After a two week hiatus, The Ultimate Fighter returned. Major League Baseball playoffs took precedence over the show on Fox Sports 1, but now with the World Series on Fox, the show was back going strong.
The show opened with an injury to Justine Kish before focusing on this week’s fight between Felice Herrig and Heather Clark. Clark did not agree with how Herrig promoted herself, and that is how the rivalry began.
With the show back, let’s jump right into the good, the bad, and the ugly for the fifth episode of the season:
The Good:
- Bec Rawlings had no hard feelings towards Kish, and she wished her well in recovery. It was a nice gesture.
- The fight wasn’t the greatest bout in TUF history, but it had its moments. Herrig showed solid submission defense, and there were interesting moments in both rounds. Herrig got a clear decision that will hopefully put an end to the unnecessary Clark-hate story in the house.
- With all of the back-and-forth dating back to before the show, it was nice to see Herrig and Clark sort of bury the hatchet after the fight. How genuine it was is debatable, but at least they put their best foot forward.
The Bad:
- Kish being forced out with an injury is just bad. She is a talented fighter, and it would have been excellent to see her compete in this tournament. Very unfortunate.
- I understand bringing back Tecia Torres, but I do not understand the need to place her on Team Pettis. Should the team itself not have the decision? Why does Anthony Pettis get the higher ranked fighter when he’s already up 4-0? Teammates have fought in the past. I understand it would give Team Melendez a win-win situation, but their fighter is not the one out of the competition.
- Herrig complained that Pettis and the coaches were giving her a game plan. I am so sorry for her that they were doing their jobs.
- Team Melendez continued to be against Clark, even to the point of actively rooting against her. It made little sense, as her winning would have given the team back control over choosing when they will all fight. They rooted against their own interests because they found her annoying.
The Ugly:
- Carla Esparza was the most vocal about having Torres back in the competition, and it came off as someone wanting an easy path. Esparza has never been a fan of Torres, and it showed. It just played on our television screens as someone who wants to avoid the bigger challenges.
- Clark decided to give some excuses for her showing, despite saying she didn’t want to. She had opportunities. Sour grapes is never a good look.
Next week’s fight is between Aisling Daly and Angela Magana.
• Felice Herrig vs. Heather Clark: Felice Herrig def. Heather Clark via unanimous decision (20-18, 20-18, 20-18).
Click the stars to rate this fight.
