‘The Ultimate Fighter 15’ Finale Preview

---

Featherweights

Max Holloway (4-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. Pat Schilling (5-1, 0-1 UFC)

The Matchup: Holloway was thrown to the wolves in his UFC debut, falling to Dustin Poirier via submission in the first round at UFC 143. The Hawaiian gave a respectable effort, holding his own on the feet before “Diamond” took control of things on the mat. Unbeaten in his previous four bouts prior to joining the Las Vegas-based promotion, Holloway owns a notable win over former WEC and Strikeforce talent Harris Sarmiento in a five-round title confrontation.

Schilling (Pictured, File Photo) was steamrolled in his initial Octagon outing, as Daniel Pineda bullied him into the clinch, took him down and unleashed some effective ground-and-pound before securing a rear-naked choke in less than two minutes. Schilling’s lack of output is not surprising considering his previous level of competition; the combined record of his five opponents outside the UFC was 14-31 heading into the UFC on FX 2 bout. Nonetheless, the 23-year-old Minnesotan makes for a good story, if only because it is hard to root against anybody who manages to work a full-time job at Best Buy while adhering to an MMA training regimen. The best asset “Thrilling” has going for him here is his wrestling. Holloway is a fearless and creative striker, but he has yet to establish much of a ground game in his young career.

Holloway’s offense includes an array of flying and spinning kicks, as well as knees and elbows. He clearly was not intimidated by the moment against Poirier, as he threw several flying knees against the Louisiana native, the last of which left him open for a takedown.

Schilling will have to hope Holloway gets careless and presents a similar opening; otherwise, he will get overwhelmed on the feet. As evidenced by his ability to go five rounds against Sarmiento, Holloway has good conditioning, and he will blitz his opponent in close if given the chance. Conversely, “Lil Evil’s” good movement will make it difficult for Schilling to draw a bead on him.

The Pick: Unless Holloway’s takedown defense fails him entirely, this is his fight to win. Look for him to land some entertaining offense and take home a lopsided decision victory.

Last Fights » The Prelims