As the premiere episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller opened, UFC President Dana White stood in the center of the Octagon and welcomed in the 32 contestants.
For the first time, the show will highlight the bantamweight (135 lbs.) and featherweight (145 lbs.) divisions this, the fourteenth and final season on Spike TV. Beginning next season (TUF 15), the show is moving to FX, and the fights will be live.
The show moved right into the preliminary fights to get in the house:
- Bantamweight – Josh Ferguson def. Casey Dyer via knockout (punches) Rd 1
- Featherweight – Diego Brandao def. Jesse Newell via knockout (punches) Rd 1
- Bantamweight – John Dodson def. Brandon Merkt via TKO (strikes) Rd 1
- Featherweight – Dennis Bermudez def. Jimmie Rivera via TKO (strikes) Rd 2
- Bantamweight – Roland Delorme def. BJ Ferguson via submission (triangle choke) Rd 1
- Featherweight – Marcus Brimage def. Bryson Wailehua-Hansen via TKO (strikes) Rd 2
- Bantamweight – Johnny Bedford def. Carson Beebe by submission (guillotine choke) Rd 1
- Bantamweight – Dustin Pague def. Tateki Matsuda by majority decision Rd 2
- Bantamweight – Louis Gaudinot def. Paul McVeigh via TKO (strikes) Rd 3
- Featherweight – Bryan Caraway def. Eric Marriott via unanimous decision Rd 2
- Featherweight – Dustin Neace def. Josh Clopton via unanimous decision Rd 2
- Bantamweight – TJ Dillashaw def. Matt Jaggers by knockout (elbow strikes) Rd 1
- Featherweight – Steven Siler def. Micah Miller by submission (guillotine choke) Rd 3
- Bantamweight – John Albert def. Orville Smith by submission (rear-naked choke) Rd 1
- Featherweight – Stephen Bass def. Karsten Lenjoint by submission (triangle choke) Rd 1
- Featherweight – Akira Corassani def. Brian Pearman by knockout (punches) Rd 1
The fighters that won in the preliminary round got to stay and move into the house, and those that lost returned to the corners of the Earth from whence they came.
For those who do not know yet, Steven Siler will be ProMMAnow.com‘s official TUF blogger. So stay close because his blog will be going up very soon as he shares his thoughts on episode one, and after seeing him choke out a cocky Micah Miller and making Dana White look rather foolish, we are damn excited to read his take on everything.
Before Steven’s fight with Micah began, White actually crossed Steven’s name off the roster with a marker thinking he was going to lose because of the way he reacted when he heard he was fighting Micah. If you do not know, Micah is a WEC veteran and the younger brother of longtime UFC vet Cole Miller.
Steven’s win was definitely the biggest fight of all the preliminary fights because his opponent had the biggest name on the show, and not only that, but Micah is considered very adept on the ground, so for Steven to actually choke him out is even more impressive.