When competitors on The Ultimate Fighter step into the cage with the goal of advancing in the unique UFC reality show tournament, they bring more than just striking, grappling and conditioning into the cage.
Every fighter has a unique backstory and on episode three of TUF 18 it was shown that Team Tate’s Chris Holdsworth and Team Rousey’s Chris Beal have both overcome a lot in their lives to get to where they are in their respective mixed marital arts careers.
Beal, who entered his fight with Holdsworth with an injured hand, overcame a sarcoma cancer in his leg when he was a younger man.
“After going through (cancer), everything else is pretty much easy breezy,” Beal said. “I don’t think there’s anybody or anything that could get into my head that could break me.”
The Team Rousey member also overcame family tragedy as he had a brother that was shot to death years ago.
Like Beal, Holdsworth also had a brother that was killed and it became the inspiration for his mixed martial arts career.
“He was shot to death when I was eight years old,” Holdsworth explained. “He was a brown belt in American freestyle kickboxing. When he was killed, at his memorial service he was presented his black belt from his sensei and that was a really important moment for me.
“I still have his black belt to this day. Almost every day I hold it in my hands and I look at his picture and I know he’s watching over me and I know he would be really proud of me.”
THE FIGHT
Many thought this would be a classic striker versus grappler matchup with Beal having the edge in the standup department and Holdsworth with the advantage on the ground.
However, Holdsworth, who regularly trains with Team Alpha Male, showed he’s a dangerous, well-rounded bantamweight.
The Team Tate member was able to keep Beal at a distance and found a home for his right hand and mixed in a takedown.
Beal fired back and landed some good shots of his own, but never landed anything that had Holdsworth in trouble.
Late in the first round, Holdsworth dropped Beal with a straight right hand and quickly locked up an arm-in guillotine that resulted in a tap.
“I feel relieved that the first fight is out of the way and I came away victorious,” Holdsworth said.
“I was able to showcase a little bit of my striking and let people know I’m just not a jiujitsu guy.”
Beal was the No. 1 pick on the men’s side and expected to win.
“I feel like (expletive) right now. I lost for the first time ever. Was dropped for the first time ever. It just really sucks. I thought I could throw the right hand more than I could. It was pretty painful, but I make no excuses. He was the better man today and he got the W.
“This is a moment that’s going to scar me and stick me for the rest of my life and I’m going to learn from it for sure.”
OUTSIDE THE OCTAGON
Besides the action in the cage, there was a lot for fans to take in as another chapter was written in the rivalry between coaches Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate.
Bar Fight?
Both teams were allowed out of the house one evening to relax, eat some food, have some drinks and watch some fights.
However, things turned tense tense when Tate and Rousey began arguing at the bar.
Tate didn’t like that Rousey was standing close to her assistant coach and boyfriend, UFC bantamweight Bryan Caraway, whom Rousey has feuded with in the past.
That resulted in some barbs being thrown by both women. First, Tate said Rousey couldn’t hit pads well, then Rousey’s MMA coach Edmond Tarverdyan said that his star pupil would break Tate’s arm in their UFC 168 rematch.
Cooler heads prevailed, but fighters said the tension was thick.
Julianna At Centre of Attention
Julianna Pena, who beat Shayna Baszler in episode two, got under the skin of some of her housemates after she began speaking in a British accent.
Then her teammates accused her of leaking Team Tate’s plans for future fight selections.
She did manage to make a friend though, as her and Holdsworth were flirting throughout the episode. It was certainly the first time in the show’s history that viewers have seen that dynamic in the house.
Fight Selection
With Holdsworth’s win, Tate retained control of the matchups and she chose for veteran Roxanne Modafferi to takes on world champion boxer Jessica Rakoczy, who’s originally from Hamilton, Ont., but now fights out of Las Vegas.
On the Next Episode
The feud between coaches heats up when Traverdyan and a guest coach of Team Tate get into a post-fight altercation.
In practice, Tate has the men and women on her team spar against one another and things get intense between Canadians Louis Fisette and Sarah Moras.
Then, Modafferi and Rakoczy face off in the third preliminary fight.
