On Saturday night at the Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas, the UFC will finally crown a winner of the tenth season of "The Ultimate Fighter" as confident veteran Roy Nelson meets Rashad Evans' prized pupil Brendan Schaub in the finals. In other action, light heavyweights Jon Jones and Matt Hamill are set to clash, while Kimbo Slice looks to prove his critics wrong and regain some momentum when he battles knockout artist Houston Alexander. Here, The Fight Network's Ariel Shnerer breaks down "The Ultimate Fighter 10 Live Finale."

Main Bouts (On Spike TV):

Roy Nelson (13-4) vs. Brendan Schaub (4-0)

Nelson, a former IFL heavyweight champion and the most experienced cast member on this season of "The Ultimate Fighter," is eager to be accepted by the UFC brass once and for all. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Renzo Gracie and a former Abu Dhabi Combat Club competitor, Nelson is the real deal on the ground.

Nicknamed "Big Country," Nelson has the belly of a bar brawler and the technique of a BJJ ace, which has proven to be a dangerous combination in his victories over Schaub's teammate James McSweeney, Justin Wren and fan favourite Kimbo Slice. Nelson has been subject to criticism time and time again throughout his stint on the show, yet he's confident he did what he had to do to make it to the finals injury-free. In his most recent win, Nelson finally got some words of motivation from his biggest critic, UFC President Dana White.

"Good job, Roy. You finally impressed me," said White after Nelson's victory over McSweeney in the semfinals.

With 17 pro fights under his belt and career victories over Brad Imes, Antoine Jaoude, Mario Rinaldi and Bo Cantrell, Nelson came into the "TUF" house with the mindset that he was already an established mixed martial artist.  Nelson felt he was above taking advice from Rashad Evans and training with the rest of the team even if he carried some extra baggage with him into the octagon. After all, Nelson had more pro fights than his coach and didn't intend on being treated the same way as everyone else. His lone career defeats came against Jeff Monson, Andrei Arlovski, Ben Rothwell and Josh Curran. Given the fact that he's fought former world champions, Nelson was not wrong to believe he was the most seasoned fighter on the show.

However, Schaub is unbeaten in his MMA campaign and could shut down Nelson's aspirations to compete in the UFC. Schaub, a member of Team Jackson's MMA in New Mexico, is Evans' training partner. The former NFL prospect was touted as a favourite to win the six-figure contract from the get-go and he lived up to the hype by trouncing Demico Rogers, Jon Madsen and Marcus Jones to reach this stge.

Schaub has punching power and a decent ground game, which could make for a more difficult fight for Nelson. While Schaub might possess the toolset to emerge the victor, Nelson is too big, too seasoned and too dangerous on the ground.

Although the UFC President might be rooting for Evans' protégé to dispatch the cocky IFL standout, expect Nelson to grind out the decision in a hard-fought battle.

Verdict: Nelson via Unanimous Decision

---

Jon Jones (9-0) vs. Matt Hamill (6-2)

One of the light heavyweight division's most promising prospects, Jones could inch his way closer to cracking the top-10 with a victory over Hamill, a freestyle wrestling gold medalist.

Jones is undefeated in nine pro bouts with five wins by knockout. He's coming off victories over Jake O'Brien and Stephan Bonnar and has stepped up his training by working with Tristar Gym in Montreal and Jackson's MMA in New Mexico, the two camps that transformed Georges St-Pierre into a pound-for-pound fighting machine.

According to world-renowned coaches Greg Jackson and Firas Zahabi, Jones is an athletic freak who excels at everything. His unconventional style, punishing power and jaw-dropping throws are a threat to any 205-pounder who stands across from him in the octagon.

Hamill, meanwhile, is a pure wrestler who proved he had standup skills to be reckoned with after his highlight reel head kick knockout of Mark Munoz. Hamill has tasted defeat only twice in his career. The first time around, he lost a controversial split decision to Michael Bisping in a fight most fans believe he should have won. At UFC 88, Hamill suffered a tough loss to former UFC middleweight kingpin Rich Franklin before bouncing back with successive wins.

Although Hamill is a solid fighter, he is likely to assume a gatekeeper role in the UFC. Expect Jones to steamroll through him with the same glimpses of greatness he displayed in his previous victories. Jones had no trouble beating O'Brien, another standout wrestler, at UFC 100. The result should be no different on Saturday night as Jones wins via second-round TKO.

Verdict: Jones via TKO, Round 2

---

Kimbo Slice (3-1) vs. Houston Alexander (9-4)

In what promises to be a thrilling slugfest the UFC has even started advertising as a standup war, Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson will face one of the sternest tests of his career when he takes on the returning UFC veteran Alexander in a 215-pound catchweight bout.

Coming from a streetfighting background, Slice had the most to prove when he stepped foot in "The Ultimate Fighter" house. Following an abysmal stint on the show, which included him turning down a potential fight against James McSweeney, he may now have more to prove than ever before.

Slice was heavily marketed by EliteXC as the ultimate streetfighter-turned-MMA fighter. After beating pro boxer Ray Mercer in his amateur MMA debut, Slice went on to vanquish Bo Cantrell, Tank Abbott and James Thompson before an upset TKO loss against Seth Petruzelli, a loss that legitimately led to the promotion's demise.

His defeat at the hands of Roy Nelson on "TUF" came as no surprise to MMA pundits given Nelson's legitimate mixed martial arts background and substantial edge in experience.

However, Slice definitely lost the respect of many people, including UFC President Dana White, when he turned down the fight against McSweeney. He must now redeem himself and prove he can hang in the UFC, even as a gatekeeper.

Alexander is a perfect opponent for Slice's debut. His ground game has a ton of holes, similar to Slice, and he will likely stand and bang with the Bahamian brawler. Alexander is coming off a first-round stoppage of Sherman Pendergarst at Adrenaline MMA 4 after losing three consecutive fights in the UFC. Alexander showed promise in the octagon when he knocked out both Keith Jardine and Alessio Sakara in a total of less than two minutes, but he went on to drop fights against Thiago Silva, James Irvin and Eric Schafer.

To Slice's credit, he set out to improve after the show finished taping and began training at American Top Team, one of the world's premier MMA academies. Under the tutelage of Ricardo Liborio and top fighters like Thiago Alves, Antonio Silva, Thiago Silva and Wilson Gouveia, Slice has apparently bettered his ground game and improved on his boxing base.

Essentially, this battle could go either way and it's fair to assume it will end with a first-round knockout.

Alexander is a more versatile striker with a lot more experience. As such, he will probably punish Slice in his UFC debut and send the former strip club bouncer back to the drawing board.

Unsurprisingly, Slice will probably make more money for this fight than whoever ends up actually winning the "TUF" contract.

Verdict: Alexander via KO, Round 1

---

Frankie Edgar (10-1) vs. Matt Veach (11-0)

In a lightweight mismatch, the top-ranked Edgar takes on Veach, an unbeaten prospect with only one UFC fight under his belt.

Edgar, a BJJ purple belt, standout wrestler and capable boxer, has beaten a who's who of the UFC's top lightweights. With only one loss, a unanimous decision setback versus Gray Maynard in April 2008, Edgar is coming off back-to-back wins over Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca. His other career victims include Deividas Taurosevicius, Jim Miller, Tyson Griffin, Mark Bocek and Spencer Fisher.

The 28-year-old showcased excellent boxing in his shocking win over the former UFC lightweight champ Sherk and is likely to outclass Veach in their main card encounter.

Veach, a junior college All-American wrestler and Division I NCAA qualifier, trains at the HIT Squad in Illinois under Matt Hughes and Robbie Lawler. As such, his strength is wrestling, but he also excels on the ground having won six of his 11 fights by submission.

Veach will not be able to outwrestle Edgar, who trains with the likes of Mark Henry, Ricardo Almeida and Steve Rivera.

Edgar should dominate this fight standing and control the tempo before eventually dispatching his foe in the third round.

It remains unclear where Edgar stands in the lightweight rankings since he dropped a decision to Maynard and defeated Sherk. With a win, UFC matchmaker Joe Silva needs to give Edgar another legitimate test. For example, he should be matched up against the loser of Diego Sanchez-B.J. Penn or the winner of Kenny Florian-Clay Guida.

Verdict: Edgar via TKO, Round 3

---

Marcus Jones (4-1) vs. Matt Mitrione (0-0)

In the last of five main card bouts, Jones, a former NFL defensive end and a slick submission stylist, looks to exact revenge on behalf of Scott Junk when he battles Mitrione in a grudge match.

The lovable six-foot-six giant nicknamed "Big Baby" is 4-1 in professional bouts. He impressively defeated Mike Wessel and Darrill Schoonover on the show before succumbing to the power and resilience of Brendan Schaub in the semifinals.

Now training under Ricardo Liborio at American Top Team, Jones will likely submit the man Rashad Evans has appropriately nicknamed "Meathead."

Mitrione displayed great power in his win over Junk before losing via submission against James McSweeney in the quarterfinals.

A member of the Integrated Fighting Academy alongside Chris Lytle, Mitrione looked susceptible to submissions in his loss to McSweeney, which will make him easy pickings for Jones.

Mitrione, who has yet to fight professionally, was one of the most controversial figures in the "TUF" house. He played mindgames with his teammates, avoided training, talked about demons haunting him and complained of nagging injuries. Once he loses to Jones, he will have to decide if he really wants to pursue a career in mixed martial arts or if he's better suited pursuing a session with a psychiatrist.

Verdict: Jones via Submission, Round 1

---

Preliminary Bouts (Non-Televised):

James McSweeney (3-4) vs. Darrill Schoonover (10-0)

McSweeney, a product of Jackson's MMA, was a pupil of Rashad Evans before this season of "TUF" even began. He was hailed as a threat to win it all, especially after being picked first by Team Evans. After watching him struggle against Wes Shivers and lose to Roy Nelson in the finals, the one-dimensional standup game of McSweeney has been subject to heavy criticism. Prior to the show, the loud-mouthed Brit was coming off back-to-back losses against Ricardo Romero and Neil Grove, in addition to a previous career loss to UFC fighter Mostapha al Turk. Schoonover, meanwhile, submitted Zak Jensen with a first-round triangle choke before getting knocked out by Marcus Jones. Unbeaten in 10 fights prior to the show, Schoonover is well-rounded and skilled even if he had to overcome being called "Titties" by Quinton Jackson over the course of the season. However, this fight could end up being a standup battle. If that's the case, I give the edge to McSweeney.

Verdict: McSweeney via TKO, Round 2

---

Justin Wren (6-1) vs. Jon Madsen (2-0)

In a fight featuring two talented prospects, Wren, a Travis Lutter BJJ student, clashes with Madsen, a product of Matt Hughes' HIT Squad. Wren, a two-time All-American Greco Roman wrestler, is 6-1 in pro fights. He choked out Wes Sims before dropping a razor-thin decision to Roy Nelson. On the other hand, Madsen easily defeated Abe Wagner before getting knocked out by Brendan Schaub. Madsen also excels in wrestling but is only 2-0 as a pro. It could come down to experience as Wren wins with a submission in round two.

Verdict: Wren via Submission, Round 2

---

Brian Stann (7-2) vs. Rodney Wallace (9-0)

Stann, a former WEC light heavyweight champion, will battle Wallace, a 9-0 prospect making his UFC debut. Stann was tapped out by Krzysztof Soszynski in his promotional debut at UFC 97 but he went on to win the rubber match against Steve Cantwell via unanimous decision in September. Stann, a former U.S. Marine Corps captain, possesses a solid all-around game and has only gone the distance once in his career. The 27-year-old Wallace is a former football player with a wrestling background who started learning the art of BJJ under Royce Gracie. He will take a big step up in competition against the heavy-handed Stann, who should be favoured to rack up the win.

Verdict: Stann via TKO, Round 1

---

Dennis Hallman (41-12-2) vs. John Howard (12-4)

Hallman, a veteran of 55 pro fights, returns to the UFC for the first time since a unanimous decision loss to Jorge Rivera at UFC 55. Nicknamed "Superman," Hallman is a wrestler with dangerous submissions who holds the accolade of defeating Matt Hughes not once, but on two separate occasions. In both fights, Hallman submitted Hughes in 20 seconds or less, which is a remarkable feat to accomplish against one of the greatest welterweights of all time. Since those wins early in his career, Hallman has dropped bouts to Rivera, Jens Pulver, Amaury Bitetti, Frank Trigg (twice), Drew Fickett and Ryan McGivern. According to Hallman, MMA mirrors wrestling more than any other sport, which he believes will give him an edge. Howard is on a two-fight winning streak since joining the UFC, earning split decisions over Tamdan McCrory and Chris Wilson. The 26-year-old welterweight sensation is eight years younger than Hallman, who has slowed considerably over the course of his career. Howard should be able to use his explosiveness to overwhelm Hallman and make his UFC homecoming short-lived.

Verdict: Howard via Decision

---

Mark Bocek (7-2) vs. Joe Brammer (7-0-1)

In the first preliminary bout, the Canadian lightweight Bocek is looking for his third straight win against Brammer, a debuting grappler. Despite his background, Bocek will be the superior grappler as he was awarded a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt under Joao Roque. Training at American Top Team with some of the sport's elite fighters, Bocek seems poised to succeed in the UFC lightweight division. His lone defeats came against Mac Danzig and Frankie Edgar before he put on submission clinics against David Bielkheden and Alvin Robinson, both BJJ black belts in their own right, in his last two fights. The Toronto-native may be lacking in the charisma department, but his skills should shine on Saturday night.

Verdict: Bocek via Submission, Round 2

---