Every avid mma or UFC fan looks forward to the decorated reality show we have all come to know and love. It is of course none other than The Ultimate Fighter. This combines the qualities.
Every avid mma or UFC fan looks forward to the decorated reality show we have all come to know and love. It is of course none other than The Ultimate Fighter. This combines the qualities of fighting and mma, with the reality style drama many Americans crave in media. The premise of the show is multiple fights between fighters in a tournament like style. The ultimate goal is to win the tournament, receive the honor of “The Ultimate Fighter”, and consequently receive a six figure sum contract from Dana White to fight in the top promotional company of mma. The goal is to have a single fighter come out of the tournament as the victor; a single ultimate winner.
However, I find it interesting that the longer the seasons progress, the more fighters from the show are given the opportunity to also fight in the UFC. Clearly every fighter that is in the UFC has not come from the reality show. The fighters in the UFC were up and coming mma fighters signed by Dana White and the presidents of the promotion. So technically any of the fighters from the show that didn’t win are simply just up and coming mma competitors that could potentially be signed by the UFC like any other fighter in the promotion. However, the premise of the reality show is for one man to stand out and to be the fighter signed by the UFC.
As I stated earlier, the more seasons that are being filmed of TUF, the majority of the fighters that just make it onto the show are being signed as well by the UFC. UFC 150, which will be airing August 12, 2012, features the very promising fighter Justin Lawrence as his debut in the Featherweight division. He was an excellent contender on TUF 15, and was the first overall pick. I, personally, was rooting for him to win. Unfortunately, not everyone can win a competition, and it wasn’t his moment to shine. Regardless of the fact, he was signed to the UFC. Cristiano Marcello will be appearing at UFC 153, as well as cast member Sam Sicilia. Andy Ogle is scheduled to fight at UFC on Fuel TV 5, and Daron Cruickshank is slated to fight at UFC 151, just to name a few fighters from the show.
The show has slowly been turning from the tournament style fighting we have all grown to love, into literally an almost everyone gets to win show. There is less zest from the show because more than likely you know as a viewer that half of the fighters are going to be signed with the UFC regardless of whether they are the victor or not. I feel like the show will eventually lose a majority of viewers, because it is not a competition anymore and more of a group of soon to be UFC fighters living in a house together, while America gets the privilege to watch their lives over the segmented time frame.
(Really, you guys? We all agreed to throw our fingers in the air once that beat dropped and now I look like an asshole up here.)
Sticking to their brief but noticeable pattern of hopping onto novelty trends long after the well has run dry (see Bob Sapp, Bobby Lashley), it appears that the brains behind India-based promotion Super Fight League began filming a TUF-style reality show yesterday. Co-owner Raj Kundra broke the news via his Twitter as things got underway:
Yes we have announced The Super Fighter (Ed note: Nice, Raj. REEEEAAALLL original.) MMA reality show. Auditions are now on pan India.
In addition, Kundra discussed some of the intricacies of the show’s format with the Hindustan Times:
The show will go for 50 days and each week people will vote for who they want to see fight on a Friday night. The fighters will also be given tasks each week.
Given the abysmal numbers this season of The Ultimate Fighter Amurica pulled in, along with the fact that SFL are, you know, hemorrhaging money and all, you’d probably think that this was a boneheaded move on their part. To which we’d partially agree with you.
On the other hand, part of the reason SFL is seeing such paltry attendance numbers is due to the lack of MMA awareness that currently exists in India. Some of the bigger named celebrities who attended SFL’s first event even admitted afterward that they were under the belief that MMA was something along the lines of the WWE, and were abhorred to learn otherwise. A MMA based reality show, however, could easily help stir up some newfound interest in the sport as the first season of The Ultimate Fighter did here in the good old U.S of A.
(Really, you guys? We all agreed to throw our fingers in the air once that beat dropped and now I look like an asshole up here.)
Sticking to their brief but noticeable pattern of hopping onto novelty trends long after the well has run dry (see Bob Sapp, Bobby Lashley), it appears that the brains behind India-based promotion Super Fight League began filming a TUF-style reality show yesterday. Co-owner Raj Kundra broke the news via his Twitter as things got underway:
Yes we have announced The Super Fighter (Ed note: Nice, Raj. REEEEAAALLL original.) MMA reality show. Auditions are now on pan India.
In addition, Kundra discussed some of the intricacies of the show’s format with the Hindustan Times:
The show will go for 50 days and each week people will vote for who they want to see fight on a Friday night. The fighters will also be given tasks each week.
Given the abysmal numbers this season of The Ultimate Fighter Amurica pulled in, along with the fact that SFL are, you know, hemorrhaging money and all, you’d probably think that this was a boneheaded move on their part. To which we’d partially agree with you.
On the other hand, part of the reason SFL is seeing such paltry attendance numbers is due to the lack of MMA awareness that currently exists in India. Some of the bigger named celebrities who attended SFL’s first event even admitted afterward that they were under the belief that MMA was something along the lines of the WWE, and were abhorred to learn otherwise. A MMA based reality show, however, could easily help stir up some newfound interest in the sport as the first season of The Ultimate Fighter did here in the good old U.S of A.
But whether Kundra and Co. are actually seeking to further awareness of the sport in general or simply exploit it for monetary gain remains to be seen. If they are truly interested in the former, then we would suggest they shy away from the fabricated drama and in-house quarreling that has dragged many seasons of the show down over here. Don’t get us wrong, a stank bref joke is always funny when used sparingly, but 100 of them back-to-back kind of waters the hilarity down.
And what exactly are these tasks they must perform, you ask? We’re not exactly sure, and we don’t want to blow the lid on this thing, but one of our anonymous sources gave us the inside scoop on what went down on the first day of shooting:
After a brief introduction, 32 fighters were brought into a small training facility, half featherweight, half welterweight, where they were met by SFL co-founder Sanjay Dutt, arms crossed and eyes aflame. In an attempt to channel Dana White, Sanjay apparently screamed obscenities at each of the fighters until they cried before asking aloud “Do you want to be a fighter that is fucked?” (Ed note: We think a translation error might have been responsible for this bit of oddly-phrased dialogue). Each fighter was forced to consume one Dinner of Doom and a gallon of camel semen before they stepped into the cage, which was surrounded with barbed-wire, broken two-by-fours, and homemade roman candles, mind you. The first man to be knocked out, submitted, or vomited on lost a spot in the house and was then subjected to eight straight hours of the “Bssshop, Bssshop, Now” section of the SFL theme song on loop.
The coaches were then revealed to be Bob Sapp and Jimmy Ambriz, but Sapp was declared medically unfit for competition after bumping his head on the gym’s door frame while entering. According to several of the show’s participants, Sapp immediately fell into the fetal position and tapped out with such vigor that he shattered all of the bones in his right hand. He will be looking at a minimum 6 months out of action. He was replaced by Eric Esch, who was also pulled from the show after falling onto his back in the parking lot and, being unable to flip over to his front and crawl his way to a patch of nearby shade, roasted to death in the Indian Sun.
A candlelight vigil/ BBQ of his remains was held at the TUF house that night, where each fighter gave a few inspiring words as Esch’s signature American trunks were placed on a door that had been kicked off its hinges before filming even began, and committed to the sea.
(Brookins and Chiesa will be fighting hard for the UFC’s new “Filthiest Hair” bonus. / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this gallery, click here.)
Since he’s been recapping the season for us anyway, Elias Cepeda is back to handle liveblog duties for this evening. Round-by-round results from the Ultimate Fighter Live Finale main card broadcast will be collecting after the jump starting at 9 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and please, no comment-section lurking; if you’ve got something to say, share it with the class.
(Brookins and Chiesa will be fighting hard for the UFC’s new “Filthiest Hair” bonus. / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this gallery, click here.)
Since he’s been recapping the season for us anyway, Elias Cepeda is back to handle liveblog duties for this evening. Round-by-round results from the Ultimate Fighter Live Finale main card broadcast will be collecting after the jump starting at 9 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and please, no comment-section lurking; if you’ve got something to say, share it with the class.
Sorry for the delay, folks – my cable went out. We are in the second round of John Cofer vs. Justin Lawrence now.
We pick up the action midway through the 2nd…
Both men are swinging big and in combinations each time and are showing fatigue. Overhand right from Lawrence finishes up a combination that includes leg kicks. Lawrence gets inside with punches, they clinch up, Cofer lands a knee to the head.
Cofer takes Lawrence’s back while standing and suplexes the kid. Cofer takes Lawrence’s back on the feet and works him into a face-down position and looks for the rear naked choke. Lawrence escapes, stands up and jumps into the full guard. Round ends.
Round 3
Lawrence lands a foot kick straight to the jaw of Cofer as he backs away and knocks him out cold!
“I’m here in the UFC and I’m here to stay,” Lawrence declares.
Max Halloway vs. Pat Schilling
Rd 1
Halloway with his hands low, Schilling shoots in for a single leg, switches to a high crotch but Halloway defends well. Schilling contines to press in, backs Halloway against the cage. Schilling hits a single leg but Halloway gets right back to his feet. Schilling lands a left kick, Halloway lands a body kick.
Halloway lands a long jab. Schilling shoots in but gets stuffed. Schilling rushes in with uppercuts that miss. Schilling throws a spinning back fist. Halloway throws a head kick that is blocked. Halloway trying to mix in left hooks to the body in and they are landing. Halloway misses a flying knee, lands a leg kick and head kick.
Schilling rushes in with uppercuts and hooks again, all miss. He shoots in from too far away and Halloway sprawls and stands. Schilling lands the cross of a one-two combo. Schilling shoots for a double leg against the cage with ten seconds left, he rolls for a knee bar at the close of the round and it ends with him extending Halloway’s leg. Saved by the bell?
Rd 2
Halloway lands an overhand right. Schilling ducks down, Halloway throws and misses another flying knee. Schilling doesn’t get the take down, they are back on their feet. Halloway starting to find his range with punches to Schilling’s head.
Schilling half commits to a take down attempt after getting hurt on the feet. Halloway separates and they are back on their feet. Halloway just unloading on Schilling now with punches and knees. Schilling absorbs shots, backs away and then circles out before another half-hearted shot. Halloway lands another two body punches and then an over hand right to Schilling’s head as Schilling shoots.
Schilling shoots, gets stuffed and has trouble getting up to his feet. The body shots have appeared to have really taken Schilling’s spirit. Schilling shoots for an ankle pick and gets stuffed again. Schilling is hurt but has the presence of mind to keep his hands up and to try to circle away when he can.
Halloway hurts Schilling again with body shots, his hands drop and his mouth opens. He shoots for another take down, gets nothing. Schilling lands a spinning back first but then eats a check counter left hand. Halloway drops Schilling with punches against the cage and tees off on him as the bell sounds. This time Schilling is saved by the bell
Rd 3
Jon Anik mentions that Schilling told his corner that his right shoulder is injured. Halloway throws rapid-fire jabs that land. Schilling counters with a big right cross that lands on Halloway’s head. Schilling tries to get a head and arm control from the feet, Halloway backs away. Schilling shoots low for a take down and whiffs.
Halloway taunts Schilling, Schilling throws a spinning back fist followed by a side kick. Both are blocked. Halloway lands a left kick to Schilling’s body. Halloway lands a stiff jab, and another. A left hook, right cross punch combo from Halloway that drops Schilling. Halloway refuses to go down to the ground to try and finish and they are back on their feet with under a minute left. Halloway with a left hook to the body and right cross to the head. Halloway attempts a jump-off-the-cage spinning back kick. He rushes Schilling with punches and kicks. Halloway attempts a jumping spinning back kick, misses and the fight finishes.
Official decision is next.
All three judges scored the fight 30-27 for Halloway. The youngest fighter currently on the UFC roster says he wanted to show that he “belonged in the UFC.” He clearly does.
Jonathan Brookins vs. Charles Oliveira
Rd 1
Oliveira working kicks to the leg and body. Brookins gets inside and lands some nice dirty boxing punches to the head. Oliveira lands some hard knees to the body from the Thai plum. Oliveira misses a knee to the head and Brookins slips under and gets a double leg take down against the cage. Oliveira works a high guard and shoots an arm bar up at Brookins. Brookins defends and stands up.
They are both on their feet. Brookins lands a straight cross. Oliveira has Brookins backed against the cage now and Brookins’ chin starts to come up. Oliveira lands a huge over hand right that hurts Brookins.
Brookins gathers himself but still has his chin up and hands low as they stand up. He is eating punch after punch to the chin from Oliveira. Still, Brookins hanging tough. He starts to eat leg kicks to the inside and outside of his lead leg. Oliveira misses with a flying knee, Brookins catches a leg but fails to use it to score a take down.
Rd 2
Kenny Florian uses his multilingual skills to tell us that Oliveira’s corner was telling their fighter that Brookins has no hands, during the break. Brookins comes out hard, gets to work with slaps, yes slaps, to the head of Oliveira. The Brazilian responds with punches to the head. The punches look like they hurt more.
Brookins changes levels for another take down attempt, Oliveira gets a body lock of his own and lands a slam take down of his own. Brookins tries to lock in a guillotine choke but Oliveira escapes. Oliveira stands up, lands some short elbows to Brookins’ head as the tUF 12 winner tries to stand up. Oliveira locks in an arm-in guillotine from a D’arce grip, falls back into his own guard and gets the tap out win.
Oliveira with the 2nd-round submission win over Brookins.
Time for the TUF finale, nation!
Michael Chiesa vs. Al Iaquinta
Rd 1
Iaquinta immediately lands two big right hands. Al catches a leg kick from Mike and throws some punches. Chiesa shoots for a single, Al goes down but gets back to his feet. Al pushes the pace.
Mike finishes a punch combo with a leg kick that is caught. Al goes for a take down but Mike gets his back and drags him down to the mat. Chiesa with Al’s back, face-up, working for a rear naked choke with nearly three minutes left in the round. Chiesa gets the choke, Al refuses to tap and goes to sleep!
Michael Chiesa finishes up the most dramatic story in TUF history by winning the entire season in impressive fashion just weeks after the death of his father. Amazing.
And, oh yeah, Chiesa wins a sweet Harley.
“It has been such a journey…no way I was going to lose this fight,” Mike says.
Jake Ellenberger vs. Martin Kampmann in a welterweight title challenger eliminator, or something.
Kampann comes out to Three-6 Mafia. I love it. Danish crunk rap, ftw. Ellenberger goes with the more tried and true inspirational “Till I collapse,” by Eminem.
Rd 1
The pair feel each other out with no strikes or shots taken for the first twenty seconds or so. Ellenberger lands a huge left hand flush to the jaw of Kampmann. The Dane looks to be out but hangs on somehow through a ground strike onslaught from Ellenberger. Kampann wraps full guard and controls Ellenberger’s posture.
Ellenberger has Kampman pressed against the cage on his back with three minutes left. Ellenberger briefly postures up and throws a flurry of strikes. Kampmann survives again, tries for a switch, then a guillotine. Ellenberger defending the choke.
Under a minute left, Ellenbeger still defending as Kampann tries to get his grip. He doesn’t but gets up to his feet. Ellenberger continues to crowd him. Kampmann goes for a take down of his own with seconds left in the round but doesn’t get it. Round ends.
Rd 2
They get right back at it with furious punches! Kampmann rocks Ellenberger. The wrestler buckles but does not stop swinging back! Ellenberger lands another huge left hook on Kampmann. The race around the ring, throwing hard punches at each other’s heads.
Kampmann’s nose is cut badly. Kampmann drops and apparently knocks Ellenberger out with a knee to the head and follows up with strikes and referee Steve Mazzagatti steps in before he can do more damage. Fight over.
Another come from behind win for Kampmann!
“I need to get punched a little bit to wake up,” Kampmann says. Geez, dude. I guess so. Kampmann has made a career out of taking damage and then managing to gut through and finish.
All fighters made weight at last night’s weigh-ins for The Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale, which goes down live on FX tonight at the Palms Casino Resort in Paradise, Nevada. The evening was surprisingly absent of anything even resembling intensity, as many of the fighters (especially those on the undercard) seemed more like they were trying to one-up each other in terms of how goofy a stance they could strike for the cameras. As Yves Edwards would surely tell them, the key to a great weigh in photo is simplicity. And a bag of KC Masterpiece potato chips.
Will Martin Kampmann finally score a victory over a top contender that has eluded him ever since his win over Carlos Condit? And will the winner of Kampmann/Ellenberger receive a title shot in the clusterfucked welterweight division? Who will be crowned “king shit” of what may have been the least memorable season of The Ultimate Fighter in the show’s history?
For the answers to all these questions and more, make sure to swing by CP tonight, where our very own writer/ass-kicker Elias Cepeda will be liveblogging all the action starting at 9 p.m.
Join us after the jump for the video and full weigh-in results.
All fighters made weight at last night’s weigh-ins for The Ultimate Fighter 15 Finale, which goes down live on FX tonight at the Palms Casino Resort in Paradise, Nevada. The evening was surprisingly absent of anything even resembling intensity, as many of the fighters (especially those on the undercard) seemed more like they were trying to one-up each other in terms of how goofy a stance they could strike for the cameras. As Yves Edwards would surely tell them, the key to a great weigh in photo is simplicity. And a bag of KC Masterpiece potato chips.
Will Martin Kampmann finally score a victory over a top contender that has eluded him ever since his win over Carlos Condit? And will the winner of Kampmann/Ellenberger receive a title shot in the clusterfucked welterweight division? Who will be crowned “king shit” of what may have been the least memorable season of The Ultimate Fighter in the show’s history?
For the answers to all these questions and more, make sure to swing by CP tonight, where our very own writer/ass-kicker Elias Cepeda will be liveblogging all the action starting at 9 p.m.
Preliminary Card
Daron Cruickshank (155) vs. Chris Tickle (154)
Myles Jury (155) vs. Chris Saunders (156)
Cristiano Marcello (156) vs. Sam Sicilia (155)
Jeremy Larsen (155) vs. Joe Proctor (156) John Albert (136) vs. Erik Perez (134)
It has not been a good year for heated rematches set against the backdrop of MMA-themed reality shows. Not only were our hopes of Faber/Cruz III dashed before our very eyes on the tail end of what has been a forgettable season of TUF 15 here in America, but even the coaches of TUF: Brazil (or at least one-half of them) have been bitten by the injury bug, delaying a rematch that not only promised guaranteed fireworks, but one that has eluded us for what seems like a decade now.
And apparently Wanderlei Silva, a.k.a the TUF: Brazil coach who wasn’t forced out of his expected matchup at UFC 147, shares our frustration. Ever since Vitor Belfort was forced to withdraw from his much-anticipated rematch with “The Axe Murderer” due to a broken hand, Silva has seemingly exploded with rage at Belfort’s…I don’t know, clumsiness? Insolence? We’re not really sure how you criticize someone for getting injured, unless that someone is Ken Shamrock, of course, but Wandy was relentless in his mockery of Belfort, calling him an “amateur” among other things in a recent Twitter tirade:
(Fighting me) with one hand (laughs)? We are professionals. It’s a great irresponsibility not to be careful on training, a great disrespect towards the fans. I’m really sad. I’m ready to knock you out, you have nowhere to run. This fight is happening. I guess you got scared of me. Nobody trains so hard that breaks his hand. We use the best equipments, gloves, bandages.
More from Silva’s Twitter rant, along with Joana’s response, are after the jump.
(She makes an arousing compelling argument.)
It has not been a good year for heated rematches set against the backdrop of MMA-themed reality shows. Not only were our hopes of Faber/Cruz III dashed before our very eyes on the tail end of what has been a forgettable season of TUF 15 here in America, but even the coaches of TUF: Brazil (or at least one-half of them) have been bitten by the injury bug, delaying a rematch that not only promised guaranteed fireworks, but one that has eluded us for what seems like a decade now.
And apparently Wanderlei Silva, a.k.a the TUF: Brazil coach who wasn’t forced out of his expected matchup at UFC 147, shares our frustration. Ever since Vitor Belfort was forced to withdraw from his much-anticipated rematch with “The Axe Murderer” due to a broken hand, Silva has seemingly exploded with rage at Belfort’s…I don’t know, clumsiness? Insolence? We’re not really sure how you criticize someone for getting injured, unless that someone is Ken Shamrock, of course, but Wandy was relentless in his mockery of Belfort, calling him an “amateur” among other things in a recent Twitter tirade:
(Fighting me) with one hand (laughs)? We are professionals. It’s a great irresponsibility not to be careful on training, a great disrespect towards the fans. I’m really sad. I’m ready to knock you out, you have nowhere to run. This fight is happening. I guess you got scared of me. Nobody trains so hard that breaks his hand. We use the best equipments, gloves, bandages.
If you were scared, you shouldn’t have accepted it. If you really got it broken, it’s amateurism and if you didn’t, you’re scared. In both scenarios, it was irresponsible of you towards the fans. Pardon the word, but I’m pissed with your amateurism. A main event on the biggest event of the world and the guy shows up like that.
Of course, when asked to respond to these harsh claims, Belfort was his usual combination of respectful/devout, refusing to trade insults with his long time rival. His lovely, lovely, wife, on the other hand, would not stand idly by and listen to her man be made a fool of, responding to Wanderlei with this little poorly-translated zinger:
The only thing Wanderlei can do is talk too much, he chickened out several times on fighting Vitor… and now he comes to talk my husband is ducking. If you doubt, the next opponent of Wand in UFC147 will beat the record of 40 sec of vitor Belfort or Chris Leben 20 seconds hahahaha.
Aaaaaand boom goes the dynamite. As much as we love Wandy, the fact that Vitor, you know, utterly destroyed him in their first meeting doesn’t really help his “Vitor’s scared” theory. There has been no response from Wanderlei, nor a replacement opponent named for his expected appearance at UFC 147, so we ask unto you, Potato Nation, who would you like to see “The Axe Murderer” face come June 23rd?
This final episode of the TUF 15 season included perhaps more out-of-the-ring action than any prior episode. We got more of Cruz and Faber cracking wise at each other, but also legit blows thrown inside of the house and a surprise announcement or two.
The winning fighter and coach will each win a Harley Davidson motorcycle and so the guys are taken to a Harley super store to try bikes on and leather for size. They are hosted by Theo “Juice” Rossi, who has inexplicably still managed to survive cooperation with the government (Watch Sons of Anarchy to get the reference. And yes, I have trouble telling the difference between quality screenplay and reality.)
Back in the house, Tickle decides to throw a water bottle on the balls of a sleeping Daron. Daron, with weeks of pent up aggression from being eliminated, wakes up into a sprint like a Navy Seal or something, finds Tickle and fires off a punch and kick combination on the goofball.
Tickle acts outraged, like he doesn’t understand that getting awoken from slumber by getting hit in the balls absolutely deserves an ass-kicking. Daron worries that he might get kicked off of the show for fighting in the house because that’s what has happened in past seasons.
Naw, its cool, dawg, says UFC President Dana White. Well, not really. But he does announce to the guys in the gym, later that all of them will be fighting on next week’s finale in Vegas. All, except for Mike Rio, who busted his rib, and Andy Ogle, who is on medical suspension after his last KO loss.
The passionate Ogle is distraught at the idea that he won’t get to fight after making it so far. White assures him that he will “be back.” That isn’t good for everyone’s favorite warrior-poet, who literally runs after White as the Prez is leaving the building, wraps his arm around him and asks to be put on the Nottingham card in September.
This final episode of the TUF 15 season included perhaps more out-of-the-ring action than any prior episode. We got more of Cruz and Faber cracking wise at each other, but also legit blows thrown inside of the house and a surprise announcement or two.
The winning fighter and coach will each win a Harley Davidson motorcycle and so the guys are taken to a Harley super store to try bikes on and leather for size. They are hosted by Theo “Juice” Rossi, who has inexplicably still managed to survive cooperation with the government (Watch Sons of Anarchy to get the reference. And yes, I have trouble telling the difference between quality screenplay and reality.)
Back in the house, Tickle decides to throw a water bottle on the balls of a sleeping Daron. Daron, with weeks of pent up aggression from being eliminated, wakes up into a sprint like a Navy Seal or something, finds Tickle and fires off a punch and kick combination on the goofball.
Tickle acts outraged, like he doesn’t understand that getting awoken from slumber by getting hit in the balls absolutely deserves an ass-kicking. Daron worries that he might get kicked off of the show for fighting in the house because that’s what has happened in past seasons.
Naw, its cool, dawg, says UFC President Dana White. Well, not really. But he does announce to the guys in the gym, later that all of them will be fighting on next week’s finale in Vegas. All, except for Mike Rio, who busted his rib, and Andy Ogle, who is on medical suspension after his last KO loss.
The passionate Ogle is distraught at the idea that he won’t get to fight after making it so far. White assures him that he will “be back.” That isn’t good for everyone’s favorite warrior-poet, who literally runs after White as the Prez is leaving the building, wraps his arm around him and asks to be put on the Nottingham card in September. White instantly grants his request.
That’s how you do it, kids. Train and fight like hell, with all your heart, and run towards fights even when you’re recovering from serious injuries. Can’t wait to see Ogle scrap again.
Back in the training room, Coach Dominick Cruz agonizes over the possibility of Vick getting put on his back against Chiesa. In the Faber room, Chiesa is struggling on his feet during sparring.
“I’m two fights away from fulfilling my dream and I want this thing so damn bad that when I have a bad day, everything comes piling in on me,” Chiesa says emotionally.
Faber tells Chiesa not to worry, that he has often had some of his worst training days right before fights and that they don’t affect his performances.
Fight Time!
James Vick vs. Michael Chiesa
Rd 1
Both men are cautious, feel each other out with jabs, feints and leg kicks. Chiesa wanting to stay clear of Vick’s striking and Vick not wanting to give Chiesa an opportunity to close the distance and take him down.
A minute and a half in, off of a missed right cross from Vick, Chiesa does duck under slightly and close the distance, securing double under hooks and a body lock. Vick doesn’t go down easy, however, works to get his own under hook and pushes Chiesa against the cage. Vick gets a takedown!
They land in Chiesa’s open guard and Chiesa uses a left under hook to help him stand back up. Vick goes for another takedown but can’t land it cleanly. They are back up on their feet, in free standing range.
Chiesa starts coming forward more confidently and lands a left cross. Vick fires back with a three punch combo but only lands glancingly and to Chiesa’s forehead. Chiesa lands another left cross! Vick marches forward and goes to the body with punches.
Vick lands a cross, then a jab, then an uppercut a few moments later and two more straight punches. Vick lands his long jab and goes back to the body with a left hook. Chiesa lands another straight left hand. Vick throws a body kick that Chiesa catches. He tries to turn that into a takedown but Vick gets his hips out of the way and defends.
Chiesa counters a leg kick with a hook and follows up with two straights. Vick presses forward and lands a left uppercut to the head of Chiesa. Chiesa half falls, half takes a desperation takedown shot. He’s on his knees.
Vick gets side control, then is forced back into half guard and then half butterfly guard by Chiesa. Chiesa turns in to get back up and Vick grabs a front headlock with arm in. Vick goes for an arm-in guillotine and reverses Chiesa into mount. Vick has the choke in tight with seconds left. Chiesa holds on until the horn.
Rd. 2
Chiesa shoots and scores the takedown early. From there, he moves into the mount with relative ease.
Looks like Coach Cruz’ worst nightmare of Vick being on his back might be coming true. Chiesa unleashes a barrage of strikes, Vick doesn’t defend and the referee steps in to call the bout.
What a comeback in this fight for Chiesa and what a season of perseverance through adversity all season long after the death of his father just weeks ago. It may be the most compelling personal narrative out of any TUF season. And it isn’t over. In just one week, Chiesa will fight again, for the title of The Ultimate Fighter.
Al Iaquinta vs. Vinc Pichel
Rd. 1
Al comes out firing and moving very aggressively. He follows that up by shooting for a single from very far away. Vinc defends well but then Al switches to a double leg and scores the takedown.
Vinc stands up but gives his back. Al gets one hook in and drags Vinc back to the ground while taking his back. Vinc defends Al’s rear naked choke attempts and stands up.
Al looks to be the much quicker fighter, with better footwork, effectively staying away from most of Vinc’s power strikes. Al also is throwing more combinations with the hands and finishing them off with low kicks.
Al shoots in and hits another double leg. Vinc controls Al’s posture with a high full guard before standing back up with seconds left in the round. The horn sounds with Al pressing in for another takedown.
Rd. 2
Al lands a left jab followed by a high kick. Vinc wades in, moving his head and feinting, and walks in to an uppercut. Al’s combinations continue to come fast but his finishing leg kicks are starting to land more solidly, with Vinc not checking most of them.
Al starts to move side to side in an even more slick fashion and is making Vinc miss big with punches, by slipping and weaving well. Al fakes a leg kick, throws a super-man punch and then shoots for a takedown. He’s stuffed by Vinc.
Vinc lands a low kick, followed by a right hand. Al shoots in for a takedown, presses Vinc against the cage. Vinc defends, circles away from the cage, to his right, and lands a solid knee to Al’s mid section. The round ends with Al makind Pincel miss with his punches more, by bobbing.
Al gets the decision nod and is in the finals against Chiesa!
As the episode ends, Al and Mike square off. Nuts that they will be fighting one another in just one week at the Palms in the finale. Cruz gets a water bucket thrown on him by his team. Slips, falls and injures his other acl.
That’s the season, folks! Please join us here next week for our live play by play blog of The Ultimate Fighter 15 Live Finale from The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada.
