The last event of Bellator’s fourth season went down last night in Lake Charles, Louisiana, featuring the finals of the light-heavyweight and featherweight tournaments. Christian M’Pumbu earned his way to the LHW finals by knocking out Chris Davis and Tim Carpenter, and it was business as usual against co-finalist Richard Hale. M’Pumbu dropped Hale once in the first round, but was unable to finish him with a D’arce choke. The Congolese-French standout didn’t make the same mistake twice; after scoring another knockdown in the third, M’Pumbu threw down leather until the ref was forced to stop the fight, picking up a $100,000 check and the title of Bellator’s first-ever light-heavyweight champion.
In the featherweight final, Patricio Freire edged out Daniel Straus to a unanimous decision, earning a rematch with champion Joe Warren, who he lost a split decision to last June. Full Bellator 45 results are after the jump…
The last event of Bellator’s fourth season went down last night in Lake Charles, Louisiana, featuring the finals of the light-heavyweight and featherweight tournaments. Christian M’Pumbu earned his way to the LHW finals by knocking out Chris Davis and Tim Carpenter, and it was business as usual against co-finalist Richard Hale. M’Pumbu dropped Hale once in the first round, but was unable to finish him with a D’arce choke. The Congolese-French standout didn’t make the same mistake twice; after scoring another knockdown in the third, M’Pumbu threw down leather until the ref was forced to stop the fight, picking up a $100,000 check and the title of Bellator’s first-ever light-heavyweight champion.
In the featherweight final, Patricio Freire edged out Daniel Straus to a unanimous decision, earning a rematch with champion Joe Warren, who he lost a split decision to last June. Full Bellator 45 results are after the jump…
MAIN CARD RESULTS
– Christian M’Pumbu def. Richard Hale via TKO, 4:17 of round 3
– Patricio Freire def. Daniel Straus via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 x 2)
– Sam Alvey def. Karl Amoussou via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS
– Shawn Jordan def. John Hill via TKO, 1:56 of round 1
– Luis “Sapo” Santos def. Nicolae Cury via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Tim Ruberg def. Mike Fleniken via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Rene Nazare def. Kelvin Hackney via submission (rear-naked choke), 4:46 of round 1
– Joseph Abercrombie def. Ben Parpart via submission (rear-naked choke), 1:11 of round 1
(“New episode of ‘Coal’? YEAH, BABY! GET SOME!” / Gif via IronForgesIron.com)
The quarterfinal round kicked off in last night’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bellyache vs. Team Stare Directly at the Camera While Being Interviewed by Megan Olivi, and Shamar Bailey’s not feeling a personal best. The gray-team standout tweaked his back, and direct pressure ain’t comfortable. As he discusses it with Justin Edwards, Chris Cope lurks by, as if on cue, and screams “Woo!”
“I’mma choke that voice box out,” Shamar says.
But before he gets a chance to do that, Ramsey Nijem and Clay Harvison will square off. Dos Santos feels Ramsey is the best wrestler on his team. Ramsey says that his Palestinian heritage helps him be the fighter he is. He’s seen the road-stops, the walls, the guns; he feels grateful to be fighting in a controlled environment, and not for his life.
Dana White brings UFC middleweight contender and war hero Brian Stann to the gym. Stann tells the guys about being a Marine Corps captain, the lifestyle of discipline, how success breeds success…wait a minute. Is this just an ad for the Marines? This is like those segments on The Biggest Loser where they teach the contestants how to cook with Jennie-O-brand turkey. Come on, you know what I’m talking about. I can’t stand that crap. Anyway, Brock tells some of these long-haired punks to fill out an application.
(“New episode of ‘Coal’? YEAH, BABY! GET SOME!” / Gif via IronForgesIron.com)
The quarterfinal round kicked off in last night’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bellyache vs. Team Stare Directly at the Camera While Being Interviewed by Megan Olivi, and Shamar Bailey’s not feeling a personal best. The gray-team standout tweaked his back, and direct pressure ain’t comfortable. As he discusses it with Justin Edwards, Chris Cope lurks by, as if on cue, and screams “Woo!”
“I’mma choke that voice box out,” Shamar says.
But before he gets a chance to do that, Ramsey Nijem and Clay Harvison will square off. Dos Santos feels Ramsey is the best wrestler on his team. Ramsey says that his Palestinian heritage helps him be the fighter he is. He’s seen the road-stops, the walls, the guns; he feels grateful to be fighting in a controlled environment, and not for his life.
Dana White brings UFC middleweight contender and war hero Brian Stann to the gym. Stann tells the guys about being a Marine Corps captain, the lifestyle of discipline, how success breeds success…wait a minute. Is this just an ad for the Marines? This is like those segments on The Biggest Loser where they teach the contestants how to cook with Jennie-O-brand turkey. Come on, you know what I’m talking about. I can’t stand that crap. Anyway, Brock tells some of these long-haired punks to fill out an application.
Clay still can’t bend his dislocated finger completely, but he’s gonna throw down anyway. Brock works with Clay and Chris on their wrestling — which they’ll need, since their opponents both specialize in it — and shows them the whizzer defense that Shane Carwin pulled on him in the beginning of their fight last year.
Ramsey shows up to weigh-ins in classic Palestinian style, with some jacked-ass hip briefs. He gets in Clay’s face in a very loving way, then bends over to complete the Nick Ring impression. Unfortunately, Ramsey feels sick before the fight, and he’s not one of those dudes who normally get sick before fights. Could be an issue, but there’s no time to worry about it…
Round 1: Brock screams for the whizzer before Ramsey even tries his first takedown. Ramsey fires an overhand right. Clay launches forward with a 1-2. Ramsey grabs him coming in and takes him down easily. Clay tries to get up and Ramsey takes his back. Clay nearly rolls out, but Ramsey stays in control. Ramsey flattens Clay out on the mat and sinks the rear-naked choke. Clay taps. God damn, that didn’t last long. Ramsey Nijem is TUF 13′s first semi-finalist.
DW: “That was the fastest and most decisive finish of the season…Junior might be right, this kid might be the kid to beat.”
Dos Santos: “That’s how you fight when you get sick? WOOOOW!”
Clay is pissed at himself, obviously. “Stripper Ramsey, what the fuck. That’s how you screw the pooch, ladies and gentlemen.”
Brock: “Clay just got outclassed in wrestling. Giving up your back like that to a wrestler is just self-destruction.”
Moving on. Shamar wants to make Chris Cope pay for the constant screaming thing. His plan is to meet Chris in the middle of the Octagon, make him move backwards, beat him up on the feet, and take him down when he feels like it.
Coach Brock realizes that Cope is a big underdog here: “The first 30 seconds of this, you’re just gonna have to weather the storm,” he says. He calls the fight a classic matchup of “wrestler vs…Chris.” Once again, they drill the whizzer, hoping it might actually work this time. Brock points at the ad in the middle of the cage. “Do whatever you need to do to own Burger King. This is your house right here, Burger King.”
In the face-off, Chris smiles and nods while Shamar mean-mugs and shakes his head. Could they be any different?
The night before the fight, Cope tries to get some tips from Nordin Asrih, who previously lost to Shamar by decision. “His game plan is easy,” Nordin says. “To put you down and hold you down. He doesn’t want to fuck with you.” Nordin gives Chris some angry notes on his guillotine setup, which seems to leave him open for punches. “There’s no time bro,” Nordin says. “I’m fighting tomorrow, don’t be an asshole,” Chris says.
Shamar is mad intense before the fight: “He made a mistake, he woke up a beast.”
Says Chris: “Shamar, the ‘woo’ that you get so angry about? Win, lose, or draw, I’m still gonna do it.” And then he does.
Round 1: Shamar starts out as the aggressor, pushing forward, chasing Chris around the cage. He lands a left straight. Chris throws some punches but doesn’t land anything worthwhile. Shamar shoots from too far away, Chris defends it and slugs him in the head while pressed against the fence. Chris turns him around. Shamar puts Chris’s back against fence. Chris escapes. Shamar comes in with punches and a clinch. They trade knees to the legs. Cope escapes again. Left straight and a clinch from Shamar. Knee to the ribs from Chris, and some dirty boxing exchanged between the fighters. Another knee from Chris, and he escapes. Shamar with a left overhand/right low grab/clinch, which will become his trademark for the rest of the fight. Chris grabs a headlock and uses it to escape. Shamar does his hi/lo/clinch trick again, and works hard to drag Cope to the mat but he can’t pull it off.
“Let your fuckin’ hands go kid,” Dana shouts at Chris. Brock tells his fighter the same thing.
Round 2: Shamar stalks forward and lands a jab. Chris brushes him back with counter-punches. He’s throwing more now. Shamar fires to the body. Chris jacks a short hook. He lands the jab while Shamar is coming in. Shamar with that hi/lo/clinch. Chris gets out after some dirty boxing. He lands a couple on the feet, and seems to be gaining some momentum. No big shots, but he’s making Shamar respect him. Shamar shoots, settles for the clinch, and lands an uppercut on the exit. Shamar comes in to engage and they clash heads. Chris jabs. Shamar lands a clean punch combo. Both guys throwing now. Shamar shoots, Chris puts him against the fence. Shamar reverses the position. Chris escapes. They slug it out. Shamar shoots and puts Chris’s back against the fence. Chris fires some punches to his head. Chris turns Shamar around and escapes as the horn sounds.
The way I saw it, Shamar won the first round with his takedown attempts and pressure, and Chris out-boxed Shamar by a slight margin in the second. Chris’s takedown defense was really the story of the fight, but he was a little hesitant to throw in the first frame. This one should go to sudden victory. But it doesn’t. All three judges score it 20-18 for…Chris Cope? Damn. The fact that all three judges scored the first round for Chris is kind of absurd. Junior shouts “what?” Brock says that Chris wowed him and — you guessed it — made chicken salad out of chicken shit.
Shamar talks to Dana afterwards, and says he wanted to show that he could do more than wrestle. DW is like, “well, it looks like you tried to take him down.” (Burn!) Shamar tells Dana he sprained his back. And now Shamar is going to be haunted by that Woo! for the rest of his life.
On the next episode: Tony Ferguson goes apeshit into a glass coffee table, two more quarterfinal fights, and the semi-final announcements. We’re moving along nicely, here.
(Like we needed a reason to run this photo again.Props: MMARecap via MiddleEasy)
There were a lot of questions coming into last night’s XFO 39. Would this mark the last appearance of Jeff “Big Frog” Curran? How would Jamie Varner fair in what is not only his first fight since being released by the UFC, but a welterweight bout nonetheless? Can Felice Herrig vs. Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc possibly live up to the pre-fight staredown? The short answers are maybe, pretty well and of course not. Tune in after the jump for more details.
(Like we needed a reason to run this photo again.Props: MMARecap via MiddleEasy)
There were a lot of questions coming into last night’s XFO 39. Would this mark the last appearance of Jeff “Big Frog” Curran? How would Jamie Varner fair in what is not only his first fight since being released by the UFC, but a welterweight bout nonetheless? Can Felice Herrig vs. Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc possibly live up to the pre-fight staredown? The short answers are maybe, pretty well and of course not. Tune in after the jump for more details.
Jeff Curran easily handled the .500 Strikeforce veteran Billy Vaughan. When he wasn’t busy countering every strike Vaughan threw, Curran was attempting submissions from his guard. However, Curran was unable to finish Vaughan, and instead ended up with a unanimous decision victory.
After the fight, Big Frog let it be known that he was just a little disappointed with his current situation. “This is the last damn time I’m fighting in the XFO,” he said before announcing that unless the UFC offers him a contract, he plans on retiring. Will a unanimous decision over Billy Vaughan be enough to get Jeff Curran a UFC contract? If not, then is Jeff Curran serious about retirement? Only time will tell. For what it’s worth, Jeff Curran told Sherdog.com after the fight that he was unable to finish off Billy Vaughan due to a foot injury he suffered during the fight.
In welterweight action, former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner handled journeyman Tyler Combs with ease. Jamie Varner abused Combs on the feet before nailing a double-leg. After working the ground and pound, Varner transitioned to north-south and locked in a deep choke that made Combs go out. Total time? 90 seconds.
As for Felice Herrig vs. Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc, all you need to see is Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc’s entrance. Rivera-Calanoc walked out to the cage shouting “YES!”, Diego Sanchez style. As for the actual fight, Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc spent most of the fight clinching with Felice Herrig, despite Herrig consistently getting the better of the clinch exchanges. Herrig spent the rest of the fight controlling Rivera-Calanoc’s back on her way to a unanimous decision victory.
Jeff Curran def. Billy Vaughan via unanimous decision
Jamie Varner def. Tyler Combs via technical submission (north-south choke) in round 1
Felice Herrig def. Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc via unanimous decision
Mike Stumpf def. Dan Bolden via unanimous decision in round 3
Dan Aguirre def. Terrance Kinney via submission (triangle armbar) in round 1
Bellator action returned to Newkirk, Oklahoma, last night, and Byran Baker continued his campaign to steal the hearts and minds of pretty much everyone. The welterweight final was the main event for the evening, matching up Olympic judoka Rick Hawn and Jay “The Brooklyn-Born Thoroughbred Long Islander” Hieron (still nothing on Horwich). A bantamweight season five qualifier featuring Chase Beebe and Jose Vega was also on the menu, which illustrates the depth that Bellator is developing at 135. Follow us in past the jump for spoilers, and before we forget — your mom said for you to call her.
Bellator action returned to Newkirk, Oklahoma, last night, and Byran Baker continued his campaign to steal the hearts and minds of pretty much everyone. The welterweight final was the main event for the evening, matching up Olympic judoka Rick Hawn and Jay “The Brooklyn-Born Thoroughbred Long Islander” Hieron (still nothing on Horwich). A bantamweight season five qualifier featuring Chase Beebe and Jose Vega was also on the menu, which illustrates the depth that Bellator is developing at 135. Follow us in past the jump for spoilers, and before we forget – your mom said for you to call her.
Ron ”The Monster” Sparks and Vince Lucero fought one another in what was billed as a “heavyweight feature fight”, meaning Bellator’s not ready to hand out a tournament berth to the winner quite yet, even though they assume it will be Sparks. More well-known for being mentioned as an opponent for crossover athletes starting out in MMA (even though those fights wind up not happening), Sparks is nonetheless a giant man (6’5″, 255) with an undefeated record. Lucero is a veteran of forty fights against competition you’ve heard of, but you’ve never heard his name before, and you’ll probably forget it in a half hour. After the announcers practically guaran-damn-tee a knockout, the fight goes to the ground quickly, where Ron “Now He’ll Ground and Pound” Sparks twists up an Americana. Sparks defeats Vince Luceno via submission at 2:58 of the first round — not a bad showing, but we’ll wait to see more of Sparks against some better competition before we start getting excited about another heavyweight tournament.
On deck for the televised broadcast, Chase “The Rage” Beebe and Jose Vega faced off for a slot in next season’s 135 pound tournament. Beebe started his pro career with a string of impressive victories that earned him the WEC bantamweight strap, which he then turned over to Miguel Torres and started a troubling five-fight skid. (In fairness, the decision loss to Mike Easton was a bonafide robbery, so there’s that.) Vega was impressive in season three, scoring a highlight reel knockout over Jerrod Card and making his way to the semifinals before losing to eventual finalist Ed West. In another quick match, Beebe methodically tried out a few guillotines before he found one in Vega’s size, and sunk it in at the end of the first round. Chase Beebe defeats Jose Vega via submission at 4:06 of the first round, putting another good win on his record. Next season’s 135 tourney is going to be some good fights, y’all.
Since we have a couple of short fights, we get a chance to see some undercard action with Richard Bouphanouvong (rhymes with “Mo’ Fun-a-thon”) vs. David “The Caveman” Rickels. After Rickels stuns Bouphanouvong early on, he spends the remainder of the round on his back defending himself from grinding ground and pound. Rickels works his legs up for a triangle choke, but he’s unable to sink it in the first. The second round starts similarly, with Bouphanouvong shooting for a takedown after catching some sharp strikes from Rickels. The Caveman throws his legs up again, and envelopes his opponent’s head in a triangle. The tap comes soon after. David Rickels defeats Richard Bouphanouvong via submission (triangle choke) at 1:11 of the second round.
Bryan “The Beast” Baker and Joe “Diesel” Riggs were next, looking to perhaps score an invite to the next middleweight tournament. Riggs changes weight classes more than Scarlett Johansson changes hair colors, and with almost fifty fights under his belt, Diesel is showing some wear. Coming off a TKO loss to Jordan Mein, Riggs is ready to put a stamp on somebody.
Bryan Baker was diagnosed with leukemia just over a year ago, just days before his first tournament fight for Bellator. Baker soldiered on, continuing to train even as he underwent cancer treatments. He performed so well that we had him as a heavy favorite to win the finals against Alexander Shlemenko, even going so far as to suggest you bet the house on a Baker victory. (If anyone did lose their home because of our advice, we’d like to point out that, you know, dude had leukemia. If we’d known that, it may have influenced our picks. Just sayin’.)
Riggs and Baker took their time with the feeling out process, even receiving some boos for their first round dance-off. Baker slowly finds his distance, and uses knees as his primary weapon. Riggs opens his defenses up a bit in the second, trying to answer Baker with knees of his own, but he comes up second in a exchange of punches, and goes down hard. Baker stands over Riggs and seems ready to fire another hook when the ref waves it off, but Riggs is done. Bryan Baker defeats Joe Riggs via KO at 3:53 of round two, and his girlfriend is in the stands screaming like a banshee. Baker calls her into the ring and asks her to marry him, and all the girls in the crowd sigh at once. Awwwwww. It’s like a Nicholas Sparks book, except backwards.
The main event was the welterweight final, for the giant check and the date with Bellator’s reigning 170 pound Champion of Funk. Rick Hawn fought through Jim Wallhead and Lyman Good to make it here, and says that he’s in better shape than the Thoroughbred, turning the vet’s cage experience against him, at least in Hawn’s mind.
Jay Hieron surprised no one by making it to the finals, making his way through Anthony Lapsley and Brent Weedman, but he’s got to deal with Hawn’s brutally strong clinch game to close the deal.
It’s a close three rounder, and it would be worth watching the fight to make up your own mind. Hawn kept the pressure on Hieron for the full fifteen minutes, moving continually forward and biulding momentum throughout the fight. Hieron was evasive and counterpunched effectively, but seemed to be tired and in full retreat by the third round. The judges were divided as to who did more to whom, awarding Jay Heiron a split decision victory over Rick Hawn (29-28 x2, 28-29 x1). Naturally, Hawn will be back to judo slam the piss out of some poor guy enroute to a return to the tournament format, while Hieron will get his Publisher’s Clearing House check and a shot at the sweestest whiteboy ‘fro in MMA.
In other undercard action, Michael Osborn made quick work of Mike Schatz, earning a TKO victory due to strikes at 1:58 of the first round, and it was the only fight to not make the broadcast. Seems like they could have shoehorned a two minute fight in there somehow…
It’s a big ol’ locker-room pity party on Team Dos Santos following Mick Bowman’s loss. “Sometimes it’s not our time to be winner, but we have to try our best,” Junior says, trying to raise Mick’s spirits. He explains that the UFC is looking for exciting fighters and exciting fights. Lew Polley sees it differently: “You can say whatever you want, I don’t care, but the fact of the matter is, your job is just to win the fight. If it’s boring [and] you win, great. If it’s exciting [and] you lose, then what?”
Junior is not pleased to be contradicted in front of his team. “I think we make the guys a little bit confused, Lew,” he says. “Because sometimes I say something and you say something different…I know you’re a good fighter, I’m glad you’re here, but I think we need to talk to each other.” Uh-ohhh.
Back on the victorious Team Chickenshit, Brock tells Len Bentley that if they win their next two fights, he’s in line for a wild card spot. (Pay attention. This will become important later in the show.) And like clockwork, Len goes down grabbing his knee in practice. “I’m speechless,” Brock says, not literally speechless. “Maybe it’s time to close shop here for the day…I just want to exit the building. I’m just sick to my stomach.”
It’s a big ol’ locker-room pity party on Team Dos Santos following Mick Bowman’s loss. “Sometimes it’s not our time to be winner, but we have to try our best,” Junior says, trying to raise Mick’s spirits. He explains that the UFC is looking for exciting fighters and exciting fights. Lew Polley sees it differently: “You can say whatever you want, I don’t care, but the fact of the matter is, your job is just to win the fight. If it’s boring [and] you win, great. If it’s exciting [and] you lose, then what?”
Junior is not pleased to be contradicted in front of his team. “I think we make the guys a little bit confused, Lew,” he says. “Because sometimes I say something and you say something different…I know you’re a good fighter, I’m glad you’re here, but I think we need to talk to each other.” Uh-ohhh.
Back on the victorious Team Chickenshit, Brock tells Len Bentley that if they win their next two fights, he’s in line for a wild card spot. (Pay attention. This will become important later in the show.) And like clockwork, Len goes down grabbing his knee in practice. “I’m speechless,” Brock says, not literally speechless. “Maybe it’s time to close shop here for the day…I just want to exit the building. I’m just sick to my stomach.”
Clay Harvison gets his mangled hand checked out. It’s actually dislocated (horribly), but not broken. As for Len, the doc thinks it’s a patella dislocation, and he should be fine; his ACL and all the other important stuff is intact.
The feud between Junior and Lew finally comes to a head when JDS discovers that Lew visited the fighter house by himself, without Junior, and without Junior’s permission. JDS takes it as a grave insult and talks it over with wise old boxing coach Luiz Dorea, who gives the thumbs down: “He can’t go over your authority…you told him once, twice, three times…sadly, there is no other way.” Somebody’s ass gotta get fired.
Dos Santos calls Polley in for a private meeting, and confronts him about the unauthorized house-visit. Lew says he got permission from Junior the night before. Junior doesn’t remember that, and has had enough of the confusion: “You can leave now. I don’t need you more here…I think it’s too much confused the guys, confused, me. You can leave now. You have to, I think so.” Lew said he just wanted to check on his fighter, and it’s bullshit.
Lesnar has the next fight selection, and chooses Tony Ferguson (his #3 pick) vs. “Randy Couture’s long-lost son, Justin Edwards,” who came on as a replacement for Keon Caldwell, Junior’s last pick. Brock calls the matchup “wrestler vs. wrestler,” and is actually excited by that idea. By default, the last fight will be Chuck O’Neil vs. Zach Davis, aka “Gary Busey Jr.”
Ferguson is confident in his hands, and wants to keep it standing at first. Lesnar says he’s got a mean streak, which helps. JDS says Justin is one of the best fighters on the show, good in all areas. And he’s a fight finisher — professionally, he’s 6-0 with all wins by first-round stoppage.
The day of the fight is Tony’s birthday. His parents sent him a dream box — you know, one of those boxes that you keep your dream in? Tony puts on a shirt and tie before heading to the fight, which is his thing, I guess. He’s a class act. And here we go…
Round 1: Tony lands the first jab. Justin comes in slugging and kicking, head-hunting. He’s very aggressive. Tony tries to clinch to slow down the pace. Justin shakes him off. Tony lands a body shot, and Dustin goes into beast-mode again, firing at all angles. Justin clinches and lands a knee. Tony escapes. Tony swings some wild punches of his own. Justin goes back on the attack, throwing heavy leather. Tony lands on him twice. Great leg kick/uppercut combo from Tony. He sticks the jab. Justin returns a leg kick. Justin seems to be tiring already. They trade punches, but Tony gets the better of the exchange. Justin finally decides to shoot. He gets the takedown, but Tony is back up quickly. Justin lands the overhand right, followed by a jab and a body shot. Big punches from Tony now. Justin lands a hook and a leg kick.
Both guys are visibly fading. Justin lands a nice right hand. They clinch up. (Brock: “Take him down! Take him down!” JDS: “No, you take him down!” Nobody winds up taking down anybody.) Justin brawls forward and lands a left hook. Justin smashes Tony with three hard punches and scores the takedown. Tony gets busy with elbows to Justin’s head from his back. Tony kicks Justin off. Justin tries to pounce back in and gets KO’d with an upkick. Holy crap. Shades of Mousasi vs. Jacare. Tony slugs Justin in the head until the ref gets there.
Dana: “Holy shit. Good fight.” And it was. “Balls to the wall, guns blazing,” as Brock says.
Tony: “The coaches told me he likes to blow his wad.” [*cough*] He knew Justin was going to come out strong, and he did his best to stay calm. With the win, Team Lesnar evens the score to 3-3.
DW is psyched for both of them; they wanted to be there, and they went for it. Could Justin be another wild-card candidate? Tony confirms that this is probably the best birthday he’s ever had.
Anyway, on to the next. Chuck O’Neil is a goofball until he gets in the cage. Then: “It’s no longer ‘Dirtbag Charlie,’ you’re gonna see cold steel up in there, I’m gonna run shit.” Zach is a happy dude for the most part, but he’s very competitive. He’s looking to pin Chuck against the cage and rough him up with knees.
Brock isn’t too impressed with Zach. “Yeah, whatever. This guy’s a klutz, man. He’s a klutz.” Personally, I’m shocked to hear Brock use a yiddishism. Ten bucks says he learned that word from Paul Heyman.
Round 1: Zach needs just five seconds to complete his first takedown. He gets to side control, but Chuck pretty easily escapes to his feet. They clinch. Zach puts Chuck’s back against the fence and starts digging in with some knees to the body and legs, as per the gameplan. Chuck gives one back. Chuck reverses the position, but it doesn’t last long, and Zach goes back to knees to the body before dragging Chuck to the mat. Zach can’t do much in Chuck’s guard. Chuck goes for a triangle and Zach retreats, throwing down some punches from his feet. Chuck lands an upkick, but fails to knock Zach out. Zach kicks at Chuck’s legs. Chuck gets up and Zach shoots. Chuck grabs a kimura on the way down and uses it to flip Zach. He smashes Zach in the face from the top. Short elbow from Chuck. Zach works his guard, sets up a triangle, and taps Chuck pretty damn quick. Team Junior recovers the edge in the first-round fight totals, 4-3.
Dana tells Chuck it was a great fight, but Chuck is still super-pissed. Brock says he should have known to stay out of that triangle, because that’s his move. Chuck: “I fucking never get caught in fucking triangles. Ever.” Brock: “Never is not a word in fighting. Anything can happen.”
Speaking of “anything can happen”…it’s time for the wild card picks. (Is Dana wearing a Stevie Nicks t-shirt? CP reader Jerry T. reminds me that Stevie’s new album came out this week, proving once again that Dana’s torso is the best viral advertising platform on basic cable. Anyway, Stevie Nicks is the best.) They bring in Justin Edwards and tell him that both coaches want him in the wild card fight. Hey, that’s great! Except he can’t compete because of a 90-day knockout suspension. FUUUUU-.
They bring in all the losing fighters and see if they want another shot. Unsurprisingly, all of them do. Says front-runner Len: “I suffered a little setback, but I’m here to get employed by you, so whatever you want to see me do, I’ll do.” Dana is not impressed by their enthusiasm, even though each one made it very clear that they want the fight. Passion, and the use of profanity in getting your point across, seem to be very important to him.
It’s time for the coaches to give their input, and Brock kind of throws Len under the bus: “He would be our first wild card pick, but he’s got this chip on his shoulder…” When there’s pressure put on him, Brock wonders if Len’s knee is “gonna be that escape goat.” Wow. And he even pronounces it as “ekscape.”
Dana is shocked that Brock and Junior are actually hashing out the picks in a cordial, generally unbiased manner. In the end, they all come to a consensus. And it’s a weird one. DW announces that the wild card fight will be Javier Torres vs. Chuck O’Neal. “Honestly, I’m confused,” Len says. And he should be. His fight was great, while Javier’s wasn’t and Chuck got tapped in short order.
On the next episode: Len confronts Brock about the snub, and it’s time for the coaches’ challenge — some sort of NFL skills test, which Brock should have an advanatge in, you’d think. Plus, the wild card fight and the quarterfinal matchup.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say Brock Lesnar has a way with words. But that oft-repeated line of his–something about making chicken salad out of chicken, eh, leavings–gets my vote for the catchphrase of the season so far, even if it…
I wouldn’t go so far as to say Brock Lesnar has a way with words. But that oft-repeated line of his–something about making chicken salad out of chicken, eh, leavings–gets my vote for the catchphrase of the season so far, even if it’s not exactly Shakespearean. But Brock Lesnar team member Chris Cope did exactly […]
