The Weekly Wrap: May 2 – May 8

UK Retains Lead on TUF 9

Despite dropping two straight bouts, Team UK retained a lead on season nine of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series.

On the latest episode, Cameron Dollar was pitted against Martin Stapleton at lightweight. Dollar, a 21-year-old wrestler who trains in Colorado Springs, Colo., was portrayed as a fighter who needs stand-up work to correct faulty balance; he called his own stand-up skills “terrible.” However, it was Stapleton, a British Marine, who shot for a takedown and eventually got hip tossed. After securing back control, Dollar cinched the rear-naked choke 1:34 into the first round. Stapleton had been depicted as one of Team UK’s stronger fighters.

At welterweight, Team USA’s Frank Lester faced the UK’s James Wilks. Lester hyped himself for the fight by developing a blind hatred of Wilks, calling him a “traitor” to his country because he’s lived in California, not England, in recent years. Lester knocked down Wilks with punches in the first but footlock attempts put the American on his back and allowed Wilks to gain top control. The two had it out on their feet, where Wilks landed effective knees and scored a takedown to close out the first round. Lester had teeth embedded in his mouthpiece, which was ironic considering one of Lester’s teammates had offered him $100 for every Wilks tooth he could dislodge in the fight. Wilks came out stronger in the second, as he landed punishing strikes from the clinch, secured a takedown and locked in an armbar for the submission. Lester lost four teeth total.

The show also addressed, rather uneventfully, Michael Bisping’s absence from Dean Amasinger’s loss on episode five. The UK coach blamed jet lag and claimed it had caused him to sleep through the fight. Bisping apologized to Amasinger, calling his absence “inexcusable.”

In other TUF news, the UFC signed a deal with British cable station Virgin 1 to air the series on Sunday nights, with repeats on Setanta Sports. The first episode on Virgin did about 140,000 viewers, the Wrestling Observer reported. Unlike prior seasons, all cast members will not get fights at “The Ultimate Fighter 9” Finale. Only the finals are set for the June 20 card, which already includes Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida and Nate Diaz vs. Joe Stevenson. The UK fighters are expected to get slots on the ever-increasing number of shows the UFC holds in England, according to the Wrestling Observer.