Arizona Combat Sports’ Jesse Forbes may never be able to live down his time on The Ultimate Fighter 3. With that being said, his performance last Friday night at MTX AUDIO’s FIGHT NIGHT 2: EVOLUTION is a step in the right direction in helping him become recognized for his fighting instead.
On The Ultimate Fighter 3, there was smashing of furniture, drinking, and basically all of the things fans of the reality show have grown accustom to over the years. Even with his craziness, Forbes did not approach the level of TUF bad boys Chris Leben and Junie Browning.
Even putting his antics aside, his performance inside the Octagon during the show left a lot to be desired. After being picked first by Ken Shamrock, he went on to lose to loverboy Noah Inhofer and then now welterweight Josh Haynes. As one of the youngest ever competitors on the show, he showed hints of talent and an impressive wrestling pedigree, but did not produce results.
Since the reality show his career has been bittersweet. Going into Friday night he was a respectable 6-3 with wins over the likes of Jesse Taylor and Victor Moreno, but yet lost his only two fights under the Zuffa banner. As he was easily defeated by Matt Hamill, and lost a back and forth brawl with Bryan Baker. The only blemish on his record came in his last fight against fellow TUF alum Ryan Jimmo.
Despite coming off a loss, Forbes found himself in the main event of his sponsor’s fight card at MTX Audio’s Fight Night 2. Being in the main event brings with it the same pressures that certainly contributed to his Zuffa failures. Needing the win, he finished J.R. Schumacher impressively by TKO at 3:13 of the first round.
Quality performances in high-pressure situations are what Forbes needs to change his reputation in the sport. In the always-fickle world of MMA, simply a few more wins might turn his calling card from reality show clowning to devastating ground and pound.
The full results for the MTX AUDIO FIGHT NIGHT 2: EVOLUTION can be found here.
By: Richard Mann