Who’s Next? Four Reasons To Watch The TUF 22 Finale

In the middle of the UFC’s jam packed three day extravaganza in which they have scheduled three cards in three days (December 10-12) lies The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 22 Finale which will go down live and free on FOX Sports 1 from Las Vegas, Nevada.

The TUF 22 Finale has quite a difficult task on its hands as it will be the lead in to arguably the biggest fight card in promotional history. Of course we can’t expect it to live up to our expectations for Saturday night (December 12, 2015), but it could be worth spending your Friday night watching.

With some solid fights throughout, and a highly intriguing main event/co-main-event duo, let’s take a look at four reasons why you should tune in to watch this card unfold:

New York based welterweight Ryan LaFlare has the potential to make some noise in the 170-pound division, but he is unfortunately coming off of the first loss of his career in the first main event of his career against Demian Maia last March.

LaFlare showed some bright spots throughout the bout, but was ultimately outclassed by the savvy Brazilian veteran. The Long Island Native remains 4-1 in the UFC, however, as well as 11-1 in his professional career and will have the chance to regroup when he meets Mike Pierce.

Pierce has won four out of his last five, but hasn’t competed since 2013 when he was on the wrong end of a controversial submission hold that ultimately resulted in an unnecessary injury. He is now set to return, however, and it will be intriguing to see what form he shows up in.

Can LaFlare bounce back, or will Pierce have a successful return?

3. The Bonus Machine

No matter what the rest of the card looks like, and no matter the circumstances, if you’re a true fight you should always tune in to see Joe Lauzon scrap it out.

“J-Lau” currently holds the record for the most post-fight bonuses (13) which should tell you enough about who he is as a fighter. Win, lose, or draw, Lauzon has always left everything he’s had in the Octagon which typically transpires into quite an entertaining fight.

He’s won three out of his last four with two coming by way of stoppage, and is always looking for the finish whether it be on the feet or on the ground.

Lauzon will return next week on this card to take on another veteran in Evan Dunham

Dunham has won his last two UFC bouts, and should provide a solid test for his counterpart.

If you want to see a large amount of madness, a large amount of blood, or an exciting finish, you should undoubtedly watch for this reason.

2. Lightweight Craziness

When considering the most crafty, the most skillful, and the most high risk taking lightweights, Tony Ferguson and Edson Barboza easily come to mind. Fortunately for fans, the two will square off next week.

Ferguson has been on a tear as of late, winning his last six bouts with four by way of finish. “El Cucuy” is extremely unpredictable, and is usually willing to try out some uncommon moves in the cage, especially on the ground where he strives.

The Brazilian on the other hand is more of a striker, and an explosive and dangerous one at that. A winner of three of his last four, Barboza is known for his absolutely vicious Muay Thai skills and his ability to seemingly throw everything but the kitchen sink at his opponents with absolutely devastating power.

I can’t see this bout producing anything but fireworks, and the winner could find himself in line for a big time fight at 155-pounds.

1. Who’s Next?

It’s no secret that all eyes are on the weekend’s main attraction: the long-awaited featherweight title unification bout between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor which is set for the main event of UFC 194.

However, that’s not all for the 145-pound division, as another crucial and highly anticipated showdown will headline the TUF 22 Finale as top contenders Chad “Money” Mendes and Frankie “The Answer” Edgar clash.

When it comes to matching up the best that a division has to offer, it doesn’t get much better than this.

“Money”, a multi-time title challenger, has seemed to only stumble when facing the elite as shown by his two loses to Aldo, and one to McGregor. However, he is a freak athlete, with a strong wrestling background, and powerful striking which has helped him remain atop the division for years.

Edgar on the other hand is a former lightweight champion, and has run through everything in his path at featherweight except for of course Aldo. “The Answer” also has a strong wrestling pedigree, coupled with a fluent, and crisp boxing skill set.

Mendes vs. Edgar has long been a bout fight fans have hoped for, and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. With the title set to be defended the very next day, the winner of this bout will likely find themselves as the next title challenger.

That being said, tune in to see ….. who’s next?