Preview: ‘The Ultimate Fighter 28’ Finale

‘The Ultimate Fighter 28’ Heavyweight Final

Justin Frazier (10-2) vs. Juan Francisco Espino Dieppa (8-1)

ODDS: Dieppa (-130), Frazier (+110)

The heavyweight final for Season 28 is upon us, but the bracket is nowhere near as fun or relevant as it was all the way back on “The Ultimate Fighter 10.” Arkansas’ Frazier has been the pleasant surprise of the season. Prior to being cast, his most notable fights were losses to Derrick Lewis and Mike Wessel. While he was the last pick among the heavyweights, he still managed to score two dominant wins to find his way to the final. Frazier’s frame is not physically impressive, but he is an aggressive, mauling wrestler, and that has allowed him to rack up some wins on the regional scene and beat this level of competition. It remains unclear how that is going to play up a level -- honestly, he will probably just wind up charging into danger against more athletic, well-rounded opponents -- but for now, he has a good shot of winning this heavyweight tournament.

Frazier takes on Dieppa, who has traveled an interesting path here, if only because he is a native of the Canary Islands. Espino is a similar story to Frazier. Coming off of a middling regional circuit -- in Dieppa’s case, Spain rather than Arkansas -- he has mostly gotten by on his grappling skill, which is a bit more patient than Frazier; and he can crack a bit. He stunned former kickboxer Maurice Greene with a looping punch before diving in for the submission, and while it was not the cleanest striking style, it still netted an impressive result. Already 38 years old -- he took a six-year break after a loss to Vitaly Minakov -- Dieppa does not have a ton of upside left, but it would still be a neat story for someone from such a remote part of the world to win this.

This is going to be ugly, as it basically depends on which of these large men is going to win a sweaty grappling match. Dieppa might be the more overall skilled fighter, but Frazier’s strength and aggression looks like they are going to win out. This is a coin flip in the worst way, particularly since a Dieppa win is likely via decision. Given that he appears to have some decent ground-and-pound, at least for this level of competition, the pick is Frazier via second-round stoppage.

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