CAUTION: SPOILERS INCLUDED – The first preliminary bout is in the books on The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck. Who will be the next fighter to move on to the next round this week?
Jeffrey Lentz and the rest of the house finds it difficult dealing with Alex Caceres’ mouth, as “Bruce Leeroy” keeps talking about his victory over the Team Koscheck member on last week’s episode.
“He talks too much, he’s annoying,” said Team Koscheck’s Sevak Magakian.
The talk stops when Team GSP gets back in the gym though, and St-Pierre brings in world-class wrestler Gia Sissaouri to work with his squad.
Koscheck is just as amped to hit the gym with his team and get ready to even things up on the scoreboard.
“We’re down 0-1 and I want to win everything,” he said. “They’re representing me and I want them to go out there and kick ass.”
Yet the coach isn’t happy with his team’s effort, and he lets them know about it, leading to an intense final 30 minutes of practice.
For this week’s fight, Team GSP remains in control, and St-Pierre chooses his number one pick, Michael Johnson, to take on Team Koscheck’s Aaron Wilkinson.
Meanwhile, Koscheck begins the gamesmanship with his rival coach by blocking his car in at the TUF training center.
“Josh has tried to get under my skin, but he’s not the first guy who’s tried to do that,” said St-Pierre, who managed to find his way into the car. “It’s not my first rodeo.”
It is the first time in the TUF Octagon for Johnson (155.5) and Wilkinson (155), but before they lock horns in battle, a special guest has arrived at the gym, former world heavyweight boxing champion ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson.
“I’m happy to be involved with this,” said the boxing legend, who spent some time talking to St-Pierre and his team before going out to Octagonside to watch this week’s fight.
Johnson looks sharp with his striking early as he tags Wilkinson to the head and body before closing the gap and scoring a takedown. Wilkinson takes some shots, but he gets right back up and nails Johnson with a knee, and then, seconds later, a straight right. After catching a kick, Wilkinson looks for a takedown, but he’s turned away and pushed back to the fence. The Brit’s striking is solid though, and he gets himself free, where he can use his long-range punches even more effectively. Midway through the round, Johnson explodes with a big takedown, but Wilkinson again scrambles up and after bulling his foe to the fence, he takes him down and starts firing off ground strikes, finishing off a good round for the Team Koscheck fighter.
20 seconds into the second, Johnson catches Wilkinson with a solid punch to the head, but Wilkinson takes it well, and the two get back to battling. With a minute gone, Johnson gets another takedown, but again, he can’t keep his opponent there, and Wilkinson’s pressure is ruling the day, especially after a takedown and more ground and pound. This time, Johnson gets up and gets a takedown of his own, and the Team GSP fighter starts teeing off. Wilkinson fights his way out of trouble and back to his feet, and the tiring fighters exchange strikes, continuing to scrap until the bell.
After these two fast-paced rounds, UFC President Dana White announces that the fight is even and will go to a third sudden victory round that will decide the fight. And after a quick flurry to start the round, Johnson does just that, getting the bout to the mat, where he fires off a series of strikes before sinking in a rear naked choke that forces Wilkinson to tap out.
With the win, Team GSP takes a 2-0 lead in the competition and retains control. Here’s how the teams look:
Team GSP
Michael Johnson 1-0
Jonathan Brookins
Spencer Paige
Alex Caceres 1-0
Kyle Watson
Cody McKenzie
Dane Sayers
Team Koscheck
Marc Stevens
Sevak Magakian
Sako Chivitchian
Andrew Main
Nam Phan
Aaron Wilkinson – Eliminated on episode three by Michael Johnson
Jeffrey Lentz – Eliminated on episode two by Alex Caceres
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