The Ultimate Fighter 16 - Discussion, Rumors & Results

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The Ultimate Fighter 16: Episode 9 ‘Betrayal’ Recap:


Episode nine - “Betrayal” - of The Ultimate Fighter Fridays reality series aired Friday night on FX and saw Team Carwin’s Mike Ricci dominate Team Nelson’s number one pick, Dom Waters in the final preliminary fight of the series via unanimous decision. The teams are now even, with four fighters each moving on to the quarterfinal round.

Ricci, nicknamed “The Martian,” hails from Montreal, Quebec where he has trained with several Ultimate Fighting Championship superstars such as Georges St-Pierre, Rashad Evans and Kenny Florian. Ricci, who is fluent in French and Italian, admitted to getting into fights quite frequently growing up and that’s what initially sparked his interest in Mixed Martial Arts. He began reading books and training himself on the art of combat until he eventually crossed paths with GSP and things took off from there. The technically skilled and savvy fighter boasts a professional record of 7-2-0, proving thus far to be a legitimate threat to his fellow welterweight contenders.

“Fighting three rounds against a guy like Dom Waters, with his skill and his size, was definitely a challenge and I had to dig deep. I did and it feelt great. That was the toughest fighter in the house and nobody wanted to fight him. I fought him for 15 minutes and I beat him.”

Dominic“Sho Nuff” Waters, a former Marine, is a relative new comer who’s already racked up five consecutive wins. The 23-year-old welterweight, 5-1 in his professional career, trains at the Nor-Cal Fighting Alliance with former UFC middleweight title contender David Terrell. A former high school football, track and wrestling star, “Sho Nuff’s” athleticism and dangerous 81-inch reach makes him a lethal fighter inside the Octagon. Waters has neverbeen knocked-out; his only loss came via decision.

“I felt sad after the fight. I didn't want to talk to anyone, but I knew I had given it my all and I had no regrets. I wish I would have stood up, but that's easier said then done – hindsight’s 20/20. I remember every single one of my losses. You don’t lose for a day, you pretty much lose for the rest of your life.”



The tail end of the episode highlights the quarterfinal selections:

Bristol Marunde (Team Carwin) vs. Neil Magny (Team Carwin)

Igor Araujo (Team Carwin) vs. Colton Smith (Team Carwin)

Joey Rivera (Team Nelson) vs. Jon Manley (Team Nelson)

Mike Ricci (Team Nelson) vs. Michael Hill (Team Nelson)


The series resumes next Friday, Nov. 16, on FX at 10 p.m. ET/PT (check local listings for Central and Mountain Time). In that episode – “Coming For You” – The rift grows between Canadians Michael Hill and Mike Ricci. The quarterfinals kick off as Bristol Marunde faces Neil Magny. Then, after a near-brawl at the weigh-in, Colton Smith takes on Igor Araujo with a spot in the semis on the line.



Results after episode nine:


Team Carwin (4-4):

Sam Alvey (0-1, lost to Joey Rivera by decision in episode 3)
Bristol Marunde (1-0, defeated Julian Lane by decision in episode 4)
Mike Ricci (1-0, defeated Dom Waters by decision in episode 9)
Neil Magny (1-0, defeated Cameron Diffley by decision in episode 2)
James Chaney (0-1, submitted by Jon Manley in episode 8)
Eddy Ellis (0-1, lost to Colton Smith by majority decision in epsiode 6)
Igor Araujo (1-0, defeated Nic Herron-Webb by majority decision in episode 5)
Matt Secor (0-1, lost to Michael Hill by split decision in episode 7)



Team Nelson (4-4):

Dom Waters (0-1, lost to Mike Ricci by decision in episode 9)
Michael Hill (1-0, defeated Matt Secor by split decision in episode 7)
Cameron Diffley (0-1, lost to Neil Magny by decision in episode 2)
Colton Smith (1-0, defeated Eddy Ellis by majority decision in episode 6)
Jon Manley (1-0, submitted James Chaney is episode 8)
Nic Herron-Webb (0-1, lost to Igor Araujo by majority decision in episode 5
Joey Rivera (1-0, defeated Sam Alvey by decision in episode 3)
Julian Lane (0-1, lost to Bristol Marunde by decision in episode 4)

[keithlewis]

The Ultimate Fighter Fridays - Episode 10: 'Coming For You'


Both Teams Have A Fighter Into The Semifinals


Episode 10 - “Coming For You” - of The Ultimate Fighter Fridays reality series aired Friday night on FX and featured two of this season’s four quarterfinal matchups. Despite a close first and second round between Team Carwin’s Neil Magny and Bristol Marunde, Magny claimed the win via unanimous decision. Viewers also watched as Team Carwin’s Igor Araujo faced-off against Team Nelson’s Colton Smith. After a dominating two-round performance, the bout ended in a victory for Smith via unanimous decision. Team Carwin and Team Nelson now each have a fighter moving into the semifinals.


Here’s what the fighters had to say after their bouts:


Aoutneil “Neil” Magny: “It feels like I’m in a dream still, feels like I haven’t woken up from the dream. I’ve seen this moment so many times, for me to be actually living it now; it just seems unreal for the moment.”

Bristol Marunde: “I feel great. I did exactly what Dana told us to do. Go for the knockout, go for the finish, and I just went for it. Maybe I’m out of the tournament, but I’m not out of the game.”

Colton Smith: “I remember back when I first auditioned for this show, something like 4,000 applicants, 500 people went to tryouts, 32 made it to fight, 16 made it into the house, and now I’m down to the final four - that’s amazing. It feels great to be in the final four and to be in the semi-finals. Dreams are coming true right before my eyes. And whoever’s next, I’m ready to go.”

Igor “Naselva” Araujo: “I lost my fire. This morning I had a dream that my wife and my two kids were hugging me and telling me ‘it doesn’t matter what, we love you.’ Marianna, Renzo, David, I’m sorry, I gave my best but I’m nothing, nothing without you guys.”

The series resumes in two weeks, on Nov. 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX (check local listings for Central and Mountain Time). In Episode 11 – “Fight the Perfect Fight” (Airs November 30, 10:00 pm e/p) – Quarterfinal action continues as Nelson teammates Joey Rivera and Jon Manley face-off to stay in the competition. The tension builds between fellow Canadians Michal Hill and Mike Ricci before they enter the Octagon to unleash their aggression. Then the last two match-ups before the Finale are revealed when Dana makes the semifinal announcement.


Results after episode 10:


Team Carwin (5-6):

Sam Alvey (0-1, lost to Joey Rivera by decision in episode 3)
Bristol Marunde (1-1, defeated Julian Lane by decision in episode 4, lost to Neil Magny by decision in episode 10)
Mike Ricci (1-0, defeated Dom Waters by decision in episode 9)
Neil Magny (2-0, defeated Cameron Diffley by decision in episode 2, defeated Bristol Marunde by decision in episode 10)
James Chaney (0-1, submitted by Jon Manley in episode 8)
Eddy Ellis (0-1, lost to Colton Smith by majority decision in epsiode 6)
Igor Araujo (1-1, defeated Nic Herron-Webb by majority decision in episode 5, lost to Colton Smith by decision in episode 10)
Matt Secor (0-1, lost to Michael Hill by split decision in episode 7)


Team Nelson (5-4):

Dom Waters (0-1, lost to Mike Ricci by decision in episode 9)
Michael Hill (1-0, defeated Matt Secor by split decision in episode 7)
Cameron Diffley (0-1, lost to Neil Magny by decision in episode 2)
Colton Smith (2-0, defeated Eddy Ellis by majority decision in episode 6, defeated Igor Araujo by decision in episode 10)
Jon Manley (1-0, submitted James Chaney is episode 8)
Nic Herron-Webb (0-1, lost to Igor Araujo by majority decision in episode 5
Joey Rivera (1-0, defeated Sam Alvey by decision in episode 3)
Julian Lane (0-1, lost to Bristol Marunde by decision in episode 4)

[keithlewis]

The Ultimate Fighter Fridays - Episode 11


The episode gets right down to business and sets up the all-Team Nelson quarterfinal match between Joey Rivera and Jon Manley. Normally, each fighter throws some token catchphrases out there like, “I’m ready for war,” or, “[insert name] I’m coming for you!” This time, neither fighter seems very enthusiastic about fighting. They both genuinely like one another and respect one another’s abilities. Laaaame! Joey plans on out-striking Jon to get the win while Jon believes Joey is weak on the ground and looks to exploit that. Oh, and he warns Joey that he’s coming for him.


Manley vs. Rivera:

Both fighters more forward in the opening round and trade punches and low kicks. A minute in, Manley rushes Rivera and pushes him against the fence. Rivera attempts a guillotine, but doesn’t finish. Manley doesn’t earn the takedown initially, but keeps working at it and puts Rivera on his back. He soon passes to half guard and attempts some ground and pound. The two find themselves in an awkward position where Rivera is able to create a scramble and attempt a triangle choke. Jon defends and moves to side mount as the round ends.

The second round mirrors the first. The two initially trade a few low kicks, but Manley soon puts Rivera back against the fence. Rivera defends the takedown for a while, but can’t advance his position and winds up on his back again. Manley advances his position and even gets in position for a rear-naked choke, but there’s never any danger of the finish. The round ends with Manley in dominant position.

Manley wins the fight, and everyone is disappointed. Dana didn’t like fight. Roy Nelson says his guys looked like they didn’t want to be in the cage. Both fighters are unhappy with their performances, too. Jon Manley reveals “I was scared to exchange with him a lot because in practice he beats my ass.”

After seeing two guys who didn’t want to compete against one another, we shift to a pair that can’t wait to fight. Ricci probably understates things when he says, “Things have been weird in the house.” Hill makes a joke about putting ex-lax in Ricci’s pasta sauce which Ricci does not appreciate. He decides to secure his sauce by wrapping the entire pot in surgical tape. Sure, why not. The two then have a verbal confrontation. I was kind of hoping it would end like the classic 1970 film "Love Story" with one of them apologizing and the other saying, “Being bros means never having to say you’re sorry." Sadly, this was not the case.

On the bright side, Ricci/HIll gives us the trash talk we sorely missed from Manley/Rivera. Hill plans on pressuring RIcci and using his hands to dictate the fight. He also tells us, “Hard work beats talent and I’m going to prove that in the cage.” Ricci escalates things a bit more and calls Hill a “bum,” accuses him of being mentally weak and admits he’s not looking to KO or submit Hill, but to mentally break him. It’s always the accountant types who turn out to be the biggest sadists...


Ricci vs. Hill:

Both fighters land some strong shots in the opening frame. Ricci’s left high kicks find their home while Hill connects with a solid low kick. At the 3:30 mark, Hill tires of this measured back-and-forth exchange and rushes Ricci. Ricci reverses and puts Hill against the cage. He finishes the takedown and starts to wing some big shots. Ricci controls Hill for the majority of the round and continues to throw punches and land elbows. Hill exposes his back with about a minute left. He avoids the submission, but he doesn’t avoid the elbows Ricci continues to drop as the round ends.

The second round opens with Ricci missing a kick. Hill tries to use this opening to blitz, but finds himself defending a takedown instead. At first, he’s successful and even gets a solid guillotine attempt. Ricci keeps pushing, though, and puts Hill on the mat again. Ricci takes the back but can’t finish since they’re both leaning against the fence. Hill stands up to try to shake Ricci off, but the banker clings to him like a baby panda. Hill gets close to escaping, but Ricci’s hooks stay firmly in place for the majority of the round. Hill finally gets to his feet with 13 seconds left, but it’s too late.

Ricci takes 20-18 across the board. Dana White doesn’t appear to be too pleased with this match either. He tells us that, “I expected it to be more of a explosive fight” and admonishes Hill for “having no ground game.” Hill says he lost because he didn’t give it 110%. Mathematical probabilities aside, what does that mean?

We cut right to the semi-final fight announcements. The first will be Jon Manley and Colton Smith. Jon gives us a brief glimpse into his strategy by saying, “I’m gonna have to hit him [expletive] hard.” The second semi fight will feature Mike Ricci and Neil Magny. While neither one of them says so, I believe that they too plan on hitting their opponents [expletive] hard.

We get a sneak peek of what will be the last regular episode of the season... which two fighters will advance to the finals? Who delivers the knockout? Will Michael Hill interrupt Ricci’s sleep by standing outside his window blasting Peter Gabriel’s, “In Your Eyes?” Find out next week!


Team Carwin (6-6):

Sam Alvey (0-1, lost to Joey Rivera by decision in episode 3)
Bristol Marunde (1-1, defeated Julian Lane by decision in episode 4, lost to Neil Magny by decision in episode 10)
Mike Ricci (2-0, defeated Dom Waters by decision in episode 9, defeated Mike Ricci by decision in episode 11)
Neil Magny (2-0, defeated Cameron Diffley by decision in episode 2, defeated Bristol Marunde by decision in episode 10)
James Chaney (0-1, submitted by Jon Manley in episode 8)
Eddy Ellis (0-1, lost to Colton Smith by majority decision in epsiode 6)
Igor Araujo (1-1, defeated Nic Herron-Webb by majority decision in episode 5, lost to Colton Smith by decision in episode 10)
Matt Secor (0-1, lost to Michael Hill by split decision in episode 7)


Team Nelson (6-6):

Dom Waters (0-1, lost to Mike Ricci by decision in episode 9)
Michael Hill (1-1, defeated Matt Secor by split decision in episode 7, lost to Mike Ricci by decision in episode 11)
Cameron Diffley (0-1, lost to Neil Magny by decision in episode 2)
Colton Smith (2-0, defeated Eddy Ellis by majority decision in episode 6, defeated Igor Araujo by decision in episode 10)
Jon Manley (2-0, submitted James Chaney is episode 8, defeated Joey Rivera by decision in episode 11)
Nic Herron-Webb (0-1, lost to Igor Araujo by majority decision in episode 5)
Joey Rivera (1-1, defeated Sam Alvey by decision in episode 3, lost to Jon Manley by decision in episode 11)
Julian Lane (0-1, lost to Bristol Marunde by decision in episode 4)

[keithlewis]

EPISODE 12: ‘SEMIFINAL SHOWDOWN’ - FLASH QUOTES & RESULTS


Smith and Ricci into the Finale


Episode 12 - “Semifinal Showdown” - of The Ultimate Fighter® Fridays reality series aired Friday night on FX and featured this season’s semifinal matchups, teammate vs. teammate.

The first bout, featuring Team Nelson’s Jon Manley vs. Colton Smith, went to a third-round decision and ended with Smith as the victor after dominating the first two of third rounds. The second semifinal matchup saw Team Carwin teammates Mike Ricci and Neil Magny square off in the Octagon. It appeared both men were evenly matched, but then, during the last minute of the first round, Ricci delivered the only knockout of the season, which left Magny briefly unconscious.

The two victors, Smith and Ricci, will now face off in the much-anticipated Finale on December 15th to decide who will win the lucrative contract with the UFC and be named the next Ultimate Fighter.


Here’s what this season’s winning finalists had to say after their bouts:

Ricci: “I won the fight and I was excited, but I couldn’t help it, I broke down and I started crying. Because, the truth is, I would’ve rather win by a decision than to do that to him, cause it hurt. You have a teammate and you eat every night with them and you pray with them and you go for swims and you talk and you share things and then you do that to somebody…and it was hard for me. I know what it’s like to be Neil; I’ve been knocked out before. That feeling where you wake up and you don’t know what happened and all your dreams are shattered, all the opportunity you thought you had was gone. But if I didn’t do it to him, he would’ve done it to me, so I had no choice.”

Smith: “Feels great, I’m top two now. It’s been a long road; 4 weigh-ins, 4 fights, 4-0 in the house. I might not have been the best fighter, I might not have been the most skilled or the prettiest fighter, but I guarantee you, I’m the best fighter at the end of the day in the house.”


Here’s what UFC President Dana White and the two finalists had to say heading into the Finale:

Ricci: “I don’t think that Colton Smith can hang with me to be honest with you. I mean anything can happen, right? He’s a dangerous man, but if my A game is on, I’ll be able to stop Colton for sure.”

Smith: “Mike Ricci is a tough, tough dude. He has power in his hands, power in his kicks, elbows. He’s a very versatile fighter, but I’m going to go in there and I’m going to take his head off, I’m going to ground and pound, I’m going to look for the submission. He’ll break before I will, that’s guaranteed.”

White: “I think Ricci vs. Smith is going to be a good fight. These guys have consistently fought well, they won, and I think we ended up with the two best guys here, I really do.”

After 12 weeks of non-stop action and 30 fights, it all comes down to this moment.


Results after episode 12:


Team Carwin (7-7):

Sam Alvey (0-1, lost to Joey Rivera by decision in episode 3)

Bristol Marunde (1-1, defeated Julian Lane by decision in episode 4, lost to Neil Magny by decision in episode 10)

Mike Ricci (3-0, defeated Dom Waters by decision in episode 9, defeated Mike Ricci by decision in episode 11, defeated Neil Magny by knockout in episode 12)

Neil Magny (2-1, defeated Cameron Diffley by decision in episode 2, defeated Bristol Marunde by decision in episode 10, lost via knockout to Mike Ricci in episode 12)

James Chaney (0-1, submitted by Jon Manley in episode 8)

Eddy Ellis (0-1, lost to Colton Smith by majority decision in epsiode 6)

Igor Araujo (1-1, defeated Nic Herron-Webb by majority decision in episode 5, lost to Colton Smith by decision in episode 10)

Matt Secor (0-1, lost to Michael Hill by split decision in episode 7)



Team Nelson (7-7):

Dom Waters (0-1, lost to Mike Ricci by decision in episode 9)

Michael Hill (1-1, defeated Matt Secor by split decision in episode 7, lost to Mike Ricci by decision in episode 11)

Cameron Diffley (0-1, lost to Neil Magny by decision in episode 2)

Colton Smith (3-0, defeated Eddy Ellis by majority decision in episode 6, defeated Igor Araujo by decision in episode 10, defeated Jon Manley by decision in episode 12)

Jon Manley (2-1, submitted James Chaney is episode 8, defeated Joey Rivera by decision in episode 11, lost to Colton Smith by decision in episode 12)

Nic Herron-Webb (0-1, lost to Igor Araujo by majority decision in episode 5)

Joey Rivera (1-1, defeated Sam Alvey by decision in episode 3, lost to Jon Manley by decision in episode 11)

Julian Lane (0-1, lost to Bristol Marunde by decision in episode 4)