The Ultimate Fighter came back with another semi-final bout, and I am here to catch you all up on what we’ve missed in the past three episodes.
We will cover the 10th, 11th, and 12th episodes of the season one-by-one.
The overriding theme of the season is that you should just turn off your television set when the fight starts. They have been awful. Nearly all of these have been unwatchable messes.
Anyhow, here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from the past three TUF episodes.
The Ultimate Fighter 19.10
The Good:
- Chris Fields discussed the fact that many fighters give tired stories about how this is all they know, and all they can do. However, he pointed out that fighters in this sport often do have other options. No one is forced to do this, and this is what he chose to do.
- When the coaches went back to discuss the upcoming semi-finals with Dana White, the discussion broke down into how lackluster the fights have been. White and BJ Penn agreed, but interestingly Frankie Edgar‘s opinions were not shown. When the fighters came to the back, White had one theme he pitched to each of them: Get that money.
The Bad:
- Matt Van Buren just won’t shut up. He may go down in the “Bad” hall of fame.
- The sheer length of the Harley-Davidson segment was mindnumbing. Wow. I sincerely hope the UFC got paid well for that nonsense.
- Van Buren grabbed the United States flag for his staredown, presumably because Fields is Irish. Fields responded by getting the Irish flag. It was tired and lame.
The Ugly:
- This episode reminded us of how Fields got into the house. Via injury. At least he got through, but it was an ugly reminder that he shouldn’t be there.
- The partnership between Harley and the UFC where they bestow motorcycles to fighters is just not a good pairing. The product placement was doubly ugly.
- The fight was terrible, and White had it right — nothing happened.
The Ultimate Fighter 19.11
The Good:
- An argument broke out at the beginning of the episode, and Fields made it known that he was OK with losing. He understands that “lay-n-pray” is a strategy. It’s nice to hear that from someone.
- In recent years we have heard teammates say they would never fight one another. For The Ultimate Fighter that is not an option, but it is still refreshing to see teammates be OK with training with each other in spite of an upcoming bout between them.
- Dana wanted to show the cast what they are fighting for in the hopes of getting more fire in their fights, and he took them to the arena. Was it a good motivating technique? Time will tell, but I like the thought.
- Penn got me to chuckle by chanting “elbow” over and over again, and even getting his team in on the chant mid-fight. That was about the only entertainment had during the fight.
The Bad:
- Hey, there’s the typical TUF drunken scene! Thumbs down.
The Ugly:
- Once again, the fight was atrocious. This season has been near unwatchable.
The Ultimate Fighter 19.12
The Good:
- Patrick Walsh asked permission to train with Team Penn so that he could get in more work. Edgar granted the wish. Walsh wanted to take full advantage of working with other coaches and fighters. It is good to see a fighter take control of this opportunity.
The Bad:
- Team Edgar complained at the house about Walsh training. Corey Anderson, Walsh’s teammate, said it was unfair that he was getting in more training. However, all he had to do was ask. It was not preferential treatment given to Walsh. Also, the team cried that Walsh may be “giving away secrets.” Is there no trust from Team Edgar? All in all, it was a bad look for the team.
The Ugly:
- The in-fighting went to the locker room, and Edgar handled the situation wrong. Assistant coaches even got in on the action of attacking Walsh. A stupid scene.
- The fight wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t good. Walsh was technically inept, and Anderson was not that much better. It was rough.
Next week is the final regular episode of the season. There will be two fights: Matt Van Buren vs. Daniel Spohn and Dhiego Lima vs. Roger Zapata.
