Your must-see video of the day comes from Fightland, who put together this profile of TUF 17 finalist Uriah Hall. Things you will learn about Uriah include…
– He learned all those fancy kicks from Tekken, long before he ever stepped into an MMA gym.
– Chael Sonnen made a huge impact on him, both for his non-abusive approach to coaching, and for the simple (but mind-altering) lessons that emotions don’t matter, and it’s okay to lose.
– He let himself get psyched out by Chris Weidman‘s reputation as a world class wrestler, and mentally checked out of their 2010 Ring of Combat title fight before it began. (Hall paid the price with a first-round TKO loss.) Now that he’s seen the dangers of focusing on an opponent’s abilities, he won’t allow it to ever happen again. Hopefully Bubba McDaniel learns the same lesson.
After the jump: Uriah teaches how to throw his infamous spinning hook kick. Important life skills, you guys.
Your must-see video of the day comes from Fightland, who put together this profile of TUF 17 finalist Uriah Hall. Things you will learn about Uriah include…
– He learned all those fancy kicks from Tekken, long before he ever stepped into an MMA gym.
– Chael Sonnen made a huge impact on him, both for his non-abusive approach to coaching, and for the simple (but mind-altering) lessons that emotions don’t matter, and it’s okay to lose.
– He let himself get psyched out by Chris Weidman‘s reputation as a world class wrestler, and mentally checked out of their 2010 Ring of Combat title fight before it began. (Hall paid the price with a first-round TKO loss.) Now that he’s seen the dangers of focusing on an opponent’s abilities, he won’t allow it to ever happen again. Hopefully Bubba McDaniel learns the same lesson.
After the jump: Uriah teaches how to throw his infamous spinning hook kick. Important life skills, you guys.
It couldn’t have worked out better, really. Last night’s semifinals episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Sonnen left us with two fantastic middleweight prospects: A ferociously powerful striker who’s been the show’s front-runner since his first knockout in the house, and a 21-year-old rookie who kicks ass like a seasoned pro and harbors a not-so-secret crush on Ronda Rousey. In the interest of spoiler-sensitivity, we won’t post their names right here, but come on, you all know who we’re talking about.
Follow us after the jump as we recap the two fights from TUF 17 episode 12, which both ended in stoppages. Plus: The complete fight lineup for this Saturday’s TUF 17 Finale in Las Vegas, which includes one surprising (i.e., indefensibly terrible) matchup on the main card.
It couldn’t have worked out better, really. Last night’s semifinals episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Jones vs. Sonnen left us with two fantastic middleweight prospects: A ferociously powerful striker who’s been the show’s front-runner since his first knockout in the house, and a 21-year-old rookie who kicks ass like a seasoned pro and harbors a not-so-secret crush on Ronda Rousey. In the interest of spoiler-sensitivity, we won’t post their names right here, but come on, you all know who we’re talking about.
Follow us after the jump as we recap the two fights from TUF 17 episode 12, which both ended in stoppages. Plus: The complete fight lineup for this Saturday’s TUF 17 Finale in Las Vegas, which includes one surprising (i.e., indefensibly terrible) matchup on the main card.
Though he’s always up for a good brawl, Kelvin Gastelum brought out his wrestling chops early to clinch with Josh Samman and take the fight to the mat. Samman was active off his back, attempting an armbar then a kimura before getting back to his feet. But Gastelum was on him like a bad smell, clinching with Samman against the fence and depositing him back on the canvas. The ground-and-pound came swiftly and with brutal force. Gastelum battered Samman with elbows and punches until Samman exposed his back while attempting to escape. Gastelum immediately sunk a rear-naked choke, picking up his third win by stoppage in the TUF house, and punching his ticket to the finals. Gastelum def. Samman via submission (RNC), round 1. [GIF HERE VIA ZOMBIE PROPHET]
Two weeks ago, we compared Dylan Andrews to Florida Gulf Coast University, which would make Uriah Hall the Florida Gators — the odds-on favorite putting an abrupt end to Dylan’s Cinderella story. Hall’s performance in the first round wasn’t a violent blitzkrieg, but a calm, controlled showcase of his precision. As Andrews took the center of the cage and tried to push the action, Hall hung back and landed a variety of strikes, landing at will as the round drew to a close. After five minutes, it was clear that Andrews was outmatched.
Hall stepped on the gas in round two, landing on Andrews from all angles and knocking down the New Zealand native with a front push kick. Andrews scored a takedown in an attempt to change the tenor of the fight, and it turned out to be his undoing. Hall spent some time chasing a kimura attempt, but when it didn’t pan out he decided to just tee off on Andrews with punches from the bottom. When was the last time you saw an MMA fighter turtle up on top of his opponent? Because that’s what happened last night, and it was kind of incredible. Hall flipped over the wounded Andrews and smashed him with more punches to end the fight. Hall def. Andrews via TKO, round 2. [GIF HERE VIA ZOMBIE PROPHET]
Dana calls Uriah Hall the nastiest guy in the history of the show. And suddenly, Mac Danzig and Tony Ferguson are but distant memories…
With both of his fighters in the finals, Chael Sonnen wins that Harley Davidson motorcycle that he was hawking on episode 1. And with the TUF 17 middleweight final in place, the full lineup for the TUF 17 Finale was announced…
Main card (FX at 9 p.m. ET)
Urijah Faber vs. Scott Jorgensen
Uriah Hall vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Miesha Tate vs. Cat Zingano
Travis Browne vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Robert “Bubba” McDaniel vs. Gilbert Smith
Undercard (FUEL at 7 p.m. ET)
Josh Samman vs. Kevin Casey
Luke Barnatt vs. Collin Hart
Dylan Andrews vs. Jimmy Quinlan
Clint Hester vs. Bristol Marunde
Undercard (Facebook)
Cole Miller vs. Bart Palaszewski
Sam Sicilia vs. Maximo Blanco
Justin Lawrence vs. Daniel Pineda
There is nothing wrong with your computer screen. Bubba McDaniel — who went 1-2 in the house and suffered a minor nervous breakdown — is actually on the main card, by virtue of being the most annoying person on the show. (I guess his relationship with Jon Jonesdoesn’t hurt either.) Ugh. At least Junie Browning was an entertaining mess. And since he needs an opponent, Gilbert Smith — the constantly-naked fireplug who was eliminated on episode 2 — will also be on the main card. Meanwhile, semifinalists Josh Samman and Dylan Andrews are buried on FUEL. Get the fuck out of here. And yes, two guys named Urijah/Uriah are on the main card. How long before Hall is the more popular one?
For your records, here’s the TUF 17 middleweight bracket, courtesy of Wikipedia (click image for larger version):
Note:To get into the house, Uriah Hall defeated Andy Enz by decision and Kelvin Gastelum defeated Kito Andrews by decision.
(Fortunately, Michael Jackson was able to shake his “hard-partying ladies man” image. / Check out even more WTF-worthy celebrity photos at WorldWideInterweb)
(Fortunately, Michael Jackson was able to shake his “hard-partying ladies man” image. / Check out even more WTF-worthy celebrity photos at WorldWideInterweb)
Not quite. The training session between Uriah Hall and Ronda Rousey is now readily available on YouTube, and only four days after Hall’s interview with The New York Post was published. That video, courtesy of The Ultimate Fighter’s YouTube channel, is available after the jump.
That’s not an exercise ball, it’s a grappling dummy that used to have arms.
Not quite. The training session between Uriah Hall and Ronda Rousey is now readily available on YouTube, and only four days after Hall’s interview with The New York Post was published. That video, courtesy of The Ultimate Fighter’s YouTube channel, is available after the jump.
Despite being little more than a slightly-resistant grappling dummy for Ronda Rousey, Uriah Hall doesn’t become frustrated and keeps his composure throughout the training session (or in Rousey’s words, doesn’t have “testosterone poisoning”). Hall repeatedly jokes about his performance, claiming at the end of the video that his session was a set-up.
Of course, Uriah Hall more than redeemed himself on last night’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter by publicly executing Bubba McDaniel.
And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for — the public execution of our least favorite TUF 17 castmember. In case you missed last night’s episode of the show, Bubba McDaniel did everything he could to get out of the match. It had already been apparent that Bubba wasn’t mentally prepared to face Uriah Hall, and he also began complaining of exhaustion and pain in his back. Sadly, the doctor cleared Bubba to compete, and he became a quick meal for the show’s front-runner.
The nine-second knockout had onlookers speaking of Hall in lofty terms. “This guy is the nastiest guy in Ultimate Fighter history,” said UFC president Dana White. Chael Sonnen even called him a contender for the middleweight title. Hmm. That might be the case, but when Hall officially makes it to the UFC, he’ll eventually have to face guys who aren’t terrified of being in the cage with him.
Uriah will compete again in next week’s semifinals episode, where he’ll face Dylan Andrews, who TKO’d Luke Barnatt last week. On the other side of the bracket, 21-year-old prodigy Kelvin Gastelum will go heads-up against Josh Samman, who finished Jimmy Quinlan in last night’s episode. You can check out highlights from that scrap after the jump.
And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for — the public execution of our least favorite TUF 17 castmember. In case you missed last night’s episode of the show, Bubba McDaniel did everything he could to get out of the match. It had already been apparent that Bubba wasn’t mentally prepared to face Uriah Hall, and he also began complaining of exhaustion and pain in his back. Sadly, the doctor cleared Bubba to compete, and he became a quick meal for the show’s front-runner.
The nine-second knockout had onlookers speaking of Hall in lofty terms. “This guy is the nastiest guy in Ultimate Fighter history,” said UFC president Dana White. Chael Sonnen even called him a contender for the middleweight title. Hmm. That might be the case, but when Hall officially makes it to the UFC, he’ll eventually have to face guys who aren’t terrified of being in the cage with him.
Uriah will compete again in next week’s semifinals episode, where he’ll face Dylan Andrews, who TKO’d Luke Barnatt last week. On the other side of the bracket, 21-year-old prodigy Kelvin Gastelum will go heads-up against Josh Samman, who finished Jimmy Quinlan in last night’s episode. You can check out highlights from that scrap after the jump.
As we enter the Final Four, Team Jones and Team Sonnen both have their #2 and #7 picks remaining…
Team Sonnen Luke Barnatt
Uriah Hall – semifinalist, defeated Adam Cella and Robert “Bubba” McDaniel Zak Cummings Tor Troeng Jimmy Quinlan Kevin Casey
Kelvin Gastelum – semifinalist, defeated Robert “Bubba” McDaniel and Collin Hart
Team Jones Clint Hester
Josh Samman — semifinalist, defeated Tor Troeng and Jimmy Quinlan Robert “Bubba” McDaniel Gilbert Smith Collin Hart Adam Cella
Dylan Andrews — semifinalist, defeated Zak Cummings and Luke Barnatt
Hall, who fights at 185 pounds – 50 more than Rousey, underestimated the former judo Olympic medalist intitially. He found that to be a terrible mistake.
“I said to myself, ‘I can get out of this,’” Hall told The Post. “Then she caught me and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this [expletive] is real.’”
Hall, a Queens resident, said Rousey got him in two armbars while grappling – and he couldn’t get out. He compared it to rolling with an anaconda or a cat…”You can’t grab her and if you do grab her, you’re [expletive],” Hall said with a laugh…
(Why would she be afraid of a snake? I mean, it’s basically just a really long arm. / Photo via @RondaRousey)
Hall, who fights at 185 pounds – 50 more than Rousey, underestimated the former judo Olympic medalist intitially. He found that to be a terrible mistake.
“I said to myself, ‘I can get out of this,’” Hall told The Post. “Then she caught me and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this [expletive] is real.’”
Hall, a Queens resident, said Rousey got him in two armbars while grappling – and he couldn’t get out. He compared it to rolling with an anaconda or a cat…”You can’t grab her and if you do grab her, you’re [expletive],” Hall said with a laugh…
That humbling experience on the show has led to a friendship with the women’s champion. Hall still doesn’t want that grappling footage getting out there, though. “Thank God they didn’t show that, because she totally kicked my ass,” Hall said, laughing.
Oh, I wouldn’t worry about it, Uriah — the UFC is pretty good about burying footage. Still, it shouldn’t surprise anybody that Ronda Rousey can dominate dudes on the mat, considering she’s been doing it her whole life. Hall’s quarterfinal matchup against Bubba is slated for tomorrow night’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter, and oh man, is it going to be sweet.
