Ten Things We Learned: TUF 11 Finale

1. Court McGee is The Ultimate Fighter

In terms of storybook endings, none is better than McGee’s journey to the top of the TUF 11 heap. As Kenny Florian mentioned in his commentary a couple of times, McGee was clinically dead due to a drug overdose not all that long ago. Now, he’s the Ultimate Fighter.

His performance was pretty solid, utilizing a superior wrestling game to earn points and take the first round without suffering much damage. In the second, it was more of the same, with “The Crusher” finishing Kris McCray with a rear naked choke up against the cage.

An emotional McGee dedicated the win to a number of people. The two that stood out the most for me were those who are struggling and Chuck Liddell, as he’s proof that you can turn your life around no matter how bad it seems and a class act for giving a nod to his coach who might not step into the Octagon ever again after tonight.

2. The Well Has Run Dry

Not to rain on the parade, but it appears that the deep well of talent that produced standout performers in the early seasons of TUF has been tapped. McGee is a great story, a tough kid and will be a solid fighter for the rest of his career, but championship gold doesn’t appear – at this point – to be in his future.

What made the first few seasons of the show so special was that fighters came off the program with championship expectations and opportunities. Early winners like Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans fulfilled that promise, while others like Diego Sanchez, Joe Stevenson and even Michael Bisping have risen to main event status.

But since then, the talent has dropped off, a result of the sport’s growth and the shifted focus onto making good TV over great fighters. Unfortunately, since the advertising and ratings wells are still producing, the show isn’t going anywhere, depleted talent pool or not.

3. If Jardine Goes, He Goes Out a Warrior

I personally wondered if a loss to Matt Hamill would be the end of Keith Jardine’s run with the UFC. Now, we’ll get the chance to have that question answered, as “The Dean of Mean” lost a hard-fought majority decision, his fourth straight defeat.

If he ends up getting the axe, Jardine went out with a bloody good show, literally, as a big cut between his eyes spilled blood down his face for the final two rounds. For the full fifteen minutes, Jardine gave everything he had, fighting in the trademark awkward style that has made him a fan favorite.

My gut tells me he stays, based on his popularity and performance Saturday night, but I can’t argue with the decision if I’m wrong.

4. Hamill Inherits Gatekeeper Role

Jardine has long been considered the mid-range gatekeeper of the 205-pound division, and in earning the victory on Saturday night, Hamill inherits that role. Congratulations, I guess.

The former TUF contestant is in a tough spot in terms of match-ups. While he technically earned a win over Jon Jones, he was manhandled by the rising star, which means a move too much higher up the ladder isn’t going to be pretty. But he’s all talented enough to give emerging fighters like Ryan Bader fits, I think, so where do you go with him?

Jason Brilz or Rogerio Nogueira could be a good gauge of where Hamill stands, or a bout with Brandon Vera once he’s back in action could be interesting as well. Normally, a guy who has won four-in-a-row would be in title contention, but for Hamill, he’s stuck in the middle of the pack.

5. Return of “The Crippler”

Don’t look now, but Chris Leben has put together back-to-back wins and looks like he might actually be dedicating himself to being a professional fighter once again.

The original bad boy of The Ultimate Fighter, Leben looked fit and focused in stopping Aaron Simpson in the second round of their fight Saturday night, handing the 35-year-old the first loss of his career.

In the same way everyone used to wonder if BJ Penn would show up in shape, Leben too was followed by big ifs regarding his conditioning and commitment to fighting. Those questions have been answered for now with a second consecutive convincing win. If he maintains this level of fitness, Leben can return to being a tough out in the middle of the middleweight lineup.

6. The Importance of a Good Gameplan

Standing with Chris Leben is not a good decision. Aaron Simpson found that out the hard way, as he was caught with a couple big lefts from “The Crippler” and watched his unbeaten record leave town on the massive bandwagon that no longer accompanies the former Arizona State All-American.

People bitch about the strategies that fighters from the Greg Jackson camp employ, calling them boring and imploring them to take more chances. Aaron Simpson took a chance against Chris Leben and has a loss to show for it.

Like it or not, a good game plan is the best course to victory, and at the end of the day, you’ve gotta win fights. Keith Jardine would probably agree to that right about now, don’t you think?

7. The Good and the Bad of Spencer Fisher

I love him because he puts on a solid show every time he takes to the cage (and has a great name), but at the same time, I’m always left wondering how or why he didn’t do more?

Part of the reason is Dennis Siver, a far tougher out than anyone really appreciates outside of the five fighters he’s beaten over his last six fights. The other part, I don’t know. Fisher has strong boxing and can be dynamic at times – see his flying knee knockout of Matt Wiman for proof – but at other times, he’s kind of pedestrian, making the same mistakes and taking too much punishment to ever move above his current station in life.

With so many emerging lightweights on the roster, this loss, his second in a row, could potentially be the end of the North Carolina native in the UFC.

8. Yager Bombs

Yep, I went there.

I know part of Yager’s black sheep image that came across this season was the work of the guys in the editing suite, but not all of it was manufactured. After the way his last two trips inside the Octagon have ended, “The Chosyn One” might want to choose his words (and tweets) more carefully.

This was his chance to show that quitting on his stool in the quarterfinals was a mistake and that he does belong in the UFC. Instead, he tired early and was quickly put away in the second round by Rich Attonito.

Not only does Yager show why trash talkers don’t deserve as much airtime as they always get, but also that the well of talent has definitely been drained as was mentioned earlier.

9. Sticking Around

Expect to see more of Attonito, Brad Tavares, Kyle Noke and Chris Camozzi, Season 11 alums who earned wins on the card.

Of the group, Tavares is probably the one with the most potential. Just 22-years-old, his win over Seth Baczynski pushes his professional record to 5-0, and he shows the raw materials that could be shaped into something special over time.

Don’t be surprised if we see him meet up with winner Court McGee again somewhere down the line; the two went back-and-forth in their semifinal fight and a rematch after a couple wins each would be a solid showcase opportunity.

10. Happy Trails

While the future of Keith Jardine remains unclear, one fighter who will certainly be hitting the open road is his teammate James McSweeney.

The Brit showed why I referred to him as a maddening fighter in the Punch Drunk Preview of his fight with Travis Browne; he just always looks a little out of shape and like he’s half-assing it in the cage. A guy with his kickboxing pedigree should be ripping into opponents legs from the opening bell, not trying to stand-and-trade.

Others who might want to start looking for other opportunities include the aforementioned Spencer Fisher, Canadian Mark Holst and the TUF 11 cast members who came up short.

Be sure and check out the fighters thoughts after their fights in our TUF 11 Finale post-fight press conference highlight video.