American Top Team is back on the board and within striking distance, as The Ultimate Fighter 21 heads to the 100-point round. With four fights left, who would strike to push their point total ahead toward the finish line?
This episode focused on giving both teams a reward for their hard work during the season.
American Top Team took its squad on a boat ride through the waterway outside its house. It rode on a luxury boat with food and drink, which was a nice reward.
As for the Blackzilians, they had a night out at a tavern where they were surprised by their families. It was highly emotional for all of them, as most are married, have a girlfriend or kids.
When it came down to the fight picks, ATT went with veteran and champion Steve Carl. The former World Series of Fighting champ is 0-1 in the competition already, taking a loss to Valdir Araujo.
His weight was a focus in the lead-up to the bout. He came in heavy against Araujo and had to cut the extra weight in an allotted amount of time last time out.
The Blackzilians went with Kamaru Usman, who defeated Mike Graves in his first bout on the show. He had the job of bringing the fight back to the Blackzilians gym, as Hayder Hassan‘s win in the last episode brought it back to ATT‘s gym.
At the weigh-ins, Carl had a scare, as he was a quarter-pound overweight. However, after dropping his underwear, Carl made weight, saving an extra cut.
Come fight time, it was a one-sided affair for Usman. He used wrestling, clinch and superior striking to stifle Carl. After two rounds, it was a clear decision victory for Usman.
That earned his team the 100 points, making the score 300-100 going into the final three fights.
Season Results
| Winner | Loser | Points | Leader |
| Kamaru Usman (B) | Mike Graves (A) | 25 | Blackzilians lead 25-0 |
| Luiz Firmino (B) | Uros Jurisic (A) | 25 | Blackzilians lead 50-0 |
| Valdir Araujo (B) | Steve Carl (A) | 25 | Blackzilians lead 75-0 |
| Carrington Banks (B) | Sabah Homasi (A) | 25 | Blackzilians lead 100-0 |
| Hayder Hassan (A) | Andrews Nakahara (B) | 50 | Blackzilians lead 100-50 |
| Jason Jackson (B) | Marcelo Alfaya (A) | 50 | Blackzilians lead 150-50 |
| Vicente Luque (B) | Nathan Coy (A) | 50 | Blackzilians lead 200-50 |
| Hayder Hassan (A) | Felipe Portela (B) | 50 | Blackzilians lead 200-100 |
| Kamaru Usman (B) | Steve Carl (A) | 100 | Blackzilians lead 300-100 |
Notes and Observations
- As of now, two people are 2-0 in the competition, which could be an indication of who makes the finale. The two fighters are Usman of the Blackzilians (victories over Graves and Carl) and Hayder Hassan of ATT (wins over Andrews Nakahara and Felipe Portela).
- Speaking of Usman, in both fights, he was fairly boring but effective. He ground for most of it, despite the fact that he showed glimpses of decent striking. That’s not going to win him fans through excitement, but it certainly will snag him some wins down the road.
- Carl has definitely been the biggest disappointment of the season. Between his weight cut issues and performances, he has not looked like the world champion he was not long ago. He is the only guy who is 0-2 in the competition. To be fair, he fought two of the better guys on the Blackzilians, but he didn’t even look good or competitive in those fights.
- We have three fights to go. There are 300 points left to earn. In my mind, both teams need to go with their three best remaining talents. ATT has to go with captain Nathan Coy for his grinding ability, Hassan for his hot streak and Marcelo Alfaya for his experience. As for the Blackzilians, they should probably go with Luiz Firmino, Valdir Araujo and Jason Jackson, unless Usman can go one more time.
- From the looks of things in the previews, it looks like ATT is going to close the distance on points, so don’t be surprised if it wins the next fight or two.
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