This episode of The Ultimate Fighter featured two of the quarterfinal match-ups.
First on the list was Collin Hart vs. Kelvin Gastelum, and the second fight was between Team Sonnen’s top pick Luke Barnatt and the last overall pick Dylan Andrews. The entire episode took place at the UFC Training Center, so there were no in-house antics.
This is the good, the bad, and the ugly from the 10th episode of the season.
The Good:
- The UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion, Ronda Rousey, stopped by to hold up her end of an early season commitment. She taught a lesson for Chael Sonnen‘s team. This is what we have to look forward to next season.
- Mike Tyson stopped by. He wasn’t a focus, but anytime Tyson shows up it is worth a mention. After the final fight, Tyson gave Luke Barnatt some words of advice that should help him along the way.
- Dylan Andrews’ complete fight performance deserves a tip of the cap. He took the fight down when he wanted, he touched Barnatt on the feet, and he was able to defend all the submission attempts thrown his way. A good all-around showing.
The Bad:
- When Kelvin Gastelum stepped from the scale, the coaches forgot he was naked. A brief slip-up, but Sonnen was there for the late save.
- During the second round, Barnatt visibly slowed. Andrews was able to beat him everywhere from that point on. He wasn’t quick enough to defend strikes or takedowns. Everything he threw came in slow motion.
- This is not to pile on Barnatt, but his ground positioning was awful. “Position before submission” is what the old adage says. Barnatt missed several good positions in scrambles, and those could have led to a victory.
The Ugly:
- Bubba McDaniel admitted that Uriah Hall’s headkick KO is in his head. That is not a very good sign leading up to their fight next week.
- Is there such a thing as beautifully ugly? If so, that was Gastelum’s TKO win. He dropped Collin Hart and finished him. Hart’s leg gave out and his face hit the canvas, but he was still trying to defend. Gastelum pounced and finished with a couple big ground shots to turn off the lights.
Next week will feature the final two quarterfinal fights: Josh Samman vs. Jimmy Quinlan and Uriah Hall vs. Bubba McDaniel.
What did you think of this week’s fights? Click the stars to let us know:
Rate additional fights from TUF 17 by clicking here.
