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The Finals for 'The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes Vs Team Serra' are Set!
Mac Danzig and Tommy Speer to Battle with UFC(R) Six-Figure Contract on the
Line
Roger "El Matador" Huerta Looks to Unhinge Clay "The Carpenter" Guida in
the Night's Co-Main Event
Spike TV to Air Fights Live on Saturday, December 8 at 9:00 PM ET from the
Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas
NEW YORK, Dec. 6 -- After six grueling weeks of training
and living in The Ultimate Fighter(R) house, Mac Danzig and Tommy Speer
have advanced to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes Vs Team
Serra, and will square off on Saturday, December 8 at 9:00 PM ET on Spike
TV LIVE from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, NV. Both
Danzig and Speer were members of Team Hughes on the show, but with a six
figure contract with the UFC(R) on the line, their camaraderie will surely
dissipate once they step into the Octagon(TM) for the biggest fight in
either's career.
A Pittsburgh native living in southern California, the 27 year old
Danzig stormed his way to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes
Vs Team Serra with a string of dominant performances, submitting Joe
Scarola via triangle choke in the preliminary round and John Kolosci in the
quarterfinals via rear-naked choke. In the semifinals, Mac Danzig once
again defeated John Kolosci via rear-naked choke to earn a shot at becoming
The Ultimate Fighter. Danzig plans to utilize his strong jiu jitsu and
striking skills in taking home this season's title.
Standing in Danzig's way is "Farmboy" Tommy Speer, a 22 year old
hailing from Rochester, Minnesota, where, true to his nickname, he works on
his family's dairy farm. To reach the finals, Speer exhibited great
resiliency, overcoming a deep rear-naked choke against "War Machine" Jon
Koppenhaver to win via unanimous decision in the preliminary round and
refusing to tap while locked into an arm bar before winning via unanimous
decision against Ben Saunders in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals,
Speer scored a devastating knock out at the hands of George Sotiropoulos to
punch his ticket to the finals. In his showdown with Mac Danzig, Speer will
look to continue to use his overpowering strength and endurance in his
quest to become the next Ultimate Fighter.
Sharing top billing for The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes Vs Team Serra
Finale, budding UFC superstar, Roger "El Matador" Huerta (20-1-1), the
first UFC fighter to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated, takes on
hard-hitting Clay "The Carpenter" Guida in a battle of top lightweight
contenders. Kenny Florian will join Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan at the
announcer's table as a guest commentator for this bout and will provide a
unique perspective being a fellow member of the upper echelon of the UFC's
lightweight division.
Training out of Minneapolis, MN, Huerta (20-1-1) made his UFC debut in
September, 2006 at UFC 63, where he scored a unanimous decision victory
Jason Dent. The 24 year-old has since tallied four straight wins in the
Octagon against lightweight contenders John Halverson, Leonard Garcia, Doug
Evans, and Alberto Crane, running his perfect record in the UFC to 5-0.
"The Matador" will attempt to continue his string of dominance in the 155lb
division against his toughest opponent to date in Guida.
A Chicago native training at the Hellhouse gym, Clay "The Carpenter"
Guida (21-5-0) enters his match-up with Huerta coming off a victory over
Marcus Aurelio at UFC 74 in August via split decision. Previously, Guida
dropped a brutal, hard-fought split decision to fellow lightweight rising
star Tyson Griffin at UFC 72 in Belfast this past June. Many consider his
memorable war with Griffin as a candidate for '2007 UFC Fight of the Year'.
Also on the card, in other welterweight action, Ben Saunders is pitted
against TUF 6 housemate Dan Barrera in a rematch from this season's hotly
contested battle between the two fearsome strikers, George Sotiropolous and
Billy Miles do battle, and a personal feud between Jared "J-Roc" Rollins
and John "War Machine" Koppenhaver will be settled inside the Octagon(R) in
the night's first televised match.
Spike TV is available in 96.1 million homes and is a division of MTV
Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the
world's leading creators of programming and content across all media
platforms.
SOURCE Spike TV
http://www.spiketv.com
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