The House
Nate talks with Brian about going to train with Team Penn, because he doesn’t want to fight against someone he’s training with every day. Corey talks to imaginary friend Buddy Rowe while cutting weight in the sauna.
That’s pretty much it from the house for this week. Woohoo!
Training – Team Penn
Joe isn’t happy about Nate coming in to train. B.J. jokes that Nate’s here because Jens isn’t teaching him shit. Nate thinks he’s getting a good deal since he’s learning from both coaches. B.J. suggests taking down Corey and using a heel hook to make him tap.
Training – Team Pulver
The team comes in and they rib Nate a bit. Nate tells Jens that he came in early to work out. Jens in a confessional says that he understands that Nate is doing what he has to do, since he has to fight Corey. Brian notes that Nate and Corey are staying as far away from each other as possible. Corey doesn’t care anymore Jens says he’s not going to corner either fighter.
Fight Day
Jens stays true to his word – Brian and Butters are going to corner Nate, and Brandon and Cole will corner Corey.
Quarterfinal Fight #3 – Nate Diaz (Pulver, 5-2) vs. Corey Hill (Pulver, 0-0)
The referee is “Big” John McCarthy.
Round 1
Corey comes out swinging and stuffs a single leg attempt by Nate. Back up, Nate goes for a singl leg again and Corey ends up on top and lands some hammerfists. Back up, another attempt is stuffed and Corey again ends up on top, only to get back up. If you haven’t figured out what Corey’s gameplan is by now, shame on you. Corey is landing some nice rights and takes down Nate with a throw. Clinch, and Corey takes Nate down, into a rubber guard. Corey’s in trouble. Nate works for a triangle, cinches it in, and Corey meekly taps.
Winner: Nate Diaz (Tapout -> Triangle Choke, 3:02 R1)
After the Fight
Jens was impressed by Corey’s performance. Nate thought that he didn’t fight according to his gameplan. Corey thought he got overconfident, and ended up in Nate’s world. Corey gives Nate credit for a well-deserved victory. Jens says to watch out for Corey in 6-12 months once he gets some proper training.
Weigh-Ins
Dana expected Matt to make it this far, while Manny is too small in comparison to the other fighters. He expects Matt to win this fight.
Training – Team Pulver
Manny gets a surprise when his cousin (and one of my favourite fighters), Karo “The Heat” Parysian, shows up. We get a highlight reel of Karo in the Octagon, including his fight with Nate’s brother Nick, but Karo and Nate are cool. And now we see Manny and Karo grappling in the Octagon. Manny now feels that he has to win now that Karo’s here.
Training – Team Penn
Matt thinks that Manny will fight just like Karo – relentless. So Matt plans to stay away from the fence and chase Manny down. B.J. is worried because Manny is a tough ball of muscle.
Fight Day
Manny’s singing in Armenian. Matt has faith in God. But Manny has Karo. And Judo.
Quarterfinal Fight #4 – “Mildly Attractive” Matt Wiman (Penn, 6-3) vs. Manny Gamburyan (Pulver, 8-2)
The referee is Herb Dean.
Round 1
Matt circles, clinches and gets some knees. He shoots, but Manny stuffs the attempt. Matt keeps driving, and takes Manny down. He’s trying to stack Manny up but nothing doing, and after a scramble Manny ends up in Matt’s guard. Front facelock by Manny as they stand back up. Manny lands a flurry and Matt is cut over the right eye. Herb Dean pauses the fight so a doctor can look at the cut. It’s ok, so here we go. Matt once again initiates the clinch, but Manny takes him down into guard. Manny throwing hard punches from the guard and slowly pushes Matt against the cage. That backfires as Matt reverses and they stand up. Manny has a waistlock and once again takes Matt down to an open guard. Matt works for a kimura but nothing doing there. Manny gets a quick flurry in as the round ends.
I score it 10-9 Gamburyan.
Round 2
Matt comes out swinging, but it’s Manny who’s landing punches. Manny with a double leg and a takedown to guard. Manny tries to work to mount but Matt prevents it. His guard is open and Manny is landing shots now. Dean stands them up and now Manny is tagging Wiman with punches. Wiman stuffs a takedown attempt, lands some punches and takes Manny down, but against the fence so Manny is able to stay on his knees. Manny gabs a kimura and holds on, but Matt gets his back and now HE’S trying for a kimura. Transition to an armbar ends up wiht Manny in half-guard. Matt looks exhausted at this point, while Manny is still landing punches.
10-9 Gamburyan.
B.J. thinks the fight is going to a third round, but we have a decision, which means…
Winner: Manny Gamburyan (Unanimous Decision)
After the Fight
Jens thought it was an exciting fight. B.J. thinks that Manny was great coming out of the clinch while Matt was defensive. Matt thought that Manny didn’t do much damage but he was tough on top. Dana now realizes that Manny is a powerhouse despite being “three foot two”. Matt realizes that didn’t fight his fight, but he’ll be back.
Next week: Karo and Nate aren’t cool anymore, and the semifinal fights are decided.
