Episode 11
Georges St. Pierre kicks off this episode discussing how there are no more teams. This makes sense considering Jonathan Brookins and Kyle Watson, two members of his team, are set to face off in the semi-finals. The coach says he won’t take sides between the two fighters.
Watson is then shown in a confessional, discussing his choice to continue teaching jiu-jitsu, as opposed to moving to Chicago for a job opportunity. He then is shown in the gym working, saying that he understands how well-rounded his upcoming opponent.
The cameras move back to Josh Koscheck and his team. Apparently, his team is upset about an alleged inferior training, saying that they are disappointed at the amount of coaches the opposing team brought in throughout the show. Marc Stevens is then shown back at the house and he is a bit under the influence, to say the least. His teammates enjoy themselves as he does his best impersonation of Koscheck. The head coach walks into the house and just smiles, without making any complaints.
Koscheck, instead of making a scene, decides to make drinks for everyone and asks about training under St. Pierre. Cody McKenzie seems ecstatic about the training, and Koscheck is not happy about this.
Meanwhile, Nam Phan and Brookins have become good friends, and each team seems to be turning against their respective teammate. Brookins questions whether or not Phan talks poorly of him behind his back, but is happy with himself, as he has stayed focused throughout his time on the show.
Up next, Brookins and Watson hit the scales, each weighing in at 156lbs. The next day’s fight is now official.
Jonathan Brookins vs. Kyle Watson
Round 1: Brookins misses with a jab to open, and Watson comes back with a leg kick. Brookins is looking to land, but Watson comes across with a nice punch. He follows with a knee. Both fighters seem timid, but Brookins looks takedown and earns it. Watson is back to his feet. Brookins works knees, but is looking for the takedown. They separate, but Brookins earns a second takedown. Watson seems composed from his back. He is looking to work his way up the wall, but Brookins continues to press the action. Half guard for Brookins and he is postured up with under a minute to go. He throws down punches, but Watson avoids most of the damage and gets back to full guard. Big punches from Brookins with 15 seconds left, but Watson easily survives the round. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Brookins.
Round 2: Jab from Brookins lands to start the round and he looks for a takedown. Brief scramble ensues, but he ends up in half guard. Watson moves to butterfly guard and then to closed guard. Brookins postures up and looks to work his ground and pound, but his opponent keeps him tied up for the most part. Watson appears to be attempting to isolate an arm, but he is having little luck. Another scramble and Watson gives up his back, but Brookins is having trouble getting his hooks in. Brookins ends up in side control, but Watson quickly moves out of danger and earns butterfly guard. Not much significant action thus far this round, but Brookins is dominating his opponent with superior positions. 10 seconds left and Watson scrambles to his feet, but it may be too little too late. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Brookins.
Round 3: The third and final round begins, and Watson comes out looking to clinch. Brookins reverses and presses his opponent up against the cage. Watson pushes away and misses with a kick. He lands a right hand, and Brookins comes up short with a jab. Takedown attempt from Brookins and he gets it. Watson’s back is up against the cage. Nothing really happening, and Watson is back up to his feet. Brookins presses Watson against the cage and slams him down to the mat. Full guard for Watson and he’s avoiding most of the punches from his opponent. Brookins, however, is scoring points here. Less than one minute to go. Ground and pound from Brookins, who continues to assert his dominance on top. He moves to the back, but times runs out before he can even consider going for a submission. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Brookins.
Brookins d. Watson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Dana White is shown in a confessional, saying that Brookins dominated Watson when he was in top position. Brookins, meanwhile, says he wants to be great, but does not want to lose himself in that process.
St. Pierre is shown next, explaining that Watson is disappointed. Watson says that he plans to build off all of the things he learned throughout his time in the house.
The cameras head back to the house and the fighters are discussing Phan’s alleged “sexually tendenices”. They open the door on Phan while he was in the shower and they assume he was, well, taking care of business. An awkward moment for Phan, but he does not seem to sweat it.
Michael Johnson is then shown in the cage. He says that he feels that Phan has not progressed and that he won’t be able to beat him. St. Pierre raises Johnson’s hand in the center of the cage, possibly as a premonition.
Brookins is then shown back in the house and he says he feels bad for Phan. He thinks that Phan has been isolated by his team and is being picked on. Phan says they are just trying to get under his skin and the best thing to do is laugh about it. He is then shown in a confessional, stating that the next day he trained by himself because his team had a “late night”.
Phan is then shown back in a confessional after a break, stating that Johnson has holes in his game. He also compares his fighting style to a Honda. Meanwhile, Koscheck says that all of his eggs are in Nam’s basket and that he just wants a victory.
Both Phan and Johnson are shown hitting the scales next. Johnson steps up first, weighing in at 156lbs. Phan hits it next, coming in at 155lbs. President White says that he gives Phan the edge following the weigh-ins.
Back at the house, Phan and Johnson are shown talking. Johnson is then shown in a confessional, saying that the way Phan’s team has been treating him could affect his performance.
The fighters hit the locker rooms, and Dana White brings in the Boston Celtics Glen Davis to talk to Johnson prior to the fight. Team GSP’s fighter walks out first, followed shortly by Team Koscheck’s last hope, Phan.
Michael Johnson vs. Nam Phan
Round 1: The fighter touch gloves, and Phan looks for a head kick. Johnson quickly takes him down, but Phan is back to his feet. And as quickly as he was back up, Johnson puts Phan back to the ground. And he’s up again. He lands a nice shot, and Johnson shoots for a takedown. He can’t get it. Johnson is getting dominated on the feet, losing basically every exchange. However, he gets the takedown. St. Pierre tells him to keep him down, but he can’t. Phan looks loose on the feet, while Johnson looks a bit lost. Johnson looks for another takedown, but it only leads to a clinch. Phan separates and throws a kick. They are back to the clinch and Johnson lands a knee, followed by a series of punches. Phan is bleeding from the right eye, and Johnson is pushing him up against the cage. They separate again, but Johnson gets the better of the exchange. One minute to go, and Johnson presses Phan up against the cage. They separate once again. Phan is looking to land a high kick, but it is not landing. They clinch again, and Johnson lands a nice shot. Phan misses with a left hook as the round comes to a close. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Johnson.
Round 2: Jab lands for Johnson to start the second. He is pushing the pace now, pressing Phan against the cage. They separate. And they head back to the clinch, but only for a moment. Body shots land for Phan. Those looked brutal. Johnson presses his opponent against the cage, but Phan separates again. And they head back to the clinch. Johnson looks for the double-leg takedown, but Phan separates. Johnson looks for another takedown, but his opponent reverses. Phan is in north-south, but decides to stand up. Another body shot lands for Phan, followed by a kick. Johnson looks exhausted, as he clinches yet again. They separate again. Another body shot lands for Phan. He is really finding a home for those. Knee to the body lands for Phan. Phan is dominating the striking game, and Johnson simply looks spent. Head kick is checked by Johnson, but Phan continues to move forward. Jab lands for Johnson, but he barely checks another head kick. 30 seconds to go, and Johnson starts to pick it up. Phan takes a few punches to the head before his opponent presses him against the cage. The round comes to an end without much action. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Phan.
Round 3: Johnson earns a takedown early in the round, and Phan needs to get this back to the feet. Phan is throwing strikes from the bottom, which is more than what Johnson is doing. Referee Josh Rosenthal threatens to stand them up, and they are back to the feet. Johnson clinches again, but he looks tired. Phan lands a left, followed by a right to the body. Johnson clinches again, but Phan lands another shot to the body just before. Knee lands for Phan, but Johnson earns another takedown. Phan pushes away and is back to the feet. He misses with a combination, but Johnson does not, as he pushes forward to another clinch. They trade knees and each fighter looks exhausted. They separate, and Johnson lands a shot. And they are back to the clinch. They separate yet again. Johnson throws a barrage of punches and knees. Phan misses with a combination. 20 seconds to go and nothing really happening. Each fighter is throwing weak combinations, but only because they are so tired. Phan ends with a body shot as the bell rings. Good fight between the two semi-finalists. Heavy.com scores the round 10-9 for Johnson.
Johnson def. Phan by split-decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Johnson is shown in a confessional following the fight and he is pumped. He says to all the people who didn’t believe in him, “Take a look at me now.” Koscheck says he is upset he does not have anyone in the finals, but he is proud of Nam Phan. He says he gets an opportunity to redeem himself against St. Pierre in December.
Dana White then announces that Johnson and Brookins will face off in the finals. St. Pierre says he is very proud of him, while White says he is blown away by Brookins and is impressed by Johnson.
Be sure to check out “The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale” this Saturday night on Spike TV.
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