The Tool Review 10.15.08: The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 (Disc 3)
Posted by Adam Tool on 10.15.2008
It’s the last batch of regular episodes and that means it’s time to determine who will move on to the live Finale! In the middleweight bracket we’ve got Diego Sanchez versus Josh Koscheck and Kenny Florian taking on Chris Leben! Then it’s the light heavyweights with Forrest Griffin versus Sam Hoger while Stephan Bonnar meets Mike Swick!
We’re nearly done with the regular episodes of this inaguaral season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” If this is your first time here you can check out disc one here and disc two is here.
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: SEASON 1 (DISC 3)
Episode 9 - “Low Blow”
We start as usual with a recap of the last fight, in this case being Diego Sanchez raping Josh Rafferty. Josh Koscheck says that Rafferty looked like he didn’t want to be there. Mike Swick says he thought Diego would just get a submission but Diego really pounded him. Stephan Bonnar says that he knows Sanchez and Rafferty are friends, but that didn’t stop Diego from punching Josh in the face about 100 times. Diego talks himself up and says that he’s the best.
After the fight the guys have a meeting with Dana in the gym. Once again the middleweights are unbalanced and Chuck has to give up one of his fighters to Randy. Chuck has to pick on the spot whereas usually he’s had some time to think about it. Chuck doesn’t really know what to do but in the end he picks Kenny Florian to go to Team Couture. Chuck says he didn’t want to lose Kenny because he really likes the guy. Kenny says he’s going to try and look at the positives of the situation. Randy’s happy to have Florian and says that in some ways he’s been overlooked thus far. Team Liddell laments the loss of another teammate.
Back at the house Bonnar says that the mood of the house is really up in the air. He says none of the guys give a crap since there’s only two weeks left. We see Diego and Chris Leben drinking wheat grass and laughing their asses off. Some of the guys start throwing crap at each other in the house while Alex Schoenhauer says that everybody in the house is getting along better with less concern over which teams they’re on.
Kenny has his first training session with Team Couture and he seems pretty happy about it. He says he wanted to train with Randy when he came here because he’s been eager to add wrestling to his skillset. Kenny also starts to bond with Chris Leben.
Stephan says that tonight the guys actually get to watch TV. They’ll be watching UFC 50 and Chuck and Randy are there with them. When Matt Hughes taps out Georges St. Pierre the room erupts. It’s clear these guys are just as big of fans as we are. Dana says that for these guys that’s exactly where they want to be, on the cards and selling PPV’s.
Everyone in the room that’s going to be on a UFC PPV stand up.
Whoa, not so fast there Sam Hoger.
Challenge time is upon us and Forrest Griffin talks about how badly he wants to fight. Instead of the desert we’re in a parking ramp for the light heavyweight challenge. Willa Ford makes her standard lone appearance of the episode to explain how it will work.
1. Each team has a dunk tank.
2. There are 30 cases of water on the stairwell, and each team has to retrieve all the cases to win the challenge.
3. The losing team has their coach dunked.
Mike Swick and Alex Schoenhauer are racing for Team Couture while Hoger and Forrest run for Liddell. The teams are neck and neck for most of the challenge, and we see Hoger struggling a few times. Team Liddell wins in a close race. Randy Couture doesn’t really get dunked so much as he slides halfway into the tank. Forrest reveals that Chuck threatened to kick his ass if they lost. Koscheck thinks that Forrest did all the work, but Hoger believes he should get 50% of the credit too.
Team Liddell meets to decide the next fight. Forrest has his eyes set on Alex Schoenhauer, but Sam would like to as well. Forrest says that he thinks he did more work in the challenge. Sam thinks that he did more thinking to win the challenge. Chuck laughs about that and says that Forrest won the challenge so he gets to fight. Koscheck tells Forrest he’d better not lose and Forrest tells them that if he loses he’ll walk straight over from the cage and they can all kick his ass. Chuck too. Chuck says that they win either way. Tremendous.
Back at the house Dana is AWOL so Chuck casually that Forrest will be fighting. Forrest says he’ll be fighting Alex Schoenhauer, and he calls him the weak link on the team. He also says Alex can prove him wrong. Schoenhauer says that Forrest can think that but he’s been improving since day one and he’ll prove Forrest wrong.
We’ve got some drama at the house. Stephan ordered some supplements and now they’re gone from his bag. He wanted to get to the bottom of it so he did a search of everyone’s stuff. He went down to ask Sam, and Hoger lets him look in his bag. Stephan notices that Sam has a ton of UFC hats and shirts and what-not. Diego asks Sam to open his other bag and notices that Sam has 5 UFC beanies. Diego gives an interview where he says that a bunch of the guys in the house are missing hats. Sam tells them that he grabbed all of it from the office and he thought it was okay. Stephan isn’t willing to say that Sam stole all that stuff but it’s pretty well implied. Hoger says that the extra stuff is for his family back home, but Kenny says that he’s not taking stuff for his big-ass family. Koscheck and some of the other guys confront Hoger and he tells them not to call him a thief. “Sausage Tits” is NOT AMUSED.
The next day Diego goes into the training center and talks to Richie, the office manager. Richie says that he didn’t give Sam any extra stuff and Diego confronts Hoger about it in front of Chuck. Again Hoger proclaims his innocence and Chuck says he’s not concerned about it. Sam tells him he just wants to compete and Chuck is cool with that. Kenny and Chris talk to Peter, the boxing coach and ask if he gave Sam authority to take that stuff. Peter did not, and Kenny runs down Hoger some more.
At the house, Hoger says that the rest of the guys aren’t talking to him anymore but that’s fine because he prefers to be on his own. Kenny and some of the guys confront Sam and tell him that Peter and Richie didn’t vouch for him. Florian tells him that people are missing stuff and Sam has that stuff in his locked suitcase. Hoger throws it back at them and says that all the shit in the house gets piled on him. Koscheck thinks that Kenny and Sam need to hug it out.
Schoenhauer gives us his backstory and trains with Randy. Randy plans for Alex to take Forrest down repeatedly. Alex says he loves being the underdog and Forrest is going to be surprised when they face each other. Randy says that Alex steps it up when there’s competition. Randy calls Forrest a goofball and says he has a real unorthodox style. Alex knows Forrest won’t tap out easy because in his last fight he got his arm broken and ended up knocking out the guy with his good arm. We go to Forrest training now and he says that he wants to win quickly so he can get the money and fix his arm from his last fight.
WEIGH-INS~! Forrest comes in at 205 while Alex also comes in at 205. That’s pretty much it.
Nate Quarry says that when he found out about Hoger possibly taking stuff he was upset, particularly because he’s stood up for Hoger at other times. He decided to speak to Sam directly about it. Quarry tells Sam to be the bigger man and give the stuff back. Sam starts to go into his story again but Nate cuts him off and says he doesn’t need to hear the excuses. Richie (the office manager.) also confronts Hoger and asks why Sam would tell people that Richie was giving him permission to take stuff. Sam says that he was already planning to do the right thing.
Back at the house, Sam tells the guys he has an announcement to make. Stephan asks him if he’s quitting. Sam gets all the guys together and admits he was wrong. He apologizes to them for grabbing the stuff at the gym and says that he put everything in a bag. He tells the guys that if there’s anything in the bag that they think is theirs, they can grab it and whatever is left he’ll take back to the office the next day. Kenny says that Sam did save some face but he would’ve preferred a full admission of guilt. Sam says that everybody took some stuff from the office, he just took a little more.
Back to fight time and the guys get ready. Forrest says he’s trained with Alex a lot but he won’t really know what he’s got until they get in the cage. Alex plans to do whatever it takes to win the $5K. Dana calls Forrest a workhorse and admits that he’s “a little nutty.” Koscheck says that the Alex that came out to fight looks like a completely different man from the guy that trained with them.
ELIMINATION FIGHT: LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS - Forrest Griffin (9-2) vs. Alex Schoenhauer (10-0)
Dana says that it will be two five minute rounds and if it’s scored a draw we go to sudden victory. Herb Dean is our referee.
Round 1
Forrest presses forward quickly but Alex answers right back. They exchange some more and Alex works a few leg kicks. Forrest presses forward and they tie up against the fence. Alex delivers a few knees inside and Forrest answers back with his own. Forrest takes him down immediately gets side control. He transitions to the full mount and starts raining down blows. Alex defends at first but he tries to roll and eats a few big punches before tapping out.
After the fight Forrest is cut above his left eye, but he smiles it off. Dana says he was surprised by the fight and how aggressive Alex was. Chuck says that Alex isn’t afraid to strike but he doesn’t have the skills on the ground. After the fight Forrest walks over to the rest of the competitors and tells them to applaud for Alex. Randy talks about how Forrest epitomizes the attitude of mixed-martial arts, particularly how two men can beat the crap out of each other and follow it up with a hug. Schoenhauer is grateful for the experience and his training with both Chuck and Randy.
Dana points out that Forrest’s cut above his eye could result in him not getting cleared to fight and having to leave the show. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t happen.
Episode 10 - “Middleweight Semi-Final 1”
Before we can go forward, we have to go back. The guys discuss Griffin vs. Shoenhauer and put over Alex’s toughness. Koscheck says that Forrest got dazed and stepped back a bit but Alex was just charging forward. Bonnar says that Forrest got popped in both eyes and decided he needed to take the fight down to the ground. Leben says that Alex on the ground is kind of like a fish out of water. Swick says he was let down that Alex tapped out but he fought like a warrior. Leben hopes that Forrest’s cut doesn’t take him out of the game.
Forrest gets looked at by the doctors. Dana says that in case Forrest’s cut doesn’t heal properly he’ll need to pick somebody that can come back in for him. Forrest gets checked out by an eye doctor and they stitch him up. Forrest got blue stitches and is now wearing mascara to match them.
Florian, Swick and Leben speculate on what will happen with Forrest, and that if he goes on it’s a bonus for whoever he fights next. Forrest comes home and is welcomed by Leben and Florian. Forrest gives Alex some props and says that he hyper-extended his elbow when he tried to throw a big punch. The doctors told him it should be alright and he needs to stop being a big baby and whining about it.
The fighters are called down to the gym for a meeting with Dana White. Dana congratulates the guys on making it this far and announces that they are now in the semi-finals. Dana says that from now on teammate will fight teammate. He announces Chris Leben vs. Kenny Florian and Josh Koscheck will fight Diego Sanchez. He also says that the semi-final fights will be three five minute rounds. Finally he announces the light heavyweight match-ups of Mike Swick vs. Stephan Bonnar and Sam Hoger vs. Forrest Griffin. Dana explains that they wanted representatives from each team in the finals, and the only way to do that was to have teammate versus teammate. Dana also informs Forrest that he’ll have to decide which guy to bring back in case he’s not cleared to fight. Dana wishes them a good night and takes off to count all the money he’s about to start making.
Randy is upset about how he’s been training these guys together and now they have to fight each other. Swick is also pissed off because he’s been training with Stephan every day. Diego is upset because he’s wanted to train with Randy the entire time but he couldn’t because of the team thing. Now it doesn’t even matter. Leben laments the fact that he’s spent the last few weeks teaching Florian all his little tricks and now they’ve got to fight. Kenny says that they’ve become friends and that’s the hardest thing about it. At the house Chris asks Kenny if he’ll help Chris dye his hair before their fight.
At the training center Kenny tells Chris that he didn’t really like him at first, and that when Chris was drinking he was a prick. Now he’s gotten to know Chris and he really likes him. Neither guy wants to do this but they both want the contract so what are you gonna do?
Back at the house Koscheck tells Florian that he thinks it’s bullshit that Leben has another chance to get to the finals since Josh already beat him. He tells Florian to watch out for Chris’ power and advises Kenny “you gotta take him down.”
Forrest talks about making his pick for who gets to come back, and says that if you’ve been watching the show it shouldn’t be any real surprise as to who he’s got in mind. Sure enough, Bobby “D-Bag” Southworth comes back to the house. Bobby says he’s got mixed feelings about being back since he’s only got a 50% chance of getting back in the competition. Stephan isn’t too happy about him being back since he did beat him. However Stephan also admits that with Bobby back in the house now maybe the dishes will start getting done again. Sam also isn’t real happy to see Southworth back, and neither is Leben. Josh Koscheck is happy about it though. No real surprise there.
Chris trains with Randy while Kenny trains with Mike. The two give one another their due, but Florian says that he thinks Chris is still underestimating him. Chris cuts weight in the sauna and gives us a little bit of his personal story. He says he was the only one of his family to graduate high school.
Kenny says that one thing that makes him different is that he didn’t have a rough upbringing. He says he’s just a normal guy that loves to fight. He also calls fighting a personal quest and something he has to do.
Randy says that since Chuck has been training Kenny most of the time he’ll corner Florian while Randy corners Chris. Dana breaks down the fighters and says not to let Chris’ first fight with Koscheck fool people. He also reveals that he discovered Kenny on a small show. Dana says he only went to that show to see the guy Florian was fighting, and he was so impressed with Kenny’s performance that he talked to him afterwards.
WEIGH-INS~! Chris is at the limit at 186 while Kenny is at 182. Chris admits that Kenny is a better technical fighter but he’s the meaner one. Florian says that he’s a true 155-er and so the pressure is on Leben since he’s fighting such a smaller guy.
SEMI-FINALS: MIDDLEWEIGHTS - Chris Leben (15-1) vs. Kenny Florian (3-1)
“Big” John McCarthy is our referee.
Round 1
Leben comes in quickly with the big overhand left and Kenny drops down for a single. He can’t get him down and they exchange briefly. Leben presses forward again and misses a spinning back fist. They tie up against the cage and Leben throws some punches inside. He mixes in a few knees to the body before Kenny can break away. Kenny throws some kicks to the body but Chris comes forward with more punches. They tie up against the cage again and Chris starts laying down some foot stomps. Chris does some nice dirty boxing and they break apart again. Chris misses a few punches and presses forward. Kenny ties up and throws a knee inside. Kenny lands a nice left as they split apart. This time Kenny comes in first with some punches but Chris answers back. They tie up and Kenny misses a straight left as they break. Chris continues to press the action and they tie up against the cage again. Chris delivers more punches inside to the body before throwing an elbow to the head. They circle back to the center and Kenny charges in with an uppercut. Chris ties up and then starts to unload against the cage. Kenny ties up to avoid any more damage and Leben delivers more foot stomps. Chris throws another short elbow against the fence and then clinches up to deliver some knees to the body. Kenny breaks apart and lands a few punches. They both end the round swinging. Great action so far. Chris landed more shots and was the aggressor, so I’d have to give the round to him.
Round 2
Kenny presses forward with a leg kick and then circles and back away. Chris presses forward with punches but Kenny is being more elusive in this round. Chris comes in but Kenny tries to grab the clinch. They break apart and circle back, and Chris throws a nice leg kick. Chris throws a few punches but Kenny defends well. Kenny remains elusive and they circle back to the center. Kenny fakes a couple of shots and then when he comes in Chris makes him eat a few punches. Kenny tries to tie up but Chris gets a clinch and just misses a high knee. They exchange and tie up against the cage again and Chris continues to attack the body. More foot stomps from Leben followed by punches to Florian’s leg. Kenny delivers a BEAUTIFUL short elbow to Chris’ head and Leben is cut bad. They break apart and McCarthy immediately calls a timeout to check the cut. The doctor takes a look at it and decides that’s it.
Winner: Kenny Florian, TKO (cut), round 2, 3:11
Afterwards the two hug each other and Chris tells Kenny “you’re the champ.” Dana says that the fight needed to be stopped because fighter safety is their number one concern. He points out that in the 10 years of the UFC they’ve never had a serious injury or death.
The coaches talk about the fight and Chuck says that Chris definitely won the first round but Kenny was still in it. Randy calls it one of the worst cuts he’s ever seen in a fight and he knew it was over as soon as they broke apart. Kenny says that he’s never thrown an elbow in an MMA fight before.
Rest assured that he’ll be throwing many more in the years to come.
Episode 11 - “Middleweight Semi-Final 2”
In case you just missed it, Kenny fought Chris. Mike Swick says that Chris took it right to Kenny. Forrest liked the way Chris fought, and even Bobby Southworth has to give Chris props. Koscheck calls Kenny a hero
After the fight Chris goes outside the training center to cry it out. Randy comes over to console him and tells him he needs to get his cut taken care of. The doctor works on the cut while Chris is crying on the lawn. Leben goes back inside and Kenny immediately hugs him. Chris congratulates Kenny and tells him he deserves it. Chris admits that Kenny won the fight fair and square. Randy says that Chris is a great fighter but he needs to get some things in his life straightened out before he can really succeed in the sport.
Dana reminds us that Kenny is now thru to the finals, and now Koscheck will fight Sanchez to determine the Team Liddell side of the finals. Diego says that this will be the first time in his life he’s fighting somebody who’s a better wrestler than him. Koscheck tells Swick that he’s not a one-dimensional fighter. Koscheck hates the fact that he’s got to fight his teammate but that’s life. Kenny tells Diego that he thinks this fight will be good for Josh, since it will force him to be a better fighter.
Forrest goes to the doctor’s office to get his stitches removed. He doesn’t know if the athletic commission will let him fight but there’s nothing he can do about now.
Team Liddell trains and Bobby Southworth talks about how he’s got mixed feelings. He’s been training with Forrest and they’re close, but they both have the same dream. Bobby says he has no problem fighting Sam Hoger, and he runs Hoger down a bit. We get the weigh-ins and Diego comes in at 183 ½ while Josh is at 185 ½.
Dana plans the weigh-ins for the Ultimate Finale, and they decide to hold the weigh-ins at The Joint at the Hard Rock Casino. Thrilling stuff.
Diego says that he feels better than he’s ever felt before and he feels God is on his side. He says that Josh is trying to take everything away from him and he’s not going to let him. Koscheck says that in practice they pull their punches but it’s going to be different. Chuck talks about how difficult it is to give one guy a gameplan, and then go give the other guy a gameplan without telling them what he said to the other. Chuck decides not to corner either man, and he’ll just watch the fight.
Dana breaks down the fight and points out that Josh took Leben down repeatedly but was unable to really do anything once they were down. He talks about how Diego has dominated both of his fights so far, but he hasn’t faced anyone yet with a really good ground game.
SEMI-FINALS: MIDDLEWEIGHTS - Diego Sanchez (12-0) vs. Josh Koscheck (4-0)
Our referee in charge is Herb Dean.
Round 1
Josh misses a leg kick early and Diego lands a stiff jab. Josh lands a leg kick and Diego answers with a straight left. Josh goes back to the leg kick and then misses with an overhand right. Josh shoots in but Diego sprawls out and they circle back in the center. Diego steps forward with a jab and Josh backs up. Diego misses a few big shots and Josh grabs him and gets the takedown. Josh can’t get on top of him fast enough though and Diego jumps back up. They circle back to the center and Diego misses a big right. Josh ties up again and Diego briefly tries a guillotine. Koscheck pulls his head out and slams Diego down. Diego tries to power up but Josh keeps him down. Diego tries for the guillotine again but Josh is able to pull out. Koscheck stands and tries to measure him, and Diego can’t land the upkick. Diego pops back up and Josh immediately shoots in. Diego briefly tries a guillotine and when they separate they hold each other’s heads and exchange some dirty boxing. Josh shoots in for a double and again Diego tries to grab a guillotine. Diego drops down and looks like he’s got it wrapped up pretty tight, but Josh survives to the end of the round. The round was close but with his aggression and the repeated submission attempts (especially the one at the end) I’d give it to Sanchez.
Round 2
Both guys look a little sluggish to start. Diego checks a high kick early. Josh presses forward with a big overhand right but Diego gets a quick clinch and lands a knee to the head as Josh pulls away. They circle a bit and Diego presses forward with a few punches. Back to the center and Josh throws a straight right that misses. Diego circles and eats a leg kick from Josh. Diego throws a big right hook and Josh drops down for a shoot. Diego sprawls and avoids and Josh backs away. Diego presses forward with some punches but Josh remains elusive. Josh lands another leg kick and shoots in, but Diego grabs his head and delivers a knee. Josh keeps a hold of him and is able to trip him down. Diego works hard from the bottom and tries for a triangle. Josh holds his hands and tries a weak slam. Diego switches to an armbar attempt but Josh backs out and gets down into his guard. Josh delivers a few weak punches before Diego grabs his arm and tries to roll over into an armbar. Josh pulls out and stands in Diego’s guard. He measures for a big shot but ends up back into Diego’s guard. Josh stays close to the body and delivers a few weak punches before Herb Dean stands it up. As they’re standing up Diego has his hands low and Josh lands a big overhand right. Josh goes for another right hand and they tie up against the cage as the round ends. Diego was trying to attack but Josh took him down and controlled it for a while, so he should take the round here. Dana gives a quick voice-over where he talks about the shot Josh delivered after the stand up, and he cites state athletic commission rules that say to protect yourself at all times. Herb Dean wasn’t standing in between them so Josh capitalized on that and landed a clean shot when Diego’s guard was down.
Round 3
Again, both guys are clearly tired here. Josh tries a leg kick and Diego presses forward landing some a nice straight left. Josh backs away then drops down for a shoot but Diego keeps a good sprawl and grabs a clinch. He misses a knee inside and a punch as Josh breaks away. Josh throws a punch and Diego immediately charges in and grabs the clinch. He lands a few punches before Josh breaks away, and then they repeat the whole sequence. Josh ties up and trips him down, and once again we see Diego being more aggressive from the bottom. He tries for a triangle but can’t get his legs locked up. Josh pulls out and in the scramble Diego tries to get up. Josh takes his back but Diego drops his upper body down and grabs Josh’s leg. Josh pulls out and they end up with Diego on the bottom and Josh standing holding one of Diego’s legs. Diego tries to throw a few upkicks and Josh can’t land the big shot. Koscheck gets back into the guard and it doesn’t take long for Dean to stand them up. They call a timeout to replace Diego’s mouthpiece and when they start again Diego tries to press the action. Josh immediately shoots in and holds a leg but Diego pulls out and they exchange on the feet. Josh tries to throw the big overhand right but nothing connects. Josh throws the big right again and when it misses he grabs Diego’s body to take him down. Diego tries for an armbar from the bottom and when Josh scrambles out Diego tries to get up. Josh grabs his leg to keep him down and Diego takes Josh’s back, while Koscheck is still holding his leg. Diego throws some punches to the head and tries to grab Josh’s left arm. Diego throws elbows to the body and Herb Dean is watching closely. Josh tries to roll him over as the round ends. Much like the first round Diego was more aggressive on the feet and while Kos did get the takedown, it was Diego that was closer to finishing the fight at the end. I’d score this with rounds one and three for Diego, and two for Koscheck.
Winner: Diego Sanchez, Split Decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
Randy says it was a close fight but he thinks Diego won the 1st and 3rd rounds while Josh won the 2nd. Chuck talks up Josh and says he’ll be back in the UFC. Dana puts over both guys and says Diego did the most damage. He says Koscheck’s face is a mess and he’ll need medical attention.
That means Diego and Kenny will meet in the finals. Diego talks about how they’re good friends but it’s going to be a war and he’ll be the winner.
Episode 12 - “Light Heavyweight Semi-Finals”
We get our usual recap/breakdown of the previous fight. Kenny says that he thought Josh won the first two rounds and the fight. Forrest says that the reason Josh lost that fight was because of the two rounds that ended with Josh in a bad position. Kenny also talks about how after the fight Diego jumped right up and screamed in victory, while Josh was slow to get up and his face looked like a mess. We see Josh getting attention from the paramedics after the fight and there is talk that he might have a concussion. Josh has to go to the hospital and when we see his interview (taped later) his face is all fucked up.
Dana reminds us that in the finals we’ll have Kenny Florian vs. Diego Sanchez. Kenny says that he doesn’t see any way Diego can beat him. Diego says that he plans to break Kenny’s spirit. Dana talks about how this will be the guys’ first time on a live card, and he also brings up the Finale’s main event of Ken Shamrock vs. Rich Franklin.
It’s time for the first light heavyweight semi-final but we’re still not sure if Forrest will be fighting or if Bobby will be taking his place. Southworth talks about how he’s here having to cut weight and train when he may not even be fighting. Sam Hoger says he’d rather fight Forrest because he doesn‘t believe Bobby deserves a second chance. Forrest is still cutting weight and training, and he talks about how he’s never really taken fighting too seriously before. Now he knows why he quit his job to come be on the show, because this is what he wants to do.
Forrest gets examined by Dr. Margaret Goodman to find out if his cut has healed enough to allow him to fight. The doctor says she’s here to make sure Forrest isn’t at an increased risk. She talks about how a cut on the brow takes longer to heal and that normally it would take three months to be fully okay. She says that the doctor that removed the stitches did a good job and it looks good enough to her. She asks Forrest if he thinks he’s good to fight and of course he says he is.
Dana has to tell Bobby the bad news. Bobby says he thinks Forrest deserves the fight and he’s happy for him. Southworth also agrees to corner Forrest and Dana compliments Bobby’s attitude (for the first time in the entire show, on the last episode). Bobby is upset that he won’t get another shot, but he knew when he came back that it wasn’t a sure thing.
WEIGH-INS~! Dana talks about how nobody likes Sam but he’s flown under the radar and now he’s here in the semi-finals (of course, he hasn’t had to fight yet). Sam makes 205 while Forrest comes in at 206. Sam says he plans to blast Forrest and put him to sleep. Forrest calls Sam “an obstacle” and says he feels the pressure to win. Sam sounds more like a reality show guy when he says he’s played the perfect plan so far, and he always plans to win.
SEMI-FINALS: LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS - Forrest Griffin (9-2) vs. Sam Hoger (7-0)
Dana explains again the semi-final matches are all three rounds. Big John McCarthy is our referee.
Round 1
Forrest presses forward with a combination but Sam answers back. Forrest circles around and moves in with punches, but Sam answers back with a kick to the body. Forrest continues to stick and move but Sam is giving as good as he’s getting. Forrest misses a left but lands a leg kick. Sam whiffs on a head kick and Forrest can’t connect with another leg kick. Forrest steps in and lands a nice left hook then backs away to avoid the counter shot from Hoger. Forrest checks a head kick and circles some more. Forrest presses forward with a combination and Sam backs away. Sam lands a kick to the body and they circle some more. Sam can’t quite connect with a front kick and Forrest steps in again with combinations. Sam remains elusive and they circle back to the center. Sam whiffs on a few leg kicks and Forrest tries to press forward. Forrest lands a few shots but Sam backs away. Forrest lands a nice little left-right-kick combo, and Sam answers back with a kick to the body. They exchange briefly then break apart. Forrest presses forward with another flurry as the round ends. Neither man landed any real big shots but Forrest seemed to be pressing the action more so I’d give him the round. Randy and Chuck echo my thoughts as I’m typing them. Seriously.
Round 2
Forrest comes in with a punch-kick combo but Sam answers back with a solid leg kick of his own. They exchange briefly and circle back to the center. Sam lands a few punches and Forrest tags him with a good shot to the body. Forrest gets a clinch and delivers a few big knees to the head. Sam goes down and Forrest pounces on him with punches. John McCarthy watches things closely and then steps in to stop it.
Winner: Forrest Griffin, TKO, round 2, 1:05
Chuck says that he though Forrest would press forward more and he thinks Sam won the first round. Forrest also says that Sam won the first round. Dana talks about how during the whole first round Forrest’s corner was telling him to clinch, and when he finally did he landed the knee that put Sam down. Sam says he doesn’t think the fight should’ve been stopped but McCarthy is a really good ref and he understands the decision.
Forrest talks about winning and making it to the finals, and says this is what he quit his job for. Dana talks about how Forrest will be fighting on the live Finale, and again pimps the Shamrock/Franklin fight.
We go right to the weigh-ins for the other semi-final fight and Stephan talks about how he and Mike have gotten pretty close over the show. Stephan weighs 204 ½ while Mike comes in at 192. Dana talks about the big size difference between the show. It’s worth mentioning that after the show Swick dropped down to middleweight, and has since cut down further to welterweight.
Randy talks about how tough it is trying to coach two fighters that are facing each other. Swick plans to take Bonnar down and pound him out there, Couture-style. Swick talks to Randy about how tough it’s going to be, since this is his first time fighting a true 205 pounder.
Randy says that Stephan has good range, striking, and ground skills, but Swick brings a real intensity. He doesn’t know who is going to win. Randy talks to both guys and says that no matter what happens it’s been a pleasure having them both on the team. Randy tells them that they’ve been the leaders of the team and they both return the gratitude.
Stephan says that in the octagon he’s not afraid to punch his friend because everything’s honest. You both know what you have to do. Mike talks about how since Stephan knows him better, Mike’s going to have to be more explosive than he’s ever been before.
SEMI-FINALS: LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS - Stephan Bonnar (7-1) vs. Mike Swick (6-1)
Dana does his thing, and Big John is our referee once again.
Round 1
Both guys are light on their fight early, and Swick misses a leg kick. Mike loads up a big right that hits air. They tie up and Stephan delivers a knee inside before pressing Swick up against the fence. Stephan throws more knees to the body then drops down and grabs a single. He takes Mike down but Swick locks up a tight guillotine. Stephan fights it and pulls out, but he lands on his back with Mike in his guard. Stephan holds him close and controls the posture, and Mike presses him towards the fence. Swick isn’t doing much from the top and Big John warns him to keep working. Swick gets him up against the fence but he can’t pass. Swick throws a big right to the head, but Bonnar works hard to control the wrists. Stephan tries to grab the left arm for a kimura but Swick stands up to avoid. Bonnar keeps a hold of the arm and they fall back down. Bonnar can’t lock up the armbar but he lands on top of Swick in full mount. Swick reverses the position and is now on top in Stephan’s guard. Everyone around the cage applauds the sequence. Stephan continues to control Mike’s wrists to avoid damage, but Swick continues to press them against the fence. Mike tries to posture up and Stephan tries for a triangle. Mike throws some punches but Stephan keeps it tight. Stephan tries to grab Mike’s right arm but Swick is holding the fence. McCarthy forces Swick to let go and Bonnar locks up an armbar. Mike has no choice but to tap in the final seconds of the round.
Winner: Stephan Bonnar, submission (armbar), round 1, 4:55
Swick’s arm is clearly in pain after the fight. Dana talks about how impressed he was with Mike performance, pointing out the guillotine choke that nearly ended it early. He thinks that Stephan was just too big for Swick to get it tight enough. Chuck says that up until the final seconds he though Mike had won the round. Dana talks about the end of the fight and how the triangle choke works, and then how Stephan turned it into an armbar to get the tap. Everybody puts over Swick and says he’ll be back. The Team Couture guys have a drink in the dressing room to celebrate the end of the show.
Dana announces that it will be Forrest vs. Stephan in the finals and says that now the guys will get to go home, train with their own teams and get ready for the live Finale. We get a final pimp of the Finale and they run through both tournament finals. Also, did you know that Ken Shamrock will be fighting Rich Franklin? We also get a pimp for Randy and Chuck’s fight at UFC 52.
The 411: I’ll be holding back my score until the set is done, and that’s not too much longer now. Next week it all comes to an end as we’ll hit the Ultimate Finale featuring Kenny vs. Diego and Forrest vs. Stephan. We’ll also look at all the undercard bouts showcasing the other various members of the house and yes, we’ll also have Shamrock vs. Franklin.
