The Ultimate Fighter 6 Thread

[dukedave]

rawhide said:

now lets get back to our orginal discussion shall we ?

You were the one that got the discussion going awry, Trollboy.

[LWPD]

hofclemens said:

Everything I heard from early reviews is that Hughes comes across as a real big @hole which doesnt surprise me after season 2

Matt Hughes Laughing Uncontrollably at GSP's Loss To Matt Serra...and it wasn't because he even remotely 'likes' or respects Serra

While the man is a living legend and a lock for the HOF...he does seem to come off as an immature prick at times

[rawhide]

dukedave said:

rawhide said:

now lets get back to our orginal discussion shall we ?

You were the one that got the discussion going awry, Trollboy.

dont like it then pm me mr. pms.

[dukedave]

rawhide said:

dont like it then pm me mr. pms.

No thanks. I prefer to just jump on and b!#@h about trolling. Oh, no, wait, that's you.

I have no desire to PM you. If you, or the rest of the Trolling Police want a mod position, talk to Ingersoll. Almost all of my supposed "trolling" exeditions have been to add humor. Unfortunately, you and your 2 lietenants think it's their place to patrol my activities. Needless to say, if you want to try to drain the fun out of the board, I'll police your trolling activities, too.

Call me Mr. PMS. You're the one that goes mental once a month and deletes their account. Sounds more like you. Need some Midol there buddy?

[rawhide]

boo hoo you can dish it out but can't take it.a-hole .also i dont need help flea bag.so do what you want mon.i dont care anymore .so heres fifty cents call someone who cares cause i'm not going there anymore.as for the buddy stuff you make me sick man.i'm done messing with you.

[Swarm]

Hey neily did you get your Umagapotamus card in the mail yet buddy?

[dukedave]

"Ed, what an ugly thing to say. Poor ugliness. Does this mean we're not friends anymore? You know, Ed, if I thought you weren't my friend, I just don't think I could bear it."

[rawhide]

stf said:

Hey neily did you get your Umagapotamus card in the mail yet buddy?

no not yet swarm

[habbalah]

Havoc, Neily, take this bickering to sherdog. COTG is above such low class nonsence.

You'd never see anyone as high and respect.. resp..ectful.(Laughs) as myself lower him... oh damn i almost said that with a straight face.

[LWPD]

Here's an interview/article on TUF 6 Coach Matt Hughes

Courtesy of Inside Fighting.com

Hughes talks Serra, TUF6 and new gym - 9/13/2007

by Elias Cepeda

It sure seems like a good time to be Matt Hughes these days. What’s that you say? Hughes lost his UFC welterweight title in devastating fashion less than a year ago?

True enough, but there’s a lot more to Hughes’ situation as it stands at the moment and he’s been more active since his loss than his one fight against Chris Lytle last March would suggest. Challenger Hughes has put himself in the driver’s seat in interesting fashion, namely by angering just about every other top welterweight in the division.

From Josh Koscheck and Diego Sanchez, to former champions Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn and most importantly title holder Matt Serra, whom Hughes will square up against as an opposing coach on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) premiering next Wednesday on Spike TV after the UFC Fight Night card, the long time champion has no shortage of tough guys wanting to take him out. Characteristically, Hughes chuckles with satisfaction at the notion that just about every top welterweight in the world is gunning for him.

“(Laughing)You know, yeah, I feel like I have a target on my back. If you look at the life of the UFC welterweight title, there have just been two champions who have [successfully] defended the belt; (long time Hughes coach) Pat Miletich and Matt Hughes. Pat's retired and doesn't fight anymore and here I am the only one to defend and still be fighting. In Carlos Newton, BJ Penn and Georges St. Pierre you have three champs that never defended their belts. And people are starting to realize how hard it is to defend the championship and they are looking to the person around that has defended it and lucky to say, it’s me” says Hughes.

But with all eyes and guns aimed at him, Hughes still holds the disaffection of a man used to being at the top.

“It's one of those things [where] I don't care. I know Koscheck has been talking a lot too. But he talked a lot before fighting St. Pierre as well about his wrestling ability and what he thought. He talked a big game about out-wrestling St. Pierre but to be honest, Georges whooped him in every aspect of the fight, especially wrestling (during St. Pierre’s unanimous decision win over Koscheck at UFC 74 on August 25th). There are two types of people in the world; talkers and doers. I hope I'm not a talker and that I am a doer. I think Georges is a doer. I can go on about who I think is a talker and not a doer but I won’t” Hughes says.

Hughes gives the man who beat him for the title last November, St. Pierre, credit but many fans have criticized him for what appeared to be mean spirited gloating on the part of Hughes after St. Pierre was upset last April by Matt Serra. Hughes, who was in Houston, Texas to watch UFC 69 and the title match was captured on camera laughing gleefully with lightweight champion Sean Sherk after Serra scored his improbable TKO win over St. Pierre. Hughes also threw in a couple emphatic “I love it” proclamations once he realized the camera was on him.

Despite the appearance that Hughes was celebrating the devastating loss of the man who recently trounced him for the title, he clarifies that his enjoyment of the moment had nothing to do with St. Pierre.

“I was not laughing at Georges. I can set this straight now. Matt Serra had been talking about me before the fight ever since the TUF show he won. I wanted to fight Matt Serra and I never thought that would happen because I thought he would lose and then get sent back towards retirement. So I was excited and thought, 'I get to fight Matt Serra.' I never thought it was going to happen. Georges, don't take it the wrong way. I was laughing because I was getting what I wanted and it seems like I never get what I want. As a champion I never would get to pick opponents so I was finally getting to fight someone I wanted to. I was just thinking, 'I can't believe Serra got a lucky punch in.' Nine times out of ten I think St. Pierre knocks Matt Serra out” says Hughes.

Fair enough. But with that clarification Hughes is only putting out one fire by fanning another one. Hughes may respect St. Pierre but it sure doesn’t seem like he thinks much of Serra.

"I think he [Serra] got lucky against Georges. I don’t think he won that fight against Chris Lytle (on the TUF4 Finale), if anybody won. I would have thought it would go to one extra round, but they didn't. Is Chris Lytle in the top ten? I don't think he is. The only reason he [Serra] is, is because he won the title. His record is not much above .500, I think” Hughes says.

Serra’s overall MMA record currently stands at 9-4, about a 69 percent winning percentage but you get the sense that doesn’t really matter much to Hughes. Let’s be frank, things between Serra and Hughes seem personal at this point. Both have their respective achievements that are beyond reproach, but certain things about the other are just difficult to get beyond for each fighter. Take, for example, Serra’s repeated characterization of Hughes as a “Dick”.Predictably, Hughes does not take kindly to the description and says that he feels Serra is a poor ambassador for the sport of MMA.

"It just shows me that he’s [Serra] kind of an idiot to be honest. Whether or not he likes it, young kids are looking up at him. And I'm sure he wants to have kids someday. What's he think about cussing on national TV? Is he going to say, 'Don’t do as I do, do as I say'? I just think it’s a terrible example to his children and the youth that are watching him. I've always tried to act as if there was a class of 5th graders in front of me when I'm being shown, for the most part. He's just not following that Golden Rule. He's pretty concerned about himself. I think he's got a small man complex where people don’t see him do he wants to make sure they hear him” says Hughes.

Its interesting then, that Hughes chose to take a second turn as a TUF coach, especially because he’d have to spend so much time around Serra. Hughes says he wasn’t initially interested but after a getting the green light from his family and lining up his assistant coaches for the show, Hughes decided to give it a go.

"[UFC President] Dana White called me up out of the blue and said, 'Hey I want you to do something for me.' I've always told Dana White that if he has something important he needs me to do to not have one of his assistants call me up, but to call me up himself. If Dana White calls me 99.9 percent of the time it gets done. So he told me, 'I want you to be the coach of TUF6 opposite Matt Serra' and my first thought was 'Ewww.' It would be a month and a half in Vegas with a guy I don't want to be around. The last time with Rich [Franklin. The UFC middleweight coached opposite Hughes on the second season of TUF] we had a good time together. I knew with Serra it would not be that way. I told him I was going to have to talk to my wife and family see what she says. If she doesn’t think it’s a good idea then I wouldn't do it. Well I talked to my wife and about to to three hours later I called Dana back and told him 'She says it’s a go so I can come out to Vegas.' It was also important for me to get the coaches I wanted and I got Matt Pena, Marc Fiore and Robbie Lawler. We headed out to Vegas June 6 [to film the season of TUF6], my wife came out July 3rd and we left July 16th” recounts Hughes.

And though Hughes was initially reluctant to do the show, he says it became the catalyst for something exceptional.

“Me, Marc, Robbie and Matt had so much fun doing the show that we decided to open up a gym in Illinois. We get along great. Marc Fiore was the Army Greco Roman Wrestling coach, Robbie is a great doer. It all came together and was a good combination. We've got nothing against Pat Miletich, we all love Pat. It's just about not having to drive three hours to train each way every day” explains Hughes.

Instead of having to drive three hours each way to reach Iowa and Team Miletich, the Illinois native Hughes will only have an hour drive to his new gym in Granite City, IL. and will get to spend more time with his family.Hughes says his gym will be for fighters but will also accommodate those in the area simply looking to get a good workout in.

“We will have advanced classes for sure with pro fighters. But I have a lot of fun just teaching people who want to exercise and not compete. We've got some great sponsors. Hammer Strength has given us a bunch of equipment. We've got thirteen thousand square feet, a boxing ring, four thousand square feet of mat space with caged walls around to simulate the Octagon. I don't like cages in gyms because I think they are a waste of space. It's going to be a great place. Can there be somebody that lives down the road that wants to ride the bike? Sure but it will be a fighters' gym” he says.

The long time Team Miletich member says the project isn’t about attaching his name to something for the sake of it.

“I'm not big on my name but I know my name is going to sell. I'm excited just to coach and have a great facility and be closer to my family” Hughes says.

It seems that like Jens Pulver before him, coaching a season of the Ultimate Fighter has energized the teacher in Hughes and he’s ready to bring his brand of instruction to a new area, his own. And he says he’s learned some lessons from TUF 6 that he’ll carry with him.

"I had a great time. I had a great group of guys and coaches. It just worked out great for me” he says.

And as far as something new he picked up from the experience Hughes says, “If you don't know your guys you don’t know how to coach them, certain guys act differently. I learned to figure out people.”

[LWPD]

Here's an interview with the other TUF 6 Coach...UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra

Courtesy of Inside Fighting.com

Matt Serra: Riding it until the wheels fall off - 9/14/2007

by Elias Cepeda

Despite conventional wisdom, UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra isn’t preoccupied with publicly giving his opinion of former champion Matt Hughes. It’s not that Serra can’t stop talking about Hughes, it’s just that people simply cannot stop asking the Long Island resident about him.

“Its funny, every time I talk to people they ask me about him. People say [of me], 'This guy is talking a lot of trash. I’m sick of him hearing him talk about him [Hughes]' but the thing is people ask me about him. So what am I supposed to do? It’s a really tricky situation. You don’t want to go out of your way to be bad guy but if people ask me a question I answer them” says Serra while driving to the gym for a workout on a September morning in New York.

Serra, who won the fourth season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) reality show competition to earn a title shot, and then last April upset reigning champion Georges St. Pierre (who had beaten Hughes for the title the November prior), will be appearing as a coach on the sixth installment of the show opposite Hughes. Then the two fighters will square off directly with Serra’s belt on the line in December.

Serra, who calls Hughes a “bully”, says he didn’t always hold a negative view of the long time champion.

“It started out where I knew him for a while and we used to be kind of acquaintances and talk once in a while. I never had a problem with him. I saw season two (of TUF) and thought, 'man he's either playing up for the camera or being a jerk.' Watch season two and tell me how you like the way he acts” challenges Serra.

A student of Serra’s, Luke Cummo, happened to be a participant on that season and when he returned from the experience he shared some Hughes stories that drove Serra to further question Hughes’ attitude and treatment of others. But it was not until Serra encountered Hughes, who made a guest appearance during the show’s filming, in person during his own time on the fourth season that his opinion of the Illinois resident was solidified.

“After that I talked to Luke [Cummo] and he told me some things and I thought 'he just seems like a jerk' but I didn’t rush to judgment. I thought it might be just be the TV, the editing. Fast forward to season four and at first I greeted him, it was ok. I just thought he was a little, whatever. More of a little like a bully. From the way he was treating (TUF 4 coach) St. Pierre he seemed a little condescending. Then fast forward to the restaurant scene and Hughes was a total jerk to St. Pierre. Obviously St. Pierre is a big boy but the point is he was obviously uncomfortable and Hughes was feeding on it, He was saying 'oh, you're avoiding me. Let's schedule some time in the gym so you can't avoid me' or whatever he was saying” remembers Serra of the moments captured on film of Hughes teasing a stoic St. Pierre nearly two years after Hughes had defeated him and before St. Pierre exacted revenge shortly thereafter.

“He was a typical bully. Then the made a comment to Din Thomas (about Thomas’ –an African American- lips)…He went that route with him. And if any body knows Din they know he's a good guy. But I realized [about Hughes], that's him. Was it the cameras? No, that’s him. So, whatever. I'm not a big fan of the guy” Serra assess simply.

It’s clear that Hughes is no fan of Serra’s either. For example, in a recent conversation with InsideFighting, Hughes referred to Serra’s win over St. Pierre as “lucky” and also commented that Serra’s occasional use of colorful language made him a poor ambassador for the sport of MMA. On his own, Serra addresses the notion.

“He says I'm bad for the sport because I cuss. So is there a difference between a fighter and promoter? Dana White, who he's good buddies with, swears all the time on TV. Does Hughes let people watch that? Is it just us champions that are not allowed to cuss?” Serra wonders with an apparent mix of irritation and amusement.

“I don't know how it is where he's from but grown folks cuss once in a while. It’s more important to treat people, fans, [and] everyday people well than whether or not you say 'f_ck' once in a while” believes Serra.

Not liking your opponent has its upsides, however. Especially for Serra who seemed genuinely friendly with his last two opponents, Chris Lytle and Georges St. Pierre. Having a grudge against the guy across from you can sometimes, after all, make for a good old fashion fight.

“Definitely. For instance, I didn’t feel like training today but just thinking of Hughes' face makes me want to train. I'm going to the gym, I have to. It’s definitely more motivating in getting me training the right way” says Serra.

And no matter how little he thinks of Hughes on an interpersonal level, Serra knows he’ll be facing off against one of the best ever in him and will have to prepare properly to get the job done.

“No matter what I say or think about him, it has nothing to do with his fighting ability. He’s definitely a dangerous opponent, a tough guy and a tough fight. I really don’t truly believe he’s looking at me like that and that’s good” says Serra.

Despite being the current title holder Serra will likely enter the bout with Hughes as the underdog. And he hopes that Hughes, with his talk of Serra being “lucky” and not truly in the top ten weight category in the 170-lb class, is underestimating him.

“I hope that’s the case, I can only hope. I heard he’s not training with Pat [Miletich] for this fight and that’s better for me, that’s fine. He thinks he has all the answers” Serra says.

Hughes, a long time protégé of Pat Miletich has started up his own gym in the Granite City area and says that his move has to do simply with being closer to his family and not having to spend a week at a time away from them because of the three hour drive to the Quad Cities home area of Team Miletich. But perhaps there’s a little gamesmanship coming from Serra in implying that Hughes will be lesser prepared for the fight because of the training change.

It’s clear that Hughes’ comments about the validity of his title reign and his ranking bother Serra a tad. But ultimately he is able to brush them aside as a part of what he sees as a character flaw in Hughes; a large ego.

“I think that it really all boils down to [the fact that] the guy is an egomaniac. He has to say that my win against St. Pierre was a fluke. Ask him and he'll tell you that it was a lucky punch. He’s said that he believed St. Pierre was used to a technical type of striker and that my brawling caught him by surprise. He actually sounds like a moron. It’s unbelievable that he is such an ego maniac that he can’t get over that I took out in one round the guy that just destroyed him. And look at what he said [about St. Pierre] before; That Canadians are not out there saving the world and that as an American he had an advantage, or whatever and that no one really thought that Georges was going to win. He can’t come to grips with the fact that Georges humiliated him and then I had a good night with Georges. His own ego forces him to say that. He can’t get over the fact that I destroyed the guy that destroyed him. And anybody that knows anything about fighting knows that fight [Serra vs. St. Pierre] wasn’t just one punch. The second we touched gloves I could feel I was getting the better of the exchanges. If you look at my sparring before hand, it looked exactly like the punches I landed in the fight. But that’s’ ok let, him think its luck” says Serra.

As for the 5’9 Hughes claiming that Serra has “a small man’s complex”, the 5’6 Serra is a bit incredulous.

“I think it’s funny, what is he 5'8? Dude listen, can he at least come up with something original? He’s just not used to somebody giving back to him so he’s stunned and goes for the obvious. Alright you got me, I'm not a basketball player but neither are you. Can he do better than state the obvious? Well I guess it’s almost as obvious as me calling him a dick. Maybe I’m the one not saying anything original and just stating the obvious” laughs Serra.

As for how all this back and forth between Serra and Hughes will play out during the TUF6 season, we won’t know for sure until at least the season premier on Wednesday September 19th. But it’s a good bet fans of feuding will get their fill. Serra admits that going into the coaching stint, beating Hughes was on the forefront of his mind.

“Oh yeah I went in to that house with the attitude that I obviously want to do better with the group of guys I have and then I wanted to beat him in our fight” he says.

But the whirlwind turn Serra’s fighting career has taken recently is filled with much more than Hughes conflict. He’s gone from entering TUF4 simply to garner more exposure for his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academies to having his championship win replayed on ESPN. But despite the clamoring his successes have created around him, Serra maintains the same grateful and good natured mentality he’s had all along.

“That’s exactly the attitude I had [going into TUF 4] ‘I'm just getting great exposure for my schools’ “ Serra remembers.

“Yeah, it’s been a wild ride man. I'm living the dream, teaching Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for a living, getting to travel, having a nice house in a nice neighborhood. I just got married, there are a lot of good things going for me. There are people out there with real problems or that have to do the 9-5 thing and are miserable and are counting down like, ‘I can retire in 16 more years.’ I don't have problems. I take it seriously, my life. I do work hard but I appreciate it and feel lucky.”

[LWPD]

A reminder...the premiere is tonight after UFN 11.

[LWPD]

I finally had a chance to check this out. A solid first episode and I'm happy they included a fight (in the past that hasn't always happened). I think Team Hughes should be dominate...arguably the best group of team coaches in show history.

Courtesy of mmajunkie.com

TUF 6 Episode 1 Recap


The latest season of “The Ultimate Fighter” begins with UFC President Dana White meeting Matt Serra at the UFC’s Las Vegas training center. Seconds later, Matt Hughes saunters through the door.

Serra wastes no time explaining that they both dislike each other and there’s no reason to pretend otherwise. Serra, after all, has been to a tear since defeating Georges St. Pierre for the title, telling anyone with a microphone that Hughes is a dick (his words, not mine). Hughes politely — perhaps even a little smugly — points out that he’s not the one trash-talking and running to the media.

“I’ve got enough friends; I need some enemies,” Serra said. “And you’re one of them.“

And a perfectly uncomfortable tone is set for the season.

The fighters soon arrive at the gym, and after a friendly (yet profanity-laced) welcome, White tells the fighters they’ll begin the audition process immediately. Cue: workout music montage.Before the teams are picked, we learn that Joe Scarola is one of Serra’s students back in New York. Hughes pulls him aside, and in no uncertain terms, tells Scarola that Serra better pick him early in the draft or risk losing him.

It’s a smart move for Hughes. Scarola, though an accomplished jiu-jitsu practitioner, isn’t considered one of the season’s top fighters. Additionally, Hughes later confesses he wouldn’t have picked Scarola anyway. However, by telling Scarola that he may be drafted, Hughes forces Serra to use his first pick to get him.

White then gathers the coaches for a coinflip to determine teams. He says that the winner can either pick the first fighter, or he can pick the first fight. However, White says that unlike past seasons, the winning team will not pick the next fight matchup, and instead, matchmaking duties will rotate between the two teams. Additionally, he says, the team that wins the most preliminary fights will get the honor of choosing the semifinal matches — a job that was done by White in past seasons.

Serra wins the flip, opts to choose the first fighter rather than the first fight, and just as Hughes wanted, Scarola is drafted for Team Serra.

The full teams include:

Team Hughes: Dan Barrera, Blake Bowman, Mac Danzig, Paul Georgieff, Billy Miles, Dorian Price, Jared Rollins, Tommy Speer

Team Serra: Joe Scarola, George Sotiropoulos, Matt Arroyo, John Koloski, Ben Saunders, Roman Mitichyan, Troy Mandaloniz and Richie Hightower

Soon after, we learn that Roman Mitichyan had injured his elbow prior to arriving in Las Vegas. He’s whisked away to the doctor’s office, where he learns he has a broken elbow and won’t be able to fight. A world-class hissy fit ensues — one that has to be seen to be truly appreciated.

Since Mitichyan can’t train for six weeks, White sends him home — which is an absolute shame because the Hollywood actor/stuntman would have been fun to watch in “The Ultimate Fighter” house.

As MMAjunkie.com first reported, Jon “The War Machine” Koppenhaver is brought in as a replacement and takes Mitichyan’s spot on Team Serra.

The cast again assembles in the gym, and Hughes announces that Danzig — the most-experienced fighter on the cast, a former King of the Cage champion, and a recent Pride Fighting Championships fighter — will take on Serra’s pupil, Scarola, in the season’s first fight.

We then see the usual pre-fight buildup, and in the process, get a humorous look at Danzig’s vegan lifestyle as he pleads for his castmates to quit eating his food. Soon, it’s fight time.

Not long after the bell sounds, Danzig is pinned against the fence, but he catches Scarola with a knee to the face, and the fighters hit the canvas. Scarola works from sidemount (but inflicts little damage) before Scarola rolls out looking for an armbar. Danzig eventually returns to the top position and jumps back into sidemount, but Scarola ties him up and eventually reverses the position. Both fighters continue to jockey for position, but as the round wears on, Scarola looks to tire. In the final minute, Scarola is in top position, but Danzig slowly works a triangle choke. Despite warnings from his corner, Scarola ignores Danzig’s position, and with less than 20 seconds remaining, Danzig sinks it in and forces the tap.

A dejected Scarola admits to Coach Serra that nerves got the better of him, and Serra reasons that Scarola was simply looking for a way out.It’s a solid victory for Danzig, who’s the season’s first semifinal qualifier.

[LWPD]

Courtesy of mmajunkie.com

TUF 6 Episode 2 Review

The season’s second episode kicked off the series’ now-weekly 10 p.m. ET/PT time slot, and as last week’s episode teased, the fallout from Joe Scarola’s loss to Mac Danzig is the hot topic.

Serra again says he’s sure Joey gave up in the fight and that the nerves got the better of him. Meanwhile, in a solid Borat impersonation, Matt Hughes tells Mac to give him a “high-ha five.“

Back at the house, Team Serra members are keeping a tally of the season’s fights, and when Joey’s name is unceremoniously crossed off, Jon Koppenhaver calls it “mean” and appears uneasy about the magic-marker death sentence.

“It’s the truth,” one teammate says bluntly.

Back at the gym, Hughes is putting his team through a country-tough workout, and much to his amazement, no one breaks — not even Mac, who jumps into the workout right after his big victory.

Later, as Team Serra arrives for a workout, Serra is astonished to see that Joey hasn’t come to the practice and tells his team that his buddy simply gave up in the fight.

Team Hughes returns home and is surprised to see that Joey’s own team members crossed his name off the wall “like he got shot in the face and is dead and something,” Dorian Price explains. The Hughes team rallies around the down-in-the-dumps fighter, tells him to keep his head up, and Mac — his opponent — actually pulls him outside and tries to talk him out of his plan to leave the house.

“He’s a great guy, and the house needs him,” Mac tells the camera. “And let’s face it, there’s a whole lot of idiots running around here.“

Serra stops by the house to continue the pep talk, saying the only way to work through a loss is to fight through it. Serra specifically talks about his flying-backfist knockout to Shonie Carter and how he hates seeing the replay all the time. Joey asks for a phone call to talk to his girlfriend, and Serra says it’s just not allowed.

Everyone begins wondering about the next fight — Team Serra has matchmaking duties — and Dorian (who’s on Team Hughes) is certain he’ll be chosen. Sure enough, the Muay Thai fighter’s tapped to face Matt Arroyo, Serra’s first pick. Team Hughes is thrilled, saying Serra has greatly underestimated Price’s striking ability.

Back at the gym, Hughes has implemented a one-hour optional Bible study to start each practice. Each fighter is given a Bible and is encouraged to read a certain passage Hughes has chosen. The idea isn’t exactly a big hit with Danzig, though it’s embraced by Dan Berrera, who says his role in this world is to spread the word of God through his ass-kicking abilities (yes, I paraphrased a bit).

Serra catches wind of Hughes’ mission and mocks it with his team. Humor turns to disgust, though.

“God, I hate that c***sucker,” Serra says. “I can’t wait to fight him.“

Joey again talks to his teammates about how much he misses wife, and when Serra learns of it, returns to the house with the intent of kicking him off the show. As we all think it, Serra says it: he warns Joey that he’s about to become this season’s Noah Inhofer. Joey seems content to stay put.

The focus then turns to the upcoming fight between Dorian and Matt. Everyone wonders if Dorian, a standup fighter, can hang with Matt, a University of Tampa baseball player turned Brazilian Jiu Jitsu ace.

The first round is underway, and it’s obvious Dorian will have a decent height and reach advantage. Dorian comes out throwing high kicks and then blasts Matt with a flush knee to the face.

Matt, though, stays composed and wrestles his opponent to the canvas. As Matt stands to rain down a punch, he transitions into sidemount, peppers his opponent with elbows and punches, and then hops into full mount to rain down a brutal ground-and-pound barrage. Dorian is forced to give up his back and tap out when Matt locks in the rear-naked choke.

It’s a win for Team Serra’s second draft pick, which ties up the season — Team Serra: 1, Team Hughes: 1.

Hughes says he has no reason to be disappointed in Dorian, and as his coach, he feels partially responsible for not better preparing him for the fight.

[LWPD]

I watched this the other day. Scarola essentially blackballed himself. To this day he still isn't allowed to teach for Serra...so he cost himself his job back home as well. Billy Miles choked...a tough way to go out. The mental game is just as important as having the physical tools.

Courtesy of mmajunkie.com

TUF 6 Episode 3 Review

The show opens with Team Serra savoring Matt Arroyo’s victory over Dorian Price. Arroyo admits that a huge weight’s been lifted off his shoulders.

The focus again returns to Matt Serra’s friend Joey Scarola. After losing the season’s first fight, Joey has been on the fence above leaving the show, and he again tells Serra he wants to leave. For the time being, Serra talks him out of it.

Then, just five minutes into the episode, we’re back at the gym for fight announcements: Hughes announces that Billy Miles (2-1) will face Team Serra’s John Kolosci (8-4). Serra and John are actually thrilled with the decision.

John then demonstrates a true man love for Serra and says how appreciative he is to be training with a world champ — something that would never happen with his boring desk job. It’s hard not to like this guy.

Soon after the announcement, Billy starts to get homesick, and after assistant coach Mark Fiore provides a pep talk, the team returns to the gym for a powwow with coach Hughes. The former champ tells his fighters that his career is about over — saying he has “two or three” fights left in his career — and that he took the easy road when it came to training for his last couple fights. He encourages the guys to work their hardest so they don’t have those types of regrets later in life.

Back at the house, UFC 72 is ready to take place, and with Dana White out of town, he allows everyone to watch the fight on TV. Joey ducks out of the party, though, and when Serra comes to find him, he again says he wants to go home. Serra thinks he’s talked his buddy out of it, though, and leaves the house.

However, Joey kicks the pity party into high gear, and when he and his housemates turn to a downpour of booze, the destruction begins. Usually, it takes nearly a full season for the guys to destroy the house, but this season, they needed just three episodes.

The next day, Joey shows up at the gym and say he’s out. Serra tells him that if he leaves, he won’t have his job back at Serra Jiu-Jitsu when he returns. Assistant coach Pete Sell tries to talk sense into him as well, but it does no good. Joey’s back at the house packing when Dana arrives, and despite the UFC’s head honcho trying to talk the fighter out of the mistake of his life, Joey leaves anyway.

With him gone, the focus then turns to the upcoming fight. Both fighters make weight, thought it was a close call for Billy.

The fight in underway, and after nearly a minute of inactivity, John shoots for a takedown and sends Billy to the canvas. Some ground and pound follows, but when John stands to throw a shot, Billy reverses the position. John is pinned with his back against the fence and remains patient. Once Billy gets careless with his head position, John locks in a guillotine choke. Once he jerks the fight to his feet, Billy is forced to tap quickly.

And like that, Team Serra takes a 2-1 lead — with matchmaking duties coming up in the next fight.

Billy apologizes back in the locker room, saying he feels like he never really got the chance to fight. Hughes doesn’t disagree.

And with that, the season’s third episode comes to a close.

[LWPD]

I watched this the other day. It seems as if Matt Hughes has self destructed. Going 1-7 and bashing his fighters isn't helping his image. His only win came from the experienced Danzig...who is hardly a product of his training and shows disdain for his techniques during his commentary.

TUF 6 was supposed to help 'positively' market his new training facility to the public...instead he's Shamrocked himself.

[pikemojo]

I agree that this surely doesn't make Hughes' training ability look all that strong but his fighters just don't seem to be putting the effort forth in the octagon either. Not all great fighters will make great trainers but I am not going to say completely that he is a bad trainer based on what I have seen. Barrera and J-Rock (or whatever his real name was) should have been able to put up more of a fight instead they were running around the cage and doing little fake spin kicks.

[DUCE]

Those two are phasing each other out. Joey Scarola's self destruction really seemed to effect Serra. He said Scarola was the best man at his wedding. Matt Hughes's ego has taken a direct hit from all the loses ( also disinformation that he has been feed about Dan Barrera among other things). I don't think Matt Hughes has anything to lose( he is a legend). Matt Serra is currently a questionable at #1 in all those internet top tens. He has always been a solid fighter for Zuffa though( see UFC video games). A good fighter too.

1-7?? I hope thats a typo... 1-6 is whats going on on my TV with Tommy Speer as the last to fight.

[LWPD]

duce said:

1-7?? I hope thats a typo... 1-6 is whats going on on my TV with Tommy Speer as the last to fight.

Yeah...that was a typo. I remember before the season started airing (but was already finished) there was a preview segment on one of the Ultimate Fight Night's with both coaches talking about the then upcoming TUF 6 . Hughes was all pumped up during the segment while Serra seemed indifferent...the only way I could see that making sense would be if Speer & Danzig rip through everyone going forward. We'll see if that's at least plausible with tonight's impending Speer fight.

[hofclemens]

at the start I thought Speer and Mac were the favorites so I hope they dont meet in the next round.