Rani Yahya is 4-1 since coming to the UFC. | Gleidson Venga/Sherdog.com
Two new bouts have been added to “The Ultimate Fighter 18” finale in Las Vegas, as Rani Yahya will meet Tom Niinimaki and Zak Cummings will square off with Sergio Moraes.
Yahya, 28, has won three straight fights heading into his confrontation with the Finnish newcomer. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist kicked off 2013 with a unanimous decision win over ex-Sengoku champion Mizuto Hirota and followed that performance by outpointing “TUF 14” tryout Josh Clopton in August.
Niinimaki, 31, rides an 11-fight winning streak into his UFC debut. The Finn began this year with victories over two big show veterans, first outpointing ex-WEC bantamweight king Chase Beebe before submitting four-time UFC competitor Walel Watson with a second-round kimura last month in Finland.
Cummings, 29, made his welterweight debut on Aug. 28 after a middleweight run on “TUF 17” earlier this year. The five-year pro impressed in his 170-pound foray at UFC Fight Night 27, catching Ben Alloway in a first-round brabo choke and forcing the Australian to tap out.
Moraes also put forth a superior effort in his last Octagon appearance, as the two-time Mundials gold medalist dominated Neil Magny on the mat before cinching a first-round triangle choke at UFC 163. The 31-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert owns seven of his eight career victories via submission and has been stopped just once in nearly seven years of competition.