Team Rampage finally got the power to choose the matchups last week, but history has shown that power isn't always absolute.
"I'll bet my whole purse on it," he said.
Griffin isn't laughing either at the start of this week's episode. Jackson's comments rile him up until he goes a little nuts.
"This is the getting-mad business," says Griffin, who describes his tantrum as a "man period."
In fact, he kicks a hole in the dressing room door. Dana White steps in to make sure that both guys cool off and is a bit shocked that the TUF training facility got its first black eye.
During Team Griffin's training, Forrest finds himself holding a "net gun," a device that shoots out a net like Spiderman might toss. This is the sort of weapon that would be used on hippies, protestors or the unruly elderly. Yet Griffin's team decides that the best idea would be to use it on Rampage, and Forrest slyly approaches the Octagon and fires the gun, snagging Jackson against the fence.
Jackson takes it in stride, with a grin, but makes sure to get his jabs.
"I think Forrest found it very funny, him and his chicken-faced assistant coach," Jackson says. "His ugly ass needs to be the one to get netted. Just net his ass and get him to go sit on some eggs or something."
Next up is the final showdown to close out the first round of fights for this season's 16 contestants. The final pairing comes down to Nick Klein from Team Griffin and Rampage's golden boy, C.B. Dollaway.
Both men are undefeated going into the fight, but Dollaway's skills and aggressiveness seem to make him the consensus favorite going in. Klein confesses that he's got some work to do as far as gearing up mentally for Dollaway.
"I don't like confrontation," Klein says. "I've never been in a fight outside the ring, so it's a little rattling for me."
Klein is a big middleweight. He explains that his size and core strength come from his being raised on the farm, "pitching cow crap," as he puts it.
"My head's in the right place. I'm ready to fight," says Klein.
His coach, Griffin, thinks he has a good shot: "If he can really work that scramble and get back on his feet, then he'll have some good chances to win in the exchanges."
"He's going to have his hands full with C.B.," says Dana White, convinced that Dollaway will probably be too much to handle.
Says Jackson: "C.B. is my ace, so he's gotta win."
Rampage jokingly adds that Dollaway's head is too big. Not sure how true that is, but he does refer to himself in the third person -- usually a pretty good sign that you are dealing with an egotist.
"I'm here to better C.B.'s life," Dollaway says, explaining his reasoning for jumping from collegiate wrestling into the world of professional fighting.
Dollaway enters the training room with a red hoodie on, and Rampage refers to him as Little Red Riding Hood, then calls himself the Big Bad Wolf. Dollaway bites back, though.
"You know what happens to the Big Bad Wolf?" he asks before telling Rampage that the wolf gets boiled in the end.
Shortly thereafter, Rampage rips off his mic and starts to roll with Dollaway. Little Red Riding Hood taps out the Wolf pretty quickly with a choke they dub the "Peruvian necktie."
Luke Zachrich thinks that C.B. could be underestimating Klein and tells his teammate that the pressure is all on Dollaway, the favorite.
"I'm going to flip the switch when I get in there," says Klein, assuring his teammates that he's good to go.
"I don't see anything in Nick Klein's arsenal that can stop me," comments Dollaway before the two step into the Octagon in a battle of unbeatens. They come in at the same height, with roughly the same reach.
Before the fight, Klein's coaches tell him that wrestlers panic on their backs and Klein listens, planting Dollaway on his back to start the fight.
Dollaway squirms out and takes Klein's back. He works in some shots to the back of the head, but then Klein traps Dollaway's leg with his own and transitions into a good kneebar attempt that hyperextends Dollaway's leg for a moment. However, Dollaway slips out of trouble.
Klein tries for a few sub attempts, but Dollaway keeps powering out of danger and works his way back on top. Dollaway then punishes Klein with heavy elbows that open up small cuts all over Klein's head, but Klein stays aggressive, fighting for submissions.
Dollaway opens up the onslaught in the final minute. He drops bombs that have Klein rolling over and giving up his back. Dollaway isn't able to capitalize on the position, though, and Klein finishes the round with an attempt at an armbar.
"That's garbage," says Forrest as Klein fends off a flurry from Dollaway to start the second round. Klein pulls guard, much to the dismay of Griffin, as once again Dollaway is back in the position he wants, pounding on his opponent from all angles while on top.
Klein's best shot also proves to be his undoing. He uses another kneebar attempt to wrangle out from under Dollaway but leaves his neck exposed. Dollaway easily locks in a guillotine that finishes the fight at 2:19 in the second round.
Klein is embarrassed by his loss, knowing how close he was to changing the outcome with some of his near submissions. Dollaway, on the other hand, lives up to the hype and won't be an easy draw for anyone from here on out.
"Every man for themselves," Dollaway says, describing the next round and knowing that the teams will be disbanded.
After the fight, Griffin lives up to his earlier promise to Amir Sadollah and lets him shave his head, complete with some mid-90s-Michael-Irvin lines above the temple. Not that bad considering some of the hairstyles Griffin had during his tenure as a TUF contestant.
Now it's time to make the choices for the next round of matchups. As per usual, White brings in the coaches and then the fighters to hear who would like to fight whom.
After careful consideration, the decisions are in and the following matchups are made for the next round:
Jesse Taylor (Pictures) vs. Dante Rivera (Pictures)
Amir Sadollah vs. Matt Brown
Daniel Cramer vs. Tim Credeur
C.B. Dollaway vs. Cale Yarbrough