The secret is out regarding who will be fighting for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 25 crown and $250,000 at the season’s Finale on Friday.
Dhiego Lima beat Tom Gallicchio on last week’s episode of TUF 25 to become the first man to advance to the finals, but now the world knows who he will be fighting.
Jesse Taylor defeated James Krause via third-round submission after a dominant first two rounds to earn the second spot in the TUF 25 finals, which will co-headline the Finale at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Lima has known for months who his opponent at the Finale will be, but he — as well as everyone else involved in the season — is finally able to talk about the Taylor matchup now that all of the taped portion of TUF 25 has aired.
Unsurprisingly, Lima is confident headed into the TUF 25 Finale, and he expects his second TUF finals bout to play out completely differently than his first in which he was knocked out by Eddie Gordon early in the first round following TUF 19 in 2014.
“There’s no secrets,” Lima told BloodyElbow.com. “I just have to stop the takedowns and let my hands go. [Taylor] hasn’t progressed as a fighter; he is a good wrestler, but that’s it. I’m a complete fighter. I have way more tools to win this fight.”
TUF 25 was titled “Redemption” and featured fighters from past seasons of The Ultimate Fighter. The only current UFC fighter who was on the show was Krause, who lost in the semifinals.
TUF 25 Finale is headlined by a pivotal lightweight bout between Michael Johnson and Justin Gaethje. The event is part of the annual International Fight Week.