Joe Proctor vs. Chris Tickle (Josh Hedges/UFC)
Friday’s live fight: Joe Proctor vs. Chris Tickle
“The Ultimate Fighter LIVE” Episode 6 is set to air Friday at 10 p.m. Eastern on FX, and Heavy.com has you covered.
Tune in for a live running recap of the episode and live coverage of the fifth of eight first-round bouts in the tournament of 16 fighters coached by UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and top contender Urijah Faber. Team Faber pulled even at two wins a piece last week thanks to Michael Chiesa’s emotional win over Jeremy Larsen. Faber then picked Joe Proctor from his squad to face Chris Tickle from Team Cruz. That fight will take place in the live portion of tonight’s show.
Episode Recap
The episode begins with the focus on Tickle’s attempts to get out of training, before moving on to Faber’s team earning its first victory of the season. Following that win, Team Faber picked up another win, evening up the score. Faber says Proctor has the better technique and that it is a great match up. Cruz disagrees, thinking Tickle has what it takes to get the finish, believing that the judges can take the night off.
Show cuts to a locker room scene following Chiesa’s win. He is emotional after the win, while Team Cruz is feeling down after the loss. Cruz cites the lack of takedown attempts as the reason for the loss. Meanwhile, Tickle is drunk, deciding to watch the fight under the influence. Tickle is running his mouth, and Cruz is not happy. He tells Tickle to stop the talk, but says that he does like the guy.
Later, Tickles pulls Cruz aside and tells him to push him. The alcohol is talking, as it is no secret that Tickle is not a fan of training.
Next, Proctor is shown talking about Tickle, saying that he likes him and that he is a good guy. Tickle is then shown eating corn dogs. He says he is taking this seriously, but all signs point to the exact opposite. His teammates seem to see this, expressing their discontent with Tickle, saying he should be taking this opportunity seriously. It’s not every day you get coached by Cruz, they say.
Back from break, Mike Rio discusses his knee issue. He says he wishes one day would be a more relaxing day, hoping to use that time to recover and not continue to put strain on his body in order to heal up.
Team Cruz then piles into the bus and drives over to the UFC gym. Cruz gives Tickle some advice before training began, telling him that he was frustrated with Tickle the other night. Surprisingly, Cruz actually apologizes for being hard on him, saying that he, too, makes mistakes.
Team Cruz is then shown in an intense training session. Cruz is frustrated with Rio, saying that he is not working to the fullest. Rio and Justin Lawrence really start getting into it when Lawrence starts throwing a lot of kicks. Rio counters by taking his opponent down and has his way with Lawrence, pulling off an arm bar submission.
Cruz pulls Lawrence aside, telling him that he frustrated himself by letting one bad round affect him.
Meanwhile, Team Faber pulls up to the gym, and Proctor discusses his background, fighting out of Lauzon MMA. He addresses his home life, saying that his parents both had substance abuse issues. He says this is his one shot and he is going to make the best of it.
Faber says that Proctor is quiet, but there is nothing coy about his power. Proctor says that he is a ground guy, but loves the striking game. He and Faber are shown in the cage, with Faber giving a lot of advice in terms of striking defense. He says that Tickle is not scared to get hit.
Faber also says that Proctor is the teams dark horse and that he is very stable in the mind, especially in comparison to Tickle.
Back at the house, Tickle is once again looking to play a prank. He cuts up a water jug, puts it on top of the door, and it pours all over Proctor when he enters the house. Proctor is a good sport about it, finding it funny instead of frustrating.
Proctor and Tickle are now shown live, preparing in their respective locker rooms for tonight’s contest.
Back to earlier this week, Tickle and the rest of the contestants are celebrating Easter. Tickle cooks up a turkey for the rest of the house, as the other guys play in the swimming pool. They then grab some bags and make a slip-and-slide and seem to be enjoying themselves.
Inside, Tickle is carving the turkey. He talks about how he did not really have a strong family life and had a difficult upbringing. He says mixed martial arts saved his life and that he is a self-made fighter. He also says he learned jiu-jitsu from YouTube and didn’t have a coach until three months ago.
He goes on to address being a father and says he wants to succeed for his family. He has two kids.
Back from another break, Team Cruz piles out of the van again, getting ready for a training session. Cruz says he has no idea what is going through Tickle’s brain at this point, but Tickle says he likes where he is at right now. Cruz recognizes that Proctor trains with Lauzon, so he is working with him on submission defense.
But Cruz is also focused on getting Tickle to fight smart in terms of cardio, understanding that he needs to be ready for 15 minutes if there is a third round. Tickle is shown working on takedown defense, but says that his “gravy” is to stand and bang. Oh, and he also says he is going to “whoop Proctor’s ass.”
At the weigh-in, Cruz asks Faber if he is nervous. Faber says he isn’t nervous about a fighter who doesn’t get any finishes, referring to Cruz, who comes back, telling Faber to focus on the weigh-ins. Tickle walks up to the scale eating pizza, but he comes under the 155 lb. mark. Proctor comes in at 155 even.
Proctor says that he is the quiet guy, but is here to win the tournament. Tickle says he is going to earn the knockout and get the pay check.
Faber and Cruz are then shown outside the gym getting into it, but nothing significant comes of it, except for a few swear words. Not exactly “Rampage” Jackson and Rashad Evans trash talk.
Faber is then shown in the locker room as Proctor gets his hands wrapped. The fight will begin momentarily.
Tickle and Proctor are now shown in the back, and the last-minute preparations are underway. Jon Anik runs through the scoring system and rules of the cage. Tickle walks out first. Proctor comes out of the locker room just moments later.
And here we go.
Joe Proctor vs. Chris Tickle
Round 1: Touch of gloves begins the opening round. The fighters exchange jabs, but Proctor lands the better one. Tickle comes up short with a right cross, but lands a nice leg kick. He comes forward with a combination, but can’t score. A head kick is blocked by Proctor. Nice straight right lands for Proctor, who clinches. Tickle turns him up against the cage and separates with a nice right. Tickle misses with a left, and then with two wild kicks. Proctor with a nice one-two combination, and Tickle misses with a lunging combination. He comes forward again and seems to just barely land with a long right. Proctor with a nice straight right, ducking out of the way of a counter. Kick from Proctor. He looks to strike, but Tickle lands a nice hook that sends him back. Proctor closes the distance and clinches. Tickle turns him again, but Proctor is working for a plum. He can’t get it, and Tickle separates with a glancing elbow. 90 seconds left in the round. Tickle misses with a kick. Not much happening here. Proctor shoots for a takedown and immediately takes his opponent’s back. He appears to have the choke in, but Tickle is fighting hard here. He is forced to tap after struggling to survive for a fair amount of time. Huge win for Proctor after a very mediocre four minutes of fighting.
Official Decision: Proctor def. Tickle via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:42 of Round 1
Post-Fight
Anik asks Proctor his feelings on the fight, and Proctor immediately compliments his opponent, saying he hits hard and is a good guy. He says he loves to bang, but did his job tonight, finishing his statements with a happy birthday wish to his dad.
Anik then heads over to Tickle, who gives his opponent a lot of credit. Needless to say, he is not thrilled with the result, but seems a bit upbeat, even with the outcome.
Dana White then gives his thoughts on the fight, before heading over to find out who will fight next. Next week, John Cofer takes on Vinc Pichel, as Team Cruz looks to even up the score.
Thanks for tuning in. Hit up HeavyMMA.com next week for more “Ultimate Fighter” coverage.