TUF 13 Finale main card spotlight – Kyle Kingsbury vs. Fabio Maldonado

A product of season eight of TUF, Kyle ‘Kingsbu’ Kingsbury is on a roll in the 205lb division, with a three-fight winning streak under his belt. The American Kickboxing Academy fighter took decisions over Razak Al-Hassan and Jared Hamman before taking on Ricardo Romero at UFC 126 in February. Kingsbury needed just 21-seconds to smash through the prospect and with a fourth consecutive win the 6ft 4in slugger would be hovering around the fringes of the top tier of the division.
Brazilian banger Fabio Maldonado made his UFC debut at UFC 120 in October, taking on TUF product James McSweeney and after absorbing the Brit’s best shots for two rounds the professional boxer let his hands fly in round three and got the stoppage. The Team Nogueira light-heavyweight has defeated vicious Chute Boxe fighter and former UFC middleweight Maiquel Falcao twice and the veteran is intent on carving a name for himself on the big stage, beginning with Kingsbury this weekend.
The Verdict: The well-rounded Kingsbury is the firm favourite here, as working with AKA he knows his way around on the mat while Maldonado is notoriously light in the grappling department despite working with BJJ sensations like the Nogueiras. If ‘Kingsbu’ decides to stand with the Brazilian it could his funeral as the hard-headed Maldonado has the best pure boxing in the division but expect Kingsbury to take him down, grind him down and torque an arm late in round one. Kingsbury, submission, 1^st round.