FanHouse Vinny Magalhaes

The UFC Fan Expo taking place next weekend in Las Vegas in conjunction with UFC 100 has added some star power, as the UFC has announced a series of grappling matches and appearances by Kimbo Slice and the rest of the cast of The Ultimate Fighter 10.

The grappling matches feature some of the best jiu jitsu players in the world, and I'm personally most excited about seeing Vinny Magalhaes, who appeared on the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Magalhaes lackst the striking to compete in the UFC, but he's amazing on the ground. He'll be fun to watch, although the UFC hasn't yet said who he's facing.

Four months after winning the light heavyweight tournament on the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter, Ryan Bader is preparing to get back to the Octagon with a fight against Carmelo Marrero at the UFC Fight Night on April 1. And while Bader says he expects Marrero to give him a tough test, he has goals that go far beyond just winning this fight.

In an interview Tuesday, Bader told me he has big goals for himself in the UFC, and he expects to win a title belt some day. He also talked about beating Vinny Magalhaes the last time he stepped into the Octagon, training with FOX's Jay Glazer, and what it was like living with his controversial Ultimate Fighter housemate, Junie Browning. The full interview is below.

Ryan Bader has won the light heavyweight tournament in Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter, knocking out Vinny Magalhaes in the first round of their fight at tonight's Ultimate Fighter Finale.

Bader had a perfect game plan. It was clear that he didn't want any part of Magalhaes' world-class jiu jitsu, so he kept things standing and went for strikes. They started off by trading kicks, but Bader was simply biding his time before he landed a looping right hand that connected to Vinny's temple. The punch sent Magalhaes to the canvas, and Bader jumped on top of him and landed hammer fists. Referee Herb Dean had to step in and stop the fight, just 2:18 into the first round.

"I wanted to keep it on the feet," Bader said after the fight. "Vinny's a stud on the ground. ... I'm working on my boxing. I hope people see that. I'm looking forward to being back in the Octagon soon."

By defeating Magalhaes, Bader, a former Arizona State wrestler, earns a UFC contract. A whole lot of UFC fans will look forward to seeing him back in the Octagon in 2009.

MORE ULTIMATE FIGHTER COVERAGE:
Ultimate Fighter Finale: Junie Browning Submits David Kaplan
Full Ultimate Fighter Finale Results

Two MMA up-and-comers will earn six-figure UFC contracts tonight in the finale of Season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter. We'll be providing live results and letting you know who won all the fights.

In the lightweight finals, Efrain Escudero will fight Phillipe Nover, and in the light heavyweight finals, Vinny Magalhaes will fight Ryan Bader. Several other fighters from this season of The Ultimate Fighter are on the undercard, including, somewhat controversially, Junie Browning, who will take on Dave Kaplan.

The event takes place at The Palms in Las Vegas, with the early results starting to roll in a little after 6 p.m. Eastern and the televised portion of the card beginning on Spike at 9 p.m. Eastern.

UPDATE: Bader, Escudero Are Stars; Browning Stole the Show

Full results are below.

When I talked to Ultimate Fighter coach Frank Mir this week about the aspiring UFC fighters he coached on the show, it was clear that the fighter who impressed him the most was Vinny Magalhaes.

Mir raves about Vinny's jiu jitsu and views Vinny as a strong favorite to beat Ryan Bader Saturday night and win the six-figure UFC contract.

"Bader's a very strong wrestler, but he didn't have much ground skills," Mir said. "Vinny's such a high-level jiu jitsu guy, if he takes him down it's trouble. When you go to the ground with Vinny, you're done. Bader's only chance of winning the fight is to stay away from him and hope to land a big shot. I think Bader's a great fighter and has a lot of potential but I think it's hard to see how he can beat Vinny."

I mentioned to Mir that UFC President Dana White referred to Vinny's stand-up game as "boring," but Mir said he disagreed with that.

"Vinny's been training at Xtreme Couture, and I've worked with him, and I think his stand-up has improved a lot," Mir said. "I think his stand-up is good. He throws a hard roundhouse. Vinny kicks hard. He's a powerful guy. Now, was he tentative with his hands? Yeah, but he's learned so well, his boxing has improved drastically."

The final fights of this season of The Ultimate Fighter are set, with lightweights Phillipe Nover and Efrain Escudero and light heavyweights Ryan Bader and Vinny Magalhaes fighting on December 13 to earn a contract with the UFC.

And on Wednesday night, it was confirmed that Nover is the so-called "next Anderson Silva," with none other than Silva's friend and training partner, UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, making the comparison on last night's show.

"Phillipe, he becomes a mean guy," Nogueira said. "He's a bad guy when he's going to fight. Anderson Silva, he's the same way as him."