The Ultimate Fighter Season 15 Discussion Thread

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The Ultimate Fighter Brazil debuts this Sunday, it's going to be on Fuel TV but it will also be streaming on UFC.com for anybody interested who doesn't get Fuel TV.

 

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Ultimate Fighter Time! :Vader:

 

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Just got finished watching the third episode of the show. I thought it was okay, this Chris Tickle guy on Team Cruz reminds me of Matt Mitrione from when he was on TUF. Always making excuses to get out of practice and stuff like that he's also wicked obnoxious. Both teams started pranking each other and a few fighters got into it a bit

Cristiano Marcelo who was fighting on behalf of Team Faber is the guy who had trained with Anderson Silva in the past. He was fighting Justin Lawrence of Team Cruz he's the one who had like a 7 second KO on the first episode of the season. So it's Wrestling and BJJ vs HUGE power in this fight.

The fight saw some pretty good back and forth action in the first round but neither guy was really dominant, both had gotten in their big shots here and there but In my opinion Justin won the first round of the fight.

The second round. was a little more exciting than the first round and was mainly dominated by Justin who would eventually get a crazy good KO victory midway through the second round. I really like this Justin kid, he's got some power in his punches, and I think he's my favorite to win the whole show was of right now.

Winner via knockout; Justin Lawrence.

Team Cruz is now up 2-0 and next weeks fight is going to be, Al Iaquinta(Team Faber) vs. Myles Jury(Team Cruz)

Also, right at the end of the show one of the camera men slipped and fell on his ass :

 

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[video=youtube;KHu_Qq-UQks]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KHu_Qq-UQks[/video]

The Brazil Ultimate Fighter is going to be airing at 11:30, likely be up on you tube tomorrow as well so I'll get it posted for anybody interested in watching it. It won't be in English, but will have subtitles and everything.

 

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Here's the ratings for this weeks Ultimate Fighter, up a little bit which is encouraging as i didn't think this past weeks show was very good.

Ratings for the third episode of "The Ultimate Fighter: Live" were up a tick and resulted in an average audience of 1.2 million viewers.

Friday's episode, which featured the season's second opening-round matchup, followed the 1.1 million viewers who tuned in for the second episode and the 1.3 for the season debut.

MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) today confirmed the figures with an industry source.

The figure marked an eight percent ratings increase from week to week.

Additionally, ratings were up 22 percent among men 18-49, 24 percent among men 18-34, and 18 percent among 25-54. The show ranked No. 2 among men 18-49 and men 18-34 in its timeslot on cable and trailed only the 2012 NCAA men's basketball tournament on TBS.

"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" features UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz and former WEC titleholder Urijah Faber as opposing coaches. Following a two-and-a-half-hour debut episode in which an initial group of 32 was whittled down to 16, the series continues with a fight each week. After pre-taped content, the lightweights-only show concludes with a live fight.

In the third episode, Team Cruz's No. 1 pick, Justin Lawrence, knocked out Team Faber's second pick, Cristiano Marcello. Team Cruz is now up 2-0 through two of the opening round's eight fights.

Spike TV began airing "TUF" in early 2005, but as part of the UFC's mega-deal with FOX, the series moved to FX in 2012. With the move to FX, Spike TV is now counter-programming the live shows with "The Ultimate Fighter Fridays," which features past episodes of the show.

The "TUF: Live" episode-by-episode ratings include:

"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 1: 1.3 million viewers
"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 2: 1.1 million viewers
"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 3: 1.2 million viewers

Here's some info on The Ultimate Fighter Brazil, really good numbers too.

In a milestone for Brazilian MMA, “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” began on Sunday, the first edition of the reality show to take place outside the U.S. According to the Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics, Globo increased its audience by 15 percent during the “TUF Brazil” premiere. It was estimated that approximately 8 million people watched the show throughout the South American country.

 

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Team Faber picked up the win this week in a really good fight, ended up being a draw after 2 rounds so they went to a third round.

Dana wasn't too pleased because there was like a 4 minute gap in between the decision of the fight being a draw and the beginning of the third round this was on FX as they went to a commercial break right at the end of the second round, the rules in UFC say there can only be a one minute rest period. So that's something they're going to need to work out in the future.

It was defiantly the best fight of the season so far though.

 

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Here's the full second episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Brasil if anybody would like to watch, I'll start posting each episode on here.

[video=youtube;qbkTvDzOYuc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbkTvDzOYuc&feature=player_embedded[/video]

 

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Here's the episode recap for last nights Ultimate Fighter.

As the fifth episode of "The Ultimate Fighter: Live" opens, we get a quick recap of the previous week's episode, which included the first victory for Urijah Faber's team. We're also reminded of the journey of Team Faber's Mike Chiesa, who dealt with the loss of his father and now prepares to fight this week against Team Cruz's Jeremy Larsen.

Coach Dominick Cruz and UFC president Dana White each admit Myles Jury lost the previous week's fight by not pushing forward in a sudden-victory round, when the fight was truly on the line. Still, Faber is happy for Al Iaquinta, and the taped content shows a jubilant squad celebrating in the locker room.

Cruz's team takes the loss hard, especially Jury, but their head coach tries to keep the crew in good spirits. Looking to this week's fight, Cruz turns to Sam Sicilia, who trains with Chiesa outside of the house. Sicilia doesn't seem comfortable with that, even as Cruz says he and training partner Mike Easton would be happy to fight if they ever had to.

Back at the house, Chiesa says he doesn't think his friend will turn on him, and Sicilia confirms that he won't. Chiesa is angered that Cruz would even try to get intel, and both fighters insist their friendship comes first.

Back at training, Cruz is still pressing for information. Sicilia is still reluctant to talk, despite Cruz's pushing. Sicilia seems to come around a little bit, but he won't break.

Cruz decides to work hands on with Larsen to prepare for the fight. Larsen then gets a little coaching from Cruz as he preps for what he admits he wants to turn into a standup war.

After a commercial break, Chris Tickle reveals he has an injury, which could include gout. Tickle is receiving treatment for the injury, and Cruz pulls him into the locker room to ask whether it's going to be an issue that forced him out of the show. Tickle is upset that Cruz is questioning him and says he'll be fine. Cruz wants to make sure there's still no going less than 100 percent, despite his condition.

It's then back to training for Team Faber, and the coach reveals the key to Chiesa winning his fight is getting the action to the floor. His long frame is a key asset on the floor, according to Faber, and Chiesa insists he's moved past the loss of his father and now just wants to make him proud with a solid performance.

After another commercial, it's a quick look into the locker rooms, where the guys are getting taped up and ready for tonight's fight.

Back to taped content, and Tickle is again complaining. This time, it's his stomach. Cruz is quickly tiring of the constant complaints and says Tickle is holding himself back. Cruz thinks he has the talent to win the show but is not necessarily willing to make the sacrifices. But for now, it's on to Larsen, who looks focused and ready. Cruz reveals he's known Larsen since childhood and has all the toughness and durability needed to win. Assistant coach Ross Pearson confirms the assessment.

After a commercial, Tickle is at the doctor, and as it turns out, he doesn't have gout. His toe injury is apparently healing. After the quick update, it's time for weigh-ins, where Faber makes light of Cruz's new tennis shoes. Larsen makes weight at 154 pounds, and Chiesa is official at 155.5 pounds. Both fighters are confident and ready, and after a spirited staredown, it's time to fight.​

TEAM FABER'S MIKE CHIESA (7-0) VS. TEAM CRUZ'S JEREMY LARSEN (8-2)​

Round 1 - Referee Steve Mazzagatti in charge. Stats reveal Chiesa has a six-and-a-half inch reach advantage. He stays outside early but dives in for a takedown at the first chance. Larsen defends early, but Chiesa brings it down with a second effort. Chiesa takes top position as Larsen scrambles underneath. Larsen makes it back to his feet and spins off the cage. Chiesa uses his height to score inside with knees to the jaw before they finally break away. Chiesa slips on the restart, but he's quickly back inside and working for a takedown. He wraps the body and lands a big slam, again getting top position. Larsen looks for options from his back, but Chiesa is smothering. Chiesa sets up a choke, and Larsen drops to a knee. Chiesa fires in an illegal knee. It costs him a point, which could be huge. Larsen looks to have recovered after a short break. The round ends shortly after, and with the deduction, MMAjunkie.com scores it even at 9-9.

Round 2 - Punches traded by both to open, but Chiesa again is quickly inside. Larsen defends well and stays upright. Larsen seems to have some momentum, and he breaks away and looks to trade. Chiesa continues to close the distance and look for a takedown. He finally gets it two minutes in. Larsen is right in front of his coaches, and the walk him through an escape to the feet. But Chiesa is relentless and gets the fight down again. He doesn't do much with the position, and Larsen finally escapes again. Both fighters look tired, but they swing away for a moment. Larsen is connecting better in the exchanges, but Chiesa has earned the takedown. Close fight going into final minute. Chiesa closes in a transitions to the back. He falls to the floor and pulls Larsne down. Chiesa immediately secures the back and looks for the choke. It doesn't com, but the final sequence may have won him the round and the fight. Larsen rises like he may have won, but MMAjunkie.com scores the final round for Chiesa, 10-9, giving him the fight 19-18. Judges agree.​

Mike Chiesa def. Jermey Larsen via unanimous decision]

It's all tied up now, Team Faber has 2 wins as does Team Cruz.

 

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Ratings for the fifth episode of "The Ultimate Fighter: Live" were down slightly and resulted in an average audience of 947,000 viewers, which marks the smallest ratings figure in the 15-season run of the series.

Friday's episode, which featured the season's fourth opening-round matchup, followed the 1.1 million viewers who tuned in for the fourth episode.


MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) today confirmed the figures with an industry source.


"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" features UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz and former WEC titleholder Urijah Faber as opposing coaches. Following a two-and-a-half-hour debut episode in which an initial group of 32 was whittled down to 16, the series continues with a fight each week. After pre-taped content, the lightweights-only show concludes with a live fight.


In the fifth episode, Team Faber evened up the season series at 2-2, with Mike Chiesa earning a unanimous-decision over Team Cruz's Jeremy Larsen.


Spike TV began airing "TUF" in early 2005, but as part of the UFC's mega-deal with FOX, the series moved to FX in 2012. With the move to FX, Spike TV is now counter-programming the live shows with "The Ultimate Fighter Fridays," which features past episodes of the show.


This past Friday, Spike TV featured two episodes of "The Ultimate Fighter 9." The replays drew an average audience of 408,000 viewers.


Meanwhile, FX followed "TUF: Live" with the first episode of "UFC Primetime: UFC 145," which earned 462,000 viewers.


The "TUF: Live" episode-by-episode ratings include:
"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 1: 1.3 million viewers
"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 2: 1.1 million viewers
"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 3: 1.2 million viewers
"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 4: 1.1 million viewers
"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 5: 947,000 viewers

Pretty big drop off, i missed this episode and have yet to re watch it on my DVR. But from what i heard it was the weakest show of the 5 so far so the drop in viewers isn't too surprising.

 

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TUF Brazil to debut on FOX in June

Fuel TV's Executive Vice President and General Manager George Greenberg made the announcement earlier today during a special conference call with the media.

"We're probably going to air it in June and the reason why we're not airing it simultaneously is because we don't want to take any air out of the room promotionally for TUF on FX," explained Greenburg. "TUF on Brazil is something that is airing in real time in Brazil and if you haven't seen it here, that just means you haven't seen it here.


"In the wonderful world of time-shifting, as soon as TUF on FX is done, then we will premier TUF Brazil which will be a great promotional tool to lead into the next TUF on FX and it will be a constant give and a go between a series that is happening right here and now and a series that possibly did not happen at the exact same time that was going on in real time.


"So really, there isn't a lot of room in the world for two TUFs at one time and we wanted the first one to sit in there and plant, seat itself and we'll use the next one as a vehicle which I hear is wonderful and I've seen a couple. It's pretty raw and pretty intense and that will lead into TUF again which takes off on FX probably in September."

Good news for anybody who wanted to see the season, although Wandy and Vitor will be fighting the same month once the show is already done but it's still cool that it's going to be airing on US Tv.

 

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Team Faber wins again now up 3-2. As for next week, the fight is going to be

Team Faber's John Cofer vs. Team Cruz's Vinc Pichel.


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Ratings for the sixth episode of "The Ultimate Fighter: Live" were up slightly and resulted in an average audience of 1 million viewers, which marks the second smallest audience of the season.

Friday's episode, which featured the season's fifth opening-round matchup, followed the 947,000 viewers who tuned in for the fifth episode.


MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) today confirmed the figures with an industry source.


"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" features UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz and former WEC titleholder Urijah Faber as opposing coaches. Following a two-and-a-half-hour debut episode in which an initial group of 32 was whittled down to 16, the series continues with a fight each week. After pre-taped content, the lightweights-only show concludes with a live fight.


In the sixth episode, Team Faber took its first lead of the season series at 3-2, with Joe Proctor earning a first-round submission win over Team Cruz's Chris Tickle.


Spike TV began airing "TUF" in early 2005, but as part of the UFC's mega-deal with FOX, the series moved to FX in 2012. With the move to FX, Spike TV is now counter-programming the live shows with "The Ultimate Fighter Fridays," which features past episodes of the show.


This past Friday, however, Spike TV aired a replay of "Rambo III," which earned 796,000 viewers.


The "TUF: Live" episode-by-episode ratings include:
"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 1: 1.3 million viewers
"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 2: 1.1 million viewers
"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 3: 1.2 million viewers
"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 4: 1.1 million viewers
"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 5: 947,000 viewers
"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 6: 1 million viewers

Nice to see the show jump back up to a million viewers after that off week they had, averaging only 950K

 

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Didn't watch this last night because i was watching Bellator, but anyways here's the results.

TEAM FABER'S JOHN COFER (7-1) VS. TEAM CRUZ'S VINC PICHEL (6-0)


Round 1 - Referee Josh Rosenthal calls the action. Pichel takes the center against southpaw Cofer. They stay at range before Cofer fires the first combination and looks for a takedown. Not there. Pichel hesitant to start, and Cofer is the one acting first. The trading picks up as the round wears on, and Pichel gets a little more active and walks forward. Cofer is happy to return fire on the feet in the early going. The two look happy to trade as the round wears on, and Cofer again misses two more takedown attempts in the final 80 seconds. The round ends with Pichel throwing bombs, and it's a tight fight through one.


Round 2 - The brawl picks up in round two, and the action is intense to start. So much for the wrestling match. Faber begs for Cofer to show sharp footwork. Pichel seems to now be the aggressor. Cofer gets inside again, but rather than look for a takedown, he transitions to the back and wraps the body. Pichel peels him off and goes back to work on the feet. Cofer keeps the action close and grans the head. Surprisingly, it's Pichel that looks for a takedown. He scores it, but he has to pull his head free from a choke. He does, but Cofer transitions for an arm. Pichel pulls free, and he's on top in an uncomfortable reverse mount, sitting on Cofer's face. The round finishes there, and both coaches seem to know a third frame could be coming next.


UFC boss White steps in the cage and confirms it: Round three is coming.


Round 3 - Sudden victory starts with Pichel in the center, and he lands a few crisp punches. He shoots in on Cofer and earns a takedown. In a slick sequence, he releases the pressure of a choke by jumping to side control, then hops into mount, sets up a side choke and dismounts to the other side to force the tap in a slick finish.


Vince Pichel def. John Cofer via submission (arm-triangel choke) - Round 3, 0:44.

All tied up 3-3 now.

 

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Last weeks rating for the show

Ratings for the seventh episode of "The Ultimate Fighter: Live" held steady and resulted in an average audience of 1 million viewers, which ties the mark for the second-smallest audience of the season.

Friday's episode, which featured the season's sixth opening-round matchup, followed the 1 million viewers who tuned in for the sixth episode.​

MMAjunkie.com

(UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) today confirmed the figures with an industry source.

"The Ultimate Fighter: Live" features UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz and former WEC titleholder Urijah Faber as opposing coaches. Following a two-and-a-half-hour debut episode in which an initial group of 32 was whittled down to 16, the series continues with a fight each week. After pre-taped content, the lightweights-only show concludes with a live fight.

In the seventh episode, Team Cruz evened the season series at 3-3, with Vinc Pichel earning a third-round submission win over Team Faber's John Cofer.

Spike TV began airing "TUF" in early 2005, but as part of the UFC's mega-deal with FOX, the series moved to FX in 2012. With the move to FX, Spike TV has often offered counter-programming against the live shows with "The Ultimate Fighter Fridays," which features past episodes of the show.

This past Friday, however, Spike TV aired a replay of Doom," which earned 744,000 viewers.

The "TUF: Live" episode-by-episode ratings include:​

• "The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 1: 1.3 million viewers
• "The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 2: 1.1 million viewers
• "The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 3: 1.2 million viewers
• "The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 4: 1.1 million viewers
• "The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 5: 947,000 viewers
• "The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 6: 1 million viewers
• "The Ultimate Fighter: Live" episode No. 7: 1 million viewers

Nice to see it have two solid weeks after a really bad week, I think it will continue to average a million or so viewers the rest of the season.

 

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TEAM CRUZ'S SAM SICILIA (10-0) VS. TEAM FABER'S CHRIS SAUNDERS (9-2)

Round 1 - Immediately, Saunders threatens with a kick, and Sicilia presses in with a punch and knee before smothering Saunders against the cage. Saunders replies with knees to the body and reverses position briefly. Not much doing when Sicilia breaks off with a wide bolo. Sicilia charges in with punches but isn't landing the big shot and Saunders takes him down. Silica pops right back up and briefly trips Saunders to the mat. Saunders is back up and working knees against the fence. They break, and Saunders leads with a Superman punch that misses. A kick to the leg doesn't though, and then Saunders catches Sicilia flush with a kick to the head. Sicilia pitches forward but wakes up when he hits the canvas. Saunders is all over him but can't land the finishing blow, and Sicilia recovers and charges back with a flurry of punches. But he quickly tires and pushes Saunders against the fence. He briefly deposits Saunders on the mat, but again, Saunders pops up.


With less than a minute to go, Sicilia lands a big right and drops Saunders briefly, attempting unsuccessfully to cinch a guillotine in the scramble up. Saunders escapes, and they again trade with Sicilia landing another big shot before the bell. MMAjunkie.com scores the round 10-9 for Saunders.


Round 2 - Both men look fresh again, and Sicilia opens with another volley of punches. Saunders evades and works the jab. Sicilia missing with big punches. Saunders attacks the leg. Sicilia backs him up and lands a body kick. Sicilia lands a nice right counter and a combination. He pulls back before working the takedown, and Sicilia lands a big left hand that hurts Saunders. Sicilia can't land the big shot again. they clinch, and Saunders reverses to his back. He can't keep things there, and before you know it, Sicilia is throwing another volley of punches. They clinch again, and Sicilia gets the takedown. But Saunders reverses, and he has back mount. Sicilia turns into guard, and escapes. Sicilia drops Saunders with a big left hand, but in the ensuing scramble, it's Saunders on top. An exhausting fight for both. Saunders lands a big elbow and takes the back when Sicilia tries to escapee. Sicilia turns out of it again and Saunders gets to his feet. Sicilia lands another huge punch and looks for the big bomb while Saunders tries to box as the final bell rings. Close round, but MMAjunkie.com scores it 10-9 for Sicilia.


Judges call it for Saunders by split decision.


Chris Saunders def. Sam Sicilia via split decision

Team Faber is back in control, up 4-3 now Dana White revealed the final fight of the show's quarterfinal's, which pits Andy Ogle against Mike Rio next week.