After a Kimbo Slice-centric episode last week and the series’ highest ratings ever, Spike TV attempts to keep its gravy train rolling along by honing back in on the bearded one this week on “The Ultimate Fighter 10.”
“I just don’t feel like I’ve been eliminated,” says Slice to Abe Wagner, who is dealing with a loss of his own from the show’s first episode. Slice believes the others won’t be able to beat him the way Nelson did with two or three weeks’ more training under his belt. A positive Slice is certain that he will be back in the competition, and soon enough it seems like he might be right.
Slice shifts from motivated competitor to nurturing teammate after finding former NFLer Marcus Jones, doubled over in the hallway in head-to-toe sweat. Slice asks the big man twice if he’s just gotten out of the shower -- he can’t believe how drenched Jones is. Slice fans Jones with a towel, while the others voice their concern.
While we never get a follow-up as to what might have plagued Jones, this is the second time we’ve seen him have to take a knee and gather himself.
Brendan Schaub surmises that this experience has been a “rude awakening” for several of the TUF newbies.
Meanwhile, Slice makes his intentions known to the audience.
“Dude, if you don’t want to do this let me step up. Tag me in, you know what I’m saying?” he tells the camera.
Moving on to this week’s matchup, coach Rashad Evans loves the spot his team is in. They’ve won all three fights so far and are maintaining control of the matchups. Evans has even adopted a coaching style at this point. He says he doesn’t want to force new approaches on his fighters. Instead, he hopes to build them up using the strengths they already possess.
Evans decides to tell his fighters who he would like to match them up with and why. Evans believes Justin Wren is an untapped monster, so Evans and his assistant coaches pull Wren aside and inform him of their plans to have him fight Scott Junk. Team Evans wants their best to take out another pillar in Team Rampage and they view Junk as that piece.
Wren listens to them and nods along only to return moments later and voice a meek objection. It turns out that Junk is not only Wren’s roommate, but also a close friend outside the show. Rashad and company listen and agree to give the matchup some more thought.
Demico Rogers is also on Evans’s upcoming hit list. When Evans offers the fight to Brendan Schaub, Schaub has no reservations.
“I’ll beat the p--- out of him -- it will be a highlight reel,” says Schaub.
“Scott Junk, homeboy toughman, he look like he eat forks,” says coach Quinton Jackson, ruminating about the strongest members left on his team. Jackson also has the earlier ailing Jones remaining in his stable as well, a man who apparently doesn’t know his own strength.
“I’m worried about him taking somebody’s arm home with him,” says Rampage during a montage of Jones rag-dolling his teammates during training.
Moving on to the episode’s next sub-plot, Matt Mitrione runs into some problems with the rest of his team.
“Number one meathead in the house is Matt,” says Junk, offering a bold statistic.
After his pow-wow with the coaches, Mitrione inexplicably decides to tell Junk about the matchups, tipping off the other team of his coach’s strategy.
Naturally, this screws up the order of things and has everyone scratching their heads as to why he might snitch.
“I think he’s worried about fighting Marcus,” guesses James McSweeney, as revealing the matches might force Evans to re-tool them.
Mitrione apologizes and comes clean to his coaches at the gym, explaining that he just wasn’t thinking.
“Is he dumb?” coach Evans asks the camera afterward, but he accepts Mitrione’s heartfelt apology and ponders what to do next.
Meanwhile, Rampage pulls his coaches away from the cameras and into the bushes, but we get an earshot as he and his coaches speculate on who can beat whom. It’s the usual standup vs. ground game talk until they get to the topic of Marcus Jones.
“I think that dude’s going to freak out,” says one of the assistants, “I think he’s going to f---ing kill somebody.”
At announcement time, Evans decides to go with the original thought of Brendan Schaub vs. Demico Rogers. There’s no clear favorite here as both are big athletic men and as UFC President Dana White says: “When big guys start throwing punches, anything can happen.”
Tuning into the continued rivalry between our venomous coaches, Evans’ success appears to be beginning to eat at Rampage.
“I’m actually ashamed of the thoughts that I’m having,” says Rampage, admitting that he wants to kill Evans.
Evans continues to push Jackson’s buttons, asking Rampage if any team has ever gone 8-0 on the series.
The difference between the teams extends into the locker room. Rogers waits for his coaches, who don’t arrive until minutes before his fight. However, Evans and his staff are next door using that time to whip Schaub into a frenzy during his warm-up. Schaub gets a sports psychology boost, while Rogers frets and wonders about getting his hands wrapped in time.
“
I’m actually ashamed of the
thoughts that I’m having.
thoughts that I’m having.
”
-- "Rampage" on Rashad.
Schaub finds himself in Roger’s guard, postures up for a few punches, then stands up and throws Rogers’s legs aside. Schaub then tries to get into side mount and as Rogers scrambles away, he gives his neck away to an eager Schaub. Schaub quickly wraps his arms around Roger’s neck and then rolls him over onto his back for the anaconda choke finish in the first round.
“That’s four!” Schaub yells at Team Rampage.
Jackson and his coaches don’t enter the cage to support Rogers, and Evans takes it upon himself to console the rival fighter.
“A coach should always be there for his fighter,” says Evans, shaking his head.
An irritated Jackson tells Rogers he should have stayed in Schaub’s guard and ground-and-pounded him out, instead of trying to pass to guard. Jackson then calls his coaches away from the Octagon into an emergency meeting, urging them not to overload his green team with more than they can handle. It remains to be seen if that advice will make a difference.