The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) combat sports reality show was back on FOX Sports 1 last night (Weds., June 22, 2016) for episode 10 of season 23 titled “Friends Hurting Friends,” coached by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and division No. 1 contender Claudia Gadelha.
If you missed last week’s episode get up to speed right here.
It’s time for the semifinals and since Team Claudia won the elimination rounds by a score of 7-1, most of the match ups will pit teammate vs. teammate, with the exception of Josh Stansbury, who is the lone fighter to emerge from Team Joanna.
Speaking of Stansbury, he’s expected to face Cory Hendricks later in the semifinal rounds, but the Team Syndicate product may not be able to compete as a result of his neck injury. If he is indeed bounced, UFC President Dana White will call back an eliminated 205 pounder.
Coach Gadelha makes it known that A) she does not want Hendricks to fight and B) he’ll probably lose in the current condition he’s in.
To help kill some time, White and the coaches take the contestants out on the town so they can blow off some steam. There is plenty of booze and laughter, followed by a ride on a giant ferris wheel. Coach Joanna is trying to make nice with all the fighters but Coach Claudia says she’s being a complete phony.
We circle back to the TUF gym and Hendricks makes the decision to pull himself from the tournament. Coach Gadelha promises to campaign for him so he can get a spot at the live finale next month in Las Vegas, Nevada. Who gets the golden ticket?
It’s Khalil Rountree!
Andrew Sanchez — who fights Eric Spicely later in the episode — may end up getting his opponent switched. Needless to say, he’s not happy after already spending a week preparing for a specific fight style. The good news is, Rountree will replace Hendricks straight up.
Regrettably, Rountree and Stansbury have been training together all season and became close.
Here’s the finalized line up:
TUF 23 semifinal match ups:
205 lbs.: Andrew Sanchez vs. Eric Spicely
115 lbs.: Amanda Cooper vs. Lanchana Green
205 lbs.: Josh Stansbury vs. Khalil Rountree
115 lbs.: Tatyana Suarez vs. Kate Jackson
White agrees to bring Hendricks back for the live finale.
It’s time for Sanchez and Spicely to prepare for their semifinal fight but since they both come from Team Claudia, the coaches will not offer individual gameplans. Instead, they leave it up to each fighter to establish how they want to approach the showdown.
Mixed with nuts-and-bolts training, of course.
Time for the coaches’ challenge — the craziest they’ve ever done, according to White — with the goal of shooting tennis balls into a long distance target. The first coach to reach 100 points wins and gets $10,000, as well as $1,500 per team fighter.
Oh, and the shooter gets to dunk their opponent in ice water for every 20 points (video coming soon).
Coach Gadelha wins and gee, what a shock, Coach Jedrzejczyk freaks out because she lost. That leads to some back-and-forth banter which is quickly interrupted by White, who climbs the tower and promises more cash to Coach Gadelha ($5,000) if she can land the bullseye within three shots.
She drains it on the first try, which also grabs another $500 for each fighter.
Enough games, it’s time to fight. Both combatants make weight without incident.
205 lbs.: Andrew Sanchez (7-2) vs. Eric Spicely (8-0)
Round 1: Touch of gloves and both fighters start out bobbing and weaving, trying to find their range. Sanchez starts firing punches and rushes in, backing Spicely into the fence. Sanchez with a huge overhand right, then a big head kick. Spicely crumbles against the cage and covers up until the ref intervenes.
Final result: Sanchez def. Spicely via technical knockout
After the fight, Sanchez can’t enjoy the victory because he’s so upset that he was forced to beat up his friend. Nevertheless, he’s moving on to the live finale on July 8. Coach Claudia looks equally devastated but hey, that’s the fight game.
Stay tuned next week as Amanda Cooper fights Lanchana Green for a spot in the strawweight final. Or does she? Someone looks to be having trouble making weight.
Find out in seven!