The big finale is quickly approaching. Before we get to the main event, let’s take a look back at a few of the best highlights so far:

Alex Aquino – Sure, he may have been undefeated in the ring, but his mouth was enough to take out of the competition. Ludacris noted his bad attitude, and even a second win wasn’t enough to keep Aquino around. Was this fair?

Daniel Akinyemi & Derrick Strong – The biggest slam in the ring thus far! Who can forget Akinyemi raising Derrick Strong off the ground and slamming his body into defeat? Akinyemi did injure his own arm in the process, but at least he gained a spot on Team Dipset!

Second Chances – Jaral Bowman and Abongo Humphrey both got the pink slip after winning their matches, so they decided to try their luck at different tryouts. Abongo dominated once again. Bowman…didn’t do quite as well the second time around. Wait, second chances? Is that even fair, or did they just work the system to their advantage?

Rashan the Arbitrator – “If you’re on Team Dipstick’s team, you must leave.” No wonder why nobody left.

Friends & Enemies – Josh Gaskins and Jaime Yager sure do get along well, right? Maybe heated enemies John “The Bullet” Fields and Dymond Jones can learn something from those two?

The Iron Ring has been full of many surprises. What do you think were the best moments so far?

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You can’t blame someone for using their connection to get on. Networking is a key to success, after all. That’s what lightweight DJ “Boogie” Green’s plan was. The Brooklyn native entered the ring in the hopes of joining his boy Juelz’ Team Dipset.

Within the first few seconds of the match it was obvious that Kaljevic was a kicker. Boogie played it smart by rushing in and staying close with a fury of punches, keeping Kaljevic against the ropes without any room to kick. Boogie dominated while Juelz championed his friend from the sidelines. Then, Boogie completely dropped the ball. Why did he feel the need to distance himself from Kaljevic and drop his arms to his side? He created the perfect opening for a stiff kick to the neck and an unexpected defeat. As Boogie slumped to the floor, Juelz sunk in disappointment.

Before the match, Boogie said that he was there to learn. Hopefully, he learned two things. First, dropping your guard for even a second will leave you stretched out. He should have stayed in close throughout the entire match since it was obvious that Kaljevic couldn’t compete with a barrage of strong punches. Kaljevic guarded his head against the ropes for most of the match. Did he get too cocky all of a sudden? Secondly, having a connect to get on is always a plus…but it’s what you do once you’re given the opportunity that really matters. Better luck next time Boogie, you almost made it.

Yet again, we have another first timer in the ring. Ameer Mohammed called himself a “virgin” at ring fighting. His opponent, Mike Easton, had experience fighting in the DC area. Mohammed started off the match with a fury of fists, looking like he knew he had something to prove. He did all right during most of the match, until Easton finally connected a knee blow.

The record isn’t good for first timers. It’s not a mistake that the winners in the ring have been in many matches.

Jaral Bowman made a return appearance after being overlooked for Team Luda, even though he sent his opponent home on a stretcher. Bowman said he’s never been beaten up, just outclassed during the times he lost.

This ended up being one of those times. Andy Roberts locked up Bowman on the ground and prevented him from doing pretty much anything. Roberts won the match, leaving Bowman disappointed. Bowman said that he went into the match seeking a knock out. He admits he made a mistake that he couldn’t correct because you get just one round. He said if there were multiple rounds, he would have won. I want to believe him …but I’m not too sure about this one!

Bowman dominated his first “Iron Ring” match, but came up short in the second one. Although he lost, he surely wasn’t beaten up. Andy Roberts, on the other hand, proved that he is a thinking fighter.

What do you think?

T.I. selects fighters. 

What were they thinking?

That’s the question of the night as some of the fighters just weren’t clear about what should go down in the Iron Ring.

Middleweight fighter James “Binky” Jones said he was going to make someone tap. Maybe that was his intention, but he mostly rolled around the ring with his opponent, Steve Kenison, in a series of ineffective grapples. Kenison started the match strong with a fist combo and a leg grab that took both fighters to the mat, but after a few head shots from Binky, both fighters lost themselves. They grappled and held each other with no submissions or shots until the match ended in a draw.

What were they thinking? It seemed like they weren’t trying to hurt each other. You can school-yard tussle all you want, but it won’t win you the match. These two probably aren’t bad fighters, but you can’t blame T.I. for deciding to pass on them both.

Team Dipset experienced yet another “what was he thinking” moment. Carlos Ganzales stated that this was his first fight and that he was slightly nervous. Problem.

You choose the Iron Ring as your first fight? Many of these men are seasoned fighters with many matches on their record and no fear. The Iron Ring isn’t for practice. Jose Rodriguez simply overpowered Ganzales and the fight was stopped. To his credit, at least Ganzales had the courage to step into the ring. Was this a smart move, though?

Also, T.I. and Crazy Horse picked some Team Grand Hustle fighters:
Heavyweight Joe Thomas, lightweight Josh Gaskins, middleweight Primus Moore and alternate middleweight Jaime Yager.

How do you think T.I.’s team is shaping up?

At Floyd Mayweather and Lil Jon’s tryouts, Derek James knew he wasn’t going to lose even though the odds were stacked against him. Being just 18 years old with only two MMA matches to speak for isn’t much to brag about, but that didn’t stop James from showboating around the ring. After making his opponent, Randy Goss, tap out, James strutted around the ring and even put on a crown. James is now 3 for 3, but the competition isn’t over. Don’t celebrate too early…does Derek James need to calm down just a bit? Maybe, but he did back up all of his talk. Or maybe his next opponent in the Iron Ring will humble him a bit?

Ludacris continued with his team selection. In addition to lightweight fighter Joe Camacho, Luda added middleweight Franz Mendez and lightweight Marcus Brimadge. These were also the last two fighters who tried out for Team Luda, which still has no heavy weights on the team. Were these fair selections? Luda said it was hard to pick fighters from a 60 second match, but none of the fighters prior to the last two, with the exception of Camacho, were worthy? What do you think? Sound off.