The Weekly Wrap: May 30 – June 5

Johnson Advances on TUF 9

In a spirited welterweight battle, Damarques Johnson secured a spot in “The Ultimate Fighter 9” Finale by defeating the U.K.’s Nicholas Osipczak by decision. The fight featured a memorable close to the first round, as the scrappy Osipczak started to land heavy punches after Johnson had controlled most of the stanza. Johnson grinded Osipczak with elbows and shots on the ground for most of the second and third rounds, though the Brit mounted a last-minute sweep and gained top control.

Johnson, who trains at Jerermy Horn’s Elite Performance gym in Salt Lake City, will face the winner of a Frank Lester vs. James Wilks rematch at the finale on June 20 in Las Vegas. Team USA coach Dan Henderson predicted Johnson would win the whole season.

The remaining semi-final matches were decided on the latest episode. All fighters were asked who they wanted to face, and when Team USA’s Cameron Dollar pointed to teammate Jason Dent, a light bulb went off in UFC President Dana White’s head. He tried to sway coaches Michael Bisping and Henderson into holding all teammate vs. teammate fights, guaranteeing a U.S. vs. U.K. final. Bisping vehemently opposed the idea, while Henderson did not seem to mind. Bisping prevailed. U.K. lightweight Ross Pearson was matched with Dent, and Dollar was matched with Andre Winner.

A bit of subterfuge was hinted, as shunned and shelved Team USA fighter Jason Pierce was shown chatting extensively with members of the British camp. Some U.K. fighters were overheard talking about tendencies of their U.S. counterparts, as gleaned from Pierce, who was portrayed as completely sitting out during his team’s training sessions. Henderson confronted Pierce about the situation, and he denied sharing any tips with the opposition.

The June 3 episode drew a 1.1 rating on Spike TV, for an average audience of 1.5 million viewers, according to MMAPayout.com.