Two new bouts have been announced for “The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck” Finale which will air Dec. 4, LIVE on Spike TV from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nev.
In addition to the two finalists which will emerge from this season’s Ultimate Fighter, light heavyweights Stephan Bonnar and Igor Pokrajac will clash, as well as middleweights Demian Maia and Kendall Grove.
The UFC confirmed the bouts on Monday via press release.
Bonnar vs. Pokrajac
As an original Ultimate Fighter finalist, Stephan Bonnar (12-7) will always hold a special place within the UFC, but he still needs to keep winning. After losing three-in-a-row, Bonnar bounced back in his most recent bout with a second round TKO victory over Canadian slugger Krzysztof Sosznyski at UFC 116 in July where he earned “Fight of the Night” honors.
Longtime training partner of Mirko Cro Cop, well-rounded Croatian Igor Pokrajac (22-7) will make his fourth UFC appearance when he meets Bonnar on Dec. 4. After losing his first two UFC bouts, Pokrajac took home a first round submission over James Irvin back in August on the UFC on Versus 2 card.
Maia vs. Grove
Winner of The Ultimate Fighter season three, Kendall Grove (12-7, 1 NC) has been up-and-down throughout his UFC career. Currently, he is up, having defeated Goran Reljic via split decision at UFC 116 in July. Although not consistent, he is absolutely always dangerous and a win over BJJ god Demian Maia is just the sort of victory he needs to keep his momentum going.
Demian Maia (13-2) is just one fight removed from the most bizarre fight in UFC history, his UFC 112 title match against middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Although Silva had a mental breakdown in the Octagon and took some big shots from Maia, the judges awarded the fight to Silva via unanimous decision. Maia bounced back with his own unanimous decision win against Mario Mirananda at UFC 118 in August and should be considered the favorite when he faces Grove in December.
The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale will air LIVE on Spike TV Saturday, Dec. 4 at 9:00pm ET/PT.