The Ultimate Fighter has broken new ground. Two weeks in a row now we’ve been treated to a double dose of fights in one episode. I for one think this new format is perfect for TUF, and I think Dana should redesign the way the show is presented for next season and beyond. This format grants us a lot less bullshit….ahem…drama, and much more fighting, which is the whole reason people watch this show. Moving along, the episode starts off with the same ole recap. After the two fights last week BJ finally scored a win with Lauzon’s dismantling of Brian Geraghty, and Rob Emerson dropped a close decision to Corey Hill. Most people in the house feel that Emerson won that fight. He did more damage, was just as active, and had a sizeable height disadvantage as well. I honestly think the judges gave Corey a little help to squeeze by. It certainly makes things more interesting by having a 1-0 fighter whose 6’4” in the semis.

Rob Emerson is a little down in the dumps over the loss. To fight his mounting depression, he does what most other Southern California guys would do: he gets a hookah and a keg. A couple beer bongs later and Geraghty is doing his best “Frank the Tank” impression, although he’s a few years too late with that one (kinda like a lot of my jokes). It’s never all fun and games with the TUF house, but this week’s drama comes as a bit of a surprise. Dana has been hearing some rumors about BJ. According to Dana, some of the gossip floating around is that BJ isn’t taking charge of his own team. Dana pulls BJ aside for a little heart to heart. He says, “You’re the fucking general man, you’re the fucking guy,” and tells BJ to step up his coaching. The next day at practice, BJ reciprocates by coming down hard, but on one fighter in particular: Andy Wang. According to BJ, Wang has never listened to him at all. With that logic the fight with Melendez was just the icing on the cake, and Andy has been like that from day one. BJ goes as far as saying that Andy’s the main reason for the lack of cohesiveness on Team Penn. BJ tells Andy to get off his team, and is steadfast in his decision even amidst some pleading from Wang. It seems that the Ronin from Taiwan just can’t get a break. Or can he?

When Dana gets to the gym his initial reaction is exactly what you would expect. “What the f**k? You can’t kick people off the team,” he exclaims. Dana feels that BJ is over reacting to this situation, and I honestly agree. Andy never seemed to cause many problems, but then again he wasn’t given much camera time. Dana takes matters into his own hands and asks Pulver to accept Andy onto his team. Being a democratic man, Pulver first asks his team if that would be okay. Although his team initially vetoes the idea of adding a 9th “mystery” member to the team, they immediately warm up to the idea once they find out who they’re adding. The fighters all chime in that Wang is “a really good guy,” or is “really nice.” So what the hell was wrong with BJ then? Pulver goes back to his audience with King Dana and informs him that Team Pulver would gladly accept Andy Wang. Unfortunately for Andy, his loyalties are a bit too strong. He feels that he made a commitment to BJ at the beginning of the show, and whether BJ likes it or not he wants to honor that commitment. Andy has too much samurai spirit for his own good it seems, and his unwillingness to accept Pulver’s offer beings to annoy the present company. Thankfully Dana tells him to get his ass out there and train, and once Andy walks into the open arms of Team Pulver all is well at the TUF house. Problem solved. 

The time has come for this week’s fight announcement. Like I said before, this week we’re being treated to another pairing of bouts. First up is Wayne Weems versus Gray Maynard, with the second and final preliminary match up being Matt Wiman versus Marlon Simms. Now I don’t like to count anyone out in this sport, especially after seeing Crocop and St. Pierre lose their recent fights to supposed “stepping stones.” That said both of these fights look poised to deliver the kind of one sided beatings you used to see in high school. Pulver waxes on Weems and expounds on how big the kid’s heart is. Sometimes having a big heart can be a bad thing, because it can cause you to take unnecessary punishment. Against a beast like Gray Maynard, that may prove to be true. Maynard reminds me of a mellowed out Sean Loeffler. He just looks like a man who was born to fight. BJ adds in that the biggest hurdle for Gray will be not underestimating his opponent.

As the fighters walk to the cage it looks as though Weems is pumped. Not just pumped, mind you, Weems is pumped like a ninja. It looks as if he’s about to freak out and start decapitating people. As the fight begins, we find that this is not the case. Right off the bat Gray lands a stinging overhand right, and drops into a thudding takedown. Gray immediately moves to side control, where he gets stuck in a last ditch headlock from Weems. Gray maneuvers out of the annoyance, and works what looks to be a cobra choke. Weems turns bright red, and then begins to eat some light ground and pound. With no place to go, Weems rolls to his stomach, where Gray flattens him out even more. Gray punches and lands some solid shots, but he is careful not to waste too much energy going for the finish. He knows Weems is tough and will not fold easily. This light to medium paced pounding goes on for a while, even a bit too long, as Weems isn’t actively defending. Eventually Herb Dean feels that Weems can’t do much, and stops the fight after 2:47 in round one.

After the official call is announced, Weems is bummed, and is still super pumped when he gets back to the dressing room. He throws around some stuff, turns over a stool, and has a little temper tantrum. His team mates remark that Weems has a lot of heart, and this has been a bit of a baptism for him. Weems is now a “real” fighter. Funny that after over a dozen fights he’s not a “real” fighter, but after an exhibition match on a television show that all changes. He’s also sporting a pretty big mouse under his left eye from Gray’s overhand right. On to the next fight! While building up the “tension” for the next match, Marlon spouts some more nonsense about how he’s never been KO’d by a human being. Wiman pokes a little fun at him over a hookah sesh. He looks to shatter the legend of “Indestructible,” and show that real tough guys don’t need to tell people they’re badass. Wiman also adds that he’s changing his nickname from “Handsome” to “Mildly Attractive.” Whatever the nickname he seems to have a good attitude about things and is extremely likeable. Marlon, on the other hand, talks on and on about himself. He says he has been fighting since he was 5 years old. When most other kids were playing in the sandbox he was fighting ninjas and hitmen while swinging across the monkey bars. Marlon also says that he’s out to prove that “strikers are not a dying breed in this sport.” Funny, I don’t think that strikers have ever been a dying breed in MMA. They may have started off rough, but the more time that goes by the easier it is for strikers to adjust. I guess we’re about to find out what the deal is with this guy.

Round one begins and Marlon’s 4” reach advantage is not readily apparent. Wiman connects with a right hook that drops Marlon to a knee, and he follows up by hopping on his back. Wiman immediately has an arm across Marlon’s neck and it looks like the end is near for “Indestructible.” Wiman rolls Marlon onto his stomach and flattens him out, letting go of the choke to strike a little bit. Wiman quickly sets the rear choke back in and by the time 51 seconds have elapsed Marlon is unconscious. A “Mildly Attractive” man has succeeded in destroying the “Indestructible” hype machine. In his post fight interview Wiman quips, “Beating a guy with over 300 street fights is a nice little boost of confidence. I’m probably gonna go around punking people now. What?! What up son?!” Good shit. Next week we’ve got the quarter finals to look forward to. BJ and Jens can’t seem to agree on match ups, and their feud almost comes to a climactic end in the office. Most importantly we finally get to see the infamous backyard brawl between two eliminated fighters. My guess is that Marlon finally shows his street prowess and kicks somebody’s face in. Maybe “Indestructible” isn’t just hype after all? I for one can’t wait until next week and the next installment of….THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER!!!