After a big knockout win last week for Team Sonnen’s Uriah Hall, how will Team Jones rebound in their battle between Kevin Casey and Collin Hart. We’ll be recapping the top 10 thoughts we have about tonight’s show starting at 9:00 PM ET so we’ll see you back here at 9 PM ET for our “10 Thoughts on ‘The Ultimate Fighter'”.
Latest updates in italics
Household shenanigans
There’s literally no way that you can like Bubba McDaniel on this show. He’s come off like a total jackass. Adam Cella is back from the hospital and is in good spirits, even congratulating Uriah Hall on his win. At least we know that he didn’t feel the kick and was out before he hit the mat. It’s bad enough to get knocked out, but if you don’t remember it, it’s probably for the best.
Oh my gosh, I hate Bubba McDaniel.
He’s got to lose his first round fight, doesn’t he? They have to be setting this up for him to fail and make whomever beats him look like a hero. I don’t think that there is any other way that this can go, unless he ends up against Kevin Casey in the second round in the fight that people are “clamoring” for. By “people,” I mean the editing team.
Jon Jones is convinced that Collin Hart has a shot at this fight.
Collin has as much personality as Joe Flacco. Look it up. He’s so boring while he talks about elbowing “King’s” cut open, you would think that his words were paint and we were watching them dry. Or that they were a lawn and we were watching the grass grow. Take your pick.
“King” has hip-hop material out
Kevin Casey and Gilbert Smith start off a rap battle that leads to Clint Hester just plain dropping the ball in his cipher. Oh well, we can’t all be the king. Literally.
Who is Kevin Casey?
We learn a bit more about why he’s fighting and how he’s proud of his Gracie family roots. Kevin is made of “show muscles,” but we’re going to see if Collin Hart can handle his grappling on the mat. Hart has some high level grappling, but Casey is a Rickson Gracie guy, remember. Foreshadowing at its finest. Seriously, this has to turn into a slugfest now, doesn’t it?
The power goes out…Super Bowl-style
…and the pranks begin. Team Sonnen wrapped Team Jones in toilet paper. Okay, they really just threw it into the room and Collin Hart looked like the meathead he is. They move along to the weigh-in which is intense. Collin flips the bird at Kevin Casey who immediately gets into Hart’s face. Sonnen’s team feels disrespected and Kevin proves he’s a class act and lets it go. “King” will carry himself as a professional, he says. Why does Team Jones seem so similar to their coach’s lack of respect for pretty much everyone. Yeah, I said it.
Jon Jones just wants a win
He is shown walking out of Hart’s dressing room and he sounds very confident. In the fighter training sessions, we’ve really seen no reason to believe that this won’t be a close fight. I picked Hart in our Inside Fights TUF Challenge, but now that I have had to listen to Jones’ “big muscles, no cardio” speech about Casey, I really want him to win.
Big fan of posting the fighters Twitter handles. Just wanted to interject with that point.
Round 1 – Ding, ding
Collin charges out to start and misses a flying knee, instead getting into half guard against Casey. King tries to swivel his hips for an armbar, but Collin uses it to take half guard again. Casey uses a guillotine to get back to his feet and the two grapple in body locks around the cage. Honstely, someone should break the clinch and strike. That someone should be Casey, as that early takedown is giving this round to Hart. So far, Hart hasn’t delivered on his promise to “earn some money”. Right now, he won’t be taking any kind of bonus home. Pretty pedestrian first round. 10-9 Hart
Round 2 – Make or break time for “King”
Big punches early from Casey who connects from the southpaw position. Casey shoots in and gets hit and is in the clinch and bleeds early. Hart takes down Kevin Casey and works some ground and pound in close while working his way into side control. Hart goes for the mount and Casey intelligently gets a leg back through to half guard. Hart uses shoulder strikes to hurt Casey. Casey is able to get his head away from the cage and is back into open guard but he looks spent. There’s an omoplata ripe for the taking, but Casey just seems to be done. 10-9 Hart but there is a lot of time left in the show…
All three judges had the fight 20-18 for Collin Hart. No surprise there. Now, does Jon Jones give Bubba the next fight like he’s promised?
Collin walks over after the interview is over and starts to walk it out on the treadmill. Kevin has a nasty cut on his forehead. He’s also a class act and walks over and flips his card over to the black and white side, signaling his elimination from the TUF tourney.
Next fight…
Bubba McDaniel will face Calvin Messick Gasetelum. Bubba has already been called the favorite by both coaches, but it’s still a winnable bout for Team Sonnen. Besides, who doesn’t want to see Bubba get his butt handed to him?
