As the third episode of "The Ultimate Fighter: U.S. vs. U.K." opens, the U.S. still hasn't finalized its roster.
The early exits of John-David Shackelford and Christian Fulgium in episode two means a welterweight bout of Kiel Reid vs. Frank Lester and lightweight scrap of Jason Dent vs. Rob Browning will decide the final two members of the squad.
The fights won't happen until after one night in the house, meaning we're going to be "treated" to at least one night of "Little Junie's" antics. It doesn't take long.
As Team U.S. reaches the house, the first glimpse of the familiar location shows various areas of the house have been customized with patriotic murals for each team. The second glimpse of the house reveals Browning downing back-to-back shots of a clear liquid presumed not to be water.
Team U.K. arrives a short time later, and the vibe is less tense than many of the fighters expected. Team U.S. lightweight Santino Defranco admits he can't understand much of what his opponents are saying, but feels they seem to be alright. Team U.K. lightweight Ross Pearson says he's not having any trouble at all understanding the Americans.
"I can understand the Americans," Pearson says. "It's pretty easy. '[Expletive], dude.' That's all they're saying."
Outside on the basketball court, Team U.K. has a bit of trouble shooting hoops. But juggling the basketball with their feet, the guys make sure they're still able to utilize the area.
Suddenly, Browning shows his preference for baseball over both basketball and soccer, as he starts hurling eggs from the balcony to the court below. While dodging the projectiles, the crew stays amazingly calm. There's a brief clash inside, and the Brits explain that generalizations of Kentucky residents are known outside of the U.S. as well.
"Basically, he's from Ken - tuh - kee, and he's dumb as [expletive]," Team U.K. welterweight Nick Osipczak says in his best country accent.
A stumbling Browning next decides the proper use for the Team U.S. shower is obviously a urinal, much to the dismay of Team U.S. welterweight Jason Pierce. Though barely able to stand, Browning gets in Pierce's face, asking to be hit on the chin. Recent workouts with season eight's Dave Kaplan are apparently paying off for the young Browning.
Browning crushes an egg on Pierce's chest, but the welterweight remains level-headed. He knows Browning's just looking for attention, and he doesn't want the undersized competitor to make waves by starting fights. Learning from past episodes, we know Pierce wants to make sure Browning is beat off, not voted off.
That didn't sound good did it?
Back at tribal council, the group lays down a few ground rules. Food: off-limits. Bodily fluids: off-limits. Boogers, spit: also off-limits. Browning doesn't take part in the discussions. He's given up egg-tossing for basketball for the time being.
The pressure is on Dent, as both teams want to make sure Browning is gone as quickly as possible.
The next morning brings us to the training center, and Team U.S. coach Dan Henderson admits that having four guys still looking to earn their way into the gym is making initial training sessions a little bit difficult. Opposing competitors understandably don't want to work with each other.
Team U.S. welterweight and MMAjunkie.com () blogger Demarques Johnson believes the squad is in prime position, saying that, "The U.S. guys are here to fight. We plan on smashing them."
Johnson leads an emotional close to practice, upset that the Brits are trying to invade his home turf.
Bisping, a late arrival due to paperwork issues, makes his way to the training center as Team U.S. is wrapping up practice. As Bisping gets a cup of coffee, Johnson is singing the praises of his teammates and their efforts. Bisping fires back, starting the trash talk and mind games between the two teams.
Johnson, his smile intact, warns Bisping (after he's left the room), "Don't kick the dog, man." Johnson then likens Bisping to "that proud parent at a church basketball game that I got in a fistfight with."
Johnson goes on to say he understands Bisping's pride in his home country, but that he can "take all that pride and shove it up your [expletive] British ass with the rest of your [expletive]."
As Team U.K. starts their training sessions, Bisping admits there's a bit of pressure on him as the coach of the first-ever Team U.K. He believes the fighters' success is directly relevant to the training that he provides.
While Bisping is expecting a simple moderate workout with his team, a quick jab to his chin and low kick to his legs sets the tone for a bit more raucous session. Team U.K. appears to have a chip on its shoulder, and the team puts forth a solid effort in the gym.
Bisping guarantees solid efforts from his squad, ensuring the team will show up on weight each week, in shape and ready to fight. The efforts look impressive to start, and the U.K. squad appears to be building a solid relationship.
Back at the house, Browning shares with us that he's normally a 135-pound fighter, and that the bout will be his first at lightweight. Hundreds of lightweight applicants who didn't make the show immediately hurl objects at their televisions.
Browning is seen hanging out with the Brits, and he offers a little "Dumb & Dumber" reference to the English accent.
"G'Day, mate. Throw another shrimp on the barbie."
He is being sarcastic, right?
A little more conversation about drinking and egg-tossing ensues, but the Brits all admit they're hoping Browning makes an early exit.
After the four remaining potential Team U.S. members make their verbal cases for why they'll advance, it's time for the two elimination fights. First up is the welterweights
Kiel Reid vs. Frank Lester
Referee Steve Mazzagatti gets the action started, and without a touch of gloves the two start looking for openings to strike.
Reid scores first with a stiff right. Lester drops to the canvas after the heavy blow, and Reid immediately moves on top of him.
Working from half-guard, Lester scoots his back up against the fence. Despite being in a dominant position, Reid seems content to wrestle rather than looking to strike. Reid briefly tries a guillotine but quickly releases and rides his opponent.
Lester looks to stand, and Reid squeezes tight on a guillotine choke attempt as he stands, too. Lester fights through the attempt, and Reid strikes him with a knee as he backs away. Lester answers with a knee of his own, and Reid drops in for a double-leg.
Lester sprawls well, and he locks in a kimura attempt from a standing position as Reid stays focused on the takedown. Reid elevates Lester, looking to slam out of the hold, but falls awkwardly on the move. Reid is out on the mat, though Mazzagatti can't see his face as it's flat on the canvas.
Lester torques the kimura awkwardly and violently, and Mazzagatti rushes in to stop the fight. Reid's arm uncurls in sickening fashion as he tries to return to his feet.
Reid struggles to understand what happened, having knocked himself out on the throw. Any concerns that Lester might feel the win was a bit hollow are quickly alleviated.
"I didn't know he went to sleep, so I just kept yanking and yanking," Lester says. "I could hear the shoulder just ripping and ripping and pulling. I mean, I hope he's alright, but at the same time, I needed to win this fight to get into the house. So that's what I did. I just kept going until the ref stopped it."
Reid is obviously and visibly disappointed, and while fighters and coaches lament the unfortunate situation, Lester celebrates wildly. Recent workouts with Steve Cantwell are apparently paying off for Lester.
Reid earns a sling to rest his arm, while Lester earns his Team U.S. jersey.
Next up is the lightweights.
Jason Dent vs. Rob Browning
In the moments in the locker room before the bout, Browning's demeanor reeks of Junie, while Dent channels Dustin Hoffman's "Rainman."
Mazzagatti starts the action, and a touch of gloves gets us underway. Brownig misses with an overhand right and a lazy shot, followed by a low kick that scores. Dent backs away, then moves right back into the pocket.
Browning holds his right hand high, then strikes with his left. Reminiscent of Nick Diaz vs. Frank Shamrock, the punches score, but Dent seems unfazed.
Browning connects directly to Dent's defensive arms, then shoots in unsuccessfully. Dent maintains his balance and pushes away. Browning remains the more active fighter, scoring with push kicks, though his punches are repetitively blocked. Dent circles, and misses with a few flashy kicks.
The two trade in a moderate pace, and Browning again shoots. Dent sprawls and Browning turtles. Dent drops punches and knees to the ribs of Browning, and the smaller fighter has little to offer on the bottom. Browning covers up, but Dent keeps a steady flow of punishing blows in place. Mazzagatti is forced to halt the contest at 3:35 of the opening round, and Browning's quick exit is secured.
Henderson admits he's happy to see Browning go. On his way to the locker room, Browning whispers in UFC President Dana White's ear. The message? "One-thirty-five (division), hear I come."
The teams are finally set, and the opening coin toss determines Team U.S. will pick the first official fight of the season. We'll find out next week who steps into the cage.
TEAM U.S. WELTERWEIGHT ELIMINATION BOUT
* Frank Lester def. Kiel Reid via technical submission (kimura) - Round 1, 3:15
TEAM U.S. LIGHTWEIGHT ELIMINATION BOUT
* Jason Dent def. Rob Browning via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:35
The early exits of John-David Shackelford and Christian Fulgium in episode two means a welterweight bout of Kiel Reid vs. Frank Lester and lightweight scrap of Jason Dent vs. Rob Browning will decide the final two members of the squad.
The fights won't happen until after one night in the house, meaning we're going to be "treated" to at least one night of "Little Junie's" antics. It doesn't take long.
As Team U.S. reaches the house, the first glimpse of the familiar location shows various areas of the house have been customized with patriotic murals for each team. The second glimpse of the house reveals Browning downing back-to-back shots of a clear liquid presumed not to be water.
Team U.K. arrives a short time later, and the vibe is less tense than many of the fighters expected. Team U.S. lightweight Santino Defranco admits he can't understand much of what his opponents are saying, but feels they seem to be alright. Team U.K. lightweight Ross Pearson says he's not having any trouble at all understanding the Americans.
"I can understand the Americans," Pearson says. "It's pretty easy. '[Expletive], dude.' That's all they're saying."
Outside on the basketball court, Team U.K. has a bit of trouble shooting hoops. But juggling the basketball with their feet, the guys make sure they're still able to utilize the area.
Suddenly, Browning shows his preference for baseball over both basketball and soccer, as he starts hurling eggs from the balcony to the court below. While dodging the projectiles, the crew stays amazingly calm. There's a brief clash inside, and the Brits explain that generalizations of Kentucky residents are known outside of the U.S. as well.
"Basically, he's from Ken - tuh - kee, and he's dumb as [expletive]," Team U.K. welterweight Nick Osipczak says in his best country accent.
A stumbling Browning next decides the proper use for the Team U.S. shower is obviously a urinal, much to the dismay of Team U.S. welterweight Jason Pierce. Though barely able to stand, Browning gets in Pierce's face, asking to be hit on the chin. Recent workouts with season eight's Dave Kaplan are apparently paying off for the young Browning.
Browning crushes an egg on Pierce's chest, but the welterweight remains level-headed. He knows Browning's just looking for attention, and he doesn't want the undersized competitor to make waves by starting fights. Learning from past episodes, we know Pierce wants to make sure Browning is beat off, not voted off.
That didn't sound good did it?
Back at tribal council, the group lays down a few ground rules. Food: off-limits. Bodily fluids: off-limits. Boogers, spit: also off-limits. Browning doesn't take part in the discussions. He's given up egg-tossing for basketball for the time being.
The pressure is on Dent, as both teams want to make sure Browning is gone as quickly as possible.
The next morning brings us to the training center, and Team U.S. coach Dan Henderson admits that having four guys still looking to earn their way into the gym is making initial training sessions a little bit difficult. Opposing competitors understandably don't want to work with each other.
Team U.S. welterweight and MMAjunkie.com () blogger Demarques Johnson believes the squad is in prime position, saying that, "The U.S. guys are here to fight. We plan on smashing them."
Johnson leads an emotional close to practice, upset that the Brits are trying to invade his home turf.
Bisping, a late arrival due to paperwork issues, makes his way to the training center as Team U.S. is wrapping up practice. As Bisping gets a cup of coffee, Johnson is singing the praises of his teammates and their efforts. Bisping fires back, starting the trash talk and mind games between the two teams.
Johnson, his smile intact, warns Bisping (after he's left the room), "Don't kick the dog, man." Johnson then likens Bisping to "that proud parent at a church basketball game that I got in a fistfight with."
Johnson goes on to say he understands Bisping's pride in his home country, but that he can "take all that pride and shove it up your [expletive] British ass with the rest of your [expletive]."
As Team U.K. starts their training sessions, Bisping admits there's a bit of pressure on him as the coach of the first-ever Team U.K. He believes the fighters' success is directly relevant to the training that he provides.
While Bisping is expecting a simple moderate workout with his team, a quick jab to his chin and low kick to his legs sets the tone for a bit more raucous session. Team U.K. appears to have a chip on its shoulder, and the team puts forth a solid effort in the gym.
Bisping guarantees solid efforts from his squad, ensuring the team will show up on weight each week, in shape and ready to fight. The efforts look impressive to start, and the U.K. squad appears to be building a solid relationship.
Back at the house, Browning shares with us that he's normally a 135-pound fighter, and that the bout will be his first at lightweight. Hundreds of lightweight applicants who didn't make the show immediately hurl objects at their televisions.
Browning is seen hanging out with the Brits, and he offers a little "Dumb & Dumber" reference to the English accent.
"G'Day, mate. Throw another shrimp on the barbie."
He is being sarcastic, right?
A little more conversation about drinking and egg-tossing ensues, but the Brits all admit they're hoping Browning makes an early exit.
After the four remaining potential Team U.S. members make their verbal cases for why they'll advance, it's time for the two elimination fights. First up is the welterweights
Kiel Reid vs. Frank Lester
Referee Steve Mazzagatti gets the action started, and without a touch of gloves the two start looking for openings to strike.
Reid scores first with a stiff right. Lester drops to the canvas after the heavy blow, and Reid immediately moves on top of him.
Working from half-guard, Lester scoots his back up against the fence. Despite being in a dominant position, Reid seems content to wrestle rather than looking to strike. Reid briefly tries a guillotine but quickly releases and rides his opponent.
Lester looks to stand, and Reid squeezes tight on a guillotine choke attempt as he stands, too. Lester fights through the attempt, and Reid strikes him with a knee as he backs away. Lester answers with a knee of his own, and Reid drops in for a double-leg.
Lester sprawls well, and he locks in a kimura attempt from a standing position as Reid stays focused on the takedown. Reid elevates Lester, looking to slam out of the hold, but falls awkwardly on the move. Reid is out on the mat, though Mazzagatti can't see his face as it's flat on the canvas.
Lester torques the kimura awkwardly and violently, and Mazzagatti rushes in to stop the fight. Reid's arm uncurls in sickening fashion as he tries to return to his feet.
Reid struggles to understand what happened, having knocked himself out on the throw. Any concerns that Lester might feel the win was a bit hollow are quickly alleviated.
"I didn't know he went to sleep, so I just kept yanking and yanking," Lester says. "I could hear the shoulder just ripping and ripping and pulling. I mean, I hope he's alright, but at the same time, I needed to win this fight to get into the house. So that's what I did. I just kept going until the ref stopped it."
Reid is obviously and visibly disappointed, and while fighters and coaches lament the unfortunate situation, Lester celebrates wildly. Recent workouts with Steve Cantwell are apparently paying off for Lester.
Reid earns a sling to rest his arm, while Lester earns his Team U.S. jersey.
Next up is the lightweights.
Jason Dent vs. Rob Browning
In the moments in the locker room before the bout, Browning's demeanor reeks of Junie, while Dent channels Dustin Hoffman's "Rainman."
Mazzagatti starts the action, and a touch of gloves gets us underway. Brownig misses with an overhand right and a lazy shot, followed by a low kick that scores. Dent backs away, then moves right back into the pocket.
Browning holds his right hand high, then strikes with his left. Reminiscent of Nick Diaz vs. Frank Shamrock, the punches score, but Dent seems unfazed.
Browning connects directly to Dent's defensive arms, then shoots in unsuccessfully. Dent maintains his balance and pushes away. Browning remains the more active fighter, scoring with push kicks, though his punches are repetitively blocked. Dent circles, and misses with a few flashy kicks.
The two trade in a moderate pace, and Browning again shoots. Dent sprawls and Browning turtles. Dent drops punches and knees to the ribs of Browning, and the smaller fighter has little to offer on the bottom. Browning covers up, but Dent keeps a steady flow of punishing blows in place. Mazzagatti is forced to halt the contest at 3:35 of the opening round, and Browning's quick exit is secured.
Henderson admits he's happy to see Browning go. On his way to the locker room, Browning whispers in UFC President Dana White's ear. The message? "One-thirty-five (division), hear I come."
The teams are finally set, and the opening coin toss determines Team U.S. will pick the first official fight of the season. We'll find out next week who steps into the cage.
TEAM U.S. WELTERWEIGHT ELIMINATION BOUT
* Frank Lester def. Kiel Reid via technical submission (kimura) - Round 1, 3:15
TEAM U.S. LIGHTWEIGHT ELIMINATION BOUT
* Jason Dent def. Rob Browning via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:35
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