TUF 13 Diary: Episode 9 Recap and Analysis

TUF 13 Episode 9 recap:

-Team JDS’ Zach Davis is very excited about facing Team Lesnar’s Chuck O’Neil in a rematch. Last fight he showcased his grappling abilities, but now he wants to improve his striking to get a knockout victory over Chuck O’Neil.

-In Chuck’s last fight because of his performance over Javier Torres in the wildcard match, UFC President Dana White gave O’Neil a 00 fight bonus. Chuck’s good friend Charlie Rader is having problems in his personal family life. Because the two have a very close personal friendship, Chuck offers Charlie half of his fight bonus to help cover financial burdens at home.

-The first round between Team Lesnar’s Chuck O’Neil and Team dos Santos’ Zach Davis started out as a stand up affair. Eventually it quickly turned into a fence battle with both men pummeling for position. With neither one able to find an advantage, the referee decided to break them up midway into the round. On the feet it was clear that Chuck O’Neil was the superior fighter. When Zach was being overwhelmed with Chuck’s shots and aggression, Zach tried to take the fight to the ground but to no avail. With the round now in the books, from what I observed Chuck was taking the round.

-The second round started out the way the first round ended, with Chuck pushing the pace with aggressive striking. From the first round Zach Davis was tagged numerous times and the evidence was on his face. The fight was taken back to the ground where Zach has an advantage on his back. Now that Chuck is familiar with Zach’s ground game, Chuck decided to take the fight back to the feet. It eventually became a battle for position against the fence again. The two were eventually forced to break up the clinch against the fence, but again Chuck showcased his skills on the feet. Every takedown attempted by Zach was neutralized by Chuck and in my eyes O’Neil won the round. Team Lesnar’s Chuck O’Neil got the well-deserved unanimous decision and moves on to the semi-finals.

-After the fight it was revealed in a post fight check-up Team dos Santos’ Zach Davis torn a retina in his eye during his bout against Team Lesnar’s Chuck O’Neil. Even though Chuck and Zach put it all out there in the Octagon, it was shown that the two fighters have a neutral respect for each other.

-Team dos Santos’ Ryan McGillivray feels very confident going into his bout with Team Lesnar’s Tony Ferguson.

-We got a chance to get to know about the personal lives of Ryan McGillivray and Tony Ferguson. Ryan McGillivray misses his young daughter and writes letters for her during his time on the show. Tony Ferguson on the other hand faced racism and prejudice in his neighborhood growing up.

-Ryan starts off the fight leading with with a jab in the center of the Octagon. Tony Ferguson answers with a lowkick, a clean left hook, and some ruthless ground and pound to make easy work of Team JDS’ Ryan McGillivray. Tony Ferguson now moves on to the semi-finals.

-Dana White announces the semi-final match ups. Chris Cope takes on Ramsey Nijem and Tony Ferguson faces Chuck O’Neil.

-In keeping with up with The Ultimate Fighter tradition, alcoholic beverages get thrown in to the mix this season. “Stripper Ramsey” once again shows everyone his “package”. Drunk Team Lesnar members Charlie Radar and Tony Ferguson were at first play fighting, but it got ugly really quick. Both men exchanged some physical cheap shots and took personal verbal blows. Both team members from Team Lesnar and Team dos Santos lost a lot of respect for Ferguson. Tony decided to throw a temper tantrum alone in a swimming pool, returned to the house, and spewed more verbal venom for Charlie. Clay Harvison personally got involved and Chuck O’Neil looks at his upcoming bout with Tony as a personal affair.

What to expect next episode:

-The aftermath of Tony Ferguson’s actions and how it effects the fighters occupying the TUF house.

-The semi-final bouts featuring Chris Cope vs. Ramsey Nijem and Tony Ferguson vs. Chuck O’Neil.

My two-cents:

I’ve been following this season with a microscope for about nine weeks now and I feel like I already know what to expect from every episode minus the fight outcome. The fights were good, entertaining, and showcased some legit MMA talent. I got to give credit where credit is due and big props go out to Chuck O’Neil and Tony Ferguson for their performances. I personally think alcohol plus a house full of fighters hungry to become the next big thing is a terrible mix. I see no reality in allowing these fighters to have access to internet, no television, no real contact with the outside world, yet it is ok to give them bottles of Patron and cases of Bud Light?

When fighters are preparing for the biggest moments in their professional life since when was it ok to get drunk during training camp? Obviously these free beverages are supplied for the simple reasons and it helps get the fighters get “loose” when the cameras are around. I love to socially drink and I know for a fact that most of us regular people do. But when you have a contract on the line or a chance to train with the world’s best, like my Muay Thai coach Kru Judd said “this isn’t a vacation boys”.

For my personal taste as a Mixed Martial Arts connoisseur, I want to see TUF treated like a real training camp. I want to see the discipline and the hard work that it takes to be on a world class level. Personalities are wonderful, but I’m getting sick of seeing guys fight each other drunk, ejaculating on someone’s meal left in the fridge, and other juvenile acts. I said it before and I’ll say it again. Why not treat our sport with the class that it truly deserves? Oh well, people watching on their TV love drama. But this is MMA not the Jersey Shore. And also keep in mind everybody following the show, a big chunk of the bigger picture is edited out. We’ll never really know what truly went down between Tony and Chuck. Maybe we should ask them one day.

Agree or disagree? I look forward to seeing your comments in the box below and let’s take this discussion even further.