This week is really hit me: we’re almost done with this season’s Ultimate Fighter. While this epiphany kinda bummed me out, all it really means is that we’re getting closer and closer to another potentially awesome Ultimate Fighter Finale. This is great news for any fan, as thus far the Finales have had a great track record in customer satisfaction. This week’s episode was thankfully dominated by the semi-final welterweight match up between Chris “Lights Out” Lytle and Din “Dinyero” Thomas. This fight was the best fight of this season, but more on that later. First off, we gotta go over this week’s high school drama. My question for you is this: when did Matt Hughes become such an inconsiderate and pompous ass?

When I first met Matt Hughes back in 2003, hardly any casual fans knew who he was (and there probably weren’t very many casual fans at that). I only encountered him briefly in passing, but after chatting with him for a few minutes I was extremely surprised by his humility and humbleness. He was surprised that I actually knew who he was, let alone shrieked his name once I realized who I had bumped into. Fast forward three years, and now Hughes acts like David Lee Roth at the pinnacle of Van Halen’s epoch. I mean, he’s still a nice guy, but he’s got much more of an edge now than he did a while back. It’s not only me who’s being rubbed the wrong way either. After watching this week’s episode, it has become crystal clear that no fighter in the house really respects Hughes as a person.

In case you didn’t get a chance to tune in, you’re probably wondering what sparked this sudden discussion about the people skills of Matt Hughes. Well, he was brought in this week as a new coach, and like Rich Franklin before him, Hughes wasn’t very well received. Maybe it’s the fact that whoever wins in the welterweight category has to fight Hughes for the belt. I honestly think that Matt just has a tendency to rub people the wrong way, just like his abrasive coaching style did in the previous season. Hughes even talks shit to Georges St. Pierre about their previous and upcoming fights, and St. Pierre is one of the nicest guys in the business. Din Thomas sums it up the best, saying that Matt “just has that kind of personality, he likes to step on people, he likes to be dominate over people.” Matt in return remarks on Din’s lips, stating “I see you Din, its not like you’ve got tiny lips, I can see those lips moving around.” All I’ve got to say is this: wow.

With all the preliminary fights in the books, it’s finally time for the semi-finals! Dana White and the gang round up all the fighters for the now commonplace fighter interviews, where they themselves help decide what the semi-final match ups will be. With Dana and co. lined up like “the Jedi Council” (Serra is full of great one liners), Pete Sell states in his interview that he and Patrick Cote have become great friends through the show. Due to this, Sell wants to fight Travis Lutter in the semis so that Sell and Cote can meet in the finals. Dana White grants his wish, and matches up Cote with Dewees and Sell with Lutter. I’m no match maker, but they both sound like good fights to me. On the other side of things, Shonie Carter is matched with Matt Serra, and of course Din Thomas is matched with Chris Lytle for this week’s slugfest. Din Thomas is pretty funny in his interview, telling Matt Hughes that he’s gonna kick his ass. Hughes just laughs it off, perpetually smiling with that silly grin. With all that out of the way, it’s finally time for this week’s fight!

Round 1 begins and the fighters don’t really feel each other out, but instead engage right away. They probably feel pretty familiar with each other by this point. The majority of the round is spent with Lytle striking from inside Din’s guard. Once the fight hit the feet Lytle was all about bullying Thomas around with power shots, bombing in with hard right crosses and overhands. The fight hit the floor again, and the referee stood up the fighters with less than 5 seconds left in the round. It was here that something very strange happened: Although the clock ran down to zero as the fighters stood up, the fight went on. And on, and on further. A whole extra minute to be exact. Lytle and Thomas paid no mind, and kept on swinging away at each other. After the bell finally sounded, Dana White remarked that a Nevada State Athletic Commission official neglected to stop the round on time, and that this was the first occurrence ever in the UFC. You can be sure that someone is getting fired for that shit.

Round 2 kicks off with the guys trading leather in the center of the Octagon. A nice left middle kick from Lytle is the highlight of the exchange. Lytle forces Din to the ground, but Din gets full guard almost immediately. Lytle is breathing heavily, and it seems like he really feels the extra minute of the round, which was spent almost exclusively on the feet. The ref stands them up, where Lytle works a nice 1-2 left middle kick combo. Din lands a puncturing right straight counter. Lytle tries to press the action, working the left hook-right straight-left middle kick combos, splicing in hard right hooks to the body as well. Din works the counters well, using good head movement to stay in the pocket and respond with straight rights, left hooks, and right leg kicks. Lytle lands a harsh punch that bloodies Din’s nose right before the bell. So far this has been one of the best fights of the season, and with the rounds at 1-1 it shows no signs of stopping.

The third and final stanza begins and the fighters trade a little bit before Din gets a takedown against the fence. Lytle gets an arm in guillotine from guard, and uses it to sweep Din, who quickly recovers to his own guard. Lytle pounds from in the guard, but cannot find the posture to land any big shots. The fight is on the feet again, and with both fighters visibly tired much of the fight is spent in the clinch along the fence. Din punches his way out and the slugfest resumes. Din keeps trying for that standing guillotine choke every time they clinch, but with both fighters sweating profusely he has trouble securing the neck.

Lytle trips Din down, landing in guard, where he resumes grinding out a possible stoppage with ground and pound. Din does a great job of securing Lytle’s body, stifling any hard shots. The ref stands the fighters up, and Lytle immediately shoots, getting sprawled on by an energized Thomas. Lytle rolls for a leg lock, and Din sits his weight on the leg, striking with hammer fists and backhands until the bell. This was an extremely close fight, and whoever wins will likely win the whole thing. It’s announced that Chris “Lights Out” Lytle (whom is sporting not one but two black eyes after the fight) wins the fight by decision, and advances to the finals. All in all, Din is disappointed by the loss, but not totally crushed. He really shouldn’t be either, that fight was one of the closest on the show, and it really could have gone either way. The thing that really sealed the decision for Lytle was his position on the ground, which was almost always the top position. Obviously that and the takedowns are what UFC judges really look for in close decisions like this. Next week is another potentially great match up, a rematch between Shonie Carter and Matt Serra. So how a great weekend, and I’ll see you next week on….THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER!