We’re in the locker room of Team Dos Santos to start things off. Junior is giving the guys a pep talk. He says they want to be wieners (winners) but the UFC is looking for entertaining fights like the one we saw last week and there’s no shame in having a war like that. Coach Lew interrupts and tells Junior that he can say whatever he wants, but the fact of the matter is that the sport is about winning. He says if it’s boring and you win, great, but if it’s exciting and you lose, then what? Junior does not look happy and tells Lew that he’s confusing the guys. He tells Lew that they need to talk. This won’t end well.
Team Lesnar hits the gym for a quick training session. Brock calls Len over and tells him he’s the guy in line for a wildcard spot if they win the last two fights. Len is excited by this news. And then of course he gets injured while training, screaming while holding his knee. Brock says it might just be time to pack up for the day and then leaves the training center.
Let’s go to the emergency room. Clay is getting his finger checked out. The doctor tells him it’s a dislocation. WHAT? How is it possible for that to be a dislocation? YOU CAN SEE THE BONE. So Clay isn’t out, after all, and he’ll be able to fight. Len is there to get his knee checked out, and he doesn’t have a serious injury either. He has a slightly injured patella, which means he’ll be able to fight. Team Lesnar really caught a lucky break here. I swear to God, there’s no way Clay’s finger is just dislocated.
Team Dos Santos hits the gym for a training session. Lew is joking around with the guys, and Junior says he found out that Lew went to the fighter house by himself. He says that was disrespectful. He talks with Luiz Dorea about the fact that Lew is undermining his authority, and they decide that it’s time to send Lew home. He calls Lew into the hallway for a chat.
JDS tells Lew he’s pissed off that Lew went to the house. Junior says “you can leave.” Lew says “I will if I have to” and Junior responds with “you have to.” I’ve never seen angry Junior Dos Santos before and it’s somewhat disconcerting. Lew says it’s not about Junior. He wanted to go see the fighters and see how they were doing, but Junior is only thinking about himself.
I can see why Lew went on a Twitter tirade about Junior a couple of weeks ago.
Clay arrives back at the Lesnar locker room and tells Brock he’s okay. Len says the same thing. Brock is thrilled. I still have no idea how Clay’s finger was not broken. This will puzzle me until the end of time.
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT: Tony Ferguson vs. Randy Couture’s Long Lost Brother Justin Edwards and the final fight is Chuck O’ Neil vs. Zach Davis.
Both guys go through the paces with training. Brock says Tony has a mean streak a mile long. Justin really does look like what I imagine Randy Couture looked like 35 years ago.
Back at the house, Team Dos Santos is talking about Lew’s departure. Ramsey says he’s afraid he won’t have anyone in his corner that speaks English. That’s a valid concern.
Tony shows up to the gym in a suit and tie. He says it’s something that he always does because he’s a class act.
Next: the two final first-round fights.
TONY FERGUSON vs. JUSTIN EDWARDS
Round 1: I don’t want to say these guys are terrible. But these guys are terrible. This is some of the worst stand-up technique I’ve seen since the main event of UFC 129. I mean, they’re swinging wildly and it looks like an exciting fight, but I can’t get over just how bad the technique is. This is an ugly, ugly fight. Justin gets a takedown somewhere among the madness, but Tony gets right back up and they start winging horrible punches again. I should also mention that they’re both really tired already, this despite the fact that they had longer to train and prepare for this fight than most people on the show. Justin gets another takedown and lands in the guard. He stands up and Tony KNOCKS HIM OUT with an axe/upkick from his back. That was nasty. Dana says that was an awesome fight. Gotta disagree this time.
Tony Ferguson d. Justin Edwards by TKO, round 1
Back at the house once again. Chuck is very excited to fight. He certainly seems to have the most passion and desire to fight.
Zach (Gary Busey Jr.) says he’s a nice guy but he loves to fight. He’s very competitive and he wants to win more than the other guy. He horses around with Junior, who shows some slick BJJ and judo moves.
ZACH DAVIS vs. CHUCK O’ NEILL
Round 1: Zach immediately shoots for a takedown and secures side control. He thinks about a kimura, but Chuck stands up. They clinch against the cage. Brock encourages Chuck to get lower but he can’t budge Zach. I’ll be honest, Zach looks like a guy who was in band in high school, and coming from a guy who was in band in high school, you know I’m speaking the truth. Zach uses a trip and gets the takedown into Chuck’s guard. Zach stands up and kicks at Chuck’s legs until Chuck stands up. Chuck wants an americana, but Zach reverses it and ends up on the bottom. And then, just like that, Zach clamps on a triangle choke and the fight is over.
Zach Davis d. Chuck O’ Neill via submission, round 1
Dana says they had two very good fights. I wouldn’t go that far, but the second fight was a lot of fun.
Dana tells Justin Edwards that he and both of the coaches picked him for the wildcard spot, but he’s been issued a 90-day suspension and so they can’t allow him to fight. That’s a bummer. The coaches and Dana interview all of the fighters and ask why they want the wildcard spot. Dana notes that none of them really seem to have the fire he wants to see. They focus on Len, making me believe that he’ll get one of the spots. Dana says the coaches usually argue about who will get the wildcard spot, but Brock and Junior were agreeing and joking around. Nice Brock is so boring.
Time for the wild card announcement. In a shocker, it won’t be Len. Instead, it’ll be Chuck O’ Neill taking on Javier Torres. Len is visibly upset at this news and says he’s confused.
