A recap from last week’s bout opens the show, with fighters giving their perspective on who they believe won the fight. Jamie Yager is outed as a traitor because he’s cheering for Brad Tavares, who certainly is not on his team. Of course, our very own Nick Ring already outed Yager in his blog for last week’s episode, but that’s beside the point.
Yager says he was cheering for both fighters because he wanted to see a good fight. Likely story, Jamie.
Nick pulls Jamie off to the side and bitches him out for cheering for Tavares against his own teammate. Jamie, with the biggest doofus grin you’ve ever seen in your life, tells Nick that he’s fine with that, but he also needs to respect that he has friends on the other team as well. Nick says he has friends over there too, but that Yager needs to support his training partners. Yager says he agrees, but it doesn’t look like he actually agrees. Nick and Jamie shake hands and hug, but Nick still appears hesitant.
And of course, Jamie goes blabbering to Brad and Kyle about Nick’s comments. Jamie indicates to the group that they are his boys, not his own team, and he’s planning on “keeping it real.” They’re calling themselves The Minority Report. Kyle says he’s not a minority, but Jamie seems to think he is because he’s from Australia. Kyle goes along with it, though.
Nick says Jamie likes to break social contracts and mess with people, and in that way, he’s absolutely on his own team. Everybody outside of the Minority Report seems to have a genuine dislike for Yager. Ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves the first true heel of Ultimate Fighter season 11.
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT
Liddell picks Rich Attonito to take on Kyacey Uscola.
Tito talks with Uscola about becoming a new father. He’s going to miss the birth of his child, which is scheduled for halfway through the taping. Tito says he’s happy about the fight because they’re going to get control. He believes in everything Kyacey does in the cage and says he needs to focus on getting up off the mat if he gets taken down.
John Hackleman prepares to work with Rich, but he’s in the background humping a heavy bag. Rich says he got distracted and apologizes. Okay, that’s funny. Rich lists off about 20 Italian-themed nicknames for himself. Hackleman says Rich is one of the top guys on the show experience wise and talent wise. He trains at American Top Team in Florida. Rich says he wants every single one of his fights to be entertaining. Liddell says he matched Rich with Kyacey because of Kyacey’s problems on the ground. Chuck Liddell, master strategist?
Chuck says he has previous commitments outside the show, and it just so happens that they’ll fall on the day of Rich’s fight, so he has to miss it. He wishes Rich good luck as he leaves the gym.
Kyacey discovers a thief in the house, and I’m sure you’ll be shocked to discover that it’s Yager. His sweatshirt went missing downstairs, so he went straight to Yager’s closet upstairs and found it. Yager complains about Kyacey going through his stuff. Turns out that McCray took the sweatshirt, and he confesses to Kyacey. It doesn’t help matters, however, as Kyacey and Jamie have a staredown and then jaw at each other all the way down the stairs and to the kitchen. Lots of beeps in this segment, so I couldn’t really understand what was being said, but I’m going to assume that it wasn’t good.
Jamie and Kyacey keep arguing in the van, with Kyacey accusing Jamie of stealing Tito’s Punishment Athletics gear. Jamie says Tito told him he could have it. Everybody else looks exasperated. They likely feel the same way I do right about now.
Tito has a heart to heart with Jamie at the training center. Kyacey and Jamie start arguing again and everybody else looks annoyed. Kyacey says Jamie is the bad apple of the team. Clayton says that talking to Yager is like talking to a child. Tito says people are blaming Yager for being a thief because he had a couple of Punishment shirts laying around and they came up missing. But, as it turns out, Yager did ask Tito if he could have one of the shirts, so he’s not a thief.
FIGHT DAY: KYACEY USCOLA VS. RICH ATTONITO
Round 1: Feeling out period gets us started. Uscola with a nice right, and Rich answers with one of his own. Uscola is pressing the action but Rich is landing more. Rich drops Uscola to the mat with an uppercut, then pounces on him with ground and pound. Uscola tries to get away but can’t. Rich tries to take his back and Uscola resists. Rich is swarming all over him. Uscola finally gets back up only to get slammed on his head. That hurt him pretty bad, and Rich is swarming again. Dana goes nuts over the slam. Uscola is working submissions but having no luck. Uscola reverses, gets on top and works for a kimura but doesn’t get it. Rich gets up, but before he can get up all the way, Kyacey drills him with an illegal knee. Rich is badly hurt. He cannot continue, and Kyacey is disqualified. Rich Attonito d. Kyacey Uscola by DQ
Kyacey is furious, imploring Rich to get up and fight. He begs to see the replay before they disqualify him because it’s his life. Tito is furious. And rightly so, because the instant replay shows that the knee came nowhere close to hitting Rich on the ground. That dude was faking it. Dana says it was a one-sided fight until he got hit with the illegal knees (that weren’t actually knees), so the ref made the right call.
Kyacey says Rich was looking for a way out. Tito starts breaking the cardboard doors in the training center. It looks so comical now.
Chuck returns to the team. Rich thinks his hand is broken. He gets an examination, and his hand absolutely is broken and he needs surgery. He’s done fighting on the show.
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT
Chuck picks Charlie Blanchard to take on Jamie Yager. Jamie towers over this dude.
Tito says if they lose this fight, he’s probably going to shoot himself. Perhaps we’ve finally learned why Tito was pulled from the show and replaced with Rich Franklin?
Team Liddell has a training session. Chuck tells Yager is going to throw nothing but kicks and wants him to keep pushing forward to prevent that from happening.
Team Ortiz hits the gym. Tito tells Yager to kill Charlie, that it’s his time to shine after all the crap that’s been going on. Yager says that past his facade, he’s a genuine person. Tito explains Yager’s psyche. Dr. Tito, ladies and gentlemen.
Kyacey says he’s going to be rooting against Jamie and hopes he gets destroyed.
FIGHT DAY: JAMIE YAGER VS. CHARLIE BLANCHARD
Round 1: After a feeling out period, Blanchard shoots for the takedown, but can’t get it. Yager floors him with a right hand, drops several big ground and pound bombs and the fight is over. Well, that didn’t last long at all. Blanchard lost his will to win when he realized he couldn’t take Yager down, and Yager capitalized with good striking. Jamie Yager d. Charlie Blanchard via TKO
Tito boasts to Team Liddell that he’s in control now, forgetting that he just lost three matches in a row.
Yager gives a big hoo-rah speech to the rest of the team. Kyacey says they’ve gained some respect for Yager but still hopes to smash his face in some day.