Hey everyone, Ryan McGillivray here again with another inside look at this week’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos.
First of all I would like to apologize for the tardiness of my recap. I had emergency dental surgery and kind of had me out of it for a day.
This week concludes the first round of fights with the wild card fight and a little drama with the wild card pick from last week.
Len unhappy with wild card pick
We start this week’s episode revisiting the wild card announcement where Chuck O’Neil is slated to fight Javier Torres. Overshadowing the second chance for these two fighters is Len Bentley and his displeasure with the choice.
He runs after Dana when the announcement is over to try to understand why he wasn’t picked. To me his ability to let that go and focus on trying to get onto the finale shows that Len really didn’t want to fight in the wild card. But that is just my impression.
Dana tells him that he didn’t show him that he wanted the fight or that he was healthy enough to fight. Len says okay and we all think that is the end of it, boy were we wrong.
Javier Torres
We take a little break from the drama of the wild card and get a look at Team dos Santos’ training session, along with Javier’s fight preparation.
From a personal point of view he was looking very good and sharp. He was talking a lot about doing this for his family and making a better life.
With that kind of motivation and his skills I saw in the gym I was very confident that he would not have a repeat performance.
Also, in the beginning it seemed like Javi had a hard time taking suggestions and direction from the coaches. This was also changing and he seemed to be really coming around.
Chuck O’Neil
When they give us a look at Chuck’s training session for his fight I was very surprised. I hadn’t seen much of their training to be fair but talking to the guys on the team, the impression I got was that Brock wasn’t a good coach.
After watching that segment, it really looked like he was on point and there for Chuck. Granted, I know more than most, things aren’t always as they seem on TV, but still was a pleasant surprise as Chuck and I were getting closer in the house.
When he first arrived I think we both rubbed each other the wrong way for whatever reason. As time passed he and I seemed to be much more alike than I had originally thought.
Coaches’ Challenge: Brock vs. Junior on the football field
I was very nervous to see the football field as we arrived for the coaches’ challenge. Knowing Brock had a football back ground and Junior did not, I did not favor our chances.
Granted, at this point I think we were all just happy to have a change of pace and to be out of the house. The schedule can be a little boring after a while and I more than welcomed the change in scenery.
Right off the start both Junior and Brock were dead even through all of the athletic obstacles. I had tried pushing a sled before and the technique of it can be tricky.
As they approached that I was a little nervous but Junior plowed right through it. As they arrived at the field goal kicking they were dead even and it was getting very exciting.
I have never laughed so hard and been as nervous as I watched the coaches kick the field goals and throw the ball through the octagon. It took many tries for both and was very hard not to laugh.
As we saw Junior turn the corner catching the pass for his 100 yard run we all started to jump and get up. At the 50 yard line he started high stepping and we all started running onto the field telling him to keep going and hurry.
It was an amazingly fun day and I really enjoyed myself a lot.
Fight Time!
Now the wild card fight has arrived. I think if Javi really brings it this time he has a great chance as he is very talented.
For some reason both fighters were a little tentative to start the bout, perhaps as so much is on the line.
Once they settled in you could see that Chuck wanted it more and Javi was once again just going through the motions.
I looked over to Eddy and said, “Here we go again, he won’t pull the trigger.” After some decent exchanges and a fairly entertaining first round I had Chuck winning the first round.
The second round was much the same though I felt Chuck was pulling away. He locked in a gator roll choke which is my personal favorite and Javi tapped losing the fight in the second.
I really felt bad for Javi as he has the skills but just couldn’t put it together. On the flip side, even though he isn’t my teammate I am very happy for Chuck as he truly deserved it and proved himself.
Quarterfinal match-ups announced
The next round picks have been decided as we are on to the next round. Some very good match-ups coming up make sure you stay tuned.
- Shamar Bailey vs. Chris Cope
- Ramsey Nijem vs. Clay Harvison
- Ryan McGillivray vs. Tony Ferguson
- Zach Davis vs. Chuck O’Neil
I’ll see everyone next week after the first two quarterfinal fights. Hopefully not right after surgery. Once again I apologize for the delay.
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If you need to catch up on Ryan’s blog from previous episodes check out the archives here: Ryan McGillivray’s TUF 13 blog.
Ryan McGillivray’s TUF 13 blog will be posted on ProMMAnow.com following each Wednesday night episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos. Be sure to follow Ryan on Twitter @KidMcGillivray.