Post TUF 8 Finale…What now for the fighters?

The Ultimate Fighter 8 Season is over, the winners for the season were 155lber Efrain Escudero and 205lber Ryan Bader.  Both guys have proven themselves as legit fighters who will fit in very well to the UFC ranks.  We all know that they get an exclusive 6-figure contract from the UFC, which will give them at least two years with the organization (pending they win more than they lose).  Efrain and Bader have both secured their position in the UFC for the time-being, so this post is going to primarily focus on the undercard fighters and losers of last night’s event, what will the UFC do with them and how to they fit into the premiere MMA organization of the world?  After the jump you’ll find an in-depth look on all of last night’s fighters and their future….

The Winners

Ryan Bader:

Not only was he the underdog coming into the fight with Vinny, but he looked to be just a one-dimensional wrestler with some power.  Not only did he come out last night and beat Vinny, but he knocked him out on the feet, something a lot of people didn’t see coming.  The overhand right he threw didn’t even fully connect, but the power running down his arm and into his fist was so much that a glancing blow to Vinny’s head was the beginning of the end for the ace ju-jitsu black belt.  Ryan trains with a strong up-and-coming team that is Arizona Combat Sports, he was an elite collegiate wrestling champion, and he’s currently undefeated in MMA with a record of 9-0-0.  Bader’s only 25 years old, he’s got so much time to improve and become even more devastating than he already is, I think right now the UFC could put him in with some of the veteran light-heavyweight fighters and I firmly believe Bader could come out on top.

Proposed next fight for Ryan Bader: Eric Schafer.

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Efrain Escudero:

Not a lot of people gave the 22 year old Arizona wrestler much of a chance against the famed Phillipe Nover, myself included.  Efrain game into the finale with an excellent gameplan, and won a decisive decision over Nover.  I was impressed, not only by his ability to get the fight to the ground, but to keep Nover from utilizing any of his slick submission skills.  Efrain looked in the third round the same he did in the first, fresh and hungry, fast and powerful.  He knew exactly what to do in order to secure his victory, and he did it flawlessly.  I was impressed.  The UFC lightweight division is stacked, any MMA fan knows this….from Nate Diaz to Kenny Florian, there’s a long line of contenders who are going nowhere but up.  Where does Efrain fit into this?  In my opinion I think you could put him right in there with the best of them and get him some solid wins.  I’d personally love to see Efrain fight a guy like Matt Wiman or Spencer Fisher, credible opponents who are doing fairly well in the UFC but haven’t staked their claim into contender-ship for BJ Penn’s lightweight belt.  I don’t see a need to throw cans into Efrain’s path, he’s 11-0 right now and looking good.

Proposed next fight for Efrain Escudero: Spencer Fisher, Matt Wiman, Manny Gamburyan, or Kurt Pellegrino.

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Wilson Gouveia:

I, like a lot of people I know who deeply follow MMA, hate it when a fighter fails to make weight, it shows a lack of discipline, and complete disregard for the organization you fight for and the opponent you’re going to be fighting.  Wilson came in 4lbs heavy for the 185lb clash with Jason MacDonald last night, doctors wouldn’t let him cut anymore weight, so the fight was fought at a catchweight of 189lbs.  Wilson got docked 20% of his purse, which came out to a little over $9.000, which MacDonald received.  I’m not saying that Wilson’s failing to make weight was any extra help in his win over Jason, Wilson is clearly the better fighter on all levels and he proved that last night.  I personally don’t care for Wilson on a personal level, but you can’t deny the guy packs some serious skills and power to go along with it.  I love the fact that he is fighting at 185 now, I think he’s a perfect fit for the division IF he can make weight from now on (which I think he will).  The middleweight division in the UFC is filled with a lot of legit talent, and as of right now there’s nobody who’s really deserving of a shot at Anderson Silva’s belt.  I think Wilson slides right into the mix of rising contenders though, and I think that he’s going to get really tested in his next fight…

Proposed next fight for Wilson Gouveia: Michael Bisping, Nate Marquardt, Damian Maia, or Thales Leites.

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Anthony Johnson:

One perfectly timed kick ended his fight last night in beautiful fashion.  Knockouts like that can really put a fighter on the map as a threat to all other fighters.  Anthony Johnson is a serious threat to every 170lb fighter in the UFC, make no mistake.  He’s an amazing athlete with striking that gets better and better each time we see him, add to that his already stellar wrestling pedigree and you’ve the makings for a serious contender given he keeps on winning.  I forsee Johnson making a serious run next year and ending up in the #1 contender spot by 2010, I think this guy is the future of the welterweight division and I know I’m not alone on that.  He trains with an excellent camp which includes the famed Cung Le, and one of the most exciting and top lighweights out of the UFC, John “The Punk” Thomson.  Anthony doesn’t have enough wins in the UFC to put him in there with guys like Koscheck or Parisyan, but I think he can handle himself with almost eveyone else…

Proposed next fight for Anthony Johnson: Tamden McCrory, Luigi Fioravanti, or Pete Sell.

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Junie Browning:

Last night, Junie showed all of us a bunch of new things that make him a threat.  His maturity, combined with his improved striking and submission game make him a nice, new addition to the UFC lightweight division.  To be honest though, I don’t think he’s ready for any of the established fighters.  He’s still too uncertain right now, maybe tossing him a few new guys with good records will give the fans and spectators a good idea on how good he really is.  Dave Kaplan I thought was a good test for him, and I’d like to see him continue to get guys like that or maybe a little better before really throwing him in there with some competition.

Proposed next fight for Junie Browning: Justin Buchholz, Rob Emerson, Per Eklund.

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Krzysztof Soszynski:

Last night he looked okay….I figured he’d beat Shane Primm, but a lot earlier than he did.  He’s a tested IFL veteran with a decent record of 16-8-1, with a majority of his losses coming by way TKO…which says to me that his durability is questionable and not as good as some might think.  I saw him get wobbled last night by a punch he received from Primm, and I saw him get dropped pretty good in a fight he had with the IFL.  I think he thinks he’s better than he really is, and outside of new guys like Primm, I honestly don’t see a big, dominant future for him in the UFC.  I’d like to see him tested against a solid 205lb striker as well to see how durable he really is…

Proposed next fight for Krzysztof Soszynski: Houston Alexander, Stephan Bonnar, or Antonio Mendes.

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Eliot Marshall:

Last night he submitted the 0-0-0 Jules Bruchez with a rear-naked choke in under 1:30.  Not a big feat for a well accomplished BJJ black belt like Marshal is.  I do think he’s got a lot of talent, more so than a majority of the other 205lbers that were on the season with the exception of Bader.  I think as time goes on, he’ll become a possible contender given he learns how to either stop getting taken down from dominant wrestlers, or improves his striking (which if I may say looked good last night, but once again it was against  guy in his pro debut).  Right now, Eliot’s at the bottom of the food chain, but I think he’ll get a guy in his next fight who’s style is near identical to his…

Proposed next fight for Eliot Marshall: Eric Schafer, Andre Gusmao.

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Tom Lawlor:

Tom won a unanimous decision over Kyle Kingsbury last night, and now sports a pro record on 5-1-1 (his lone loss coming by was of DQ against former castmate Shane Primm).  I like Tom, his attitude is great and I think he’s got decent skills.  I honestly don’t imagine him sticking around in the UFC much longer though, I think he’ll get thrown to the wolves against a legit LHW coming off a loss, or maybe even another castmate from the show.

Proposed next fight for Tom Lawlor: Houston Alexander, Jon Jones, or Vinny Maghalaes.

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Shane Nelson:

BJ Penn trained student Shane Nelson won a close split decision last night over the durable George Roop, it was an extremely close fight, but I think Shane deserved the win, I felt he took both rounds 1 and 2.  Coming from BJ Penn’s camp, you’re bound to learn something the current UFC lightweight champion teaches, and so I think Shane could be a good addition to the UFC.  He’s still too green though, he got manhandled by Efrain when they fought on the show, I can see him having problems with some serious wrestlers, but I think his other styles are pretty good.

Proposed next fight for Shane Nelson: Kyle Bradley, Rolando Delgado, or Rob Emerson.

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Rolando Delgado:

I like this kid, I liked him due to his ability to take the fight with Junie Browning to a controversial decision.  He ate some serious shots in that fight but never prevented him from bringing it.  He’s got heart and that can take you a long way, not to mention a BJJ black belt.  He defeated friend and former teammate John Polakowski last night via a guillotine choke in round 2 in what was a pretty good first fight for the event.  I think he’s too small for 155, he’s built like me, tall and skinny, not a lot of mass….I can see him getting easily dominated by almost every 155lber with good wrestling and some power.

Proposed next fight for Rolando Delgado: Move to WEC 145lb class and take on a newbie.

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The Losers

Vinny Maghalaes:

Awesome grappler that might have less durability than he thinks.  You chose to stand with Bader last night, thinking your striking was better than is, and in all truth maybe it is, but your power is not, and that’s why you got KTFO.  I think your cockiness makes you a nice addition to the UFC, I’m sure this isn’t the last time you’ll step into the cage for this organization, but right now you’re sporting a 2-3 record, not something the UFC really wants when signing a long-term contract.  So, my recommendation is to hope for the most easily submittable guy in the light heavyweight division for your next fight, pulling guard and taking an arm home.  I think that there is a long list of possible goats for you to slaughter, so take your pick….

Proposed next fight for Vinny Maghalaes: Some can making his UFC debut with little-to-no ground game.

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Phillipe Nover:

I would really be shocked if the UFC didn’t already sign you with a contract that’s right under Efrain’s and Bader’s.  You are a legit fighter with great striking and an even better ground game….your one flaw was shown last night, and that’s your wrestling/takedown defense…..that is a fixable trait, you’re only 24 so there’s no doubt in my mind that you can’t become something great for the division.  I look forward to seeing you bounce back from this loss and start cracking skulls.

Proposed next fight for Phillipe Nover: Dale Hartt, Sam Stout.

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Jason MacDonald:

What else can I say?  You got your ass kicked and once again are now on the losing side of things.  You’ve got well rounded skills, but your inconsitancy makes you the resident 185lb stepping stone, something you said you’d never be.  It sucks because you’re a fan favorite, you always come to fight and you’re not afraid to fight into someones strengths as long as it’s exciting.  You’re a good representative for Canada, I don’t expect the UFC will drop you for that reason, so I’m assuming you’ll be back…

Proposed next fight for Jason MacDonald: Matt Horwich, Rob Kimmons, or Nate Quarry.

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Kevin Burns:

Regardless of the fact that you got KTFO last night, you’ve still got a HUGE win over Roan Carneiro that I think will get you back into the UFC.  Both your fights with Anthony Johnson were good fights, I think you’re a tough bastard and I think you’re a great new fighter for the welterweight division.  I think that the UFC will either give you a pretty easy fight back, or throw you in with one of the best with hopes that you get beat…

Proposed next fight for Kevin Burns: Steve Bruno, Jonathan Goulet, or Rory Markham.

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Dave Kaplan: Out of the UFC

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Shane Primm: Out of the UFC

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Jules Bruchez: Definitely out of the UFC.

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Kyle Kingsbury: Might be back for 1 fight against either a middle-ranked fighter or a can.

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George Roop: See above.

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John Polakowski: Out of the UFC, no doubt in my mind.

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There it is folks, comments would be appreciated…did you like it, hate it, am I out of my friggin’  mind  and a complete MMA idiot or what? Thanks for reading!