The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Episode 11 Re-Cap

The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Episode 11 Re-Cap
"A Will To Win"
Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz

Last week Josh Bryant took out Jamie Yager by second round TKO and Tito Ortiz was booted by Dana White and Rich Franklin was brought in as his replacement. Brad Tavares, Court McGee, Josh Bryant and Kris McCray are the 4 fighters left and they will fight on this episode.

To start the show they have Dana and Rich touring the upgrade UFC facilities and Rich signing the contract to fight Chuck Liddell. Rich has one week to get Kris McCray ready for his semi-final fight. Because of Tito leaving Dana said that he is overcompensating with the assistant coaches. He brings in Forrest Griffin, Gray Maynard and Tyson Griffin to be Rich Franklin's assistant coaches.

Middleweight Semi-Final Fight- Court McGee (5-1) vs. Brad Tavares (4-0)

Dana says it will be a close fight but he picks Court to win. Both of these guys are from Team Liddell. Tavares has a 2" height and McGee has a 2" reach advantage.

R1- Court got a take down after two minutes of even fighting but Brad was able to get to his feet without taking any damage. Court got another take down near the end of the round but Brad popped back up. Court hit a good strike up against the fence. Close round, Court 10-9.

R2- Court hit a good right that briefly backed up Tavares at the 90 second mark of the round. Tavares is starting to connect with some shots and he's opened a very small cut on Court's nose. Really close round, I give it to Tavares.

R3- Court hit a good leg kick that buckled Tavares and he was able to land a good strike afterwards with about one minute left in the round. Court hit a low blow and right when they restarted Court landed a good left right to Brad's chin that sent him sprawling backwards. Court followed up with two right hands to the side of the head and then Court picked him up and slammed him. Court jumped on him and submitted him with a Rear Naked Choke. Great finish by Court. Good showing by both guys. Good fight.

Winner: Court McGee by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3

"This was a dog fight right from the beginning...incredible fight"- Dana White

Dana brings in some of the Marines to train with the guys. They wanted to show the guys some of the things they do for their conditioning. They also showed how to defend themselves if someone comes at them with a gun or knife. The fighters showed the Marines some of their ground fighting. After the training the Marines came over to the house for a cookout with the fighters and coaches.

Hammortree and Yager got into it over flour and trash. Looks like we could be setting up for an Ultimate Finale showdown. Yager says something to Kacey on the way out of the room. Kyacey gets pissed and challenges him to a throw down in the back yard. Yager didn't go outside to meet Kyacey.

"You're mine"- Kyacey Uscola to Jamie Yager
"Please, Please give me Jamie Yager in the finale"- Kyacey Uscola

Middleweight Semi-Final Fight: Josh Bryant (10-0) vs. Kris McCray (5-0)

These guys fought earlier in the season and Bryant won by decision in 2 rounds. McCray says that he did overlook Bryant going into the fight. This will be McCray's 5th fight in 6 weeks. McCray has a 2" height advantage but Bryant has the 2" reach advantage.

R1- McCray got caught early with a left and was briefly floored. McCray got a take down at the one minute mark. Bryant got up and McCray took him back down again. McCray landed a good right around the one minute mark and then they clinched. McCray landed some knees in the clinch. Bryant hit a good right towards the end of the round. Good action in the first round. I've got McCray 10-9.

R2- McCray landed some good shots to open up this round. McCray looks like he's tiring a lot as the fight goes on. I've got McCray taking this round so he's up 20-18 on my score card.

R3- McCray got a take down with 3 minutes left but Bryant clearly grabbed the cage to stop it. Both guys are tired. Looks like Bryant's mouthpiece is out as he spits blood onto the mat. McCray hit a couple of good shots that Bryant took and stayed standing. Good fight. I've got McCray 30-27.

Judges score cards: 30-27, 29-28, 30-27 McCray

Winner: Kris McCray by Decision (Unanimous)

"Never had an undefeated coach in the history of TUF. Until now."- Rich Franklin as he points to himself

Court McGee vs Kris McCray is the final.

UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin

UFC 115: Liddell vs. Franklin
GM Place
Vancouver, British Columbia
June 12, 2010

The Main Event tonight is Chuck Liddell fighting Rich Franklin. As you know, it was originally supposed to be Chuck versus Tito Ortiz but Tito withdrew and had surgery and Rich stepped in to take Tito's spot as TUF coach and his spot in this fight. There are some other intriguing fights on this card. Cro Crop versus Pat Barry, Martin Kampann against Paulo Thiago, Ben Rothwell fights Gilbert Yvel and Carlos Condit is in action against Rory MacDonald. As usual, Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan handle the announcing and Bruce Buffer is the ringer announcer.

Welterweight Fight- Carlos Condit (24-5) vs. Rory MacDonald (10-0)

MacDonald is only 20 years old and is the youngest fighter in the UFC. MacDonald is 1-0 inside the Octagon. Condit is a former WEC Champion. Condit is 1-1 in the UFC with two wars against Martin Kampmann and Jake Ellenberger. Condit trains with Greg Jackson. Will it be youth or experience tonight? MacDonald is Canadian so he gets a huge ovation when announced.

R1- MacDonald quickly caught a Condit kick and took him down but let him back up. MacDonald tried to measure Condit with some shots but came up empty. Fans chant "Rory". MacDonald got a take down inside of the first minute. Condit lands some good strikes to the face from the bottom. Condit got back to his feet without taking any damage and actually controlling the situation from his back. MacDonald swung for the fences and Condit landed a good right counter that wobbled MacDonald. MacDonald landed a couple of strikes that took Condit to the fence and then MacDonald got another take down. Condit again got to his feet without taking any damage. Condit is landing some good kicks. MacDonald got a take down to end the round. MacDonald got 3 take downs but didn't do anything with them. I give the round to Condit because he delivered more damage on the ground and landed the best shot on their feet. It was close but I've got Condit 10-9. Rogan says he gave the round to MacDonald based on take downs.

R2- Condit tried for a take down but MacDonald ended up on top. Condit again gets to his feet without any damage. Condit missed a superman punch and MacDonald tried for a take down but Condit reversed it and ended up on top. MacDonald was able to kick out and ended up on top. Condit again defended and landed more strikes from the bottom and got back to his feet without taking any damage. Fans chant "Let's Go Rory." MacDonald landed a good combination in a near clinch situation. MacDonald landed a good counter front kick right at the end of the round. Both guys went for front kicks, Condit actually connected with Rory's face but Rory caught Condit's arm which knocked him off balance and knocked him down. MacDonald takes this round so I've got it at 19-19 on the score card. Good fight so far, Condit needs to be more aggressive. I've said this before in his UFC fights, but it almost feels like he's fighting a 5-Round fight.

R3- MacDonald hit a head kick that didn't fully connected in the early part of the round. MacDonald is throwing bombs but Condit is blocking them. Condit hit MacDonald with a 2-punch combination that hurt and MacDonald immediately went for the take down. Condit went for a kimura and ended up on top. Condit lands a couple of good elbows. MacDonald is cut open. Condit gets mount but then MacDonald gets him back in half guard. Condit lands more elbows. MacDonald gets back to his feet. MacDonald went for a take down and Condit easily reversed. MacDonald looks really tired or he's hurt. Rogan says it looks like something is wrong with MacDonald's eye, says it's possibly an orbital break. Condit continues to pressure MacDonald and land strikes. The ref steps in and stops the fight with about 10 seconds left in the fight. Great fight. Rogan says there is definitely something wrong with MacDonald's eye. MacDonald showed a lot of heart and at 20 years old he has a lot of life left in the UFC. Good win by Condit, he showed the killer instinct in the 3rd round that he needs to show earlier.

Winner: Carlos Condit by TKO (Strikes) R3 4:53

Heavyweight Fight- Gilbert Yvel (36-14-1) vs. Ben Rothwell (30-7)

30 of Yvel's 36 wins have come by way of knock out. Yvel fought at UFC 108 but he was stopped in that fight by Junior dos Santos. Rothwell has a 2" height, 3" reach and 21 pound advantage in this fight. Rothwell is coming off of a loss to Cain Velsaquez so both guys are coming off losses to top tier UFC Heavyweights. Yves Lavigne is the ref and gets some boos after his poor stoppage earlier on Spike TV.

R1- Rothwell charges right at Yvel and back him down throwing strikes. Yvel separates and grabs a guillotine and pulls guard but Rothwell easily gets out of it and takes side control. Yvel flips him over, Rothwell got back to his feet and slammed Yvel back down. Rothwell gets full mount and throws some elbows. Yvel goes for a leg lock but Rothwell spun out of it. Rothwell got Yvel in a crucifix but Yvel flipped him over and got to his feet. Yvels landed some good strikes. Good round. Yvel finished strong but I've got Rothwell taking the round 10-9.

R2- Rothwell immediately got a take down to start the round. Rothwell lands some good elbows. Yvel got back to his feet at the mid-way point of the round. Rothwell got another take down at the two minute mark. Yvel flipped him over and threw some good strikes from the top. Yvel is connecting and Rothwell tries to clinch him but Yvel breaks free and continues to land some good shots. Rothwell got back to his feet with a minute left in the round and took Yvel down again. Rothwell finished the round on top. Give Yvel this round due to damage inflicted and I've got it 19-19 going into the third.

R3- Yvel went for a take down but got taken down. Rothwell spends the majority of the round on top of Yvel. Rothwell is going to take this round and the fight 29-28.

Judges score cards: 30-27. 29-28, 29-28

Winner: Ben Rothwell by Decision (Unanimous)

Welterweight Fight- Paulo Thiago (13-1) vs. Martin Kampmann (16-3)

Kampmann is coming off of a win at UFC 108 on the preliminaries against Jacob Volkmann by submission. Kampmann has won 3 of his last 4 including a decision win over Carlos Condit. Thiago fought at UFC 109 and choked out Mike Swick in the 2nd round. Thiago also holds a victory over title contender Josh Koscheck. The winner of this fight probably sets themselves up for a title contenders fight since GSP and Koscheck are doing TUF and they won't be fighting for a while. Thiago has a 2.5" reach advantage.

R1- Kampmann lands some strikes early. Kampmann is landing some good jabs. Kampmann landed a good right hand and knocked down Thiago with 90 seconds left in the round. Thiago retaliated by getting a trip and take down. Kampmann grabbed a guillotine and used it to get to his feet. Kmapmann went for another choke against the cage but Thiago used his legs to kick off the cage and get out of the choke. Kampmann 10-9.

R2- Thiago is just throwing haymakers but is not connecting. Kampmann got a take down at the mid-way point of the round. Thiago used a kimura to sweept Kampmann over but there is only 30 seconds left in the round. Kampmann got back to his feet and landed a couple of knees. Kampmann 20-18.

R3- Kampmann landed a counter jab and then got a take down in the first minute of the final round. Kampmann went for an arm triangle and Thiago gave up his back and was able to avoid the submission. Kampmann stayed on top of Thiago. Thiago finally got back to his feet with about 80 seconds left. Thiago threw a bomb but Kampmann took him down again. Kampmann goes for another arm triangle. Kampmann almost finished the fight but not quite. Kampmann wins this fight 30-27.

Judges score cards: 30-27 on all 3 score cards

Winner: Martin Kampmann by Decision (Unanimous)

Heavyweight Fight- Mirko Cro Cop (26-7-2) vs. Pat Barry (5-1)

Cro Cop fought Junior dos Santos in late 2009 and verbally submitted. Barry fought at UFC 104 and beat Antoni Hardonk by TKO in the 2nd round. Cro Cop is one of Barry's idol's. Cro Cop needs some new theme music, Duran Duran just doesn't cut it.

R1- Barry is very aggressive from the outset and landed a good shot that knocked Cro Cop down 30 seconds into the fight. Barry is landing some good leg kicks. Cro Cop returns the favor with some kicks of his own. Barry hit a good right that floored Cro Cop again. Rogan says he thinks Cro Cop broke his jaw. Cro Cop got a brief take down but Barry got back to his feet. Barry 10-9.

R2- Barry partially connected with a head kick but it was just a glancing blow and Cro Cop was able to take him down. Cro Cop got the mount and Barry gave up his back. Cro Cop takes this round and we are at 19-19 going into the final stanza.

R3- Not a lot of action in this round. Cro Cop clinched against the cage for a while and then the ref re-started them and Cro Cop backed Barry down and landed some strikes. Cro Cop knocked Barry down and jumped on top and delivered some Ground and Pound. Cro Cop clamped in a Rear Naked Choke and won the fight in the last minute. Barry just tired out and Cro Cop outlasted him. Good win by Cro Cop.

Winner: Mirko Cro Cop by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R3 4:30

Light Heavyweight Fight- Chuck Liddell (21-7) vs. Rich Franklin (27-5)

Chuck Liddell has changed his lifestyle going into this fight. He's training more and in different areas of his game, he's given up alcohol and he's been resting. It will be interesting to see how he matches up with Rich.

R1-Chuck is landing some leg kicks early. Just lands a body kick and just missed a head kick as it as partially blocked. Rich hit a good right but Chuck landed a good shot during a clinch. Chuck got a take down two minutes into the round. Rich got back to his feet and Chuck has been cut open (not sure how it happened). Chuck caught Rich with a punch that almost knocked him down. Chuck lands a couple more strikes. Chuck landed a partial head kick and moved in quickly. He slipped and Rich hit a couple of small shots. They clinched with 10 seconds left in the round. Chuck pushed off and threw a couple of punches. Chuck threw a big right and missed. Rich countered with a right hand that hit Chuck right on the button and ended his night with 7 seconds left in the round. Chuck looked pretty good until those last 10 seconds. Big time punch by Rich Franklin.

"You've gotta expect this is the last time we see Chuck Liddell in the Octagon"- Joe Rogan
"I was just thinking the same thing"- Mike Goldberg

Winner: Rich Franklin by KO R1 4:55

Franklin says that Chuck broke Rich's left hand in the first round when he threw and landed a body kick.

Welterweight Fight- Mike Pyle vs. Jesse Lennox

R1- Pyle landed some good shots at the end of the round and floored Lennox. Pyle jumped on top and tried for a choke but couldn't finish before the bell rung. Pyle 10-9.

R2- Pyle went for a take down and didn't get it but he was able to spin around and take top position from Lennox. Pyle stayed on top for the round and took it. Pyle 20-18.

R3- Lennox came on strong at the end of the round and landed some shots around the one minute mark. Pyle clinched him but Lennox got a take down. Lennox is cut open bad. Pyle got a triangle choke and finished the fight. Good finish from the bottom by Pyle.

Winner: Mike Pyle by Triangle Choke R3 4:44

UFC 115: Preliminaries 6/12 Re-Cap

UFC 115: Preliminaries
GM Place
Vancouver, British Columbia
Spike TV
June 12, 2010

Tonight we will see Chuck Liddell step into the cage against Rich Franklin. But first we've got free fights on Spike TV. Mac Danzig fights Matt Wiman and Tyson Griffin takes on Evan Dunham.


Lightweight Fight- Mac Danzig (20-7-1) vs. Matt Wiman (11-5)

Wiman has a 2" height advantage but Danzig has a 3" reach advantage.

R1- Danzig was able to get Wiman down after an early exchange. Wiman grabbed a choke from the bottom and flipped Danzig over and applied some good pressure to his neck. Danzig got out but Wiman moved his weight onto Danzig and Yves Lavigne called for the bell. As soon as Yves called for the bell it was obvious that Danzig was not unconscious and that it was a horrible stoppage.

"This is a huge, huge, huge mistake. Let me tell you something, you cannot choke a guy unconscious when the side of his neck is loose. Yves Lavigne is moving his arm but Mac Danzig is just relaxing. This is a tremendous mistake."- Joe Rogan

Post fight both guys show a lot of class.

Winner: Matt Wiman by TKO (Yves Lavigne) R1 1:45


Welterweight Fight- Ricardo Funch vs. Claude Patrick

R1- Lots of clinching against the cage to start the fight. Patrick got a take down 90 seconds into the fight. Funch grazed Patrick's head with a kick while he had a knee on the ground and the ref immediately separated them and took a point away from Patrick despite the kick not fazing Funch. UFC 115 "Bad Officiating". Patrick landed a couple of good strikes from the top. Patrick stayed on top for the rest of the round. Patrick went for a guillotine towards the end of the round and Yves Lavigne wasn't the ref so Funch lives to see a second round. Patrick 10-8 since Funch had a point deducted by the ref. Funch has a cut under his left eye going into the second round.

"That was the babiest kick to the head ever"- Joe Rogan

R2- They clinched against the cage again. Patrick grabbed a guillotine and pulled guard and Funch tapped out. Good showing in his UFC debut for Patrick.

Winner: Claude Patrick by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R2 1:48


Lightweight Fight- Tyson Griffin (14-2) vs. Evan Dunham (10-0)

Dunham's last win was a submission victory over TUF winner Efrain Escudero. Griffin is coming off of a big win against Hermes Franca. Dunham has a 4" height and 4" reach advantage. Tyson should have a good strength advantage. Both guys have trained together at Xtreme Couture. Dunham trained elsewhere for this fight but will return to Couture after this fight.

R1- Dunham went for a take down but ate some good strikes from Griffin. Griffin has landed some good leg kicks. Griffin misses a punch and Dunham was able to grab Griffin's back. Dunham had a tough time after taking Griffin's back because of his height advantage. Close round. Probably goes to Dunham due to the dominant position he had for the end of the round.

R2- Dunham grabbed a take down in the first minute of the round. Griffin tried to grab a guillotine on the way down but couldn't lock it in. Dunham tried to grab a choke of his own but he couldn't and Griffin escaped to his feet. Dunham got another take down half way through the round. Dunham took Griffin's back again. Tyson got to his feet with Dunham still on his back and Tyson fell forward head planting Dunham into the mat. Dunham held on and Griffin stood back up with Dunham still on his back. Dunham 20-18.

R3- They both throw leather early in the round. Dunham whiffs on a take down and ate a good strike. Dunham landed a kick that briefly floored Griffin and Dunham took Griffin's back and got him to the ground. Griffin again got to his feet with Dunham still on his back. Tyson tried to slam Dunham again but Dunham held on.

Dunham is going to take this fight 30-27. Really good win for Dunham.

Judges score cards: 30-27 Dunham, 29-28 Griffin (huh?), 29-28 Dunham

Winner: Evan Dunham by Decision (Split)

TUF Season 11 Episode 10 Re-Cap

The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Episode 10 Re-Cap
"Shocked and Awed"
Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz

Last week Kris McCray and Brad Tavares advanced into the semi-finals. At the end of the show Dana dropped a bomb shell on Chuck when he told him that Tito had turned down the fight and was going to have back surgery. The tease this week is if Dana will fire Tito from The Ultimate Fighter. We will also have the last quarterfinal fight on this show as Jamie Yager will fight Josh Bryant.

Dana says it's the first time a coach has pulled out of a fight on the Ultimate Fighter because of an injury. Chuck is pissed and is dropping a ton of beeps. Dana tells Chuck he's still going to fight after the show. Chuck is OK with that he's just pissed that Tito backed out of the fight.

Middleweight Quarterfinal Fight- Jamie Yager (2-1) (Team Ortiz) vs. Josh Bryant (10-0) (Team Liddell)

R1- Josh hit a good counter right hand early in the fight that knocked Yager back but Yager was able to clinch before Josh could inflict any more damage. Yager landed a good knee against the cage. Yager landed a couple of strikes and then kicked Josh in the balls. Yager landed a couple of inside leg kicks. There was a crazy sequence where Yager jumped up for a front kick and his leg got stuck on top of Josh's head. Josh ran him back into the cage but Yager ended up on top and landed some strikes. Josh came forward and landed a good strike that took Yager down. Yager landed a good up kick that stopped Bryant from immediately capitalizing. Josh took top position but couldn't do anything before the round ended. Tough round to judge. Josh landed the best two shots of the round but basically did nothing besides land those two punches. Bryant did get the only knockdown so I think you have to give him the round.

R2- Josh kicks Yager in the balls early in the round to even the score. Yager is doing a good job keeping Josh off balance with the kicks he is throwing. Josh came forward and threw some strikes but Yager landed a knee to Josh's body. Yager tried a kick but Josh was able to get a take down into side control. Yager quickly got to his feet and was able to land a strike on the way up. Yager landed a front kick. Yager continues to land leg kicks and he landed two that you could tell hurt Bryant. Bryant landed a knee but Yager returned the favor. Good fight, both guys giving it their all and engaging. Bryant landed a left that took Yager down and then he jumped on top. Josh was able to land some good elbows. I've got Bryant 20-18 but I could see the first round going to Yager. Yager took a long time to get back to his corner after the round ended. Dana said the judges declared the fight a draw and they are going to a third round.

Yager can't answer the bell and Mazzagatti calls the fight in favor of Bryant.

Winner: Josh Bryant by TKO (Ref Stoppage) R2

"I would have never, ever expected that from Yager. To not answer the bell for the third round"- Dana White
"It's one thing to come in and play the game and everything else. It's another thing to quit on the stool."- Dana White
"He got hit with those first two punches and he wasn't the same the rest of the fight. He didn't like that. He didn't like that at all."- Dana White
"That was the best fight since we've been here. That was a good fucking fight."- Dana White

Post fight Tito calls Yager a pussy and storms off. On the next scene they are shown taking Yager away to the hospital.

"You can teach someone how to fight but you can't teach them to have heart."- Tito Ortiz

Dana came into Tito's locker room and pulled him out to talk to him. Dana tells Tito that he has a doctor's appointment for him tomorrow in LA to get a second opinion. Dana tells Tito that tomorrow is his last day. Tito questions him but Dana tells him that he is going to start the process now and that they've made another fight for Chuck. Tito looks visibly shaken up. Tito says he's never been fired at anything in his life and it's hard to swallow.

"If Tito thought he wasn't 100% he should have never come on the show"- Dana White
"This is not the last of Tito Ortiz"- Tito Ortiz

Tito didn't say anything to his guys. He just took off and left. Dana gave him time to go talk to his guys but that didn't happen. Dana called Tito's team back into the training center from their van. Dana told them that Tito was done because he pulled out of the fight. Tito's team was shocked that Tito didn't say anything to them. Dana tells the guys that somebody else has signed on to fight Chuck and that he is in route. He promises the guys that they will have good coaching. Tito comes to the house to talk to the guys later that night and say his goodbyes.

Dana gets everyone together at the training center and he goes to announce the first fight and they abruptly cut to commercial in the middle of him talking. First fight is Brad Tavares against Court McGee. So that leaves Kris McCray against Josh Bryant in the second fight.

Next they show a man walking into the training center from behind and then they show Rich Franklin highlights. They cut to Rich and Dana standing together and Team Ortiz coming into the Training Center. Dana says that because this happened he has over compensated. He says "let me bring in the assistant coaches" and they go off the air as the door opens.

"Dana called me and said 'I need a big favor. Tito's hurt, he's not going to be able to fight Chuck.' I said I'll do what you need me to do."- Rich Franklin

I think at this point I don't see a clear favorite to take this. All of the guys have their strengths and weaknesses but seem like they are on the same level.

Middleweights Remaining:
Brad Tavares (Team Liddell Pick #5)- defeated James Hammortree (Decision), Seth Baczynski (DQ)
Court McGee- Injury Replacement (Rich Attonito)- lost to Nick Ring by Decision in 1st Round, beat Hammortree by Guillotine Choke in 2nd Round
Josh Bryant (Team Liddell Pick #4)- defeated Kris McCray (Decision), Jamie Yager (TKO)
Kris McCray (Wildcard Selection)- defeated Kyacey Uscola (Submission) and Kyle Noke (Decision)

Eliminated:
Clayton McKinney by Kyle Noke (First Round)
Chris Camozzi- left due to injury
James Hammortree by Brad Tavares (First Round)
Charles Blanchard by Jamie Yager (First Round)
Rich Attonito- left due to injury after beating Kyacey Uscola in first round by DQ
Joe Henle by Seth Baczynski (First Round)
Kyacey Uscola- defeated by Kris McCray (Wildcard Round)
Nick Ring- left due to injury
James Hammortree- defeated by Court McGee (Second Round)
Kyle Noke- defeated by Kris McCray (Decision)
Seth Baczynski- eliminated by Brad Tavares (DQ for Illegal Soccer kick to the head)
Jamie Yager- eliminated by Josh Bryant (TKO)

UFC 114: Rampage vs. Rashad Re-Cap

UFC 114: Rampage vs. Rashad
MGM Garden Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada
Saturday May 29, 2010

Welterweight Fight- Diego Sanchez (23-3) vs. John Hathaway (13-0)

This is Diego's return to the welterweight division after a brief run in the lightweight division. Diego is 7-2 in the UFC welterweight division. Hathaway has a 2" height and 3" reach advantage.

R1- Diego went for an early take down but got stuffed. Hathaway caught Diego was a knee as he was coming in and floored him. Hathaway jumped on top and tried to finish but Diego recovered. Hathaway stayed on top for the rest of the round. Good start by Hathaway. Hathaway 10-9.

R2- Hathaway hit a good left jab early in the round. Diego got a take down two minutes into the round but Hathaway got back to his feet without taking any damage. Diego has blood coming from his nose. Hathaway is using his reach to his advantage. Hathaway landed some good shots in the last several seconds of the round. Hathaway 10-9, 20-18 for the fight.

R3- Sanchez landed a good left in the first minute. Sanchez went for a take down but was stuffed. Sanchez hit a good right. Diego got another take down attempt stuffed. Hathaway's nose has been busted open. Hathaway partially connected with a head kick. Diego started to stalk towards the end of the round but Hathaway got a brief take down. Close round. I'll give the third to Sanchez and the fight to Hathaway 29-28. Huge win for Hathaway and this win puts him on the map in the welterweight division.

Judges score cards: 30-27, 30-27, 30-26

Winner: John Hathaway by Decision (Unanimous)

Matt Hughes is in attendance. Yesterday he was officially inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. He also has a fight coming up against Ricardo Almeida.

Light Heavyweight Fight- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (18-3) vs. Jason Brilz (18-2-1)

Forrest Griffin was supposed to be in this fight but he got injured so enter Jason Brilz. Brilz took the fight on four weeks notice. Lil Nog debuted in the UFC at UFC 106 and took at Luiz Cane. Nog is on a 6 fight win streak. Nog has a 3" height and 3.5" reach advantage.

R1- Nog hit some good knees and kicks early. Brilz got a take down about 90 seconds into the fight. Nog slipped out but Brilz was able to get him back down onto the mat. Nog was able to slip out the back and take Brilz back and get him down but Brilz slipped out. Nog landed a couple of punches right at the end of the round. Brilz 10-9.

R2- Brilz went for a single leg and Nog grabbed a guillotine. Brilz slipped out and took top positon. Nog reversed but Brilz grabbed a guillotine. Nog got out of the move but Brilz grabbed it again and then released it but took top position. Brilz grabbed another guillotine but Nog slipped out and got back to his feet with two minutes left. Brilz landed a good right but Nog absorbed it. Nog landed a knee. Both guys swing for the fences and Brilz landed a good shot but Nog stayed on his feet but didn't engage for the rest of the round. Brilz 20-18. This would be another big upset.

R3- Brilz got an early take down. Nog swept him over and got back to his feet. Brilz went for a take down but Nog stuffed it and went for a choke but couldn't get it. Nog hit a knee. Brilz went for a take down but Nog quickly took top position. Nog caught Brilz in a crucifix but Brilz got out and took Nog's guard. Nog swept Brilz over with 30 seconds left. Nog took this round but I've got Brilz winning 29-28.

Judges score cards: 29-28 Brilz, 29-28 Nog, 29-28 Nog

Wow that was a very shocking decision. I thought Brilz clearly won that fight and so did the fans.

Winner: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by Decision (Split)

Heavyweight Fight- Todd Duffee (6-0) vs. Mike Russow (12-1)

Russow has won 8 straight fights with 6 of those coming by submission. Duffee debuted in the UFC at UFC 102 and promptly beat Tim Hague in 7 seconds. Duffee has a 2" height and 5" reach advantage.

R1- Duffee throwing some leather early .Duffee hit a couple of good uppercuts that hurt Russow but he survived teh onslaught. Duffee connected on a couple of overhand rights. Duffee is just dominating this fight so far. He is landing good shots and is taking his time. Duffee landed a big time left and Russow absorbed it. Duffee 10-8.

"I'll tell you one thing, Russow can take a shot"- Joe Rogan

R2- Duffee continues to land some good shots. Russow is starting to land a couple of punches. Duffee landed a good right when Russow came in for a take down. The fight has slowed down in this round. Fans are eager for a knockout after two decisions so far. Duffee 10-9, 20-17 for the fight.

R3- Russow caught Duffee half way through this round with a shocking knockout. Down 20-17 on my score card and he came back and out of nowhere landed a couple

"That's the craziest thing I've ever seen in a thousand fights. Oh My God! Mike Russow is standing in front of us and he's as surprised as we are. I'm standing up. I can't even sit down right now. That's the craziest thing I've ever seen. Oh My God!"- Joe Rogan
"If that was in a movie you'd say shut up that can't happen in real life"- Joe Rogan
"It just did"- Mike Goldberg

Winner: Mike Russow by KO R3 2:03

The Korean Zombie is in the house. San Antonio Spurs star Tim Duncan is at the show too.

Melvin Guillard vs. Waylon Lowe (8-2)

This is from the pre-show. Lowe fought for KOTC in April of this year and beat Steve Berger by knockout in the first round.

R1- Lowe got a take down but Guillard popped back up to his feet. Melvin landed some good knees while Lowe clinched him against the cage. Melvin landed some hammer fists. Lowe went for a take down and Guillard nailed him with a knee to the body and Lowe just keeled over and this one is over. Guillard came in and gave him a shot or two before the ref stopped it but it was the knee that did Lowe in.

Winner: Melvin Guillard by TKO (Strikes) R1 3:28

Guillard calls out Jeremy Stephens after the fight.

Middleweight Fight- Michael Bisping (19-3) vs. Dan Miller (11-3)

Bisping last fought at UFC 110 where he lost a unanimous decision to Wanderlei Silva. Previously at UFC 105 Bisping beat Denis Kang in the 2nd round. Dan Miller is coming off of a loss to Demain Maia at UFC 109. After the referee gives them instructions they don't touch gloves and Miller gives him a little shove back to the corner.

R1- Miller hit a good left early and then kicked Bisping in the balls. Bisping landed a right hand. Both guys are landing some shots. Really even fight so far. I think Bisping takes this round because he started to land some good shots at the end of the round. Bisping 10-9.

R2- Miller is starting to throw some leg kicks. Bisping is landing jabs and has open a cut on or near Miller's nose. Bisping stuffed a take down and then landed a good right hand at the mid-way point of the round. Bisping 20-18.

R3- Miller threw a good overhand right but Bisping answered early in the last round. Miller got a take down at the half-way point in the round. Bisping quickly backed up to the wall and got to his feet. Miller landed a couple of strikes at the end. Even if you give Miller this round it's still Bisping by decision. Unless the same judges from the Brilz/Nog fight are judging this fight.

Judges score cards: 30-27, 30-27, 29-28

Winner: Michael Bisping by Decision (Unanimous)

Mike Tyson and his face tatoo are at the fights tonight. So are Snoop Dogg, Larry Fitzgerald and David Spade. And is Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre.

Light Heavyweight Fight- Rampage Jackson (30-7) vs. Rashad Evans (19-1-1)

Rashad last fought at UFC 108 where he won a decision against Thiago Silva. Rampage has not fought since March of 2009 when he beat Rashad's training partner Keith Jardine by unanimous decision. The UFC tells us that Rampage lands 84% of clinch strikes, defends 77% of take downs and has the 2nd best submission defense rate in MMA history. Rashad defends 63% of take downs, has never lost a fight when landing a take down and 4 of his last wins have come by way of knockout. This should be a good fight. Despite the layoff I've got Rampage. Rashad is boo'd as he enters the Octagon. Dana White has said the winner of this gets the first shot at Shogun Rua. Rampage has a 2" height advantage but Rashad has a 2" reach advantage.

R1- Rashad hit a right hand really early that stunned Rampage. Rashad rushed in and clinched Rampage against the cage and tried for a take down. Herb Dean separates the fighters. Rashad got a take down with two minutes left in the round. Rampage got back to his feet but ate a strike on the way up. Dean separates them again with 25 seconds left in the round. Rampage landed some offense right at the end of the round. Rashad 10-9.

R2- Rashad came in and clinched Rampage early in the round to a chorus of boos. They separated and then Rashad came in and clinched again. Dean separates them again. Rashad clinches Rampage again. Neither fighter has really done anything in this round besides Rashad clinching Rampage. Rashad went for a take down and didn't get it but did land a strike or two. Rashad 20-18.

R3- Rampage caught Rashad as Rashad tried to avoid Rampage and then went to clinch him. He landed a good right that knocked Rashad off-balance and down to the mat backwards. Rampage jumped on top and landed some good strikes. Rashad held onto Rampage to try and survive and Rashad got back to his feet. Rampage gave Rashad time to recover when they got back to their feet and Rashad shot and got a take down. Rampage got back to his feet with 40 seconds left in the fight but Rashad took him down again. Rampage 10-9 but Rashad is going to take this one 29-28 by wining a 2nd round in which both guys really did nothing. Unfortunately this fight didn't live up to the hype and even though Rashad won I have a hard time thinking he's deserving of a shot at Shogun after two decision victories.

Judges score cards: 30-27, 29-28, 30-27

Winner: Rashad Evans by Decision (Unanimous)

UFC 114: Prelims Re-Cap

UFC 114: Prelims
MGM Garden Arena
Las Vegas, Nevada
Saturday May 29, 2010

Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans finally meet tonight but first we get an hour of free fights on Spike TV. Efrain Escudero will fight Dan Lauzon and Amir Sadollah will fight Dong Hyun Kim. As always Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan are your announcers and Bruce Buffer is the ring announcer.

Lightweight Fight- Efrain Escudero (13-1) vs. Dan Lauzon (12-3)

Escudero was the winner of TUF 8. Escudero beat Cole Miller at UFC 103 but then lost to Evan Dunham by submission at Fight Night 20. Lauzon lost to Cole Miller in his last fight by submission in the first round.

R1- Lauzon is throwing bombs early but not connecting. Escudero is doing a good job countering and landed a good knee. Escudero threw knees up against the cage but Lauzon blocked most of the barrage. Escudero has a cut above his left eye. Close round. I've got Escudero 10-9.

R2- Escudero came in with some strikes and landed some knees and then threw a barrage of punches against the cage. Lauzon was able to cover up and Escudero backed out to avoid punching himself out. Lauzon went for a take down but was stuffed. Lauzon looks tired and Escudero is stalking him. Escudero is landing some good kicks. Escudero landed a strike and Lauzon went down but it didn't look like it connected that well. Escudero 20-18.

R3- Lauzon hits Escudero with a low blow early in the round. Escudero threw some strikes and clinched Lauzon up against the cage. Escudero landed a couple of knees and then a leg kick. Escudero returns the low blow near the end of the round. Josh Rosenthal takes a point away from Escudero. I don't agree with that but it will be a moot point since Escudero is winning every round. Both guys throw leather at the end of the round and Lauzon cut Escudero. I've got Escudero 29-27 after the point deduction.

Judges score cards: All 3 judges score the fight 29-27

Winner: Efrain Escudero by Decision (Unanimous)

Light Heavyweight Fight- Luiz Cane vs. Cyrille Diabate

This is a pre-show fight. I'm thinking Cane took this early since they are showing it now. Cane is trying to rebound from his beating at the hands of lil Nog. This is the UFC debut for Diabate.

R1- Cane landed a big shot early in the first round that rocked Diabate. Diabate landed some good strikes and landed two shots that knocked Cane down then he jumped on and finished Cane. Great win by Diabate.

Winner: Cyrille Diabate by TKO (Strikes) R1 2:13

Welterweight Fight- Amir Sadollah (3-1) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (12-0-1)

Amir has won his last two fights over Phil Baroni and Brad Blackburn, both by unanimous decision. Kim is undefeated in his MMA career since his fight against Karo Parisyan was overturned. In the UFC Kim has defeated T.J. Grant by decision, Matt Brown by split decision and Jason Tan by TKO (elbows). Goldberg points out that they have trained together in the past.

R1- Amir landed some strikes early but Kim got a take down in the first 30 seconds of the fight. Kim is controlling on top but not landing anything clean. Kim was able to get on Amir's back in the last minute of the round. Kim 10-9. Amir needs to keep the fight standing if he wants to win this one.

R2- Amir uses some kicks early but then got taken down quickly before the first minute is over. Amir was able to get back to his feet but Kim won't let go of him and takes him down again. Kim trapped one of Amir's arms and landed some strikes. Amir gave up his back very late in the round. Kim is up 20-18 after two rounds.

R3- Kim got an early take down and this one feels like it is over. Amir got back to his feet with 80 seconds left in the fight. Amir avoided a take down. Amir tried a flying knee but Kim got a take down instead. 40 seconds left and Amir was able to get back to his feet. Amir landed some strikes but nothing that came close to finishing the fight.

Judges score cards: 30-27 on all score cards

Winner: Dong Hyun Kim by Decision (Unanimous)

TUF Season 11 Episode 9 Re-Cap

The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Episode 9 Re-Cap
"Civilized Sport"
Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz

The last episode featured two fights and had Kris McCray and Court McGee advancing to the next round after both having been chosen as replacements. McCray won the *wildcard* fight to advance to the quarterfinals. McGee took Rich Attonito's spot (Rich had to bow out due to injury) and defeated replacement James Hammortree (replaced Nick Ring) to advance to the Semi-Finals. This show features McCray versus Kyle Noke and Brad Tavares fights Seth Baczynski. Plus, they tease "shocking news that will have both teams reeling"! I'm guessing this is Tito's exit episode.

Tito had to go see his neck doctor and he said they want to do another surgery. Tito debates whether or not to have the surgery and says he's not going to let Chuck beat him because he wasn't 100% like he's done in the past.

Middleweight Fight- Kyle Noke (16-4-1) (Team Liddell) vs. Kris McCray (Team Ortiz) (5-0)

McCray and Noke trained with each other in the past before coming to TUF so they should be very familiar with each other. Kyle beat Clayton McKinney in the first round via Triangle Choke. McCray lost a decision to Josh Bryant and then came back and beat Kyacey Uscola by submission. I really like Noke to get to the finals of this season of TUF. Noke has a 4.5" reach and 2" height advantage.

R1- McCray went in for a take down and got it but also ate a knee. Noke got to his feet without taking any damage. McCray clinched again and got another take down. McCray had some really weird positioning he was trying for while on top and Noke again got back to his feet with very little damage taken. McCray went for a take down and Noke blocked it and grabbed a front choke and pulled it into a guillotine. McCray got back to his feet and Noke lost the choke. Noke went for a kimura and was able to use it to take McCray to the mat. McCray was able to get out and take Noke's guard but it looked like he was able to do that because Noke was too aggressive in going for the submission. Noke's guard is more active than McCray on top. McCray looks like he's tired. I give this round to Noke 10-9. McCray controlled positioning but Noke came closer to finishing the fight and McCray didn't do any damage to Noke. McCray had the take downs but he didn't do anything with them.

R2- McCray got two early take downs. McCray really utilizing the lay and pray in this fight. The strikes he's throwing on top have been ineffective so far. Noke got back to his feet mid-way through the round. All McCray so far this round but very little damage inflicted. Noke got a take down and took McCray's back. Noke tried to clinch in the Rear Naked but couldn't get it clamped in. McCray reversed and took top position with one minute left in the round. McCray just laid on him for the rest of the round. Noke was only in control for about a minute but he did more in that one minute to try and finish the fight than McCray did for the four minutes he was in control. I have Noke 20-18. McCray has done nothing in this fight but lay and pray. I fear for the judges score cards. It is declared a draw and we are going to a third round. Dana originally thought it was going to be over. Tito is pissed at the decision. I'm guessing he thought that Kris simply laying on his opponent should have equaled victory.

R3- McCray landed an early jab. Both guys look tired. McCray got Noke up against the cage and took him down. Now he will probably lay on him for 4 minutes and rest. McCray is doing nothing on top. C'mon ref, stand this up. Jesus. Kris finally lands two decent elbows mid-way through the round. I think I'm falling asleep. Wake me up if they stand this one up. Noke grabs a kimura from the bottom but McCray slips out. Who the fuck is refereeing this fight? They stand it up with one minute left. Noke tries for a jumping knee but McCray clinches him against the cage. Yawn. McCray has really done nothing to deserve this fight besides get take downs and lay on his opponent. I've got Noke 29-28 with McCray taking the final round. The judges all score the round 10-9 for McCray.

I realize McCray is young and very inexperienced but my god this was a boring fight because of McCray. Noke obviously needs to work on his take down defense. I'm not looking forward to McCray's next fight. McCray has had two very boring fights so far.

Winner: Kris McCray by Decision

Chuck visits the house and finds out that Tito is injured and is not happy.

Middleweight Fight- Brad Tavares (Team Liddell) (4-0) vs. Seth Baczynski (Team Ortiz) (11-5)

Tavares is the youngest fighter in the house. Says he likes having to fight all of the "old men". Tavares beat James Hammortree by decision in the first round and Baczynski was a late replacement and defeated Joe Henle by decision in his first round fight.

R1- They swung at each other early and then Seth went for a take down and they clinched against the cage. Seth completed the take down about 40 seconds into the round. Seth stood up and tried to land some strikes and ended up taking Brad's back and got him in a body triangle to secure the position. Seth landed a couple of strikes and then tried for a Rear Naked. Seth is looking really good so far. Brad was trying to get out and Seth used the cage to keep his position on Brad's back and then about five seconds later he almost had a Rear Naked choke. CHEAT TO WIN! I'm glad he didn't win that way. I'm sure it was more reflex than anything but it would have been a really douchy way to win a fight. Brad slipped out the back with a minute and a half left and took top position. Seth went for a triangle choke but Brad slammed him down on the mat twice. Brad landed a couple of strikes from the top and then started to let the strikes fly. Brad slipped and Seth soccer kicked him right in the head while he was downed right before the buzzer. No question that's a deduction right there. It was instinctive but that's the second foul he's had in the fight and this one was a major one. I scored the round 10-9 in favor of Seth and was really impressed by his jiu jitsu and he obviously wants to win due to his Cheat to Win mentality. I've got the fight 9-9 after one due to the point deduction.

"What did he hit me with"- Brad Tavares

The doctor ruled that Brad could not continue due to the illegal kick as it looked like it knocked him a little bit loopy. It's unfortunate because it was a good fight and I was impressed by Seth but it was the right call.

Winner: Brad Tavares by DQ (Illegal Knee) R1

"You see that kick land and he just drops right to the canvas. Arms down, right on his face, like he's out"- Dana White
"He hopped up and I said Tavares I'm sorry and he said 'for what'. Immediately after hitting Brad I wasn't worried about the fight. I was worried about him"- Seth Baczynski

Some jackass on Team Ortiz starts saying the kick was under his arm pit. Rich Attonito takes issue with it and some tempers fly as he calls the guy a fat fuck (agreed, Rich, agreed). Tito Ortiz rushes off in a hissy after the fight. Tito starts screaming at the Team Liddell guys about them winning the fight by kicking the guy in the chest.

"He started walking back and walking at one of my guys to scream at one of my guys. And that ain't bleeeep"- Chuck Liddell

Chuck jumps down from the ring and starts after Tito and his guys have to hold him back.

"Civilized Sport"- Dana White

"Watch the tape and see and then come apologize to me after"- Tito Ortiz (ummm. No)
"Let me soccer kick him in the face and then tell him to continue after and we'll see what happens"- Chuck Liddell

Dana pulls Chuck aside to keep him from kicking Tito's ass. Dana tells Chuck that he's been waiting to tell Chuck that Tito pulled out of the fight (great timing Dana!). Chuck stands up, looks pissed, and says he's going to punch Tito. And we go off the air! Wow, great drama finish to the episode.

Middleweight Rankings:
1. Jamie Yager (Team Ortiz Pick #4)- defeated Charles Blanchard (TKO (Strikes) R1)
2. Brad Tavares (Team Liddell Pick #5)- defeated James Hammortree (Decision)
3. Court McGee- Injury Replacement (Rich Attonito)- lost to Nick Ring by Decision in 1st Round, beat Hammortree by Guillotine Choke in 2nd Round
4. Josh Bryant (Team Liddell Pick #4)- defeated Kris McCray (Decision)
5. Kris McCray (Wildcard Selection)- defeated Kyacey Uscola (Submission) and Kyle Noke (Decision)
7. Seth Baczynski (Team Ortiz Replacement)- defeated Joe Henle (Decision)

Eliminated:
Clayton McKinney by Kyle Noke (First Round)
Chris Camozzi- left due to injury
James Hammortree by Brad Tavares (First Round)
Charles Blanchard by Jamie Yager (First Round)
Rich Attonito- left due to injury after beating Kyacey Uscola in first round by DQ
Joe Henle by Seth Baczynski (First Round)
Kyacey Uscola- defeated by Kris McCray (Wildcard Round)
Nick Ring- left due to injury
James Hammortree- defeated by Court McGee (Second Round)
Kyle Noke- defeated by Kris McCray (Decision)
Seth Baczynski- eliminated by Brad Tavares (DQ for Illegal Soccer kick to the head)

TUF Season 11 Episode 8 Re-Cap

The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Episode 8 Re-Cap
"Closed Mouth Don't Get Fed"
Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz

Last week Seth Baczynski defeated Jon Henle by decision to advance. Court McGee was given Rich Attonito's spot in the next round. Kyacey Uscola and Kris McCray were given the wildcard spots so they will face off to see who advances to the next round.

Kyacey finds out his son is born at the beginning of the show and they let him have a phone call to talk to the mother of his child.

Middleweight Fight- Kyacey Uscola (18-15) vs. Kris McCray (5-0)

Kyacey has a 2.5" reach advantage. Kyacey got DQ'd for an illegal knee in his fight versus Rich Attonito and McCray lost to Josh Bryant by decision were McCray started to gas as early as the second round.

R1- Kyacey landed a good shin/leg kick at the one minute mark and McCray reacted visibly to the shot. Kyacey rushed in but got clinched. McCray landed some strikes in the clinch against the cage. McCray hit a low blow and they restarted. Kris tried a judo throw but Kyacey sprung out of it and both guys landed shots on the way back to their feet. Kris picked up Kyacey and took him to the mat. Kris landed a couple short elbows on the mat. Kris 10-9.

R2- McCray got a take down in the first twenty seconds of the fight. For someone who has 33 fights, Kyacey is horrible on the ground. McCray goes for a kimura and Kyacey taps. McCray looked a lot better in this fight then he did in his first fight.

Winner: Kris McCray by Submission (Kimura) R2

Dana sits down with Chuck and Tito to pick the fights for the next round and asks Chuck who the best 4 fighters are. Chuck takes a while to answer. My answer is Yager, Noke, Tavares and Ring but I could be wrong. Yager and Noke are definitely the top two so far in my book based on what I've seen. Tito says the 4 that I listed.

"Tito's over there shaking his head saying 'yeah he's buddies with Chuck he's going to give Chuck whatever he wants' and Chuck's going "you gave the big crybaby exactly what he wanted"- Dana White
"It's a no win situation...Go with your teams psychos and let me figure this thing out"- Dana White

Dana's Picks for the Semi-Finals:
Nick Ring (Team Ortiz) vs. Court McGee (Team Liddell)
Kyle Noke (Team Liddell) vs. Kris McCray (Team Ortiz)
Brad Tavares (Team Liddell) vs. Seth Baczynski (Team Ortiz)
Jamie Yager (Team Ortiz) vs. Josh Bryant (Team Liddell)

"We have a shot at winning every one of these fights....Can you guys send Tito home if we do that? Please? For me?"- Chuck Liddell

Forrest Griffin comes to the house and brings UFC Undisputed 2010 on the 360 and says they get a 2 hour reprieve to play the game. Great product placement by UFC. They TUF guys sell the game. Somebody knocks Forrest out with Tito Ortiz while playing against Forrest.

Nick goes to the doctor to get his knee checked out. The doc tells him he has little tissue and says he might need a third ACL reconstruction down the road. Ring says he might be able to get 1 or 2 more fights in or he might go ahead and get the knee fixed now. Dana comes to the house to talk to Nick. Nick says it's not smart to continue in the competition and doesn't think he can win. Says long-term it's the right decision.

"The doctor told him 'if he wanted to take this fight he could take this fight"- Dana White

Dana pulls the guys together. Tells them that Nick blew his knee out and they need to pick someone to replace him. Joe Henle thinks the spot is his because everybody else is hurt. After Dana leaves James Hammortree gets up and follows Dana outside and tells Dana he wants to fight. Dana comes back in and says that Hammortree asked him for the fight and he's giving it to him. After this Joe finally steps up and says he wants in if anybody else losses.

"Hammortree was the guy that stepped up to the plate. Throughout all the seasons do you know how many guys I've seen that wouldn't step up for a fight even if I went and asked them?"- Dana White
"This guy chases me out the door to tell me he wants to fight. Your getting the fucking fight"- Dana White
"Closed mouth don't get feed"- Jamie Yager

Middleweight Fight- Court McGee (9-1) vs. James Hammortree (5-1)

Interesting fight as both of these guys have a loss already on the show.

R1- Hammortree stuffed an early shot. Court grabbed a kick and was able to clinch and then take down Hammortree but he couldn't hold him down. Both guys swung and it looked like Hammortree got the better of the exchange. Both guys look like they have openings they just aren't being very aggressive in taking them as they don't want to be the one that makes the mistake. Hammortree landed a couple of good strikes but then got taken down. Hammortree was able to get back to his feet with about 90 seconds left. McGee went for a spinning back kick and Hammortree took Court down but Court was able to reverse positions. Pretty close round but Court got it with the take downs. McGee 10-9.

R2- Hammortree went for a take down and Court grabbed him in a guillotine and tapped him out. Good finish by Court. Not Tito's best moment as a coach there telling Hammortree to go for a take down when Court obviously had the superior wrestling in the first round.

Winner: Court McGee by Submission (Guillotine Choke) R2

"That was for my dad. It was his birthday today"- Court McGee

Middleweight Rankings:
1. Jamie Yager (Team Ortiz Pick #4)- defeated Charles Blanchard (TKO (Strikes) R1)
2. Kyle Noke (Team Liddell Pick #1)- defeated Clayton McKinney (Triangle Choke R1)
3. Brad Tavares (Team Liddell Pick #5)- defeated James Hammortree (Decision)
4. Court McGee- Injury Replacement (Rich Attonito)- lost to Nick Ring by Decision in 1st Round, beat Hammortree by Guillotine Choke in 2nd Round
5. Josh Bryant (Team Liddell Pick #4)- defeated Kris McCray (Decision)
6. Kris McCray (Wildcard Selection)- defeated Kyacey Uscola (Submission)
7. Seth Baczynski (Team Ortiz Replacement)- defeated Joe Henle (Decision)

Eliminated:
Clayton McKinney by Kyle Noke (First Round)
Chris Camozzi- left due to injury
James Hammortree by Brad Tavares (First Round)
Charles Blanchard by Jamie Yager (First Round)
Rich Attonito- left due to injury after beating Kyacey Uscola in first round by DQ
Joe Henle by Seth Baczynski (First Round)
Kyacey Uscola- defeated by Kris McCray (Wildcard Round)
Nick Ring- left due to injury
James Hammortree- defeated by Court McGee (Second Round)

TUF Season 11 Episode 7 Re-Cap

The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Episode 7 Re-Cap
Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz

Last week Nick Ring of Team Ortiz defeated Team Liddell's Court McGee in a very controversial decision. Team Liddell takes a 4-2 lead into this episode. We are down to our last fight of the quarterfinals this week. Joe Henle from Team Liddell and Seth Baczynski from Team Ortiz are the two fighters that remain so they will face off tonight. Baczynski lost his fight to get in the house but replaced Chris Camozzi. It looks like the two wild cards and Rich Attonito's replacement will also be picked on this show.

Nick Ring says he hurt his knee in the fight getting into the house and thinks he hurt it quite a bit more in this last fight. He is losing confidence in his knee. Nick's knee gave out on him when he was sparring with Seth. He's been trying to keep it quiet due to the other housemates competing against him for a shot in the UFC. Tito says it has signs that look like a possible ACL injury.

They do the fight announcement for Baczynski and Henle. Dana thinks the fight is one sided in favor of Baczynski. He doesn't think Henle is very well rounded. He said he was losing his prelim fight before barely pulling it out. Ortiz says Baczynski has what it takes. He likes his attitude.

Henle says he went pro in July and got into MMA by mistake. He says he has an MBA in Financial Planning and is a substitute teacher and coaches kids but feels this is where he is supposed to be. Chuck says Henle has a lot of potential but it's going to take a little while to pull it out.

Middleweight Fight- Seth Baczynski (Team Ortiz) vs. Joe Henle (Team Liddell)

R1- Joe got a quick take down less than 30 seconds into the fight. Seth grabbed a guillotine but let it got after about a minute of not being able to get the sub. Joe grabbed a choke on the ground but Seth broke out of it. Joe took Seth's back with a minute and a half left in the round but Seth rolled over and took Joe's guard. Seth was able to land a few elbow in the last minute and probably took the round with those strikes. Really close round.

R2- Seth was able to clinch and get a take down half way through the first minute but Joe used his momentum to gain half guard. Joe took Seth's back but again Seth was able to get out with no damage. Joe took Seth's guard at the mid-way point of the round. They got to their feet and Seth tried a flying knee but hit nothing but cage. Joe got another take down. You can hear Dana in the back saying something about this being a wrestling match. You can hear Dana calling this going to a third round and I have to agree. Seth grabbed a Rear Naked right near the buzzer but couldn't finish. The judges do declare the fight a draw and we are going to a third round.

R3- Seth is the aggressor early in the round and gets a take down although Henle might have been trying to pull guard for some reason it was hard to tell. Seth landed some brief Ground and Pound with three minutes left in the round. Seth is not doing a lot of damage but is staying on top and is being fairly active. Seth will win this fight by decision. Both guys showed a lot of heart in the fight but both guys also looked like the two most raw guys on the TUF roster. I would have a tough time to pick either guy to beat anybody else left in the house.

Winner: Seth Baczynski by Decision (Unanimous)

Now they get to pick the Wildcard where two of the losers will come back and fight it out and the winner will move back into the competition. I would pick Kyacey Uscola and Court McGee. Dana picks Kyacey as the first pick for wildcard. Kris McCray is picked as the second wildcard. Dana also has to pick a replacement for Rich Attonito. He reminds the fighters to never leave it in the hands of the judges. He gives Rich's spot to Court McGee.

"I got another shot. I'm down man. I'm here. I'm ready. I'm ready to scrap"- Kyacey Uscola
"I fought hard in my fight. I left everything in the cage. It was exciting. That's what people want to see"- Kris McCray


Middleweight Rankings:
1. Jamie Yager (Team Ortiz Pick #4)- defeated Charles Blanchard (TKO (Strikes) R1)
2. Kyle Noke (Team Liddell Pick #1)- defeated Clayton McKinney (Triangle Choke R1)
3. Brad Tavares (Team Liddell Pick #5)- defeated James Hammortree (Decision)
4. Nick Ring (Team Ortiz Pick #1)- defeated Court McGee (Majority Decision)
5. Court McGee- Injury Replacement (Rich Attonito)- lost to Nick Ring by Decision in First Round
6. Josh Bryant (Team Liddell Pick #4)- defeated Kris McCray (Decision)
7. Seth Baczynski (Team Ortiz Replacement)- defeated Joe Henle (Decision)

Wildcards:
Kyacey Uscola- defeated by Rich Attonito (DQ'd Illegal Knees)
Kris McCray- defeated by Josh Bryant (Decision)

Eliminated:
Clayton McKinney by Kyle Noke (First Round)
Chris Camozzi- left due to injury
James Hammortree by Brad Tavares (First Round)
Charles Blanchard by Jamie Yager (First Round)
Rich Attonito- left due to injury after beating Kyacey Uscola in first round by DQ
Joe Henle by Seth Baczynski (First Round)

UFC 113: Machida vs Shogun 2 Re-Cap

UFC 113: Machida vs Shogun 2
Bell Centre
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
May 8, 2010

The Main Event tonight is a re-match for the Light Heavyweight Title between Lyoto Machida and Shogun Rua. It is a re-match from their controversial decision last year in which the judges unanimously declared Machida the winner but most of the popular opinion said Rua should have won the fight. Josh Koscheck will fight Paul Daley in a #1 Contenders match with the winner going on to face champion Georges St-Pierre at a later date and also coach against him in the next version of The Ultimate Fighter. Kimbo Slice is in action tonight and Patrick Cote makes his return from an injury.

Middleweight Fight- Patrick Cote (14-5) vs. Alan Belcher (14-5)

Belcher's last fight was at UFC 107 in December where he disposed of Wilson Gouveia in the first round. This is Cote's first fight since getting injured in a freak accident in his title shot against Anderson Silva. The fans are solidly behind Canadian Cote in this one. I picked Belcher in this one but only because of the lay-off that Cote had. It will be interesting to see how Cote does after 18 months of not fighting.

R1- Belcher is throwing kicks early and then catches Cote with a low blow. Both guys are very active early and are landing strikes. Cote grabbed a Belcher kick and took him down. Cote went for a kimura but Belcher pulled out and was able to take top position. Belcher landed a couple of elbows and stayed on top until the end of the round. Cote sustained a small cut near his eye near the end of the round. Belcher 10-9.

"The inside leg kick. The enemy of cups all around the world."- Joe Rogan

R2- Belcher came out for the round without his mouthpiece and the ref briefly had to stop the fight. Cote landed some good punches to start the round. Belcher had to clinch to stop the onslaught. They traded some strikes against the cage and Cote got a take down at the mid-way point of the round. Belcher got back to his feet and basically did what in pro wrestling would be called a front piledriver as he picked up Cote and a pile driver type position and dropped him face first onto the mat. Belcher took Cote's back and Cote had to tap. Great win for Belcher. It looked like Cote was turning the tide until that pile driver.

"It is illegal to spike somebody on their head. To pick them up and drop them down purposely on the top of their head. It didn't seem like he spiked him. He went face first and that is legal. He just dropped him on his face"- Joe Rogan

Winner: Alan Belcher by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 3:25

Post fight Alan Belcher calls out Anderson Silva.

Heavyweight Fight- Kimbo Slice (4-1) vs. Matt Mitrione (1-0)

Both guys won fights on The Ultimate Fighter Finale back in December. Kimbo defeated Houston Alexander by decision in an ugly fight and Mitrione knocked out Marcus Jones ten seconds into the second round. Mitrione comes out to Simple Man from Lynyrd Skynyrd. Mitrione trains with Pat Berry, Eric Schafer, Jake O'Brien and Ben Rothwell. Kimbo gets a huge reaction. He should come out to Street Fighting Man by the Rolling Stones but he doesn't. Kimbo is training with American Top Team. Mitrione has a 5" reach advantage.

"There's something cool about watching a guy fight on Youtube in a backyard trying to avoid a satellite dish and a barbecue and then next thing you know he's in the Octagon"- Joe Rogan
"Kimbo might be the only guy who fights with an assumed name"- Joe Rogan

R1- Kimbo hit a right hand early and then Mitrione missed a kick and Kimbo tackle slammed him to the ground and then picked up Mitrione again and slammed him another time. Fans are going nuts. Mitrione grabs a quick triangle choke and Kimbo picks him up and tried to drop him down again. Kimbo broke free of the move and we've only fought for a minute and fifteen seconds. Kimbo had side control but is just doing nothing on the ground and Mitrione got back to his feet. Kimbo picked Mitrione up and Mitrione grabbed onto the top of the cage briefly to minimize the impact of Kimbo's slam. Mitrione goes for an triangle choke but didn't get it. Kimbo finally just backs off and let's Mitrione up with about a minute left in the round. Mitrione hit Kimbo with a knee and then grabbed him in a clinch and landed another knee to the head. Kimbo came in for a right hand and Mitrione kicked Kimbo's leg out from under him. Mitrione grabbed a choke on the ground. Kimbo looked like he was going to tap but Mitrione let the hold go to try and get a better grip on it. Fun first round. Mitrione 10-9.

R2- Mitrione is hurting Kimbo early in this round with leg kicks. Mitrione landed some good strikes with three minutes left. Kimbo tried to get a take down but couldn't and Mitrione landed a knee to Kimbo's side and Kimbo is looking like he's wilting. Mitrione is landing knees to Kimbo's side and legs. Mitrione has the mount and is landing strikes. Mitrione tried for a kimura but let it go after cranking back on it. Mitrione continued landing strikes and the ref stepped in. Mitrione really controlled Kimbo. Kimbo's grappling and wrestling is still just so rudimentary. I'm interested to see where Mitrione goes from here. He has some talent but both of his wins are against guys that really have no MMA experience.

Winner: Matt Mitrione by TKO (Strikes) R2 4:24

Lightweight Fight- Sam Stout (16-5-1) vs. Jeremy Stephens (17-5)

Stephens took out Justin Buchholz at UFC Fight Night 19 by TKO in the first round. Stout beat Joe Lauzon by Unanimous Decision in January (with one judge scoring the fight 30-26). Both guys say they are going to stand and bang. This looks like a fun fight on paper. Stout is from Ontario so he is the crowd favorite in this one. Shawn Thompkins is in Stout's corner.

R1- Stephens landed an early strike and caught a leg kick and got a take down. So much for standing and banging. Stout quickly got back to his feet. Stephens hit a good left that landed right in the eye of Stout and looked like it cut him. Stephens landed a good right hand. Stephens looks really good early. Stout landed a couple of body punches but Stephens retaliated with a big right hand that briefly floored Stout and Stephens then landed a knee. Stout lands some leg kicks and Stephens threw a big spinning back fist that was partially deflected. Good first round and they did stand and bang after that initial take down. Stephens 10-9.

R2- Stout lands some leg kicks to start the round and then got one caught and Stephens landed a punch as he held his leg which briefly floored Stout. Stout grabbed a kimura as they clinched on the cage but could not get it and the fight returned to the feet. Stout is very active this round and throwing a lot of strikes. Stout continues to land leg kicks and has slowed Stephens down. Stephens landed a couple of good strikes toward the end of the round. Really close round. Stephens might have stolen the round with the strikes he landed late but I scored it for Stout making it 19-19 going into the final frame on my score card.

R3- Stephens lands some strikes early in the round. Stephens grabbed a quick clinch and landed a knee. Stout looked like he landed a kick to the calf of Stephens and Stephens bent over in pain. Stout was able to land some strikes and got on top of Stephens and landed some elbows. Stephens got a take down in the last twenty seconds but Stout popped right back up. Good fight. I've got Stout winning the final round thus taking the fight 29-28 on my score card. I could see this fight going either way.

Judges score card: 30-27, 29-28, 28-29

Winner: Jeremy Stephens by Decision (Split)

Joe Doerkson vs. Tom Lawlor

After the Stephens/Stout fight they cut right into this one with no warning. Lawlor's hair is black and he has a Dan Severn mustache.

R1- Lawlor hit a left and knocked Doerkson down. Lawlor hurting Doerkson with strikes. Both guys swinging away and bloody. Lawler landed a punch that wobbled Doerkson but came in with another wild punch and missed. Crazy round. Doerkson started to go to the wrong corner after the round ended. Lawlor 10-9.

R2- Doerkson is the aggressor early in this round. Lawlor looks like he punched himself out in the first round. Doerkson took Lawlor's back and tapped him out with a Rear Naked Choke. Good comeback win for Doerkson.

Winner: Joe Doerkson by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) R2 2:10

Welterweight Fight- Josh Koscheck (16-4) vs. Paul Daley (23-8-2)

Daley has defeated Martin Kampmann and Dustin Hazelett since entering the UFC. Both fights were stopped in the first round via TKO (strikes). Koscheck is coming off of back to back wins against Frank Trigg and Anthony Johnson. Koscheck comes out to Higher Ground by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Daley has a 3" reach advantage. The winner of this fight will coach against Georges St-Pierre on the next edition of The Ultimate Fighter and will then receive a title shot. They don't touch gloves. Koscheck looks like he has a bigger height advantage then what was listed. From an entertainment stand point I would like to see Koscheck as a TUF coach.

R1- Koscheck got a take down after a minute of feeling each other out. Daley got back to his feet and Koscheck slammed him back down. Koscheck staying on top but not really doing any damage. Koscheck took Daley's back and tried to grab a Rear Naked but Daley got back to his feet and hit an illegal knee to Koscheck. They ended clinched up against the cage. Koscheck took the round 10-9. No point was deducted, so a good piece of referring.

"Let's take a look at it here. Oh, wait a minute. He didn't even hit him. He looked like he toed him in the eye. Uh oh. We might want to show this re-play to Josh Koscheck. Josh Koscheck might want to take a look at that and stand up."- Joe Rogan
"Maybe it was a foot to the eye. Maybe it was a toe. He's saying it barely hit him so let's see what happened. The knee kind of grazed him. No. hmmm. And the Oscar goes to."- Joe Rogan

R2- Koscheck got a take down early in the round. Koscheck not doing much on top but is maintaining position. Koscheck again took Daley's back. Koscheck 20-18.

R3- Daley landed a couple of strikes and then Koscheck clinched him up against the cage. Koscheck got the take down with three and a half minutes left in the round. Looks like Koscheck is going to grind this one out in unspectacular fashion. Well I think it's obvious that if you are learning MMA don't go to Dan Hardy and Paul Daley's camp to learn wrestling and jiu jitsu. Koscheck 30-27 in a boring fight. Smart game plan by Koscheck.

Post-Fight Paul Daley punched Josh Koscheck after the fight. Daley just turned Koscheck into a sympathetic figure. What a disgrace.

"That was the best shot he landed in the whole fight"- Joe Rogan

Judges score cards: 30-27 on all score cards

Winner: Josh Koscheck by Decision (Unanimous)

Koscheck gets on the microphone and heels the crowd about hockey and GSP and then invites them to an after party.

Light Heavyweight Title Fight- Lyoto Machida (c) (16-0) vs. Shogun Rua (18-4)

Goldberg brings up a good stat. Shogun hit Machida more times in their last fight then the last 7 opponents did in Machida's other UFC fights. Machida broke his hand in the last fight and Rogan brings up the point that the hand hasn't been tested. In the 28 re-matches in UFC history the winner has won 13 times, the loser has won 13 times and twice it was a draw.

R1- Shogun the more aggressive fighter out of the gate but got taken down by Machida. Shogun quickly got back to his feet. Shogun pushed forward and landed a strike or two but got taken down again. Shogun again quickly got to his feet but did eat a knee to the body. Machida landed a knee but Shogun hit a strike and quickly mounted Machida and finished the fight. Wow. Fantastic finish by Shogun and it came out of nowhere. Shogun knocked him out on the ground and was already getting up to celebrate before the ref stepped in to call for the finish.

Winner and new Light Heavyweight Champion: Shogun Rua by KO R1 3:35

Welterweight Fight- Marcus Davis vs. Jonathan Goulet

This is from the pre-show. This fight is brought to you by Shogun Rua and his quick finish of Lyoto Machida. This is a fight I want to see so Thank You to Shogun despite him making me wrong on my prediction. Goulet has some crazy stuff going on in his hair.

R1- Goulet landed a quick head kick and then got a take down but Davis bounced right back to his feet. Goulet landed a knee to the body but in doing so he also ate a punch that wobbled him. Goulet went for a take down and Davis grabbed a guillotine and pulled guard. Goulet fought hard and finally popped his head out of the submission. Davis threw a leg and got taken down. Goulet landed a couple strikes. Davis got back to his feet but Goulet took him back down. Goulet probably stole that round despite Davis having a sub attempt and landing the best strike of the round.

R2- Davis hit a good right hand that knocked Goulet to his knees. Davis jumped on top and landed a couple of strikes but Goulet got back to his feet. Goulet is busted open. Davis landed something and Goulet just dropped like a ton of bricks. He landed a right and then a big left hook.

Winner: Marcus Davis by TKO (Strikes) R2 1:23

TUF Season 11 Episode 6 Re-Cap

The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Episode 6 Re-Cap
"Did Your Dizzle"
Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz

Last week Josh Bryant of Team Liddell outlasted Kris McCray of Team Ortiz and Team Liddell took a 4-1 lead and Liddell regained the ability to pick the next fight. Some of the guys on Team Ortiz look a little beatdown and are complaining of "over training". Tito brings the guys together to talk to them about their issues with the training. He also reminds them they still have 2 more fights and then the wildcard.

This is the "Coach's Challenge" episode and this season it's dodgeball. The first team to win 3 games wins. The winning coach gets $10,000 and each fighter on the team gets $1,000. Chuck's team won 3 games to 0. Chuck is a beast at dodgeball.

"We picked off Tito quite a bit because he couldn't move, he wasn't moving his feet fast enough. Same problem he has in the ring ring sometimes."- Chuck Liddell

Chuck picks Court McGee to fight Nick Ring. Dana says Nick is one of the guys that they think can go all the way but he can't doubt the success Chuck has had so far. Chuck says he wants to take out Tito's best guy. McGee tells the story of his rough past with drugs and alcohol. James Hammortree got hurt on a take down and they took him out on a stretcher. Hammortree comes back and they think it might just be a bulging disc and luckily it's not as serious as originally feared.

"I'm gonna put it on him. I'm gonna put it on him and beat him"- Court McGee
"This season is just adding up to craziness. My work is cut out for me"- Tito Ortiz

Middleweight Fight- Nick Ring (Team Ortiz) (10-0) vs. Court McGee (Team Liddell) (9-1)

R1- Court got a quick take down but Ring got to his feet without taking any damage. Ring starts to land some leg kicks. Ring stuffed a take down and tried to take McGee's back but gave it up and instead took half guard. Ring was able to land a few strikes but nothing that really looked like it hurt McGee. I gave the fight to Ring due to him really controlling the last half of the round.

R2- McGee is landing some good strikes in this round after taking a few leg kicks. McGee was able to take this round by keeping it standing and landing the better strikes. I've got the fight at one round a piece. Ring started to come on towards the end of the round but McGee ended with a flurry. Liddell and Jager have some spirited discussion before the decision about how the rounds went.

The judges score the fight: 20-18 Ring, 19-19, 20-18 Ring

I'm more than a bit surprised about that decision. Not sure how Ring won that last round and Chuck agrees with me.

Winner: Nick Ring by Decision (Majority)

"You give the first round to Ring. You give the second round to Court McGee. That's why I always tell these guys don't ever let it goes to the scorecards"- Dana White
"That was embarrassing. That was an embarrassing decision for them"- Chuck Liddell

So Team Liddell is up 4-2 and the only first round fight left is Jon Henle (Team Liddell) against Seth Baczynski (Team Ortiz).

Here are my way too early rankings based only on the first three TUF shows. Rankings will change drastically after the first round of fights I am sure.

Middleweight Rankings:
1. Jamie Yager (Team Ortiz Pick #4)- defeated Charles Blanchard (TKO (Strikes) R1)
2. Kyle Noke (Team Liddell Pick #1)- defeated Clayton McKinney (Triangle Choke R1)
3. Brad Tavares (Team Liddell Pick #5)- defeated James Hammortree (Decision)
4. Nick Ring (Team Ortiz Pick #1)- defeated Court McGee (Majority Decision)
5. Rich Attonito (Team Liddell Pick #2)- defeated Kyacey Uscola (DQ- Illegal Knees)
6. Joe Henle (Team Liddell Pick #7)
7. Josh Bryant (Team Liddell Pick #4)- defeated Kris McCray (Decision)
8. Seth Baczynski (Team Ortiz Replacement)

Eliminated:
Clayton McKinney by Kyle Noke (First Round)
Chris Camozzi- left due to injury
James Hammortree by Brad Tavares (First Round)
Kyacey Uscola by Rich Attonito (First Round- DQ'd Illegal Knees)
Charles Blanchard by Jamie Yager (First Round)
Kris McCray by Josh Bryant (Frist Round)
Court McGee by Nick Ring (Majority Decision)

TUF Season 11 Episode 5 Re-Cap

The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Episode 5 Re-Cap
"If It Breathes, It Bleeds"
Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz

Last week we had two fights with Jamie Yager and Rich Attonito both advancing. Team Ortiz finally got a win and is trailing 3-1 but now has the opportunity to pick the next fight. Tito gets to pick his first fight of the competition and picks Kris McCray to fight Josh Bryant. Looks like a good pick by Tito in my book.

Clayton McKinney had surgery so he won't be coming back to fight in the wildcard spot. Tito apologizes to Clayton McKinney for saying that he lacked heart when he was really injured. Clayton flicks him off when Tito turns his back. Dana says Josh has knockout power in both hands and has great wrestling. Chuck has to leave again and is leaving John Hackleman in charge.

"I'll be taking over the reigns but in reality he'll be calling the shots like John Gotti did when he was in prison"- John Hackleman

"Don't turn the channel. Don't get up for a coffee or soda or popcorn. It's not gonna last that long"- Kris McCray

Middleweight Fight- Kris McCray (5-0) (Team Ortiz) vs. Josh Bryant (10-0) (Team Liddell)

R1- McCray landed strikes early and then got a take down. McCray took Bryant's back and tried to go for an arm bar but lost his position. McCray briefly worked a clinch and then got a take down but couldn't hold it. McCray got another take down but couldn't complete it and Bryant picked McCray up and dumped him on his back. Bryant tried for a really sloppy Rear Naked Choke and quickly lost it and gave up position to McCray. Neither guy dominated but McCray took the round 10-9.

R2- McCray looked really tired when the round started and Bryant hit a couple of strikes early. Bryant landed a couple more really good clean strikes. McCray hit a knee but got taken down. Bryant tried to work a kimura but the fight went back to their feet where Bryant landed a couple more shots. McCray showing a good chin. McCray landed another knee and then ate a slam. McCray got a take down with a minute and a half left in the fight but was not able to do much from the top because of his conditioning. Bryant stayed busy on the bottom and while he didn't land anything substantial he did stay busy. Bryant took this round to even up the fight 19-19 on my score card.

R3- They clinch and both guys just look exhausted. This is a frustrating round. These guys knew they were going to be on TUF. Unless they just had a huge adrenaline dump why didn't they come into the house in shape with this opportunity that they have? Three and a half minutes into the round and neither guy has done anything to win the fight. Still clinching against the cage and both guys resting/struggling for a take down. Bryant shows some sign of life after Herb Dean splits them up and he lands some strikes. McCray went for a really weak take down and basically gave top position to Bryant with less than a minute left in the fight. Bryant went for the mount and McCray gave up his back. Bryant went for a Rear Naked Choke but again didn't have good position. Bryant clearly won this fight as he just had more in his gas tank than McCray did.

Winner: Josh Bryant by Decision

"McCray comes out after the first round and looks completely gassed. Completely gassed"- Tito Ortiz
"I was like Damn I'm tired"- Kris McCray

Team Liddell goes up 4-1 and takes back control of choosing the fights.

Here are my way too early rankings based only on the first three TUF shows. Rankings will change drastically after the first round of fights I am sure.

Middleweight Rankings:
1. Jamie Yager (Team Ortiz Pick #4)- defeated Charles Blanchard (TKO (Strikes) R1)
2. Kyle Noke (Team Liddell Pick #1)- defeated Clayton McKinney (Triangle Choke R1)
3. Nick Ring (Team Ortiz Pick #1)
4. Brad Tavares (Team Liddell Pick #5)- defeated James Hammortree (Decision)
5. Court McGee (Team Liddell Pick #6)
6. Rich Attonito (Team Liddell Pick #2)- defeated Kyacey Uscola (DQ- Illegal Knees)
7. Joe Henle (Team Liddell Pick #7)
8. Josh Bryant (Team Liddell Pick #4)- defeated Kris McCray (Decision)
9. Seth Baczynski (Team Ortiz Replacement)

Eliminated:
Clayton McKinney by Kyle Noke (First Round)
Chris Camozzi- left due to injury
James Hammortree by Brad Tavares (First Round)
Kyacey Uscola by Rich Attonito (First Round- DQ'd Illegal Knees)
Charles Blanchard by Jamie Yager (First Round)
Kris McCray by Josh Bryant (Frist Round)

TUF Season 11 Episode 4 Re-Cap

The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Episode 4 Re-Cap
"Clown Box"
Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz

Last week on TUF we saw Brad Tavares defeated James Hammortree by Decision and put Team Liddell up 2-0. We also saw Chris Camozzi leave the house due to an injury and Seth Baczynski brought into the house. Chuck still has control of picking the fights and he picks Rich Attonito to fight Kyacey Uscola.

Kyacey has a child on the way and he says that it will be born half way through the TUF taping so he will miss the birth. Tito believes in Kyacey's take downs, take down defense, submissions and his hands. Tito wants him to strike, defend the take down and get back up if he gets taken down. Kyacey feels he is a better wrestler than Rich, says he hits harder, is more experienced and says he's hungrier.

John Hackleman calls Rich one of the top guys on the show skill and experience wise. Says he's a world class fighter that trains at a world class gym (American Top Team) and says he could be the best guy on the show. Chuck says he's a good wrestler, has good shots and take downs and Chuck says he's been told Kyacey has trouble getting off his back so Rich should be able to take him down and Ground and Pound him. Chuck had previous commitments and has to be gone for 3 days so he will miss Rich's fight against Kyacey.

Kyacey gets upset with Yager when he finds a jacket of his in Yager's closet. Kris McCray says he was the one that picked it up. Kyacey and Yager walk down the stairs together and threaten each other the entire way and continue to jaw at each other in the van on the way to training with a ton of bleeps. They continue to jaw at each other in the locker room with Tito sitting in between them.

"Jaime Yager, he's a clown box. I just don't want to hit the guy. I'm trying to be calm and keep my head in the game and focus on what I need to do to win this thing"- Kyacey Uscola

"Kyacey...I'm gonna break him, take his heart, I'm gonna take his will and after that I'm gonna get the victory. He's gonna fold like a lawn chair and that's gonna be all she wrote"- Rich Attonito

Middleweight Fight- Rich Attonito (Team Liddell) (7-3) vs. Kyacey Uscola (Team Ortiz) (18-15)

R1- They exchanged right hands early. Rich hit a good combo that floored Kyacey one minute into the fight. Rich jumped on top and threw some wild Ground and Pound. Kyacey got to his feet but Rich picked him up and turned him upside down and slammed him onto the back of his neck. Kyacey grabs Rich in a kimura and uses it to take side control. Kyacey threw a wild knee as Rich was getting up and connected with Rich's head. I couldn't tell from the angle of the camera if Rich was still on the ground or not. Right before the knee was thrown Rich's knee was definitely down but it looked like he was starting to lift up off the mat. At this point they cut to commercial. The ref sees it as an illegal blow and calls it a DQ. Kyacey calls for Rich to get up and fight and yells about seeing the re-play. Dana says the ref made the right call. Says that Rich was dominating the fight until Rich got hit with the illegal knees. At minimum this is a good set up for Kyacey to come back as one of the fighters at the end of the first round who fight their way back onto the show. Post-fight Tito goes all Rampage on one of the flimsy UFC Training Center doors.

Winner: Rich Attonito by DQ (Illegal Knee Strike) R1

Post-fight in the locker room Rich says he thinks he broke his hand and says that he won't be fighting any more on the show. Team Liddell is up 3-0 and Chuck picks Charles Blanchard to fight Jamie Yager. Liddell says he thinks Blanchard matches up well with Yager.

"If he slips on a banana peel walking into the cage...that's the only way he's going to lose. That's how much belief I have in Yager. I think he'll do well. It's time to take control. If we lose this fight I'm literally going to shoot myself."- Tito Ortiz

Chuck says Blanchard's strengths will give Yager problems. Chuck says he has great take downs, he mixes his strikes up well, and he has a solid top game. Tito sees parallels in his life and that of Yager in that they came from a troubled past. Tito says Yager has the talent, he works hard and he puts his time in and that's what it's all about. Tito says Yager needs to continually move his feet to win the fight and defend the take down.

"Our team hasn't won yet so I definitely feel like the weights on my shoulder to get the win and I definitely think I'm the one that's going to change the events as far as whats been going on in the fights. I'm the chosen one. It's time to do work."- Jamie Yager

Middleweight Fight- Jamie Yager (Team Ortiz) (2-1) vs. Charles Blanchard (Team Liddell) (7-2)

R1- Yager has a big height advantage although it could just be the hair. Blanchard went for a take down, ate a punch and kept working for it but Yager did a good job of sprawling out. Yager hit a big-time Superman Punch right-hand and then jumped on top and finished the fight. Impressive showing for Yager.

Winner: Jamie Yager by TKO (Strikes) R1

"Yager sucked the desire right out of that kid. Put it to him, hit him with some big shots and he basically just laid down and turtled up and got punched into submission"- Dana White

Here are my way too early rankings based only on the first three TUF shows. Rankings will change drastically after the first round of fights I am sure.

Middleweight Rankings:
1. Jamie Yager (Team Ortiz Pick #4)- defeated Charles Blanchard (TKO (Strikes) R1)
2. Kyle Noke (Team Liddell Pick #1)- defeated Clayton McKinney (Triangle Choke R1)
3. Nick Ring (Team Ortiz Pick #1)
4. Kris McCray (Team Ortiz Pick #3)
5. Brad Tavares (Team Liddell Pick #5)- defeated James Hammortree (Decision)
6. Court McGee (Team Liddell Pick #6)
7. Rich Attonito (Team Liddell Pick #2)- defeated Kyacey Uscola (DQ- Illegal Knees)
8. Joe Henle (Team Liddell Pick #7)
9. Josh Bryant (Team Liddell Pick #4)
10. Seth Baczynski (Team Ortiz Replacement)

Eliminated:
Clayton McKinney by Kyle Noke (First Round)
Chris Camozzi- left due to injury
James Hammortree by Brad Tavares (First Round)
Kyacey Uscola by Rich Attonito (First Round- DQ'd Illegal Knees)
Charles Blanchard by Jamie Yager (First Round)

The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Episode 3 Re-Cap

The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 Episode 3 Re-Cap
"A Lotta Heart"
Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz

Last week on TUF we saw teams pick and we saw the first fight. Tito's team looked stronger on paper but Chuck's team got to pick the first fight and veteran Kyle Noke submitted Clayton McKinney fairly easily.

Dana brought everybody together at the beginning of this show and walked out with the coaches. Dana calls out Chris Camozzi and tells him to step forward. Dana tells him he has exactly what they are looking for but also tells him that he has a broken jaw. He was complaining about a toothache and had a cat scan done and it came back positive for a fracture in his jaw. Dana had a list of guys from the fights and highlighted 4 guys that are injury free and ready to come back and told Tito that he and his coaches needed to make a decision on who they wanted to bring in to replace Camozzi. Tito and his coaches chose to bring back Seth Baczynski. Tito says he brought him back because of the heart that he showed.

"It took me years get here and it took seconds to loose it"- Chris Camozzi

Team Liddell won the last fight so they stay in "control" of the fights. Chuck picks Brad Tavares from his team to fight James Hammortree from Team Ortiz. Tito calls this a must win fight for his team. Yager and Nick Ring get into a little spat in the ring. Ring said that Yager was calling him names while they were sparring.

Hackleman says Tavares is a little raw right now but is well rounded. Howard Davis says he has a lot of punching power and great striking but wishes he would throw his jab a little more. James Hammortree says they call him the "Sledge" because he has a Sledge Hammer built into his right hand. Hammortree says he holds the state of Florida record for fastest knockout, which he says is 5 seconds.

Middleweight Fight- Brad Tavares (4-0) vs. James Hammortree (5-1)

R1- Hammortree shot in for a take down at the one minute mark but Tavares fought him and hit a nice judo throw. Tavares tried to take Hammortree's back and went for a choke but didn't have good position and Hammortree flipped him over onto his back. Tavares got up and Hammortree tried to take him back down but slipped off and Tavares again got position on Hammortree's back. Hammortree got up and shook Tavares but then tried to pull guard with a guillotine and immediately lost it and Tavares again tried to take Hammortree's back and Hammortree spun over into half guard. Close round. Both guys fought hard and both made a lot of mistakes that they should be able to take advantage of in the future with more training. This is anybody's fight.

R2- Tavares got a take down after a struggle in the first minute of the round. Back on their feet Tavares went for a knee and missed and then went for a judo throw but Hammortree avoided it and tried to take Tavares' back. Hammortree ended up getting on top of Tavares and stayed there for the rest of the round. Since they only do two rounds in TUF fights I see this one going to a third "sudden victory" round but Hammortree definitely took this round and the first round was really close so who knows. Dana announces that the judges declared the fight a draw and that they are headed for sudden victory.

R3- Tavares landed a good strike but then Hammortree got a take down. Hammortree got full mount but Tavares easily got out of it and took top position and landed a couple of good strikes. Hammortree tried to power out but Tavares held him down in a strange position while he rested. Not a lot of action in the final minutes of this round but I've got to give the round to Tavares as he really controlled the last minutes and landed more strikes. Both guys have a lot of holes in their game but both guys look like they have some good strengths to build on in the future with the right training. All three judges scored the final round for Tavares.

Winner: Brad Tavares by Decision

Tito disagrees with the decision but I think it was just the pressure of losing two in a row talking. Team Ortiz is in a tough spot down 2-0 so they really need a win next week.

Here are my way too early rankings based only on the first three TUF shows. Rankings will change drastically after the first round of fights I am sure.

Middleweight Rankings:
1. Jamie Yager (Team Ortiz Pick #4)
2. Kyacey Uscola (Team Ortiz Pick #2)
3. Kyle Noke (Team Liddell Pick #1)- defeated Clayton McKinney (Triangle Choke R1)
4. Nick Ring (Team Ortiz Pick #1)
5. Kris McCray (Team Ortiz Pick #3)
6. Brad Tavares (Team Liddell Pick #5)- defeated James Hammortree (Decision)
7. Court McGee (Team Liddell Pick #6)
8. Charles Blancard (Team Liddell Pick #3)
9. Rich Attonito (Team Liddell Pick #2)
10. Joe Henle (Team Liddell Pick #7)
11. Josh Bryant (Team Liddell Pick #4)
12. Seth Baczynski (Team Ortiz Replacement)

Eliminated:
Clayton McKinney by Kyle Noke (First Round)
Chris Camozzi- left due to injury
James Hammortree by Brad Tavares (First Round)

You can got to Ultimatefighter.com to watch fights from tonight's episode plus every season and every fight from all 10 seasons of The Ultimate Fighter for free. Add me on twitter @ugakev if you enjoy talking and hearing about sports, mma, music, movies, games and tv.