10 reasons to watch the TUF China Finale (besides insomnia)

Admittedly, watching the first Chinese season of “The Ultimate Fighter” is an exercise for only the hardest of hardcore fans, so getting locked into the international reality show’s ending is a tough sell.

Saturday morning cartoon-watchers will, as usual, find the early fight card quite convenient for their schedule.

As for those curious about the stories and fights that built to the TUF China Finale, they may be in for a wait. “TUF: China” was expected to stream on UFC Fight Pass, where Saturday’s finale streams live, but the promotion has yet to post the series on the new digital network. Viewers have thus far been forced to find episodes in places the promotion would rather them not, with translations that were reportedly substandard, and with that fear of a pesky anti-piracy suit.

Not fun, but Fight Pass subscribers will get their last freebie event until London’s UFC Fight Night 37 event on March 8. “TUF: China” likely will be available online later this year, though a date hasn’t been announced.

So, a good chunk of fans will be introduced to the show’s veterans while watching the finale online. The card’s top draws, of course, represent a familiar lineup for UFC fans. While the main and co-main-event fights characteristically offer the only immediately relevant fights to the promotion, the remaining bouts offer some fun scraps.

UFC Fight Pass hosts the TUF China Finale’s preliminary and main cards at The Venetian Macao’s CotaiArena in Macau. The action starts at 6:20 a.m. ET (3:20 a.m. PT). Yes, 6:20 a.m. ET.

1. Kim on a roll

Former DEEP champion Dong Hyun Kim (18-2-1 MMA, 9-2 UFC) is consistently underrated as a welterweight, and this past October, he showed fans why with a blistering knockout of the consistently overrated Erick Silva.

While “Stun Gun” isn’t infallible at 170 pounds, having suffered a quick knockout loss to Carlos Condit and an injury TKO to Demian Maia (not to mention a decision loss to Karo Parisyan before painkillers overturned his loss), he finds a way to win. As he told MMAjunkie Radio, the Silva win was the start of a new, aggressive Kim who would seek finishes over grinding wins, and that bodes well for his future in the division. A finish of John Hathaway (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) could invite a top-5 challenge in his next time out.

2. Hathaway a long time

There was a time when the 22-year-old Hathaway was the next big thing in the welterweight class. With four straight wins, including a decision victory over Diego Sanchez, a title shot seemed to be in his future.

Then he stumbled against the surging Mike Pyle and was forced to rebuild. It wasn’t his career, however, that proved to be his toughest stumbling block, but instead Crohn’s disease, which took him out of action for all of 2013 as he grappled with the effects of the illness. Now reportedly in remission, he has an uphill challenge against Kim. But if he’s able to return to form, he could take a big leap in the rankings.

3. First Chinese ‘TUF’ champ

With “TUF: China” featherweight finalists Yang Jianping and Ning Guangyou shelved due to injury, welterweights Wang Sai (6-4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Zhang Lipeng (6-7-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will fight to become the first Chinese fighter to win the reality show.

Neither of them has particularly impressive records outside the show, a fact which Jianping pointed out early in filming. But they’ve both distinguished themselves in the tournament, finishing opponents in the opening and semifinal rounds.

Jianping offers an aggressive grappling game with good ground and pound while Sai appears slightly more comfortable standing up (though he’ll take it to the ground quickly if threatened). The show’s low overall skill level has produced far more finishes than domestic versions of the show, so there’s no reason to think we won’t see a fun, albeit short, fight.

4. Heavyweight standoff

Heavyweights Matt Mitrione (6-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) and Shawn Jordan (15-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) don’t typically play things safe inside the octagon, so here we should see another fight that comes to a quick and concussive end.

Normally, that wouldn’t be the prediction for a fighter on a deep skid, as Mitrione is with a 1-3 ledger in his past four outings. But it’s hard to imagine “Meathead” fundamentally changing his style for one fight, so it’s a safe bet that his opponent, Jordan, will be the one trying to mix it up on the mat. Gabriel Gonzaga knocked him out in his most recent fight, so Jordan may be more anxious to slow things down against the fence and on the ground. Early on, though, they’ll be swinging, so an early finish or dragging decision are the likely outcomes.

5. Phan and deliver

It’s hard to think of fighters whom judges seem to hate more than relatively new bantamweight Nam Phan (18-12 MMA, 2-5 UFC), who’s seen all too many fights go the opposite way when the scorecards are read. Of course, that’s typically because he’s a slow starter who tends to dole out more significant damage in later rounds, but also because his style frequently relies on circling and countering.

He’s 2-5 since his turn on “The Ultimate Fighter 12,” and he’s lost his past two, so he needs to turn things around. It’s his only second time at 135 pounds, so hopefully he’ll have the process dialed better this time. He’ll need his strength against Vaughn Lee (13-9 MMA, 2-3 UFC), an underrated opponent with excellent kickboxing.

6. Hioki’s last chance

A former Sengoku champ, Hatsu Hioki (26-7-2 MMA, 2-3 UFC) was ranked in the top 10 upon his arrival in the UFC, and seemingly the favorite topic of everyone in the know.

Although his early performances showed promise, they came against mid-tier competition. Once he was paired with elite wrestlers, he seemed to wither on the vine, losing three straight. He seemingly gets a break here, as he faces the smaller Ivan Menjivar (25-11 MMA, 4-4 UFC), who’s coming up from his natural class at 135 pounds.

Menjivar is a crafty one, but probably no match for Hioki on the ground, so this looks like a turning point for the Japanese fighter.

7. Move over, Korean Zombie – the Korean Bulldozer is here

ROAD FC emerged from the ashes of the defunct Spirit MC to build Korean MMA talent, and Yui Chul Nam (17-4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was among the standouts that emerged from the promotion. The lightweight champion signed with the UFC late this past December on the strength of a four-fight winning streak. After a decision loss to Bellator tourney champ Dave Jansen, he managed a career peak by becoming the first fighter to hand current UFC featherweight Hacran Dias a pro loss. He’s been stopped but once in 21 fights and has ended eight of his 17 wins by knockout.

He now meets the uneven vet Kazuki Tokudome (12-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC), whom Norman Parke recently outpointed after a decision win over Cristiano Marcello.

8. Mongolian fighter gets second chance

Anying Wang (1-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was robbed of a fight when his opening-round “TUF: China” opponent failed to make weight, and after a loss to finalist Wang Sai, he gets a chance to redeem himself against Albert Cheng (2-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who fell short to finalist Zhang Lipeng.

Cheng has an experience edge, so he may have the easier road to victory.

9. Undefeated Chinese prospect makes debut

Chinese bantamweight Jumabieke Tuerxun (14-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) might have made a bigger splash on “TUF: China,” where his undefeated record would instantly peg him as a favorite. But instead, he’ll go the old-school route of building himself within the UFC’s ranks, and he faces the also undefeated Mark Eddiva (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who hasn’t fought since 2011.

Tuerxun was a standout in China’s RUFF promotion, where he turned down a tourney opportunity to become a free agent and landed a UFC contract. It’s been almost a year since he signed, and more than a year since he fought, but he still retains favorite status.

10. Will fans wake up for this?

UFC officials say the UFC Fight Pass events are meant more for the international audiences where the shows take place. To accommodate local fans in these international markets, that means odd start times in North America. While expectations are likely low given the TUF China Finale’s lacking eight-bout lineup, the UFC is nonetheless launching UFC Fight Pass as a pay service on the day of this event.

While pay-per-view will always be the promotion’s cash cow, and though the FOX deal puts additional money in the UFC’s coffers, the organization is hinging a large part of its future on a successful digital network. Like it or not, the TUF China Finale is its official first foot forward after a free trial period that received mixed reviews.

Will the $9.99 monthly price tag prove justified for these live events? Set your alarm clock to find out.

For more on the TUF China Finale, including the official lineup, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.