Preview: ‘The Ultimate Fighter 28’ Finale

‘The Ultimate Fighter 28’ Women’s Featherweight Final

Pannie Kianzad (10-3) vs. Macy Chiasson (2-0)

ODDS: N/A

When the featherweight cast for this season of “The Ultimate Fighter” was announced, Kianzad was an obvious standout despite what has been an up-and-down career. After a successful Invicta Fighting Championships debut against Jessica-Rose Clark, Kianzad looked like a future star, possessing a unique look, some strong charisma and an ability to entertain in the cage. She was rushed into a title fight against Tonya Evinger, and from there, the wheels more or less fell off of Kianzad’s career. Kianzad had a series of performances where she either missed weight or looked completely flat or broken in the cage, and it was not until a Jan. 13 fight against Sarah Kaufman -- two and a half years after that Invicta debut -- that she looked to be recapturing some of her past glory. Being about a week shy of her 27th birthday, the Iranian-Swedish standout has not missed her opportunity to make an impact, so a win here over Chiasson could set up Kianzad for some interesting things.

Unlike Kianzad, New Orleans native Chiasson was an unknown heading into this season, even if Kelvin Gastelum saw enough in her to make her his first pick among the featherweights. Chiasson’s long frame is what sticks out, and while her brief pre-“Ultimate Fighter” career was nothing special, she has looked great in two fights to get here, knocking out both of her opponents in the first round. Kianzad’s the more notable name, but unlike a lot of her castmates, Chiasson is a legitimate featherweight, so if she can win this season, she will immediately become a concern in a division that may not entirely exist.

It will be interesting to see how Kianzad approaches this one. When she first burst onto the scene, her grappling stood out, but in the years since, she has focused more on a solid striking game; and she did not really break out much grappling during her time on the show. If she fools around on the feet here, Chiasson is capable of doing some damage, but Kianzad really should be able to lean on her wrestling and grind out a win here. In general, Kianzad has more options, which makes her the pick via decision.

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