UFC Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale: About Last Night

Why a picture of Mark Coleman and CM Punk? Because one is an under-appreciated pioneer and the other is "The Best in the World!" (photo by Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC / Zuffa LLC for Getty Images)

Saturday’s Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale proved to be an entertaining – albeit it somewhat Bellator-ish – event that produced some exciting performances, interesting developments, and more than a few moments where we can once again criticize the officiating.

Let’s get into it, shall we?

Urijah Faber: #3 and Holding

People like to pick at “The California Kid” for his recent track record in championship fights (0-5), but you have to give Faber credit: he beats absolutely everyone they put in front of him that doesn’t hold a belt.

Saturday night, he was just a touch faster and more fluid than Scott Jorgensen, and took advantage of a fourth-round mistake to sink in a rear naked choke on his friend, earning his second consecutive submission win. The trouble for Faber – as we talked about before the fight for ufc.com – is that at this point in his career, he’s kind of limited in terms of his movement up the ladder and what wins like this can do for his career.

Faber is entrenched as the #3 bantamweight in the world, but moving up doesn’t look like it’s going to happen any time soon, if at all. He was soundly beaten by interim champion Renan Barao last summer in Calgary, and came up short when he faced off with arch rival Dominick Cruz the previous July. He’s proven he can beat any and all non-champions, but with his championship struggles, how quickly will the UFC be looking to get him back into another title fight?

My guess is Faber will have at least one more non-title fight before potentially getting a rematch with Barao, but that could change depending on what happens at the top of the division. In the meantime, I really wish MMA fans would take 12 seconds to see just how difficult it is to do what Faber’s doing, and give the lighter weight class pioneer the respect and recognition he deserves.

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