The Ultimate Fighter: Episode 9 Recap

One of the problems with this season of the Ultimate Fighter has been that the fights have been dreadful. The show is setup so that the flight is the climax, and during the first 8 episodes the show has felt very anticlimactic. But with the quarterfinals starting this week, there is hope that the 8 guys left are the best, and that will hopefully translate into better fights.

The episode starts with Rashad Evans talking about the trouble with having 7 of his guys make the quarterfinals. He determines that the best way for him to coach is to basically not coach. He decides to train cardio with all the guys, but not work with them on specifics as to not show preferential treatment towards any of the fighters.

Drama begins to unfold during one of the training sessions when Matt Mitrione begins complaining of headaches and a rattled brain from his fight with Scott Junk. This, of course, opens the door for a possible return of Kimbo Slice. Although Kimbo and his coaching staff and Rashad Evans and the fans and Dana White and the UFC would love for him to get another shot, it all hinges on Mitrione. While some of the guys believe he is milking it, Brendan Schaub gives him the benefit of the doubt and thinks that maybe he has a concussion, in which case, he would not be cleared to fight.

Meanwhile, despite being 1-7 in fights, Rampage is still finding time to play jokes on Rashad and his coaching staff, this time by placing live chickens in their cars. Rashad and co. take it well, and I wonder what ultimately happens to the chickens. We know they were let go, but where? How can I concentrate on the show when I know there are chickens on the loose?

Dana White approaches Mitrione after he spends the night in the hospital and asks about the likelihood of him fighting in the quarterfinals. Mitrione says, somewhat reluctantly, that if he is cleared to fight that he "can't say no." Another Kimbo tease.....for now.

The first quarterfinal fight was a bout between friends Roy Nelson and Justin Wren. Stylistically a good matchup, but Nelsons weight advantage and experience give him a slight edge over amateur Wren. The fight starts off and Wren is the aggressor. He lands several big combos and it appears that Nelson may be in trouble. Luckily Nelson is able to use his weight and push Wren against the cage, where they stay locked up until the ref breaks them apart. After Wren lands a few more solid punches, he appears to start tiring and Nelson picks up the pace to end the round.

The second round starts and although Wren is still attacking, it is clear that he is not as effective as he was in the first round. He lands a few shots but misses on some haymakers and Nelson seems to be the more accurate fighter. As Wren begins to tire, Nelson pushes the pace and probably wins the round despite not landing any decisive blows or taking the fight to the ground.

I score the fight 19-19, as does one judge. However, the other two judges give Nelson the win by scoring it 20-18 in favor of Big Country. It was absolutely the best fight of the season, and although it should have gone a 3rd round, it was pretty clear that Wren was out of gas. Nelson tells Dana White on his way out that he tried to make it more exciting for him, and its clear that Dana is still not a fan of Nelson or sold on his talent.