Saturday marked another card hosted by the UFC at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada for The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 Finale.
While some pundits complained about a lack of action on the card, the two newest TUF winners looked like immediate contenders in their respective bantamweight divisions with impressive stoppage wins on the card.
Julianna Pena, who always seems to be cast as the underdog, became the first female TUF winner in the company’s 20-year history, scoring a solid TKO over Jessica Rakoczy.
Chris Holdsworth, while perhaps not quite as marketable, looked every bit as dominant in his submission win over Davey Grant.
Finally, perennial lightweight contenders Nate Diaz and Gray Maynard settled their trilogy in decisive fashion.
Check out the biggest winners and losers from the TUF 18 Finale this weekend.
BIGGEST WINNER
Julianna Pena – “The Venezuelan Vixen” made all of her competition from this season of TUF look like amateurs, finishing off all three fighters inside three rounds.
Tough to say how good Jessica Rakoczy’s striking actually is based on her performance against Pena, since she got taken down and beat up until the fight was stopped.
Pena’s grappling, aggression and underrated striking make her a welcome addition to the women’s 135-pound roster. The fact she has already aired out her hatred for champ Ronda Rousey only adds to her allure.
WINNER
Chris Holdsworth – Known for this slick submission game, Holdsworth once again showcased his superior striking game before taking Davey Grant down to the mat and locking up a suffocating rear-naked choke.
Holdsworth’s striking and wrestling is more than proficient enough to set up his elite jiu-jitsu against just about anybody at 135 pounds if he performs up to his potential.
WINNER
Nate Diaz – Both Nate Diaz and Gray Maynard desperately needed a win on Saturday, but it looked like only the Stockton bad boy showed up.
Diaz’s boxing looked as crisp as ever, and even when “The Bully” got the fight to the ground, he looked slow and lackadaisical. While Diaz may not fight for a title again, remains a top 10 mainstay at 155 pounds.
WINNER
Raquel Pennington – Pennington showcased excellent wrestling and submission know-how against a high-level BJJ black belt in Roxanne Modaferri, nearly scoring a tap out of her own as the fight drew to a close.
Her striking and heart remain her best assets and its hard to say what her ceiling is with a 4-3 record after seven pro bouts, but for now, she is definitely worth keeping on the UFC roster.
BIGGEST LOSER
Gray Maynard – With the TKO loss to Diaz, the former two-time UFC title challenger is now a hardly fathomable 1-3(1) in his past five bouts.
“The Bully” looked like anything but against Diaz, just appearing to be in a daze long before the brutal finishing sequence that went on for far too long. Don’t be shocked if Maynard is handed his walking papers by the middle of the week.
LOSER
Jessica Rakoczy – An elite boxer? Sure. A well-rounded MMA fighter … not even close. Rakoczy got embarrassingly outclassed on the ground, having absolutely no idea how to escape from mount as she got punched and elbowed into oblivion.
At 36 years old, it’s truly incredible she even made it to the finals of the competition. The reality though is she doesn’t deserve another UFC fight with a 1-4(1) MMA record.
LOSER
Davey Grant – Grant badly wanted to prove he was not gifted a spot in the finals after Anthony Gutierrez missed weight for their semifinals matchup. That didn’t happen against a far superior Chris Holdsworth.
The Englishmen shouldn’t fret though, as he entered this bout on the strength of an eight-fight win streak and possesses technical striking and a decent submission game in his own right.
LOSER
Roxanne Modafferi – A pioneer of women’s MMA, making her pro debut in November 2003 and winning two championships, “The Happy Warrior” has now somehow lost six fights in a row.
That statistic speaks for itself: retirement is clearly the best option for Modafferi at this point in her career.