MARCUS BRIMAGE vs. BRYSON WAILEHUA-HANSEN (145): Brimage is a gigantic featherweight. I mean, gigantic. He also displayed great takedown defense in this fight. Hansen has an amazing chin. Brimage hit him with tons of punches and I have no idea how he survived the first round, but he didn’t survive the second. Brimage kept pounding him on the feet and Steve Mazagatti finally saved him from himself. Marcus Brimage d. Bryson Wailehua-Hansen via TKO, round 2
CARSON BEEBE vs. JOHNNY BEDFORD (135): Beebe is the little brother of Chase Beebe and came into this elimination fight with a lot of hype, but Bedford derailed that in a hurry, submitting him with a nasty guillotine in the first round. Johnny Bedford d. Carson Beebe via submission, round 1
Mayhem says he’s impressed with Bedford’s work ethic and ability to out-wrestle a wrestler in Carson Beebe.
DUSTIN PAGUE vs. TATEKI MATSUDA (135): Matsuda is the first Japanese fighter to appear on the Ultimate Fighter. He’s from Tokyo but now trains in the United States. I thought for sure we’d get a third round here, but no: Pague somehow wins both rounds and gets the decision. Dana, Miller and Bisping both agreed with me. This was a good fight in terms of skill level. I hope to see Matsuda get a chance down the line. Dustin Pague d. Tateki Matsuda via unanimous decision
PAUL MCVEIGH vs. LUIS GAUDINOT (135): This is the battle of the crazy hairstyles. McVeigh – a Scottish fighter who Bisping says is fantastic – is sporting a Mayhem-esque do, while Gaudinot has his long hair dyed a bright, horribly ugly green. This fight is only shown in clip form, and that’s unfortunate, because it looks like it was awesome. Gaudinot pounds out McVeigh from the back in the third round. Luis Gaudinot d. Paul McVeigh via unanimous decision
ERIC MARRIOTT vs. BRYAN CARAWAY (145): Caraway is better known as the boyfriend of Strikeforce champ Meisha Tate. This fight is also clipped. Caraway rides out a unanimous decision by playing it safe. Bryan Caraway d. Eric Marriott via unanimous decision
JOSH CLOPTON vs. DUSTIN NEACE (145): Another clip fight. Neace defeats Clopton mostly on the strength of ending up on top at the end of each of the two rounds. Bisping and Dana both believe that Josh won the fight, but again, you can’t leave it to the judges. Dustin Neace d. Josh Clopton via unanimous decision
MATT JAGGERS vs. TJ DILLASHAW (135): Dillashaw is a Team Alpha Male member, and he’s also HeavyMMA’s exclusive Ultimate Fighter blogger for this season. We’ll have TJ on Heavy each Thursday discussion the previous night’s episode of the show, so stay tuned for that. Dillashaw fights almost exactly like a cross between Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez. Dillashaw wins this one by pounding Jaggers out at the end of the first round. The bell rings, but Jaggers is obviously out and the fight is called. TJ Dillashaw d. Matt Jaggers via TKO, round 1
STEVEN SILER vs. MICAH MILLER (145): Miller is the brother of Cole Miller and was considered to be one of the featherweight favorites going into the house. Siler put an end to that one, submitting him in the third round. Steven Siler d. Micah Miller via submission, round 3
JOHN ALBERT vs. ORVILLE SMITH (135): A clipped fight. Albert defeats Smith with a rear naked choke in the first round. Damn. I was hoping Orville would get in the house due to his name alone. John Albert d. Orville Smith via submission, round 1
STEPHEN BASS vs. KARSTEN LENJOINT (145): A clip fight, but Dana says it was a back and forth war in the first round. Bass submits Lenjoint in the second round. Stephen Bass d. Karsten Lenjoint via submission, round 1
BRIAN PEARMAN vs. AKIRA CORRASANI: Corrasani says he is an artist that entertains people with his brutal style. That’s neat. He certainly did that here, drilling Pearman with a ton of punches and then knocking him out. Pearman has one hell of a chin. Akira Corrasani d. Brian Pearman via TKO, round 1
And that concludes our elimination fights for the Ultimate Fighter 14. Here’s a quick look at the cast:
FEATHERWEIGHTS
Dennis Bermudez
Diego Brandao
Marcus Brimage
Bryan Caraway
Dustin Neace
Steven Siler
Stephen Bass
Akira Corrasani
BANTAMWEIGHTS
Josh Ferguson
John Dodson
Roland Delorme
Johnny Bedford
Dustin Pague
Luis Gaudinot
TJ Dillashaw
John Albert
A quick preview for the rest of the season is shown, and if you like entertainment, well, prepare to be entertained. Briefly shown: a mariachi band, burros wandering around the TUF gym, streaking and more.
Join me back here next week, when the coaches will pick teams and the shenanigans begin!