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10 reasons to watch the TUF 24 Finale, where Demetrious Johnson is a 12-1 favorite

(This story was originally published on Dec. 2.)

The UFC had a dilemma. Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson had effectively cleared out his division. So, instead of having Johnson fight the same opponents a second or third time, the promotion decided to have 16 champions from other organizations compete in the 24th season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” with the winner fighting Johnson for his title in the main event of tonight’s The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale card. Some prize, right?

The man earning that opportunity is Tim Elliott, who went 2-4 in a previous UFC run, with three of those losses coming to John Dodson, Ali Bagautinov and Joseph Benavidez – men Johnson defeated during his championship run.

Benavidez, Elliott’s coach on “TUF 24,” also competes on this card, facing opposing coach Henry Cejudo. Like Benavidez, Cejudo has lost to Johnson. The hope for Benavidez and Cejudo is that a win will put the winner back in a title fight.

The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale takes place at The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The card airs on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

Here are 10 reasons to watch the event.

1. Just another fight, or maybe not

Johnson, who is ranked No. 1 at both flyweight and pound-for-pound in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA rankings, faces Elliott, who appears nowhere on those flyweight rankings, in a title fight.

That fact doesn’t seem to bother Johnson (24-2-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC). He’s approaching Elliott (13-6-1 MMA, 2-4 UFC) as a champion should. To him, this bout is just another step toward his goal of racking up the most title defenses in UFC history.

Still, you have to wonder if somewhere in the back of his mind, Johnson sees this fight as gimmicky and maybe even a little insulting. And if that is the case, maybe Johnson has a bit of a chip on his shoulder heading into this title defense.

2. Yes, it would be huge

Not long after Elliott defeated fellow finalist Hiromasa Ogikubo to earn the shot at Johnson folks began to wonder, if Elliott wins, will it be a bigger upset than Matt Serra defeating Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title after Serra won “TUF 4.”

The answer is yes.

St-Pierre was still developing into the pound-for-pound great he would become when he faced Serra at UFC 69, which was his first attempt to defend the title he won from Matt Hughes at UFC 65.

Johnson’s credentials are well-established. There’s no doubt he’s one of the best fighters the UFC has ever seen, and the odds reflect that; Johnson is currently a -1,200 favorite over Elliott, who is a +675 underdog, according to BestFightOdds.com.

3. About that title shot

Elliott might be fighting for the flyweight title, but you know No. 2-ranked Benavidez (24-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) and No. 3-ranked Cejudo (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) both think they’re more deserving of a shot at Johnson.

Imagine the anger, frustration and maybe even the rage that’s churning inside Benavidez and Cejudo ahead of their fight.

Now realize, as a fan, the potential of this fight.

4. One to build on

Jake Ellenberger has fought a who’s who of the top UFC welterweights. Unfortunately, those opponents got the best of Ellenberger over the past few years, and with a record of 1-5 between July 2013 and January 2016,  Ellenberger’s services were no longer needed.

Ellenberger requested a chance to save his job, and the UFC granted that opportunity and matched him up against Matt Brown at UFC 201.

Ellenberger finished that fight at the 1:46 mark of the first round, blasting Brown with a kick to the body before sealing the deal with ground strikes.

At the TUF 24 Finale, Ellenberger (31-11 MMA, 10-7 UFC) looks to build on that win when he faces a tough competitor who’s had his own ups and downs as of late: Jorge Masvidal (30-11 MMA, 7-4 UFC).

Masvidal is 2-3 in his past five fights and most recently earned a decision win over Ross Pearson at UFC 201.

5. Watch for fireworks

Jared Cannonier

Jared Cannonier

Jared Cannonier joined the UFC’s heavyweight division with a 7-0 record, but Shawn Jordan knocked him out three minutes into his UFC debut.

Cannonier got back on track with a “Performance of the Night” bonus-winning knockout of Cyril Asker.

Cannonier (8-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) makes the drop to light heavyweight at the TUF 24 Finale, where he faces Ion Cutelaba (12-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC), a young prospect who has a fair amount of hype behind him thanks to his 10 first-round finishes, six of which have come within 30 seconds. Cutelaba’s last fight was a decision win over Jonathan Wilson in October.

6. Things look a lot different

Alexis Davis

Alexis Davis

The last time Alexis Davis fought, she earned a second-round submission win over Sarah Kaufman, bouncing back from her 16-second knockout loss to then-champion Ronda Rousey.

A few months after that April 2015 victory, Davis announced she was taking time off to give birth to her first child, Rafael, who was born in March.

In her return, Davis (17-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC) faces No. 9 ranked Sara McMann (9-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC), who is coming off a decision win over Jessica Eye.

Davis, currently ranked No. 7 in the division, is staring up at a bunch of fighters who weren’t ranked above her when she stepped away, including No. 4 ranked Valentina Shevchenko, who didn’t debut with the promotion until December 2015.

Like any proud fighter, Davis will be looking to show the world she once again deserves consideration as one of the top competitors in the division.

7. Assassin, baby

Brandon Moreno

Brandon Moreno

Brandon Moreno was in an unenviable position entering his UFC debut, called in on less than two weeks’ notice to face then No. 13 ranked flyweight Louis Smolka.

The 22-year-old, nicknamed “The Assassin Baby,” made the most of that opportunity, submitting Smolka at the 2:23 mark of the first round via guillotine choke and earning a “Performance of the Night” bonus.

Now, with a full camp behind him and a target on his back, Moreno (12-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC), an honorable mention in the flyweight rankings, faces Ryan Benoit (9-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC), a four-fight UFC veteran who has alternated wins and losses during that run, most recently beating Fredy Serrano by split decision.

8. Does he have more than subs?

Ryan Hall, the a “TUF 22” winner, is one of the more accomplished jiu-jitsu players in the UFC. At the TUF 24 Finale, Hall faces former UFC lightweight title challenger Gray Maynard in a featherweight contest.

Despite his submission skills, Hall (5-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is not afraid to use his striking, and that should come in handy against Maynard (12-5-1 MMA, 10-5-1 UFC), who has defended 82 percent of his opponents takedown attempts and never been submitted.

Hall is still relatively new to MMA, and a fight against a well-rounded veteran like Maynard should let him know where he stands in his overall progress.

9. Fighting for different things

Kailin Curran

Kailin Curran

One fighter is making her UFC debut while the other is likely fighting for her UFC life in the strawweight bout between Jamie Moyle and Kailin Curran.

Moyle, a “TUF 23” competitor, began her career on a 3-0 run before dropping a decision to Sharon Jacobson at Invicta 14 in a very entertaining striking battle.

Curran has had a rough go since joining the UFC in 2014; she’s 1-3 entering this contest, most recently losing to Felice Herrig via first-round submission.

Both of these women are still developing as fighters, but this should be a fun scrap. One thing to watch is Curran’s (4-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) aggressive striking against Moyle’s (3-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) ability to deliver powerful counters while backing up.

10. Looking forward after stepping backward

Rob Font

Rob Font

Rob Font opened his UFC career with two knockout victories, and then he ran into John Lineker. Despite advantages in height and reach, Font struggled against Lineker and never mounted a significant offense.

The decision loss, Font’s first setback since 2012, was a significant one. At the TUF 24 Finale, we’ll get to see what progress Font’s coach, Mark DellaGrotte, has made with his student over the past six months.

Font’s (12-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) opponent is Matt Schnell (9-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who not only comes in on less than a week’s notice to replace injured Alejandro Perez, but also makes the move from flyweight to bantamweight for this contest.

For more on The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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