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The Ultimate Fighter
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER 17 REPORT 3/19: Penick's live blog of Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen Ep. 9
Mar 19, 2013 - 9:05:57 PM
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER 17 REPORT 3/19: Penick's live blog of Team Jones vs. Team Sonnen Ep. 9
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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

It's wild card time on The Ultimate Fighter tonight, as Bubba McDaniel and Kevin Casey get one last chance to make it into the quarterfinals. Join me here for another random thoughts blog throughout the broadcast as it begins at 9PM ET!

-The recap of last week and preview for tonight promises the quarterfinal matchups will all be announced tonight.

-Kevin Casey was grateful to his coaches on Team Sonnen for giving him an opportunity despite a poor performance in his last fight. McDaniel felt the same way, talking about the time he's put into the sport.

-McDaniel struggled talking about being away from his family with training, as he trains in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with his daughter and family back in Texas. He wants to be able provide for them and "be the dad" that he wants to be.

-In training, McDaniel was getting encouragement and advice from Jon Jones and another assistant coach. Jones told him to show that he's a kickboxer. Jones wanted him to be aggressive and confident in his striking. Jones said it was a "phenomenal" training session, and that Bubba was focused.

-McDaniel has high hopes for where this sport can take him and what it can do for his family. Based on what we've seen thus far he's got a long way to go, but it's an admirable goal to have.

-Josh Samman reacted to a comment that Bubba was the only one to make a callout, and so he called Jimmy Quinlan out. They were respectful about it. Quinlan thought Samman made a smart move on the callout. He joked that he wanted Samman, because he's an "expert fisherman."

-Uriah Hall also wants to fight Samman. Quinlan's ok with that, because he thinks Hall would beat the hell out of Samman.

-Casey called his last fight a fluke, and that he's never had a performance that poor in his career. He's wearing a mask in training to protect the cut suffered in the last fight, which still has stitches.

-As the show was filmed throughout last fall, they have a Thanksgiving dinner at the house for all of them. Sonnen's sincere side came out again with a nice speech about how they're there to make all those guys UFC fighters.

-McDaniel was an unhappy camper at the meal, because he wasn't able to take part in the food part of the equation with needing to make weight. He was getting increasingly frustrated and angry. He said he's going to take all his aggression out on Casey in the fight.

-Samman talked about the potential for fighting Uriah, and how he's open to it, but that's the type of fight that will linger into the next round and the next fight because even with a win you'll come away with bumps and bruises. He believed McDaniel will destroy Casey in this fight.

-Quinlan thinks Casey needs to come out as the fighter they've trained with. Kelvin Gastellum believes Casey will score a first round submission.

-McDaniel says he can't hesitate against Casey. If he doesn't, he feels he'll give away the fight. If he does, he'll end Casey's world.

-Casey doesn't want to waste his rare second opportunity to do what he should have done the first time.

-As they prepped on fight day, Jones told McDaniel he needed to go out and make Casey respect him right away. McDaniel said there's nothing left to do but perform.

FIGHT: BUBBA MCDANIEL VS. KEVIN CASEY

ROUND ONE: Casey pulled guard almost immediately as they clinched early. He tried to work for a guillotine, but McDaniel popped up. They clinched on the cage and Casey scored a takedown into the half guard. He tried to pass, but McDaniel ultimately got him back to his guard. Casey eventually slipped out as McDaniel tried to kick him off and passed to side control. McDaniel brought it back to guard. McDaniel threatened with a triangle and Casey stood up and dropped down. McDaniel continued to attack off his back and Casey stood and dropped to side control. McDaniel got to the cage and got to his feet. Casey kept his back on the fence, but McDaniel turned him around and landed a knee to the body. He landed an elbow. They jockeyed for position in the clinch. McDaniel landed a knee to the body. The clinch battle continued. McDaniel landed an uppercut and tried to break free, but got bullied down by Casey. He tried to scramble out but Casey passed with a guillotine attempt. Casey's round, though he had nearly zero offense from a striking standpoint. His game consisted of the takedowns and trying to pass, occasionally being successful.

ROUND TWO: McDaniel landed a hard kick and a short combo before Casey clinched. McDaniel pressed him to the cage, but didn't listen to his coaches to separate. Casey brought him across the cage, and McDaniel turned him around. Casey clung to him as the clinch battle continued. McDaniel landed some strikes. He landed a hard uppercut and a strike to the gut. Casey tried to pull guard with a guillotine, but McDaniel wound up on top in side control. McDaniel landed an elbow. He moved to half guard and landed some strikes. He got in an elbow and kept working as Casey regained guard. He postured up and landed a big elbow. He landed some nice punches and continued working from the top. He landed a hard elbow to the side of the head. McDaniel continued to land from the top as Casey was stuck on the bottom. McDaniel was content landing strikes in the guard, both to the head and body. The assault kept on with some nicely placed strikes. He got in a hard elbow to the cheek with a minute left. He went back to the elbows, then landed some body punches. More elbows and punches landed as McDaniel stayed busy enough on top. Casey was a mess as the round ended, struggling to his feet. We'll be getting a round three.

-Kevin Casey didn't answer the bell for the third round and the fight was called. He yelled out that he wasn't going to break so easy, and asked for a finish bonus, which Dana White said they'd give him.

-Really bad first round, with almost no offense at all from Casey, and McDaniel took over in the second. He overwhelmed Casey on top, and though he didn't finish him with a flurry, he did a ton of damage with those elbows especially. Casey got up gingerly, and then gave up. He collapsed backstage afterward.

-Casey said his body shut down. He said he had a similar situation in a fight before where his kidneys shut down on him mid-fight. He was taken out in an ambulance afterward.

-McDaniel felt great for taking Casey's will and making him not want to fight anymore.

-Dana and the coaches brought the fighters in to see who they wanted to fight.

-Uriah really wants to punch Josh Samman in the face, he's made that clear. Samman said he thought Hall was avoiding some other matchups.

-Dana took the advice of the coaches under consideration, but didn't tell them who would fight whom.

-At the announcements, White revealed the quarterfinal matchups:

*Colin Hart vs. Kelvin Gastellum
*Dylan Andrews vs. Luke Barnatt
*Josh Samman vs. Jimmy Quinlan
*Uriah Hall vs. Bubba McDaniel

Next week: Hart vs. Gastellum and Andrews-Barnatt in the first two quarterfinal bouts. Two fight show next week, plus Ronda Rousey comes to train with Team Sonnen.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I liked what McDaniel did once on the ground in the second, but he was not fighting the smartest fight before then. That said, I think the matchup with Hall allows him a chance to show more of his striking, and that should be entertaining when it hits. I like the other quarterfinal matchups, and based solely on those my guesses for semis are Gastellum, Andrews, Samman, and Hall.


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