Preview: ‘The Ultimate Fighter 20’ Finale

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LIGHTWEIGHTS

K.J. Noons (13-7, 2-2 UFC) vs. Daron Cruickshank (16-5, 6-3 UFC)

THE MATCHUP: Lightweight veterans Noons and Cruickshank will meet in an action matchup that has “Fight of the Night” potential. Noons, a former EliteXC champion and Strikeforce alumnus, has strung together two victories in a row, including a brutal knockout of Sam Stout in April. This will be Cruickshank’s fifth fight of the year, with wins over Anthony Njokuani and Erik Koch sandwiched around a loss to Jorge Masvidal.

Cruickshank, a veteran of the live season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” offers a fun and effective mixture of skills that expand the boundaries of the common wrestle-boxer archetype. A Division III wrestler in college, Cruickshank has also been doing tae kwon do since childhood, and his game blends those two disparate skill bases in interesting and unique ways. He offers offense at every range, with hook, side and round kicks at range, crisp punching and punch-kick combinations moving forward, solid clinch work and quick, explosive double-legs that showcase his speed and power. His takedown defense is excellent, and unless he can be forced to fight against the fence or solely at punching range, his defensive skills are good enough that he is hard to hit cleanly. The only real hole in Cruickshank’s game is his grappling. His top game is average at best, with a mixture of control and decent striking, and he offers nothing off his back. All in all, he is a dangerous and entertaining offensive fighter.

Noons, on the other hand, is more of a traditional sprawl-and-brawler, albeit one with a great deal of experience and highly developed skills. A veteran of 13 professional boxing matches, his hands remain the centerpiece of his approach. He flicks a variety of jabs at range, mixes up his shots to the head and body and throws crisp, mechanically sound power punches with great weight transfer. Noons moves his head off the centerline consistently and excels at returning with counter combinations in the pocket. However, that head movement also brings Noons directly into the path of knees and high kicks, and many opponents have had success tagging him with shots that react to his level changes. His kicking game is limited, and although he is a fine defensive wrestler who stuffs most of his opponents’ shots, he offers no takedowns of his own and is not much of a grappler. Still, Noons can crack on the feet and should not be underestimated in a striking matchup.

BETTING ODDS: Cruickshank (-175), Noons (+155)

THE PICK: The knockout of a shot Stout aside, Noons has not looked great for the last several years, while Cruickshank is coming into his own as a topflight action fighter. I think those trends will continue here. Even at his best, Noons has always been hittable and struggled to defend against skilled wrestlers, and “The Detroit Superstar” is pretty good at both of those things. Add that to the fact that Cruickshank should dominate kicking range with his greater variety and speed, and Noons’ tendency to bob and weave with his head down makes those kicks even more effective. I think Cruickshank will beat him up and take a comfortable decision from the durable but limited Noons.

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