After the Fight
We get the usual bobblehead post-fight analysis. Basically, Nate pushed the pace, Emerson showed heart in escaping submissions, but Nate eventually got the tap and Team Pulver kept the hammah. But based on this fight I gotta think that Emerson has moved up to first alternate.
The House
Marlon Sims talks about his street fights, and Ruediger calls shenanigans. In a confessional, Sims tells us that it’s all true. Nothing, of course, comes of it.
Training
Wayne Weems isn’t progressing like his teammates, and Pulver isn’t happy. So we cut to Team Penn training where Ruediger wants to fight Weems because it’s an easy fight. Gabe should probably worry about his weight first. Back on Team Pulver’s side, it looks like Brandon is going to fight, but he’s tired from cutting weight (he’s a welterweight moving DOWN to be on the show) so Corey might go if the weight is still a problem.
Fight Selection
Before fight selection, we get the updated “standings”:
| Team | Penn | Pulver (H) |
|---|---|---|
| Fighters | Gray Maynard | Corey Hill |
| Matt Wiman | Nate Diaz | |
| Gabe Ruediger | Brandon Melendez | |
| Joe Lauzon | Marlon Sims | |
| Manvel Gambaryan | ||
| Andy Wang | Cole Miller | |
| Brian Geraghty | ||
| Wayne Weems | ||
| Trainers | Rudy Valentino | Matt Pena |
| Tony DeSouza | Kirk White | |
| Tony DeSouza’s beard | Jeremy Horn | |
| Regan Penn | Taisei Kikuchi |
Since Dana’s not here, we don’t get the usual crap from B.J. What we do get is Brandon Melendez vs. Andy Wang. Brandon’s a standup fighter, while Andy’s a BJJ guy who apparently likes to bang. And Andy sets the Asian stereotype back about 100 years by holding nunchuks during the fight pose.
…Kidding. What sets the stereotype back about 100 years is the fact Lyoto Machida is mistakenly called “Ryoto” because of “Engrish” issues. That, I’m not kidding about.
Training
Team Pulver gets a surprise guest coach in Matt “Superprick” Hughes. The McMiletech connections pay off again. Hughes of course wastes no time trashing B.J. Penn. I really, really hope Serra pounds him. We find out that Gabe cornered Andy in his last fight, and that he ignores his corner. Hmmm.
Preliminary Fight #4 – Andy Wang (Penn, 8-6) vs. Brandon Melendez (Pulver, 11-5)
The referee is “Big” John McCarthy. We’ve got a lot of time, so this could go the distance.
Round 1
“Feeling out process” and Brandon knocks Andy down with a straight left. He’s back up though and Brandon is using his punches and 4″ reach advantage to keep Andy away. Andy is landing some shots but Brandon is landing more. Andy needs to take this fight to the ground, but he’s still banging, ignoring B.J.’s pleas for a shot. Andy gets inside on Melendez but is still content to bang. Andy’s mouthguard falls out and they pause to get it back in. Restarted and more punches are thrown, and Brandon lands some nice kicks to finish the round.
10-9 Melendez
Round 2
Andy promises to take Brandon down between rounds and attempts one take down that Melendez easily blocks. He seems to give up on the takedowns after that, and Brandon is landing combos every time Andy moves in. He’s got a cut under his right eye. Finally a clinch but Brandon escapes. B.J. is screaming for a takedown, and Andy works for one against the cage, but nothing doing again. Unless Andy gets Brandon down, he’s lost this match. They trade for another minute, and the round ends.
10-9 Melendez
Winner: Brandon Melendez (Unanimous Decision)
Well, as Gabe noted, Andy entirely ignored the game plan and was intent on trading strikes with a better striker, and lost as a result. Andy notes that he heard the corner yelling, but he’s stubborn and wouldn’t listen. Brandon is even surprised that Andy didn’t shoot. Andy cries because he let down his team. B.J. rails on him for crying, and even though it’s a heelish thing to do… Andy deserves it for ignoring what everyone else was telling him.
Next week, Corey vs. Gabe… if Gabe makes weight.
