales’ own Brett Johns makes the journey across the Atlantic to take on former bantamweight challenger Joe Soto in the main card opener.
Soto was handed a baptism of fire on his octagon debut, when he stepped in at short notice to challenge TJ Dillashaw for the bantamweight title. Soto eventually was defeated in the fifth round by Dillashaw and went on to lose his next two bouts, sliding to 0-3 in the octagon. The American has turned things around with three consecutive wins over Chris Beal, Marco Beltran and Rani Yahya putting himself back on the fringes of the top fifteen.
Undefeated Welshman Brett Johns will be hoping to make it a perfect fifteen wins out of fifteen professional bouts. At just twenty-five, Johns may represent the UK’s greatest chance of a future champion after the de-throning of Michael Bisping. Johns had picked up the bantamweight titles in Cage Warriors, Pain Pit and Titan FC prior to joining the UFC.
It represents Johns’ toughest challenge yet, but will he step up to the plate?
Eric Spicely vs. Gerald Meerschaert
Two submission specialists meet in the middleweight division with jiu-jitsu black belt Eric Spicely taking on brown belt Gerald Meerschaert.
Eric Spicely enters the octagon for the fifth time after going 2-2 since signing for the UFC, with all four fights ending by submission. Spicely was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter Season 23, losing in the semi-final to eventual winner Andrew Sanchez.
Meerschaert was victorious in his opening two fights in the organisation, submitting both Joe Gigliotti and Ryan Janes, with his win over Gigliotti earned a performance of the night bonus with a beautiful anaconda choke. A loss to Brazilian Thiago Santos at UFC 213 put the American in the loss column and he will look to bounce back on Friday evening!
It sets the foundations for a big weekend with UFC 218 taking place on Saturday evening featuring a STACKED card! Stay tuned for all the UFC coverage.
TUF 26 Finale Full Fight Card
Main Card (BT Sport 3AM)
Women’s Flyweight Title: Nicco Montano vs. Roxanne Modafferi
Bantamweight: Sean O’Malley vs. Terrion Ware
Women’s Flyweight: Lauren Murphy vs. Barb Honchak
Middleweight: Eric Spicely vs. Gerald Meerschaert
Women’s Flyweight: Deanna Bennet vs. Melinda Fabian
Bantamweight: Joe Soto vs. Brett Johns
Prelims (BT Sport 1AM)
Women’s Flyweight: Christina Marks vs. Montana De La Rosa
Middleweight: Andrew Sanchez vs. Ryan Janes
Women’s Flyweight: Rachael Ostovich vs. Karine Gevorgyan
Women’s Flyweight: Ariel Beck vs. Shana Dobson
Early Prelim (UFC Fight Pass 00:30AM)
Women’s Flyweight: Gillian Robertson vs. Emily Whitmire
