There is no way I can compete with some of the other sites TUF recaps and I don’t intend to. For a great show recap check out MMAMania or MMAJunkie. However, I do want to say a few things about the show in general and episode 9.
Thoughts on Episode 9:
The first fight of the quarter finals was Jesse Taylor vs. Dante Rivera. This wasn’t much of a fight. Jesse took Dante downeasily for two round and Dante laid there and took some punishment. There was some frustration from fill in coach Ramapage that the corner kept yelling out every submission Dante attempted. The bottom line is that neither guys was too impressive. I will give Jesse Taylor credit that he got on top and did his thing. He can win against anyone because he is so strong and big at middleweight. He just isn’t very exctiing to watch. Dante looked horrible. I don’t know if Dante will fight at the finale, if he does I expect a match between him and Matthew Riddle as they have gone back and forth a bit in the house. I think Riddle would destroy him. I don’t even know if Dante really beat Brandon Sene in the first fight. Anyways, Jesse won that fight easily, I don’t know if he even took a punch.
The second fight of the quarterfinals was Amir Sadollah vs. Matt Brown. During the interviews Matt Brown came across very confident and Amir came across very doubtful of himself. Everyone knew this fight would be a war. The first round featured a lot of stand up. I honestly do not know who won the round. It could be scored either way, but I would give it 10-9 to Matt Brown, but Amir did have the harder shots and stayed aggresive. Round 2 came out and Amir got some good hits. Finally, he took Brown down where he submitted him with a triangle choke. Let me just tell you that Amir is for real. He impressed Dana. White said that he thought Amir had a great chin and great heart. I agree. Amir could shock people in this. He didn’t impress me against Gerald Harris, but against Matt Brown he did great. He just lacks some confidence. An Amir with confidence can be great. Perhaps it isn’t quite his time, but if he could hook up with a solid camp he could be a force anywhere. Nevertheless, he is no pushover now and is in the semifinals.
Next week we will see the other two quarter final matchs of C.B. Dolloway vs. Cale Yarbrough and Tim Credeur vs. Dan Cramer. Cale appears to be C.B.’s sacrifical lamb. Tim and Dan was said in the previews to be a brawl. That may favor Dan even though Tim is the favorite to win that fight. Also, we will see a feud between Jesse Taylor and the incredibly annoying Jeremy May. It looks like he causes Taylor to flip his lid. Additionaly, the semi-final match ups will be announced.
Thoughts of TUF 7 (In General):
Many people have been critical of this season of TUF and I know the ratings are down lower than ever, but I have enjoyed it. The big complaint was all the antics in the house got too much attention. I agreed. I am thankful that the focus is on the fighters and on the fights. Some episodes have even shown two fights. I loved the fight to get on the show aspect, even though I don’t know if the best 16 got on the show. I think the house antics undermined the intent of the show and for the casual viewer turned people off not just to The Ultimate Fighter, but to MMA. The fighters in the house showed themselved season after season to be foul mouthed, disresectful, violent, and destructive. I was entertained by it, but it doesn’t represent MMA well. I think in a society which is skeptical of mixed martial arts, the fighters need to go above and beyond and show people that MMA fighters have class and character. TUF highlighted the opposite. So I think this season of TUF has been great. I have enjoyed the fights. I don’t know how many of these guys will make it in the UFC, but they have put on some good shows. I think the fighters are better than last season, where Mac Danzig was the favorite to win from day 1. I think C.B. Dolloway and Tim Credeur are still the favorites to sqaure off in the finale and the most likely to make an impact in the UFC. Both are capable top 10 guys at middleweight. I also think that Amir has shown some skill and heart. Jesse Taylor can ground and pound well and may have a UFC future. I even think Matthew Riddle could do well, as can Gerlad Harris. Dan Cramer is a great fighter, who I am excited to see fight next week against Credeur, and I think Cramer could surprise some people. That means I am picking 7 guys to be around in the UFC in a year. That would fit the mold well with other seasons. TUF 1 has 8 guys still in the UFC, TUF 2 has 9, TUF 3 has only 3, TUF 4 has 6, but also featured just recently cut Lutter and Din Thomas. TUF 5 has 8 guys still around the UFC. TUF 6 has 6 guys, but msot likely many of them will be cut this year.
Filed under: Amir Sadollah, C.B. Dolloway, Dan Cramer, Forrest Griffin, Gerald Harris, Mac Danzig, Matt Brown, Matthew Riddle, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, The Ultimate Fighter, Tim Credeur, TUF 1, TUF 2, TUF 3, TUF 4: The Comeback, TUF 5, TUF 6: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra, TUF 7: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest | Tagged: Amir Sadollah, C.B. Dolloway, Cale Yarbrough, Dan Cramer, Dante Rivera, Forrest Griffin, Gerald Harris, Jesse Taylor, Matt Brown, Matthew Riddle, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Tim Credeur, TUF 7: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest | Leave a comment »