The Tool Review: The Ultimate Fighter Season 2 (Disc 1)

Posted by  on 10.28.2008

Time for a whole new batch of hopefuls to move into the Ultimate Fighter house! See where the stars of today got their start, as this season features Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, Joe Stevenson, Marcus Davis, Josh Burkman, Melvin Guillard, and Jorge Gurgel! Oh, and Seth Petruzelli.

After the success of the first season, it was a foregone conclusion that "The Ultimate Fighter" would be sticking around for a while. This is the start of the show's second run and there are a few changes that were made between seasons.

-Willa Ford has been given her walking papers and will never be seen again.
-The two coaches are not hyping up a fight against one another. This would be the only season in the show's history where the coaches are two current UFC champions.
-All fights on the show are now three five-minute rounds.

THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER: SEASON 2 (DISC 1)

Episode 1 - “A New Crop”

Las Vegas, Fight Capital of the World. Or so the on-screen graphic tells us.

The guys ride in the van and we meet Melvin Guillard, Marcus Davis, and Josh Burkman. They all want to win, prove they belong in the UFC, etc. The guys arrive at the gym and Joe Stevenson talks about how great the facility is. We see Marcus Davis in the gym…wearing a kilt. What the hell was he thinking? We meet some of the other fighters and they all talk about how great they are.

Dana White walks in and welcomes the guys to the gym. White says that they assembled the nine best welterweights and the nine best heavyweights, and they’re it. He introduces the coaches, and both are UFC champions. We get brief packages on Matt Hughes and Rich Franklin. The two coaches are greeted with applause upon their entrance. White tells the guys that they’ll be evaluated over the next 48 hours, and after that the weakest fighter from each division will be sent home. White and the coaches leave and Jorge Gurgel says that he knows he’s not the weakest link.

The fighters arrive at the house and talk about how nice their new digs are. Mike Whitehead talks about how weird Luke Cummo is. Cummo has taken the mattress off of his bed and put it on the floor so that he can sleep with his head pointing north. He says this is so he can harness his chi. He also explains how he only eats organic food, again to help the chi. Some of the other guys talk about how weird Luke is. Cummo says that the rest of the guys are underestimating him.

The guys eat dinner around the table and Melvin talks about how boring the heavyweights are. Rashad Evans says that Melvin reminds him (Evans) of himself when he was younger. Rashad offers to corner Melvin and Guillard takes offense to that, telling Rashad how he’s got 28 knockouts on his record.

Before bed the fighters talk about how nervous they are. Jorge says that if they weren’t going to be put through the ringer tomorrow all the guys would be drinking. Melvin goes on about missing his girl and his roommates have to tell him to shut up and go to sleep.

The next morning the fighters arrive at the gym and Dana says that they’re doing the evaluations because they want to find out who the real fighters are. Rashad says he’s going to leave no doubt that he’s not weak. Keith Jardine says he won’t be kicked off the show before he’s had a chance to fight.

Franklin explains that the workout will be set up in circuits so they can evaluate every aspect of a fighter’s game, including boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling, and conditioning. Dana says that the training is hard and certainly not for everybody. Each station is 30 minutes and they do it twice a day. Eli Joslin and Rashad have some trouble on the treadmill, and Dana thinks that they’re the two weakest heavyweights right now.

The welterweights have their evaluations, and we see a montage of all the guys getting pushed pretty hard. Rich has the guys do a wall sit, and Luke says that he’s done it a lot at home. He sits against the wall with his hands clasped and eyes closed, and Rich calls him “this season’s Diego.” Luke outlasts everyone on the wall sit after going for five minutes. He says he could do it all day. Hughes isn’t too sure about who’s the weakest welterweight, but Jorge is the smallest guy for sure. He’s at 170 right now while the rest of the guys are walking around at 180.

We get a montage of the guys getting hurt. Kerry Schall pops his knee and has to leave in an ambulance to get an X-ray. At the hospital Kerry says he’s very frustrated with the thought that he might be done already. The doctor says that there was no fracture, but Kerry still needs to see an orthopedist the next day.

BACK AT THE HOUSE the guys are all sitting around with icepacks on various parts of their bodies. Kerry comes home with a leg brace and crutches. He updates some of the guys on his situation and says his knee feels like crap.

Later that night, Eli says that he’s feeling sick and he’s just not sure if he can handle this. Eli asked for Dana and the coaches to meet him in the house, and Eli says that he can’t take the cameras on him all the time. Hughes tells him that if Eli gives it a few days he won’t even notice the cameras anymore. Eli tells them that it feels like prison and he can’t handle it. He wants to leave, but Dana and Matt try to convince him to stay. Dana gives him a slightly different version of the “do you wanna be a fucking fighter” speech, and says he hopes to see Eli at the gym tomorrow.

After Dana and the coaches leave, Eli gets the rest of the guys together and announces that he’s leaving the show. He says it’s not about the training, but Melvin tells him to think about all the guys that wish they could be there. Eli says that from the first moment he got there he felt something pulling him away from that place. Eli packs his shit up and becomes the first guy in “Ultimate Fighter” history to quit the show.

After Eli leaves, the guys talk about what just happened. Melvin says that Eli quitting really pisses him, and Jorge says that the whole thing makes him sick. He says he doesn’t feel sorry for Eli, he feels sorry for the guy that could’ve been there.

The next day Kerry heads to the orthopedic surgeon to see if he’ll need surgery. If he does, he’s done.

Cut to the gym and the guys line up in front of Dana, Matt, and Rich. Dana says that it’s been a weird couple of days. He talks about Eli quitting, and then announces that Kerry is out of the competition as well. Kerry gets a round of applause from the rest of the fighters as he’s leaving. Dana says that with those two gone, the job of eliminating the weakest heavyweight has been taken care of. Dana announces that they will now have to pick the weakest welterweight, and it’s Kenny Stevens. Dana says that they only got 48 hours to look at Kenny and they could’ve been wrong about him. Kenny is given the opportunity to prove them wrong, and Dana tells him to pick the guy that he wants to fight. Kenny picks Sam Morgan. In a voice-over Kenny says he picked Sam because when he was looking at the guys to pick his opponent, Sam wouldn’t look him in the eye.

The guys go from making the fight, right over to the scales. Matt says that they flipped a coin, and Rich will corner Kenny while Matt corners Sam. Kenny is currently 21 pounds over the welterweight limit, and Jorge says he’ll be there to help him cut the weight. This is Kenny’s first time fighting at welterweight.

The next day Rich, Kenny, and Jorge head to the YMCA so Kenny can start cutting. Meanwhile, Sam is back at the house eating, because he’s only nine pounds over.

Back at the sauna, Rich talks about how difficult the weight cutting is. Kenny gets out of the sauna and Rich has to remind him of what’s on the line. Kenny lays on the ground and Jorge gives him a pep talk. Rich says that a big part of cutting is the mental aspect. Kenny is in the sauna, and he starts picking stuff up and throwing it at the door. Kenny tells Jorge not to put him back in the sauna. They decide to call it a night but they weigh Kenny first. He’s at 182, and they think that’s good for now.

The next day Kenny is staring down Sam the entire time they’re at the gym. Both guys are wearing sweat suits. Rashad says that the look in Kenny’s eyes told him that Sam is about to catch a major ass-whipping.

We’re three hours from weigh-ins so Rich sits in the sauna with Kenny and says that he could tell Kenny was having trouble. Rich talks to Kenny and asks if he’s going to get back in the sauna. Kenny says he’s done, and decides to leave. In the van Rich tells Kenny that he was only five pounds away and he could’ve made it. Rich is particularly upset that he and Jorge spent that entire time helping Kenny cut and now he’s walking away.

The guys are at the gym for the weigh-ins, and Jorge says that he knew something was up when Dana walked in. Dana calls the guys over and has Kenny explain to them what happened. Kenny says that he couldn’t make weight, and he’s leaving. Jorge says that he was trying to help Kenny and he can’t understand why someone would quit. Kenny says that he wishes things would’ve turned out differently and he would’ve beat Sam had he gotten to fight. Kenny walks out of the gym and becomes the second guy in “Ultimate Fighter” history to quit the show.

After Kenny leaves Dana tells the guys that Kenny quit when he only had five more pounds to lose. He says that at this point, he thinks Jason Thacker (the loser from season one) had more heart than these guys. He says Eli and Kenny pussed out, and they’re going to regret it tomorrow. He then calls out the guys on their weight problems, specifically pointing out Joe Stevenson who is at 191 pounds. Dana says he doesn’t want to have that whole “do you wanna be a fucking fighter” speech, but they all know why they’re here.

Dana’s final thought of the evening: “These guys claim they want to do this for a living, and then they quit? It makes me sick.” Can’t really argue with him there.

So we’re one episode in and already three guys are off the show. I wonder what will be happening in the next episode.

Episode 2 - “The Teams Are Picked”

Oh.

Brad Imes says that Dana called them all pussies, but he’s never sat out on practice or made excuses for his injuries. Dana says that since two heavyweights are gone, they have to bring in an alternate. Dan Christison walks into the house and HOLY CRAP that‘s a big dude. Tom Murphy says that he knows Dan and he’s a good guy. Dan talks to Rashad and says that he weighs 270 right now. Rashad talks about how he’s got another skyscraper to deal with. Dan says that this is the beginning of a great adventure for him.

At the gym, Matt and Rich get one more day to evaluate the guys before they pick teams the next day. Matt says he’s going to look for the great fighters, because he doesn’t have time to turn a mediocre fighter into a great one. He hopes Rich is looking for the guys that he can make better. During sparring Jorge goes down in the ring. He says he had an injury four weeks ago and he’s got no ACL on his left leg. Jorge goes to the doctor and says he’s not going to leave the show no matter what. The doctor drains the fluid out of Jorge’s knee, and it looks like a very uncomfortable process.

At the house, Melvin talks about how great he is. The rest of the guys wish he would shut up. Melvin claims he’ll fight anybody, including Matt Hughes. Speaking of Hughes, he and Franklin show up at the house so they can get a better look at the guys outside of the gym. Rich says that he was glad to see the fighters behaving themselves and not drinking or eating excessively. Rich joins some of the guys in a little Bible study. Matt says that tomorrow when they pick teams, it is the single most important day for him to win this competition. So make a note, because that’s where Matt Hughes’ priorities are.

The next day the fighters head to the gym for team selection. Dana flips a coin and Rich gets the first pick. Rich takes Keith Jardine as his #1 pick, while Matt takes Joe Stevenson. Rich picks Jorge Gurgel next, and Jorge says that he and Rich are best friends that train together everyday. Jorge believes that there’s no favoritism, and Rich is going to pick the best fighters for his team. Hughes makes his next selection, and it’s Mike Whitehead. Seth Petruzelli (who I wouldn’t have been able to pick out had it not been for his recent high profile win over Kimbo Slice) goes to Franklin and Josh Burkman goes to Hughes. Rich takes Marcus Davis next, while Matt takes King Kong Dan Christison. Franklin picks Rashad Evans and Hughes picks Sam Morgan. Anthony Torres goes to Franklin and Tom Murphy goes to Hughes. Rich takes Melvin Guillard and Matt takes Rob MacDonald. That leaves Brad Imes and Luke Cummo as the final two. Brad goes to Franklin and talks about how humbling it is being the last heavyweight to be picked. Luke joins Team Hughes and says while he’s not happy being picked last, he is happy about his team because Hughes represents his nightmare opponent so Luke thinks he can learn a lot from him.

Remember, Imes and Cummo were the two guys picked last. This becomes important later.

The next morning, the teams load up in the vans and head out to an open field for a team challenge. Marcus says that when they got there he noticed a Hummer pulling up. He says that it’s one of the Hummers given to the coaches from last season. Sure enough, Randy Couture hops out and Dana says that Randy is there to help them create the challenges. We get a brief highlight package for Couture. Randy explains that it’s a welterweight challenge and breaks down the rules.

1. Each team starts on opposite ends of the field in an end zone. They have to race to the center to capture a dummy and bring it back to their end zone.
2. The catch is that the fighters have to stay in a bear crawl or on their knees to bring the dummy back.
3. The winning team decides who fights next.

THEY’RE OFF! All the guys swarm the dummy and try to pull it one way or the other. Josh breaks away from the pack with the dummy and Team Hughes wins the challenge. Joe says that Luke was the biggest help, since he held down a couple of guys.

Team Hughes heads back to the gym and discusses their options for the first fight. Luke really wants to fight, and says he’s very confident in his abilities. Team Franklin sits around the house and speculate as to who will be fighting. Rich says that he thinks they’ll pick Jorge because his knee is messed up. Team Hughes also talks about Jorge and how he’s the weakest link right now. Jorge says that the other team might think he’s hurt but if they pick him they’re gambling.

Dana meets with the guys at the house and announces that Josh will fight Melvin. Josh tells everybody that he’s very competitive, and since Melvin’s been telling them all he’s the best that’s the guy he wants to fight. Rashad says that he told Melvin his words might come back to haunt him, and now it’s come true.

Melvin says that when Josh picked him, it pissed him off. He says that was a very stupid thing for Josh to do. Melvin talks about his rough upbringing and has Rashad shave his head.

Dana says that before the fight Melvin asked to talk to him. Melvin sits down in Dana’s office and says that he doesn’t think he can do this and he wants to quit. Dana is dumbfounded, but then Melvin starts laughing. Rich comes in and starts laughing too, and Dana flips them off. GOTCHA!

WEIGH-INS~! Dana talks about how Team Hughes shouldn’t have picked Melvin, they should’ve picked a weaker guy. He says it’s going to be a tough fight for Burkman and he’s going to have to work at it. Melvin weighs 168 ½ while Josh comes in at 171.

ELIMINATION FIGHT: WELTERWEIGHTS - Josh Burkman (15-2) vs. Melvin Guillard (26-3)

Dana says that the fight will be three five minute rounds. Herb Dean is our referee.

Round 1

Josh tries to come in with some big punches early, and they tie up and roll over onto the mat. Melvin tries to get up but Josh keeps a hold and takes him back down. Josh tries for an armbar on the ground but Melvin pulls out. Melvin tries to power up, and when Josh gets up Melvin grabs his head and locks up a guillotine. He’s got it pretty tight, and drops down onto his back. Josh is holding on though and eventually gets his head out. Josh throws some punches from the top and Melvin gives up his back. Josh takes it and gets the hooks in. Josh alternates between trying for a choke and punching the head. Melvin is able to roll out and almost ends up on top, but Josh takes his back again briefly before Melvin gets up and walks away. Herb stands Josh up and they circle back to the center. Josh shoots in and gets a BIG slam. Josh tries to stay heavy but Melvin scrambles up. Josh tries to grab a guillotine but Melvin quickly pulls out and walks away. Josh stands back up and they restart in the center. Josh tries to shoot in again and Melvin hip tosses him over. They stay on the feet and Melvin tries to throw a few punches. Josh comes in with an overhand right that misses and Melvin can’t land the counter. Josh drops down and grabs Melvin, but he eats a knee while they’re on their feet. Josh keeps a hold of him and Melvin grabs the neck to try for another guillotine. Again he’s got it tight, but Josh fights it and survives to the end of the round.

Round 2

Josh comes in for a few punches but he eats a kick to the body from Melvin. Josh grabs a hold of him and tries for a takedown but Melvin breaks away. Melvin fakes the jab and then starts throwing punches. Josh blocks most of them and they circle back to the center. Josh fakes a short right and then grabs a hold of him. Josh gets a nice little slam and lands in Melvin’s half guard. Josh throws a few short punches from the top but he’s not dong too much. Josh gets the mount but he can’t posture up because Melvin his holding him close. Josh throws some short punches to the body and Melvin tries to roll. Josh stays heavy on him and Melvin tries to roll again. Josh takes his back and gets the hooks in, but he can’t secure the choke. Josh throws a nice punch to the head and Melvin starts to stand up. Melvin rolls forward, planting Josh on his head. Josh stays on Melvin’s back but now they’re in a sitting position. Melvin quickly rolls over and lands on top in Josh’s guard. Melvin tries to posture up and deliver an elbow to the head, but Josh flips him over onto his back. Josh lands a big right hand before the round comes to an end. Between rounds Rich tells Melvin that he’s down two rounds and he has to knock Josh out.

Round 3

Josh lands a leg kick early but Melvin comes in throwing his hands. Josh avoids any big damage but Melvin swarms him again. Josh lands a kick to the body but Melvin lets his hands go again. Josh circles out and checks a high kick from Guillard. Melvin presses forward and Josh drops down for a takedown. Melvin grabs a hold of his head for a guillotine, and he keeps a hold of it once Josh slams him down. Josh grabs Melvin’s head and then pulls his out. Josh throws some short punches and elbows from the top position before Melvin pushes him away with the legs. Josh comes right back in and lands in Melvin’s half guard. Josh alternates between punching the head and body. Melvin holds Josh’s head to keep him close and Herb tells Josh to keep working. Josh starts throwing a bunch of shots to the body and Melvin rolls over. Josh gets a body triangle locked up and throws punches to the head. He tries for a choke but Melvin gets out and reverses the position. Melvin works from the full guard but Josh holds him close to avoid any big damage. Melvin can’t posture up and Josh pushes him away with the legs. The rounds ends with Josh on his back and Melvin measuring for a big shot.

Winner: Josh Burkman, unanimous decision

Josh says that Melvin is a lot stronger than he thought. Rich says that at the beginning of the second round Melvin threw a right hand that caught Josh’s elbow, and it broke Melvin’s hand. He didn’t tell his corner about it at the end of the round though. That’s why Melvin was throwing more kicks in the third. Dana says that Melvin caught Josh in the face with his shin on one of those kicks and Burkman was hurt, but Melvin didn’t jump on him and he missed his opportunity.

Melvin says that it was always his dream to fight in the UFC and he was so excited to be there he froze up. He says he can walk out with his head held high because he didn’t quit like a couple of the guys that showed up.

Episode 3 - “No Pain, No Gain”

We start with a recap of the Burkman/Guillard bout. Joe says that Josh stuck to the plan but Melvin surprised them. Josh says that Melvin caught him with one of those high kicks. Jorge says that he thinks Melvin gave up mentally.

Dana stops by the Team Hughes lockerroom after the fight and says that even though they won the fight, he thinks they made a dumb pick. Hughes says that picking Melvin was all part of their strategy. Josh says that the high kick he checked hurt his arm so he’s heading to the hospital to get it looked at.

Franklin talks to his team and says morale is low because Team Hughes won the challenge and the fight. Rich tells his guys that they’ve got to win the next challenge.

Jorge talks about Cummo, and says that they’ve given him the nickname “Jedi” because his first name is Luke (as in Luke Skywalker). He goes on about all the weird stuff Cummo does, like his eating habits and the whole sleeping with his head facing north thing. Sam says that a lot of the guys have learned to accept Luke, but he’s still really weird.

Josh comes home with his arm in a sling. He says that there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that he’s not sending any other welterweights to the loser house, but the bad news is that his arm is broken. Brad wonders if they’re going to let Josh stay, since Nate Quarry got to stick around in the first season.

The next morning the guys load up in the vans to head to the gym, and Rob MacDonald says that he thinks it’s about Josh and his broken arm. Josh wants to stay because he’s worked hard for the last year to become a UFC fighter. The teams arrive at the gym and are met by Dana. Dana tells them that they put together this competition to find the next stars of the UFC. He says that Josh has a lot of the qualities they’re looking for and this morning he had guys from both teams asking him if Josh can stay. Dana says that unfortunately Josh has to leave since his arm won’t be healed up by the end of the show. Hughes hates the fact that they lost one of the best athletes on his team. Josh says that he’s leaving on a win, and that’s a good thing.

Hughes talks about how Rob has a shoulder injury, and he’s been holding his shoulder all the time. Rob complains to anybody that will listen about how much it hurts. Dana says that Matt is getting pissed off about Rob’s complaining. At the house the rest of the guys talk about how much Rob is bitching, and we get a quick montage of him complaining to several different guys. Funny stuff.

The guys meet up with Randy at the YMCA pool for the heavyweight team challenge.

1. Each team has a large flag with their team color.
2. Each member of the team has to keep their hand on the flag.
3. If any of them take their hand off the flag, or if the flag touches the water, they lose the challenge.

As always, the winning team decides who goes next in the elimination fight.

The guys jump in the water and start the challenge. They’re in the deep end so they have to concentrate on staying above the water as well as keeping the flag up. Rashad’s part of the flag seems to be hanging the lowest and the guys are all shouting at him to keep it up. Rashad lets go of the flag and Team Hughes wins their second challenge. Rashad talks about how he hates to lose so this is just sickening for him.

Team Hughes talks about who should fight. Mike and Dan are willing to fight anybody Hughes tells them. Tom says he wants to fight Rashad because his morale is down pretty low right now. Matt asks Rob who he’d want to fight and Rob starts off by talking about his damn shoulder. Matt tells him he doesn’t want to hear about Rob’s shoulder injury he just wants to know who he’d like to fight. Rob offers to fight Brad, Rashad, or Keith. Hughes agrees that Rashad is a good target because he’s feeling pretty low.

Rich says that Rashad is taking the loss on himself right now. Rashad talks about how he lost the challenge so he hopes the other team picks him because he wants to get in the cage and prove himself.

Dana arrives at the house for the fight selection. Dana announces that Rob is going to fight Brad. Rob says that both he and Brad are banged up and this should be a good fight. Brad says he’s hurt his knee and his elbow but he’s not too worried about them. Rob asks him which arm and leg are hurt and claims he’ll promise not to hit those parts. Right.

Dana talks about how they’ve been holding on to some guys just in case people get hurt. He says that with Josh leaving they had to bring in an alternate, and that’s Jason Von Flue. Dana talks up Jason, saying that he’s from Chuck Liddell’s camp and he’ll never say die. Jason walks into the house and is welcomed by Joe. Stevenson tells him that they’ll be on the same team, and their coach is Matt Hughes. Joe says that he knew Jason from college and he’s full of energy. He thinks Jason will be a good addition to the team. Jason walks around and meets the rest of his teammates. Jason tells Dan that he’s a super-heavyweight, and does the John Cena “You can’t see me” thing. Dan says that Jason’s a little weird.

Team Franklin gets home and Jorge says that there was a stranger at the house. He thinks Jason looks like a party guy and he’ll be an easy target for elimination. Jason talks about how people either like him or hate him, and there’s usually no middle ground. Jorge promises that Jason will have a very short stay in the house.

Hughes arrives at the gym for his team’s workout, and that’s when he meets Jason for the first time. Matt seems wary of him at first, but when Hughes finds out that Jason trains with Chuck his attitude instantly improves. Jason says that he was hoping to be on Hughes’ team. Matt says that since Jason wasn’t there for the evaluations he doesn’t want the other guys on his team to feel like they’ve done more work to be there. So Hughes is having Jason go through the same hard-ass workout that the guys had to do for the first two days of the show. Matt tells Jason when the next circuit will be and Jason says, “Yes sir. Break me if you can.” Then he does the John Cena hand gesture again. Matt doesn’t look amused. Jason doesn’t impress his new coach by flipping off the treadmill while he’s running on it. Matt starts to really run him hard and Jason is gassed, falling off of some of the equipment. Matt says that Jason doesn’t have the heart.

Team Franklin works out and Rich wants them to win the fight so they can get back in this thing. He asks some of his guys how Rob was feeling this morning, and Marcus says that Rob spent all morning complaining to him about his injury. Brad talks himself up and works on his boxing. Rich also worked hard with Brad on working from his guard. Rich knows that Rob has got some great wrestling but when they get on the ground he doesn’t think Rob has the finishing skills of Brad. He also says that if they had won the last challenge this is the same match-up they would’ve made.

Team Hughes loads up and Rob tells his team that he knows he can beat him. He also tells them that he hopes his arm doesn’t get hurt worse, and some of the other guys laugh about it. Rob sits down with Matt and tells him how bad his shit be fucked up. Matt says that he’s had bad injuries before but once he got in the cage his arm didn’t hurt anymore. Rob says that if he loses he won’t make excuses about his shoulder. Even though he’s been making excuses about it the whole episode. Rob does some sparring and says that he thinks he’s matches up well with Brad. He knows Brad is better at submissions but Rob thinks he has the superior stand-up.

WEIGH-INS~! Brad comes in at 262 while Rob is 229. Thirty three pounds and four inches will be the difference in this one.

The next day Brad sleeps in and we see Rob packing. Matt tells Rob to “acquire” as much stuff as he can before he leaves because who knows if he’ll be coming back. Rob gets a visit from Dr. Margaret Goodman (who was last seen checking out Forrest Griffin before his semi-final fight in season one) and she asks him how his shoulder is doing. However unlike every other time he’s been asked that so far, he says that it’s fine. The guys get ready in their separate locker rooms and Brad says he plans to send a message to the other heavyweights in the house that he means business. Team Hughes gets in a quick prayer together. Brad says that ever since he was the last heavyweight picked he’s wanted to get in the cage and prove himself.

ELIMINATION FIGHT: HEAVYWEIGHTS - Brad Imes (3-0) vs. Rob MacDonald (4-0)

Our referee is Herb Dean.

Round 1

Rob throws a few punches early and ties up. He drags Brad down but Brad immediately pushes him off. Rob stands and measure him, but he can’t land the big shot when he comes in. Rob tries to pass but Brad pushes him off and they end up in the north south position (otherwise known as, the gayest position in all of MMA). Brad brings his legs up and pushes Rob off. Rob stands and measures his opponent, and tries to come down into side control. Brad grabs his head to try for a choke but Rob is in side control and pulls out. Rob stands and Brad shoots on him to get the takedown. Now Rob grabs his head and works for a guillotine. Brad is in the half guard and is working to get his head out. He breaks free and drops some short elbows on Rob’s head. Rob grabs his head again and starts to get up against the fence. They go back to their feet with Rob still holding on to the choke, and Rob drops onto his back. Brad eventually pulls his head out and starts throwing some big punches. Rob brings his legs up and pushes Brad off. Brad grabs Rob’s legs and pushes down, but Rob reverses the position and gets Brad on his back. Brad briefly tries for an armbar, then switches to a triangle choke. Brad takes his time getting it but once it’s sunk in, Rob is forced to tap.

Winner: Brad Imes, submission (triangle choke), round 1, 4:08

Brad talks about how big of a win this was for him. Dana gives Rob credit for fighting while he was hurt, and he says that Rob really it took it to Brad. Rob says that he thought he had the guillotine tight but that was with his bad arm. He says that he tried to keep it tight but his shoulder tore completely, and that‘s when he knew it was over. Hughes says that he’s a little disappointed with Rob because Brad took his time with that triangle and Rob could’ve gotten out. He thinks that Rob’s heart wasn’t in it. Afterwards Rob gets checked out by the doctor and we can see the torn muscle in his shoulder that rolled down his bicep. He’ll have to get surgery now. Matt thinks that Rob wanted to fight once, and then have surgery so he could go home. He says that if Rob wanted to leave that’s fine with him. What a dick.

Rob says goodbye to his team and he shares a tender moment with Tom, saying that they became best friends on the show.

Just in case you haven’t been keeping track, six guys have already gone home and we’re only on the third episode.

Episode 4 - “Strategy”

As always, before we can look ahead we must look back. The rest of the guys chime in on MacDonald vs. Imes. Keith says that they knew Rob would take the fight down to the ground, while Tom says that Rob went in with the heart of a lion. Jorge talks about how Rob tore his bicep trying for that guillotine, saying that Brad walked right out of that cage while Rob went right to the hospital.

Jorge also points out that getting rid of Rob isn’t going to hurt Team Hughes because the guy was bringing down the rest of the team by complaining so much about his injury. Franklin’s guys all cheer for Brad in the van ride home, and Seth says, “Eighth pick my ass!”

BACK AT THE HOUSE Joe is getting drunk and trying to get everyone else in on his shenanigans. Sam talks about how annoying Joe is, saying that he’s slacking off and drinking too much. We see Joe lay on top of Jorge, and he wants Jorge to say that America is better than Brazil. Drunk-ass. Joe says he’s just trying to liven things up and have a good time.

Later that night Jorge, Marcus, and Anthony sit around the pool and talk strategy. Jorge wants them to make sure they keep things between their team, and that they should exploit the fact that Joe is always drunk so they can get information from him.

The next morning Joe dares Jorge to stuff a noodle into his nose and suck it out through his mouth. Keith says that Jorge never backs down from a challenge. Joe says that he messes with Jorge because that will affect him when it’s time to fight.

Jorge has a secret meeting with Joe in the bathroom, and they discuss how things could go. Jorge says that he thinks it could be him versus Joe in the finals. They talk a bit about who they think could be fighting next. Jason interrupts their meeting, says something weird and walks out. After he leaves, Jorge says that that’s who he wants to fight. Joe says that Jason is good, and calls him “well-rounded.” Joe tells Jorge to go for it, and says in an interview that Jorge vs. Jason works out for him no matter what.

Jorge has another secret meeting, but this time it’s with his teammate Marcus Davis. Marcus reveals that the two have an alliance to try and get the both of them into the finals. Jorge tells him that they have to keep it to themselves, and not say anything to their welterweight teammate Anthony. Jorge says that he doesn’t think anybody is going to pick him to fight, so the only way he’ll be getting in the cage is if he makes a pick. He also says that they have a seniority rule on the team so Marcus would get the first pick. Following all this?

We’re back in the field for our next team challenge, with the welterweights up this week. Randy breaks things down, NATURAL-STYLE.

1. Three competitors from each team have to climb a ladder to an oversized set of monkey bars.
2. When the whistle blows each man will have to climb from the outer part of the circle to the inner part.
3. The last man left on the bars wins.
4. This is a non-striking event, but competitors can wrap their legs around their opponents.

They are off, and Jason wraps his legs around Marcus’ head and takes him off. Jason then wraps himself around Jorge, but he can’t get him down. Jason drops off the bars himself but doesn’t take Jorge with him. Anthony then runs into Luke, and the two tie up and slide down the pole. That leaves Joe and Jorge. Both men remain stationery for a moment, but then Joe goes on the offensive. He can’t take Jorge off but he goes down himself and Team Franklin wins their first challenge. Jason tells Hughes that he thinks they’ll be picking him to fight. Marcus is extremely happy because he’s going to be the guy to fight.

In the van ride home, Matt tells his guys that he’s going to start teasing Jorge to try and get him to fight. Mike tells Matt how competitive Jorge is, and Matt plans to use that information to his advantage when he’s at the house later tonight.

Team Franklin meets up and Rich talks about their seniority rule. He says that Marcus has shown some interest in fighting Joe, but he’s not sure if that’s the right move. Marcus tells his team that if Joe doesn’t take him down he’s going to win the fight standing. Dana happens to be there as Team Franklin is talking about it and he tells them that there’s no reason for them to try and take out one of the other team’s toughest guys. He says that this isn’t a UFC fight, it’s a competition. Dana talks about how whenever you have a match-up of two fighters that are evenly matched, neither one ever comes out unscathed. Therefore the smarter thing to do is to take out one of the team’s weaker fighters so you can stay healthy for the next round of fights.

Dana meets up with both teams at the house and announces that Marcus will fight Joe. DIDN’T YOU GUYS HEAR ANYTHING HE JUST TOLD YOU?

Joe is dumb-founded, and wonders why Marcus would pick him. Dana talks about how Marcus picking the best grappler on the team is a bad move, and says that Marcus should’ve gone after one of the strikers. Matt says that Rich is sacrificing one of his best boxers to his best wrestler. Matt ribs Jorge a few times, and Marcus says that Jorge wanted to be the one to fight. Jorge eats dinner with the rest of the guys, and starts growling because he’s so mad at Hughes. Mike starts laughing and reveals that he told Matt about how competitive Jorge is.

Marcus talks about how he brought a bunch of kilts with him, but now he’s putting on his special one that’s reserved for fight time. He says he won’t be taking it off until he beats Joe Stevenson. Jorge sits around with Keith and discusses the fight. Keith says that Joe is a tough dude and it’s going to be hard for Marcus. Jorge admits that getting rid of either fighter is good for him.

Joe trains and talks about how he got into the sport. Mike reminds people that Joe boxed before he started MMA. Matt says that all Joe has to do is take Marcus down once and submit him. He thinks it will be over quickly in the first round.

Marcus trains with his team and reveals that he came into this show acting like he was just a boxer. He says that in reality he’s got some good grappling that he hasn’t really being showing anybody. He also says that he’s been training as rightie, but when he fights Joe he plans to come out as a southpaw. He also claims to have “the best hands in MMA.”

WEIGH-INS~! Marcus talks about how he and Joe have completely different lifestyles. Dana talks up Joe, who weighs in at 170. Dana also talks about Marcus’ boxing and Davis weighs 167.

Later that night, Anthony and Jorge ponder the outcome of the fight. Jorge really wants Marcus to knock Joe out. Mike thinks that Joe can hang with Marcus on the feet, but Marcus can’t hang with Joe on the ground. Marcus says that this is his eighteenth year as a fighter, and he’s had 80 professional fights, but this is the most important fight of his life.

Marcus talks about how when he gets in the cage he becomes “The Irish Hand Grenade.” He then pulls the douchebag move of referring to himself as such, in the third person. Joe says that he’s going to remain calm, pick up that grenade, and throw it back in Marcus’ face.

ELIMINATION FIGHT: WELTERWEIGHTS - Joe Stevenson (24-6) vs. Marcus Davis (9-2)

Steve Mazzagatti is our referee.

Round 1

They circle for quite a bit, neither man seeming too will to engage. Marcus is faking the jab but not really coming in for anything solid. Joe barely tags him with a leg kick. Marcus whiffs on a straight left. Joe continues to circle around, and is faking the jab himself. More damn circling and Joe finally shoots in. He grabs Marcus, lifts him up, and you can hear Hughes telling Joe to bring Marcus over to their corner. Joe does exactly that, carrying Marcus across the cage and delivering a NASTY slam against the fence. Seriously, that was just mean. Joe starts in the full guard before passing to the half guard. Marcus does a good job of holding him close to avoid any big damage. Joe passes to side control and drops some nice short elbows. Marcus is trying to squirm out but Joe stays heavy and keeps at it with his elbow. He’s landing shots to the back of the head, but Mazzagatti doesn’t even give him a warning. What the hell? Joe keeps on him and repeatedly unloads with short elbows, and after a hundred or so Marcus finally taps.

Winner: Joe Stevenson, submission (elbow strikes), round 1, 4:10

Dana talks about how cautious Marcus was early on, saying that he was very wary of the takedown. Matt says that he didn’t like the fact that Marcus was trying to keep it standing so he told Joe to pressure him. Dana recaps that big slam, and says that Marcus hurt his shoulder (which is understandable since that’s exactly where he took the impact).

Marcus says that he gave himself the ultimatum that he wouldn’t fight anymore if he lost to Joe. He says he’s had a long career but he’s getting older, his body is sore, and he’s got three kids that he wants to spend more time with. Marcus has a tearful farewell with the rest of Team Franklin. Marcus says that he’s kind of glad to be moving on to other things, saying that he’s looking forward to going home and seeing his kids.

So Marcus, how’s that whole “quitting fighting” thing working out for you?

At the end of disc one our standings are such: Team Hughes leads 2-1 in fights, and 2-1 in team challenges.

The 411: I’ll be holding my score until I’m done reviewing the set. Come back next week for more shenanigans in the house, more fights in the octagon, and more dick-ish behavior from Matt Hughes

Final Score:  0.0   [ Torture ]