Week three of The Ultimate Fighter brought the big boys to the Octagon. The addition of heavyweights has added some excitement to this season’s show since in the fight game heavyweights can sometimes hit really, really hard.
A few knockouts this year wouldn’t hurt the UFC reality show’s popularity. Besides, you haven’t written a letter of complaint to a television network since NBC cancelled “Blossom” and you don’t want to start now.
Last week on The Ultimate Fighter, Rich Franklin (Pictures)’s team lost one of their best athletes when Josh Burkman (Pictures) ousted Melvin Guillard (Pictures). Melvin broke his hand during the fight and wasn’t able to finish Josh off. While blocking one of Melvin’s kicks, Josh injured his arm so he’s off to the hospital for an x-ray.
At the UFC house, Team Hughes is busy dealing with their messy counterparts. Team Franklin’s filthy ways have left the house littered with trash and even a cockroach is spotted. The green team is all shown lounging or napping while the blue team spends its time cleaning up.
(The only thing more boring than watching guys pick up trash is reading about how guys picked up trash. Sorry but I felt like continuing the cycle.)
Later, we get some more input on contestant Luke Cummo’s strange ways. Luke’s kind of an odd duck and the guys have seemed to accept this. They discuss how Luke meditates, eats beans with chopsticks and points his bed to the North in order to harness the sun’s rays. The bottom line is that people do have strange habits.
(I chuckle to myself about this as they go to commercial and I go back to shining and straightening all of my pony figurines on the mantel.)
Burkman shows back up from his hospital visit with some bad news: sure enough, his arm is broken and his future is up in the air. The next day UFC president Dana White gathers the men at the training center and delivers the news that Burkman will have to leave the show because his injury will take too long to heal. Team Hughes loses a good fighter and once more injury strikes T.U.F.
Speaking of injuries, Rob MacDonald has a slight tear in his shoulder muscle and is having trouble with pain and range of motion. Rob is shown complaining about being hurt to everyone that will listen and it begins to get on their nerves.
Rob’s coach, Matt Hughes (Pictures), is a bit perturbed by all the whining and is skeptical of Rob’s dedication. The editors are kind enough to put together a montage of Rob’s shoulder speeches and all the shots of him grabbing that shoulder and wincing in pain. Apparently Rob is laying it on a bit too thick for everyone.
From the Octagon to the pool we go as Randy Couture (Pictures) shows up for the Right Guard Extreme Challenge! Each team jumps in the pool and has to hold their team’s colors up in the air while treading water.
Rashad Evans (Pictures) from Team Hughes is the first to drop and once again the blue team has one the physical challenge. Since Rashad screwed up it’s debated that it may be his time to get in the ring. Rashad looks forward to getting a chance to redeem himself with his skills that matter.
The next day Dana shows up and announces that MacDonald will fight Brad Imes (Pictures). What? All that talk about Rob’s injury and now he’s fighting? Why pick the guy from your team that is injured the most? Was all of that editing just a clever ruse to make Rob look like a pansy or is Rob slyly faking his way into a fight he can win? So many questions.
Burkman’s departure brings in a new replacement contestant from Chuck Liddell (Pictures)’s camp in California. Jason Von Flue moves into the UFC house and right away some of the guys aren’t too sure about him. Jorge Gurgel (Pictures) comes back from a workout to meet the new guy and isn’t too impressed.
Jason goes around introducing himself to everybody and describes himself as the kind of guy that “you either like or hate.” Looks like Jorge hates him and we may just have our first real feud brewing. It’s no surprise though since everyone knows that since the civil war, Gurgels have been battling with the Von Flues … those families just can’t get along.
In order for the new guy to become a true member of the blue team, captain Matt Hughes (Pictures) puts Jason through the same grueling workout that the initial contestants were put through. The workout includes weights, treadmill, circuit training and more.
Jason stays nice and cocky through the whole affair, even taking time to flip off the treadmill — a symbolic gesture of his you-can’t-break-me attitude.
A few minutes later Jason is on his hands and knees puking in a bucket — a symbolic gesture that means your ass is getting busted by one of the best fighters in the business.
After the workout Matt Hughes (Pictures) says that he doesn’t think that Jason “has the heart.” Von Flue just worked out until he puked and that simply isn’t enough for a man of Matt’s standards!
(My mind drifts to my checkbook sitting in my car’s middle console. Rent is due today and I haven’t moved a muscle to get it done because I’m too lazy to walk down my stairs. I make a mental note to make sure I never meet Matt Hughes (Pictures).)
Since these are heavyweights, there aren’t any weight-cutting issues and Rob will have his hands full with the 6’ 7” Imes. Both men are big guys but Brad enjoys a nice height and weight advantage going in. Brad is almost never seen without his trusty cowboy hat. I think I may have also seen kilts on a few of the guys in earlier scenes but I never mentioned that in the hopes that if I ignored it, it would go away. So far it has worked.
It’s time to fight and both men get in the Octagon. Rob wastes no time and puts Brad on his back. Rob stands back up and tries to throw a few punches from on high while Brad throws some upward kicks.
Rob scrambles with Brad a bit and then gets side-mount and works for position. Twice Brad gets caught with some guillotine chokes that almost finish the less inexperienced fighter but he patiently fends them off. Rob rolls around with Brad and ends up in his guard.
Brad applies a nice and slow basic triangle choke and Rob is forced to tap. As expected he leaves the Octagon clutching that shoulder but before you can roll your eyes it’s made known that his shoulder is definitely injured and will require surgery. A portion of his shoulder muscle has slid down into his bicep area and looks pretty painful.
They could build more ratings and be more accurate if they renamed this thing: UFC/ER
MacDonald is eliminated and Imes gets to stick around and get some more quality training. All technique aside it would be nice to get to see a few of these heavyweights stand and trade bombs.
It may have been a bit boring, but a few more episodes and this thing will begin to heat up soon. These guys haven’t even been together two weeks yet so the real personality conflicts haven’t really had a chance simmer. The beast that is T.U.F will reawaken and we’ll have more to discuss.