TUF 13 Finale main card spotlight – Chris Cope vs. Chuck O’Neil

In a season low on characters, San Diego’s Chris ‘C-Murder’ Cope found himself the subject of ‘double agent’ accusations during filming and despite showing little inside the cage managed to sneak his way into the final four. Cope began with a dreary decision win over Javier Torres in the first round before facing Shamar Bailey in the quarter-finals and although the writing appeared to be on the wall, ‘C-Murder’ had other plans. He stuffed every takedown attempt from Bailey and scraped the decision to enter the semi-finals where he was eventually stopped by Ramsey Nijem after two scrappy rounds.
Massachusetts native Chuck O’Neil entered the house as a replacement for Keon Caldwell who quit the show, and ‘Cold Steel’ went on to raise a few eyebrows as he made his way to the semi-finals. O’Neil was submitted by Zach Davis in round one but having earned a wildcard slot in the process he faced Javier Torres and submitted the Mexican to enter the final eight. The 6ft 2in welterweight then laid a beating on Davis in a rematch, taking a bittersweet decision having learned that Zach’s career was probably over. In the semis, Tony Ferguson left O’Neil black and blue and finished him in the third round.
The Verdict: With no offense intended, this writer still doesn’t know exactly what Chris Cope is good at, except for some very impressive takedown defence. Cope is billed is a kickboxer, yet threw very little on the show and seemed to spend much of the season either back-peddling or up against a fence. O’Neil showed a granite chin, plenty of heart and some decent power in his hands as well as a tidy ground game, but getting Cope to the mat will not be easy for ‘Cold Steel’. However, O’Neil still has more to his game than the Californian and I’d expect to see his hand raised after a close three-round affair. O’Neil, decision.