TUF Season 11 Episode 1 Re-Cap

The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Episode 1
Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz

Dana brings all the guys together in the re-modeled UFC gym. He tells them this year they will do things a little different. He says they will have a "wild card". He says there are 28 fighters. 14 will get into the house. After the first 7 preliminary fights the coaches and Dana will choose 2 guys who they think deserves a second chance. Those two guys will fight each other and the winner will get the 8th spot in the Quarterfinals. He tells them not to leave it in the hands of the judges and the referees. He tells them not to blow their shot.

"Never Leave It In The Hands Of The Judges" is painted on the top of the entrance to the locker rooms.

Jamie Yager (2-1) vs. Ben Stark (3-1)

Yager has a crazy afro. Ben Stark calls himself the "Hebrew Hammer".

R1- Yager is aggressive early and is throwing a lot of kicks. He hits a front kick and then takes Stark out with a head kick. Big time showing by Yager. One of the most impressive debut fights on TUF i've seen.

Winner: Jamie Yager by KO (Head Kick) R1

Jordan Smith (10-0) vs. Brad Tavares (4-0)

Smith is a 7th grade teacher. He tries to get through the day without "ripping someones head off at the grocery store." Tavares is a Hawaiian who likes to fight.

R1- They clinched against the fence and Tavares landed a big right hand that knocked out Smith.

Winner: Brad Tavares by KO (Punch) R1

Cleburn Walker (9-3) vs. Kris McCray (5-0)

McCray says he's the most ferocious guy in the group.

R1- McCray landed a good judo throw early and Walker tapped out as his shoulder popped out of joint during the slam. Then McCray did a running back flip off the cage.

Winner: Kris McCray by Submission (Injury) R1

Norman Paraisy (5-1) vs. James Hammortree (5-1)

Paraisy was raised in France. Hammortree is a firefighter/EMT. He saves people and also beats the crap out of people in the cage.

R1-Paraisy got a quick take down but couldn't do anything with it. Hammertree got on top of Paraisy and landed some Ground and Pound. Hammertree was landing some good Ground and Pound at the end of the round. Paraisy was talking about quitting in between rounds. John Hackleman was his corner man and wasn't happy.

Winner: James Hammortree by Submission R1

"If you did that in my gym don't come back. Just don't"- Chuck Liddell
"There is no quitting in the game of MMA. Are you kidding me"- Tito Ortiz
"Paraisy's big thing was he was going to come on the show and prove that the French aren't a bunch of pussies. (laughs) Not that I'm calling anybody a pussy but (laughs) he should probably get another job"- Dana White

Fight Highlights are shown next

Nick Ring (10-0) vs. Woody Weatherby (7-3)- highlights

Tito said Nick picked Weatherby apart.Ring won by Ground and Pound.

Kyle Noke (16-4-1) vs. Warren Thompson (5-0)- highlights

I've seen Noke fight before. Probably for Elite XC. Liddell said this was a one-sided fight for Noke. Thompson bleed a ton in this fight. 20-18 on all three score cards in favor of Noke.

Court McGee (9-1) vs. Seth Baczynski (11-5)- highlights

Tito said these guys were swinging for the fences right off the bat. Dana said McGee was dominating the first round before he got caught with a big punch. Second round was even and the judges declared the fight a draw after two rounds. Court won the fight in the third round by decision by using his wrestling.

Victor O'Donnell (8-1) vs. Chris Camozzi (12-3)

R1- Camozzi caught him with a nice knee that bloodied O'Donnell's nose. O'Donnell answered with a good punch.

R2- Both guys swinging for the fences early. O'Donnell hit a big punch that looked like it hurt Camozzi. Camozzi hit a good judo throw. O'Donnell got a driving take down. Looked like a good fight from what was shown. Judges declared the fight a draw and they went to sudden victory.

R3- O'Donnell hit a good left and then got a take down. Camozzi landed some good knees in this fight. Camozzi hit another nice judo throw. O'Donnell was finishing a take down right at the buzzer for the round. Dana, Tito and Chuck gave the guys a standing ovation.

Winner: Chris Camozzi by Decision

Kyacey Uscola (18-15) vs. Brent Cooper (5-1)

Cooper likes to punch people in the face. Uscola says he fought a bunch of fights that he never should have taken and that's why he's 18-15 but feels he can take the guys on this show.

R1- Cooper landed a good combo but Uscola caught Cooper and then jumped on him and finished him. Good showing by Uscola.

Winner: Kyacey Uscola by TKO (Strikes) R1

Joe Henle (3-0) vs. Constantinos Philippou (5-1)- highlights

Constantinos dominated the fight but Henle got an arm bar for the win.

Winner: Jon Henle by Submission (Arm Bar)

Rich Attonito (7-3) vs. Lyle Steffens (5-2)- highlights

Rich won by using his wrestling.

Winner: Rich Attonito by Decision

Josh Bryant (10-0) vs. Greg Rebello (9-2)- highlights

Greg landed some good shots and Josh tried to out wrestle Rebello.

Winner: Josh Bryant by Decision.

Jacen Flynn (8-2) vs. Charles Blanchard (7-2)- highlights

Blanchard worked his top game well in this one and landed some good Ground and Pound.

Winner: Charles Blanchard

Charley Lynch (6-0) vs. Clayton McKinney (4-2)

McKinney has a half green hair and half black. These guys are apparently friends outside of the cage.

R1- McKinney got a driving take down early but couldn't do anything with it. McKinney got a good judo throw but Lynch again got right to his feet. McKinney landed some good strikes and landed a knee but slipped and Lynch took his guard. McKinney landed some good shots and bloodied Lynch and broke his nose.

Winner: Clayton McKinney by TKO (Punches) R1

Teams get picked next week. So we've got 14 guys in the house. They will fight and then after the first round two of the losers will be re-picked to fight again for a spot in the quarterfinals. Anyway, after watching the fights and highlights here is my totally unprofessional rankings for the fighters in the house after just a brief look at them:

Middleweight Rankings:
1. Jamie Yager
2. Kyacey Uscola
3. Kyle Noke
4. Clayton McKinney
5. Kris McCray
6. Brad Tavares
7. Nick Ring
8. Chris Camozzi
9. James Hammortree
10. Court McGee
11. Charles Blancard
12. Rich Attonito
13. Joe Henle
14. Josh Bryant