The elimination round has passed, and the teams are now picked for this season of The Ultimate Fighter. It looks like the coaches have some solid fighters this season, which could make this season a good one.
Here is a look into the final cast of 16.
Team Carwin
The first pick for Team Carwin was Sam Alvey (19-4 1 NC). A Bellator tournament veteran, Alvey defeated Leo Kuntz via knockout in 47 seconds, effectively putting the whole cast on notice. He owns notable wins over Karl Amoussou and Jason Guida.
Next picked by the team was Bristol Marunde (12-7), a Strikeforce, M-1 and IFL veteran. Marunde got into the house with a modified guillotine win over George Lockhart. It was a tough fight, but the scrappy veteran prevailed and will now start his journey toward the series finale.
Mike Ricci (7-2), who was said to look like an accountant instead of a fighter last night, won by knockout in under two minutes against Jason South. Ricci, a training partner of Georges St. Pierre, is a Bellator veteran whose only losses are against Pat Curran and Daron Cruickshank.
Neil Magny (7-1) was Carwin‘s fourth pick. He won back-and-forth unanimous decision over Frank Camacho last night. He is a disciple of Miguel Torres and receives great training, which explains his well-roundedness.
James Chaney (7-2), who was sporting a new haircut last night, won with an early-first-round triangle choke over Jerel Clark. All seven of Chaney’s wins have come by submission, showing off his flashy grappling ability.
Eddy Ellis (17-15-1 1 NC) is the most experienced fighter on the show. He beat David Michaud with a second-round arm triangle yesterday, effectively earning his way into the house. Through his career, he has stepped into the cage with Pat Healy, Ryan Healy and Spencer Fisher, showing great expertise.
Igor Araujo (22-6 1 NC) is a Greg Jackson student with a top-notch submission game. In the elimination round, he triangle-choked an extremely tough Cortez Coleman. He is probably the top grappler in the house.
The last pick for Team Carwin was Bellator veteran Matt Secor (1-1). Secor defeated Max Griffin with a triangle choke in the sudden-death round, showing his perseverance.
Team Nelson
Team Nelson’s first pick was Dom Waters (5-1). Waters won with an impressive knockout of Kevin Nowaczyk in 32 seconds. “Sho Nuff” has power in his hands and possesses a decent submission game, which will make him one of the most dangerous fighters on the show.
Next pick was Michael Hill (4-0), who won with a quick knockout of Lev Magen. Hill is of Canadian decent and has powerful striking in his arsenal.
A coach on the seventh season of TUF, Cameron Diffley (3-0) is another top grappler in the house. He beat Zana Kamaka with an armbar to earn entry to the house. Anyone who goes on the ground with Diffley risks losing quickly.
The next pick was Colton Smith (3-1), who I am none to happy with right now. He beat Jesse Barrett with a unanimous decision, but in the first round, he went to touch gloves and ducked for a takedown. It was unsportsmanlike, and it was a cheap action to take.
Jon Manley (7-1) was picked next. Manley earned a unanimous nod with a victory over the very tough Ricky Legere, who’s a Strikeforce veteran. Manley is another ground fighter to watch this season.
Nic Herron-Webb (12-3) won with an armbar over Tim Ruberg. Herron-Webb has won nine times by submission in his career, which should not be a surprise with last night’s submission.
Joey Rivera (7-1) defeated Strikeforce veteran Saad Awad to get into a house, winning by majority decision. It was one of the “boring” fights that Dana White spoke of when talking to the fighters after the fights.
The last pick of Team Nelson, and the entire show, was Julian Lane (4-0). A finisher in every victory he has had, he beat Diego Bautista by unanimous decision.
Team Carwin: Sam Alvey, Bristol Marunde, Mike Ricci, Neil Magny, James Chaney, Eddie Ellis, Igor Araujo, Matt Secor
Team Nelson: Dom Waters, Michael Hill, Cameron Diffley, Colton Smith, Jon Manley, Nic Herron-Webb, Joey Rivera, Julian Lane
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