'The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale' Preview

Marcus Jones vs. Matt Mitrione

The Breakdown: The second half of the main card alumni bouts pits the titanic Mitrione against the ginormous Jones as part of the UFC’s ongoing stress tests on the Octagon’s support structure. What keeps this fight from being your typical heavyweight slop-fest is the unexpected jiu-jitsu game Jones brought with him to this season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” It’s an unexpected variable that nearly took him to the finals while Mitrione’s own lacking submission game kept him from advancing further in the tournament. Throwing fisticuffs like a drunken sailor on an acid trip will get you surprisingly far in the heavyweight division, but Mitrione will need something more to nail down a spot at the highest level.

The X-Factor: A nice run on “The Ultimate Fighter” does nothing to change the fact that Jones has shown up to fights before with nothing short of horrific conditioning, and the chin-check special has proven too much for his beard before. Against an opponent who will not be easily overwhelmed or intimidated by brute force, Jones’ flaws may finally catch up to him.

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The Bottom Line: Compelling as Jones may be, he still has a lot of questions lingering around him that will need to be answered soon. Luckily for him, Mitrione won’t be able to do anything except make for some highlight-reel fodder as Jones notches a cut-and-dry submission win in the first round.