Now that all 16 contestants have had their chance to fight, Dante Rivera (Pictures) and Jesse Taylor (Pictures) are the first to square off in the quarterfinals. Forrest Griffin (Pictures) is their coach, and he figures the only fair thing to do is flip a coin to decide whom he should corner.
"I pretty much let them do what they want to do," Jackson says.
For Griffin, it wouldn't matter if he had advice for Taylor.
"Jesse does what he wants to do," Griffin says.
Taylor's maverick spirit carries over to the TUF house, where he's always shown stuffing his face with something. Everyone comments on how much food he goes through while remaining trim.
Taylor does weigh in a few pounds heavy for the fight, which prompts his team to tell him that he should lose the water by playing some ping-pong. Taylor takes it to heart and slaps on a garbage suit. He works in some squat thrusts between volleys in order to drop the weight.
"He was also able to cut a little weight urinating outside of the hot tub, in his pants," says Amir Sadollah, pausing with disdain on his face, "and then getting back in the hot tub."
Taylor proceeds to step out of the tub and relieve himself while standing in his shorts. After dousing the pool walkway, it's back into the tub with his urine-soaked shorts. Minutes later an unsuspecting Dante Rivera (Pictures) shows up to soak his bones.
Jesse wouldn't normally pee on Rivera's parade. He says he considers Rivera to be a friend and respects him, yet Taylor also explains that is the only reason he plans on touching gloves with Rivera -- a practice he typically avoids.
Rivera feels the same way. He's not out to hurt Taylor.
"I'd like to put 10,000 dollars in my back pocket," he says.
The first round is all Taylor. He gets a takedown and manhandles Rivera while delivering short elbows, hammer fists and smothering him.
Sitting comfortably in Rivera's half guard, Taylor rises up and puts more power into his punches. While they may be friends, Taylor doesn't show much in the way of brotherly kindness by bouncing Rivera's head off the mat several times.
In round two, Rivera is a little skippy to start. He's anxious to let his hands loose but also scared of Taylor's shots. Taylor gets underneath and Rivera pulls guard, and from there Taylor just gives him more of the same beating.
Taylor tries for one last attempt to finish, trapping Rivera's arm under his knee and loading up. He doesn't get the finish, but he does win convincingly. Griffin is a big help in the corner, effectively pointing out all of the submissions that Rivera was attempting and stifling his chances.
"He just neutralized my guard," says Rivera, who wears the proof of his misfortune with nicks, swelling and bruises all over his face and head.
Taylor isn't too excited with his win.
"I don't want to ever get too big for my britches," he says. "I'm not happy until this whole thing's over."
Time for the next fight, and roommates Amir Sadollah and Matt Brown are content to fight each other despite having bonded while being quartered together.
"Matt Brown and Amir," says Tim Credeur with a whistle signifying the upcoming fireworks.
"There's really no game plan," Brown says. "We both know we are going to stand and bang."
While Brown is good to go, Sadollah is battling his fears.
"Amir is less confident than when he had no confidence," Griffin says. "He has the kind of feelings that all fighters have. He's just sissy enough to vocalize them."
"I don't think I'm going to fold," says Sadollah before convincing himself. "I'm not going to fold."
At first it looks as if Sadollah might not have a chance to fold as Brown tries to crumple him from the very start. Brown comes out swinging and connects with several punches and a kick to the body. Amir withstands some takedown attempts and then catches Brown with a right heel to the side of the face.
Brown gets angry after his nose is bloodied. He throws heavy strikes, causing Sadollah to smile after a straight from Brown snaps his head back.
Both men try to work in some knees out of the clinch, and Sadollah tags Brown with a sharp knee to the side that causes him to slump and use a body lock to keep from going down.
With about half a minute left, Sadollah finally scores with a flurry. Brown tosses him on his back, though, and they end the round pummeling against the fence.
Brown comes out looking like he wants to knock Sadollah into pieces to begin the second. He throws bombs at a furious pace and can't miss until Sadollah fires back with a left hand to the chin that knocks him back a step.
More punches from Brown until Sadollah surprisingly trips him onto his back. Sadollah isn't very active but squirms his way up to fully mounting Brown and dishing out some elbows and punches.
Brown's fatigue and Sadollah's recent training pays off after Brown uses the fence to sneak out the back door. Brown drops onto Sadollah but gets his arm trapped in the process, and Sadollah then pulls off the upset by landing a triangle choke that causes Brown to tap.
"A fight like that cheers me up," says Brown, not disappointed because he knows he threw everything he had at Sadollah.
Amir is thrilled and will advance. Next week we will see Tim Credeur take on his pretty boy nemesis, Dan Cramer, and C.B. Dollaway and Cale Yarbrough will get to settle their differences.
I can't wait. Some actual brawlers came to fight this season.