‘The Ultimate Fighter 14’ Finale Preview

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Bantamweights
Johnny Bedford (17-9-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Louis Gaudinot (5-1, 0-0 UFC)

The Matchup: This is an intriguing matchup to round out the main card of the finale, because both fighters possess the potential to have solid careers inside the Octagon. A featherweight for much of the early part of his career, Bedford will look to play the bully against the smaller Gaudinot, who is ideally suited for 125 pounds. The Texan’s clinch and takedown tactics failed him against John Dodson, another smaller fighter, when “The Magician” scored a brutal second-round knockout over him in the semifinals.

While both Gaudinot and Dodson are natural flyweights, Dodson is physically strong enough to handle the takedown attempts of larger 135-pound fighters. In his loss to Dustin Pague, Gaudinot showed a creative mix of spinning back fists and kicks but was often overmatched in the clinch, where Pague was able to punish him with knees and uppercuts. Eventually, that methodical approach led to Gaudinot folding to the floor, giving up his back and succumbing to a rear-naked choke.

The six-time Ring of Combat veteran will have to make judicious use of movement to prevent Bedford from doing the same. Working in Gaudinot’s favor is that Bedford displayed a tendency to drop his head when shooting in during his last match, and “Goodnight” can capitalize on the flaw by punishing his opponent with a well-timed knee.

If Bedford gets his way, the fight will follow the script that his encounter with Josh Ferguson earlier on the show did: solid tie-up work that enables trip takedowns and ground-and-pound. The 5-foot-10 Fitness Fight Factory product should not hesitate to use his reach advantage against the 5-foot-3 Gaudinot, if necessary.

The Pick: It is unclear how much Bedford’s hand injury truly affected him during his time in the house, but prior to being waylaid by Dodson, he looked to be one of the show’s more solid prospects. Gaudinot is a world-class flyweight, but he will struggle against the physicality of Bedford. Unless he can catch Bedford off guard with an innovative combination, the bout will be dictated by Bedford’s positional control, as he grinds out a unanimous decision.