TUF 18: Jessamyn Duke Fighter Blog, Episode 9

Note: All quotes and material were obtained firsthand by Bleacher Report through a one-on-one between Jessamyn Duke and Bleacher Report’s Riley Kontek.
Maybe this week’s episode will surprise some people, but then again, maybe it won’t. Before I g…

Note: All quotes and material were obtained firsthand by Bleacher Report through a one-on-one between Jessamyn Duke and Bleacher Report’s Riley Kontek.

Maybe this week’s episode will surprise some people, but then again, maybe it won’t. Before I get into the obvious issue that was focused on this week, I’ll talk about the matchup between Cody and Anthony.

I expected this matchup to be one of the best fights of the season. Anthony had proven that he was tough, scrappy and could come back to win a fight even if he had a slow start. Cody was clearly one of the top guys in the house. Not only was he a large guy for 135, he had one of the most impressive fights to get into the house against a very good opponent. So we all expected this fight to be one of the best so far. There wasn’t much else to do besides train and look forward to fights, so the general consensus in the house was that we were all excited to see this matchup. 

However, looking back in retrospect, it’s no surprise that the things that happened, happened. Cody and Anthony were good friends. They always hung out together in the house, and they both played the role of partner in crime when it came to eating crap food. These two were ALWAYS struggling with their diets.

As a teammate of Anthony’s, we came to him concerned about this, and he assured us that he knew his body and that he would make the weight just fine.  I know that cutting weight is a very individual thing and every athlete can get away with cheating to different degrees. So, after Anthony insisted that he knew what he was doing, we all backed off and just let him do his thing. Cody wasn’t on our team, but he basically told everyone the same thing. “I’m a wrestler, I don’t miss weight” was said often. 

On the day of weigh-ins, as far as Team Rousey knew, everything was going fine. We didn’t have much reason to think that any serious problem was forming. We all thought that Cody might be having a hard cut, but I don’t think any of us really expected to have that meeting called in the gym that day.

We had gone to our morning training session, and once it was over and we were in our locker room, we were told we had to hang out in there for a bit and no one told us why. Immediately we all started assuming there had to be some sort of problem with Cody’s weight because the weigh-ins were that afternoon. Why else would Dana be at the gym when he normally wasn’t?

So after being on ice for almost an hour, we finally got called into the gym and we had seen Cody drinking water and stuff in the hallway. Right away we knew the fight was off. Weigh-ins were over four hours away and he’s drinking? It was obvious what had happened.

The only way to describe what happened was that Cody gave up. He made a choice. When it comes to fighting, I believe that the process of making weight is the real work. It’s the part that isn’t fun, it isn’t pleasant, but we HAVE to do it in order to be allowed to do the part that we all love.

My good friend, the Queen of Spades, says it best. “I get paid to make weight. I would fight for free.” There is no excuse for missing weight. I think Cody is a great guy, an incredible fighter and he was absolutely one of the biggest threats on the whole show…but he couldn’t make weight so none of that mattered, and that’s a real shame. 

The other unfortunate part of missing weight is that it doesn’t just affect you. It affects your opponent as well. Anthony had cut all the way to 136 at the time Cody gave up. By the time weigh-ins had arrived, he would have been sitting perfectly on weight. Cutting weight like that is extremely hard on your body. Fighters have it down to a science so it’s as healthy as possible, but it’s still not something you want to do to your body on a regular basis.

The whole thing put Anthony in a lose-lose situation in my opinion. His choices were either cut weight again in three days, fight and have less than a week to recover for the semifinals or take a bye. He made the intelligent choice and took the bye into the next round of the tournament, and none of us on the team really blamed him. It obviously wouldn’t be something that any of us would have bragged about, but we all understood. 

So, that left it to Peggy Morgan and Sarah Moras to save the day. Both ladies made weight and were ready to go at it. Peggy was finally acting like a normal person once she got some actual food into her system. For weeks she had lived off broccoli and berries so that she could make the weight. Quite honestly, if I would have been asked to make a prediction on a fighter missing weight, I would have probably said that Peggy would be the one to miss. She had more to cut than anyone else. But she proved everyone wrong and made the weight like a pro. 

The fight didn’t go at all like we were hoping. The ladies had some decent exchanges in the first part of the round. Sarah went for a takedown and Peggy defended it and continued the striking exchanges. However, Sarah timed a jab from Peggy and landed a solid takedown. Peggy did the right thing and sprawled great at first, but instead of clearing the distance, she actually just went ahead and pulled guard. Once this happened, Sarah just methodically worked on passing Peggy’s legs and eventually got mount, inflicted some ground-and-pound and then took the armbar for the finish. Sarah employed her game plan almost perfectly. We said from the beginning that it was just going to be a matter of who could impose their will, and Sarah proved to be the better fighter that day. 

As usual, as soon as the fights were over, it was time to determine the next matchups. However, this time it was for the semifinal fights. The coaches and Dana spoke to all the semifinalists and asked them who they wanted to fight. My favorite part of the episode was all the women asking to fight Jessica, and when it was Jessica’s turn her answer was that she would gladly fight any of them.

The final decision was that it would be Julianna Pena vs. Sarah Moras, Raquel Pennington vs. Jessica Rakoczy, Chris Holdsworth vs. Michael Wooten and Davey Grant vs. Anthony Gutierrez. For the first time since the show started, we would have a full week of no fights so that everyone could have plenty of time to prepare for their opponents and make weight. On Team Rousey‘s side, we were all motivated and focused for our teammates that had won their fights. Practices were productive and positive, and we all felt really good for what was to come next. 

 

**Tune in next week to hear Jessamyn’s thoughts on the continued tension between coaching staffs, more in-depth stories from the house and her thoughts on the fight between Chris Holdsworth and Michael Wootten.

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Ian McCall Out, John Dodson in vs. Scott Jorgensen at UFC on Fox 9

Just days after Ian McCall dropped out of his scheduled flyweight bout at UFC on Fox 9, a replacement has been found to take on debuting flyweight Scott Jorgensen.
The bout will be a featured prelim on a very stacked card that includes Anthony Pettis, …

Just days after Ian McCall dropped out of his scheduled flyweight bout at UFC on Fox 9, a replacement has been found to take on debuting flyweight Scott Jorgensen.

The bout will be a featured prelim on a very stacked card that includes Anthony Pettis, Urijah Faber and Chad Mendes.

John Dodson, who is coming off an absolute drubbing of Darrell Montague this month at UFC 166, will make a quick turnaround and join the card in Sacramento, California. It will be Dodson’s third fight this year, winning the aforementioned Montague bout after falling in a flyweight championship bout to Demetrious Johnson.

Jorgensen makes the drop to flyweight after recent struggles at his normal home of bantamweight. He is 1-3 in his last four fights, including a brutal knockout loss to Eddie Wineland and a submission loss to Urijah Faber.

He is a former bantamweight title challenger, as he took on Dominick Cruz at the final WEC event. He lost via unanimous decision but showed great durability in that fight.

As for the new fight, it should be interesting. Jorgensen is making a ten-pound drop to flyweight. This is his first time dropping, so we will see how he handles the cut.

He is a great wrestler with a good chin. He is going to want to get Dodson down, or he will get outstruck by the technical, powerful striker.

Dodson, though, has great takedown defense, athleticism and quickness, which has allowed him to stay upright in his fights. If you take a look at his UFC track record, he has knocked out some top guys including Montague, Jussier da Silva and TJ Dillashaw.

Many people think Dodson is the top contender after the Demetrious Johnson-Joseph Benavidez fight. He will definitely solidify that status with a win over Jorgensen.

Stay tuned for more news and updates from Bleacher Report.

 

Follow me on Twitter for MMA news and other random thoughts (@RileyKontekMMA). Or don’t that’s cool too.

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Bellator 106: 5 Reasons to Watch the Card

It has been a whirlwind for Bellator in the past week, as their pay-per-view aspirations came to a screeching halt with the injury of Tito Ortiz. The headliner was knocked out due to a neck injury, effectively pulling the much-advertised bout against R…

It has been a whirlwind for Bellator in the past week, as their pay-per-view aspirations came to a screeching halt with the injury of Tito Ortiz. The headliner was knocked out due to a neck injury, effectively pulling the much-advertised bout against Rampage Jackson.

However, not all is lost with this card, as it now moves to Spike TV. Still on the card are the three title fights and a number of top-level talents currently with the company.

Here are five reasons to watch Bellator 106 this weekend.

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UFC Fight Night 30 Results: Recapping the Fight Night Bonuses

Another UFC event is in the books, as UFC Fight Night 30 in Manchester ended with a bang.
There was a violent knockout in the main event, a controversial no-contest in the co-main feature and a number of exciting bouts scattered throughout the card. Pl…

Another UFC event is in the books, as UFC Fight Night 30 in Manchester ended with a bang.

There was a violent knockout in the main event, a controversial no-contest in the co-main feature and a number of exciting bouts scattered throughout the card. Plus, the crowd really got into the fights, making the event even better.

There were plenty of options for the fight night bonuses. Here is a recap for the Submission, Knockout and Fight of the Night.

 

Submission of the Night: Nicholas Musoke

Making your UFC debut on less than two weeks notice against a long-time UFC veteran in Alessio Sakara is not an easy task. Yet it was the task of Nicholas Musoke, a Swedish welterweight fighting up at 185 pounds.

Despite getting tagged early by a huge Sakara punch, Musoke battled back and showed some good power on the feet himself.

Once the fight hit the ground, Musoke looked to be in his world. He was on his back, but he was working hard to put the Italian in a rough spot. 

Then, like a flash of lightning, Musoke grabbed an armbar and cranked. He had the right amount of torque and Sakara was forced to surrender.

That armbar narrowly edged the beautiful triangle choke that Jimy Hettes applied on Robert Whiteford earlier in the card.

 

Knockout of the Night: Lyoto Machida

There was no doubt about who was going to win Knockout of the Night. Lyoto Machida took it in a landslide, as his finish of Mark Munoz was a highlight reel finish.

It only took a round for Machida to hit the switch, but he threw a head kick that nailed Munoz right in the temple. “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” was out before he hit the mat.

Just as impressive of the knockout was Machida‘s restraint in following up the kill shot. The referee was out of position and “The Dragon” could have landed several more blows to the defenseless Munoz.

Luckily, Machida hesitated, looked to the ref and let him stop the bout without further damage. Knockout plus sportsmanship always equals great MMA.

 

Fight of the Night: Luke Barnatt vs. Andrew Craig

Fight of the Night was really a tossup, but when the dust settled, the crazy back-and-forth match between Luke Barnatt and Andrew Craig earned the extra cash.

Early on, Craig looked to be getting the better of exchanges, landing power punches with more success than Barnatt‘s tap-jab. That tide would change toward the end of the first, as Barnatt dropped Craig with a huge combination.

An early celebration robbed Barnatt of a finish in the first, but he would not be denied in the second.

Barnatt again dropped Craig in the second and again celebrated too early. However, the stunned Craig could not function with a clear mind, and Barnatt worked him from top position.

The Brit sunk in a choke and finished Craig. It was a crazy bout that definitely deserved the extra bonus check both men will be taking home.

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UFC Fight Night 30: 3 Stars from the Card in Manchester

If you witnessed UFC Fight Night 30 from Manchester, England, you were treated to a solid night of fights. From the top of the card to the bottom, everybody brought the fight and impressed everybody watching around the world.
In the main event, Lyoto M…

If you witnessed UFC Fight Night 30 from Manchester, England, you were treated to a solid night of fights. From the top of the card to the bottom, everybody brought the fight and impressed everybody watching around the world.

In the main event, Lyoto Machida made a successful drop to 185 by knocking out Mark Munoz with a devastating head kick. However, controversy reared its ugly head in the co-main event, as a no-contest was the result of the bout between Ross Pearson and Melvin Guillard.

We had some awesome performances from England. Here are the three stars from the event.

 

1st Star: Lyoto Machida

Welcome to the middleweight division, Lyoto Machida.

It took under a round, but the former light heavyweight champion used his signature striking to down training partner Mark Munoz with a blistering head kick. The kick was incredibly accurate, hitting Munoz right on the button and putting him to sleep.

Even better was the sportsmanship that Machida showed when going for the kill shot. Knowing Munoz was out, he gingerly kneeled atop him and waited for the ref to intervene. No further unnecessary damage was dispensed, no potential grief toward the referee given.

Machida‘s star truly burned bright tonight. In a more natural weight class of 185, I think we have ourselves a potential title challenger, assuming Anderson Silva doesn’t get his belt back against Chris Weidman

 

2nd Star: Jessica Andrade

Many fans were not fully aware of the arsenal Jessica Andrade possessed coming into her UFC Fight Night 30 bout with Rosi Sexton. They got a glimpse of it when it was all over.

After falling to Liz Carmouche in her UFC debut on short notice, fans were pretty much counting out the Brazilian fighter. However, they failed to realize that it was on short notice against a former title challenger.

Andrade threw bombs from bell to bell, brutalizing the women’s MMA pioneer. It was a one-sided beating that had many fans praising Sexton’s toughness over Andrade‘s performance.

Here is a formal recognition of Andrade‘s impressive performance. She was truly one of the shining stars of the event.

 

3rd Star: Nicholas Musoke

Newcomer Nicholas Musoke wasn’t given much of a chance by MMA fans because he is a natural welterweight fighting at middleweight on very short notice. After one round, fans were on their feet for the Swedish fighter.

Rocked early by Italian boxer Alessio Sakara, Musoke gathered his head and eventually tagged “Legionarius” with some hard strikes himself. The fight went to the ground, where the Swede took over.

In the blink of an eye, Musoke threw up his legs and snagged the arm of Sakara. After extending his hips and finishing the submission, Sakara verbally tapped, and Musoke won his UFC debut with the odds against him.

We have ourselves another potential Swedish star.

 

Honorable Mention: Cole Miller

His post-fight speech was boss. He didn’t answer Joe Rogan’s question, he called out Europe and he called out Colin McGoober (Conor McGregor). Cole Miller is now a heel in Europe and a hero for this myself.

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UFC Fight Night 30: Melvin Guillard vs. Ross Pearson Ends in No Contest

The UFC Fight Night 30 co-main event was the heavy favorite to take the Fight of the Night bonus, as Ultimate Fighter winner Ross Pearson of the UK took on heavy-handed American Melvin Guillard. In addition to being a favorite for the best fight o…

The UFC Fight Night 30 co-main event was the heavy favorite to take the Fight of the Night bonus, as Ultimate Fighter winner Ross Pearson of the UK took on heavy-handed American Melvin Guillard. In addition to being a favorite for the best fight of the afternoon, many thought this bout would end in a knockout.

But the fight went down in controversial fashion, as a perceived illegal knee halted the bout. The fight was ruled a no contest, which was a huge letdown for the fans in attendance and at home, for whom this represented the most intriguing bout on the card.

Here is what we learned from the co-main event of the afternoon.

 

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

The stoppage. The first knee that Guillard threw was legal, but on the second knee, it looked like Pearson was grounded, making the strike illegal.

As stated, this was a heavy favorite for Fight of the Night, but the early foul dismissed that notion. Unfortunate, but these things happen.

 

What We Learned About Guillard

This is tough to write because the fight didn’t develop long enough to learn much. We all know Melvin is one of the hardest-hitting lightweights in the world, which shows with those brutal knees.

Had he not landed that illegal knee, he may have been on his way to a stoppage win. He had tagged Pearson hard, but followed it up with the bad strike.

 

What We Learned About Pearson

Like Guillard, we really couldn’t learn a lot from that fight. Pearson is tough and can take a shot, as seen by those two knees he absorbed.

 

What’s Next for Guillard and Pearson

Obviously, the next move is a rematch between these two. This was probably the most anticipated fight on the card and it was ruined from the foul.

Since neither man took much damage, they could rematch in the near future, if possible. It continues to have Fight of the Night potential.

This will definitely happen. Hopefully in the aftermath of this, MMA changes the rules on knees to head of a grounded opponent.

That’s what really should be next following this fight.

 

The UFC Fight Night 30 main card kicked off in the flyweight division, as British veteran Phil Harris took on Brazilian slugger John Lineker. Many thought the bout had the potential to claim the Fight of the Night bonus check.

Lineker came in controversially, as he missed weight for the third time in the UFC. Harris took the bout anyway, as well as 25 percent of Lineker’s purse.

As for the fight, 

Here is what we learned from this flyweight bout.

 

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

 

 

What We Learned About Lineker

 

 

What We Learned About Harris

 

 

What’s Next for Lineker

 

 

What’s Next for Harris

 

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