The Ultimate Fighter was back this week with its newest installment.
This episode featured Team USA taking control of the house, but not the octagon. Through several seemingly harmless pranks against some of Team UK’s property, members of Team USA helped increase the friction in the Ultimate Fighter house. After Team USA wrote on a shirt and a pair of wrestling boots, it was clear that the UK was already getting tired of the USA’s maybe not-so-harmless games.
Bisping called it “childish” and gave a little advice to his team.
Bisping advised that his team stay away from the pranks and silly activities that Team USA adopted in this episode. However, if you have seen this show before, you are aware that Team UK’s neutrality in this “prank war” is quite simply out of the question.
The episode eventually moved away from the practical jokes, and onto the main event of this evening.
Team USA won the opportunity to decide who would be fighting in this bout. They decided upon two of the welterweights in the house.
The fight was between the American Mark Miller and the Brit Nick Osipczak in a two round (with a possible third) welterweight bout. Osipczak entered the fight with a two inch height advantage to go along with a five inch reach advantage.
ROUND 1:
Nick Osipczak began the fight with an almost immediate takedown, sending Mark Miller into full guard. Miller was able to get out of his unfortunate position in less than thirty seconds. Shortly after, the positions were switched as Miller gained position on top of Osipczak. Shortly after they both made it to their feet, Miller dazed Osipczak and the fighters fell back to the ground struggling for position. Osipczak recovered and rained a few punches down on Miller before getting the American into a clinch and delivering some intense punches and knees. The fighters continued to exchange punches and knees in a Forrest Griffin-Stephan Bonnar manner, until Osipczak brought Miller down just before the two minute mark. In Miller’s full guard, the tired Osipczak was unable to deliver much damage. Miller was able to get up and immediately took down Osipczak, who in turn put him in a guillotine. It appeared as though Miller tapped, and was even asked by Herb Dean if he had. However, the choke failed and Miller regained his composure. Miller soon after took the top position, but failed to do much significant damage to his opponent. At the 20 second mark it seemed as neither fighter had anything left for this round as the round ended with a last second take down of Miller. First Round was an extremely close call, and it seemed that round two would be the same.
ROUND 2:
Round Two began with a takedown less than thirty seconds into it by Osipczak. Osipczak passed Miller’s guard and rained down elbows. Osipczak remained in this position for almost one full minute, but did very limited damage to Miller, missing many of his shots. Miller caught Osipczak in a weak guillotine around the 3:20 mark, but failed to secure a submission. Shortly after, he attempted another guillotine, which also failed in submitting his opponent. Miller chose to role on top of Osipczak and positioned himself in Osipczak’s full guard, sending some powerful shots into Osipczak’s torso. At the 1:42 mark, Miller passed guard, but only for a moment as he was immediately sent back into the Brit’s full guard. At 1:18 Herb Dean stood the fighters up. Less than 10 seconds later Miller was flat on the ground from a knockout due to a head kick.
Nick Osipczak’s summed it up as “look low, kick high, it’s the oldest trick in the book.” It definitely worked for him in his first bout on “The Ultimate Fighter”.
