The fourth episode of The Ultimate Fighter featured the second female fight. Roxanne Modafferi took on former boxer Jessica Rakoczy.
Modafferi’s grappling won the first round of the bout, but Rakoczy was able to do damage on the feet in the second. She dropped Modafferi and tried to attack. She went in Modafferi’s guard, slammed her and finished the fight. The win gives Team Rousey its first win and evens the score thus far for women on the season.
This is the good, the bad and the ugly for the latest installment of The Ultimate Fighter.
The Good:
- The opening of this episode was intense. It appeared that Edmond Tarverdyan and Dennis Hallman were going to fight. That subsided and then Tarverdyan and Bryan Caraway exchanged words. Thankfully, UFC President Dana White was there to calm things down. He even stayed to make sure everyone left without issue, and spoke with Ronda Rousey. He explained, “It’s not good for the sport. It’s not good for you.” And he’s right.
- There were some issues with training on Team Tate. Raquel “Rocky” Pennington grew frustrated at training with Roxanne Modafferi. Why is this in the good? Head coach Miesha Tate recognized that fighters learn differently. She explained how Modafferi likes things done, and she adapted her coaching to her talent.
- Subsequently, Team Tate provided the first video montage of the women and men training against each other. Sarah Moras was heavily featured with her bloodied nose. There may be a few naysayers out there complaining about the nature of it all, but it’s training. It’s not malicious. And this is what these women want. It helps them improve at a greater rate.
- No TV, no radio, no anything can make the house a boring place. But Modafferi was on board to help teach Shayna Baszler some Japanese in their spare time. It was a fun segment that let the light shine on Modafferi’s personality a bit more.
- Everyone loves Roxy! Not a bad word can be said about this woman. If you’ve followed the sport then you already know. She is a genuinely great person.
- Plato. Modafferi’s paper towel roll life-size stick figure. There isn’t much more to be said. It put a smile on my face.
- Women have often been criticized for their inability to finish fights on the feet. Don’t tell that to Rakoczy, who finished Modafferi brutally. Her boxing was put on display, and she can hit hard.
The Bad:
- Rakoczy was featured to be the cleaner of the house. In a house of 16, is there no one else other than her that picks up after themselves? I’m sure there is, but she was shown scrubbing the bathtub, picking up trash, and other such duties. No one should live in filth, and no one person should play nanny to 15 other adults.
- It is good strategy to pick on the weak and hurt to help your team win and keep control. There is no denying that. But from a viewer’s perspective it is a cop out to pick those with small injuries just for that sake alone. It backfired this go around, but hopefully we see more matchups of healthy fighters from here on out.
- I had flashbacks to BJ Penn and Andy Wang. Rakoczy was not listening to her corner in this fight, as she dove back into Modafferi’s guard instead of keeping the fight on the feet. It worked out for her in the end, but that could be a bad sign for her next fight.
- After Modafferi lost, Baszler went over and embraced her. The two veterans shed tears and shared a moment that was just sad. As a fan of both ladies, it was hard to watch. You want the veterans to finally achieve success at the highest level, and especially when they are good people. To see them fall short hurts.
The Ugly:
- For all of Dana White’s good, it must be said that the Tarverdyan, Hallman, and Caraway mess at the beginning of the episode was ugly. It made for interesting television, but it is a bad image for the sport. It just should not happen. If they want to fight, I am sure a commission would sanction the bout on a regional card. Do it there.
- The referee of the Rakoczy vs. Modafferi fight should be reprimanded. After being slammed, Modafferi was clearly out. She was flat on her back and defenseless. He didn’t stop it. Rakoczy landed a brutal follow-up shot, and he still let it continue. After even more ground and pound, he finally halted the action. Apparently this referee is against fighter safety. He was horrendous and I hope to never see him in the cage again for the sake of the fighters. It was disgusting. Absolutely pathetic.
Team Rousey selected David Grant (Team Rousey) vs. Louis Fisette (Team Tate) as next week’s fight.
The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate
Roxanne Modafferi vs. Jessica Racozky: Jessica Rakozy def. Roxanne Modafferi via TKO (strikes) in Round 2.
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