(PRESS RELEASE) -- Las Vegas, Nevada – With UFC® president Dana White exclaiming “these guys came out banging”, viewers of The Ultimate Fighter® Fridays were treated to the most exciting fight of the season thus far on Friday night. Jon Manley overcame some rocky moments to score the season’s first submission, sinking in a deep guillotine choke on James Chaney at 3:25 of a thrilling one round brawl.
Manley, 26, a mixed martial artist with a 7-1 professional record, lives and breathes MMA. An identical twin who considers himself a hippy, he recently opened a mixed martial arts school in Northhampton, Mass. and was thrilled to have represented his gym-mates on such a large stage - and to have nabbed a $5000 finish bonus.
“The fight with “Snake” was pretty intense,” he said. “It was the biggest fight of my life and I felt unbelievably awesome after the win. I was stoked to get the only submission of the season so far. I always wanted to be on TUF - and to finish my first fight in the house in the first round was sick. I am a jiu-jitsu fighter and I was really happy to represent my school and coaches.”
As we saw, leading into the series, Chaney, 25, is a Clamath Falls, Oregon meat factory worker with a passion: http://youtu.be/fls4cVTmw3Q.
“I really, really wanted that win and I still believe in my heart I should've won the whole show. What would I have done differently? I would've avoided being taken down, I would’ve really pursued the finish on the feet and stayed away from him being on top because that was his best chance of winning. I was extremely disappointed, but my coaches and teammates were supportive and thought I fought well.”
Tickets for The Ultimate Fighter® Finale on Dec. 15 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas are on sale and priced at $304, $254, $179, $154, $104 and $79. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit the Hard Rock Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com, www.thejointlasvegas.com or charge-by-phone at 800.745.3000.
Results after episode eight:
Team Carwin (3-4)
Sam Alvey (0-1, lost to Joey Rivera by decision in episode 3)
Bristol Marunde (1-0, defeated Julian Lane by decision in episode 4)
Mike Ricci
Neil Magny (1-0, defeated Cameron Diffley by decision in episode 2) James Chaney (0-1, submitted by Jon Manley in episode 8)
Eddy Ellis (0-1, lost to Colton Smith by majority decision in epsiode 6)
Igor Araujo (1-0, defeated Nic Herron-Webb by majority decision in episode 5)
Matt Secor (0-1, lost to Michael Hill by split decision in episode 7)
Team Nelson (4-3)
Dom Waters
Michael Hill (1-0, defeated Matt Secor by split decision in episode 7)
Cameron Diffley (0-1, lost to Neil Magny by decision in episode 2)
Colton Smith (1-0, defeated Eddy Ellis by majority decision in episode 6)
Jon Manley (1-0, submitted James Chaney is episode 8)
Nic Herron Webb (0-1, lost to Igor Araujo by majority decision in episode 5
Joey Rivera (1-0, defeated Sam Alvey by decision in episode 3)
Julian Lane (0-1, lost to Bristol Marunde by decision in episode 4)
A full recap is available at ufc.com.
The series resumes next Friday, Nov. 9, on FX at 10 p.m. ET/PT (check local listings for Central and Mountain Time). In that episode – ‘Betrayal’ – James Chaney owns up to his unsportsmanlike conduct. One fighter turns against his friend. Team Carwin’s Mike Ricci takes on Team Nelson’s number one pick, Dom Waters, in the final preliminary fight. Then, Dana White announces the quarterfinal match-ups.
For more show information, bios, videos and photos, visit ultimatefighter.com and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter under our new name @TUFonFX or on Facebook.com/TUF.
About the Ultimate Fighting Championship® Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.
In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 149 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.
FX FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule features a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series Sons of Anarchy and Justified; the miniseries American Horror Story, which earned 17 primetime Emmy® Awards, tying for the most nominations of any program this year and the most nominations for a miniseries in basic cable history; the acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, Legit, BrandX with Russell Brand, and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell. The network’s library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. FX's other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with UFC and NCAA football.