CAUTION: SPOILERS INCLUDED – There are two spots left on Team US for this season of The Ultimate Fighter, but before Jason Dent, Kiel Reid, Frank Lester, and Rob Browning take care of their business in the Octagon, all the fighters got themselves settled in their new digs in Las Vegas.
CAUTION: SPOILERS INCLUDED – There are two spots left on Team US for this season of The Ultimate Fighter, but before Jason Dent, Kiel Reid, Frank Lester, and Rob Browning take care of their business in the Octagon, all the fighters got themselves settled in their new digs in Las Vegas.
Team US arrived in the house first, with Team UK following soon after. Both teams got along well and got used to each other’s accents, with the only exception being Browning, who quickly got under the skin of both teams as he threw eggs at them while they stood on the house’s basketball court.
After some more egg throwing and drinking, Browning got into it verbally with members of Team UK and even Team US’ Jason Pierce, who Browning smashed an egg on. Pierce kept his cool, not wanting to get ousted from the show.
These incidents prompted the rest of the competitors to come up with a set of ground rules for the house that would prevent a repeat of the antics seen on season eight of the series. Another key point of the conversation was encouraging Dent to send Browning packing in their elimination fight.
The next day, both teams got to the gym for their first workouts with their coaches. Team US’ Dan Henderson told his squad that they would be focusing a lot on wrestling, clinch work, and ground and pound, while Team UK’s Michael Bisping jumped right into sparring with his group. Bisping promised that his team would be “in shape, on weight, and ready to go,” and his trash talk to Dent and Damarques Johnson got both fighters and their teammates fired up.
In this week’s first elimination bout, 8-1 Iowan Kiel Reid took on 3-2 San Diego product Frank Lester, and the ending was one of the most bizarre ever seen on TUF, as a slam by Reid saw him knock himself out upon impact on the canvas. Referee Steve Mazzagatti, noticing that Reid was out, halted the bout, giving Lester the first round TKO win and a spot in the house.
Dent (19-9) didn’t leave any doubt in his bout with the 4-0 Browning, gradually warming up before taking over and stopping the Kentucky native via strikes in the first round.
Now with both teams set, UFC President Dana White brought both Team US and Team UK together, and after Henderson won the opening toss, the US squad will pick next week’s first fight. Bisping says his entire team is ready for battle.
Finally, here are the 16 fighters that have earned a spot in the Ultimate Fighter house for this season:
TEAM USA
WELTERWEIGHTS
Mark Miller
Jason Pierce
Damarques Johnson
Frank Lester
LIGHTWEIGHTS
Richie Whitson
Santino DeFranco
Cameron Dollar
Jason Dent
TEAM UK
WELTERWEIGHTS
David Faulkner
Dean Amasinger
Nick Osipczak
James Wilks
LIGHTWEIGHTS
Ross Pearson
Martin Stapleton
Jeff Lawson
Andre Winner
For weekly recaps of The Ultimate Fighter, as well as fighter profiles and a blog from UK coach Michael Bisping, stay tuned to UFC.com.