It’s time for a new season of The Ultimate Fighter, and you’re in for a treat.
For the first time ever, the esteemed reality show will see the inclusion of featherweights and bantamweights – two weight classes that were folded into the UFC upon the death of World Extreme Cagefighting in late 2010.
It’s no secret that the Ultimate Fighter has been scraping the barrel in terms of top-tier talent over the past few years. There have been plenty of serviceable fighters appearing on the show, but it’s been a long time since a true title contender emerged from the Ultimate Fighter house.
That changes this season. Because the featherweights and bantamweights have been flying under the radar until this year, there has been plenty of top talent that hasn’t made the transition to the big stage of the UFC. The pay scale between the bottom of the WEC and the top of, say, Tachi Palace was roughly the same, so fighters were content to stick around the indie leagues and hone their craft. That all changed with the inclusion of the two weight classes in the UFC earlier this year. The pay might not be much better, but the exposure is exponentially greater.
Suddenly, the UFC is the place to be for lower-weight fighters looking to make a name for themselves.
The Ultimate Fighter 14 will give a much-needed shot in the arm to the UFC featherweight and bantamweight ranks, and coaches Jason “Mayhem” Miller and Michael Bisping will provide the kind of ludicrous fireworks that make for great television entertainment. I expect a lot from this season, and I think it will deliver in spades.
EPISODE 1: SCRAPPERS
We get a quick introduction to the lighter weight classes – it’s pretty much the same thing I wrote above. Dana says there was so much talent in both weight classes that they decided to include both in the show.
The rundown: 32 fighters will face off to determine who goes into the house. We’ll be left with eight featherweights and eight bantamweights, who then enter a tournament to determine the next two Ultimate Fighter champions.
We get an introduction to both coaches. Bisping says Miller is insane if he thinks he’s going to come in and make a name off of his back, and Miller responds by saying he’s going to smash Bisping.
Dana White says they decided to host the elimination bouts at Mandalay Bay to give the contestants a brief taste of what fighting in the big time is actually like. That’s a first for this show; the bouts have always been held at the Ultimate Fighter gym. The guys walk into the Events Center and hop in the cage for Dana’s traditional speech.
Dana reveals the big surprise: fans will vote for best fight, best knockout and best submission. The winners will receive $25,000 in bonus money. This makes them very happy, obviously.
And we jump right into the fights. No play by play on the first-episode fights, because some of them will appear in cut form. Instead, we’ll offer a brief recap and fill you in on the high points.
JOSH FERGUSON vs. CASEY DYER (135): Ferguson’s brother is on the show and they both say they would love to fight each other in the finals. Ferguson absolutely wrecks Dyer with a right hand and ends the fight in 14 seconds, then does some gymnastics. Josh Ferguson d. Casey Dyer via KO, round 1
DIEGO BRANDAO vs. JESSE NEWELL (145): Brandao is super intense. He’s also super talented, and destroys Newell with a left hand followed by a diving punch. Mayhem remarks that it looked a lot like that one time when Bisping got knocked out by Dan Henderson. Brandao screams something and Mayhem says “I don’t know what you’re saying, but I feel you!” Diego Brandao d. Jesse Newell by TKO, round 1
JOHN DODSON vs. BRANDON MERKT (135): Dodson looks super comfortable and relaxed. He drills Merkt with a nasty hook to the body that sends Merkt reeling, then finishes him with punches against the cage. John Dodson d. Brandon Merkt via TKO, round 1
Mayhem says he feels like he should have paid money for a ticket to these fights.
DENNIS BERMUDEZ vs. JIMMIE RIVERA (145): Bermudez has an interesting back story. He was going to college when he found out that he was going to be a father, so he dropped out to take care of the baby. Two years later, he found out the baby wasn’t his. That sucks. This was a great grappling battle. Rivera took most of the first round and nearly had submissions on Rivera a few times, but Rivera turned the tables in the second and earned a ref stoppage victory while pounding Rivera while on his back. Dennis Bermudez d. Jimmie Rivera via TKO, round 2
BJ FERGUSON vs. ROLAND DELORME (135): Sadly, my dream of seeing the two brothers face off in the finals was shattered here, as Delorme submits Ferguson with a triangle choke in the first round. Delorme has excellent jiujitsu and will be a force to be reckoned with in the house this year. Roland Delorme d. BJ Ferguson via submission, round 1
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!
