The Ultimeate Fighter 9, Episode 6 Recap

I’m really liking this 2 fights per episode thing they’ve got going on in the past two weeks. I’m not one for much drama so seeing more fighting and less in-house idiocy, so they’ve been better, less drawn out episodes to me. Perhaps there’s not as much drama as in past years, so they’ve had to do things this way, I really don’t know.

Image: The Ultimate Fighter 9 logo

This episode picks up after Dean Amasinger loses to Demarques Johnson. Back at the house Cameron Dollar is talking to Amasinger about how he got caught in Johnson’s triangle and how he could have got out of it. After he walks out Jason Pearce says he finds it funny how Dollar was trying to tell him how to get out of a triangle when he just learned like the other day. He also says he doesn’t like Dollar and Dollar hears him. Slight drama but not much thankfully.

Back at the training facility Bisping chooses the next fight as Martin Stapleton vs. Cameron Dollar. Afterward, Bisping explains that he hasn’t been sleeping well and fell in to a deep sleep and that’s why he missed the fight. He apologizes to Amasinger and that’s pretty much the end of that. Bisping starts training “Stapes” for his fight against Dollar, confident that he will have no problem.

Dollar admits that his stand up is terrible and he’ll focus on his ground game. Dollar says he’s scared going in to the fight but Henderson tells him that he should just focus and stick to the game plan.

The fight starts and both fighters are cautious of each other. Stapelton goes in for a take down, which is not as succesful as he would have hoped. Dollar gets Stapleton’s back and after a few failed attempts he sinks in a good rear naked choke. Stapleton taps and Bisping is upset. Henderson rejoices in the look of surprise and disappointment on Bisping’s face. Team USA is happy to be back on track and even things ups. Stapleton is shocked at his loss.

Next fight Dan Henderson chooses Frank Lester to fight James Wilks. Lester has nothing good to say about Wilks and mocks the fact that Wilks has been training in the U.S. for awhile and continuously calls him an asshole during his private on-camera’s. Demarques Johnson tells Lester “$100 a tooth”, saying that he’ll give Lester $100 for every tooth he knocks out of Wilks’ mouth, which becomes very ironic later.

The fight starts and it’s a slug-fest. Both fighters trade punches here and there and get in clinch a few times. Wilks goes for a few submissions but it seems that he just doesn’t have enough power behind any of them to sink anything in. They get in a clinch again and Wilks is hitting Lester with some good punches and catches him in the mouth with a left knee. You see Lester’s mouth-piece pop out for a second and then back in his mouth. Lester is bleeding from his nose and mouth. It goes to the ground for a few second right as the bell sounds.

Over in Lesters corner he complains about his own teeth being knock out. The bell sounds again and Wilks is ready to fight, however Lester’s corner is not ready. Bisping get’s upset and starts yelling at Steve Mazzagatti. We soon realize that Lester’s corner is removing teeth that are stuck in his mouth-piece. I’d say someone owes Wilks about $400 right about now.

The fight starts back up and Lester is obviously out of focus. Punches are exchanged again but Wilks takes Lester down and starts to work an arm-bar. Lester trieds to fight it but loses grip with his other hand. Wilks barely even has the arm fully extended before Lester verbally says “Tap” and Mazzagatti stops the fight. The UK is back on top at 3-2.

I could really care less about this whole U.S. vs U.K. thing. Some may think it’s unpatriotic not to be behind Team USA, but I just want to see the best fighters win and move on, regardless if they’re from the U.S. or wherever. Besides that, a few of the U.S. guys are making the States look stupid with the douche-baggery.

So far the fights have been good and the fact that there is little drama makes for a better season.