If you missed episode four click here for a complete recap.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was back on FOX Sports 1 last night (Sept. 26, 2018) with episode five of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 28, featuring a split cast of men’s heavyweights and women’s featherweights.
Team Whittaker was looking to capitalize on last week’s submission win by featherweight Julija Stoliarenko by sending Michel Batista into heavyweight battle against Team Gastelum’s Josh Parisian.
We kick things off by watching Marciea Allen complain about her loss and ice down her feet, as they appear to be injured in some way. One person who is not complaining is Stoliarenko and the cameras follow her into the pool for some post-fight celebrating.
Unfortunately she drinks too much and ends up puking, then calls it a body cleanse.
Uh huh.
With that out of the way, we can focus on this week’s match up. Batista is being touted as an Olympic wrestler but Parisian doesn’t appear to be impressed, calling him one-dimensional with zero stand-up. Parisian is perhaps best known for his spinning back-fist knockout on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. Coach Gastelum believes that stopping the takedown is the key to winning this fight, as Batista hasn’t competed in wrestling in almost a decade. Parisian is from a suburban area in Howell, Michigan, where he previously worked as a quality investigator for an IT company. He quit his job when he got selected for TUF. Parisian trains with fellow TUF veteran Amanda Bobby Cooper at Scorpion Fighting Systems.
Coach Gastelum brings in a new strength and conditioning coach (John Walker) and he tries to get the group whipped into shape. “Get your mind connected to the process,” he shouts as the fighters put themselves through various exercises. This week’s fight must be over quickly if we are wasting time on calisthenics. Meanwhile, Leah Letson is still complaining about the lack of camaraderie on Team Whittaker and wants to defect.
We get a look at Batista’s personal life and it’s fairly mundane. He trains at a small gym in Miami and works part-time as a security guard. His English is pretty shitty and he misses his family in Cuba. As far as his fight prep, it’s exactly what you would exact: lots of wrestling with a sprinkling of stand-up. Then things get interesting when we learn that Batista holds a 2007 wrestling win over current UFC champion Daniel Cormier, then another by forfeit in 2008 when “DC” had kidney problems and was forced to withdraw from the Olympics.
Both Parisian and Batista make weight without incident.
265 lbs.: Team Gasteum’s Josh Parisian (7-2) vs. Team Whittaker’s Michel Batista (4-0, 1 NC)
Round 1: Parisian comes in hot with the jab pumping and Batista uses that momentum to lock up a single and take him to the floor. Parisian is still fresh so he’s able to muscle his way back up to his feet. Batista keeps him pinned against the fence and draws a warning for inactivity, so he side-slams his way into another takedown and once again, Parisian is able to get back up… then goes right back down. “You gotta win that battle, Josh,” coach Gastelum yells. Parisian is back up, then right back down. Sloppy kimura attempt gets nothing. Parisian to his feet, then to the floor. Batista takes his back and does nothing with it. Parisian rolls and looks for the armbar but it’s not there. Parisian gets up then gets dropped again. This is a wrestling clinic and not much else. Batista once again has the back and tries to lock up the rear-naked choke but time expires. 10-8 Batista.
Another Modelo commercial for “UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.”
Round 2: Repeat of the first frame. Parisian walks forward with strikes and immediately gets taken down. Batista working against the cage and unloads knees. Parisian gets to his feet and Batista with a HUGE slam. Parisian looks gassed. Batista back on top and reigning down blows. An exhausted Parisian isn’t defending well and the fight gets called.
Final result: Batista def. Parisian by technical knockout
Here’s where we stand after episode five:
TEAM WHITTAKER:
Anderson Da Silva
Julija Stoliarenko
Juan Francisco Espino Diepa
Leah Letson
Michel Batista
Larissa PachecoPrzemyslaw MysialaKatharina Lehner
TEAM GASTELUM:
Ben Sosoli
Macy Chiasson
Maurice Greene
Pannie KianzadJosh Parisian
Bea Malecki
Justin FrazierMarciea Allen
Stay tuned next week as Bea Malecki battles Leah Letson in women’s featherweight action!