The Killer vs The Bear. Who will be titled The Ultimate Fighter?
Last weekend we saw Amanda Nunes secure a beautiful 5 round unanimous decision win against fellow TUF season 30 coach and former UFC Bantamweight champion Julianna Pena. This weekend, the last two remaining TUF flyweights Juliana “The Killer” Miller and Brogan “The Bear” Walker will face off in a 3 round bout to determine who is the next female Ultimate Fighter.
The Backstory:
Invicta FC veteran and TUF season finalist Brogan Walker is currently sitting as a slight underdog versus Miller at +100 odds. Walker is primarily known as a striker but also holds a black belt in Jiu Jitsu that she earned in 2019. She fights out of Purebred BJJ in Guam but has since spent the last 2 months training under TUF head coach and two division champ Amanda Nunes. In episode 4 of this season, Brogan was forced to step out of her bout versus team Pena’s Laura Gallardo due to obtaining a grade 1 MCL tear. Brogan is currently on a 3 fight win streak if you count her wins in the show and her last loss was versus Erin Blanchfield who is currently on a 3 fight win streak in the UFC against notable names JJ Aldrich, Miranda Maverick & Sarah Alpar.
Although a 3rd round had to be put in place to determine the winner of Gallardo vs Walker, Walker utilized her strong takedown defense and pressure leading with her jab to secure the win over Gallardo and take her place in the finale. After her fight, Dana White said there was no doubt she had won the fight. He praised her toughness and relentlessness despite her knee injury while head coach Amanda Nunes said that she knew Walker had everything it took to win the fight.
Juliana Miller, tieing Clair Guthrie as the youngest contestant on this season of TUF, is coming into her fight with Brogan Walker as a -120 favorite despite initially being one of the lowest rated fighters on the TUF roster due to her lack of pro experience. Miller is primarily known as a grappler fighting out of 10th planet San Diego and currently holds a brown belt under Richie Martinez. With all but two of her wins coming by submission, Miller is known as a fighter with dangerous ground game but believe me when I say that this woman takes every chance she gets to close the distance and throw heavy hands and slicing elbows. Juliana is on a 2 fight win streak with both wins happening inside the TUF season. Her last fight outside of the house was a decision loss to Clair Guthrie, fellow contestant and Invicta alumn. It should be noted that her two fights before the loss to Guthrie were submission wins, both taking place in the first round.
There was no third round needed for Miller vs Neil, the fight that secured Miller her spot in the finale. In round one Miller immediately took the center of the octagon, throwing often and landing often. Neil made it a competitive first round by landing a couple jabs that seemed to slightly rock Miller. With a little over three minutes left in round one, Miller takes Neil down for the first time but Neil pops right back up to her feet only to be taken down once again shortly after. Miller locks in the figure four but Neil shows great defense and does a hard turn toward Miller to escape the bad position she was in. Neil ends up on top but the relentlessness of Miller shows as she continued to throw elbows and hammer fists from the bottom position. In round two, Miller begins to finds her range with hard kicks to the body of Neil. Miller once again gets the takedown and with just under three minutes to work, she gets full mount and secures a clean kimura submission with 1:27 seconds left in the round.
The Breakdown & Prediction
During their time on The Ultimate Fighter, both ladies have shown a strong mindset and willingness to move forward in a fight. I believe that Miller will start the fight as she always does… using her jab, kicks and pressure to try and overwhelm Walker and make her more vulnerable to being taken down and submitted or forced to deal with Miller’s strong ground and pound. Walker on the other hand may discourage Miller by utilizing her jab, showcasing the strong takedown defense that she’s shown earlier in the season and keeping Miller where she wants her by not allowing her to close the distance. Walker has secured many unanimous decisions and I believe that would be her most likely path to victory and becoming The Ultimate Fighter. This fight is interesting because although Walker is the more experienced fighter having made her pro debut in 2014 and having trained mixed martial arts for over a decade, Miller is coming in with strong momentum from the finish over Neil that secured her spot in the finale. I believe that Miller’s savage way of striking and strong experience in jiu-jitsu/submission grappling gives her more ways to win over Walker. Walker is a very tough opponent and has never been finished in her pro career although she was dropped in the first round of her last fight on the show. I believe that if Miller comes in with as much heat as she’s shown in the first round of her previous fights, Walker is at risk of being finished early. As a true fan of the show, I have enjoyed watching both of these women make their way to this fight and I believe it will be a barn burner while it lasts.
My final prediction is Juliana Miller via SUB although both women are absolutely UFC caliber and should be respected as such.
May the best woman win!
Prediction:
Juliana Miller via Submission
(Please note: This prediction is not associated with the MMAPlay365 packages, subscriptions or services)