Referee Kim Winslow announced today on her Facebook page that she will be the main referee during season 18 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which features men and women bantamweights competing for a six-figure contract in the UFC under the watchful of eye of coaches Ronda Rousey and Cat Zingano. Here’s what Winslow wrote on Facebook: It is always satisfying to reach a goal you set for yourself. I have wanted to ref for The Ultimate Fighter during the season. I have worked Tuf finales since 2009 but never during the series. I of course will not be discussing anything that occurs but I have been asked to work and am honored to do so. This season is going to be extraordinary already and getting to be part of that is extremely exciting, humbling, crazy, okay just flat out awesome!!! The decision by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to have Winslow referee the upcoming season of TUF has already under scrutiny by fans and observers of the sport because of Winslow’s inconsistent track record officiating rights. She is known for both her ridiculously late stoppages — the Strikeforce bout between Cris Cyborg and Jan Finney is a perfect example of this — as well as her early stoppages, such as in the fight between John Albert and Erik Perez at the TUF 15 Finale. However, bettors won’t have to worry about Winslow’s reffing during TUF because this season will be taped and therefore betting lines for the fights won’t be featured. WSOF Books Volkmann vs. Beerbohm The World Series of Fighting booked a very intriguing lightweight match between Jacob Volkmann and Lyle Beerbohm for its upcoming third event, which takes place June 14 in Las Vegas. The fight will likely take place on the evening’s main card, which is headlined by Jon Fitch vs. Josh Burkman II. The fight was announced by Volkmann on Twitter. This will be Volkmann’s first fight since being released from the UFC following his submission defeat to Bobby Green at UFC 156. Volkmann is an excellent grappler but he gassed out horribly against Green and was ultimately taken to the ground and submitted. Although Beerbohm doesn’t have a huge name the Strikeforce veteran is a very slick grappler and definitely has an edge in cardio in this fight, although he will be smaller than Volkmann. Beerbohm has only lost to Pat Healy and Shinya Aoki in his career, and he’s won six-straight fights since being released from Strikeforce. This is an interesting fight stylistically and the betting odds will be released the week of the event. Expect Volkmann to open at -200 or so, with the comeback on Beerbohm being +150, although it’s likely the public will come in on Volkmann. Additionally, light heavyweight Tyrone Spong has been removed from the card due to visa reasons. Sherdog reported the kickboxer-turned mixed martial artist was scheduled to fight Angel DeAnda but the fight has been scratched entirely and may be re-booked for a later card. RFA 8 Adds Pettis vs. Curran The RFA added a fascinating flyweight bout between Sergio Pettis and veteran Jeff Curran to its upcoming eighth event, which takes place June 21 in Milwaukee, WI. Pettis is the younger brother of UFC featherweight contender Anthony Pettis, while Curran, the older cousin of Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran, will be making his 125-pound debut. The winner of this fight is expected to be signed by the UFC to shore up their shallow flyweight division. Pettis is 7-0 in MMA so far and has a lot of hype surrounding him with many comparing him to his big brother Anthony, one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Curran, on the other hand, has lost his last two bouts and will be looking to make a splash in his first flyweight bout. Still, I can’t imagine Pettis not opening up at anything other than a big favorite in this fight, possibly -250 and maybe even higher. Although Curran can definitely score the submission if he gets this fight to the mat, he’ll likely find it difficult to take Pettis down, and if he can’t get him down, he has no path to victory. It’s much more likely, in my opinion, that Pettis gets the highlight-reel stoppage he needs to get the UFC to finally give him a call.
