32 fighters, 16 fights, 1 TUF house to get into
Tonight’s season premiere of the all-new “The Ultimate Fighter LIVE” features 16 live lightweight fights, the winners of which will make it into the house and onto this season of the show.
“The Ultimate Fighter LIVE” premieres tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern on FX, and HeavyMMA will have live coverage of the 16 fights as they happen. This season’s coaches are UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, who will fight for the third time in July after the conclusion of the show.
Fight 1: Joe Proctor vs. Jordan Rinaldi
Round 1: Leg kick checked by Rinaldi. He misses with a long jab. Proctor fakes a takedown, and Rinaldi misses on a combination. Uppercut scores for Rinaldi. The move to the clinch briefly, and Proctor takes several knees. He misses witha left hook, barely. Superman punch from Rinaldi misses, and Proctor counters with a a nice shot. First exciting exchange of the fight, as both fighters score. Takedown attempt from Proctor after catching a kick. He grabs hold of a guillotine choke. Rinaldi is on his back, struggling. He’s thinking about tapping and, ultimately, is forced to.
Official Decision: Proctor def. Rinaldi via submission (guillotine choke), 2:18 of Round 1
Fight 2: Christiano Marcello vs. Jared Carlsten
Round 1: Carlsten with a nice body kick, and Marcello misses with a counter hook. Both exchange kicks, and Carlsten grabs hold of his opponent’s leg to attempt a takedown. They clinch briefly, and Carlsten scores, but Marcello takes the fight to the ground. Full mount immediately for Marcello, who scores with some ground and pound. Elbows from the bottom from Carlsten, but Marcello answers. Carlsten needs to get up, but fails, as Marcello postures up to land several more shots. Carlsten rolls and Marcello takes the back. He has the choke, and Carlsten is forced to tap.
Official Decision: Marcello def. Carlsten via submission (rear naked choke), 2:43 of Round 1
Fight 3: Erin Beach vs. Sam Sicilia
Round 1: Both fighters throw, but Sicilia’s overhand right lands before Beach’s uppercut, sending Beach to the ground. Sicilia jumps on top, but is quickly separated by the referee. Impressive knockout.
Official Decision: Sicilia def. Beach via knockout, 0:08 of Round 1
Fight 4: Austin Lyons vs. Chris Tickles
Round 1: Fighters get right to it, exchanging combinations. Neither seems to land anything significant. Brief pause in exchange, but they quickly engage again. Tickles lands a straight right that floors Lyons. The referee steps in immediately to stop the fight. Nasty speed and power displayed by Tickles.
Official Decision: Tickles def. Lyons via knockout, 0:24 of Round 1
Fight 5: Brendan Weafer vs. Andy Ogle
Round 1: Weafer lands a combination, and the two tie up. Knees from Weafer, but he is quickly taken down. Ogle struggling to find the position he wants from the top, and Weafer is keeping him pretty well tied up. Ogle moves the fight against the cage, and Weafer throws his legs for a triangle choke. He has the position, but Ogle is defending well. Weafer has the choke locked on, but Ogle forces it loose. Weafer again locks it in, and Ogle is throwing punches. He is in a difficult spot with just two minutes remaining in the one-round fight, but forces his way out of the choke briefly. Weafer again locks it in, but he seems to be waiting on a mistake from Ogle before fully committing. Strikes from the bottom from Weafer. Nice elbows, as the fighters reach the one minute mark. Ogle looked to have an opportunity to escape, but he doesn’t seem interested. The choke is loosened, and the fighters are stood back up by the official. Kick from Weafer, and he falls back to the mat. Ogle with a guillotine choke, but the round expires. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Weafer.
Official Decision: Ogle def. Weafer via unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9)
Fight 6: Cody Pfister vs. Vinc Pichel
Round 1: Pfister with an early takedown attempt, but Pichel makes him pay with several nice uppercuts. His second attempt is a success. Pichel working off his back, locking in an omoplata. The lock rolls Pfister, and Pichel is on top. Pfister rolls back, but Pichel forces him back to the bottom. Interesting grappling battle so far. Pfister works back to his feet and takes several shots, but he takes lands another takedown. Pichel rolls to stand, and Pfister takes his back. Both are standing up against the cage, and Pfister has one hook, while holding onto Pichel’s shoulder. Pichel forces him off and gets top position. Vicious elbow slicing Pfister open. Blood is pouring from his forehead. Pfister is in trouble, and Pichel senses it, working to the back. He locks in the choke, no hooks. Pfister is forced to tap. Exciting and competitive contest.
Official Decision: Pichel def. Pfister via submission (rear naked choke), 3:39 of Round 1
Fight 7: John Cofer vs. Mark Glover
Round 1: Leg kick lands for Glover, and Coker answers. Head kick partially blocked by Coker, who lands a lunging straight left. Glover throws another kick, and Coker catches it. He drives Glover into the cage, closing the distance. Glover is able to separate with a short strike, but misses with a knee, and Coker throws him to the mat. Glover pushes back against the cage, but Coker lifts him up and slams him back down. Coker traps Glover’s right hand behind his back, limiting his opponent’s defense. Glover manages to get out and works up to the feet. They separate, and Glover taunts Cofer, looking for a dogfight, apparently. He lands a nice kick, but Coker locks him up again. 2:00 mark of the round, and Coker is lands another nice strike on the feet. He grabs for a guillotine, but Coker simply takes top position with just over 60 seconds remaining. Glover moving up the wall and is back to his feet. He lands a nice knee and barely misses with a nice left hook counter punch. Coker catches another kick and trips Glover to the ground. Glover gives up his back, but Coker seems content to hold on for the remainder of the round. He throws a few knees before the fight comes to a close. Glover clearly upset, throwing his mouthpiece and looking in Coker’s direction with a frustrated expression. Urijah Faber says cageside, “Don’t do that, buddy.” Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Cofer.
Official Decision: Coker def. Glover via unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9)
Fight 8: Chase Hackett vs. Chris Saunders
Round 1: Hackett lands a right head kick that puts Saunders on his back, though he is not hurt. Hackett follow his opponent to the ground, but Saunders grabs hold of a guillotine choke almost immediately. The choke is tight, and Saunders has held it for quite some time now. Hackett escapes and moves back to the feet. Knee from Saunders, and Hackett quickly backs away. Hackett moving forward now, after landing a decent combination. He drags Saunders to the mat. Saunders counters, looking for the single-leg takedown. He can’t get it, and the fighters are back to the feet. Hackett pressing forward again. Both fighters land, but Hackett’s kick is caught. Saunders presses him against the cage, but Hackett immediately turns him. Another decent combination from Hackett, but Saunders comes back with heavy shots. Nice right hook from Saunders, who seems pretty spent. Hackett presses forward again and grabs a leg. Saunders lands a knee, but is taken down. He locks on another guillotine attempt. He is squeezing hard. Hackett somehow survives again. Elbows from the bottom, and Hackett manages to land one from the top. Dana White feels Saunders won the fight, considering his statements during the contest. Heavy.com agrees, scoring the round 10-9 for Saunders.
Official Decision: Saunders def. Hackett via unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9)
Fight 9: James Vick vs. Dakota Cochrane
Round 1: Touch of gloves kicks things off, and Vick misses with a long front-kick. Cochrane looking for the takedown. He digs a knee into the thigh of Vick, who looks for a toss. Cochrane wins the clinch battle, working the fight down. And Vick gets right back up. Cochrane, persistent, looking for the takedown again. Vick reverses with a toss. Cochrane back up immediately, but eats a few knees. Cochrane looks for another takedown, but fails, and Vick has a headlock. He may be looking for a D’Arce choke. He lets it go. Cochrane is relentless with his takedown attempt, but falls into a headlock. Vick is trying to work the D’Arce. He lets it go. The fighters scramble back to the feet, but stay tied up. Cochrane presses Vick into the cage again.Vick with a nice knee, but Cochrane continues to keep the pressure on. One minute remaining, and this fight is close. The referee separates them, and Cochrane comes forward with a nice combination. He shoots in for another takedown, and, once again, Vick gets north-south. Cochrane adjusts in the final seconds and reverses Vick, to finish the fight on top. Tough fight to call. Cochrane put on constant pressure, but Vick defended takedown well. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Cochrane.
Official Decision: Vick def. Cochrane via split-decision (10-9, 9-10, 10-9)
Fight 10: Johnavan Vistante vs. Michael Chiesa
Round 1: Immediate takedown by Chiesa. Very quick shot. He picks Vistante up and slams him down. Side control for Chiesa. He works to the back, locking in his hooks. Vistante is in trouble here. Nice punches from Chiesa. Vistante rolls, and Chiesa has him face down. Punches from the top. Vistante tries to cover up, but he is having no success escaping. Chiesa mixes elbows and punches. He is flattening Vistante out. He rolls to the side and locks in the choke. Vistante taps. Dominant performance.
Official Decision: Chiesa def. Vistante via submission, 2:05 of Round 1
Fight 11: Mike Rio vs. Ali Maclean
Round 1: Touch of gloves to kick off the contest. Leg kick from Maclean, but Rio lands a nice counter hook, followed by a jab. Maclean lans a solid left, followed by several powerful shots. Rio comes back, but Maclean is landing with much greater power. Maclean counters Rio again, and then again shortly after. Takedown from Rio. He moves into side control, but, more importantly, is avoiding the power of Maclean. Maclean gains half guard, but Rio is smothering him. Brief scramble leads to Rio on top in North-South position, before transitioning to the back. Big punches from Rio, who picks Maclean up and slams him to the ground. He moves to the back and locks up the body triangle. Maclean is bloodied, but defending the choke. He attempts to roll. Good recovery by Rio, who takes mount, then immediately takes the back again. He locks in the choke, and Maclean is forced to tap. Good recovery from Rio after taking several powerful shots on the feet early.
Official Decision: Rio def. Maclean via submission (rear naked choke), 3:32 of Round 1
Fight 12: James Krause vs. Justin Lawrence
Round 1: Krause misses with a leg kick, and Lawrence misses with several spinning kicks. He presses forward with a combination and lands maybe one or two shots, but Krause is fine. Krause presses forward, missing with a kick. He looks to lock up, but Lawrence takes him down. Big shots from Lawrence. He tags Krause with a knee to the body and a vicious left hook that floors his opponent. Krause is out. Lawrence lands another shot, and Faber yells out cageside, “He’s out, he’s out.” Dana White comments on the referee in the fight, Steve Mazzagatti, and is not surprised by the late stoppage. Cageside commentary aside, impressive striking by Lawrence.
Official Decision: Lawrence def. Krause via knockout, 1:25 of Round 1
Fight 13: Daron Cruickshank vs. Drew Dober
Round 1: Touch of gloves kicks things off, and Cruickshank digs in with a solid body kick. Dober lunges in for a takedown and drives his opponent into the cage. He has a single, but Cruickshank escapes and lands a vicious head kick. And another. Fierce look on his face, Cruickshank rushes forward with punches, as Dober barely keeps his footing. Takedown by Cruickshank at the 3:30 mark. Dober has time to recover, but he was rocked and has a fairly nasty cut over his left eye. He works back up, but Cruickshank once again lands with his strikes. Dober with a takedown attempt. He nearly earns it, but Cruickshank recovers. Dober drives his opponent into the cage again, but Cruickshank pushes back. He pushes Dober across the cage in the clinch. Cruickshank grabs hold of a single and gets the takedown. Dober back to his feet almost immediately. They’re back in the clinch. Cruickshank separates and lands again. Dober once again drives his opponent into the cage. Knee from Dober lands flush, but only finds the groin of Cruickshank. The clock is stopped, as Cruickshank is given time to recover. He has five minutes, but doesn’t need much more than 30 seconds. Head kick from Cruickshank misses upon restart and he looks for the takedown. Dober reverses when Cruickshank fails and looks for a takedown of his own. Guillotine attempt from Cruickshank, but he lets it go. The round comes to a close, and Cruickshank should be advancing after a very solid five minutes. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Cruickshank.
Official Decision: Cruickshank def. Dober via unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9)
Fight 14: Jeremy Larsen vs. Jeff Smith
Round 1: Kick to the body lands for Smith to start the one-round fight and he presses forward with a takedown attempt. He earns it, and Larsen is already cut. Larsen works his way back to his feet, but Smith putting on constant pressure. Larsen is forced down again, but only briefly. He turns to land a takedown of his own, and Smith grabs a guillotine choke. He flips Larsen over and lets it go. Larsen escapes back to the feet and immediately earns another takedown. The cut isn’t pretty, but the bleeding is limited. Great escape from Smith, who works back up to the feet. Larsen presses forward with another takedown. He earns it again, but Smith is postured against the cage. Smith rolls for a leg lock. He has the knee bar locked, and Larsen appeared to almost tap. Larsen escapes and earns top position. He is in side control with 90 seconds remaining in the fight. Knees from the top. Smith is composed, but may be tired after the submission attempt. Larsen still on top with 20 seconds left, but he hasn’t done much. He attempts a transition to mount, but Smith looks for another leg lock. Larsen escapes to maintain top position, but that won’t win him the fight. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Smith.
Official Decision: Larsen def. Smith via unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9)
Fight 15: Al Iaquinta vs. Jon Tuck
Round 1: Both fighters hesitant at the start. Kick from Tuck, and Iaquinta catches it with ease, putting Tuck on his back. Tuck throws his legs up, looking for an armbar, Iaquinta lifts him up, and Tuck lets go. He grabs for a leg, but can’t find it. They scramble, and Tuck moves to Iaquinta’s back, but loses the position quickly. They’re back on the feet. They exchange after a lengthy stalemate, but neither land anything significant. Iaquinta comes up short on a combination, but he lands shortly after. Nice leg kick from Iaquinta. Tuck doing basically nothing on the feet, as Iaquinta digs in with another leg kick. Head kick from Iaquinta lands, but it has little power. Faber, Cruz, and White comment cageside on Tuck, stating that it appears as though his toe is broken. Takedown from Iaquinta. Tuck is not taking much damage, but he is not improving helping his chances from this position. He rolls for a leg lock, but the bell sounds, signaling the end of the fight. Tuck immediately informs the referee of his toe injury, while Iaquinta flexes in celebration. Certainly the most lackluster of the fights thus far. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Iaquinta.
Official Decision: Iaquinta def. Tuck via unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9)
Fight 16: Akbarh Arreola vs. Myles Jury
Round 1: Fighters exchange kicks early. Jury lands a body shot, while Arreola lands a solid leg kick. Jury with the takedown and is briefly caught in a submission, but escapes. Jury is staying very busy, while Arreola tries to wall-walk. Good base from Jury, as Arreola can’t seem to find any means of escapes. Jury with another nice shot. Arreola looks for an armbar, but Jury does a nice job of regaining his position and escaping danger. The referee stands the fight back up, but, after an exchange of kicks, Jury takes the fight right back where he wants it. Half guard for Jury now. Two minutes remaining int he round, and Arreola regains full guard. Faber and Cruz talk cageside, which is more intriguing than the fight, considering how civil the conversation is. The referee stands them up again, this time at the 90 second mark, and Jury, like clockwork, takes the fight down again. One minute remaining, and Arreola needs a stoppage at this point. Jury tries to strike, but Arreola defends well. Arreola nearly escapes with moments remaining, but Jury maintains top position. Good wrestling by Jury, but Arreola was never in serious danger. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Jury.
Official Decision: Jury def. Arreola via unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9)