TUF 13 - Episode Three Recap

Despite Chris Cope’s upset win on last week’s episode, there’s dissension in the ranks on Team Lesnar due to coach Brock Lesnar’s comment that his team had turned themselves from chicken s**t to chicken salad.

In response, the former UFC heavyweight champ gathers his team to clarify his intentions with the statement.

“Seize the moment,” he said. “Believe that you are here for a reason.”

On the other side of the gym, Team dos Santos gets a new member to replace Keon Caldwell (who left the show on episode two), and it’s Justin Edwards. The team instantly takes to the newcomer, but it’s not all smiles, as assistant coach Lew Polley is still fuming over Javier Torres’ loss to Cope.

“I was just very frustrated with the idea that as coaches we weren’t doing everything possible to put the guys in the right position to win,” said Polley, who wants to amp up his team’s level of intensity in training.

But as things heat up, Shamar Bailey gets cut over his right eye, forcing dos Santos to make his coaching philosophy clear – “I don’t like training like that, screaming and saying bad things. That’s not my way of training.”

For this week’s fight, Lesnar chooses Len Bentley to face Team dos Santos’ Ryan McGillivray.

Back at the house, friendships are forming, and Bentley and company are concerned that their teammate Cope is spending a lot of time with the Team dos Santos squad members. Bentley even goes as far as bringing the matter to Lesnar’s attention, as he’s worried that Cope is telling secrets to the other team.

Team dos Santos has its own issues with Polley pushing the fighters too hard and dos Santos has to lay down the law as the head coach and let him know that it’s a team effort, from the fighters up to the coaches. With the whole squad on the same page, it’s off to help McGillivray make weight, which he does, at 170, matching Bentley’s weight.
 
Coach Lesnar won’t be around for the fight, as he has a personal matter to tend to, but Bentley is ready to go, and he begins implementing the gameplan immediately, eventually dropping McGillivray to the mat just 25 second into the bout. Bentley immediately moves to the mount position, but after some rough moments, McGillivray escapes and pulls Bentley into his guard. Bentley continues to fire away, and then with three minutes left, he stands and lets his foe up. His head clear, McGillivray starts to come back, and after landing a hard right hand, a left hook puts Bentley down.  McGillivray moves in for the finish, but Bentley recovers quickly on the mat, and he begins looking for submissions. With a minute left, he gets an armbar, but McGillivray escapes and almost nails an arm triangle before the bell sounds.

In round two, with light heavyweight star Mauricio “Shogun” Rua looking on, the two welterweights continue battling out as they trade hard shots on the feet, taking turns jarring each other. Midway through the round, McGillivray rocks Bentley and then bulls him into the fence. The two lock up, but after a stalemate, they break and continue firing off strikes. McGillivray looks to have the edge, but just when it seems like he’s about to take control, Bentley responds and throws himself back in the fray.

There will be no tiebreaker round in this one though, as the judges score it 20-18 twice and 19-19 for McGillivray, who moves to the next stage of the competition.

Team dos Santos now leads the competition 2-1. Here’s how the teams look:

Team Lesnar
Len Bentley – Eliminated on episode three by Ryan McGillivray
Charles Rader
Tony Ferguson
Clay Harvison
Chuck O’Neil
Chris Cope 1-0
Nordin Asrih – Eliminated on episode one by Shamar Bailey

Team dos Santos
Shamar Bailey 1-0
Ryan McGillivray 1-0
Javier Torres – Eliminated on episode two by Chris Cope
Ramsey Nijem
Zachary Davis
Mick Bowman
Justin Edwards

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