The Ultimate Fighter Season 21 Finale: Ellenberger vs. Thompson Preview<\/h2>\nWelterweight: Jake Ellenberger vs. Stephen Thompson<\/h3>\n
Stephen \u201cWonderboy\u201d Thompson (10-1) is knocking on the door to atop the UFC Welterweight Division. A kickboxer by trade, Thompson has amassed a 5-1 record in the UFC, winning three fights by knockout or technical knockout. He most recently outpointed veteran Patrick Cote in a lopsided fight back in September of 2014.<\/p>\n
[sc:UFC240banner ]Thompson relies on his otherworldly striking to get him through his fights. Regularly darting in-and-out of range using a karate stance, Thompson has outstruck all six of his opponents in the UFC a combined 279-189 with five knockdowns.<\/p>\n
And Wonderboy isn\u2019t just a striker anymore. He\u2019s added a strong takedown defense and an efficient offense by training with UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman. Thompson has avoided 77 percent of takedowns against him.<\/p>\n
But Thompson regularly fights with his hands way low to push off takedown attempts. That should leave plenty of openings for Jake \u201cThe Juggernaut\u201d Ellenberger (30-9) to land one of his bombs on Wonderboy\u2019s chin. Ellenberger is a strong wrestler with a penchant for knocking out his opponents. The Juggernaut has the second-most knockdowns in the UFC Welterweight Division with eight.<\/p>\n But Ellenberger has a bad habit of shelling up when his opponents bring in the pressure. He failed to open up in a TKO loss to welterweight champ Robbie Lawler and a decision loss to Rory MacDonald. Ellenberger also fought rather horrendously in his last outing, a second-round submission win over Josh Koscheck. He remained flat-footed and over cautious against a fighter he should have steamrolled in the first.<\/p>\n Writer\u2019s prediction:<\/strong> Thompson forces Ellenberger into a shell with a few well-placed counters. Wonderboy forces the TKO stoppage in the third round with a head kick and follow-up punches.<\/p>\n American Top Team put their trust in Hayder Hassan (5-1) in the 21st<\/sup> season of The Ultimate Fighter. Hassan fought three times over the course of the show, taking decision wins over Felipe Portela and Vicente Luque as well as a 48-second TKO victory over Andrews Nakahara. Hassan excels in keeping his opponents at bay with a crisp jab and stringing along straight punch combinations.<\/p>\n But Hassan routinely leaves himself open to takedowns; he was taken down four times in his fight against Luque. The American Top Team product\u2019s weak takedown defense bodes well for the wrestler in Kamaru Usman (6-1). The Blackzillians fighter notched decision wins over Michael Graves and Steve Carl in the show. But he doesn\u2019t just control you on the mat; Usman also has plenty of knockout power. Usman has finished all of his professional wins by technical knockout.<\/p>\n Writer\u2019s prediction:<\/strong> Usman wrestles Hassan to a unanimous decision.<\/p>\n Michael Graves (4-0) is a promising prospect fighting out of the American Top Team camp. A wrestler before transitioning to MMA, Graves is the complete fighter that you could only wish for. He has power in his strikes (he has three wins by TKO) and competent grappling.<\/p>\n Graves will face one of the Blackzillians\u2019 better fighters in Vicente Luque (7-4). The Brazilian has finished three of his seven professional wins by knockout and another three by submission. He also has an underrated wrestling ability to put opponents on the mat.<\/p>\n Writer\u2019s prediction:<\/strong> Luque submits Graves in the first round.<\/p>\n After a controversial split-decision loss to up-and-comer Al Iaquinta at lightweight, veteran Jorge \u201cGamebred\u201d Masvidal (28-9) decided to move up a weight class to save him from brutal weight cuts. Gamebred is one of the more well-rounded fighters on the roster capable of hurting his opponents with his strikes as well as finishing fights with sneaky submisisons. He faces a tough opponent in Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira (8-4), a former middlweight.<\/p>\n Ferreira is your typical glass cannon. He can hurt and finish you early in fights with brutal knockout power and a competent submission game. But he can also get knocked out by just one opportune strike to the chin.\u00a0Being a heftier fighter coming from the middleweight division, Ferreira isn\u2019t doing his chin a favor as dehydration could leave him vulnerable to knockouts.<\/p>\n![\"Jake](\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Jake-Ellenberger-600x399.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWelterweight: Hayder Hassan vs. Kamaru Usman<\/h3>\n
Welterweight: Michael Graves vs. Vicente Luque<\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Vicente-Luque-600x337.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWelterweight: Jorge Masvidal vs. Cezar Ferreira<\/h3>\n
![\"Michelle](\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Michelle-Waterson-600x400.jpg\")
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