Tomorrow night at UFC Vegas 35, we will see a new Ultimate Fighter crowned in the bantamweight division. The finale tomorrow night features two members of Team Volkanovski as Ricky Turcios (10-2) takes on Brady Hiestand (5-1).
This is a tremendous matchup at UFC Vegas 35 and the story of two very different fighters. On one hand you have Hiestand. Hiestand is what you think of when you think of guys from The Ultimate Fighter.
He’s a very talented prospect with a good wrestling skills and is somewhat well-rounded. However, there are parts of his game that still need developing, but that hasn’t stood in the way of the 22 year old getting this far.
On the other hand you have Ricky Turcios. The UFC has had their eyes on Turcios for some time now. He appeared on the very first episode of Dana White’s Contender Series where he lost to Boston Salmon.
It took going through The Ultimate Fighter, but Turcios has worked his way back onto the UFC scene. Turcios definitely has the experience edge heading into tomorrow night.
UFC Vegas 35 Prediction
I think that we are going to know a lot about this contest at UFC Vegas 35 in the opening minute or two. For Hiestand, he’s going to have to get this fight to the ground. I don’t believe he has developed the striking to beat a guy like Turcios from the outside.
Turcios has good striking and he also does a really good job with distance control. To go along with that, Turcios also has good skills on the mat and is very slick off his back.
For Hiestand to become the UFC’s next Ultimate Fighter, he has to be able to get Turcios to the ground and control him. I think that Hiestand has the strength to do it if it gets there, but I’m not sure it will.
In the end, I just believe the experience and the sharper skills of Turcios will play out tomorrow night. The UFC’s next Ultimate Fighter winner is going to be the bantamweight from Houston: Ricky Turcios.
Prediction: Ricky Turcios by Unanimous Decision