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Expecting Mac Danzig to be avoiding takedowns and using strikes, Tommy Speer was surprised Saturday night when Danzig shot in on him scored the takedown that would be the beginning of the end in the finals of The Ultimate Fighter 6. “I felt like I was prepared. I shot in for a takedown, but Mac blocked it, then got a single-leg (takedown) of his own”, Speer told the Post Bulletin. “I was surprised he took me down. I thought he’d want to stand.”

Speer however is maintaining a positive attitude and his belief in himself is deepened from the feedback of his UFC peers. “I’ve heard nothing but positive things from fans, UFC staff and other fighters. Hopefully that means they were impressed enough, and I’ll be back.”

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Danzig becomes The Ultimate Fighter

Photo: Pride FC.com

For Mac Danzig, 7 years of training and hard work in the sport of MMA came to fruition by winning The Ultimate Fighter last night in The Ultimate Finale. The veteran’s experience, technique and strategy worked masterfully against Tommy Speer. While many expected Speer to try and take Danzig down, the Californian reversed things by taking down Speer. From there Danzig’s superior BJJ skills were very evident against the relative newcomer (Just over 2 years in competition) in Speer. Danzig was able to work to mount and from there land strong strikes and eventually take Speer’s back and win via rear naked choke.

Danzig will step down and began to compete in his natural weight class of 155. Speer, with a load of potential to go far in the sport, will regroup and add many elements to his game, likely with Matt Hughes camp, and return to 170.

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Saunders wants another crack at Speer

Photo: americantopteam.com

TUF 6 contestant Ben Saunders recently posted a message on MMA.tv stating he’d like another shot at fellow competitor on the reality series, Tommy Speer. Saunders feels his ailment severely impacted the ability for him to fight to his potential in their first battle, which Speer took via decision. This was the message he left on the forum. Saunders is rumored to be fighting :

Guys as most of you all already know my pre-fight situation. My sinus infection, the # of various meds I took, along with not being able to breath properly definitely all played a huge role. I tried my best but my body was just too weak to perform well.

I don’t take the win away from Tommy. He was one of the nicest guys on the show. I hope the best for him and he is tough as nails. If he gets with a good camp or just becomes more technical and well rounded he is gonna be steam rolling through people. He is very young and talented so I look forward to watching him evolve in the UFC.

I do want a rematch though, I somewhat feel I deserve one. But I don’t have control over that aspect of the sport. All I can do is continue to request it. I feel the fight would be different if I was healthy. I used no stand up in that fight, I used no takedown defense which I feel I am good at, and showed no where near how active my guard truly is.

All I can do is put on a good show come December 8th, and then hope the fans want to see a rematch with me and Tommy. I believe in the end it is up to you guys and whether or not the fight will sell tickets or want to be viewed. But I feel no matter where the fight takes place I have the tools to make it an exciting fight.

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Tom Speer on victory in Episode 8

Photo: WEC.tv

In a recent interview with the Post-Bulletin, Tom Speer discussed his win this week on “The Ultimate Fighter” over Jon “War Machin” Koppenhaver.

On the rear naked choke defense:

“He was close to getting it three or four times; he had his arm under my chin, but I just kept pulling his other arm off to loosen it,” Speer said. “He was close, but there was no way I was tapping out…I got my head on the outside, so my head was by his triceps. I ended up on top of him; it’s actually a nice way to get out of there. I was able to mount him, and once I got on top, I could just tell his spirits were really down.”

On Round 1:

“I won that round, but at the time I wasn’t certain. When I look back at it, I feel I had the more exciting control and I landed more shots.”

Photo Courtesy of www.wec.tv

WEC veteran Tom Speer will be a part of The Ultimate Fighter 6, debuting on Spike TV next month. “This is a big step for my career,” Speer told the Post Bulletin. “And some people in the fighting business told me it’s bigger than I could have ever imagined. Right now, it doesn’t feel like I’ve done anything. I think once the show is on TV, then maybe it will feel different.”

Mentally being on the show and removed from regular society was a big challenge for Speer and the other 15 contestants. Currently his toughest obstacle is keeping his mouth closed on results of the competition–but as he explained to Post Bulletin, there’s about 5 million reasons to keep quiet:

“Right now, my friends are basically trying to play poker with me, trying to get me to show them a tell. Some people ask, but they don’t know I can’t tell. And they’re understanding. (The UFC) brought in a lawyer at the end and told us we’d have a $5 million lawsuit against us if it got out that we talked about the results.”

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