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- Ultimate Fighter 10, Episode 8: One soldier left
- Ultimate Fighter 10, Episode 7: 'Voices in my head'
- Time to man up, Team Rampage!
- Poll results: Best of UFC 104
- Brock Lesnar out for UFC 106
- Matt 'Meathead' Mitrione is scary
- UFC 105 fight card
- UFC 104: Lyoto Machida wins close decision over Shogun Rua
- UFC 104: Ryan Bader good not great . . . yet
- UFC 104 bonuses
- UFC 104: The slugger Pat Barry
- UFC 104: Fatty Johnson KO's Yoshida
- UFC 104: Is Chael Sonnen really this good?
- UFC 104: Cain Velasquez dominates Ben Rothwell
- UFC 104: Gleison 'Takedown' Tibau
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Ultimate Fighter 10, Episode 8: One soldier left
This week’s episode opened with a replay of Coach Rampage Jackson’s tantrum immediately following last week’s fight. UFC President Dana White checked in right off the bat with the quote of the week as he watched Jackson destroy an interior door on his way back to the locker room after going 0-for-7 in the prelims: “You know what sucks about that – it shows everyone how cheap our ------- doors are!”
After his tantrum subsided, Jackson actually seemed to start to engage in his coaching role this week. He sought to prepare his final hope, Marcus “Big Baby” Jones, for the final preliminary fight versus Team Rashad's Mike Wessel. Jones appeared to be extremely motivated by the idea of being the only Team Rampage fighter to advance to the semifinals, while his opponent, Wessel, afforded viewers some insight into his own motivation to fight when he revealed that his wife is fighting cancer while he is off for six weeks fighting dudes.
Wessel weighed in at a stocky 260 pounds while Jones came in at a significantly taller and much more ripped 262 pounds. Wessel was billed as a slugger with knockout power while Jones, though still very raw and inexperienced, seemed to have a much more complete fight portfolio, including solid ground skills.
Not surprisingly, the early moments of the first round had Wessel coming forward and swinging for the fences with his head down. Once a Wessel takedown attempt backfired, Jones took the fight to the ground and got on top.
Jones immediately began to work for arm submissions and locked in a very slick and fast arm bar that would prove decisive seconds later. Jackson made an uncharacteristic appearance in the Octagon after the fight to celebrate with Jones and the other coaches. Final score of the preliminary round: 7-1.
Before the smoke cleared from the Wessel/Jones fight, Coaches Jackson and Evans sat down with Dana White to speak with each of the advancing fighters and then to set the quarterfinal fights as follows:
- Roy Nelson vs. Justin Wren
- Brendan Schaub vs. Jon Madsen
- James McSweeney vs. Matt Mitrione
- Marcus Jones vs. Darrill SchoonoverPete DeBellis is a freelance writer who covers "The Ultimate Fighter" for FIghtin' Words
Tags: TUF 10, The Ultimate Figher, Marcus Jones, Mike Wessel, Rashad Evans, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
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Time to man up, Team Rampage!
It rests in the hands of a grown man they call "Big Baby."
Semantically, that doesn't benefit Team Rampage, which has lost the first seven preliminary fights on Season 10 of "The Ultimate Fighter."
Marcus "Big Baby" Jones is a monster. A former first-round NFL draft pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His task? Beat Mike Wessel of Team Rashad and salvage a crumb of dignity for Team Rampage.
Has one team ever swept all eight preliminary fights in the show's history? I don't think so. Will that change tomorrow night? I hope so.
As much as I'd love to see Quinton "Rampage" Jackson KO another door or maybe an entire locker room after getting swept by Rashad Evans, the remaining episodes of "TUF" wouldn't be as compelling. If it's all Team Rashad, there would be no sole survivor angle to promote. No "Me against the world" hook to keep us all going. And without the traditional payout of the coaches fighting on the next UFC card after the "Ultimate Finale," let's try to keep the Rampage-Rashad battle going a little bit longer.
So it's time for Jones to man up and shoulder the load for Team Rampage and throw a beatdown on Wessel.
Tags: TUF 10, The Ultimate Fighter, Marcus Jones, Mike Wessel, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Rashad Evans
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Ultimate Fighter 10, Episode 7: 'Voices in my head'
There are two things you need to know about my editor, Mark La Monica:
1) His voice sounds exactly the same as TUF 10 contestant Matt Mitrione, to the point where I instinctively look up and scan for Mark when Mitrione is picked up on the in-house audio.
2) He is inexplicably headed West to Vegas then south to Florida for vacation just as the World Series kicks off in New York. Picture the vacation scene in "Goodfellas," replete with "resort attire," combined with the “Yeah, you blend” sensibility of "My Cousin Vinny" and you don't need a postcard.
What does that have to do with this episode of "The Ultimate Fighter"? Not much, really, just one of the voices in my head told me to write it.
With only four fighters left to step into the Octagon for their preliminary fights, it was up to coach Rashad Evans to set the final two match-ups. Riding a six-fight winning streak and eyeing a clean sweep of the preliminaries, Evans chose Mark La Monica – er, Matt “Meathead“ Mitrione – from his own team to fight Scott Junk from Team Rampage. By virtue of Evans’ selections for the seventh fight, the eighth and final preliminary fight was also determined by default: Marcus “Big Baby” Jones from Team Rampage versus Mike Wessel from Team Rashad.
This week’s fight announcement footage also featured yet another argument and nose-to-nose smack talk session between Evans and Jackson. I definitely agree with the fighters in the house who commented that the venom between the two coaches is genuine and certainly not for show.
I have been far more impressed with how Evans has handled his coaching obligations this season. And, I must confess that I am growing tired of hearing Jackson talk about what he almost did to Evans after each encounter, especially since we all know that the Evans vs. Jackson fight originally scheduled for the end of the season will not be happening due to Jackson’s untimely retirement.
On to the actual fight . . .
Mitrione, a former NFL defensive end with the Giants and Vikings, faced up against the much more experienced Junk. It became even more interesting as tension built in the house between the somewhat eccentric Mitrione and fighters on both teams. They've taken to calling him “The Rat” based on his proclivity to reveal sensitive Team Evans information.
The fight began with the 6-foot-3 Mitrione jabbing and effectively striking from a distance while intelligently leveraging his significant reach advantage. Mitrione knocked down Junk on several occasions but each time let him back up – a technique that I certainly do not recommend, but one that was very consistent with the rage Mitrione had said was building inside of him.
It was clear that he wanted to humiliate Junk and give him a thorough beating instead of finishing him quickly. The two big boys tired noticeably toward the end of the round and started to fight in slow motion as Mitrione continued to get the better of their increasingly rare exchanges.
Eventually, Mitrione’s strategy of letting Junk continue to get up started to backfire as the apparently slightly better conditioned Junk finished the round with a flurry that might have made the otherwise one-sided first round a bit closer on the scorecards.
The second round picked up where the first one left off: stuck in slo-mo.
Junk eventually put the record on the right speed and scored the fight’s first legitimate takedown a couple of minutes into the round. He failed to make much of his top position, however, and Mitrione continued to enjoy a slight advantage in striking when the fighters got back up to their feet.By the time the bell rang ,the combatants were moving slower than the boxers in the 15h round of a Rocky movie and all in attendance knew that 1) this is why Dana makes the preliminary fights two rounds, and 2) There was no way the judges could, in good conscience, let this fight go to a ”sudden victory” third round.
When the scorecards came in, Mitrione was awarded a majority decision, and his coach, Jackson, once again fled defeat and threw a tantrum. Rampage KO'd on one of the training facility doors.
Across the way, his defeated fighter recovered in the Octagon after a seventh straight loss.
>> Photos: Meet the "TUF 10" cast
Pete DeBellis is a freelance writer who covers "The Ultimate Fighter" for Fightin' Words.
Tags: The Ultimate Fighter, TUF 10, Rashad Evans, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Matt Mitrione, Scott Junk
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Poll results: Best of UFC 104
Here's the question we asked after UFC 104: Which fighter impressed you the most at UFC 104 in Los Angeles?
Here's how the voting went:
54% - Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
15% - Cain Velasquez
12% - Anthony Johnson
7% - Chael Sonnen
6% - Lyoto Machida
5% - Someone else
NEXT QUESTION: Which superfight do you most want to see next?
Tags: UFC 104, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Cain Velasquez, Anthony Johnson, Chael Sonnen, Lyoto Machida
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Matt 'Meathead' Mitrione is scary
You watch enough MMA, you learn to quickly disregard the staredowns they do before each fight on "The Ultimate Fighter," or at weigh-ins the day before a UFC event, or any other time two opposing fighters and a camera are in the same room.
They're just photo ops so we have pictures to post with our blogs and run in print.
But watching Matt Mitrione stare down Scott Junk when Rashad Evans announced that fight at the beginning of Episode 7 of "TUF 10," I really thought he was going to clock him.
That was a pretty intense look in Mitrione's eyes. The shaved head helps. The fact that Evans calls him "Meathead" certainly didn't hurt matters either. And the events that unfolded the rest of the episode supported my initial thought.
Thankfully, Mitrione didn't pop Junk.
(Although, I think all of us secretly wish he had just to see what mayhem would have ensued. I'm thinking the "Anchorman" news team rumble would look like elementary school recess in comparison.)
Tags: TUF 10, The Ultimate Fighter, Rashad Evans, Matt Mitrione, Scott Junk
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UFC 105 fight card
As the questions linger about the Lyoto Machida-Shogun Rua fight at UFC 104, let's take a moment to look ahead to what's in store for fight fans at UFC 105 in Manchester, England on Nov. 14, 2009.
It's a pretty decent card that gets even better when you realize it's free on Spike for us Americans. U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! It's also a card that will help shape the title pictures at light heavyweight and welterweight in 2010. We also get a look at half of Team UK from Season 9 of "The Ultimate Fighter."
Main event
Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera
Couture drops back down into the light heavyweight division. His present? The devastating kicks of rising star Vera. If Vera can beat Couture, he moves up the ladder for a potential title fight toward the end of 2010. If Couture wins, might he get a crack at the winner of the next title fight?
Other notable fights
Mike Swick vs. Dan Hardy
Injury prevented Swick from fighting Martin Kampmann at UFC 103 for a shot at Georges St-Pierre in a title fight. Instead, Kampmann got KO'd by Paul Daley, and Swick now must get passed "The Outlaw" for his shot at GSP's welterweight title in 2010.
Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang
Who knew Bisping was finally coherent after what Dan Henderson did to him at UFC 100? This begins the climb back for Bisping. Or maybe it's a turning point at welterweight for Kang. Will either get a shot at Anderson Silva in 2010? Likely not, but you never know. Is there anyone left at welterweight to challenge the Spider?
"TUF 9" alumni fights
James Wilks vs. Matt Brown
Ross Pearson vs. Aaron Riley
Nick Osipczak vs. Matthew Riddle
Andre Winner vs. Rolando DelgadoAlso on the card
Terry Etim vs. Shannon Gugerty
Paul Taylor vs. John Hathaway
Paul Kelly vs. Dennis Siver
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jared HammanTags: UFC 105, Randy Couture, Brandon Vera, Mike Swick, Dan Hardy, Michael Bisping, Denis Kang, James Wilks, Matt Brown, Ross Pearson, Aaron Riley, Nick Osipczak, Matthew Riddle, Andre Winner, Rolando Delgado, Terry Etim, Shannon Gugerty, Paul Taylor, John Hathaway, Paul Kelly, Dennis Siver, Alexander Gustafsson, Jarden Hamman, TUF 9, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva
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Brock Lesnar out for UFC 106
UFC announced Monday that the Brock Lesnar-Shane Carwin main event at UFC 106 on Nov. 21 has been postponed because of an undisclosed illness to Lesnar.
Lesnar, the heavyweight champion, has "never been this sick in his life," UFC president Dana White told Yahoo! Sports.
The early plan has this fight rescheduled for UFC 108 on Jan. 2, 2010 in Las Vegas. Also rumored to be on that card:
Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort for the middleweight title
Rashad Evans vs. Thiago SilvaThat would make for one hell of a card at UFC 108, huh?
On to more timely matters: What happens now for UFC 106? This slides the Tito Ortiz-Forrest Griffin rematch to the main event barring any major reshuffling by White and fight maker Joe Silva.
Is that enough to hang an entire card on? Not sure. But it will definitely ramp up the marketing for Tito Ortiz's return to the Octagon, which isn't a bad thing. He's colorful enough to carry an entire media blitz.
>> Brock Lesnar photos
>> Say it with me: 'I care about Tito Ortiz'Tags: UFC 106, UFC 108, Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin, Tito Ortiz, Forrest Griffin, Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort, Rashad Evans, Thiago Silva, news
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UFC 104 bonuses
The $60,000 fight bonus paychecks from UFC 104 were doled out as follows:
Submission of the night went to Stefan Struve for his first-round tapout of UFC newcomer Chase Gormley.
Knockout of the night went to Pat Barry, who blasted Antoni Hardonk in the face enough times to win by TKO in the second round.
Fight of the night went to Barry and Hardonk, which makes for a nice $120,000 night for Barry.
UFC president Dana White said Anthony Johnson would have won knockout of the night for his first-round KO of Yoshiyuki Yoshida but he was ineligible for not making weight. That's an expensive weight gain for Johnson, who also lost 20 percent of his payday for being 176 pounds on Friday.
>> UFC 104 photos
>> UFC 104 video: Post-fight press conferenceTags: UFC 104, Stefan Struve, Pat Barry, Antoni Hardonk, Anthony Johnson, Yoshiyuki Yoshida
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UFC 104: Lyoto Machida wins close decision over Shogun Rua
In this week's fan poll, 65 percent of Fightin' Words readers thought Lyoto Machida would beat Mauricio "Shogun" Rua by KO/TKO. A cumulative 82 percent (590 of the 732 total votes) chose Machida to win the fight regardless of how. Online sportsbooks had Machida listed as a -500 or greater favorite.
So, basically, no one outside of Rua's family and training team gave him a chance to win the light heavyweight championship at UFC 104 in Los Angeles.
With a steady attack of leg kicks to the body, Rua tenderized Machida's ribs like a chef preparing a rack of ribs for a nice meal in the fanciest of fancy restaurants.
But Machida apparently did enough to fend off the body kicks and Rua's general control to win a unanimous decision and become the first light heavyweight champion to successfully defend his belt since Quinton "Rampage" Jackson on Sept. 8, 2007. All three judges scores the bout, 48-47.
Well, at least the judges said Machida lost two rounds, his first two in eight UFC fights (22 rounds).
The decision was met with quite a bit of disappointment by the crowd at the Staples Center, and no doubt everywhere else people gathered to watch the fight. Be it in a friend's house or a bar or a dorm room, there will be great debate over this decision.
Did Machida (16-0) really do enough to win the fight, or did he just get by based on the old-school thought that in order to become the champion, you have to beat the champion?
Regardless of where you stand on the decision, Rua (18-4) fought a very intelligent fight. He was controlled in his aggression and didn't look to rush in attacking Machida and his awkward style. Rua took away Machida's legs with a consistent inside leg kicks.
Each fighter did enough to make the decision as close as it was. I thought Rua won the fight as a whole but maybe not enough rounds when viewed individually, if you'll allow that to make any sense.
One thing is definitely certain: the light heavyweight division remains the toughest and most competitive in the UFC.
Lyoto Machida post-fight press conference highlights
Shogun Rua post-fight press conference highlights
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UFC 104: Cain Velasquez dominates Ben Rothwell
Cain Velasquez caught some wreck from people after his dominating-but-not-that-amazing victory over Cheick Kongo at UFC 99. He controlled Kongo on the ground but absorbed a lot of punches.
It caused a few folks to think twice about crowning Velasquez the next rising star in the heavyweight division.
Well, Velasquez answered all those questions with a second-round TKO of Ben Rothwell at UFC 104 in Los Angeles.
Velasquez (7-0) took the MMA journeyman Rothwell down with ease in the first round and unloaded with a barrage of punches and hammer fists. He continued that pattern in the second round until referee Steve Mazzagatti stopped the fight 58 seconds into the second round. It may have been an early stoppage, but it was just a matter of time before Velasquez finished Rothwell (30-7) off for good.
Velasquez's work at UFC 104 answered the previous questions, no doubt, but gave rise to another question: Who's next for Velasquez? Is it a title shot with the Brock Lesnar-Steve Carwin winner from UFC 106? Or maybe a bout with MMA legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira or Frank Mir?
Whoever it is, get ready to fight because Velasquez's star is rising quickly.
>> UFC 104 photos
>> UFC 104 video: Post-fight press conference
Tags: UFC 104, Ben Rothwell, Cain Velasquez, Brock Lesnar, Cheick Kongo, Steve Carwin, Frank Mir, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
