Good friends Rony ‘Jason’ and ‘Gaspar’ forced to fight
“The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” was back Sunday night with a broadcast streamed on TUF.tv – the season’s seventh episode. HeavyMMA has a complete episode recap here, including the third fight of the season.
Episode 7 Recap
Vitor Belfort‘s squad is up 5-0 over the team coached by Wanderlei Silva. And as we saw at the end of last week’s episode, the Silva coaches are unhappy. Silva is upset that Belfort, who controls the fight picks, is going to have close friends Anistavio “Gaspar” Medeiros and Rony “Jason” Bezerra fight each other. The two used to live together and are very tight. This week, they’ll fight.
We start right away with the fight announcement of Gaspar, from Team Belfort, vs. Rony “Jason,” from Team Silva. One of them will reach the featherweight semifinals. Silva, in a confessional, says “business is business.” Gaspar, who has been the house’s pain in the butt so far, says he’s unhappy with having to fight his friend. But Rony Jason says they are brothers – but his brother is in the way of his dream.
Gaspar talks about family problems growing up, and that his father bailing on the family helped him turn to MMA. He says for years, he was messed up with drugs and crime. Rony Jason talks about his upbringing and wanting to fight for a brother who has had problems.
Back at the house, the fighters talk about why this fight was chosen – two friends fighting before they absolutely had to. Rony Jason says he’ll fight Gaspar the way he’d fight anyone else, and hopes Gaspar didn’t choose to fight him. But Rony Jason admits to a teammate he’s concerned that his gas tank might be an issue against Gaspar.
At the official weigh-in for the fight. Rony Jason needs to a towel brought out, but he makes 145 pounds. Gaspar has no issues and makes 145, as well. Belfort says the fight will be interesting because the two are friends. Silva says he hopes Rony Jason is ready because he considers him to be one of the favorites of the featherweights.
Silva’s coaches play a fun prank by taping up Belfort’s photo in the training center with a fake mustache and long eyelashes to pretty him up a little. But Belfort seems unfazed by it.
Belfort tells his team Dana White has told them he can replace a pair of unmotivated fighters on the team. It appears to be a ploy to get them to train harder. And the team members seem to respond – but most fighters seem to believe it was a bit of an exaggeration on Belfort’s part to get them working even harder.
Silva talks to his team about showing more will power and not being lethargic. The team appears to get motivated to rally around Rony Jason’s fight.
We get another visit from former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, who comes in to offer some words of support to both fighters.
Rony “Jason” Bezerra (10-3) vs. Anistavio “Gaspar” Medeiros (15-7)
Round 1: Brittney Palmer is here for round card duties, and Mario Yamasaki once again is our referee. Gaspar heads to the middle, and they dance. But after an exchange he says he was poked in the eye. We get a short pause, and then we’re back at it. Gaspar with a nice teep, then a strike and a flying knee. Rony Jason hits the mat, but he’s able to hit an armbar. It looks good. Gaspar is trying to move out of it, and tries to slam his way out of it. But he can’t – and Yamasaki stops the fight before Gaspar can tap. Gaspar’s arm looks jacked.
Result: Rony “Jason” def. Gaspar, submission (armbar), Round 1
After the fight, Silva and Belfort get into a major confrontation. Silva is still upset Belfort had the two friends fight, even though his team finally got its first win. Silva tells Belfort he had options, and Belfort says it’s all part of the game. Silva tells Belfort to go to hell. Belfort says it’s not his fault that friends had to fight.
After the coaches verbally spar for a few minutes in the Octagon, Rony Jason enjoys his win and Gaspar says in the same situation, he’d have cranked on the arm, too. But his arm’s in a sling. He goes to visit his friend Rony Jason to congratulate him in Silva’s locker room, and Silva tells him he’s on the wrong team – a good sign of sportsmanship from Gaspar.