Tag: The Ultimate Fighter 19

TUF 19 Episode 2 Results and Recap: Foreigner Strikes First Blood

The elimination fights happened. The teams have been picked. It was time for the real nitty-gritty part of The Ultimate Fighter 19 to commence.
This episode revolved around the first middleweight quarterfinal bout of the season. The matchup saw two nor…

The elimination fights happened. The teams have been picked. It was time for the real nitty-gritty part of The Ultimate Fighter 19 to commence.

This episode revolved around the first middleweight quarterfinal bout of the season. The matchup saw two normal welterweights throw down, as Cathal Pendred of Team Penn took on Hector Urbina of Team Edgar.

Most of the episode saw a buildup to the first fight, as much was examined on both Urbina and Pendred. Pendred, an Irishman, got into the house with a bye, as the opponents they lined up for him either missed weight or backed out before the bout. Urbina, a Mexican-American, talked about being the oldest of several brothers and sisters, as well as being a role model to them.

The fight itself was nothing to write home about. Urbina clearly won the first round with takedowns and powerful striking. However, Pendred took home the second and third round through clinch, control and outlanding Urbina, taking a 29-28 unanimous decision in the process.

Team Penn retained the pick and chose the first light heavyweight fight. They chose their own fighter, Dan Spohn, to fight last pick of Team Edgar Todd Monaghan.

 

Teams

Team Edgar 185 Team Penn 185 Team Edgar 205 Team Penn 205
Ian Stephens Mike King Corey Anderson Anton Berzin
Dhiego Lima Tim Williams Patrick Walsh Josh Clark
Eddie Gordon Cathal Pendred Matt van Buren Dan Spohn
Hector Urbina Roger Zapata Todd Monaghan Chris Fields

 

Notes and Observations:

  • BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar went almost opposite directions when picking a coaching staff for this show. Edgar’s coaches are all the guys he trains with in New Jersey, as he has employed Mark Henry (boxing coach), Ricardo Almeida (jiu-jitsu/wrestling coach) and Ali Abdelaziz (manager/judo coach). Penn, although he brought his boxing coach Jason Parillo, took coaches from other camps in the form of Mark Coleman (wrestling coach) and Andre Pederneiras. It will be interesting to see if the all-star team with Coleman and Pederneiras works out better, or if the “family feel” staff that Edgar brought will end up being advantageous.
  • Cathal Pendred didn’t have to get into the house. The UFC is pushing into Ireland. I hate to be one to look into conspiracy theories, but even if other fighters missed weight or pulled out, the UFC would still find replacements to get a fight into the house. Remember in TUF 9 they found a couple late replacements because guys missed weight or failed medicals? Just a thought…
  • The weigh-in staredown and the general vibe I am getting from the fighters is exciting. You can tell everybody is ecstatic to be there and anxious to compete. Some seasons haven’t had the exciting feel coming from the fighters, but various aspects from this episode revealed this could be a fun season.
  • I really liked what Pendred was doing to land knees on Urbina in the headlock position. Urbina put his hand down to make knees to the head illegal, so Pendred would simultaneously lift Urbina‘s body up which would pull his hand off the mat and smash him with a knee. Very crafty stuff.
  • Don’t expect Pendred‘s fights to be pretty, as was the case with his win over Urbina. He is a natural 170er fighting a bunch of men who are much larger than he is. He is going to have to grind and make fights ugly to be successful.
  • Next week’s fight seems like it will be a straight beatdown. I don’t see a high ceiling for Monaghan, who got destroyed before pulling an armbar out of nowhere, while Spohn is one of my favorites to win the season. In fact, I don’t expect this fight to last long at all. I think Spohn will light Monaghan up quickly and put him away early.

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TUF 19: A Full Breakdown of Every Fighter

The Ultimate Fighter 19 is off and running, with the elimination round already occurring. After some awesome fights and some crazy finishes, we are down to eight middleweights and eight light heavyweights.
Coaches BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar have already…

The Ultimate Fighter 19 is off and running, with the elimination round already occurring. After some awesome fights and some crazy finishes, we are down to eight middleweights and eight light heavyweights.

Coaches BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar have already formed their teams. From the looks of it, there is a lot of talent between the teams that should make for a nice talent pool.

Let’s take a look at all the contestants and give a scouting report on each fighter.

 

Elimination Round Results

Light Heavyweight

  • Dan Spohn def. Tyler King via KO (punch)
  • Todd Monaghan def. Jake Heun via submission (armbar)
  • Chris Fields def. Josh Stansbury via TKO (knee injury)
  • Anton Berzin def. Cody Mumma via submission (triangle armbar)
  • Josh Clark def. John Poppie via submission (triangle armbar)
  • Patrick Walsh def. Doug Sparks via submission (kimura)
  • Matt van Buren def. Daniel Vizcaya via TKO (elbows)
  • Corey Anderson def. Kelly Anundson via unanimous decision

 

Middleweight

  • Hector Urbina def. Adrian Miles via submission (guillotine choke)
  • Cathal Pendred def. unnamed opponent via forfeit
  • Roger Zapata def. Tyler Minton via TKO (punches)
  • Ian Stephens def. Lyman Good via unanimous decision
  • Tim Williams def. Bojan Velickovic via TKO (punches)
  • Eddie Gordon def. Matt Gabel via unanimous decision
  • Dhiego Lima def. Adam Stroup via unanimous decision
  • Mike King def. Nordine Taleb via unanimous decision

Begin Slideshow

TUF 19 ‘Penn vs. Edgar’ Episode 1 Results and Recap: Huge KO Shocks Crowd

The UFC’s hit reality television show, The Ultimate Fighter, entered its 19th season Wednesday at 10 p.m. on Fox Sports 1. 
The show, which is coached by legendary UFC fighters BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar, will showcase middleweight and light h…

The UFC’s hit reality television show, The Ultimate Fighter, entered its 19th season Wednesday at 10 p.m. on Fox Sports 1. 

The show, which is coached by legendary UFC fighters BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar, will showcase middleweight and light heavyweight UFC hopefuls this season, and the producers wasted no time in throwing the viewers into the thick of the action. 

The night’s first fight, a light heavyweight matchup between Dan “The Dragon” Spohn and Tyler King featured an absolutely ruthless knockout, as Spohn decked his 6’6″ foe with a huge right hook and some follow-up ground-and-pound that left UFC Dana White spewing expletives  like he was trying out for a Scorsese film. 

From there, the fights continued to impress and excite. Here’s how the fight-in fights played out on episode one of The Ultimate Fighter’s 19th season.

 

Light Heavyweight Results: 

Dan Spohn defeats Tyler King via KO, Round 1

Todd Monaghan defeats Jake Heun via submission (armbar), Round 1

Chris Fields defeats Josh Stansbury via TKO (injury), Round 1 (Stansbury blew his knee out during a takedown attempt.)

Anton Berzin defeats Cody Mumma via submission (armbar), Round 1

Josh Clark defeats John Poppie via submission (armbar), Round 3

Patrick Walsh defeats Doug Sparks via submission (kimura), Round 1

Matt Van Buren defeats Daniel Vizcaya via knockout (Travis Browne elbows along the fence), Round 1

Corey Anderson defeats Kelly Anundson via decision

 

Middleweight Results: 

Hector Urbina defeats Adrian Miles via submission (guillotine), Round 1

Roger Zapata defeats Tyler Minton via TKO 

Ian Stephens defeats Lyman Good via decision

Tim Williams defeats Bojan Velickovic via TKO, Round 3 

Eddie Gordon defeats Matt Gabel via decision 

Dhiego Lima defeats Adam Stroub via decision

Mike King defeats Nordine Taleb via 

 

After the fights were over, Edgar and Penn selected their teams for the upcoming season. Here’s how the picks shook out:

 

Once the teams were picked, the first fight was set, and we’re kicking things off in the middleweight division. Even though we didn’t get to see Cathal Pendred in the first episode (more on that below), we won’t have to wait long to finally get a glimpse of the Irish fighter.

 

Fight Announcement: 

Cathal Pendred vs. Hector Urbina 

 

Key points:

  • Doug Sparks wore a headband that was supposed to represent polar bear ears. He said that his mother was a polar bear, so he’s “only half human.” All right, then. Too bad we won’t see more of this character as the season progresses.
  • Stansbury was winning his fight against Fields before the injury, even rocking his opponent with some vicious punches. It will be interesting to see if the UFC invites him back at a later date. 
  • BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar seem to get along pretty well, actually. Maybe there won’t be too much coaching drama this season. 
  • Irish welterweight (will fight at middleweight on the show) Cathal Pendred had problems getting an opponent to stay healthy and make weight, so he received an automatic bye to the next round.
  • The finish in the Van Buren vs. Vizcaya fight was strange. Herb Dean stopped the fight after Vizcaya appeared to go limp, but Vizcaya bounced right back up and continued to pursue a takedown. Upon looking at a few replays, it did appear that Vizcaya went out for a second. 
  • Nordine Taleb fought on The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia and The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale, each of which aired before The Ultimate Fighter 19. Spoiler alert: He obviously wasn’t going to win his fight against King, since TUF 19 actually filmed first.
  • That said, Taleb and King fought one heck of a three-round war. That was a great, back-and-forth fight, and it’s easy to see why Taleb was given a second chance. 
  • Eddie Gordon trains with UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. He’s huge, and it’s clear that he’s going to be a fighter to watch moving forward.

All things considered, this opening episode was super fun, and there were plenty of hard-hitting knockouts and slick submissions alike. 

The season is shaping up nicely. Stay tuned to see how the story develops for this cast of 185- and 205-pound combatants. 

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Previewing the Favorites, Dark Horses of TUF 19

The Ultimate Fighter 19 cast has been announced, and the show is ready to commence on TV in mid-April. The show will feature middleweights and light heavyweights, all of whom will be vying for a contract with the UFC.
The show is coached by competitive…

The Ultimate Fighter 19 cast has been announced, and the show is ready to commence on TV in mid-April. The show will feature middleweights and light heavyweights, all of whom will be vying for a contract with the UFC.

The show is coached by competitive rivals Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn. Both men have been UFC champions in the past and have crossed paths on two occasions, with Edgar being the victor in both.

Let’s take a look at the current field of fighters and pick out the favorites and dark horses of the tournament.

 

Middleweights

Fighter Gym Record
Matt Gabel Raise the Bar Fitness 8-3
Lyman Good Team Tiger Schulmann 15-3
Eddie Gordon Serra-Longo Fight Team 6-1
Mike King Buckeye MMA 5-0
Dhiego Lima American Top Team 9-1
Adrian Miles Alan Belcher MMA Club 14-5
Tyler Minton Team Oxendine 3-1
Cathal Pendred SBG Ireland 13-2
Ian Stephens Blalock’s IMB 2-0
Adam Stroup Factory X Muay Thai 5-1
Nordine Taleb Tristar Gym 8-2
Hector Urbina American Top Team 16-8-1
Bojan Velickovic n/a 8-2
Daniel Vizcaya Power Martial Arts 7-2
Tim Williams Team Balance 8-1
Roger Zapata Bruno Tostes BJJ 4-1

 

Favorites

There is a very strong field of fighters occupying the middleweight bracket, which could make for a great season. In looking at the field, the three favorites have to be considered Cathal Pendred, Dhiego Lima and Eddie Gordon.

Pendred is probably the outright favorite to win the season, as the Irishman is a top prospect in any weight division. He is a combination of gritty grappling and refined striking, making him a well-rounded threat to run away with this season. He is also a guy that the UFC can market when moving into Ireland.

Lima, the brother of potential Bellator champ Douglas Lima, is another top prospect. Like Pendred, Lima is a prospect at welterweight, but the lack of cutting a ton of weight in the house will likely benefit the two. Lima is a fantastic striker with good jiu-jitsu skills, though he must beware of the wrestlers in the house.

Gordon is a disciple of Matt Serra and Ray Longo who combines developing striking with a solid ground game. He has faced some high-level guys in the East Coast circuit and should be ready to compete in a big way in this tournament.

 

Dark Horses

When looking at the dark horses, two men come to mind right away: Ian Stephens and Mike King.

Stephens is likely considered a top dark horse because he has just a 2-0 record. However, Stephens and his little-known status will make him unfamiliar as opposed to more famous guys on the cast like Lima and Pendred. He has solid wrestling and developing all-around skills that could pose a threat to guys with weak takedown defense.

King is an undefeated fighter with a nasty top game that has led to stoppages in all five of his fights. He is a ferocious ground-and-pound artist who has even added a nice submission touch to his game. He could truly be THE dark horse of the tournament.

 

Light Heavyweights

Fighter Gym Record
Corey Anderson n/a 2-0
Kelly Anundson American Top Team 6-2
Anton Berzin n/a 3-1
Josh Clark AFS MMA Academy 5-2
Chris Fields SBG Ireland 10-5
Jake Heun American Top Team 5-3
Tyler King Connors MMA 6-2
Todd Monaghan n/a 5-3
Cody Mumma Grudge Training Center 5-1
John Poppie n/a 3-1
Doug Sparks Team Hoedown 7-2
Dan Spohn Cambridge Martial Arts 8-3
Josh Stansbury Team Impact 5-2
Matt van Buren Alliance MMA 6-2
Patrick Walsh Wai Kru MMA 4-1

 

Favorites

The light heavyweight division definitely doesn’t have as recognizable of a cast as the middleweight bracket. That being said, the three men who are likely favorites in this field are Corey Anderson, Dan Spohn and Chris Fields.

Anderson is a former collegiate wrestler with explosive takedowns and good size. One might place him under the dark-horse category, but I think because of his wrestling and the exploitation of some of the participants’ takedown defense.

Spohn is a Bellator veteran who has greatly improved fight to fight. His experience and well-roundedness is a great asset, something that will make him an enigma when guys are game-planning him for their fights.

Fields is another representative from Ireland that usually fights at middleweight and has good experience fighting with Cage Warriors. He is a good striker who has developed his ground game and could follow Pendred as one of the best fighters in the house.

 

Dark Horses

The dark horses of the bracket at this point are definitely Anton Berzin and Patrick Walsh.

Berzin is a ground fighter with a strong submission style that has seen him tap out all three of his victims. He does great work from the top position but has been known to have a solid defensive ground game as well. Anybody who goes to the ground with him must proceed with caution.

Walsh is a Wai Kru representative who has a good striking base that should make him feared by anybody who stands and bangs with him. He is a big 205-pounder who may struggle to stay on weight, but if he plans that out well, he can use his size to give other guys fits.

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The Ultimate Fighter 19 Cast Revealed

Fans have been waiting anxiously for the cast of The Ultimate Fighter 19, which was announced in full Tuesday.
The season, which will be coached by BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar, premieres April 16 after the TUF Nations Finale on F…

Fans have been waiting anxiously for the cast of The Ultimate Fighter 19, which was announced in full Tuesday.

The season, which will be coached by BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar, premieres April 16 after the TUF Nations Finale on Fox Sports 1. The season will host a field of middleweight and light heavyweight participants who will fight for a UFC contract.

The season has a nice mix of past competitors, unknowns, up-and-comers and even a former Bellator champion.

There are three men on the series who have already competed on a season of TUF. Two of them (Tim Williams and Jake Heun) were on the 17th season, while one man (Nordine Taleb of Team Canada) competed on TUF Nations. Williams and Heun lost their elimination-round fights to Dylan Andrews and Adam Cella, respectively. Taleb lost his quarterfinals bout in a potential fight of the season to Tyler Manawaroa.

Former Bellator welterweight champion Lyman Good is also slated to appear on the show, moving up from welterweight to middleweight. His contract with Bellator expired and he jumped on a chance to try to make the UFC soon after.

Other notables on the cast include Irish phenom Cathal Pendred, who is a teammate of Conor McGregor; Dhiego Lima, the brother of Bellator title challenger Douglas Lima; and Eddie Gordon, a disciple of Matt Serra and Ray Longo’s gym.

According to the list of men the UFC released, only 31 participants have been announced, meaning the list is one man short. That means we will probably find out who the 32nd man is upon the season premiere April 16.

Below is a list of all the participants on the show:

  • Corey Anderson (3-0)
  • Kelly Anundson (6-1)
  • Anton Berzin (3-1)
  • Josh Clark (7-2)
  • Chris Fields (8-4)
  • Matt Gabel (8-3)
  • Lyman Good (15-3)
  • Eddie Gordon (6-1)
  • Jake Heun (6-3)
  • Mike King (5-0)
  • Tyler King (7-1)
  • Dhiego Lima (9-2)
  • Adrian Miles (14-5)
  • Tyler Minton (5-1)
  • Todd Monaghan (8-2)
  • Cody Mumma (5-1)
  • Cathal Pendred (13-2)
  • John Poppie (3-1)
  • Doug Sparks (7-2)
  • Dan Spohn (8-3)
  • Josh Stansbury (4-2)
  • Ian Stephens (4-0)
  • Adam Stroup (5-1)
  • Nordine Taleb (8-2)
  • Hector Urbina (16-8-1)
  • Matt Van Buren (6-2)
  • Bojan Velickovic (8-2)
  • Daniel Vizcaya (7-2)
  • Patrick Walsh (4-1)
  • Tim Williams (8-1)
  • Roger Zapata (5-1)

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UFC Promo Video Leaks the Ultimate Fighter 19 Cast List, Teams

The UFC messed up. 
In a recent promotional video for Season 19 of The Ultimate Fighter, a major spoiler slipped past the eyes of editors and aired to the masses. 
Watch the video embedded above. 
Did you catch it? 
As Ohio MMA…

The UFC messed up. 

In a recent promotional video for Season 19 of The Ultimate Fighter, a major spoiler slipped past the eyes of editors and aired to the masses. 

Watch the video embedded above. 

Did you catch it? 

As Ohio MMA pointed out on Twitter, at :21, a full list of the cast members who make the house appears onscreen, including team designations. 

If you can’t pause the video in time, here is a screenshot I captured from the video including all eight fighters for each team (Ohio MMA missed two fighters in their screenshot). 

That certainly takes some steam away from the premiere episode, no? 

If you want to score some quick cash from your buddies, however, you could start lining up bets (just sayin’). 

As my colleague Riley Kontek pointed out to me over online chat, this slip-up may be intentional. 

With all the buzz currently surrounding Season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter, perhaps the UFC executives did something drastic to get us talking about Season 19 again.

Regardless of why it happened, it happened.
A big announcement was made public—intentionally or not—and fans received a taste of what Season 19 has in store for us almost five months before it airs.
 
What do you make of this? Did the UFC reveal the cast list on purpose, or did they slip up after 18 seasons of keeping secrets? 

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