Jardine has wins over fighters like Chuck Liddell. Photo: Josh Hedges
This Saturday the 19th holds the grand finale of the 11th season of the The Ultimate Fighter reality show. The headlining matchup is Matt Hamill and Keith Jardine, and the evening also features bouts between Chris Leben and Aaron Simpson and Spencer Fisher versus Dennis Siver. To round out the show the show’s two finalists will face off – their names will be revealed come fight time. The big winner earns a UFC contract. The event is to take place at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
Winner of the 2nd season Keith Jardine faces the winner of the third, Matt Hamill, and the victor will move up the rankings of the most competitive division in the UFC, the light heavyweight class (under 205 lbs / 93 kg).
“This is a battle between two fighters known to fans to produce exciting fights,” states UFC president Dana White. “Both have knockout power and know they need to win this fight to move up the light heavyweight rankings,” he adds.
“Keith is a great fighter and one of the main competitors in the division. I need to beat him Saturday to make it to the next step in my career, and I’ll do everything in my power to make it happen,” says Matt Hamill.
“Matt’s a good guy and a good fighter, but this fight is my first step in making it back to the top,” Jardine replies. “I started my UFC career in The Ultimate Fighter and one of the most memorable fights in my career was the second season final. I made a lot of fans with that fight and I’m honored to be in the main event,” he says.