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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
The Ultimate Fighter is back, and that means it's time for our weekly run-down. As has been the case for the last several seasons, this will be an on-going random thoughts recap, breaking down as much as we can as we go through these episodes week by week.
-The episode starts off with a several sound-bytes from fighters on the U.S. and Europe team explaining why their team is going to prove their superiority over the other.
-Dana White says this season has the "best" up and coming European lightweights against the "best" up and coming U.S. lightweights. He hypes up Conor McGregor as a coach.
-McGregor quips that he's going to let the fighters on his team know what he would do in each situation, "then sit back and watch it unfold."
-Urijah Faber says he's here to help these fighters reach their goals.
McGregor quote: "I don't see Urijah as a competitor. He's just there. He's not on my level. I smoked his teammate."
"If this was Urijah against anyone else, it would not be what it will be... He is an aging competitor on the way out of the game. He's been around a long time. This is about other people's opportunity; next generation."
-Faber says he can easily see things escalating through the season, even though they don't have any beef right now.
-Tonight's episode is bringing the elimination fights to make each team, and to start off we get a little background on Johnny Nunez and Ryan Hall for the first USA elimination fight.
-Hall shot to a single leg and attacked Nunez's leg almost immediately. He fought for a leg lock, got the heel hook locked on, and forced the quick tap. A bit one-note, but it worked.
Ryan Hall advances to Team USA
-In the first Team Europe fight of the night, it's Sweden's David Teymur, a Muay Thai Champion, against France's Thibault Gouti. We get highlights of the first round, such as they are. More of the same for the second, interspersed with shots of Dana White, McGregor, and Faber watching. It went to decision, and both coaches and White thought it was a good opener for the Europeans. Teymur took the decision. Hard to judge with only spurts, but seemed like some decent exchanges.
David Teymur advances to Team Europe
-Next up for Team USA is Andres Quintana vs. Thanh Le. Le's striking was clearly superior, and he delivered a lot of nice kicks in combination with his strikes in the first round. Quintana survived it, but Le had a good first round off the highlights shown. In the second, he knocked Quintana out cold, dropping him with an straight right and finishing him on the ground.
-McGregor and Faber exchange words with Dana White in between them.
McGregor: "You're a good dude, Urijah. Just be glad that you don't gotta face me. That's what I'll say."
Faber: "Such fear, man. I'm overcome with it. Do you believe I'm a fearful man?"
McGregor: "I believe I'd kill you stone dead."
Faber: "Honestly, the only reason why it would even be close between us is because you probably have 25 lbs. on me walking around. The only reason. I'd like to see you pull your massive head out from underneath my f***ing armpit. It would not happen. Your hair, that Irish cantaloupe."
McGregor: "You're the worst of your team."
Faber: "I'm 36-years-old. I'd f***ing smash you."
McGregor: "You're the worst of the team, that's gotta sting."
-Up next is McGregor's training partner, Artem Lobov, a Russian-Irish competitor. McGregor met him at his hotel before the fights, and he comments that the elimination round is hardest because he's fighting the Europeans, rather than the U.S. lightweights who "haven't made it to the UFC yet." Or the "B Team" as he calls them. He meets Mehdi Baghdad from France, who has trained with Anderson Silva.
-Lobov showboated quite a bit early on, putting his hands down, brushing off his shoulder after some strikes. McGregor was openly giving him instruction throughout. Baghdad shrugged off a few strikes himself, had enough of Lobov's antics, and hurt him with a big combination ending with a kick to the jaw. Lobov started getting the better of several exchanges again. Baghdad got close for a clinch but ate several strikes. Baghdad barely missed a few big strikes before the horn.
-In the second, Lobov got cut open badly by an elbow, and was bleeding profusely from the top of his head. We get another time condensed round, so it's harder to judge how things are going. Baghdad seemed to be connecting on several exchanges, and scored a couple of late takedowns. No third round, though. Dana White thought it should have gone to a third round. The majority decision went to Baghdad, which just didn't seem right given the first seemed clear in Lobov's favor. McGregor talked to him afterward and tried to pick up his spirits. He said he felt bad for his teammate, but didn't think it was the end for Lobov.
Mehdi Baghdad advances to Team Europe
-Julian Erosa and Jason Soares are up next for Team USA. We only get highlights, and it seemed Erosa won the fight by being more active despite getting taken down several times.
Julian Erosa advances to Team USA
-Next up is Saul Rogers from England against Paulo Boer from Holland. More highlights. Faber called it a "grappling extravaganza." Boer defended a significant choke attempt at some point, but was forced to tap from a rear naked choke.
Saul Rogers advances to Team Europe
-In another random quip-filled exchange, Dana asked what could be better than sitting there watching fights; Faber asked where the ring girls were, and McGregor fired back "You should walk around with a card and shake that chin."
-Brandon Ricetti vs. Billy Quarantillo to make Team USA is up next. Faber calls Quarantillo a combination of Mark Wahlberg and Channing Tatum. Ricetti spent the first round holding Quarantillo's back with a body triangle, but after failing to do anything in the first, he got stopped in the second by TKO.
Billy Quarantillo advances to Team USA
-They keep things moving with Sweden's Frantz Slioa against Scotland's Martin Delaney. Delaney was looking for the takedown for quite some time to no avail, then briefly got Slioa down. Then as Slioa tried to take him down, he dropped him with an uppercut. However, Slioa wound up recovering, getting him down, and taking his back. Delaney tried to fight off the choke attempt, but Slioa wound up locking it on tight and forcing the tap.
Frantz Slioa advances to Team Europe
-More back and forth from McGregor and Faber, this time about Chad Mendes. Nothing we haven't heard from either before.
-Back to Team USA elimination bouts, with Jason Gonzalez - sister and girlfriend in tow - taking on two-time Bellator vet Tim Welch. In the bout, Welch went for an early choke to get the fight to the ground, but Gonzalez fired off some major elbows from the bottom. Time condensed again, but Gonzalez went for a triangle from the bottom. Welch got out and landed some big strikes from the top to end the round. Welch went down in the second from what could have been a groin or body shot. Wasn't clear in the moment, but Gonzalez finished him off on the ground to advance. With the replay, it was a knee to the liver that did Welch in.
Jason Gonzalez advances to Team USA
We keep things
-We keep moving with Spain's Abner Lloveras against Croatia's Vlado Sikic. Lloveras seemed to be getting the better of early exchanges. Sikic seemed to injure his arm at one point, yelling out in pain. Faber commented that Sikic's shoulder may have popped out. Again, time condensed version of the bout so hard to get the full story. Sikic was having trouble with the arm, and as he got taken down again he was holding it and yelling out in pain and the fight was stopped. Unfortunate for him.
Abner Lloveras advances to Team Europe
-Mike Flach and Tom Gallicchio are up next. Gallicchio comes off like he's been hit in the head too many times already, like when he describes himself by saying, "I'm like water. I don't know what that means, but Bruce Lee said it so you know it's gotta be good." Regardless, he takes Flach down early, gets his back, locks on a body lock, and scored the submission win.
Tom Gallicchio advances to Team USA
-Sweden's Martin Svensson is up after that against Mohamed Grabinski from Germany. Grabinski says he has plenty of friends in Germany, so he's not here to make any more, just to win. More "Performance Highlights" are broadcast, and it seemed to be a back and forth positional control battle through two rounds, bringing it into the third, which Svensson is said to have dominated to take the win.
Martin Svensson advances to Team Europe
-We keep it going with Team Europe as Djamil Chan out of the Netherlands takes on Marcin Wrzosek from Poland. More highlights, with Wrzosek eventually securing a rear naked choke for the win.
Marcin Wrzosek advances to Team Europe
-Team Europe fights keep rolling, this time with Germany's Sascha Nitin Sharma taking on England's Sean Carter. Very little happened in the opening round, much to the disdain of White. There's a little more happening in the second, but White says Carter's efforts were too little too late.
Sascha Nitin Sharma advances to Team Europe
-On to a fight on the Team USA side, where Austin Springer says he doesn't see a man who can beat him as he takes on Chris Gruetzemacher. Springer worked his combinations quite well early, especially to the body. He got cut open off a clinch exchange. Gruetzemacher knocked him down in another, and rode out the condensed portion of the round shown. Gruetzemacher pressured, and his size was a clear difference in the second. Springer looked a featherweight in there compared to Gruetzemacher. Springer kept throwing, but got dropped with a big knee to the body. He took some major shots against the cage and just didn't have much left. The fight easily could have been stopped, and Faber, McGregor, and White were all calling for the bout to be stopped before it finally was. Brutal.
Chris Gruetzemacher advances to Team USA
-Brennan Sevin is up next against James Jenkins. Jenkins caught an early kick to score a takedown, and we get some more condensed action. Jenkins did damage from top position and avoided attacks from Sevin to take the first. At least based on what was shown. Jenkins hurt Sevin with a few punches in the second, but Sevin came back with a big knee and got in a flurry on the cage. More condensed action, showing both connecting. Sevin landed another huge step in knee standing, but the fight continued on. Sevin got in a lot more offense based on what was shown but got cracked late. Jenkins got in a late takedown, but couldn't keep it on the ground. Both were bloodied up. Sevin kept striking to the horn, but got hit more late as well. What could have led to a third goes Jenkins' way after the wild back and forth, giving him the decision.
James Jenkins advances to Team USA
-McGregor and Faber have a cordial exchange late.
McGregor quote: "I'm happy with the team. I don't really feel an emotional connection to them or anyone here for that matter; I'm just here to handle business, but I look forward to grow in this journey myself, and witnessing their rise and giving them some advice on what way they can take it and how to approach the game."
-Faber's not necessarily too thrilled with the team he has, as he didn't get to pick any of them. He calls them the "Bad News Bears," but thinks they've all got a "great mentality," and hopes to build on that "positive energy" to win the season.
-To close out the episode, Dana White addresses all the fighters, and those who lost exit the TUF gym. He gives the remaining fighters his pre-season pep talk, and flips for the first fight pick. Team USA wins the first fight pick, which we'll get next week.
-Thanks for checking out our TUF report; we'll be back with more throughout this season on a weekly basis leading into a crazy December.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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