By Jesse Holland
Episode eleven starts with a rather broad recap of episodes past and I found myself a bit bewildered that it was already week eleven.
I also found myself somewhat deflated knowing that Serra and Hughes were no longer fighting - not that I’m ungrateful for Hughes/GSP III but the impending showdown between coaches always adds a little something to the show.
We get right into the prep for the Ben Saunders/Tommy Speer fight and as expected Serra wants Tommy out of the way. Readers will agree that I’m cynical enough to think it has more to do with Tommy resembling a young Matt Hughes than it does Ben winning.
Tommy’s future could be in jeopardy however because of the cut he suffered in his fight against Jon Koppenhaver. Jared takes one look at the cut and compares Tommy to the lion from the Chronicles of Narnia. I guess that makes Jared a Marsh-wiggle.
Tommy ends up having his stitches removed and gets cleared to fight. Mac thinks it’s the wrong decision but then again Mac thinks that about any decision that’s not his own.
Back at the house Troy, Jon and Richie decide to take the day off and relax which somehow translates into getting drunk and taking a dump in the back of the Team Hughes toilet.
Mac returns to the house and wants a piece of the newly shaven Hightower for his incessant giggling. If Mac thinks he’s mad now wait until he flushes the toilet and gets a steaming bowl of Koppenhaver’s beef stew.
Unfortunately Billy Miles is the unlucky flusher and he figures the best revenge is to tell Mac who is of course known for his rationale and even temper.
As it turns out Jared is the one who takes the news the hardest and he storms their bedroom like an ED-209. He winds up slapping the hat off Koppenhaver’s dome who responds by tackling him.
They are quickly separated and surprisingly go unpunished. Koppenhaver justifies his actions with his keen sense of reason: “I was drunk and bored, what else was I gonna do?”
Ladies beware: First dates with Jon Koppenhaver should not include alcohol.
Mac thinks that guys like Richie, Troy and Jon might not make the best representatives for the sport of MMA.
An interesting criticism coming from a contestant on a reality show.
At the weigh-ins Ben and Tommy both make weight but Ben wakes up the next morning a little pasty with a fever and vomiting. No doubt this is going to surface in the post-fight interview.
Serra reassures him with a demonstration of Tommy’s striking which is eerily reminiscent of Mike Haggar from Final Fight.
Round one starts with a quick tie-up and clinch. Tommy pushes him to the fence and takes him down. Ben lands a few shots from guard so Tommy picks him up and drops him.
Ben answers with a deep armbar but can’t finish it. He quickly transitions to a triangle choke but again can’t seal the deal. Tommy still on top looking unbreakable.
Tommy smothering a bloody Ben who is struggling to escape. Lots of energy being expended on both sides. Tommy postures up, avoids a few upkicks and lands a big shot from the top. A listless Ben looks gassed. The round ends with Tommy on top.
Round two opens with another faineant kick from Ben. Tommy shoots and drops him at the base of the cage. Ben gets to his feet but gets pulled right back down. Tommy controlling the fight. A lack of brisk action prompts a warning from Mazzagatti.
Ben rolls over but Tommy’s right there. Action again starts to slow and Mazz stands them up. This could be Ben’s last chance as he tries to time a flying knee but just misses and ends up on his back.
No action and Mazz uprights them again. An exhausted Ben kicks and swings for the fences and gets taken down for his efforts. Round two ends the same way round one did: Tommy on top scoring points.
Tommy wins by unanimous decision and Ben predictably pulls the sick card.
After the fight we get the semi-final picks with Dana, Serra and Hughes. Just like every other round of picks Serra talks and Hughes smirks.
The semifinals will be:
- Mac Danzig vs. Matt Arroyo
- Tommy Speer vs. George Sotiropoulos
Ah, but they won’t be! It’s revealed that by some circumstance one of the fighters is unable to continue. Who will bow out? Who will take his place? Who else will defecate on camera?
See you next week!
71 Comments »
Jon and Jared go at it in the house… is it this episode?… cool.. my guess is Jared starts it and Jon reads way to much into it and goes psycho.
or
Jon played a prank on Jared like he did on Mac and Jared caught him and they go at it.
Any other guesses who starts the home fight?
[quote comment=”220541″]Jon and Jared go at it in the house… is it this episode?… cool.. my guess is Jared starts it and Jon reads way to much into it and goes psycho.
or
Jon played a prank on Jared like he did on Mac and Jared caught him and they go at it.
Any other guesses who starts the home fight?[/quote]
Oh’ just read it” guess Jon played a prank.. well at least it wan’t mac kicking his ass.. he’s got a good shot at Jared
war and rude play a prank and jrock goes crazy!lol
Woohoo Tommy!
How can Leben in the 1st UF 1 gets fined for wrecking the house but now the fighters can shit all over the house and not get penalized.
Tommy lost that first round! I bet he is the one that can’t fight next week because he has a broken arm.
that laugh was annoying, I wish Matt would have pushed his face in.
p.s. jrocks any idiot. At least he didn’t cry this week though.
i cant believe tommys arm didnt come off his body… that *hit looked real bad… the triangle also looked deep but he should have better positioned himself, that was one mean ass elbow he took while trying to finish the choke.
Holy! Moly! Am I sick and tired of Matt “Mother” Danzig and his I just drank too much cough syrup like voice
That is disappointing that someone won’t get to fight next week. I thought the 4 semi-finalists were very likely the 4 best fighters and loved the match-ups going into next week.
Tommy reminds me of Gamburyan last year. A sure dark horse in the competition remainig. Both tommy and manny are very powerful and can keep the guy on the bottom for most of the fight
are the fights this saturday or next wednesday
What I like about Tommy better is his perseverance. He gets caught in the worst submissions but holds out until he can regain a dominant position.
I found Gamburyan boring because he doesn’t even attempt to pass guards. Tommy will at least try and i like his attitude better. Like the Hulk
Tommy sucks. He is just crazy strong. All he can do is get a takedown and he will not finish anyone. If he does make it to the ring next week I bet George takes it.
Does anyone know who is not fighting?
That sucks that serra backed out of the hughes fight
serra backed out of the hughes fight
[quote comment=”220614″]Tommy sucks. He is just crazy strong. All he can do is get a takedown and he will not finish anyone. If he does make it to the ring next week I bet George takes it.[/quote]
Tommy sucks ha?
i like how mac the mangina talks about them being classless, then the scene immediately cuts to him spitting in to the bedroom. funny episode though
oh and side note i like how jrock said tommy looked like the lion from chronicles of narnia
[quote comment=”220606″]That is disappointing that someone won’t get to fight next week. I thought the 4 semi-finalists were very likely the 4 best fighters and loved the match-ups going into next week.[/quote]
I bet its tommy because of those cuts on his face.
I would assume Tommy maybe if his cuts opened up during this fight. However, they didn’t and he has some time to heal them now. I pray it’s not Tommy because watching him fight is so entertaining.
I think the fighter not moving on is Danzig. He looked like he had a painful grimace in the preview for next week. Jared and Troy were my picks for the final before the series started. I guess judging from pictures and a bio is like judging a book by it’s cover. I don’t know who deserves to fill the vacated spot. I know it won’t be Blake……
Allright everybody, put your Serra hard-ons away for a sec and give Speer’s credit. That was a nasty arm bar that would have finished most guys.
Also, if Dana is letting the guys wreck the house for ratings, it’s a cheap thrill and I’m bored with it. I doubt these guys would not treat thier own homes this way and it’s just retarded.
Tommy’s submission escapes are sick.
Danzig & Sotiropoulous in the final.
My instincts tell me that Dan Berrera gets the replacement spot.
Dang that sucks, I know it’s gonna be Danzig or George out of it with my luck, cuz that’s who I, and most others i’m assuming, wanted adn thought would be in the finals.
Someone’s not fighting next week… my guess is Tommy Speers got his arm tweeked… other than that if someone else gets injured it’s probably someone on Hughes team… and Hughes probably hurts him..lol
What’ hell’ upper decker!?… freakin nasty… If anyone is disgusting enough to do that I recommend being miles away and never returning to the scene of the crime.
SPEERS is tough” just like a mini’ Hughes”’ I’m sure Matt is a proud Papa’ shifted through a shit load of turds to find his nugget of corn.
I think Tommy will be the person injured and unable to continue. Tommy can easily become a great fighter just needs to work on something besides his crazy tuff farm boy strength. The finals are going to be Mac VS George I think everyone can see that. I believe Mac is going to walk away The Ultimate Fighter season 6 winner.
I really wanted to see hughes destroy serra and take his title back.
That sucks that one of the fighters will not be able to fight. My instincts initially told me it was Tommy due to the cuts, arm bar, and the fact that neither George, Matt, or Mac got touched much during their Q-final matchups.
However, when watching the preview, Dana White, while trying to figure out who to replace the injured fighter with, is speaking to Matt Serra & Richie Hightower privately in a room, and seems to be proposing the vacated spot to Hightower. If you notice, the other shots of Team Hughes’ members when they were talking about finding a replacement, were in the gym, and could have been taking at any time during their time there.
My guess is that someone from Team Serra pulled out, and Hightower was thought to be the most impressive loser during the Q-finals, and was offered a replacement. Hightower would not be offered a replacement for Tommy Speer, as he has already lost to George.
If the injured fighter is from Team Hughes, I’d say give the spot to J-Rock or Berrera, personally I’d pick J-Rock. (However, probably not the case as J-Rock is already slated to fight War Machine at the Finale…interesting that Berrera nor Billy are scheduled to fight, nor is Hightower)
We’ll see…
My picks as the fights stand:
Mac over Arroyo in a pretty good match, maybe with Mac submitting Matt. I see this as a pretty close match though…Arroyo has been impressive, and is pretty strong & good on ground. Mac has been the most impressive technically thus far.
Tommy over George in a decision. Perhaps I am guessing with who I want to win here, because George seems to be the most feared of Team Serra (although I have not been extremely impressed), and Tommy is kind of beat up. I just don’t see George knocking Tommy out…he’s too tough. On the ground, I think George has the technique to submit Tommy, but Tommy might be tough enough to yet again struggle out of one and G&P George to a victory by decision. At least I hope!
A matchup of any of the 4 in the finals would be great!
A Final Fight reference? Nice
OK Jesse- I officially declare you all the way back. Where have you been? 10 points each for ED 209 and Mike Haggar references. I award 20 points for marsh-wiggle. I about fell out of my chair.
Ben is a total douche and so is Matt
Has anyone else noticed that Mac never claps with the rest of the fighters when they come to the ring for their fight? I know he thinks he’s head and shoulders above the rest, but have a little class. Christ, if you were as good as you think you are Mac, you wouldn’t be on a reality show and you’d already have the belt.
“”"”"”I also found myself somewhat deflated knowing that Serra and Hughes were no longer fighting - not that I’m ungrateful for Hughes/GSP III but the impending showdown between coaches always adds a little something to the show.”"”"”"
Dammit!! I can’t stand to see hypocrites (Mac) get the spotlight. Loosely quoted Mac “I don’t think people who drop deuces in the top of other peoples toilets should be representing our sport.” But he thinks it’s just fine to spit on someone else’s bed. He’s a crooked nosed ass monkey.
My first choice (Ben) lost. Oh well. I just hope someone can KO Mac, maybe they could straighten his nose.
[quote comment=”220686″]Danzig & Sotiropoulous in the final.
My instincts tell me that Dan Berrera gets the replacement spot.[/quote]
If that is the case the finals Mac vs George punch the ticket.
I wouldn’t mind Matt upseting Mac..but I don’t see it.
Dan got I feel the worst lumped up than the other fighters.
Tommy being out?? They will not pit JRoc with George part2..Other than Mac and Tommy and Hughes..I don’t see no one on the grey side beating George in the semi’s.
Great Fight!!
[quote comment=”220640″]I think the fighter not moving on is Danzig. He looked like he had a painful grimace in the preview for next week. [/quote]
I hope not. But I guess anything is possible. It would serve him right for being so prideful.
I liked seeing the 5 seconds of actual training from Serra. I wonder why they don’t show more? Trade secrets?
I bet Hightower didn’t go over to Hughes because they would have had him spar with Mac. Now that would have been something to watch.
http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2007/11/29/dan-barrera-and-ben-saunders-set-to-face-off-at-tuf-6-finale-5-oz-exclusive/
I didn’t have the time to read thru yet (9 am meeting), but I just wanted to post a couple of quick things.
Ben woke up with a cold, and he was telling Matt Serra, and explained that he had sinus problems which lead to trouble breathing. Right then and there I started laughing - as if Serra needs an actual reason to scream to his fighter to “BREEEEEATH BEN, BREEATH!”.
Before the fight began, we see an iterview of Ben. He says that he will be looking to bust Tommy’s nose open as soon as possible… Welp, it looks like karma served him correctly as he appeared to have a broken nose in the first round.
Note to all of Tommy Spears opponents - Don’t even bother looking for submissions on him, HE WILL NOT TAP, EVER!!!!
After Tommy won, I was thinking Mac/Matt and George/Tommy for the semi’s, and I was correct. BUT I am very upset that one of these fighter’s can’t continue. They are definitely the best 4 fighters in the house.
why you shittin in my toilet dog? why tou shittin in the back of the toilet dog? (x27) lol
[quote comment=”220607″]Tommy reminds me of Gamburyan last year. A sure dark horse in the competition remainig. Both tommy and manny are very powerful and can keep the guy on the bottom for most of the fight[/quote]
That’s not a good thing. Nobody wants or needs more lay ‘n pray, hold on for a decision fighters.
Probably the greatest moment in TV history was hearing all the fighters give their definition of an “upper-decker”
[quote comment=”220620″]serra backed out of the hughes fight[/quote]
Actually, he had to withdraw because of a severe and debilitating back injury. Unless you meant that “backing out” comment as a bad pun, then you are sorely mistaken.
That arm bar tom was in looked like it was going to break his arm, I couldn’t look but somehow he prevailed. Tom sucks as a fighter and is easily the least technical guy in there, just a strong brute. It will probably be him who can’t fight next week I imagine with the cut he has and he could also have hurt his arm in the arm bar as well. Its too bad because I would like to see his fight george, it would have been interesting. Looks like someone else gets to come back, wonder who? I predict mac to come out in the end, he seems to have the soundest skills and is level headed.
I think it will be Tommy that can’t continue on and I think that he may have gotten some damage to his arm from the arm bar. That arm sure looked like it was going to snap but I think it definitely hyper extended and that is why he can’t continue on…
I guess we will find out next week.
i dont know, if you watched the commercial a few minutes later (not the preview from right after the show), the dude says that a fighter leaves, not that he cant continue…i think it will be george…mac, matt, or Tommy wouldnt leave unless something bad happend at home, but it seemed like George didnt want to be there after they told him he had to fight tommy…not questioning his talent or heart, it just seemed a bit off when he talked about tommy in his interview
[quote comment=”221019″]i dont know, if you watched the commercial a few minutes later (not the preview from right after the show), the dude says that a fighter leaves, not that he cant continue…i think it will be george…mac, matt, or Tommy wouldnt leave unless something bad happend at home, but it seemed like George didnt want to be there after they told him he had to fight tommy…not questioning his talent or heart, it just seemed a bit off when he talked about tommy in his interview[/quote]
I noticed that as well. George said “oh well” like he had hoped to fight Mac. Correct or not, I think he sees Speer’s as the favorite in the fight.
I dont even care who gets repelaced, I want to know who gets KTFO’ed.
But with that being said, I think Matt Arroyo will get injured, then we will finally get to see Richie Hightower vs. Mac Danzig.
YES!
Tommy is out, Blake is in against George.
Tommy’s a nob and a one dimensional boring fighter. I hope he has to fight a real fighter some day and gets it handed to him. They said on the preview for next week to get ready for the most brutal KO of the season, I hope its Tommy on the receiving end. Turd.
[quote comment=”221052″]Tommy is out, Blake is in against George.[/quote]
..blake’s got a gun?!?!?!
“That arm bar tom was in looked like it was going to break his arm, I couldn’t look but somehow he prevailed”
You couldn’t look? why are you posting here?
Regardless of whos out it will be one of Serra’s boys who gets to fill in because Hughes doesnt have any eliminated guys that made it to the 2nd round. Dana’s not going to throw a guy in there that lost in his first fight.
[quote comment=”220633″][quote comment=”220606″]That is disappointing that someone won’t get to fight next week. I thought the 4 semi-finalists were very likely the 4 best fighters and loved the match-ups going into next week.[/quote]
I bet its tommy because of those cuts on his face.[/quote]
With the cuts on his face, Tommy was allowed to fight against Ben. None of the cuts appeared to open back up, so I don’t see them being a problem causing him not to compete in the next fight. He may have injured his arm during the arm bar,
I really thought that they would bring back Dan Barrera to fight - seeing that Dana loved his first fight so much that he gave him, the loser a $5K bonus. BUT, it has already been announced that Dan is fighting Ben at the finale. I don’t think that that info would have been released already if Dan was being brought back to the competition - because it would mean that we already KNOW that Dan will lose to whomever he fights in the semi’s.
I also don’t think it will be Dan because sually when a fighter gets injured, they try and replace them with someone from the same team. If a team Hughes guy were to get injured, Dan would fight for sure, in my opinion. Therefore, I think that either Team Serra’s George or Matt will get injured during training. But who will be the replacement? I would hope its someone that at least won their first round fight - John Kolosci, Troy or Hightower. Troy and Hightower each have a fight scheduled for the finale. So using my deductive reasoning, since Troy is scheduled to fight Hightower at the finale, my guess is that John Kolosci will be brought back to fight. Plus, Dana and the coaches were impressed with the fact that John thought that Mac was the best in the house, and he still asked to fight him.
Serra had to cancel his fight with Hughes due to two bad disks
(herniated?) in his back. Sounds like he’ll need back surgery to me.
I’m guessing it’s Tommy who’ll have to drop out due to injuries.
[quote comment=”221097″][quote comment=”220633″][quote comment=”220606″]That is disappointing that someone won’t get to fight next week. I thought the 4 semi-finalists were very likely the 4 best fighters and loved the match-ups going into next week.[/quote]
I bet its tommy because of those cuts on his face.[/quote]
With the cuts on his face, Tommy was allowed to fight against Ben. None of the cuts appeared to open back up, so I don’t see them being a problem causing him not to compete in the next fight. He may have injured his arm during the arm bar,
I really thought that they would bring back Dan Barrera to fight - seeing that Dana loved his first fight so much that he gave him, the loser a $5K bonus. BUT, it has already been announced that Dan is fighting Ben at the finale. I don’t think that that info would have been released already if Dan was being brought back to the competition - because it would mean that we already KNOW that Dan will lose to whomever he fights in the semi’s.
I also don’t think it will be Dan because sually when a fighter gets injured, they try and replace them with someone from the same team. If a team Hughes guy were to get injured, Dan would fight for sure, in my opinion. Therefore, I think that either Team Serra’s George or Matt will get injured during training. But who will be the replacement? I would hope its someone that at least won their first round fight - John Kolosci, Troy or Hightower. Troy and Hightower each have a fight scheduled for the finale. So using my deductive reasoning, since Troy is scheduled to fight Hightower at the finale, my guess is that John Kolosci will be brought back to fight. Plus, Dana and the coaches were impressed with the fact that John thought that Mac was the best in the house, and he still asked to fight him.[/quote]
Good point.
[quote comment=”220965″]Probably the greatest moment in TV history was hearing all the fighters give their definition of an “upper-decker”[/quote]
I totally agree. If this episode doesn’t win an Emmy, it’s a crime. The upper decker episode might be the funniest thing that happened in 6 seasons of TUF.
If George got injured it would make sense to put in Richie since it is he would would be in Georges spot if he had won that fight. I hope not. I really wanted to see Mac and George in the final. Ben says some of the funniest things. I really wanted to see Mac vs Richie so Mac can just slap him. Mac seems like such an antisocial individual. But he has good qualities too like his love of all animals.
[quote comment=”220620″]serra backed out of the hughes fight[/quote]
Shut up. You shame others with the name Danzig.
It’s funny because Mac’s so antisocial he reminds me of what Glenn Danzig the Singer would be like if he were a fighter.
Maybe Dana will bring back Ross from Season 3 to fight in the Semi’s again.
[quote comment=”220911″]Dammit!! I can’t stand to see hypocrites (Mac) get the spotlight. Loosely quoted Mac “I don’t think people who drop deuces in the top of other peoples toilets should be representing our sport.” But he thinks it’s just fine to spit on someone else’s bed. He’s a crooked nosed ass monkey.
My first choice (Ben) lost. Oh well. I just hope someone can KO Mac, maybe they could straighten his nose.[/quote]
Maybe Mac is on Roids.. do they test for these TUF events?
[quote comment=”220964″][quote comment=”220607″]Tommy reminds me of Gamburyan last year. A sure dark horse in the competition remainig. Both tommy and manny are very powerful and can keep the guy on the bottom for most of the fight[/quote]
That’s not a good thing. Nobody wants or needs more lay ‘n pray, hold on for a decision fighters.[/quote]
I don’t mind Tommy’s style, I’ve seen 2 of his other fights and he knocks guys out!.. Tommy really goes for GnP and the he takes risks… standup fighting and sometimes gets caught in submissions, cause he’s really trying hard for a KO in GnP mode… makes him more than just a lay n’ pray fighter. He reminds me of exactly like a mini Hughes only he has more power in his punch from the standing position.
[quote comment=”220606″]That is disappointing that someone won’t get to fight next week. I thought the 4 semi-finalists were very likely the 4 best fighters and loved the match-ups going into next week.[/quote]
2nd that one, really wanted to see both those fights
[quote comment=”221047″]I dont even care who gets repelaced, I want to know who gets KTFO’ed.
But with that being said, I think Matt Arroyo will get injured, then we will finally get to see Richie Hightower vs. Mac Danzig.
YES![/quote]
Are we thinking that Hightower gets KTFO’ed?
Awesome show.. Ben is really good even though he lost, i was impressed, also because George over trains himself, George gets injured. The fighters that were brought in were all from Serra’s team. And the KO, finally one is shown
I’m not sure why so many commenters think the cuts are relevant at all for Tommy. He was cleared to fight, did not get cut again, so why would having a few more days to heal make him *less* likely to fight?
So we’ve got Hightower coming back, it appears, and a grumpy looking Serra receiving some bad news from Dana (a first for this season). Figure Serra is losing either Matt A., or George.
Now all that is pretty obvious from the clips we’ve been shown. From here on out I’m just guessing. I would figure it’s George, because of the editing. If Mac’s opponent were pulling out, the Official Reality Show Rules of Editing Suckitude ™ would dictate that we get a not-very-cryptic clip of Mac saying something vague along the lines of not caring caring who he fights, yada yada. Especially since Mac is one of the most camera friendly quote machines in this cast, you figure if they had a chance to put Mac on camera with a one liner they would.
That’s my guess on who is out and why, some process of elimination. Really, this is one of the best episodes this season, since I actually give a crap what happens next week. One of the weakest seasons, I think. A few good fighters, but I think Dana’s winning formula has reached the end of its shelf life.
Thanks for the frequent posts, good writing, and inside info guys, I love the site!
[quote comment=”220620″]serra backed out of the hughes fight[/quote]
Saying a fighter backed out when they know nothing of the injury sustained is low. about as low as accusing someone of being classless then demonstrating just waht classless means.
Hope Tommy is injured, 1 trick pony who is boring to watch. Think he’ll get schooled by George anyway.
If you look up Mac’s record on Sherdog he had a 12 fight win streak so he has every right to be pissed at being in a house with tools like Blake and even Barrerra with a 0-0 record.
But do think he is an ass.
I am hoping George takes the contract, he is well rounded, has a good atitude and seems like a good guy.