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The Ultimate Fighter Season 9: Episode 12

June 17, 2009 By

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Episode 12: REMATCH

I’m still here, and on the eve of my baby’s due date, I get to enjoy the last regular episode of TUF!

Last week, the four remaining lightweights faced off. In the first fight, Andre Winner submitted Cameron Dollar with a triangle in round 1, giving the UK its first finalist. In the second fight, Ross Pearson went toe-to-toe with James Dent in a three-round brawl, winning with a unanimous decision. Tonight decides the remaining finalist for the welterweights – who will face Damarques in the Finale? Will it be Frank Lester or James Wilks?

At the house, the American coaches come over to grill up some BBQ and to just hang out with the team. They begin discussing the upcoming rematch between Lester and Wilks. Lester feels that if Henderson believes in him, he can believe in himself. He seems pretty confident in himself considering his path in the house thus far. Damarques even gives him a bit of a pep talk, saying that Lester can take more damage (though Damarques is a bit biased, as he refers to Wilks as a pompous prick).

On the UK side of the house, they are discussing much of the same. They noticed that in his fight against Faulkner, Lester was much more relaxed. They admit that Lester is probably stronger and tougher, but that Wilks is more technically skilled. It seems like both guys have a sound respect for each other.

The next day at Team UK training, Wilks feels he is probably the favorite because he’s already beaten Lester. However, Bisping doesn’t want to be overly confident because the first fight was so close. He feels like Wilks can win if he takes it to the ground because Lester is strong and has a good chin. The ground seems to be Lester’s weakness.

Once Team USA arrives at the gym, Lester says he feels comfortable in the cage because this will be his third fight in as many weeks. He sweetly calls the cage home. In discussing strategy and attitude, he tells Hendo that he’s “more clear headed” (hey, these guys aren’t really known for their ability to speak English, lol). Hendo calls for more straight punches: not too hard and not looping, but straight and quick.

Back at the house, Wilks and Lester seem to be getting along while chit-chatting about Lester’s daughter. They are actually pretty chill, and Lester adds that Wilks has kind of grown on him. They get in the sauna and get chummy. Lester openly tells Wilks that he didn’t like him in the beginning, and doesn’t really know why, but now he actually likes him. Could this be a ploy on Lester’s part to kind of get into Wilks’ head? Regardless, Dana likes this rematch because both guys think they can win. It should definitely prove to be pretty interesting.

Later that night, Amasinger is cooking up curry chicken as the coaches arrive. Bisping talks about how much he has enjoyed the coaching process – the coaching, meeting the guys, the camaraderie they’ve forged and the respect he has for them. Then Wilks decides to show off some parlor tricks, playing a joke on Bisping involving a penny – though I expected something seriously lame, it was actually pretty amusing. It’s nice to see Bisping able to laugh at himself for a change. After the coaches leave, Andre begins spitting his food out, deciding to also throw a wad of curry at Amasinger’s neck where it then explodes. The usually calm Amasinger quickly jumps to his feet, throwing chairs out of his way to find Winner. Uh oh! Could this be the dumba$$ antics we’ve been waiting for?

Amasinger chases Winner down near the pool and violently chucks him in. As Winner tries to get out, Faulkner then sneaks up and launches a bag of flour at him, turning him a nice pasty white. The joking ends when Amasinger then pushes Winner back in the pool. All got a good, spirited laugh. This is the most light-hearted the house has been all season.

Well, not all are light-hearted. Damarques and Lester are hanging out in their room, but Lester is crying. He claims not to be afraid, but he’s afraid of letting everyone down. I actually feel for the guy.

FIGHT DAY

The Brits talk about Wilks’ chances. They give Lester a lot of credit, and it is clear that Wilks is taking it seriously. Bisping wants Wilks to relax and follow the gameplan. Wilks wants to get this fight out of the way so he can fight in the Finale.

Lester feels like he has something to lose, as in a 6-figure contract. Lester seems much less composed, but this is his dream. The only thing standing in his way is Wilks (who Hendo reminds Lester was the one who knocked out his teeth).

ROUND 1: Wilks is the first to strike with a straight jab that misses. He follows it with a leg kick. Lester counters with a straight jab, then a wide right. Lester then gets inadvertently kicked in the nuts. They resume and Lester starts with a good body kick. A nice left from Wilks is followed by a good combo. Lester lands a solid leg kick. Wilks with a good offensive combo. Another good leg kick from Lester. Wilks is far more aggressive, while Lester is more cautious about his shots. They seem to jab at the same time, cancelling each other out. They have some weak exchanges, but Lester keeps chopping at Wilks with leg kicks. A solid right from Lester hurts Wilks. Wilks shoots and pins Lester against the fence, but can’t get him down. They clinch, but neither does much. They separate, and Lester lands some excellent shots. Wilks tries to shoot again, but Lester just keeps punching at him. They clinch and finally Wilks lands some knees. Wilks tries to sweep, but Lester keeps it on their feet. Still clinching, they exchange some head shots. They separate and both land good face shots. The round ends on their feet.

ROUND 2: Lester starts the round with a leg kick that lands straight to Wilks’ groin (though it looked lower to me). They restart and exchange a few jabs. Lester swings and misses with a left hook, but then Wilks swings and misses with a head kick. A nice straight left to Wilks’ face, but then Lester eats the same. Good straight kick from Wilks. Some so-so exchanges and finally Wilks lands another straight kick. A great right from Wilks lands, but Lester takes it. Then Lester lands a solid shot that rocks Wilks and Wilks shoots. They clinch, and Wilks keeps trying to sweep, but with no success. They break after a weak clinch and Wilks gets in a nice leg kick. Lester returns with a painful straight jab. A solid right hook from Lester gets checked. Wilks fakes with a low left kick and follows with a right head kick that rocks Lester. Wilks charges for the takedown and he controls Lester at the cage. They clinch and Wilks lands knee after knee. They get back to the center and continue to exchange as the round ends.

Seems to me that the fight is 1 round each.

ROUND 3: Both come out swinging, but Wilks is the first to connect with a nice leg kick. They exchange a lot, with Wilks doing more damage. He lands a straight kick, followed by a right that really rocks Lester. He charges and pins Lester against the cage. Neither does anything, but they break up and Lester lands a couple good jabs. Wilks lands a good knee when Lester gets close and gets him back up against the cage where he lands a few more knees. As Wilks is trying to get Lester down, Lester is looking tired. Wilks lands a nice knee that starts to drop Lester. As Lester starts to come back up, Wilks takes advantage with a couple more knees that keep him down. He crouches and Wilks continues pounding on him as the ref stops it.

Winner: James Wilks via TKO

Frank clearly did his best, but he was picked apart. He was tired going into the fight. Despite knowing that Wilks was definitely the better fighter, all are unbelievably impressed with Lester’s heart, especially Dana. I definitely foresee a future for Lester in the UFC.

Lester is disappointed in himself and feels like he let everyone down– he is just completely drained. But he looks at the bright side: that he’s leaving a better man than when he came in.

Bisping, back to being an a$$, is rubbing it in about being up 3-1 in the Finale. Hendo is just proud of his team overall. Heck, if Damarques wins, they end tied!

In parting words, Hendo says that this whole experience has made him want to beat Bisping even more because he’s “for lack of a better word, a douchebag.” Bisping disagrees and actually thinks he’s going to win on July 11th. In the words of Nelson….”HA HA!”

And so, there ends the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter. On Saturday, June 20th, live on Spike, the Ultimate Finale will take place. Brit Ross Pearson will square off against fellow Brit and friend Andre Winner in the lightweight battle, while UK’s James Wilks will take on the lone American Damarques Johnson for the welterweight contract. We’ll see soon who will be left standing at the end of the night!

Hopefully, the hospital I’m in will have Spike!

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The Ultimate Fighter Season 9: Episode 10

June 3, 2009 By

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“Smiling and Punching”

Previously, Pierce’s heart was questioned causing Dana to pull him from the fights, giving Frank Lester a shot at redemption. Tensions between the teams rise, as seen by the Bisping/Demarques drama. In the final prelim fight, UK favorite Faulkner fails to perform and gives Lester the most shocking upset. Tonight, the semifinal matches are decided.

As soon as the final prelim fight is finished, Dana calls in Hendo and Bisping to choose the semifinal fights. The coaches ideally would like to see Dollar/Pearson and Dent/Winner at 170, and Demarques/Wilkes and Osipczak/Lester at 185. However, they are still going to call each guy in one by one and see what they want to do.

So, they call in the guys and for the most part, they ask for what the coaches want, with one real exception – Dollar wants Dent (which Dana gets a kick out of)! Dana throws the idea of teammate vs. teammate out at the coaches and Bisping is adamantly against it. Hendo is less passionate, but agrees. Dana’s major concern though, is that the finale might not end up UK vs. US if they don’t do it this way. I don’t know where Dana’s going with this, but they call out the guys and announce the fights to the surprise of all:

Osipczak vs. Demarques
Winner vs. Dollar
Pearson vs. Dent
Wilkes vs. Lester

Once the initial shock wears off, Dana informs Frank that he’s the first guy who’s ever been brought back that’s actually won – wow, that is kinda huge.

Back at the house, the guys enjoy dinner together and discuss their opinions of the picks. No surprise, the guy doing the most talking is Pierce – talking to a couple attentive Brits about how the Americans were too busy drinking, and had no pride or motivation. Whitson (Shaun White) overhears this and calls him out on his behavior – reminding him how Frank fought all beat up, while Pierce wussed out. Pierce STILL claims he would have fought, but that it wasn’t his decision. Tempers calm, but Pierce is still all buddy-buddy with Faulkner, discussing techniques and whatnot. The next morning over breakfast, Whitson tells the others how he overheard Pierce telling Faulkner how Damarques trains (which Faulkner then tells Nick). Very shady.

The next day, at Team USA training Hendo is confident and thinks his guys have a good shot at doing well. In the previous few days, Damarques was sick, but seems better now. The ever-humble Damarques thinks he’s the best in the house – that he’s scary at the clinch, scary at the ground n pound…yada yada yada. Hendo apparently agrees and thinks Damarques will win the show. Ugh.

Rumors abound, and Hendo comes out and talks to Pierce (who said he’s looking forward to going home) to confront him about what he heard. He asks Pierce if he’s been telling the Brits guys about their training, which Pierce adamantly denies, and Hendo believes him! What a….eh, I can’t even say.

If only Hendo could see this, but later at Team UK training Nick talks about all the info he got from Faulkner about Damarques’ training. Of course, he will use it to his advantage. Bisping admits that Damarques is the US’s strongest guy and really needs to work on Nick. His intent is to work on his feet and his takedown defense. Nick will do whatever it takes to win.

FIGHT DAY

Nick realizes this is going to be his toughest fight to date, but thinks Damarques isn’t mentally as tough. Damarques (he’s praying again!) just wants to take his will to fight away from him. We shall see…

Round 1: Johnson takes the first shot, but Osipczak lands a good leg kick followed by another painful one. A great jab lands from Johnson. Osipczak goes in and takes another shot from Johnson. Johnson swings and misses, and they clinch. Johnson throws Osipczak down and is in full guard. They scramble a bit and are back up with a good exchange. Solid leg kick, followed by a missed head kick from Osipczak. More good exchanges and a nice rib shot from Johnson. Nice jab to the chin from Johnson. Osipczak goes in for a missed right and Johnson takes him down. Johnson is in full guard and Osipczak tries to keep his feet on his hips and goes for a triangle. Now Johnson is in half guard trying to pass for side control. Repeated unsuccessfull attempts to pass and Osipczak lands several elbows. Back in full guard, then half again. Johnson lands a few good shots and Osipczak tries to reverse. In full guard, Osipczak lands solid elbows, which Johnson returns. More elbows from Osipczak. Johnson backs off and lands a couple shots. He stands up and Osipczak is able to get up. They clinch and Osipczak lands a good uppercut that knocks Johnson back. Osipczak lands several more shots with Johnson against the cage, and it almost looks over. But Johnson regains himself and retaliates with good shots as the round ends.

Round 2: Both come out aggressive. A nice missed overhand gives Johnson a shot at a takedown. Johnson gets him down and has side control. Here he lands a couple knees and elbows. Osipczak rolls and Johnson is in his guard. Osipczak pulls his leg up and tries to get a triangle, meanwhile landing a couple elbows. Johnson passes into side control and tries to trap Osipczak’s arm for an armbar. Now he’s in half guard and lands some good elbows and jabs. Johnson tries to mount, but ends up back in his guard. They exchange some elbows, but neither is doing a whole lot. Osipczak tries to kick Johnson off, but no luck. A solid rib shot from Johnson. Osipczak tries to go for another triangle, but Johnson manages to mount him. He lands some good head shots and Osipczak rolls. With his legs wrapped tightly around Osipczak, Johnson rains down several shots (Bisping shut up about the back of the head!). Osipczak is protecting himself, but not doing anything to change the situation. The round ends with Johnson landing shot after shot to his head and ribs.

Round 3: Johnson takes the first shot and lands a few good jabs. Both look tired. Nice overhand from Osipczak, followed by a body kick. Now a good combo from Osipczak. A nice uppercut from Johnson misses. Johnson lands a BIG left, but Osipczak takes it. They clinch and Johnson lands a flying knee to Osipczak’s covered head. Osipczak is backing up and covering up a lot. A weak spinning backfist from Osipczak doesn’t land. Johnson is throwing a lot more shots, but Osipczak is blocking most. Osipczak kicks, but Johnson catches it and takes Osipczak down. In half guard, he tries to mount him. Johnson pretty much just lays on top of Osipczak and gets in some good elbows. He’s got one arm trapped and tries to pass. He finally mounts Osipczak, who rolls over. Osipczak reverses it and is in Johnson’s guard. Osipczak lands some good body and head shots, but nothing damaging. Johnson lands several head shots, as does Osipczak and the round ends.

Both coaches and Dana pretty much agree that Damarques was solid to start and got the takedown, but Nick was able to rock him toward the end of the round. Thankfully Damarques snapped out of it and gave it right back to Nick. A worn out Nick was controlled by Damarques in both the remaining rounds.

Winner: Damarques Johnson (unanimous decision)

Team USA is thrilled, and Dana compliments a very beat-up looking Damarques on his performance. Nick is disappointed, as this was the first fight he lost in his last 10. But it looks like the Americans have the first fighter to go into the finale!

Next time: the 4 remaining lightweights square off and we will be treated to two semifinal fights in one episode – who will move on to the finale?

Personally, as much as I don’t like Damarques as a person, I’m glad to see the Americans take the first win into the finals. It wasn’t the most technical, nor the prettiest fight, but a win is a win. How funny would it be to see a Damarques vs. Lester finale?

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The Ultimate Fighter Season 9: Episode 9

May 27, 2009 By

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In last week’s episode, Dana White pulled the plug and informed Jason Pierce that he is out. His buddy, David Faulkner, has gag-reflex issues when it comes to his mouthpiece. All drama aside, American Jason Dent defeats Jeff Lawson. With one preliminary fight left, who will replace Jason Pierce to take on Brit favorite David Faulkner?

Team USA is pumped about Dent’s win, until Henderson breaks the news to the team about Pierce. Now the task is to figure out who is going to replace him. Having lost their initial fights, Mark Miller and Frank Lester are the only two available. Miller has a broken nose, but tells Dana that he is willing to take the fight as long as he can train. A very excited Lester is also willing and able – even toothless. Even with losses behind them, they have a helluva lot more heart than Pierce. With all the news, the ride home is quiet until Defranco asks Pierce about how it went down with Dana. In his defense, Pierce says he told Dana he wants to fight (liar, liar, pants on fire!).

Back at the house in the “Bash Room”, no one is buying Pierce’s BS. They know he didn’t want the fight. But Lester and Miller aren’t complaining. Lester is all about getting a second chance again considering how he got into the house in the first place. Same goes for Miller.

So it comes down to the doctors. Lester is cleared to fight, but Miller is not because of his nose. Now, Lester needs to be ready to go. Though I don’t particularly like Lester, I do agree with Dana in that Lester’s sheer will and determination to fight (eh, they’re just teeth) is impressive. If anyone should have the opportunity to go at it again, it’s him.

Hendo discusses game plan with Lester, but Lester looks nervous – and rightfully so. It’s only been a few days since his last fight and he knows he’s not 100% ready physically. Even with his beat up face, Hendo is sure that he will give it his all. The kid has heart, that’s for sure. Mr. Cheerful himself, Demarques points out that the odds are not in their favor and goes so far as to compare Lester to a pit bull with his teeth filed down.

As Team USA is finishing up their training, they discuss swapping training times with the Brits. The plan is to switch and give the Brits the early gym time. However, when it is brought up to Bisping, he gives Hendo a hard time about it, claiming he can’t just up and change it with no notice. Instead, he suggests that whoever wins the next fight can choose training time, which Hendo turns down. Not one to just “roll over and take it up the a$$” he must talk it over his team first. Holy pissing contest Batman!

After discussing it with his team, the Brits say no and Bisping really thinks it’s fair to let the fight decide it. Letting it slide for the moment, they line up for the fight announcement. While the Brits are walking in, Bisping, in all his maturity, squirts Demarques with his water bottle. In response, Demarques throws his hat at him in a hissy fit. Bisping claims it was because of his “racist” comment from the tennis match (the joke about Bisping being as white as a bandaid), which he is now told was made by (the white) Dollar. Wisely, Demarques storms out as Bisping apologizes for his actions. What an ass. Eventually, Demarques reappears and the announcement is made.

The next morning, the Brits are up early and are at the gym. Apparently, the “powers that be” overruled him and the times were switched. Faulkner is very confident about his game and his ability to win, but he’s preoccupied with his gag reflex. They decide to bring in a hypnotist. Hey, if Faulkner believes in it, go for it. He goes to see her, and her goal is to “reprogram” him. She tries to convince him that his mouthpiece is for protection and safety. Faulkner claims he wasn’t actually hypnotized. His limbs felt heavy, and he felt relaxed, but nothing else. I hope for his sake it works!

Sadly, Faulkner is not the only one have psychological issues. Lester is having trouble getting to the fight mentally. He wants to give it everything he’s got, just to prove it to himself. In his eyes, he feels like if he can get through this he can get through anything.

FIGHT DAY

ROUND 1:
Lester is keeping back at first, looking nervous. Finally, a good leg kick from Faulkner followed by another. Lester also lands one. Faulkner goes in on Lester and gets jabbed. Lester keeps throwing jabs at the air. Finally they really exchange and clinch. Lester is against the cage but neither do much. Faulkner lands a couple weak body shots. He tries to get Lester down but can’t. They separate and Faulkner lands a leg kick. A nice overhand from Lester. Some good head shots from Faulkner, but a good shot from Lester knocks Faulkner off balance. He shoots on Lester and they clinch. Not much action going on and they separate. Faulkner goes on the offensive and lands some good head shots. They exchange some nice clean shots. Faulkner comes in and Lester lands a great jab on Faulkner’s jaw. Faulkner moves in and they clinch. The round ends with zero action, though I’d give the round to the more aggressive Faulkner.

ROUND 2:
The round begins the same as the first. Ho hum until Faulkner spits his mouthpiece out! He gets it back and they resume. A good overhand from Lester is followed up with a good leg kick from Faulkner. A good head kick from Lester and he’s on the offensive. They clinch and Lester lands a solid knee to the ribs. They separate and Lester is throwing punches that land. They clinch in the center and Lester is landing knees all over the place. Faulkner pulls back for an uppercut, but doesn’t do much. More knees from Lester. Faulkner tries for an overhand but misses. They’re back to clinching against the cage, but both are visibly tired. Faulkner lands a good knee, but so does Lester. Faulkner backs up and Lester lands a good punch. They are both just swinging wild and tired. A nice jab from Lester followed by two more. There is more clinching with nothing. A brief exchange and the round ends. This round was all Lester.

A third round is anticipated by all…

And a third round there will be. In their corners, Lester is being pumped up, while Faulkner is just shaking his head in denial. He says he just can’t do it. No matter how much he’s told he can do it and that he’ll regret it, Faulkner just won’t get up. The fight is called and Lester wins.

Frank Freakin Lester. The guy loses his fight to get in the house, but is then brought back in as an alternate. He wins that fight (barely) in controversial fashion only to lose his first real fight in the house while getting his teeth literally knocked out. He gets yet another chance and manages to “out heart” quite possibly the toughest guy on Team UK. This kid is unbelievable. If some the guys had half his heart….wow.

Bisping is PISSED about the Americans gloating, so he storms off. He rounds up his guys and nearly breaks the door down in anger. Bisping feels like Faulkner threw the lead away. Faulkner, however, feels relieved and doesn’t regret it. He even goes so far as to joke about pursuing movies or pro-wrestling. A frustrated Bisping can’t listen to it anymore and calls out his four semifinal guys. They are told not to give up, to give it all they’ve got. They seem pumped, or maybe they just don’t want to be lumped in with Faulkner.

Team USA is proud of Lester, who is just overwhelmed and shocked. Hendo says he has a mental toughness you just can’t teach. Agreed.

Next week:
Richie goes off on Pierce. Semifinal picks are decided – will teammate fight teammate? Two welterweights battle to secure their spot in the finale. If next week is anything like tonight, it’ll be interesting to say the least!

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