Episode 9 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 10 gets underway and Coach Evans is trying to find a way to train his contestants to fight one another after spending the first half of the season as team mates. His solution is to have them train together but not get individualized instruction.
Justin Wren, who fights Roy Nelson in tonight's quarterfinals bout, is uncomfortable training so close to "Big Country" when he knows he'll soon be standing across from him inside the cage.
Matt Mitrione complains of brain pain following his win over Scott Junk. "Meathead" was putting on a performance in the van on the way home from the gym but the rest of the gang wasn't taking the bait.
Since no one was paying any attention to him, he turns it up a notch with dry heaves and all kinds of psychosomatic symptoms that of course has Kimbo Slice beaming with the hope that Mitrione has a concussion and will be unable to fight, giving the former YouTube star a backdoor into the quarterfinals.
Coach Rampage calls Kimbo the most improved contestant which I find hard to believe since Slice gets in the confessional and talks about landing haymakers. Coach Evans isn't sour on the idea of a Kimbo return and thinks it might add a little excitement to the remaining match-ups.
Team Rampage thinks Team Evans is cocky so they decide to go out and stick a bunch of orphaned roosters in the cars of Rashad and his coaches. Get it? "Cock" ... "Cocky" ... Oh that Rampage, he's such a character.
The prank backfires because not only does Team Evans get a good laugh over the chicken fiasco, they get new rental cars to replace the ones that were defecated on by the wild birds.
Back at the house, Wes Sims asks a returning Matt Mitrione how his trip to the gynecologist was. Tee hee. Meathead responds that his brain is scrambled. Duh. We knew that already.
Commercial break shows a trailer for a movie titled "Ninja Assassin" that shows all those tired karate moves where guys are flying through the air in slow motion/Matrix-style.
Somewhere out there Sonny Chiba is changing the channel in shame.
UFC President Dana White shows up at the house unannounced to get a first hand look at the Mitrione situation. Matt assures Dana he's good to fight and is confident the doctor will agree. Scott Junk is also on standby in case they need a last-minute replacement.
James McSweeney predicts Justin Wren will overcome the skills (and belly) of Roy Nelson and take the fight. Kimbo disagrees, probably because he doesn't want the guy that owned him getting bounced out in the very next fight. Brendan Schaub calls for a stand-up war.
At the weigh-ins, Dana sneaks in a few more potshots at Roy Nelson then goes on to sing the praises of Justin Wren. Marcus Jones can't pick against Wren because he's so cute and likable. Oooookay. Wren is reading a prayer on the way to the fight. Matt Hughes would be proud.
Quarterfinal elimination fight #1: Roy Nelson (13-4) vs. Justin Wren (8-1)
Round 1: Wren charges with heavy punches but gets nothing. And again. Three times. Uh, four times. Five, but this time he lands and stuns Nelson who quickly ties him up and pushes him to the cage. They grunt and struggle for position until the referee separates them. Quick one-two by Nelson. Violent combo by Wren sends Nelson into a retreat. Wren throwing HARD. Wren eats two jabs and answers with a haymaker that grazes. More of Wren charging like a bull. Combo by Nelson. Another. Nice inside kick by Nelson. Wren charges and eats an uppercut. Wren starting to gas from all the power punches. Nelson finding his range and being elusive like a 300 lb. Lyoto Machida. Round over. Likely goes to Wren for the aggression and opening assault. Nelson landed but wasn't busy enough.
Round 2: Nelson jabs and Wren bulldozes in. Nelson retreats and avoids any damage. Hard right lands for Wren. Another. Jab lands for Nelson. Body shot for Nelson. Wren shoots and slips but escapes a Nelson flop. Wren charges and uses the Thai plum but Nelson uppercuts his way out of it. A spent Wren can barely keep his hands up. Nice low kick by Nelson who is also gassed. Wren eats another kick. Both guys lurching about, mouths agape. A right connects for Wren. Good low kick by Nelson. Body shot by Nelson. Nice low kick by Wren. Fight has turned into a disastrous display of exhaustion and rippling cellulite. Round over. I give it to Nelson for landing more shots. Should probably be a third round but of course there isn't.
Roy Nelson defeats Justin Wren via majority decision.
Dana White shakes his head in disgust.
Stay tuned next week as Matt Mitrione continues his woe-is-me routine, the coaches challenge features Rashad vs. Rampage in a game of beach volleyball and it's John Madsen against Brendan Schaub in the second round of quarterfinal action.
See you in seven!
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