After this past week's season debut, we now get to the pivotal second episode of "The Ultimate Fighter 12: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck." In the debut episode, 28 lightweight fighters went through elimination-round fights, and the winners earned a spot on the cast. This week, they're drafted into two teams.
As the episode begins, the fighters are shuttled to the official "TUF" house. And the place is simply immaculate. And in the usual reality-show dash, the fighters scatter to claim bedrooms (while a few make a B-line for the bar).
A few fighters, though, quickly realize that this year's oddball may be Jeff Lentz, who declares he'll never tap in a fight as he enjoys some of his usual vices.
"I don't think smoking and drinking every night is going to help you in the long run in this kind of sport," Kyle Watson jokes.
"Let them think I have no gas in the tank," Jeff says. I've got cardio for days."
The attention then quickly turns to Alex Caceres, whom you probably better know as "Bruce Leeroy." Alex quickly find an audience and plays some music on his harmonica, and shares of stories of killing an alligator with his bare hands and wrestling a deer.
The following day, the crew boards the vans and heads to the gym expecting teams to be drafted. Various fighters weigh the benefits of each coach, and some clearly want Georges St-Pierre while others want Josh Koscheck.
In a Team Koscheck meeting, Josh says he wants Michael Johnson first and then discusses some of his other picks. But with Team GSP, Georges and trainer Greg Jackson discuss whether they should pick a fighter or pick the matchup first. (In past seasons, coaches got one or the other.) They also discuss how to handle Marc Stevens, a friend of Josh's. Georges decides to make a fake list of picks with Marc on tops in hopes Josh will spend an early pick on his buddy.
Dana White easily sees Georges' list of names and casually tells him to cover it up. The coach, though, whispers that it's part of his strategy. Sure enough, it works, and when Team Koscheck catches a peek of the list and wins the coin toss, they elect to pick a fighter (rather than getting first dibs of matchmaking) and take Marc. Greg simply winks at Georges as their plan works to perfection.
Georges, meanwhile, picks up Michael, who otherwise would have been Josh's first pick.
"Well played, Georges St-Pierre," an impressed Dana says in a confessional. "Well played."
The draft continues, and the teams include (in draft order):
Team Koscheck
Marc StevensSevak MagakianSako ChivitchianAndy MainNam PhanAaron WilkinsonJeff Lentz Team GSP
Michael JohnsonJonathan BrookinsSpencer PaigeAlex "Bruce Leeroy" CaceresKyle WatsonCody McKenzieDane Sayers "I made it to the show," Dane says in a confessional. "I'm so happy I made it to the show. But it kind of bites me I'm the last guy picked. I'm going to hanotve to prove these guys wrong. ... I'm not some chump."
Dana gives Dane a fist bump and some words of encouragement before the teams break.
"Being picked last doesn't mean [expletive]," he says.
At a Team GSP session, Georges decides he'll be a training partner to push his fighters while his coaching staff leads the troops. He says he picked his team for good reasons and opted to choose not necessarily the best guys, but rather, the ones who could be the best after his staff's coaching.
Later on, Team Koscheck has its first training session. Josh says he believes in "mindless training" with the coaches, including "Crazy" Bob Cook, barking orders and showing the fighters everything they need to know. Josh keeps an up-tempo pace and feels he can win over and inspire his team despite his reputation.
Afterward, both teams converge at the UFC Training Center for the fight announcement. In tonight's episode, one fighter will be the first to earn a berth into the quarterfinals. Georges comes front and center and announces his selection: No. 4 pick Alex/Bruce Leeroy vs. No. 7 pick Jeff. Alex said he wanted the fight and wanted to compete first, and Georges obliged.
Josh is pleased with the matchup and think it'll work to their advantage. After all, if Jeff wins, Team Koscheck gets matchmaking honors.
Back at the house, Alex and Dane are working on sparring in the backyard. Alex explains how his love of Bruce Le led him to wrestling and then to martial arts. The opportunity "was a blessing," he says. Once at the gym, Alex continues his preparations with Georges serving as a sparring partner. The Team GSP coaches stress the importance of winning the fight, and Alex appears relaxed.
Over at Team Koscheck, Jeff, a Kurt Pellegrino-trained New Jersey fighter, says he noticed a shuffle in Alex's sparring at the house that telegraphs any engagement. He and the coaches work on a counter right punch, and they also spend a lot of time on takedowns in hopes of setting up his trademark ground and pound. Afterward, Josh expresses concern over Jeff's coffee and smoking habits, but he says the fighter has shown plenty in the gas tank.
After a quick break, we return to the house the night before fight day. Alex is calm and collected, but Jeff is in the backyard trying to burn off some excess energy. He's a little concerned that he's fighting for the first time without his mom, who always provides some extra motivation.
The following day, Alex remains as calm as ever. But jeff is getting worked up and goes into angry mode and builds up some needed hostility for his opponent. The fighters couldn't be more different.
Soon, it's time for our first opening-round matchup, and it features:
Team GSP's Alex Caceres (4-2) vs. Team Koscheck's Jeff Lentz (6-1).
Referee Herb Dean is the third man in the cage, Dana does the intros, and we're underway.
Alex goes high with a head kick and then stuffs a takedown with a well-timed knee. Neither do much damage, though. Alex throws some big kicks from distance, and Jeff answers and connects. He immediately clinches against the cage, and a patient Alex patiently jockeys for position with his back against the fence. The fighters compete for underhooks before Alex throws a knee to the body. Jeff answers with one of his own. Jeff looks for a toss, but Alex defends. The fighters remain clinched against the cage with Jeff pushing his opponent into the fence. They continue jockeying for position while trading the occasional knee. Alex fakes a takedown attempt to get the dominant position, but Jeff quickly reverses and puts his opponent back against the cage. Herb tells them to get busy, and Alex locks on a guillotine choke. Jeff lifts him up and carries him around the cage, but Alex clings to the hold. Unable to get the position he needs, though, Alex eventually lets it go, and Jeff gets the takedown shortly afterward. Jeff works from side control, but Alex quickly works to his feet. Jeff presses him into the cage, and after a brief scramble on the mat, they're back standing against the cage. Jeff continues pressing Alex against the cage, but Herb calls for a restart with 30 seconds to go. The fighters trade ineffective high kicks before each fighter connects with a punch. During the wild swings, Lentz scores a slick judo-toss takedown right before the round ends. It's enough to take the round 10-9 on the MMAjunkie.com scorecard.
After a quick conference with their corners, the fighters return to the center of the cage for the second and possibly final round.
Alex again goes high with the kicks but can't find his mark. Jeff follows his lead and then swings wildly from distance. The fighters collide and clinch against the cage. Jeff again is the aggressor and pushes his opponent into the fencing. Alex gets off the cage, drags his opponent to the mat, and takes Jeff's back. He's briefly in trouble, but Jeff rolls over and works from top position in half guard. Alex tries to back out and then uses the butterfly guard, and after delivering a few punches, he masterfully locks in a triangle choke. Jeff immediately knows he's in trouble and postures up and tries to slam his way free. He can't shake Alex loose. Alex only tightens the hold, and seconds later, the man who said he would never tap out does just that, and Alex earns the submission win.
Team GSP 1, Team Koscheck 0.
Josh says the submission was telegraphed and calls it a "disappointing loss." Jeff said he just tried to bust his way through the hold but that it obviously didn't work.
"I don't really root for guys on this, but I was glad to see him win," Dana says of Alex.
The fighters embrace after the bout, and Alex is all smiles. Team GSP celebrates the victory, does his best Bruce Le impersonation, and this episode of "TUF" comes to a close.
For the latest on this season, stay tuned to "The Ultimate Fighter 12" section of MMAjunkie.com.
Catch new episodes of "The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck" every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Spike TV. MMAjunkie.com recaps each episode of the reality series, and full series coverage can be found on "The Ultimate Fighter 12" page.
No comments:
Post a Comment