June 2, 2011

OREM, Utah - Former Wolverine wrestler and Utah Valley University graduate Ramsey Nijem has punched his ticket into Saturday's finale of SPIKE TV's "The Ultimate Fighter". Nijem will vie for a six-figure contract with the UFC when he takes on fellow TUF competitor Tony Ferguson.

The Nijem, Ferguson fight will take place Saturday in front of thousands of fans at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas and will be broadcast live on SPIKE TV at 7 p.m. MT.

Nijem wrestled collegiately for the Wolverines from 2006-09 and recently graduated from UVU with a degree in Business Management and an emphasis in Marketing this past December.

The Mill Creek, Wash.-native began his mixed martial arts career on a whim a couple years ago and has since turned into one of the best young welterweight fighters around. The 23-year old has put up a 4-1 MMA record and will look to be crowned the winner of season 13 of "The Ultimate Fighter" on Saturday.

Nijem became one of the most popular cast members on the show this season due to his wild antics. However, when the cage door shuts, the fun and games end for the young fighter. With his wrestling background Nijem has shown a knack for slick submission finishes.

During his TUF run Nijem has been on a roll as he is 3-0 with wins over Charlie Rader, Clay Harvison and Chris Cope. Two of his victories were by submission and the other was by TKO.

Nijem's opponent Ferguson holds a professional record of 10-2, and has finished his opponents in nine of those ten wins. The 26-year old from southern California continued that trademark aggressive approach throughout the show, finishing all three of his challengers -- Justin Edwards, Ryan McGillivray, and Chuck O'Neil -- by knockout.

For more information visit UltimateFighter.com or UFC.com.