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The TUFtermath: The Finale’s Big Three

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The TUF 25 Finale was live tonight, going down in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. There were only two fights featuring this season’s competitors. The preliminaries saw a consolation bout between James Krause and Tom Gallicchio, while the main card finals bout saw Jesse Taylor square off with Dhiego Lima. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the big three moments in this final TUFtermath for Season 25.

The TUFtermath: The Finale’s Big Three

The Big Three

#1) Redemption Song. It truly was redemption for Jesse “JT Money” Taylor. After blowing his shot at the finals his first go-round with The Ultimate Fighter, Taylor took this season’s theme to heart. He finished his bouts in the house, and then stepped onto his grandest stage to date and took home another submission victory over Dhiego Lima. It was a wonderful moment for both himself and for the fans watching it. Congratulations, Mr. Taylor. Enjoy the moment. You deserve it.

#2) One Wrong Move. After being dominated in the first round, Dhiego Lima came out swinging in the second, knocking down Jesse Taylor. However, Lima got caught by a half-moment of hesitation. He didn’t immediately follow “JT Money” to the mat, nor did he back away. He paused for a split second, and started to pounce as Taylor was getting up to his knees. This allowed Taylor to scramble, take Lima’s back, and set up the fight-ending rear naked choke.

#3) Tom Too Tough. One thing you can say about Tom “The Tank” Gallicchio is that he’s got so much heart you can see it from orbit. This was more than evident in his bout with James Krause tonight. While he had some success on the ground in the first round, Gallicchio was not able to get the fight back to the ground on his terms for the remainder of the fight. This allowed Krause to all but have his way with the candy machine serviceman on the feet for the duration. Still, even in defeat, it won’t be a shock if Tom gets one more fight with the big show.

This was a fun season of the Ultimate Fighter. Jesse Taylor will end up taking a solid gatekeeper position, while James Krause will likely move up to welterweight full time. I expect Tom Gallicchio to get at least one more fight based on his popularity and durability, as well. I’m not sure what will happen to Dhiego Lima, though. He didn’t look great against Taylor, and he washed out of his previous UFC stint. It doesn’t look good, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens. So, with that, that’s the TUF Season 25 TUFtermath! It will be back for Season 26. Until then, keep it locked to MMASucka.com for more MMA coverage!

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Justin Pierrot is MMASucka.com's resident musicologist and TUF aficionado. When not looking after his family or writing his weekly pieces, he's making music as Stormland or building Gundam models.

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