The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights

[jmt225]

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Coaches:

• Rashad Evans
• Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

Fighters:

• Zak Jensen
• Marcus Jones
• Scott Junk
• Jon Madsen
• James McSweeney
• Matt Mitrione
• Roy Nelson
• Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson
• Demico Rogers
• Brendan Schaub
• Darrill Schoonover
• Wes Sims
• Wes Shivers
• Abe Wagner
• Justin Wren
• Mike Wessel

Oh yeah, this Wednesday after Ultimate Fight Night 19 premieres the 10th Season of The Ultimate Fighter, featuring none other than Kimbo motherfucking Slice. To view the first ten minutes of this incredible season, the watch the video below. Also, click the spoiler below that to see just a sample of what kind of other crazy shit we're also in for this season.

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Spoiler: TUF 10

If you watched that video and clicked the spoiler, then you already know just how crazy this season is going to be. I, for one, cannot wait for this Wednesday. My birthday is actually Thursday, but I could not care less. I'm ready for The Ultimate Fighter!

This thread is to discuss/share your thoughts on each episode every week and the fights that take place. Until then, who are you rooting for? Who do you think will win the season? Which coach do you think will come off better? Let's hear it...

 

[xAsianRejectx]

I'm so pumped for this! I can't wait. I've never been a huge fan of the heavywieght division, but It seriously has gotten so exciting. No doubt this will probably be the highest rated season yet and that'll mostly be because Kimbo Slice. People want to see how he's going to so. Will he dominate or suck completely? I'm sure he'll do alright or maybe even win. Spike has been promoting hin very heavily on the show. I wouldn't think they'd do that if he just gets knocked off the first round.

Damn I'm excited. This season looks to be the toughest of them all. Every fighter looks like their willing to tear eachother apart for this. Can't wait!

 

[FromTheSouth]

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4478724&categoryid=2378529

Here is an interview with Kimbo from ESPN's Frist Take.

Look, I know that the MMA community views him as a side show attraction. I think that that is bullshit. Honestly, his punching power is enough to eliminate anyone in one shot. No he can't wrestle with Lesnar, Mir, or Nogueira. No one expects him to. He trains with Bas Ruten, and his improvement from Bo Cantrell to Tank Abbot was apparent. He is a fearless man, and that trait separates him from most other fighters. I think he will do well on the show. I think that upon stepping into the ring, most of his opponents will be intimidated.

I also think he needs to work twice as hard because of the public perception. For him, I don't think that's a problem. He is a physical specimen.

Just, as a note, his first professional fight was here in Corpus, and I got to meet him. He is one of the nicest guys I have ever met. He is very polite and well spoken. I am rooting for him on a personal level, and I think he could win the show.

 

[INDYjon22]

I pretty excited about this season. This is only the second time the UFC has done a heavyweight ultimate fighter and i think it will finally add some depth to the division. We got 4 former football players, some time tested fighter, and KIMBO FUCKIN SLICE. There are going to be some badass knockouts this season ill put my money on it. I dont think any of the football players or Kimbo will make the finals but that will only be told over time. I would be fine if one of them did win the whole shabang. My prediction is Wes Sims and Big Roy Nelson in the finals with Roy Nelson knocking Wes Sims out.

 

[jmt225]

Awesome show tonight, just as expected.

Rampage is a bit of an asshole. I'm just now noticing that, lol. But I still like him. However, I can tell Rashad Evans is really going to win me over this season. I've always been sort of bitter towards him because of the Tito Ortiz deal and because his wife gets on my last fucking nerve, but he seems like a really cool guy and is completely professional at all times. He just might end up being one of the greatest coaches the show has ever had.

Anyway, there's not much to say about Kimbo. He looks in shape, that's for sure, and it seemed like he didn't struggle at all during Rampage's training regimen. Moreover, the way Kimbo helped out Marcus Jones was really cool of him too and should win some people over. The fact is... you can hate Kimbo all you want, but he's a good fucking guy. I really like him and I'm definitely pulling for him this season.

And as far as the first fight.... man, what a cut on Abe Wagner's head, huh? Jesus... that was definitely one of the worst cuts I've ever seen in a fight. But anyway, Abe got completely dominated by Jon Madsen. Jon just repeatedly took the guy down and pounded on him, while Abe just took it. Rampage got pissed at the end, but it was really his own fault. Rashad called this one from the get go, and how Rashad could be so right shows that Rampage didn't pay much attention during the tryouts. He should have known Madsen's skills as a wrestler and Abe's lack of in that department. So, in my mind, Rampage lost that first fight, not Abe Wagner. Terrible, terrible decision on Rampage's part.

But yeah.... can't wait for next week's show. The preview looked awesome, that's for sure.

 

[INDYjon22]

I have to agree with you jmt, the show was very good. Rampage may be an asshole but he is funny as hell. However, I think his picks for his team were atrocious. He took basically every big dude and gimmick in the room. Rashad got most of the actually good time tested fighters. Rampages only real fighter is Wes Sims and even though I pick him as one of the finalists the man is fuckin unstable. I thought the first fight was boring as hell but it proved to things to me. Abe Wagner can take a fucking beating and I never knew the body could bleed that bad. Cant wait for next week.

 

[X]

Just got done watching the premiere, this is definitely going to be one hell of a great season. Rampage can be a bit of a dick, but I too love him JMT. Probably because he reminds me exactly of a good friend of mine, he's got the same joking manner and even his voice and way of talking reminds me him. I was kind of shocked how quickly he picked Kimbo for his team though, but I probably shouldn't be. Kimbo seems like a guy cut from the same cloth as Rampage.

The fight was totally one-sided, and did you see all that blood that was just pouring out on the mat? Holy shit man I thought he was about to bleed to death. The Abe kid isn't cut for MMA though, not at all. He looked at it like it was a hobby. You look at MMA like it's a hobby, you're going to have a big fat bullseye on your back. Wasn't surprised he was dominated.

Looking forward to next week. Hopefully we get to see more of Kimbo.

 

[gd]

The main thing I learned from the first show was that Rampage is likely going to be a terrible coach. He pretty much just went for the bigger guys without worrying as much about their actual skills. He got to pick the first matchup, but gave the advantage completely to the other side. The only thing he was saying during the whole fight was "You gotta get up Abe." Well, no shit he has to get up Rampage, how'd you think of that?

I really like Rashad. He seems like a great guy who knows what he's doing. That Madsen guy seemed pretty solid. Of course he had a big advantage in the fight, but he didn't fail to impress.

Really looking forward to this season and I'll be pulling for Kimbo throughout.

 

[Uncle Sam]

You guys are really selling Rampage short. All he said was "Get up"? Pfft, you must have missed all the times he said "Do something" and - my personal favourite - "Do what you gotta do". I mean, surely, if he'd done what he needed to do, he would have won the fight. This is why you follow your coach's advice. I mean, honestly!

I used to think that Rashad was an absolute cunt. Now I think he's a bit of a cunt, but actually quite intelligent and a decent coach. He's slowly winning me over.

 

[BaconBits]

You know how in the hype for the show Rashad said he didn't want Rampage to win anything. That quite possibly might happen. Rampage is the worst coach in TUF history. He has no knowledge to impart to these guys, becuase all he's concerned about is himself, and he's surrounded himself with terrible coaches and trainers and picked an awful team.

Oh, and it's pretty obvious Rashad is already way inside Rampage's head when it comes to their fight. Rampage is going to get stupid in that fight and get murdered.

 

[X]

Another good episode this week. Roy Nelson came off as a bit of a joke during the beginning of the show, talking about how he doesn't want to listen to the coaches and comparing talking to Rashad as "two masters sitting down" or whatever. Sorry, did you just call yourself a fucking master there fatboy? I know he isn't that deluded. He seemed to be more open to criticism after they talked to him though.

The McSweeney-Shivers fight was decent, though both were gassed very early. McSweeney impressed me, and Shivers was a lot better than I was expecting. I'm definitely going to need to keep my eye on both of those guys.

Next week we've got Roy Nelson and finally, what everyone has been waiting for...Kimbo Slice. I can't wait to see how that fight turns out. I'm not big on Kimbo, but Nelson has yet to impress me in any way, and Kimbo does have some serious knock out power. I'd pick Kimbo to win that fight. Nelson doesn't have a strong enough ground game, which is what you need to beat a big striker like Kimbo.

Anyways, good show. Can't wait for next week, Roy Nelson vs. Kimbo Slice. It's gonna be good.

Edit: Oops, I meant Shivers, not Sims. Thanks JMT.

 

[jmt225]

The McSweeney-Sims fight was decent, though both were gassed very early. McSweeney impressed me, and Sims was a lot better than I was expecting. I'm definitely going to need to keep my eye on both of those guys.

It was Wes Shivers vs. McSweeney, not Sims. We haven't seen much of Sims goofy ass yet, but that definitely would have been a much better choice for Rampage to pick to fight McSweeney, as he wouldn't have gassed, I would assume.

Anyway, great show tonight. I agree with X that Big Country made a fool out himself early on in the show. I really couldn't believe he was acting like that. And looking back at it, UFC/Spike edited this to make Big Country the bad guy and Kimbo Slice the good guy to build to next week's show. I mean, Kimbo couldn't have come off better these past two weeks with his attitude and work ethic, while Nelson looked liked a complete jackass. If you would have told me this is how it would be before the show started, I wouldn't have believed you and would have thought to myself surely it's the other way around. Very nicely done UFC.

As entertaining as the Rampage/Rashard arguments are, it's no fun watching them knowing their problems with one another aren't going to get resolved anytime soon. But still... I guess it adds something to the show.

As far as the fight between James McSweeney and Wes Shivers... I thought it was awesome. The 1st Round was non-stop action, with some crazy kicks and charges. Sure, it was sloppy as hell, but man was it fun to watch. The 2nd Round was something I've never seen. I mean, those two guys weren't just gassed, but looked out on their feet. I thought McSweeney had the fight won towards the end of it when he hit that big hook and followed it up with a beautiful kick that nailed Shivers right on the face, and then got a guillotine choke on him. But Shivers showed a lot of heart of not only taking it, but fighting out of it as well. Unfortunately for him though, it wasn't enough to pick up the win in the judges eyes. Personally, I gave Shivers the 1st and McSweeney the 2nd, but my opinion doesn't count. So, whatever... but at least we got an entertaining fight. I think a 3rd Round would have dragged anyway.

And man oh man am I fucking stoked for next week! I'm definitely rooting for Kimbo now, and I do think he stands a chance. If fucking Andrei Arlovski can knock out Big Country, than surely Kimbo can. But he has to watch those takedowns, and not let that big fucker pass his guard, otherwise it's over. But Kimbo still has the speed and power advantage, and that just might be all he needs to survive this one and pick up the victory. I, for one, cannot wait to find out.

 

[Slyfox696]

I just popped in to say that I think Evans made a GREAT selection for next week's fight. Here's why:

1) If one thing has been hit upon numerous times it's that Kimbo is not a good MMA fighter, just a good puncher. The longer Kimbo goes in training, the better he will get at the other parts of fighting, which will only make him more dangerous. By getting Kimbo out of the way early, Team Evans will have basically broken the spirit of Team Rampage.

2) I think Evans was about ready to knock Nelson out himself. By putting Nelson against Kimbo, then either Kimbo is out of the competition and Team Rampage is in major trouble, or Roy Nelson gets knocked the fuck out. Either way, Rashad Evans gets to enjoy the fight.


The only side that gets hurt in this match is Team UFC. If Nelson takes out Kimbo, then I would think that would hurt their ratings down the line. I think it's clear that they're trying to squeeze every last viewer out of Kimbo Slice that they can.

 

[jmt225]

I just popped in to say that I think Evans made a GREAT selection for next week's fight. Here's why:

1) If one thing has been hit upon numerous times it's that Kimbo is not a good MMA fighter, just a good puncher. The longer Kimbo goes in training, the better he will get at the other parts of fighting, which will only make him more dangerous. By getting Kimbo out of the way early, Team Evans will have basically broken the spirit of Team Rampage.

2) I think Evans was about ready to knock Nelson out himself. By putting Nelson against Kimbo, then either Kimbo is out of the competition and Team Rampage is in major trouble, or Roy Nelson gets knocked the fuck out. Either way, Rashad Evans gets to enjoy the fight.

This is a great observation. I didn't look at it like that, but you couldn't be more correct.

The only side that gets hurt in this match is Team UFC. If Nelson takes out Kimbo, then I would think that would hurt their ratings down the line. I think it's clear that they're trying to squeeze every last viewer out of Kimbo Slice that they can.

This is another great point, but I don't think it would actually hurt them that bad because if Kimbo does lose, he will still live in the house and be a part of the show, and I'm also positive he'd be the first in line to take someone's place were they to get injured or get kicked off the show. Also, they could hype it up as Kimbo not having a reason to give a fuck about anyone or anything, and some drama could be raised in the house.

While Dana and the UFC would never admit it, I'm sure they've had a back-up plan just in case something happened to Kimbo early on in the show. If Kimbo loses, they're going to do something to keep his and other casual fans to keep tuning in.

 

[bealzer1010]

And man oh man am I fucking stoked for next week! I'm definitely rooting for Kimbo now, and I do think he stands a chance. If fucking Andrei Arlovski can knock out Big Country, than surely Kimbo can.

I dont get what you ment by the Arlovski statement. He gets the majority of all his wins by KO or TKO!! Unless Im just reading it wrong, it sounds like your saying he wasn't supposed to win. He does have one of the best glass jaws in the game, but also delivers some pretty good KO's.


I don't see this fight lasting very long, with Team Rampage down 2 fights and fighters, I think Kimbo is coming out blazing looking for a big KO to gain his team back some momentum, which in case might very well get him KO'd in doing so.

So McSweeney got the win. Bit of a size difference there, he ate some good shots and delt some of his own. If this guy can improve his stamina and some defense he might do pretty good, since hes not that big he might think about dropping down to 205.

Rampage looks like a moron so far for taking the bigger stronger guys. Its like he picked his fighters to play a football game.

 

[Marquis]

If fucking Andrei Arlovski can knock out Big Country, than surely Kimbo can.

I also question what you're saying here. I mean really? If Arlovski can knockout Roy, you think Kimbo can? When has Kimbo shown anything on Arlovski's level of boxing? I wasn't aware the streets and Bas Rutten can give you boxing like Arlovski's. Kimbo apparently didn't even listen Bas in training either.

As for next weeks episode. I literally LOL'd when I saw Kimbo was fighting Roy next week. Poor poor Kimbo, he get's the toughest fight he can get first. Unless Kimbo has really been listening to Rampage's coaching, and training his ass off, I don't see how he can win this fight. Roy is just the better well rounded fighter as Dana himself said. I'd give Kimbo's a puncher chance, but even that I highly doubt. I'm pretty sure Roy would be smart enough to get him down and submit him. On the positive side for Kimbo though, there's no better fighter in the house to get a win over to prove you're legit.

 

[jmt225]

All I'm saying is that if Arlovski can knock him out, then so can Kimbo. I'm not saying Kimbo's boxing ranks up there with Arlovski, but I do think Kimbo has more power than Arlovski and is still no slouch when it comes to his boxing.

In fact, let's just look at the knockout Arlovski had on Nelson. Here it is:

[YOUTUBE]O0_UhcpG_ww[/YOUTUBE]

Look how winded Nelson is and how he defends a flurry. It's quite pathetic, especially considering it's only the 2nd Round of the fight.

All I'm saying is that watching that makes me believe Kimbo can do the same thing. I'm not saying he is going to do it, but if he can defend the takedown, which will make Nelson tired REAL quick, and keep it standing, I do believe it's possible he'll knock Nelson's ass out. However, yes... if Nelson is able to get it to the ground, then I don't see Kimbo surviving that either. So, it's going to be really interesting to see.

 

[Marquis]

All I'm saying is that if Arlovski can knock him out, then so can Kimbo. I'm not saying Kimbo's boxing ranks up there with Arlovski, but I do think Kimbo has more power than Arlovski and is still no slouch when it comes to his boxing.

While I do think Kimbo has enough power to knockout someone, his record doesn't show he has more power then Arlovski. Who has he knocked out to make us believe he has some real powerful knockout power? All 3 of his opponents who he knocked out have been KO'ed/TKO'ed multiple times before fighting him. They all had suspect chins. Unlike Arlovski who has knocked out a few a people for the first time in their career who weren't cans, and holds 11 wins via KO/TKO. If Roy does gas I can see Kimbo TKO'ing him eventually.

 

[jmt225]

Who has he knocked out to make us believe he has some real powerful knockout power?

I'm not trying to put it over as a fact that Kimbo has more power than Arlovski, just a hunch on my part. When you look at Kimbo, he's a big motherfucker. Those arms are HUGE, man. And when you watch him fight, you see some technique in those punches. It just leads me to believe he has potential to be a very powerful stand-up fighter, where in any fight he's in, he stands a puncher's chance; sometimes that's all you need.

 

[D-Man]

While Dana and the UFC would never admit it, I'm sure they've had a back-up plan just in case something happened to Kimbo early on in the show. If Kimbo loses, they're going to do something to keep his and other casual fans to keep tuning in.

JMT, I don't agree with this. I mean, they hyped up Kimbo like crazy for this season and got viewers to turn the television show on. Now, Dana knows he's sucked them all in, so it doesn't really matter if Kimbo is fighting already. The good thing is that they didn't blow their load by pairing him in for the first or second fight of the show. Now that the first few are out of the way, it's time to make way for the big man.

The heavyweight fight was very disappointing last night. I understand that these guys are carrying around 250+lbs on their backs, but you have to get some good cardio to be a part of ANY fight. I was amazed at how Sims showed one short barrage of attacks and then he looked like he was ready for a nap. Don't these guys understand that they are fighting to be the the UF-fucking-C?!? It's unreal...

Anyway, I'll try not to spoil next week for whoever missed the show last night, but it should be a doozie. I'm looking forward to every aspect of the fight because I feel BOTH competitors have a lot to prove since they both believe they are being overlooked and treated as underrated.

 

[jmt225]

JMT, I don't agree with this. I mean, they hyped up Kimbo like crazy for this season and got viewers to turn the television show on. Now, Dana knows he's sucked them all in, so it doesn't really matter if Kimbo is fighting already. The good thing is that they didn't blow their load by pairing him in for the first or second fight of the show. Now that the first few are out of the way, it's time to make way for the big man.

You must have read Sly's post and confused it with mine. He was the one saying this was huge trouble for the UFC if Kimbo loses, whereas I said I'm sure they would have something in store to make sure all the casual/Kimbo fans keep tuning in if he loses.

And while I understand what you're saying, I do believe that if Kimbo lost next Wednesday and then just left the house, then the show would lost a LOT of viewers. The fact is, TUF doesn't sell itself anymore. The ratings for the last couple of seasons have been horrible, and the show desperately needed something like Kimbo to come along and pick up the slack. If he loses and then leaves the house, I guarantee people outside of real MMA fans would not care about it anymore.

The heavyweight fight was very disappointing last night. I understand that these guys are carrying around 250+lbs on their backs, but you have to get some good cardio to be a part of ANY fight. I was amazed at how Sims showed one short barrage of attacks and then he looked like he was ready for a nap. Don't these guys understand that they are fighting to be the the UF-fucking-C?!? It's unreal...

X made the same mistake, but it was Wes Shivers who fought last night, not Wes Sims, lol.

And when you're gassed, man, you're fucking gassed. There's not much you can do. You can only push yourself so far. These two guys mistake wasn't that they 'gave up', but that they didn't pace themselves. The only reason to start off aggressive when you're over 240 pounds is if you're 100% certain you can finish your opponent off quickly. But otherwise, you have to pick and choose your spots, and both fighters did a lousy job at that last night. It was still entertaining as hell to watch though; at least, I thought so.

 

[INDYjon22]

I have to agree with jmt here. Shivers and McSweeney fuckin battled and even though it got boring at the end those two left it all out in the ring. Personally I felt as though Shivers should have won but then again in the last minute Shivers almost got knocked the fuck out. As for next week, I am a little worried. Not that Kimbo will lose but that he might win. Roy Nelson happens to be my pick for this seasons winner and I think Kimbo is the absolute worst match up for him and for anyone else on the show for that matter. Kimbo is almost damn near impossible to take down so Nelson wont be able to ground and pound him or submit him and the fucker hits like a house of bricks. He could very well knock Nelson out in 10 seconds and honestly if Nelson does lose this week my pick for the winner will change from Nelson to Kimbo because he will have proved himself against the best all around fighter in the house. In my opinion of course.

 

[D-Man]

You must have read Sly's post and confused it with mine. He was the one saying this was huge trouble for the UFC if Kimbo loses, whereas I said I'm sure they would have something in store to make sure all the casual/Kimbo fans keep tuning in if he loses.

And while I understand what you're saying, I do believe that if Kimbo lost next Wednesday and then just left the house, then the show would lost a LOT of viewers. The fact is, TUF doesn't sell itself anymore. The ratings for the last couple of seasons have been horrible, and the show desperately needed something like Kimbo to come along and pick up the slack. If he loses and then leaves the house, I guarantee people outside of real MMA fans would not care about it anymore.



X made the same mistake, but it was Wes Shivers who fought last night, not Wes Sims, lol.

And when you're gassed, man, you're fucking gassed. There's not much you can do. You can only push yourself so far. These two guys mistake wasn't that they 'gave up', but that they didn't pace themselves. The only reason to start off aggressive when you're over 240 pounds is if you're 100% certain you can finish your opponent off quickly. But otherwise, you have to pick and choose your spots, and both fighters did a lousy job at that last night. It was still entertaining as hell to watch though; at least, I thought so.

Wow, I walked into a WORLD of typos there HAHAHAHA...

Actually, I was right about the first part of my post. I don't think Dana has "something in store for us" if Kimbo loses. The show doesn't kick the losers out of the house anymore... they stay in the house and train with the winners otherwise Dana will never consider giving them a second chance.

Just the mere fact that Kimbo is ON this season basically gives his a one-way ticket to a UFC contract. The ratings will back him up, and ever if he doesn't win the tournament we'll see him fighting in the finale... I shit you not.

As for Shivers being gassed, I understand that it is what it is. But this is the UFC... fights are tiring. I know what it's like. I was a wrestler for 15 years and captain of my high school and college team. One thing I learned is that even if you're not the best wrestler, your conditioning must be second to none because if you have more energy than your opponent, 9 out of 10 times you can tire them out and steal a win from them. For these professional fighters to ignore this aspect is quite disgraceful. Hopefully, we won't run into it in the future and be disappointed again.

 

[X]

So, another good episode. The big thing this week obviously was the fight between Kimbo Slice and Roy Nelson. I know I'm not the only one who was really looking forward to this fight, and I wasn't disappointed. It wasn't a great fight by any means, but it was certainly entertaining. Kimbo was getting in some really good shots in the first round, but eventually Nelson took him down, and Kimbo just couldn't get out of it. He certainly wasn't dominated though, in fact alot of the punches Nelson was throwing looked incredibly weak.

Nelson won, but I simply had to laugh at Dana White's comments after the fight. Please Dana, make it more obvious that you're going to let Kimbo into the UFC anyways. Not that Kimbo looked bad in the fight, but Dana was making it sound like Kimbo put up a great performance and should have won or something. And with the preview for next week mentioning something about Kimbo getting a chance to come back in, I think this has gotten a bit ridiculous. I mean, what's next, they're going to line Kimbo's gloves with concrete before each fight? I know Kimbo is a big draw Dana, but have some respect for your promotion man.

Good episode though, looking forward to next week. Can't wait to read JMT and Marquis' comments. Roy Nelson continues to come off as a jackass.

 

[bealzer1010]

WOW big surprise Kimbo already gets to come back on the show! If he didnt go for that knee he probably would've been able to defend the take down, He definitely had Nelson stunned, but Nelson was smart and took him down, smoother'd the shit out of him and landed some weak consistent shots which got him the tko! I was impressed the way Kimbo used the cage to get out from Nelson in the 1st rd.
I dont know if its just me or not but Kimbo's chin doesn't look all that strong either, if Nelson took a chance and tried to land a few more shots when he connected, he probably would've stunned Kimbo a little more but I dont blame him for not doing it.
Well it sucks Rampage retired, cause I would've like to see McSweeny drop to 205 and fight him or Rampage move up to HW, Clearly Mcsweeny doesn't like him.
Since Kimbo isnt going to win a UFC contract (I think I can so that confidently) he should go hollar at Strikeforce and see if he can be the one to fight Herschel!!