Tomorrow is judgment day for The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir, which will be will be held at The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada at 9pm ET/PT.  But tomorrow's fighting game doesn't just mark the finale of The Ultimate Fighter season 8.  As reported previously, it's also the day when Kevin Burns and Anthony Johnson finally settle the score.

During UFC: Silva vs. Irvin in July, Burns was awarded a TKO win despite replays showing that it was an accidental eye poke that ended the fight.  While this is enough reason to celebrate, the Iowa native agreed to an immediate rematch after the controversial ending to their first encounter in the Octagon.

“I think that [taking the win and walking away] is the easy way out, and I think there was doubt in some ways from the fans of the UFC and the UFC,” said Burns of his mindset in taking on Johnson again this Saturday in Las Vegas.  “There was a minute and a half left in the fight – I honestly felt going into the last few minutes that I had more gas in my tank than he did, but we didn't get a chance to see what the outcome would have been.  I'm a competitor and I don't want a win like that, so I was more than happy to step up to the plate and dance with him one more time and settle it.”

Many still believe that Johnson should have won the fight via disqualification.  And though Johnson appealed the decision as the poke in the eye was an illegal move, it was ultimately rejected due to lack of remedy.  Now, Burns is determined to prove that he has what it takes to be a winner.

“I've really been looking forward to it since the day it got over, and every single day I play it back in my mind and think about what would have happened in the last minute and 30 seconds of that fight,” Burns added.  “He's a tough cat, no doubt, and I think we really both laid it all on the line in the last fight. I'm just excited to give the fans what they really want to see, and I fully believe it's gonna be fireworks in the cage on the 13th of December.”


-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: UFC.com
(Image courtesy of CNN)