The premiere episode of the first live season of The Ultimate Fighter was a unique experience.
The 2.5-hour broadcast featured an unprecedented 16 live fights. Instead of the usual two-round fights with a bonus round if necessary — as has been the case in the 14 previous seasons of the popular reality show — each fight was scheduled for one five-minute round.
The one-round bouts were used as a way to fit all the action into the episode, as well as a motivational tool for fighters to be more aggressive and not leave it in hands of the judges.
Before the fights began, UFC president Dana White announced that any fighter that won by either knockout or submission would receive a $5,000 bonus.
White also announced that fans would vote on the best knockout, submission and fight of the season, with each of the winners earning a $25,000 bonus.
Coaches Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, along with White, were wearing microphones so the TV audience could hear their analysis of the fights and fighters they were watching.
Cruz thought the five-minute format would alter the way certain fighters approached their bouts. “Man, you just got to make this a street fight with five minutes,” Cruz said.
Both coaches, who have an intense rivalry with one another made some pleasant small talk during the episode, but most of the discussion was focused on the action inside the Octagon.
“This season is going to be crazy. There’s a lot of talent here,” Faber said.
The night started with 32 fighters, but by the end there were just 16.
RESULTS
Joe Proctor started off the show with a submission win over Jordan Rinaldi. At the 2:08 mark, Proctor locked in a guillotine choke that forced a tap from his opponent.
Cristiano Marcello, the oldest competitor on the night at 34, submitted Jared Carlston, a student of jiu-jitsu legend Eddie Bravo, by rear-naked choke at 2:43.
25-year-old Sam Sicilia nearly set a UFC record, as it only took him a mere eight seconds to knock out Erin Beach. He landed the first punch he threw, an overhand right, and followed up with few extra shots before the referee could step in.
Chris Tickle, whose last two professional wins came over UFC veterans Brian Gereghty and Steve Berger, tried his best to outdo Sicilia with a 24-second knockout of Austin Lyons.
Andy Ogle defeated Brendan Weafer in the first decision of the night. Weafer used his long limbs to lock up a triangle early in the bout, but he could not secure it tight enough for Ogle to tap. Ogle repeatedly landed punches from top position and Weafer threw elbows from the bottom, while he still had the triangle locked up. With 30 seconds remaining in the round the referee stood the two men up. The fight quickly hit the mat again and Ogle locked in an arm-in guillotine choke that Weafer withstood until the horn sounded.
Vinc Pichel defeated Cody Pfister, who was the youngest competitor on the night at age 21, by submission at 3:39. The two took part in a series of scrambles, trading takedowns, strikes and omoplata attempts. Pichel landed an elbow that opened a huge cut on Pfister’s head and then proceeded to lock in a rear-naked choke that forced the referee to stop the bout without Pfister even tapping.
England’s Mark Glover lost a spirited five-minute bout to John Cofer. Despite landing some clean shots on the feet, Glover could not stop the takedowns of Cofer and was controlled for much of the round.
Chris Saunders, whose last fight was a loss to Canadian Chris Horodecki at Bellator 47, earned a spot in the TUF house with a decision win over Chase Hackett.
James Vick defeated Dakota Cochrane in the night’s first and only split decision
Vick, who at 6’3 had a seven-inch height advantage over the 5’7 Cochrane, used his takedown defense effectively and had a d’arce choke locked in at one point but was unable to finish the fight.
Michael Chiesa made things look easy in a submission win over Johnavan Visante. After an early takedown, Chiesa landed punches and elbows on Visante while he had back control before sinking in a rear-naked choke at 2:05.
Mike Rio displayed a wide array of skills, showing strong striking and grappling in a submission win over Ali Maclean at 3:32.
Justin Lawrence is a training partner of UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and it certainly showed in his 85-second TKO win over WEC veteran James Krause.
Daron Cruickshank has competed in Canada in his last three fights, defeating three Canadians (Jesse Gross, Mike Ricci, and Brad Cardinal) and continued his win streak, earning a decision over Drew Dober.
Despite a slew of submission attempts and a tight kneebar, Jeff Smith lost a decision to Jeremy Larson.
Al Iaquinta, who was scheduled to be a contestant on season 12 of TUF but couldn’t participate because of a broken hand, won a decision over Jon Tuck. After a strong start, Tuck broke one of his toes on his right foot and was not the same. The toe was mangled. “11 years in the UFC and I’ve never seen anything like that,” White said.
Myles Jury was a member of Brock Lesnar’s team on TUF 13 but a knee injury forced him off the show before he could compete. His TUF experience came in handy though, as he won a one-sided decision over Akbarh Arreola.
Episodes of TUF Live will air every Friday night for the next 12 weeks until the finale. On the next episode, Cruz and Faber will select their teams from the 16 winners.
