Leading up to the third episode of The Ultimate Fighter 17, preview clips strongly hinted that Uriah Hall was responsible for Tuesday’s brutal knockout.
Although there may have been doubts, they seem to have vanished.
Uriah Hall of Team Chael Sonnen has been labeled as the man to beat in Season 17, especially if he really is this “terrifying” mystery fighter that UFC president Dana White cryptically warned MMA fans about.
Could it be anyone else?
That seems unlikely, as poor Team Jones member Adam Cella suffered one of the most brutal head kick KOs in TUF history—a blow so damaging, it scared both teams.
More than the kick itself, it was the aftermath that seemed most frightening.
As Cella went limp and crashed to the Octagon mat right on the back of his head, Team Sonnen didn’t even have time to celebrate as the TUF gym went dead silent.
Hall’s own post-fight celebration was also cut short, as he quickly saw worried ringside officials trying to revive his fallen opponent. His own summary of the finish was simply brilliant:
I felt good right after that, but when I saw he wasn’t getting up—immediately, I started to worry. This feeling was overwhelming. I was like, “Oh my God, I hope I don’t kill this guy.”
It seems pretty cool so far. It might be little bit of tension. [The cast] is probably looking at me as the guy to beat, but I welcome that and I’m looking forward to the next fight.
But if that’s the kind of power the TUF 17 cast has to worry about, it’s fair to guess that none of them were looking forward to the next fight.
However, we still can’t know for certain if Hall is this fearsome killing machine that also steamrolled three more men, sending them all to the hospital. Don’t forget, Team Jones’ Clint Hester—their No. 1 pick—still lurks in the background, not getting an overly unusual amount of camera time.
It would be foolhardy to overlook him, especially considering Hester’s impressively strong performance in the qualifying rounds.
If no one else takes an ambulance ride in the first-round bracket, that process of elimination paired with Dana White’s clues pretty much locks Hall as a favorite to win.
But if somebody else is rushed to the hospital in the aftermath of a first-round elimination match, we’ll still have to wait before calling it for certain.
Many MMA fans are already crowning Hall as a finalist, having seen his power and citing his past professional record: 7-2 with six wins, his only two defeats coming against UFC middleweight Chris Weidman and Constantinos Philippou. Do we dare doubt Uriah Hall again?
McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and FightFans Radio writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld and PC World. Talk with him on Twitter.
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