The Ultimate Fighter 19 - Discussion, Rumors and Results

[keithlewis]

The Ultimate Fighter 19 - Episode 10 Recap:


Courtesy: Dan Downes, UFC.com



The episode opens up at the TUF house in the aftermath of last week’s lackluster fight between Matt Van Buren and Chris Fields. Van Buren came away with the win, but his sluggish performance drew the ire of UFC President Dana White and the condemnation of fellow cast mates.

Matt takes partial responsibility for the fight, but he also has a lot of excuses. At first he says the strategy was intentional. He had to “play it smart,” in order to make sure he didn’t suffer a cut that would jeopardize his chances in the semifinals. He also tries to appeal to the the other fighters’ egos by saying that everyone on the show is so tough that it’s really difficult to try to finish one.

As Van Buren makes excuses, the fighters that have been eliminated raid the liquor cabinet. It has your usual drunken revelry -- an intoxicated Irishman and a naked guy. Although sometimes they can be the same person, neither Chris Fields nor Cathal Pendred were in the nude.

That title belongs to Tim Williams. While taking off his clothes in front of the cameras may have been a poor choice, he did add to the history of TUF drinking catchphrases with his repeated, “Let’s get busy!” chants. It’s no, “Let me bang bro!” but then again, what is?

Back on Team Edgar, Frankie discusses how teammates Corey Anderson and Patrick Walsh will have to fight one another in the semis. It’s not an ideal situation, but they all knew that it could happen. Frankie refuses to choose sides and tells the fighters that they’ll have to find teammates to help them out. While that’s not too surprising (we’ve seen similar in previous seasons) what followed next was a TUF first. During practice,

Corey and Patrick wind up sparring each other. Walsh doesn’t have a problem with the situation because, “He’s exactly like the person I’m fighting.”

Next we switch gears to the first semifinal fight between Team Edgar’s Eddie Gordon and Team Penn’s Cathal Pendred. Frankie states that Eddie needs to keep this fight standing in order to win. Cathal likes to push people against the fence and control them, and Eddie plans on using feints and fakes to avoid that.

BJ Penn and Cathal know that Eddie doesn’t want to grapple, so they plan on going straight at him right from the beginning. Eddie can’t box if he’s on his heels!

Before the next round starts, Dana White brings the remaining fighters to the MGM Grand. Filmed right before George St. Pierre’s title fight against Johny Hendricks, Dana feels that this atmosphere is the perfect opportunity to try to motivate them. He wants them to know that they’re one fight away from competing in front of all these people. Does it work? We’ll find out soon because it’s fight time!

ROUND ONE

Cathal turns out to be a man of his word. As soon as the first round starts, he swings a couple haymakers and backs Eddie against the fence. They break, but the Irishman jumps right back into the fray. Eddie scrambles and nearly takes back mount. He can’t get both hooks in, though, so Cathal escapes. Back on the feet, Cathal connects with a spin kick and charges forward once more.

He pushes Eddie against the fence, and they jockey for position. Cathal eventually finishes the takedown, and we hear BJ Penn screaming, “ELLLLLLLLLLLLBOW!” from the corner. Before Cathal can follow orders, Eddie returns to his feet. The two continue to battle against the cage, and they’re expending a lot of energy in the process.

Cathal won’t be denied and scores another takedown. In the closing moments of the round, Cathal takes back mount, but time expires before he can finish the choke.

ROUND TWO

Cathal begins the second just like the first. He rushes forward and pins Eddie against the fence. Eddie fights desperately to get one underhook, and uses that to get some separation. Cathal tries another spin kick, but this one misses by a large margin.

Both men look tired and take a moment to catch their breath. Cathal winds up for a spinning backfirst, but Eddies uses that opening to secure a takedown of his own. He can’t advance position, but he does throw some ground and pound that connects.

After trying to get around Cathals legs, Eddies pulls out and the two are back in the center of the Octagon. Cathal pushes forward, and the two finish the round in the clinch.

ROUND THREE

Knowing his back is against the wall, Eddie Gordon starts the third round swinging big, wide hooks. They’re only glancing blows, but his right hand does start to find its mark. Cathal opens up his striking attack and Eddie shoots for a takedown.

Cathal defends and then answers with an attempt of his own. Like previous rounds, Cathal pushes Eddie to the fence and grinds him down. Eddie stays on his feet, but he can’t generate much offense. As BJ pumps up his team with “Ole!” chants, and Frankie yells at Eddie to get going, but fighters dig deep into their reserves.

WIth about ten seconds left, Eddie connects on his biggest punch of the fight, but time runs out before he can capitalize.

The judges come back with a split decision. It all came down to that third round, and two judges gave it to Eddie Gordon. He’ll be moving on to the finals. Dana thinks that Cathal should have one, but admits that it was an extremely close fight and wouldn’t call it a robbery by any means. We wrap up with a preview into next week’s episode.

How does Team Edgar handle having teammates fight one another? Why does Patrick Walsh practice with Team Penn? Does Tim Williams take his clothes off? Find out this and more next weed on The Ultimate Fighter!

[keithlewis]

The Ultimate Fighter 19 - Episode 11 Recap:


Courtesy: Dan Downes, UFC.com



The tensions are high as Team Edgar teammates Corey Anderson and Patrick Walsh finally square off this week. Frankie and the rest of the coaching staff don’t want to pick sides, so they decide to let each fighter pick two teammates to corner them for the fight. Going into the season, Frankie knew that a situation like this could arise, but he still doesn’t like it. Among the two combatants, though, they’re not mincing words. Corey calls Pat “mentally weak,” and believes he’ll gas out eventually. Pat admits that Corey looks incredible in practice, but he’s quick to remind us that “this isn’t practice.”

Speaking of practice, Pat fears that that Team Edgar has taken the foot off the gas in the closing weeks. With only one practice a day, he doesn’t think that’s enough mat time for him to get that final push to the finals. As a result, he asks Frankie and BJ if it would be alright if he stuck around to train with Team Penn. Both agree, but it seems like Patrick should have cleared it with his teammates first. Corey discusses the situation with Dhiego Lima and both agree that if Pat wants to train with Team Penn, he should leave their team. He has to choose a side. Corey later confronts Pat at the house and accuses him of being disloyal. Eddie Gordon even calls Walsh the “T” word -- turncoat.

Frankie calls a team meeting and tells Pat that he made a mistake. He shouldn’t have let Pat train with Team Penn, and that it’s unfair to the rest of the team. To settle things once and for all, Frankie tells Pat that he has to make a choice. He can either stay with Team Edgar or switch sides and move to Team Penn. Pat storms out and becomes very emotional over the issue. Choking back tears, he says, “I should be focusing on my fight. I shouldn’t have 10 people giving me [expletive] about it.” Eventually he calms down and chooses to stay with Team Edgar. Frankie is happy to hear it and tells everyone that the situation is settled and no one needs to speak about it any more. Will the emotional stress have an impact? We’ll find out now because it’s fight time!

ROUND ONE

Pat comes out in a southpaw stance while Corey works from orthodox. Pat holds his hands low and swings big, wide punches. Corey has a bit more composure and finds the mark with his right hand. One of these right hands rocks Pat and he stumbles. Corey keeps the pressure on him and lands a knee in the process. Pat tries to get away, but Corey won’t give any breathing room. He charges forward, secures the takedown and immediately moves to mount. Pat quickly makes it back to his feet, but a visibly gash appears under his right eye. He still throws haymakers, but Corey times them and scores another takedown. Pat makes it back to his feet, but he struggles to land and significant punches. He pulls guard in the closing seconds and takes top position, but the round ends before he can do anything.

ROUND TWO

Pat’s big punches connect in the early moments of round two. He uses these punches to push Corey against the fence and score a takedown of his own. Corey easily returns to his feet and throws his first kick of the fight. Even with Pat holding his hands down by his waist, the majority of the round looks like a boxing match with small gloves. Corey moves for a takedown at the 1:40 mark. Pat defends, but he can’t protect himself from the knee that crashes into his face. Dazed, he scrambles to his feet waiting for the next attack. Corey doesn’t go for the finish, and Pat dives for a takedown to buy himself some time. Corey fights it off and the two return to their feet with 30 seconds to go. Pat attempts another takedown, but Corey blocks that one, too. We’re heading to a third and decisive round.

ROUND THREE

The two continue boxing and Pat keeps shooting from the hip. Corey can’t take advantage of the opening, but Pat doesn’t seem to threaten either. Pat pushes forward and briefly puts Corey on the mat, but he can’t hold him there. Both fighters look fatigued and neither can string together extended combinations. The output has slowed down, but Corey’s punches land at a higher rate. Corey finally shoots with 20 seconds remaining, but Pat defends. Corey follows up with a knee and Pat counters with a double leg. Just like the first round, time expires before Walsh can capitalize. The judges will decide who makes it to the finals.

Frankie admits that he was nervous, and could barely stay quiet on the sidelines. He gives Corey the edge, but is amazed with Pat’s toughness. Dana White echoes the praise of Pat’s toughness, but also calls him a “mess” technically. The UFC President also dubs Walsh, “The Zombie.” The scorecards come back and they’re all 30-27 for Corey Anderson.

The show wraps up with a sneak peak into next week’s episode. Can Dhiego Lima defeat last pick Roger Zapata? Does Matt Van Buren back up all his tough talk against Daniel Spohn? How many rhinos does Chuck Liddell knee when he shows up to practice? Find out this and more next week on The Ultimate Fighter!

[keithlewis]

The Ultimate Fighter 19 - Episode 12 Recap:


Courtesy: Dan Downes, UFC.com



The episode opens up with Roger Zapata and the pressure he’s facing. Not only are the stakes higher now that he’s fighting in the semifinals, but he also has a newborn daughter to look after. He speaks passionately about how he used to think that if he died, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. Now that he has a daughter, there are so many more responsibilities. If he can make it to the finals, he can provide for her.

Besides his daughter, Zapata has to worry about his opponent Dhiego Lima. Much like his first fight in the tournament, Roger is a big underdog. He doesn’t mind being in that position, but warns others to not underestimate him. He’s a much more dangerous fighter than when he first came into the house, and shouldn’t be taken lightly. As far as his gameplan is concerned, Roger says that it’s simply, “Knock him out.” He wants to make this fight a kickboxing match and Coach BJ fully supports those tactics.

On the Team Edgar side, Dhiego Lima gets some striking advice from assistant coach Mark Henry. Henry wants Lima to avoid standing still and use a lot of movement. Dhiego agrees, but doesn’t plan on avoiding contact. He accuses Roger of being scared of getting hit and will pressure Roger from start to finish. Coach Frankie has nothing but positive things to say about Dhiego. He calls him a “stud” and remarks that Dhiego has really turned up his training the last week. Will it be enough to win? We’re about to find out because it’s fight time!

ROUND ONE

Roger comes out in a southpaw stance while Dhiego works from orthodox. Dhiego opens up with two hard low kicks to Roger’s inside leg that echo throughout the gym. Roger shakes it off and connects with a solid left cross and Dhiego falls to his back. Roger tries to ground and pound, but Dhiego pulls off a brilliant half guard sweep from bottom. Before Roger can react, he’s caught in an armbar and taps at the 4:26 mark of the first round.


We quickly move gears to the last semifinal of the season between Daniel Spohn and Matt Van Buren. BJ’s confidence in Spohn is overwhelming. He even goes as far to say, “I see Spohn wiping Van Buren out.” Despite all that confidence, BJ still brings UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell in to help out. Even though he ends up drilling in jeans and a T-shirt, the Iceman still takes time to show Spohn how to work off the cage and sweep from bottom. While these techniques will help, Spohn has no desire to grapple with Van Buren. He tells us, “I plan on striking until Matt hits the floor.”

As far as Matt is concerned, he doesn’t want to make the same mistake he did in his fight against Chris Fields. The animosity between the two was so high that Matt admits that he took the fight too personal. As a result, he didn’t perform up to his level and couldn’t capitalize on the openings. Paradoxically, he claims that liking Spohn actually makes the fight easier. This time around, it’ll be all business. Frankie struggles with coming up with a gameplan for the fight. Spohn brutally knocked out his opponent to get into the house, but also used a grapple heavy approach to advance to the semis. Matt has to be ready for anything. We’ll see if he can adapt because it’s fight time!

ROUND ONE

Matt begins the round with a low kick, then follows up with another kick to the body. Spohn punches back and the two let the leather fly. They break apart and Matt continues to attack with kicks. He goes to the well too many times, though. Matt kicks again, but this time Daniel grabs his leg and finishes a takedown. Matt scrambles to his feet, but Daniel grabs a front headlock and quickly takes Matt’s back. Matt tries to shake him off, but Daniel has the hooks in tight. After failing to finish the choke, Daniel bails on the submission and they return to the middle of the Octagon. Spohn hurts Matt with a cross, hook flurry and follows up with another takedown. Matt returns to his feet, but he doesn’t have any time to relax. Daniel rushes him and continues to attack. Matt doesn’t take control back until there’s less than a minute remaining. He drives some vicious knees to the body, but it might not be enough to win the round.

ROUND TWO

Daniel sneaks a right hook over the top and Matt falls back. He makes it back to his feet and stuns Daniel with a hook of his own. Both fighters refuse to back down and start swinging haymakers at one another. Daniel is on the worse end of the exchange and dives for a takedown to buy himself some time. Matt blocks it, and then proceeds to drop about a dozen elbows that Travis Browne has made famous. Bleeding from the head now, Spohn abandons the takedown and takes his chances on the feet. It turns out to be the wrong choice. Matt blasts a right hand, it drops Daniel and the ref jumps in to stop the fight. Matt Van Buren earns his way to the finals with an emphatic knockout.


Dana White calls the match, “Without a doubt, one of the best fights of the season.” BJ is disappointed with the result and cites Daniel wasting too much energy in the first round as the cause of the loss. Frankie sees the fight the same way. Spohn slowed down in the second round, and that gave Matt the opening he needed.

It looks like it will be an all Team Edgar finale. Can Dhiego Lima submit teammate Eddie Gordon? Does Matt Van Buren back up all his tough talk against Corey Anderson? Will BJ Penn finally beat Frankie Edgar? We’ll find out the answers to these questions and more this Sunday. Live on Fox Sports 1; it’s the Ultimate Fighter Finale!