Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter officially ends this Saturday night in Las Vegas, NV as both the light heavyweight and lightweight champions are crowned. As usual, the TUF finale fight card is packed with contestants from the season and therefore, not that solid of a card overall, but an enjoyable one for fans of TUF nonetheless.

Phillipe Nover vs. Efrain Escudero – Phillipe Nover was truly the one fighter all season that I was excited to watch fight each and every time. When you watch Nover fight, you see that he possesses the intangibles that separate the top-tier fighters from the rest. I’m not giving Nover the crown just yet, but I see the potential in his game. The lightweight division is a very stacked and crowded place right now, but Nover is still young and just developing is game and will be ready when the time is right down the road. Efrain Escudero specializes in submissions, winning nine of his ten fights that way. If Nover can avoid falling prey to the “UFC” jitters and stay composed I think he out-strikes and out-works Escudero on his way to becoming TUF 8 lightweight champion. Winner: Phillipe Nover

Ryan Bader vs. Vinicius Magalhaes – Most fans of TUF 8 think they have this fight already figured out: Ryan Bader will try to get Vinny Magalhaes to the ground and keep him down with his wrestling skills like he did in each of his fights during the season, while Mahalhaes will take any tiny hole to work his slick BJJ on Bader for a submission. I see this fight going a bit differently.

Bader most likely won’t want to hit the mat with Magalhaes, at least not if he is smart. Vinny will be able to submit Bader from any position on the ground and perhaps from several positions on the feet. I think you’ll see both fighters come out and look to strike through the first round as each will be a bit weary of the other’s ground game. In the end, I think Magalhaes will either secure a takedown or transition from his back and land an easy submission over Bader to become the TUF 8 light heavyweight champion. Winner: Vinicius Magalhaes

Kevin Burns vs. Anthony Johnson – This rematch is a fight I have been looking forward to for a while. If you’ve read MMA HQ for any length of time, you’ll know that I’m a big Anthony Johnson fan and I think he has potential to be a really special fighter in the next few years. Johnson has power, speed and quickness all rolled into one package and will be looking to avenge his “eye-gouge” loss to Kevin Burns. Burns claims the hand injury that “prevented” him from forming a closed fist in their last fight is now healed; I say that doesn’t matter at all as Johnson will “Rock-and-Rumble” his way through Burns in impressive fashion. Winner: Anthony Johnson

Jason MacDonald vs. Wilson Gouveia – This matchup between Wilson Gouveia and Jason MacDonald should be a very interesting fight and, in my opinion, is tough to call. Both fighters have had their ups-and-downs in the UFC and this fight is equally important to both fighters. Gouveia will look to use his wrestling and submission game to finish MacDonald who has been susceptible to submissions in the past. MacDonald, however, has an equally strong submission game himself which could lead to a stalemate on the ground for these two fighters. I think MacDonald has the edge in striking, although his lack of power and striking accuracy won’t allow him to dominate on the feet. I look for MacDonald to come away with the decision victory in this fight. Winner: Jason MacDonald

Junie Browning vs. Dave Kaplan – As much as the people may have disliked Junie Browning’s persona on TUF 8, people like Junie are why 90% of the audience watches TUF in the first place. As a result, Junie gets billing on the main televised portion of the fight card in a fight that is setup to go in his favor. Browning has been training with Xtreme Couture since TUF 8 finished taping is truly is a skilled, yet very raw fighter. As much as any new fighter can be, Kaplan really is being setup as fodder for Browning to put on a solid showing. Winner: Junie Browning

Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Shane Primm – Winner: Krzysztof Soszynski
Eliot Marshall vs. Jules Bruchez – Winner: Eliot Marshall
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Tom Lawlor – Winner: Tom Lawlor
Shane Nelson vs. George Roop – Winner: Shane Nelson
Rolando Delgado vs. John Polakowski – Winner: John Polakowski