TUF Finale has Brazilian in search of redemption and great duel in the lightweight division

Johnson and Gaethje lead the TUF 25 Finale (Photo: Reproduction – Twitter FoxSports)

TUF Finale 25 this Friday (7) could be historic for Brazil, as the welterweight Dhiego Lima is in the final of the reality show The Ultimate Fighter tournament. He could become only the second Brazilian to win the original North American edition of the program, after Diego Brandao win TUF 14. To do so, however, the brother of the Bellator champion Douglas lima will have to go through the dangerous wrestler Jesse Taylor.

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Brazilian Dhiego Lima faces Jesse Taylor in the final of TUF 25

In addition to the TUF 25 final, which features former participants from other editions, the TUF Finale will feature, in the main fight, the debut of Justin gaethje in the UFC. The lightweight left the former WSOF as champion and is undefeated in his career, with 17 victories. He faces the dangerous Michael Johnson, currently number five in the under-70 kg rankings, and who is coming off a knockout triumph over Dustin poirier.

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Fighting in the TUF Finale will also be two other Brazilians, in addition to Dhiego: strawweight Juliana “Ju Thai” Lima faces the dangerous Tecia torres, while Marcel Fortuna makes his first fight in the light heavyweight category against Jordan Johnson, after a successful debut in Ultimate fighting as a heavyweight.

The redemption of Dhiego Lima

D. Lima seeks to return to the UFC (Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/Dhiego Lima)

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After starting his UFC career with a runner-up finish in TUF 19, the Brazilian Dhiego Lima ended up being fired after a string of defeats. Outside of the biggest MMA promotion in the world, Dhiego tried to retrace the steps that led him to the UFC. He won the Titan FC title, a North American event, and was called to TUF 25, which would bring together former participants from other editions and have coaches as cody garbrandt, current bantamweight champion, and TJ Dillashaw, former owner of the 61 kg belt. and next challenger for the title.

On Dillashaw's team, Dhiego shone, beating Hayder Hassan, Gilbert Smith and Tom Gallichio, all by unanimous decision. In the final, he will have the opportunity to stamp his UFC passport against Jesse Taylor.

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The American was the only fighter in TUF history to be disqualified right before the grand final. In the seventh season, Taylor reached the welterweight division, but escaped from the house to celebrate and ended up arrested after drinking heavily and causing trouble in Las Vegas. Now, the wrestler can also have his own redemption.

Light weight on the rise

J. Gaethje (right) provokes M. Johnson (left) (Photo: Reproduction/Youtube/UFC)

Like the last Ultimate event, the lightweights will be the main attraction of the TUF 25 Finale. Number five in the ranking Michael Johnson faces Justin gaethje, who makes his debut with the company. Full of morale, Gaethje arrives at the UFC as a former WSOF champion. His numbers don't lie: there are 17 wins and no defeats, in addition to 14 knockouts among his triumphs.

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Johnson, on the other hand, has a less brilliant record – he has 12 wins and five losses in the same number of fights as his opponent. “The Menace” has in its favor the fact that it has faced a better level of competition: it has already faced Khabib Nurmagomedov e Tony Ferguson, the two main names in the ranking, apart from Conor McGregor – Johnson beat Ferguson and lost to Khabib.

This Friday, Gaethje can take a big step towards fighting for the belt in his new home. But she will have to get past the hungry Johnson, who recovered from his setback to Nurmagomedov with a vicious knockout of the dangerous Dustin poirier.

Brazilians in action

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Starting this Friday night, Juliana Lima will face a great challenge and also an excellent opportunity. The Brazilian will face Tecia torres, number five in the ranking. Outside the top 15 places, Ju Thai could jump the queue of many people, if he manages to overcome “Little Tornado”. In Lima's favor is the fact that Torres accepted the duel with little preparation time – Amanda ribas She was Ju Thai's original opponent, but she was caught in a drug test and is mounting her defense. With that, a great opportunity fell into Juliana's lap, who is coming off a good triumph over JJ Aldrich.

Another Brazilian will open the main portion of this Friday's TUF Finale. After a brilliant debut as a heavyweight, Marcel Fortuna will make his first fight for Ultimate in the lower category. At light heavyweight, he takes on Jordan Johnson and, if he wins, he could take an important step towards the rankings of the division, which is going through an off-season and, therefore, has questionable names in the top 15.