The Ultimate Fighter 18 - Discussion, Rumors and Results!

[Keithlewis]

Courtesy: Dan Downes, UFC.com



The episode opens in the Team Rousey locker room. Ronda tells us that Jessica has a separated AC joint, but it shouldn’t affect her. We heard the same thing about Chris Beal’s injury last week, so we’ll soon find out if that statement is true. Back in the Team Tate locker room they’re riding high with two wins in a row and believe that Roxanne’s ground game will make this an easy win. Last week we saw our first real confrontation between the coaches and tensions have clearly not eased. Team Tate has brought in former UFC lightweight Dennis Hallman as a guest coach. While there, he has a problem with Ronda’s assistant Edmond Tarverdyan “eyeballing” him. The two have a discussion about the issue, resolve it peacefully and share some of their favorite Las Vegas area restaurants. Actually, upon further review, the two have a verbal confrontation and Hallman asks Edmond if he wants to throw down in the training room. Ronda plays peacemaker, but in her own way. She makes sure Edmond doesn’t get kicked off the show and then proceeds to call Hallman a “bitch” and get right in his face.

Miesha talks about how things have escalated between the two. She says that things started off somewhat reasonable, but once Ronda lost the first two fights of the season, things have become much worse. Dana (like most fans) blames Bryan Caraway for everything. Miesha again admits that Bryan made a mistake but he’s apologized and thinks that everyone should move on from the issue. Dana tries to calm Ronda down in the parking lot and advises her to cool off. “It’s not good for the sport. It’s not good for you.” We’ll see if Dana’s words sink in.

We cut to a Team Tate training sessions where Raquel Pennington vents her frustration with teammate Roxanne Modafferi. Raquel wants to go harder in training whereas Roxy prefers things to be lighter. Raquel feels that she’s being held back and wants to train with the guys instead. She gets her wish and Team Tate does some inter-gender training. Most of the guys share Josh Hill’s view and while they don’t like sparring with the women, they respect them as fighters. Louis Fisette, on the other hand, feels that Sarah Moras was going too hard so he, “took her down and laid a good beating on her.” I imagine that when Momma Fisette watches this at home she mutters to herself, “This is why he’ll never get a wife and move out.”

Back at the TUF house we see more of the house dynamic. Jessamyn calls Jessica the “momma” of the team. Jessica cooks, cleans and even helps patch up some wounds. David Grant appreciates living in a clean house, just not enough to actually help Jessica out. Jessica says she does all the chores because it irritates her living in a mess. Part of it might be nervous energy, too. She admits that after the team losing the first two fights she feels, “the weight of the team.” More important than the emotional weight, Jessica’s shoulder has been hampering her ability to train properly. Rakoczy dismisses the importance of the injury and warns Team Tate to not think of her as damaged goods.

After a break, we’re back at the TUF house where Roxanne is teaching Shayna Baszler Japanese. Roxanne has been living in Japan the last eight years as an English instructor. As much as she enjoys her life, she dreams of being in the UFC. In an environment where few seem to get along, everyone agrees that Roxanne is a great person. Josh Hill calls her, “the sweetest person in the world,” while Anthony Gutierrez thinks she’s “awesome.” No word on her ranking on the, “Who Gets to Sleep with Anthony,” list.

Nicknamed the “Happy Warrior” and proponent of the benefits of smiling, Roxanne Modafferi began her martial arts life doing Tae Kwon Do at the age of thirteen. She admits she reached a point in her life where she didn’t want to hit anybody so she picked up Judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. This grappling heavy focus has been the hallmark of a professional career that’s spanned nearly a decade.

After another break we’re back at the TUF house and we learn more about Jessica’s background. Growing up with an abusive step father, she moved out of the house when she was 15 years old and hit a downward spiral after her mother’s death around Christmas of 1993. She dropped out of school and didn’t care about anything. She found redemption with boxing and credits it with changing her life. After winning eight world titles, she transitioned to MMA. At the age of 36, though, she admits that The Ultimate Fighter is, “my last shot.”

Both fighters weigh in, people hype up their teammate and Roxanne makes a life sized paper towel roll figure. You know, your usual pre-fight rituals. Oh, and remember last week when Chris Holdsworth read Julianna Peña’s note to him aloud and everyone took it as a sign of interest? Well, she gave Roxanne the same thing with pretty much the exact same wording. So while Chris may be disappointed with his romantic chances, I’m just disappointed with Julianna’s limited vocabulary. Roxanne quotes the Jedi Code (the refined version established by Odann-Urr and transcribed by Harmonix Rectonia during the Early Maderon Period to be specific) and it’s fight time!

Round One

Jessica opens the round landing low kicks to Roxanne’s inside leg. Her boxing skills are readily apparent as her combinations look crisp and fast. Roxanne eats a cross, but charges forward and ends up bringing Jessica to the ground. Jessica separates, but Roxanne continues to close the gap and refuses to let her stand up. Roxanne moves to side mount and holds tight. She seems content to hang out there and doesn’t try to do any damage. Jessica keeps trying to bump her off, but Modafferi’s not going anywhere. Roxanne opens up with some punches and Jessica uses the opportunity to make it to her knees in turtle position. The 36 year old Rakoczy refuses to stop moving and bumps Roxanne over to her back with just over two minutes remaining. Jessica tries to throw punches, but she’s spends most of the time defending Roxanne’s submission attempts. Roxanne goes for a leg lock, but Jessica rolls through and their one their feet in the last minute. Roxanne wastes no time in going for a double leg. Jessica initially defends, but Modafferi is relentless. She keeps pushing and lateral drops Rakoczy to the ground and finishes the round on top.

Round Two

In between rounds Roxy appears to be gassed while Coach Rousey tells Jessica to, “box the [expletive] out of her.” Jessica drops Roxanne early with a right hand. She tries to rush in and finish, but can’t find a way around Roxanne’s guard and submission attempts. Jessica finally heeds her corner’s advice and stands up. Roxanne throws a half-hearted spin kick that’s met with a hard hook from Jessica. Showing that warrior spirit, Roxanne still charges forward and attempts a takedown. Jessica defends the takedown by grabbing the fence. The ref stops the fight, but only gives her a warning.

They restart and Jessica picks up where she left off and scores some hard knees. Roxanne drops for a double and finishes it. She doesn’t have enough energy to control from the top and Jessica soon reverses the positions. With three minutes left, Jessica slams Roxanne and it appears to stun her. Jessica brings the ground and pound and Roxanne appears to go out. The ref mercifully stops the fight and Team Rousey has their first win of the season.

Jessica is elated and dedicates the win to her son that she had to leave behind to be on the show. Roxanne is an unhappy warrior and lets loose a primal scream of grief. Shayna Baszler comes over to comfort her. “More than anyone else in the house I know what she’s feeling.” They’re both longtime veterans of WMMA and this was their chance to earn some recognition and the opportunity has been squandered.

It’s time for the fight announcement and Team Rousey chooses David Grant to take on injury replacement Louis Fisette. The show then wraps up with a preview of next week.

Can Louis Fisette redeem himself? Which fighters are struggling with making weight? Will Ronda’s mom show embarrassing childhood pictures? Find out this and more next week on The Ultimate Fighter!


The Season at a glance:


Team Tate:

1. Julianna Pena (1-0, submitted Shayna Baszler in episode 2)
2. Sarah Moras
3. Raquel Pennington
4. Roxanne Modafferi (0-1, Knocked Out by Jessica Rakoczy in Episode 4)
5. Cody Bollinger
6. Chris Holdsworth (1-0, submitted Chris Beal in episode 3)
7. Josh Hill
8. Louis Fisette (Replaced injured Tim Gorman)


Team Rousey:

1. Shayna Baszler (0-1, submitted by Julianna Pena in episode 2)
2. Jessamyn Duke
3. Peggy Morgan
4. Jessica Rakoczy (1-0, Knocked Out Roxanne Modafferi in Episode 4)
5. Chris Beal (0-1, submitted by Chris Holdsworth in episode 3)
6. David Grant
7. Anthony Gutierrez
8. Michael Wootten



**Got Questions for Shayna Baszler about tonight's TUF 18 Episode? Send them to admin@punchdrunkgamer.com or post them **

[Keithlewis]

[Keithlewis]

[Keithlewis]

Courtesy: Dan Downes, UFC.com



The episode opens at the house with Jessica Rakoczy cleaning up Roxanne Modafferi’s nose which she busted up in their fight last week. Jessica says a huge weight has been lifted off her shoulders by winning the preliminary fight, and feels that the victory legitimized her decision to leave her son and be on the show. Roxanne tells Jessica that she’s happy for her, but we later see her lying on the ground outside crying. She tried to hide from the cameras by taking her microphone off, but they caught up to her. The sadness is short-lived, however, and eventually she starts laughing and lives up to her moniker as “The Happy Warrior.”

Things then transition to this week’s fight between Louis Fisette and David Grant. The two happen to be roommates and we see them in their room chatting. David assures us that the fight will have no effect on their friendship. “We’ll be mates afterwards,” he insists. As David talks about friendship, Louis is primarily concerned about making his second chance count. Even though he lost to Chris Holdsworth to get into the house, an injury to Tim Gorman allowed him the opportunity to come back and compete and he doesn’t want to squander it.

We cut to another part of the house where some of the women are talking. Raquel Pennington talks about life as a gay athlete and the difficulties it entails. At first even her own family didn’t accept her, with the relationship with her mother becoming especially strained. As the years have passed, though, things have slowly returned to normal. Her motivation for telling the story is to let people know that it shouldn’t matter who you love. It’s like that Macklemore song, just not as catchy.

We then cut to David Grant talking about his own family. He’s starting to get homesick and misses his two sons and their mother. He credits his children with making him not only a better fighter, but a better man. Once they came around, it forced him to become more serious about his career and quit partying. He says that if he wins the tournament the first thing he’ll do is spend some of that money so he can marry the boys’ mother. She’s been an instrumental part of his success by working full time to provide for the kids while he chases his dream.

We then hear Ronda’s breakdown for the fight. She’s amazed David’s ability to beat opponents in a variety of ways. She’s admires the way that he uses his striking to wear opponents down, and once they’re hurt, he exploits openings on the ground to submit them. Her one cause for concern seems to be Grant’s tendency to “lose himself in his fights.” Basically, he gets caught up in the moment and makes mistakes.

After the break, we’re back at the TUF house and the cast mates are playing, “Truth or Dare.” The more this show goes on, it just seems like a slightly less violent version of high school, right? Sarah Moras must reveal who she thinks is the hottest guy in the house. Her answer is Anthony Gutierrez to which Julianna Peña responds, “Gross!” She doesn’t think he’s physically ugly, just that she doesn’t care for his personality. Sarah then asks Josh Hill to try to use a cheesy pickup line on Roxanne. In the worst delivery since Lindsay Lohan’s portrayal of Elizabeth Taylor, Josh comes up and delivers the classic, “Nice shoes. Wanna [expletive]?” line. I feel like Roxanne would respond much better to something made out of construction paper.

When Anthony Gutierrez’s turn comes up, he’s asked for his opinion of who is the weakest link in the house. He responds that it is Louis Fisette (right in front of him) and like a true man of conviction runs away. On the confessional cam, Anthony says, “If you’re going to play truth or dare, someone’s going to get offended.” That’s right, much like a UFC fight, truth or dare is a dangerous game that can often result in people being hurt.

We then learn more about Louis Fisette besides the fact that he still lives in his childhood bedroom. Growing up in Canada, his first exposure to MMA came when he was 18 years old. A friend of his brought him to a local gym and he instantly became hooked. After he had his first fight, he’s been chasing that feeling ever since. He calls it a “sick addiction.” Fresh off the Anthony’s comments, Louis realizes more than ever that he’s the underdog. He even goes so far as to say that 90% of the people of the house think that he’s going to lose.

As for the strategy to pull the upset, Louis believes his key to victory will be in the standup. If he’s aggressive and keeps coming forward he should be able to take Grant out. Miesha agrees with this assessment thinks David’s biggest weakness is when he’s forced to go backwards. As for the questions surrounding Fisette’s first fight, he may have lost to Chris Holdsworth, but Grant doesn’t have the same level of grappling.

After the break, we get a glimpse into the life of an MMA fighter. Think they’re all meticulous about their diets and judge your Krispy Kreme habit? Not these fighters; everyone is stuffing their face. People point the finger at Anthony Gutierrez as the biggest overeater in the group (I guess he’s a pig in multiple ways), but he says that he’s fine. The award to heaviest guy in the house goes to Cody Bollinger who clocked in at 157.5 lbs. He drops “I could eat one of those cinnamon buns.” Remember Gabe Ruediger from TUF 5?

Time for Team Rousey practice and she brings her mom, Dr. Ann Maria Rousey DeMars to come watch practice. Ronda tells us, “People will understand me a lot more once they meet my mom,” and that fact comes apparent quickly. Dr. DeMars wastes no time telling Team Rousey to pick it up. Apparently the bumps and bruises that go along with training have caused some of them to take it easy and sit out practice. She hammers home that it doesn’t matter what’s hurt or how you feel, you should be able to do something. As her mom takes charge, Ronda is beaming ear to ear and you see how much she respects her. Dr. DeMars is certainly intense and Jessamyn Duke remarks, “Ronda makes a lot more sense [now].”

After the break Team Tate sneaks into the opposing team’s locker room. In there they leave a coupon for Team Rousey assistant coach Edmond for a free eye brow waxing. It’s attached to a figurine of Sesame Street’s The Count because they look similar. Shayna Baszler finds it first and she and the rest of her teammates don’t really appreciate the joke. Ronda is the least amused of the bunch and descries this “passive aggressive bull [expletive].” They hide the whole thing from Edmond, weigh-in goes off without a hitch and it’s fight time.

ROUND ONE

The round opens with David Grant coming out strong. A five punch combination pushes Fisette to the fence where he shells up. David unloads a knee and the two clinch up. Louis reverses position, but soon finds himself back against the fence. One of Fisette’s knees gets grabbed and he tries to counter with a jumping knee. Grant doesn’t give him time to connect, and slams him to the ground. Blood starts to show on Louis’s forehead. From the ground, David stacks Louis up and brings a hard left hand down. He keeps the ground and pound coming and Louis tries to counter with a kneebar. David defends and uses the opening to transition to side mount. From there he attempts an armbar, but Louis defends and takes top position for himself. There’s a scramble and David winds up back in top position where he starts bringing vicious elbows. He keeps dropping them and Louis is in a bad place. Fisette shells up and Kim Winslow looks ready to stop it when the round ends. As Fisette gets up, there’s a noticeable gash over his right eye.

ROUND TWO

Looking to gain some momentum, Fisette shoots in right away. He doesn’t get the takedown, but he’s able to run Grant against the cage. Grant’s power is just too much for him, and he easily picks Louis up and slams him down again. He immediately moves to side mount and shortly takes the full mount. Louis gives up his back and David Grant starts pounding away. He moves for the rear-naked choke, flattens Louis out and secures the tapout. In the post-fight interviews Fisette has an honest assessment of how it went. “It was a one-sided beating and he was laying the hammer.”

It’s announcement time and Team Rousey will pit Jessamyn Duke against Raquel Pennington. Ronda (naturally) thinks it’s the perfect matchup for Jessamyn as her range and Muay Thai will be able to negate Raquel’s top control. Miesha is just as enthusiastic for the match, and said that it’s exactly the one she would have chosen because Duke doesn’t use her height effectively.

The episode wraps up with a sneak peek into next week’s episode. Do the coaches get into another confrontation outside the house? Can Team Tate’s Raquel Pennington take back control? Will Julianna Pena drop out of the show after realizing her true calling as a beautician? Find out this and more next week on The Ultimate Fighter!


Season at a glance:


Team Tate:

1. Julianna Pena (1-0, submitted Shayna Baszler in episode 2)
2. Sarah Moras
3. Raquel Pennington
4. Roxanne Modafferi (0-1, KO'ed by Jessica Rakoczy in episode 4)
5. Cody Bollinger
6. Chris Holdsworth (1-0, submitted Chris Beal in episode 3)
7. Josh Hill
8. Louis Fisette (0-1, submitted by David Grant in episode 5)


Team Rousey:

1. Shayna Baszler (0-1, submitted by Julianna Pena in episode 2)
2. Jessamyn Duke
3. Peggy Morgan
4. Jessica Rakoczy (1-0, KO'ed Roxanne Modafferi in episode 4)
5. Chris Beal (0-1, submitted by Chris Holdsworth in episode 3)
6. David Grant (1-0, submitted Louis Fisette in episode 5)
7. Anthony Gutierrez
8. Michael Wootten



**Got Questions for Shayna Baszler about tonight's TUF 18 Episode? Send them to admin@punchdrunkgamer.com or post them HERE**


.

[Keithlewis]

[Keithlewis]

Courtesy: Dan Downes, UFC.com



The episode opens at the TUF gym with Jessamyn Duke and Raquel Pennington discussing their impending fight. The two were originally supposed to square off when Jessamyn made her pro debut last year, but it fell through. Now, though, Jessamyn is more than happy to finally face her on the big stage. Raquel says that she was hoping to fight Jessamyn from the beginning. Team Tate breaks down the day with a “Team Rocky” chant on three. Does anyone else feel that these breakdowns have way too many syllables?

Back at the TUF house some of the ladies are bored and looking for something to do. Admitted tomboys Sarah Moras and Raquel Pennington allow Julianna Pena to make them over because as Sarah puts it, “she’s the little princess.” Both Sarah and Raquel definitely seem uncomfortable in their outfits and Julianna yells at them for “looking like linebackers.” Raquel seems to be struggling in the shoes and almost rolls her ankle. Probably not the best idea when you have a fight coming up, but I can’t help but think, “How many suitcases did Julianna bring?”

We shift to Team Tate training and Raquel is hitting pads. She’s focusing on throwing elbows and clinching in accordance with the coaches’ strategy. Jessamyn has a clinch-heavy game and they’re trying to teach Raquel how to counter that attacking style. Jessamyn fancies herself a Muay Thai striker, but Miesha doesn’t appear to be worried about Duke’s offensive capabilities. She questions Jessamyn’s power and ability to utilize the reach. Miesha also calls Raquel, “the strongest woman in the house,” she worries about her pacing and thinks she’s a slow starter.

After a break it’s time for another field trip to the Green Valley Ranch Resort to watch UFC fights. The Hooters girls are there as well as the perfect food for fighters trying to maintain weight -- a chicken wing buffet. Despite the deep fried surroundings, Michael Wooten is just happy to get out of the house. It’s not a very significant statement, but I think it’s the first time he’s actually spoken so it seemed worth noting. As Wooten breaks his code of silence, Jessamyn is back at the house alone. If she were preparing for a fight anywhere else, she wouldn’t be at a pool party the night before weigh-in, so she decided not to go. She uses that time instead to focus and tell us a little bit about herself. She discusses how people back home still can’t believe that she’s a fighter. After dabbling in modeling and acting (whatever that means) she decided to leave those industries because she didn’t like how they forced her to be phony.

While Ronda and Miesha may have avoided confrontation on this field trip, one is brewing back at the house. Just as Jessamyn heads to bed, the group comes back from the party, and Anthony Gutierrez appears to be intoxicated. In a disappointing rampage that would make Julian Lane cry, Anthony just yells and throws things at the ladies’ bedroom door. It wasn't creative, but it does annoys the girls and Raquel vows, “I’m not going to make [things] too pleasant for him.” The great revenge they plan involves waking Anthony up the next morning. Kids these days just don’t know how to rage on reality television. After some Team Rousey sparring, it’s fight time!

ROUND ONE

The round opens with the two trading jabs and low kicks. Jessamyn seems to be proving Miesha’s prediction wrong by keeping Raquel at the end of her reach. Jessamyn lands another hard low kick, but this time Raquel grabs it and they head to the fence. Jessamyn controls the clinch initially and then moves for a standing guillotine. Raquel breaks the hold and punches her way out and back to the middle of the cage. From there, she finally starts to gain some momentum and lets her hands go. Jessamyn tries to answer with some kicks, but Raquel walks through them and lands more punches. They trade a few more strikes, but a counter cross from Pennington hits the mark. The most significant strike of the round, it stuns Duke and Raquel starts to tee off with less than a minute remaining. The bell saves Jessamyn, who has a bloody nose to show for her troubles.

ROUND TWO

In between rounds Miesha Tate implores Raquel to keep moving forward while Team Rousey tells Jessamyn to use her kicks more and not get into a boxing contest. Jessamyn heeds her corner’s advice and uses her long legs to prevent Pennington’s offense. Raquel eventually gets an overhand right through, but she’s still having a lot of trouble getting on the inside. Jessamyn clinches and lands a knee to the body that forces Raquel to backtrack. As she’s retreating, Jessamyn eats a hard jab, cross combo and starts breathing hard. Either to do damage or catch her breath she clinches Raquel and lands more knees. They break and Raquel charges forward swinging leather. She pushes Jessamyn against the fence, and Duke’s face keeps getting bloodier. Jessamyn still has some fight in her and lands a knee to the face. With the 10 second warning, Jessamyn clinches again and delivers the damage as the round ends.

Dana White remarks, “That’s going to the third for sure.” We know how MMA judges have a penchant for letting Dana down, but not this time. This fight is going to the third.

ROUND THREE

As the third round opens, Jessamyn definitely looks to be the more battered and tired of the two while Raquel seems to be picking up steam. The round starts off a bit tentative with the two exchanging jabs. Jessamyn tries to keep kicking, but fatigue seems to be limiting her numbers. At the 2:45 mark, a right hand clips her. She tries to answer back with a head kick, but Raquel charges through and keeps punching. She connects with another jab, cross and Duke answers with some straight shots of her own. They keep going back and forth with neither one quitting, and you can feel the emotion in the gym. With 25 seconds left, Duke jump knees and it opens a cut over Raquel’s right eye. The round ends with the two leaving it all on the line.

As we head to the judges’ scorecards, all three gave the third and final round to Raquel Pennington and Team Tate takes control back. Miesha tries to shake Ronda’s hand and all she gets is a middle finger for her troubles.

It’s the fight announcement and the now confirmed non-mute Michael Wooten makes a second appearance. He will be facing accomplished grappler Josh Hill.

The episode wraps up with a sneak preview for next week. What’s Father’s Day like in the TUF house? Why does Dana White have to play peacemaker again? Now that we know he’s not a mute, will Michael Wooten ascend to Bobby Southworth levels of obnoxiousness? Find out this and more next week on The Ultimate Fighter!


Season at a glance:


Team Tate:

1. Julianna Pena (1-0, submitted Shayna Baszler in episode 2)
2. Sarah Moras
3. Raquel Pennington (1-0, decision win over Jessamyn Duke in episode 6)
4. Roxanne Modafferi (0-1, KO'ed by Jessica Rakoczy in episode 4)
5. Cody Bollinger
6. Chris Holdsworth (1-0, submitted Chris Beal in episode 3)
7. Josh Hill
8. Louis Fisette (0-1, submitted by David Grant in episode 5)


Team Rousey:

1. Shayna Baszler (0-1, submitted by Julianna Pena in episode 2)
2. Jessamyn Duke (0-1, decision loss to Raquel Pennington in episode 6)
3. Peggy Morgan
4. Jessica Rakoczy (1-0, KO'ed Roxanne Modafferi in episode 4)
5. Chris Beal (0-1, submitted by Chris Holdsworth in episode 3)
6. David Grant (1-0, submitted Louis Fisette in episode 5)
7. Anthony Gutierrez
8. Michael Wootten

[Keithlewis]

[Keithlewis]

Courtesy: Dan Downes, UFC.com


The episode opens at the training center. As the teams are heading to the vans to go back to the house, Dana White stops and talks to Raquel Pennington. Fresh off her impressive win over Jessamyn Duke last week, Dana tells Raquel that if she learns to let her hands go more, she can beat anybody on the show. They high-five each other and walk off. Julianna Pena sees this and jealousy starts to show. She says that Dana told her that he’s rooting for her to win the whole show. She hopes that Dana doesn’t have a new favorite because if he did, “[it] would just crush me.”

Back at the house, the boredom is really starting to set in. Luckily Ronda stops by to break it up with some gifts for all the dads since it’s Father’s Day. She even gives a shaving kit to Cody Bollinger who isn’t even on her team. Either through missing his family or realizing the importance of post-shave balm, Cody becomes emotional. Thinking about everything he’s putting his wife and two year old daughter through, he mutters, “It’s all gotta be worth it, right?” It’s unclear whether he’s trying to convince himself or us.

Next we hear from Team Tate’s Josh Hill, the first combatant in this week’s quarterfinal fight. His nickname “The Gentleman” comes from his great uncle, former pro wrestler Gentleman Jerry Valiant. Criticized for being a “pretty boy,” Hill admits that did some modeling, but, “I ruined it with cauliflower ears.” A former hockey player who was looking for something physical to stay competitive, Hill didn’t start MMA until he was 21 years old when he took a grappling class at his local gym.

It’s then time for the next volume in the ongoing feud between Team Tate and Team Rousey assistant coach Edmond Tarverdyan. Apparently the Team Tate coaches saw a movie with a character that that they deemed to be the perfect cross between Edmond and Ronda. They printed some pictures out, dubbed the figure, “Edmond Rousey,” and posted them up all over the gym. Always one to avoid confrontation, Dana shows up to play peacemaker and tears them down. Unfortunately he misses one in the sauna and Team Rousey’s Anthony Gutierrez finds it. In an act of maturity that we’ve come to expect from him, he runs off and shows it to Edmond. Edmond walks off and Ronda gets upset and accuses the Team Tate people of being racist.

After a break we catch a glimpse into a Team Rousey training session. Michael Wootten raves about Ronda’s coaching and grappling prowess. Ronda calls Wootten adorable and says, “I just want to squish his face.” In this case, though, it’s a good thing. Wootten readily admits that he doesn’t have an interesting origin story and leaves it at that. Let’s hope he fights better than he sells himself.

After another break, we’re back at the TUF house. Michael Wootten still has about 15 lbs. left to cut and is having a difficult time. David Grant comes in to help him, but they seem worried. Other than a towel malfunction that causes him to flash the whole crew, Wootten’s weigh in goes off without a hitch and it’s fight time.

ROUND ONE

Josh Hill begins the round with a jab, cross and immediately waist locks his opponent. Wootten initially defends, but Hill changes levels and slams him down. Working from guard, Wootten attempts a guillotine, but quickly gives up his back. Hill jumps on this opportunity and starts to work his hooks in for a rear-naked choke. He sinks it in deep, but somehow Wootten holds on long enough to break the grip. They return their feet, but Hill isn’t giving Wootten any space, and he drives him against the fence. Wootten scores some attacks from the clinch, but he’s still unable to clear enough space. Hill drops down for a single leg, but can’t hold Wootten down. After a small break from referee Herb Dean for a loose mouthpiece, Josh picks up where he left off and charges forward. In the closing seconds, Wootten is able to reverse position and land a few more knees, but the round definitely goes to Josh Hill.

ROUND TWO

Wootten comes out blazing with a knee that rocks Hill. Visibly dazed, Hill dives for a takedown. This time, though, Wootten defends and actually puts Hill on the mat. Wootten can’t advance his position, but he doesn’t need to as punches and elbows land cleanly. Hill tries to create space, but now Wootten is the one who’s blanketing his opponent. Hill scrambles to his feet, but still endures some attacks from Wootten’s clinch. They break and return to the center of the cage with half the round remaining. Wootten stalks Hill down and pushes him to the fence. Hill attempts a standing guillotine and then pulls guard to try to finish. Wootten escapes and returns to delivering the ground-and-pound. Hill turns his back and Wootten continues punching. He tries for the rear-naked choke, but doesn’t have enough pressure. This gives Josh Hill enough space to sit out and retake top position. Wootten works for a triangle, but both fighters look fatigued and the last 30 seconds are spent with weak punches being thrown on both ends. With Michael Wootten taking the second, the fight is tied and we’re heading to a sudden victory round.

ROUND THREE

Taking a page from Chael Sonnen’s book, Josh Hill throws a spinning backfist that misses wide. Wootten counters with a double leg and Hill answers with one of his own. Back against the fence, Hill searches for the single leg takedown. Wootten defends, reverses, and throws knees to the body. After trading positions a couple times, Wootten brings Hill back to the ground. Hill doesn’t stay there long as he returns to his feet and attempts for another single leg. They break apart with less than two minutes to go and Hill tries another ill-fated spinning backfist. This time Wootten plants Hill to the ground and drops an elbow. Hill tries to get out, but the round ends with Wootten on top bringing the punishment.

Michael Wootten wins the unanimous decision from the judges and Miesha goes to congratulate Ronda. Instead of a handshake, she earns a couple one finger salutes for her troubles because as Ronda puts it, “Miesha may be a great athlete, but she’s a terrible person.”

It’s then time for the least surprising fight announcements of the season as the last four cast mates to fight will square off. Team Rousey’s Peggy Morgan faces Sara Moras. In the final men’s first round fight, Anthony Gutierrez looks to advance against Cody Bollinger.

Will Team Rousey finish the first round strong? What type of fallout will result from the latest Team Tate prank? Does Julianna Pena go all Fatal Attraction? Find out this and more next time on The Ultimate Fighter!


Season at a glance:

Team Tate:

1. Julianna Pena (1-0, submitted Shayna Baszler in episode 2)
2. Sarah Moras
3. Raquel Pennington (1-0, decision win over Jessamyn Duke in episode 6)
4. Roxanne Modafferi (0-1, KO'ed by Jessica Rakoczy in episode 4)
5. Cody Bollinger
6. Chris Holdsworth (1-0, submitted Chris Beal in episode 3)
7. Josh Hill (0-1, decision loss to Michael Wootten in episode 7)
8. Louis Fisette (0-1, submitted by David Grant in episode 5)


Team Rousey:

1. Shayna Baszler (0-1, submitted by Julianna Pena in episode 2)
2. Jessamyn Duke (0-1, decision loss to Raquel Pennington in episode 6)
3. Peggy Morgan
4. Jessica Rakoczy (1-0, KO'ed Roxanne Modafferi in episode 4)
5. Chris Beal (0-1, submitted by Chris Holdsworth in episode 3)
6. David Grant (1-0, submitted Louis Fisette in episode 5)
7. Anthony Gutierrez
8. Michael Wootten (1-0, decision win over Josh Hill in episode 7)