Tag: The Ultimate Fighter 20

TUF 20 Episode 7 Results and Recap: Namajunas Earns Team Melendez’s 1st Win

The Ultimate Fighter returned with another fun episode.
Team Melendez, winless thus far this season, pitted No. 7-seed Rose Namajunas against No. 10-seed Alex Chambers.
Chambers entered with a professional record of 4-1, and Namajunas came in with a 2-…

The Ultimate Fighter returned with another fun episode.

Team Melendez, winless thus far this season, pitted No. 7-seed Rose Namajunas against No. 10-seed Alex Chambers.

Chambers entered with a professional record of 4-1, and Namajunas came in with a 2-1 record. Both losses for the women came at the hands of quality competition. Chambers dropped a bout to Mizuki Inoue, and Namajunas was on the losing end to Tecia Torres.

The fight started and Namajunas came right out to the center. Namajunas threw a nice kick and then closed the distance. She then unloaded a nice flurry, but Chambers avoided most of the damage.

Namajunas came forward with a takedown attempt, but she could not complete it. Chambers was forced into being reactive early on. Namajunas set the distance and tempo of the fight. Namajunas won the clinch battle with a knee and a takedown about halfway through the round.

The American took her back with around two minutes remaining, but Chambers fought back up to her feet. Namajunas scored another takedown and stayed on Chambers’ back. She got the hooks in and sunk in the rear-naked choke for the finish.

The fight was all Namajunas, but Chambers was a game opponent. It would have been interesting to see what adjustments Anthony Pettis would have had for his fighter for the next frame, but Namajunas finished the bout for Team Melendez’s first win of the season.

Tecia Torres will get a chance at redemption when she takes on Bec Rawlings next week as the final opening round bout.

Note: The highlighted matchup is the fight that will air next week. Tecia Torres replaced Justine Kish on Team Pettis following an injury that forced Kish out of the competition.

  • The show opened with Team Melendez having heat with two of their teammates. Lisa Ellis and Heather Clark have been spending time with ex-teammate Tecia Torres and Team Pettis, and that doesn’t sit well with others. Ellis called it immature, and it is.
  • Kron Gracie came in to assist Team Melendez, and this episode focused on his training with Namajunas. It was clear foreshadowing to how the fight would end.
  • Chambers has one of the most impressive backgrounds of any fighter in TUF history. She has a background in engineering and astrophysics. Not your typical fighter. She chose to forgo that part of her life to live her dream as a martial artist.
  • Carla Esparza’s pettiness continues to come through the screen as she refuses to accept Torres on her team. It was not Torres’ idea to switch teams. If these two meet in the next round, it will be a tension fueled fight worth watching between two of the show’s favorites.
  • As it turns out, Clark’s injury was very much real. She had a complete tear of her ACL. Her teammates did apologize to her for doubting the legitimacy of the injury, and hopefully everyone can move forward. Let’s hope for a speedy recovery for Clark.
  • Namajunas talked about a past with violence, sexual harassment, abuse. It was important to showcase as Namajunas stressed to the audience that they can always find someone to talk to about their problems.
  • Megan Rapinoe and Sydney Leroux of the U.S. Women’s National Team made an appearance on the show to have an informal discussion with the cast. There is little doubt this had to do with Fox acquiring the rights to the 2015 Women’s World Cup, but nonetheless it was a nice addition to the show. They discussed the struggles of being a female athlete, and they even got to get some instruction from the cast on submission and striking techniques.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

TUF 20, Episode 6 Recap: Daly vs. Magana Ends with Impressive Stoppage

With Team Melendez on one of the worst slides of The Ultimate Fighter history, the winless team threw their hopes behind Angela Magana, who was picked to face Team Pettis’ Aisling Daly. Magana and Daly represent two of the most experienced fighters on …

With Team Melendez on one of the worst slides of The Ultimate Fighter history, the winless team threw their hopes behind Angela Magana, who was picked to face Team Pettis’ Aisling Daly. Magana and Daly represent two of the most experienced fighters on this season, with 25 combined wins and resumes that include names like Jessica Eye, Jessica Aguilar and Barb Honchak. Both fighters entered the cage with a chip on their shoulder and a well-honed game. 

When the bell sounded, Magana pounced on Daly. In under a minute, she was on her back and deep on a rear-naked choke that nearly forced Daly to tap. While Daly would weather the submission attempt, Magana stayed on her back and ate up minutes on end. The ref would separate them, and Daly would survive the round but would surrender a clear 10-9 to Magana.

From there, however, it was dominance from the Team Pettis member. The show’s last pick (more or less) stuffed multiple takedown attempts from Magana and worked her over standing and in the clinch. 

The judges unanimously scored the fight 19-19 at that point, the two went on to the sudden-death round. Daly was the significantly fresher fighter and poured on ground-and-pound early. In a Dong-Hyun Kim-like display, she tied Magana’s arm across her face and laid down punches until the ref called the match. 

The win advances Team Pettis to 6-0 and leaves Team Melendez with just two chances to get on the board in Bec Rawlings, who will be a massive underdog against newly minted Team Pettis member Tecia Torres, and Rose Namajunas, who faces Alex Chambers next week.

Team Pettis Team Melendez Results/Notes
#1 Carla Esparza #16 Angela Hill Esparza def. Hill
#2 Joanne Calderwood #15 Emily Kagan Calderwood def. Kagan
#4 Jessica Penne #13 Lisa Ellis Penne def. Calderwood
#5 Aisling Daly #12 Angela Magana Daly def. Magana
#6 Felice Herrig #11 Heather Clark Herrig def. Clark
#3 Tecia Torres* #8 Bec Rawlings Torres replaces Justine Kish
#10 Alex Chambers #7 Rose Namajunas Next Week
#14 Randa Markos #3 Tecia Torres Markos def. Torres

Notes and Observations

  • A great deal of the buildup to the fights was on Magana’s rough upbringing. She was born addicted to heroin, witnessed her mother working as a prostitute and saw her get shot. 
  • Anthony Pettis discussed his concerns over Daly’s mindset saying “she is not herself.” Daly suffered from depression before the show, which possibly explains Dana White making a surprise appearance to offer support. When talking with her coaches, she says she is simply struggling with the Nevada heat after spending her entire life in Ireland.
  • In one of the season’s most heart-warming moments thus far, Daly is shown watching UFC Fight Night 46, which took place in Dublin. Daly trains alongside Patrick Holohan, Cathal Pendred, Gunnar Nelson and Conor McGregor, who all earned stoppage victories on the card. Unfortunately, with the exception of McGregor, things haven’t gone super-awesome for them since then…
  • While Daly put on a surprisingly strong performance, do not scramble to change your bracket quite yet. The trailer which appeared back in Week 1 hinted that some serious malady was going to befall Daly, which makes it unclear if she will be able to face off with Jessica Penne in the next round.
  • Last week, when it was announced that Tecia Torres would replace the injured Justine Kish, Carla Esparza expressed frustration at her suddenly stacked bracket. She was right to do so. If Torres defeats Rawlings, four of the top-five seeded fighters will all be on one side of the bracket.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

TUF 20, Episode 5 Recap: Grudge Rematch Goes the Distance Again

After a two-week absence due to Major League Baseball playoffs, The Ultimate Fighter 20 returned to Fox Sports 1 with one of the most anticipated fights of the season. That, of course, was a grudge rematch between Felice Herrig and Heather Clark.
The f…

After a two-week absence due to Major League Baseball playoffs, The Ultimate Fighter 20 returned to Fox Sports 1 with one of the most anticipated fights of the season. That, of course, was a grudge rematch between Felice Herrig and Heather Clark.

The fight is built up on animosity that the two women built up a couple years ago seemingly out of nowhere. Clark got her wish and fought Herrig in Bellator, but succumbed to a loss via decision.

Their animosity continued after the fight, as Clark seemingly could not let go of the loss. It came full circle when Clark earned a spot in the TUF house, proving there would be drama and a possible rematch with her archnemesis.

Clark showed to be somewhat banged up during the lead up to her fight with Herrig, but obviously fought on. When it was all said and done, Herrig was all-around superior, using better striking and grappling to outpoint Clark again. The win advanced Herrig to the quarterfinals, where she will take on teammate Randa Markos.

After the fight, Clark offered amends to Herrig, seemingly squashing the beef.

The next week, it was announced that Aisling Daly of Team Pettis would take on Angela Magana of Team Melendez. It’s a fight that could see Team Pettis move to 6-0 or have Team Melendez get their first win of the season.

 

TUF 20 Roster/Bracket

Team Pettis Team Melendez Results/Notes
#1 Carla Esparza #16 Angela Hill Esparza def. Hil
#2 Joanne Calderwood #15 Emily Kagan Calderwood def. Kagan
#4 Jessica Penne #13 Lisa Ellis Penne def. Ellis
#5 Aisling Daly #12 Angela Magana *NEXT WEEK*
#6 Felice Herrig #11 Heather Clark Herrig def. Clark
#9 Justine Kish*** #8 Bec Rawlings Kish injured; replaced by Torres
#10 Alex Chambers #7 Rose Namajunas  
#14 Randa Markos #3 Tecia Torres Markos def. Torres

 

Notes and Observations

  • I know that Heather-Felice was the big rivalry coming into the show, but Heather-Angela Magana could be a rivalry as a result of the show. They both have conflicting personalities and have clashed a few times on the show. Depending on how things go with the rest of the show, a Clark-Magana fight wouldn’t be surprising at the finale.
  • Justine Kish had to drop out of the competition due to a knee injury. That is absolutely devastating news for her, as she has a lot of talent and could have gone far on this show. She’s one of the girls I pegged as a dark horse on this show, as well as a girl I pegged as making the finals.
  • With Kish dropping out of the tournament, Tecia Torres replaces her in the bracket. I can definitely see how the ladies on the show are upset by that. She was a third-ranked seed that was upset by Randa Markos, meaning she was out of the tournament fair and square. Now she gets another chance in a championship tournament bracket. I think the UFC should have had an alternate enter the tournament, as it’s not fair to Markos and the girls who will potentially have to fight her.
  • Pretty much nobody clapped for Heather when she walked out for the fight. That includes Heather’s own team. She really has put up a wall between herself and the rest of the ladies in the house.
  • Felice pretty much dominated that fight. Heather had some spots, but it was basically all Felice. She will now face Randa Markos in the semifinals.
  • The next fight will see Daly take on Magana. That should be an interesting fight and clash of styles. I like Daly in that fight, as she is a successful veteran with very well-rounded skills.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

TUF 20 Episode 4 Results and Recap: Did Team Melendez Pull off Massive Upset?

The 20th season of the UFC’s hit reality series, The Ultimate Fighter, rumbled on Wednesday evening, pitting Team Anthony Pettis’ No. 1 seed, Carla Esparza (9-2), against Team Gilbert Melendez’s No. 16 seed, Angela Hill (1-0). 
To this point …

The 20th season of the UFC’s hit reality series, The Ultimate Fighter, rumbled on Wednesday evening, pitting Team Anthony Pettis’ No. 1 seed, Carla Esparza (9-2), against Team Gilbert Melendez’s No. 16 seed, Angela Hill (1-0). 

To this point in the competition, Team Pettis amassed a spotless 3-0 record, as Joanne “JoJo” Calderwood, Jessica Penne and Randa Markos picked up wins earlier in the season. 

While the momentum sat comfortably in Team Pettis’ corner, its top seed strolled into her fight with Hill coming off a long layoff, having most recently defeated TUF 20 castmate Bec Rawlings at Invicta Fighting Championships 4 in January 2013. 

She expressed her doubts to teammate and friend Felice Herrig pre-fight, asking, “Will I even remember what it’s like to be in there, to get hit like that?” 

Would that matter once the two took to the UFC Octagon? 

Nope. Not at all. 

Esparza brutalized Hill from the bout’s onset, taking her down, raining down heavy shots, advancing position, then jumping on her back like a spider monkey against the cage before sinking in the fight-ending rear-naked choke. 

The fight lasted just under four minutes, and Esparza controlled nearly every second of it. The win was dominant, and it showed why she was awarded the No. 1 seed. If ring rust was a factor here, a fully ready Esparza will hoist UFC gold by the time the show’s over. 

With the win, Team Pettis moves to 4-0 and retains control of the fight picks. 

Next Matchup: Felice Herrig (Team Pettis) vs. Heather Clark (Team Melendez)

Herrig and Clark have a history of bad blood, so this fight should absolutely rule. Herrig previously defeated Clark at Bellator 94 via split decision. 

Highlights from the episode: 

  • Urijah Faber guest coached for Team Pettis to kick off the episode, and the team responded well to his style and methods. It looked like “The California Kid” was a hit as much for his teaching as for his looks with the ladies of Team Pettis. 
  • Faber to Calderwood: “You sound like Braveheart.” Awesome. 
  • Angela Hill farts a lot apparently. In the house. In the practice room. In the cage. That’s…good to know? 
  • Esparza and Felice Herrig gossiped about Esparza wanting to kiss Faber. Another necessary inclusion to the episode, production crew. 
  • My mom is in for a visit, so she watched the episode with me. Her comment: “It’s like the MTV Real World.” Is that what you’ve become, TUF?  
  • The show devoted a solid chunk of airtime to Justine Kish, who not only is having problems with her weight but who also aggravated a past knee injury. She’s understandably upset, and it’s unclear if she’ll be ready to roll once her card is drawn. 
  • Nobody on Team Melendez likes Heather Clark. She’s complaining nonstop about a knee injury and missing practice time because of it, she’s hogging the ice bath, and she talks funny. 
  • Mom quote No. 2: “Her five o’clock shadow is showing.” Ouch, mom. Ouch. I won’t say who inspired that gem of a quote. 
  • Angela Hill says that everyone loves a girl fight because when they fight, they brawl. In my experience, that’s a valid assessment; the two most memorable school fights of my life were girl fights. Absolutely brutal. 
  • Carla Esparza is really, really good. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Felice Herrig: Is Her Sexed-Up Image Good or Bad for Women’s MMA?

The Ultimate Fighter 20 is now entering its third week and appears to be picking up some momentum in the ratings. One of the more polarizing figures in the TUF house is Felice Herrig. Herrig has made a name for herself by putting to…

The Ultimate Fighter 20 is now entering its third week and appears to be picking up some momentum in the ratings. One of the more polarizing figures in the TUF house is Felice Herrig. Herrig has made a name for herself by putting together a somewhat successful MMA career (9-5), but even more so by creating an image of herself as being the “sexy one.”

Herrig isn’t the most exciting fighter you’ll see and would be best known for her weigh-ins such as this one and this one. She’s positioned herself not only as a fighter, but as a sex symbol and she doesn’t mind it one bit.

In an interview with MMAmania last year, she explains her thoughts on how she’s perceived:

I play up the sexy side, but I’m not playing. I’m being me. I’m not doing anything I’m uncomfortable with. A lot of people think that’s what I’m all about and that I don’t care about my fighting, that I spend more time promoting myself than training. There’s only so much time in the day. I’m more dedicated than any other woman I’ve met and most of the guys. At the same time, fighting is a business. I’m promoting my brand. With women athletes, you get a lot more opportunities. It’s more intriguing to the general public if the see a woman that wouldn’t strike you as a fighter.

Most of the women on the UFC’s roster don’t play up the sex card. They don’t want fight fans to see them as people who are only popular because of their looks. They want to continue gaining notoriety for their skills inside the Octagon and quite frankly, most of them don’t have the time to do the type of photo shoots Herrig has done because they are so caught up with spending their time in the gym in an effort to have a successful fight career.

While most perceive Herrig as being a loud and obnoxious person who will do anything for attention, she’s doing nothing but good things by not conforming to how most fighters act. The way she jokes around and carries herself with such a free spirit is refreshing.

Each week we see and hear the same questions and answers from fighters. We hear them talk about their camp, who they want to fight next, what injury caused them to underperform in their last fight, etc. What’s wrong with Herrig‘s sexed-up image?

Some might say it’s bad for the sport. How? Others could say she’s not being a good role model. What kid is looking up to Felice Herrig as a role model? If anything, Herrig is showing girls that it’s okay to “be a girl,” do girly things, and do something like fight at a high level.

The UFC knows sex appeal can sell. That’s why we’ve seen Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate buck naked in ESPN The Magazine. It’s why Herrig taking off her underwear was the talking point surrounding episode two of TUF 20. Can you imagine if Herrig went on to win this show and become the first UFC strawweight champion? She’d have all the tools the UFC would need to make her as popular as their bantamweight champion.

Fighters like Herrig are needed in the UFC. Being sexy is not disrespecting the sport and the spunk she brings to the table is a welcomed addition to the UFC roster. If she can be successful inside the Octagon, it’s the fans that’ll benefit.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

TUF 20 Has Most, but Not All, of the World’s Best Strawweights

The Ultimate Fighter 20 is in full swing. The UFC signed 11 of Invicta FC’s strawweights to join the organization, and eight are competing on the show with a chance to become the first-ever UFC strawweight champion.
Eight others joined the cast via a t…

The Ultimate Fighter 20 is in full swing. The UFC signed 11 of Invicta FC’s strawweights to join the organization, and eight are competing on the show with a chance to become the first-ever UFC strawweight champion.

Eight others joined the cast via a tryout in Las Vegas. Among those who joined were former ranked flyweight Aisling Daly and former Invicta FC atomweight champion Jessica Penne.

The promo and hype surrounding TUF 20 states that the 16 best strawweights are involved in the season. That is just a bold-faced lie. Period.

In fact, of the three Invicta FC fighters the UFC signed who are not performing on TUF, there is one glaring omission. Claudia Gadelha is the current No. 2-ranked strawweight in the world and arguably could be the No. 1. Also signed to the organization but not in the cast is Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Yet, let’s not focus on who is signed to the organization. They will get their shot eventually. Who are three of the top fighters not signed to the UFC’s strawweight division, let alone not on this season of TUF?

 

Katja Kankaanpaa

The Killer Bunny has been in the top 10 for some time, but she secured her spot with a come-from-behind win over Stephanie Eggink at the latest Invicta FC event to capture the Invicta FC strawweight title. She currently sits at No. 5 in the division.

At 10-1-1, her lone loss came at the hands of Joanne Calderwood. She also holds a victory over Aisling Daly.

Kankaanpaa has good submissions and solid striking. The Finnish fighter has all the tools to be a threat in the UFC’s strawweight division, should the company ever sign her.

 

Mizuki Inoue

The 20-year-old is a marvel to watch. Inoue possesses some of the most technical boxing in all of women’s MMA.

Inoue has two losses on her professional record: a loss to Ayaka Hamasaki when she was just 17 years old and a disqualification to Emi Tomimatsu earlier this year when she missed weight. Inoue won the actual contest and the rematch.

She has fought and beaten two members of the TUF 20 cast. She submitted Alex Chambers in 2012 and pummeled Bec Rawlings in Invicta.

Inoue is still growing as a fighter, and she could be a legitimate top contender sooner than later. If the UFC wants to have the best of the best, it needs to ink Inoue as soon as possible. She is a special talent.

 

Jessica Aguilar

The biggest omission is certainly Aguilar. She is currently the No. 1-ranked strawweight in the world and the WSOF strawweight champion.

Aguilar slowly made her way up the ranks and got notoriety when she defeated longtime No. 1 Megumi Fujii.

Aguilar has four career losses, and two of those are to current cast members. However, they happened a long time ago. She dropped her professional debut to Lisa Ellis in 2006 and a majority decision to Angela Magana in 2009. Aguilar had two previous wins over Magana—one via submission and one due to blood in Magana’s eye. She avenged the loss to Ellis in 2011.

Aguilar’s last loss came in 2010 to Zoila Frausto Gurgel in Bellator by split decision.

The current top-ranked strawweight also holds a split-decision win over former Invicta FC champion and current No. 1 seed on TUF 20, Carla Esparza. She is also the American Top Team teammate of Tecia Torres.

Aguilar has a lot to offer the division, and it would have been amazing to see her on the show. She still has a couple of fights left on her WSOF deal, but once that obligation is fulfilled, it would be a travesty for the UFC not to sign her.

If the UFC wants the best fighters in the world, it will look into picking up these three women sooner rather than later. They will add quality depth to the newest UFC division.

 

All rankings courtesy of MMARising.com.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com