TUF 13 Diary: Episode 8 Recap and Analysis

Sometimes I feel like a broken record when watching TUF. To be honest and I think I could speak for a big chunk of you Lowkickers out there, but the 13th season of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show hasn’t wowed me. The only guy that really stood out for me was Team dos Santos member Ryan McGillivray. But other than him there hasn’t been a moment of brilliance on the show yet that has led me to believe that we have a bona fide Mixed Martial Arts superstar coming out of this show. TUF in the past has brought us many UFC superstars. Names like Josh Koscheck, Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin, Diego Sanchez, just to name a few.

This current season I feel like the fighters chosen on the show are not as hungry as they used to be. If you’ve been following the show recently you are well aware that these fights haven’t been the most entertaining. And the drama on the show has become so predictable and all the characters have become cliches. The UFC and Spike really wanted to concentrate this season on stories. I think I’ve heard the same story for the last five seasons and it’s getting a bit old. The series is in need of a refresh to not only encourage fans to loyally tune in, but for up and comers that want to have their shot at the highest level.

The Ultimate Fighter isn’t the only way into the UFC. It’s a big way to get your foot in the door, but there are other ways to make your name in the game. M-1 Global is a great option, Bellator, King of the Cage, Shooto, and many more where fighters can hone their craft. I remember when I first saw TUF it was a big deal. For crying aloud the future and potential stars of our sport are being showcased on international television and it’s huge exposure for them. I feel like now in 2011 (maybe earlier than that) this show has become a gimmick and just another “reality” TV series. The show needs to be put back on that level of respectability where people care about the fighters, their growth, and learn to respect our sport. But hey what do I know I’m just a hardcore fan with an opinion and a keyboard. There’s a comment box below let us discuss the matter further.

Well that was my rant for this edition of the TUF 13 diary. Here’s what happened on the 8th episode of The Ultimate Fighter 13:

-Team JDS member Shamar Bailey feels like he hurt his back during training, but is committed to fighting Team Lesnar’s Chris Cope.

-Ramsey Nijem from Team JDS prepares for his fight against Team Lesnar’s Clay Harvison. We get to know a bit his Palestinian background and is grateful for this opportunity.

-Dana White brings in Brian Stann former WEC Light Heavyweight champion and marine to speak words of encouragement to the TUF fighters. Interesting side note, Team Lesnar’s Clay Harvison actually has trained alongside Brian Stann in the past.

-To help prepare for Ramsey’s wrestling, Brock Lesnar teaches Clay Harvison a technique that was actually used against Lesnar in his fight with Shane Carwin.

-Minutes before the fight, Ramsey Nijem feels sick and throws up while warming up. Even through his sickness Ramsey feels confident in his abilities against Clay.

-The fight between Clay and Ramsey starts out recklessly on the feet. Within seconds Ramsey takes the fight to the ground manages to get Clay’s back and earns a very quick submission victory.

-While preparing for his fight with Chris Cope, Shamar Bailey explains his game plan going into this fight, and why he wanted to fight him.

-Even though Shamar doesn’t like Chris personally, during Chris’ preparation he admits that he has no problems with Shamar Bailey at all.

–Shamar Bailey‘s first opponent in the very first episode Nordin Asrih discusses strategy with Chris Cope going into this fight.

-The fight between Bailey and Cope started off as a hesitant stand up affair. Eventually Bailey decided to try his wrestling against Cope. Cope actually did a wonderful job defending against the takedown but was pushed against the cage and held there for a period of time against Bailey.

-In the 2nd round Team Lesnar instructed Chris Cope to let his hands go a bit more and is winning in the stand up exchange. Interesting note the never went to the ground once. At the end of two rounds Chris Cope was victorious with the unanimous judges decision. However, Junior dos Santos and Shamar Bailey felt like they clearly won the fight. After the bout Shamar explained his performance to Dana White and Dana wasn’t really too impressed.

What to expect in the next episode:

-The two remain quarterfinal bouts

-Tony Ferguson loses it

-A broken door

-The Semi finals announcements

Be sure to come back next week for my episode 9 recap.