Preview: ‘The Ultimate Fighter 20’ Finale

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WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHTS

Felice Herrig (9-5, 0-0 UFC) vs. Lisa Ellis (15-8, 0-0 UFC): Herrig, a former muay Thai competitor and self-marketer extraordinaire, takes on fellow veteran Ellis. Herrig makes excellent use of her lead leg, peppering with front kicks and quick shots to the leg and body, and she can string together slick punch-kick combinations as she dives forward into her wheelhouse: the clinch. She is not a dominating athlete, however, and gets hit way too much. Ellis is reasonably well-rounded, as befits a 10-year veteran, but she is at her best on the ground, where she has a great nose for the submission. The pick here is Herrig by clear decision.

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHTS

Tecia Torres (4-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Angela Magana (11-6, 0-0 UFC): Torres, a brutally strong and explosive athlete, offers a fun blend of powerful wrestling and unorthodox range striking. She does her best work in close quarters, as she bombs away on clinch breaks and with her opponent’s back to the fence, and she fills in the gaps at range with side and spinning kicks before blasting explosive doubles and working top control. Magana is a better fighter than her record suggests, especially on the ground, but there is no real reason to think she is in Torres’ class. “The Tiny Tornado” by dominating decision is the pick.

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHTS

Joanne Calderwood (8-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. Seo Hee Ham (15-5, 0-0 UFC): Due to an injury to “Ultimate Fighter” competitor Justine Kish, the UFC signed touted South Korean prospect Ham to fill the slot; she takes on Calderwood, the second seed in “The Ultimate Fighter 20” tournament. Calderwood boasts as close to a pure Thai style as exists in present-day MMA. She stays extremely light on her lead leg, tossing out long front kicks and jabs to push her opponent toward the fence. Once on the inside, Calderwood goes to work with an exceptional clinch repertoire of vicious knees, slashing elbows and strong control that benefits from the leverage provided by her rangy frame. She uses dumps and trips to good effect and from top position can hold down her opponent and throw solid ground strikes. Ham, nicknamed “Hamderlei,” has a frankly awesome and highly varied repertoire of skills. She has professional experience as a kickboxer, and she packs big power in her southpaw kickboxing, counter-wrestles well and boasts slick transitions on the ground; like many fighters we have seen out of South Korea, however, Ham’s striking defense is an afterthought at best. The problem for Ham in this matchup is the size difference. She is a natural atomweight, and Calderwood will have four inches of height and presumably some weight on the smaller fighter. That drastically shrinks Ham’s effective range and amplifies Calderwood’s skill advantage in the clinch, which is where she should and will attempt to push the fight. Calderwood by decision over a game Ham, who will undoubtedly have her moments, is the pick.

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHTS

Emily Kagan (3-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Angela Hill (1-0, 0-0 UFC): Two raw but talented fighters will face off as Kagan takes on Hill. Kagan dropped a unanimous decision to the aforementioned Calderwood in the first round of the tournament, while Hill, who had only fought once as a professional before the show, was dominated in the wrestling department by top seed Carla Esparza. Kagan is a strong clinch fighter and decent grappler, but her chin pops straight up in the air whenever she throws strikes at range. Hill is a tremendous athlete with great physical tools, power and upside, but she is raw everywhere. I like Hill here on the basis of that upside -- she seemed to benefit tremendously from the professional training on “The Ultimate Fighter” -- and I think she can take a decision from Kagan.

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHTS

Bec Rawlings (5-3, 0-0 UFC) vs. Heather Clark (6-4, 0-0 UFC): While not a particularly athletic fighter, Rawlings is durable and down to trade leather in the pocket, where she drops lovely punching combinations. She makes good use of her rangy frame and leverage with strong work in the clinch, and she has a decent submission repertoire on the ground. However, her wrestling is a major weak point, and defense is essentially an afterthought. Clark has good instincts for submissions in transition and quick, crisp hands, but she lacks much of a wrestling or kicking game. The pick here is Rawlings by decision in a fun, back-and-forth fight.

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHTS

Aisling Daly (14-5, 0-0 UFC) vs. Alex Chambers (4-1, 0-0 UFC): Daly, who fights out of SBG Ireland alongside Conor McGregor and Cathal Pendred, has an unorthodox but effective style focused on stance switches, crisp punching combinations, a broken rhythm and generally effective wrestling and grappling games. Chambers can crack a little bit on the feet and has quick hands, but the real strength of her game lies in her lightning-quick transition and scrambling ability. This should be a fun fight, but I like Daly’s advantages in experience and striking to get her a decision win.

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