September 22, 2011 – Arguably the most anticipated season of TUF (definitely in TEXAS anyways), debuted on Spike TV last night as The Ultimate Fighter 14 got underway with a two-hour premiere featuring non-stop action.
Featuring the bantamweight and featherweight divisions for the very first time ever in its tenured history, this season of the show should leave a lasting impression in the eyes of MMA fans as the caliber of fighter being featured definitely leaning more towards “top of the food chain” rather than “watered down” based on the action we saw last night.
With coaches like Jason “Mayhem” Miller and Michael “The Count” Bisping captaining the ships this season, the show can be expected to have the requisite ‘made for TV’ drama that’s made it so popular among the testosterone-filled (and drama-thirsted) demographic that fills up the MMA world.
Be that as it may, TUF 14 should see a return to building new, legitimate stars.
I’m really excited to help a batch of new guys start their UFC careers right here,” Mayhem Miller said to open the show.
Meanwhile, this won’t be the first rodeo for his counterpart Bisping, who graduated from season 3 of the reality show himself and coached opposite Dan Henderson on season 9 on the series. Heading into this one, Bisping merely started that he was back and that he won’t be doing things differently.
That’s about the gist of what we got from the coaches on this first episode.
From there it was on to the 32 contestants vying for 16 spots on the show – and they would have to earn those spots with their fists.
32 Contestants Fight for a Spot in the TUF House
In the first fight Josh Ferguson was up against Casey Dyer, who’s 21 years old but looked about fourteen. Josh quickly sent Dyer packing with a big right hand followed by some devastating finishing shots on the ground to win his spot in little under 20 seconds.
San Antonio rep Diego Brandao (who trains with fellow Manaus native Rodrigo Pinheiro and crew sometimes so we definitely claim him here in the TX) was up next and he absolutely BLASTED his opponent Jesse Newell to win his spot ala Dan Henderson flying forearm smash on Michael Bisping at UFC 100. It was brutal and with this, BOOM Brandao may have just become the early favorite at 145 for this season.
..The third fight saw “The Magician” John Dodson up against Brandon Merkt, who had a definitive size advantage over the longtime dominant force at 125 (along with Pat Runez, etc.). Dodson may have been giving up size to get on this season 10 pounds up from his normal weight but he sure didn’t give up any speed. That attribute earned him a spot in the house courtesy of a first round TKO.
Up next was a battle of two guys from the tri-state area as Dennis Bermudez and Jimmie Rivera matched up in a thrilling back-and-forth battle. In the end it was the New York native beating the Jersey kid with Bermudez winning via second round TKO. (note: the pre-fight vignette had Bermudez telling the story of how he raised a child for two years that ended up not being his. This guy must have a lot of pain in him. It’s no wonder he showed so much heart in this fight.)
The fifth fight saw Canadian Roland Delome taking on BJ Ferguson. As you can remember from a few paragraphs back, BJ’s brother Josh earned his spot in the house in the very first fight of the night. It’s chokes before bros though as he won’t be joining his sibling in the house after getting triangle’d in the first round. Roland Delome gets in.
Up next was Marcus Brimage and Hawaiian rep Bryson Wailehua-Hansen. It took a while for Brimpage to get going after being controlled in the first round but he sure did turn it around in the second to cause a referee stoppage as Marcus earned his spot.
The sixth fight of the night saw the moment that arguably all of TEXAS had been waiting for as the “Brutal” one Johnny Bedford went in against a highly-touted opponent in Carson Beebe, the 6-0 brother of former WEC champ Chase Beebe and a man with the nickname of “Little Juggernaut.” Johnny put it on him Texas-style with a big slam and first round submission to earn his own spot in the TUF house and the cheers of many who were watching at the Eagle’s Nest and everyone all around Texas. Congrats Johnny! Keep it going!
Next up, the first Japanese fighter to compete in TUF Tateki Matsuda lasted a grand total of 10 minutes as his opponent Dustin Page earned the judges’ call to win his spot in the house in this fairly close fight.
A longtime veteran got upset in the next fight as Paul McVeigh, a longtime pro on the European circuit, got upset by Louis Gaudinot in overtime to win opportunity to go on in TUF.
It was highlights only in the next two with WEC vet Bryan Caraway winning his own opportunity to get in with a decision over Eric Marriott while another vet in Dustin Neace did the same against Josh Clopton.
The next two bouts would see the expected and the unexpected.
Highly-touted prospect TJ Dillashaw blasted his opponent Matt Jaggers with a first round TKO before the grappling expert could take it to the ground. That wasn’t a surprise. What was a surprise was WEC veteran Micah Miller getting choked out by Steve Siler to lose his own opportunity.
The final spots at TUF 14 would go to John Albert, Stephen Bass, and Akira Corassani. The three finished all their opponents, Orville Smith, Karsten Lenjoint, and Brian Pearman respectively to win slots 14, 15, 16 and make the season a go.
No doubt we’ll have coaches’ picks and a whole slew of other drama as the season keeps going next Wednesday night.
Until then, here’s the final roster for The Ultimate Fighter 14. Chime in and let us know who YOU think are the favorites to WIN this season.
The Ultimate Fighter 14 – Meet the Contestants
BANTAMWEIGHTS
John Albert
Fighting out of: Puyallup, Washington/ Victory Athletics
Record: 6-1-0
Age: 24
Johnny Bedford
Fighting out of: Watuga, TX / F3 Alliance
Record: 17-9-1
Age: 28
Roland Delorme
Fighting out of: Winnipeg, Manitoba / Winnipeg Academy of MMA
Record: 6-1-0
Age: 27
TJ Dillashaw
Fighting out of: Sacramento, CA / Team Alpha Male
Record: 4-0-0
Age: 25
John Dodson
Fighting out of: Albuquerque, NM / Jacksons Mixed Martial Arts
Record: 11-5-0
Age: 26
BJ Ferguson
Fighting out of: Louisville, KY / All-American MMA
Record: 6-2-0
Age: 29
Louis Gaudinot
Fighting out of: Yonkers, New York / Team Tiger Schulmann
Record: 5-1-0
Age: 26
Dustin Pague
Fighting out of: Centreville, VA / MASE MMA
Record: 9-4-0
Age: 23
FEATHERWEIGHTS
Stephen Bass
Fighting out of: Savannah, GA / Lloyd Irvin MMA
Record: 10-0-0
Age: 28
Dennis Bermudez
Fighting out of: Massapequa, NY/ Long Island MMA
Record: 7-2-0
Age: 24
Diego Brandao
Fighting out of: Albuquerque, NM / Jacksons Mixed Martial Arts
Record: 13-7-0
Age: 23
Marcus Brimage
Fighting out of: Coconut Creek, FL / American Top Team
Record: 3-1-0
Age: 31
Bryan Caraway
Fighting out of: Sacramento, CA / Team Alpha Male
Record: 15-5-0
Age: 26
Akira Corassani
Fighting out of: Gothenburg, Sweden / Team Kaobon
Record: 9-3-0
Age: 28
Dustin Neace
Fighting out of: Granite City, IL / Hit Squad
Record: 22-17-1
Age: 24
Steven Siler
Fighting out of: Ogden, UT / Riven Academy
Record: 18-9-0
Age: 24
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