Previously on The Ultimate Fighter: The prelims ended with exciting finishes from Tony Ferguson and Zach Davis. Len Bentley made his case to be in the wild card fight, but Brock failed to back him up.
Coming up: Wild card picks Chuck and Javier battle it out to get back in the game, and Brock and Junior go head-to-head in the coaches challenge.
So Len Bentley isn’t very happy that he wasn’t picked for the wild card fight. After Dana announces Chuck and Javier as the two choices, Len chases down Dana, lobbying to fight Ryan again in the finale if he doesn’t make it to the finals.
Dana says he can’t believe guys are coming up and asking him about the finale as if their place there is guaranteed. He tells Len that he should have came to him with this kind of passion and when they were picking the wild card.
Len thought his performance was good enough to get through, but Dana tells him straight up that if he grabbed him two hours earlier, they wouldn’t be having the conversation. Len feels like his dream is being stripped away from him.
Brock talks to his team, telling the guys that didn’t get through that they all had their chance, and he’s right; they could have fought better or made a stronger pitch for the wild card.
“Tough shit, that’s life,” is Brock’s stance on the guys complaining about not getting the wild card slot. Sounds about right to me.
Len spends the next few minutes complaining to anyone who will listen that he didn’t get picked, including telling Chuck that he didn’t deserve the spot in the wild card round.
Ryan tells Len that Brock said something about Len not being ready to fight in the wild card round, and the Canadian used it as a chance to stir the pot.
It worked like a charm, as Len goes on about not being afraid to fight Brock, saying that he’s rude and needs to learn to talk to grown men who have way more fights than he does. Ramsey thinks Len needs to remember he’s nowhere near as big as he’s talking, and that he’s a ginger.
Training time for Team dos Santos, and Junior is his usual supportive, encouraging self in regards to Javier’s second chance.
In training, Javier is working hard, and he’s saying all the right things about working hard and proving to everyone that he deserved it. Junior hopes that translates into the Octagon during the fight.
Team Lesnar’s turn to train, and Len keeps complaining about not being selected, bitching about Brock not stumping for him as the wild card, saying every time he talks it annoys the hell out of him.
Len says Brock only coaches when the camera is on him and doesn’t give two craps about anyone on his team.
I have to give Len credit: at least he approached Brock with his frustrations during training. For all the whining he’s been doing this episode, at least he stepped up to talk about things.
Brock first says Len probably didn’t get the wild card spot because of his knee, saying it wasn’t his decision and that Dana wanted healthy fighters. I don’t really remember it that way from last week, but maybe that conversation was held off camera.
Brock says he wants to be honest with Len so that he doesn’t look as a coach. He says Dana was stoked from the last set of fights and that probably factored into his picking Chuck.
Len says he just wants to have fun and enjoy his life, brushing imaginary dirt off his shoulder. Hopefully we don’t have to hear him complain any more this season.
Chuck is spaced out riding the Airdyne bike, and Brock is a little worried. He’s second-guessing himself, and thinks Chuck doesn’t even seem interested in fighting.
Charlie and Chuck are in the bathroom shaving together. Charlie says Chuck’s nickname was “Trashbag Charlie” because he looked like a hobo with a hobo beard, which Chuck is now shaving off.
Chuck says that maybe he got caught up being on TV and having too much fun, and shaving the beard is a return to the way he normally looks, and that it will mark a return to the way he normally fights too.
Charlie thinks people are going to think the wrong things about him and Chuck since they’re shaving together and Chuck cooks for him. Chuck tells Charlie they’re the “modern day Bert and Ernie, bro.” Charlie doesn’t like that at all.
During his training session, Chuck is doing everything the coaches ask of him. Brock says he didn’t listen during his last fight, so they focused on things he needed to improve to beat Javier, and he’s pleased with what he sees.
Chuck says Brock is stepping up as a coach and he’s appreciative of everything he’s getting from his coach this time around. He wonders where this Brock was the rest of the time, but better late than never.
The next morning, Chris Cope is screaming randomly. Shamar comes out and confronts him about it. You know someone is frustrated when they don’t even bother to take off their sleeping mask before coming to talk to you in the morning.
Before Shamar even says anything, Chris is apologies and says he understands Shamar’s frustrations. Shamar says he wants to fight Chris because of it. Chris says he always does it, that it’s an unconscious thing, and Shamar reiterates that he wants to fight Chris so he can shut him up. Something tells me there is a little more to this situation than we know right now.
Coaches Challenge: Football is the sport of choice, and we’re at Fertitta Field at Bishop Gorman High School. Dana explains that is where he, the Fertitta brothers and their wives all went to school, so it’s cool to be back there doing the challenge.
Junior says he’s never played football in his life; Dana tells those who may not have known that Brock tried out for the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings and did pretty well.
Dana outlines the challenge, and its more obstacle course than core football drills, luckily for Junior. As always, $10,000 goes to the winning coach, and $1,500 to each guy on his team.
They’re neck-and-neck down the field, both missing their first attempt at a five-yard field goal. Junior makes it first, then throws some of the most awkward looking passes I’ve ever seen.
Junior is in the lead, making his way back down field after catching a pass in the end zone. He’s blowing kisses to his team and clicking his heals as he runs.
Team dos Santos rushes him in the end zone to celebrate. Brock says they both sucked, Junior just got luckier.
Junior gave each guy on Team Lesnar $100 and each of their coaches $500. Everyone got paid something except Brock; “He doesn’t deserve it. He lost.”
Weigh-Ins: Dana says he thought Javier looked like shit in his first fight, but the coaches pushed for him to get the wild card. Something tells me Len is pissed after hearing that from Dana.
Dana liked what he saw from Chuck, and thinks this is a chance to prove his loss to Zach was a fluke.
Both guys are on weight.
Chuck comments about Javier’s attire: black belt underwear with his Team dos Santos jersey hanging over top, making it look like he wasn’t wearing anything underneath. “He kinda looked like a girl that just got out of a guys house” is the way he put it, so he dropped his sweats, showing off his lucky purple underwear.
Everyone in the crowd can’t bare to look at the two pasty, near-naked fighters.
Both guys say what you’d expect them to say before a fight; they’re ready to prove the belong, better performance, yadda yadda yadda.
Brock wants to tie things up heading into the next round. “It’s just good to win. It’s better to win than to lose.” Junior asks the team to wish Shamar luck. Then he corrects himself, and we’re ready for the wild card fight.
Javier says it’s going to be the best fight of season 13.
CHUCK O’NEIL VS. JAVIER TORRES
Round 1: Chuck is the more aggressive early, throwing a head kick and following with hands. They clinch on the cage and Chuck is following instructions from Brock. Javier controls him on the cage in the clinch, landing some knees, but nothing solid. They break with Chuck landing a right as they exit. Javier presses back into the clinch along the fence. Chuck tries a trip but can’t get it. Javier lands a knee. Chuck tries to take him down again, but can’t. Javier seems content to remain in the clinch doing very little. Chuck gets kneed in the pills, but shakes it off quickly. Chuck is the more aggressive again in space; Javier just seems happy to feint and move without throwing. Junior says he’s waiting too much. Chuck lands an inside leg kick, then catches Javier with a counter left as he’s coming in. Javier clinches again, and they wrestle along the fence through the end of the round without much action.
If this is Javier’s version of the most exciting fight of the season, we have very different interpretations of what constitutes exciting.
Brock tells Chuck he’s doing good and listening good in his corner, both of which are true. Personally, I score it 10-9 Chuck; he landed the only real shots of the entire round, but I can see 10-9 Javier or 10-10 coming from the judges if we get that far.
Round 2: Chuck is first again, and Brock tells him to hold the center of the Octagon. Chuck is landing little shots every time Javier comes in. Javier rushes him into the fence, then gets a takedown. Chuck gets up quickly, then scores a trip takedown of his own. He works for a kimura from the top, locked down in half guard. Javier isn’t working hard from the bottom at all, despite Junior imploring him to do something. Chuck mixes some body shots in with the kimura attempt. Javier can’t do anything from the bottom. As he tries to sweep Chuck and shrimp out, Chuck stays heavy, keeping him on the ground. He goes back to the kimura again. Javier tries to sweep Chuck again, but Chuck sinks in a D’Arce choke, forcing Javier to tap.
Chuck O’Neill defeats Javier Torres by Submission (D’Arce Choke) – Round 2
Chuck says that was the real “Cold Steel.” Dana says Javier has an unappealing style and he was looking for someone to counter that.
Javier says he made a mistake and he’ll learn from it. Chuck says he still thinks he’s going to win this competition.
It’s 4-4 heading to the quarterfinals, and Dana announces the match-ups:
Clay Harvison vs. Ramsey Najim
Chris Cope vs. Shamar Bailey
Chuck O’Neill vs. Zach Davis in a rematch
Tony Ferguson vs. Ryan McGillivray
On the next episode of The Ultimate Fighter: The wreslter versus the striker, Ramsey vs. Clay, and Shamar gets his chance to shut Chris up once and for all. The quarterfinals start next week!
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