The Ultimate Fighter 19 - Discussion, Rumors and Results

[Keithlewis]

BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar to Coach The Ultimate Fighter 19


Faced with the challenge of outdoing its current historic, adrenaline-charged season of The Ultimate Fighter®, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today confirmed that the next season of its long-running reality series will feature former champions BJ “The Prodigy” Penn and Frankie “The Answer” Edgar as coaches. The storied foes will coach a cast of middleweight (185 lbs.) and light heavyweight (205 lbs.) fighters in their quest to win the title of Ultimate Fighter and a six-figure contract with the UFC.

“BJ Penn is moving down to 145 pounds to coach The Ultimate Fighter against Frankie Edgar,” said UFC President Dana White. “BJ really hates the fact that he lost to Frankie Edgar. It’s something that’s been burning deep inside of him for three years now. So he’s moving down to 145 pounds to not only avenge those defeats, but to try and become the first fighter in UFC history to win titles in three different weight classes.”

Widely considered one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, Penn (16-9-2 in MMA) is one of only two men to win UFC world titles in two separate divisions. The former welterweight and lightweight champion has defeated a Who’s Who of MMA, including UFC champions Matt Hughes, Matt Serra and Sean Sherk. His reign over the UFC’s 155lbs division was ended in 2010’s Upset of the Year, when he was outpointed by Frankie Edgar. “The Prodigy” not only returns to the UFC but also The Ultimate Fighter, after coaching season five back in 2007.

After defeating Penn in two fights, Edgar (15-4-1) established a reputation for lightweight excellence. “The Answer” defended the lightweight championship in a pair of all-time classic battles with Gray Maynard before losing the title on a controversial decision to Benson Henderson. Edgar then dropped to featherweight, where many believe he will join Penn as a two-division world champion.

The series begins filming in mid-October in Las Vegas. Catch all new episodes of this season of The Ultimate Fighter at 10 p.m. ET on FOX Sports.

[Keithlewis]

[Keithlewis]

The TUF 19 Cast has been Revealed!


-


-

[Keithlewis]

Courtesy: Dan Downes, UFC.com



Dana begins by introducing this season’s format. Fighters will come from the middleweight and light heavyweight division. The coaches this season will be former world champions Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn. Normally TUF coaches have a personal vendetta against one another, but that’s not the case this time. BJ has lost to Frankie twice before and asked for the fight because, “Frankie represents a guy I need to get past.” After some small chit chat between the two, we get right down to business.

Tyler King vs. Daniel Spohn

Tyler king was a football prospect who snapped his ankle his senior year. Despite making an NFL roster, the injury was too much for him to overcome and found a second career in MMA. Spohn is a father of four out to prove he’s the “toughest dad in the world.” Spohn opens with a body kick. King charges in and Spohn connects with a right hand that causes King to face plant. One punch and one kick are all Spohn needs to advance into the house.

Adrian Miles vs. Hector Urbina

Hector opens with a jab, cross combination then shoots for a takedown. Miles defends initially, but Urbina scrambles and takes the back. Miles rolls and makes it back to his feet, but Urbina takes him down again. As Miles tries to make it back to his feet, Urbina locks up a guillotine choke. Miles tries to fight, but it’s in too deep and he taps early into the first. BJ Penn is impressed with Urbina’s performance and calls him “the real deal.”

Jake Heun vs. Todd Monaghan

Heun tried out for season 17 of TUF, but couldn’t make it into the house. He calls this his last chance for a career in MMA. Monaghan is a traveling evangelist who runs Christian MMA camps for kids. Heun comes out fights like a man who knows his back is against the wall. He hits Monaghan with everything. Punches, takedowns and kicks all seem to connect. Heun puts Monaghan on the mat and almost finishes a north-south choke. Monaghan’s gets his guard back and Heun starts punching. Out of nowhere, Monaghan throws up an armbar and Heun taps. Monaghan’s miracle submission after losing the entire fight earns him a spot in the house.

We see Ireland’s Cathal Pendred. He moves into the house without a preliminary fight because of injuries to opponents.

Roger Zapata vs. Tyler Minton

Zapata doesn’t finish, but he controls the fight from beginning to end. Unlike Jake Heun, he doesn’t get caught in a desperation submission and picks up the unanimous decision.

Lyman Good vs. Ian Stephens

Good is a former Bellator champion with a lot of experience. Stephens knows this and doesn’t seem scared at all. That confidence turns out to be well placed. Stephens takes Good down repeatedly and works from top position. Good can’t stay on his feet and loses the decision.

Chris Fields vs. Josh Stansbury

A newlywed, Irish fighter Chris Fields has been away from his wife longer than they’ve actually been married. Stansbury is a self-described momma’s boy who has been wrestling since he was six. Fields attacks with a lot of kicks and Stansbury is content to box. Stansbury lands a couple big overhand right hands that nearly knock Fields out. Fields holds on, but Stansbury moves in for a trip takedown. He finishes it, but he blows his knee out in the process. The referee stops the fight and Chris Fields advances due to injury. Conor McGregor is cageside and credits the luck of the Irish for the win.

Anton Berzin vs. Cody Mumma

Mumma starts the round strong with a hard body shot and a single-leg attempt. Berzin brushes him off and counters with a takedown of his own. He quickly moves to back mount, but is too high. As Mumma tries to shake him off, Berzin transitions to armbar and finishes the fight. Frankie Edgar likes what he sees and calls Berzin “a guy you have to watch out for.”

Tim Williams vs. Bojan Velickovic

Williams is another person getting a shot at the TUF house. He lost to Dylan Andrews on the 17th season of The Ultimate Fighter as was invited back. Velickovic’s girlfriend stops by to visit him and they have a very passionate embrace. And by very passionate,
I mean they go at each other like hormonally charged teenagers. Despite that, Velickovic comes out strong in the first round, but starts to fade in the second. Williams takes advance of this and starts to increase his offense. By the third round, Velickovic is completely exhausted and Williams quickly finishes the fight by TKO.

Matt Gabel vs. Eddie Gordon

Gabel has never seen a decision and Gordon trains with UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. Gordon is huge for middleweight, and he showcases his punching power. BJ calls him the hardest puncher on the show. Gordon uses that power to cruise to the unanimous decision win.

John Poppie vs. Josh Clark

Poppie is bi-polar and credits MMA for giving him a routine and helping him see the positive in life. Clark is nicknamed “The Hillbilly Heartthrob,” whose full time job involves disabling landmines for the US military. This is a back and forth fight that makes it to the third round. Clark’s jiu jitus prowess helps him that final round as he works a triangle to armbar transition that secures the tapout.

Patrick Walsh vs. Doug Sparks

Walsh is a Boston guy that’s been wrestling since the 8th grade. He also earned a scholarship to wrestle at Ohio State. Doug Sparks is a supposed “genius” who always wears faux polar bear ears on his head. The reason? “My father was on an expedition to the arctic circle and he knocked up a polar bear.” Yes, you did read that correctly. All that polar bear DNA doesn’t help Sparks in MMA. Walsh slams him right off the bat and works from top position. Sparks attempts a guillotine, but Walsh defends and moves to side mount. His kimura attempt doesn’t initially work, but he keeps at it and Sparks taps out.

Daniel Vizcaya vs. Matt Van Buren

The two trade jabs and spend the majority of the fight on the outside. Vizcaya makes the first takedown attempt. He doesn’t finish, but he’s able to push his opponent against the fence. Van Buren counters with some elbows reminiscent of Travis Browne and he gets similar result. Vizcaya is out cold, and Van Buren wins via TKO.

Kelly Anundson vs. Corey Anderson

Frankie calls this the most closely matched fight of the day and it shows. Anundson succeeds on his takedowns in the first round, but the momentum starts to shift in the second. Anderson dials in his range and starts connecting with his punches. Anundson starts to fade and Anderson’s superior cardio gives him the unanimous decision win.

Adam Stroup vs. Dhiego Lima

Despite being the smaller fighter, Lima’s fast hands and combo work lead him the unanimous decision win.

Nordine Taleb vs. Mike King

A veteran of the most recent season of TUF Nations, Taleb fights out of the renowned Tristar gym. King is a former college football player who stumbled in an MMA career after being “tricked” by an old coach. These two fighters put on the fight of the night. There’s a lot of back and forth and both withstand some heavy shots without slowing down. By the time they reach the third round, King looks like he’s ready to fall over. Nordine puts him on his back and starts to attack. King is able to lock up an unorthodox kneebar and take top position back. From that point on, it’s all Mike King and he takes the decision win.

TEAM SELECTION

Frankie Edgar wins the coin toss and elects to have the first pick. He starts with the light heavyweights and chooses Corey Anderson. They proceed until all 16 guys are gone and the teams look like this:


Team Edgar

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Corey Anderson
Patrick Walsh
Matt Van Buren
Todd Monaghan

MIDDLEWEIGHT

Ian Stephens
Dhiego Lima
Eddie Gordon
Hector Urbina



Team Penn

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT

Anton Berzin
Josh Clark
Daniel Spohn
Chris Fields

MIDDLEWEIGHT
Mike King
Tim Williams
Cathal Pendred
Roger Zapata


We close out with a preview of this season. Will the coach’s amicable relationship sour? Do the judges ruin someone’s chances at a UFC contract? Why is there a naked guy on the coach? Find out this and more next week on The Ultimate Fighter!

[Keithlewis]

[Keithlewis]

Courtesy: Dan Downes, UFC.com



The episode opens with the fighters arriving at the house and picking out their bunks. Many of them are excited for the opportunity, and it’s finally starting to hit home that they’re on The Ultimate Fighter. There’s no time to admire the decor, though, as we immediately move into breaking down this week’s fight between Team Penn’s Cathal Pendred and Team Edgar’s Hector Urbina. Even though he didn’t have to fight to make it into the house, Pendred isn’t short on confidence. “I know that I’m better than [Hector] everywhere.” He considers himself an all-around threat and wants to make a statement to the entire house. Hector knows that Pendred is already looking past him, but doesn’t mind the Irishman’s confidence. He tells us, “Cathal doesn’t understand what he has coming.”

We glimpse into each team’s training session. BJ Penn is amazed at all the talent on the mat and excitedly states that, “This is the future of Mixed Martial Arts.” Frankie Edgar knows that TUF can be a grind and he wants to instill in his fighters the mental toughness that made him a world champion. We then see each coach’s support staff. BJ Penn has brought Andre Pederneiras (striking coach to UFC champions Jose Aldo and Renan Barao), Jason Parillo and UFC hall of famer Mark “The Hammer” Coleman. Frankie Edgar brought his normal fight camp coaching staff including: Mark Henry, Stephen Rivera, Ricardo Almeida and Ali Abdelaziz.

After a break we learn more about Irish prospect Cathal Pendred. The stakes are high for every fighter, but the pressure seems to be a bit greater with Pendred. The expectations for him exceed those of the other fighters on the season. Dana White comments on how people have been hassling him on the internet to bring Pendred to the UFC, and now is the opportunity to “see if he belongs.” Coach Penn admits to knowing little about Cathal other than “He has a lot of hype.” As for fight strategy, BJ doesn’t want Cathal to try to scramble and wrestle with Hector. He wants him to make it a fight and box Hector on the inside. Cathal doesn’t pay much attention to the talk about him. he believes in his abilities and doesn't worry about proving anything to anyone. One thing he does realize, though, is that he has a responsibility to his heritage. Irish MMA was in its infancy when he first began competing. It’s become increasingly more popular the last year or so, but Pendred wants to be a role model to the next generation of Irish fighters.

Next we hear from his opponent Hector Urbina. Born in Mexico, Hector moved to Ohio when he was 7 years old and immediately picked up wrestling. Eventually he moved to MMA and is ready to derail the Pendred hype train. Cathal may bear the responsibility of an entire country, but Hector fights for his three younger brothers. He acknowledges that he’s the underdog, and relishes the role of spoiler. “I hear this guy is some kind of badass, and I like that.” Hector has no intentions of baking down. He’s going straight at Cathal and push the pace. Frankie echoes this strategy. “Hector is a pressure fighter and that’s what we want him to do.”

When weigh-ins come around, things get a little heated. With each fighter draped in their country's flag, they stand nose to nose without either backing an inch. At the very end Hector starts to yell, and Cathal couldn’t be bothered. “[Hector’s] pretty emotional right now, and he won’t have a clear mind when we’re fighting.” We’ll see if that prediction holds true, because it’s fight time!

ROUND ONE

Hector comes out with his hands low. Cathal rips an uppercut and the two clinch up. Hector drops to shoot, but Cathal sprawls. They separate, and Hector charges forward just like he said he would. He catches the Irishman with a couple hooks and a hard right hand. They clinch against the fence and Hector connects with more dirty boxing. He’s fulfilling the plan that BJ Penn actually created for Cathal! One of these punches drop Cathal and Hector rushes for the finish. Cathal returns to his feet, but Hector slams him back to the ground. Hector works from side mount, and attempts a kimura. After that fails, he starts punching and throwing short elbows. Cathal rolls to return to his feet, but now finds himself in a standing guillotine. He gets his head out, but eats a knee for his troubles. The knee must have awoken something in him, because he starts letting his hands go. With less than a minute remaining, Hector scores a takedown, but Cathal returns to his feet. The round expires with the two fighting for position against the cage.

ROUND TWO

Frankie implores Hector to keep his hands up and BJ tells Cathal to stop trying to go punch for punch. He tells him to, “Hit and get away!” Cathal listens to his corner and picks and chooses his strikes better in the opening part of the second round. Hector rushes in to counter, but Cathal brings him to the mat with a well-timed double leg. Hector rolls over, but Cathal controls him form the front headlock position. They make it back to their feet, but don’t spend much time there. Cathal flurries again and takes top position with another takedown. They return to the front headlock position and Cathal controls him and lands knees. In the final seconds of the round Hector switches position and winds up on top, but time expires before he can do anything with it.

The judges have it at one round apiece and we’re headed to sudden victory!

ROUND THREE

The two trade kicks, Cathal lets his hands fly. Hector shells up and opens himself up for the takedown. Cathal seizes the opportunity and controls Hector from front headlock again. You hear Frankie Edgar scream for Hector to move, but the pleas fall on deaf ears. Hector eventually tries to make it to his feet, but Cathal snaps him back down. Hector finally gets loose, but he has less than a minute to work. He dives in for a big punch, but ends up on his back again. Hector makes it to his feet once more, but the round ends with Cathal in control.

The judges’ scorecards come back and Cathal takes the unanimous decision. BJ confesses that he underestimated Hector’s punching power and thought Cathal was going to get knocked out in the first round. According to the Prodigy, the turning point was the fact that Hector burned up too much energy and Cathal pounced on the opportunity. A visibly frustrated Frankie Edgar iterates this point and says that Hector looked for the finish instead of looking for the win.

The fight announcement comes and it will be in the light heavyweight division. Team Penn’s Daniel Spohn will take on Team Edgar’s traveling preacher Todd Monaghan. Frankie cautions us to not count out Todd while BJ states that Daniel is “going to knock out everyone he faces.”

Everything wraps up with a sneak peek into next week’s episode. Can Team Edgar rebound? Does Daniel Spohn live up to to BJ Penn’s praise? How many different pronunciations of Cathal will we hear? Find out next week on The Ultimate Fighter!

[Keithlewis]

Courtesy: Dan Downes, UFC.com



With the first elimination fight of the season out of the way, the tension in the house starts to increase. Team Penn’s Cathal Pendred also notices that the division between the two teams has become even greater. He attributes it to the fact that the “fight makes it seem real,” and last week served as a reminder of how high the stakes can be.

We then look into each team’s training session as they prepare for this week’s fight between Todd Monaghan and Daniel Spohn. On the Team Edgar side, the legendary Renzo Gracie shows up to lend some knowledge. Todd calls is the highlight of the show thus far. “Renzo Gracie is one of my heroes. He’s an amazing individual.” As Renzo shows Todd some escapes off the cage, Frankie really focuses on solidifying some of Todd’s gaps. The major one that he seems to be worried about is Todd’s tendency to keep his chin up high. Against a power puncher like Daniel Spohn, that’s a recipe for disaster. As far as game plan, he wants Todd to continue to move forward. He’s an unorthodox striker, whose best success comes with a pressured attack.

On the Team Penn side, BJ shows off some slick armbar transitions. He also has a lot of praise for the former construction worker Daniel Spohn. “Daniel is off the radar, but I’m expecting big things. He just might knock out everyone in the show.” Daniel Spohn may have earned his way into the house with a blistering knockout, but he doesn’t want to be pigeon holed as only a striker. He considers himself a well-rounded fighter, and would like to show that off. Even BJ entertains the idea. “Maybe I’ll switch it up on [Team Edgar]. Go with the ground and pound.” Spohn doesn’t appear to be worried about his opponent. “I don’t really know a lot about him. I just know that he’s a guy that I can break.”

Back the house, pastor and traveling preacher Todd Monaghan talks more about his background. Adopted by a white family in Iowa, he often was teased by the other black students. This lead to him getting into fights, and “selling some things that I shouldn’t.” One day he found God, though, and he gave up the thug life. He holds Sunday services with the other fighters in the house and preaches the Gospel to them. He also talks about all the “blessings” that God has given him and mentions many of his material possessions. These comments rankle many of the housemates, especially Cathal Pendred. He believes that if Todd were really a Man of God, he’d sell off his possessions. “Actions speak louder than words, and [Todd’s] all words.” He chalks up Monaghan’s sermon to the preacher looking for TV time and a way to promote his Christian MMA camps.

Later on, Todd Monaghan has to deal with another housemate that doesn’t appreciate his attitude. As Team Edgar is sitting around the fire outside, teammate Corey Anderson calls Todd out on his overconfidence. He worries that Monaghan’s inability to admit his weaknesses or consider defeat makes him mentally weak. Todd disagrees and says that he doesn't bring negative thoughts of losing into his mind. Fortunately, there’s one way to find out who’s right. It’s fight time!

ROUND ONE

Daniel comes out in his southpaw stance and scores right away. He lands a solid inside low kick and later drills Todd with a heavy left cross. He chases the stunned Monaghan down and follows up with a takedown. Working from half guard, Daniel slowly advances position and moves to full mount. He doesn’t throw a lot of punches, but does work to secure an arm triangle. Todd frees his arm, but remains stuck in mount. Finally he’s able to shrimp out and move to his feet, but Daniel plants him right back down on the mat. Todd reaches for a kimura on bottom, but Daniel hides his wrist so Monaghan can’t exert enough leverage to force the tap. They scramble and Daniel moves to take the back. He’s too high, though and Todd slams him over his head. As Daniel slips, he moves to armbar. He can’t finish, and Todd starts throwing wild ground and pound punches. As Todd flurries, Daniel sweeps the legs and ends up back on top position. He moves back into the full mount, but the round expires before he can unleash any offense.

ROUND TWO

Todd comes out aggressive and initiates contact. He throws a Superman punch than runs forward swinging punches. Daniel weathers the storm and lands another takedown. Todd briefly makes it back to his feet, but Daniel wastes no time bringing this the ground again. Todd goes for a guillotine and then a kimura, but neither one of the holds shows much promise. Daniel holds top position and throws some ineffective punches. We see an inlay of Dana White’s reaction and he’s none too pleased. He admits that Spohn has the dominant position, but doesn’t understand why he isn’t doing anything with it. Sphon continues to smother Todd, and the preacher has nowhere to go. He finally gets back to his feet with 24 seconds left, but Daniel drags him down and takes his back. The round expires with Spohn working for a rear-naked choke.

The judges’ scorecards come back and they’re all unanimous for Daniel Spohn. Todd may be disappointed in his performance, but he’s angry at himself for his lack of preparation. He was so worried about Spohn’s punching that he neglected other aspects. “I was preparing for a standup fight, not a mixed martial arts fight.” The Team Penn fighter “feels good” about his performance. He showed off a lot of his other skills and moved on to the next round.

Dana White, on the other hand, we’ll just say he’s not very enthused. Spohn hurt Monaghan early in the first round with his hands, and then proceeded to wrestle him for the entirety of the fight. The UFC President may be unhappy with Spohn’s lack of offense, but he also has some choice words for Todd Monaghan. Todd had Renzo Gracie in his corner and he didn’t listen to any of his instructions. “You might as well have me in your corner!” he laments.

We move to the fight announcement and it will be Team Edgar’s Dhiego Lima against Team Penn’s Tim Williams. BJ believes that Tim’s size/cardio advantage will be the difference makers. Frankie loves the pick because his considers Dheigo one of the best fighters on the team. Dana White loves the fight because it’s “impossible to suck as bad as the last fight did.”

On that pleasant note we wrap up with a sneak peek into next week. Does Team Penn keep their undefeated record? Can Team Edgar keep from imploding? Why is Matt Van Buren making more enemies than Todd Monaghan? Find out this and more next week on The Ultimate Fighter!

[Keithlewis]

PunchDrunkGamer.com is excited to announce that Mark "The Hammer" Coleman will be taking your questions every week starting now (email to admin@punchdrunkgamer.com) and the answers will be up each Monday night following the previous episode.