LAS VEGAS, NV, March 17, 2012 – Episode 2 of The Ultimate Fighter® Live saw the season 14 competition take shape in earnest as the 16 winning fighters from the premiere moved into The Ultimate Fighter® Live house and branched off into teams as chosen by coaches Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber. Despite having only a 3-0 recor to his credit, Missouri native Justin The American Kid” Lawrence was selected as the first overall pick by Team Cruz – a choice which should largely be credited as much for his background training with guys like Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida at Black House as it was for his season opening TKO victory over James Krause.
Here are the rest of the picks:
Cruz’s choices (in order): Justin Lawrence (4-0), Villa Ridge, Mo.; Sam Sicilia (11-0), Spokane Valley, Wash.;MylesJury (10-0), San Diego, Calif.; Mike Rio (9-1), Miami, Fla., Vick; Vinc Pichel (8-0), Sherman Oaks, Calif.;Chris Tickle (8-4), Bloomington, Ill.; and Jeremy Larsen (9-2), Phoenix, Ariz.
Faber’s choices (in order): Al Iaquinta (6-1-1), Wantagh, N.Y.; Cristiano Marcello (13-3), Curitiba, Brazil;Cruickshank; Joe Proctor (8-1), Pembroke, Mass.; Michael Chiesa (8-0), Spokane Valley, Wash., John Cofer(8-1), Hull, Ga.; Andy Ogle (9-1), Tynemouth, England; and Chris Saunders (10-2), Long Beach, Calif
After the choosing of teams, Fort Worth, Texas’ own James Vick (5-0) of Team Cruz was selected to face Daron Cruickshank (10-2) in the LIVE fight of the night to see who would move on to the next round and a chance at the six-figure UFC contract.
The rest of the episode leading up to the fight saw the teams begin their training at the UFC Training Center but also saw a bet of emotionally-jarring news as Team Faber member Michael Chiesa got the telephone call from home that his father had passed away. Mark Chiesa had been unwell for some time but insisted that his son follow his dream of becoming the next Ultimate Fighter, going so far as to make him promise he wouldn’t leave the show permanently in the evening of his passing. Luckily for Mike, he had real-life teammate Sam Sicilia to lean on after receiving the news but it certainly shows that these guys aren’t actors, but real fighters trying to follow a dream far away from home. RIP Mark Chiesa.
As for the fight itself, the Phalanx MMA / Team Genesis trained fighter would come into the fight as a huge underdog in the eyes of many considering all the experience Daron Cruickshank has had so far, over twice as many fights. All that cage time didn’t help him however as James Vick crushed his UFC dream with a devastating knee to the head at the 2:16 mark of round one to advance to the next round and likely win himself a nice KO bonus.
“I’m just so happy and feel so satisfied,” said James about the victory. “Team Cruz had a great game plan for me. It was the exact combination that we worked on all week and I landed it. To all my friends and family I love you all so much and thanks for all your support since the beginning of my fighting career.”
With that win, Team Cruz won the rights to select the next fight and Dominick selected his first pick Justin Lawrence to take on… anybody of Urijah’s choosing. Despite offering control back to Team Faber, nobody seemed eager to step up and take on Justin so Team Cruz selected former Chute Boxe BJJ Coach Cristiano Marcello to take on the Black House member on Episode 3, scheduled for Friday, March 23.
“It’s my time,” said Lawrence. “Time for me to step up to the plate and come up with another victory for Team Cruz and keep the ball rolling. I’m going to go out there and execute my game plan.”
Marcello stated he will be ready as well. “I think it’s going to be a great fight. He’s a tough kid and he’s going to have the chance to prove himself. So, let’s do it!”
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