In preparing for the fight, Chuck Liddell as been seen in excellent shape and each fighter has outlined an overview of their strategy for the fight of ex-champs.

Rich Franklin was quoted saying, “We were talking the other day about inside leg kicks, about throwing the inside leg kicks and how Chuck’s fighting stance is a little wider so he’s going to be heavier on that front leg.” Franklin elaborated with “We were emphasizing the times I can take advantage of that, not getting caught by any kind of overhand or any kind of straight that my opponent will throw.”

Chuck Liddell on the other hand hasn’t fought for over a year unless you count competing on the dance floor. When asked if he has changed his style at all in the past year he discussed how much he has been dedicated to his training, but then stated, “I’m always going to go back to my big right hand.”

We all look forward to the fight guys…

At the beginning of the episode Dana is showing Rich around the newly renovated gym as Franklin was a coach several seasons ago. They meet with the team again and introduce the assistant coaches. Dana tried to stack up the staff with Forrest Griffin, Gray Maynard, and Tyson.

There will be two semi-final fights including Kris McCray versus Josh Bryant and teammates Brad Tavares versus the relentless Court McGee. This season has been packed with top notch fighters and the fair share of injuries to top fighters, but the final fights are strong matchups and should be exciting.

Court and Brad are first up and both are contenders to be The Ultimate Fighter and are now just two fights away from doing so. The fighters feel each other out to begin the round, but it doesn’t take long before the fighters engage. About a minute and a half in and Court comes in and pins Tavares against the cage, ultimately taking him to the ground. This is where Court wants the fight to be and is in control. Tavares isn’t taking any punishment and does manage to get back to his feet.

The fighters have a minor exchange and with less than two minutes remaining Court moves in again and grabs hold of Brad. The fighters are throwing but both are missing. The activity is high, but nothing damaging because no one is really connecting. Another takedown for Court, but the fighters are quickly to their feet again as the round comes to a close.

In round two the fighters aren’t waiting. Quickly they jab and punch trying to open up an opportunity. Quickly though a minute thirty is past and just then Court McGee connects sending Tavares back at least five feet. They fight for control against the cage for a bit and are back at center ring with two minutes plus remaining. A soft kick here and there along with a punch or two and the Brad connects with a strong righthand to McGee’s chin but he doesn’t even blink. A minute left and Brad is increasing his intensity. A couple nice punches, but when trying to land a kick he is caught by McGee and Court manages to push him against the cage, but the round ends there.

Round three will be the test for both fighters to hang it all out and they come out blazing. In the flurry, Brad cracks Court in the sack and we take a breather. The intensity remains as the fighters are back into the action as both know how close they are. Likely an even fight to this point, the fighters exchange punches and kicks. Court seems to be tiring faster than Tavares, but isn’t out by any stretch. Brad breaks away from a clutch from McGee and as they move back around the righ Court McGee catches Tavares and he is visibly hurt. As he recovers Court continues to try and tire Brad and in doing so returns the favor with a kick to the sack. He grazed it at best but Brad takes the opportunity to catch his breath. McGee lands another good punch to the cheek of Tavares , but again during the follow-on exchange and inside kick catches Tavares in the goods.

As they come back McGee gets Bard on the chin again and as he wobbles, takes him down. While on the ground he has hold of Tavares’ neck and before you know it, Brad is non-responsive – lights out.

The coaches work with Kris McCray to improve his technical game in hopes to not get gassed in his rematch against Josh. Yeager runs his mouth once again and when Kacey confronts him to step outside, once again he decides not to enter the ring. Not even worth talking about anymore. He will surely be matched against someone at the finale and lose.

Dana is picking Bryant in this one and we are about to find out how good the President picks ‘em. The fighters know what is at stake and they are both energized. Kris is a bit sloppy as he tries to take Bryant down and takes a few punches because of it. He does get Josh down, but Josh gets to his feet. The cycle happens again and again. Kris seems exhausted from the exchange and Bryant is eyeing up a chance to come in. The fighters have a few good exchanges as they punch, kick, clutch and repeat. With a minute to go they wrap up against the cage and rest. With under thirty seconds to go Bryant lands a serious blow to McCray’s chin. The round ends.

Round two picks up where the fighters left off and McCray once again has Bryant against the cage. As they end up back in the center of the octagon McCray connects with a least six consecutive uppercuts, but Bryant resets grabs a hold of McCray and pins him against the cage. The fighters exchange blows to the head and both are now seemingly tired. Punches are trailing wide and they take another short rest against the octagon wall. Both breathing heavily at this point, however they are both staying very active. With less than a minute remaining they are once again against the cage until McCray pushed Bryant off and connects with a punch to the head. Bryant returns a solid blow and clutches him driving him into the cage until the close of the round.

Round three. The fighters meet in the center, touch gloves and begin to get it on. Both standing tall they trade jabs and punches for the first full minute. McCray ultimately grabs hold and keeps Bryant contained against the cage. Bryant manages to break out with over three minutes but find himself wrapped up again. Both fighters land good shots as the fight progresses which will make it very difficult if it goes to the judges. Down to a minute thirty and if either fighter connects solid the other is surely to fall. They trade monster shots in the center of the octagon, and as the fight closes it could go either way.

Winner McCray with a unanimous decision. Two great fights to wrap up the season. No doubt McGee will take this one, but we will have to wait and see. With McCray well rested – keep in mind he fought five times in six weeks – it might be more of a fight that we give it credit to be. See ya then.

Jamie towers over Bryant when they stand toe to toe. Both fighters come across as solid fighters, confident fighters. The episode is dedicated to this final matchup of the quarter finals so we are quickly at fight time.

The fighters come out eager to win and both seem energetic. Yager comes in for a punch but gets caught with a strong punch and finds himself against the cage with Bryant in control. Yager does connect a nice knee while defending himself and after a bit more shuffling they are back to the center of the octagon. As we have come to expect Yager throws several kicks including one in the jewels.

So after the short timeout the fighters are at it again. They exchange punches in a short flury and Yager throws many more kicks as Bryant connects with punches. Liddell begs for Bryant to throw and when he finally does Yager drops like a sack of potatoes. He finds himself on his back trying to defend as the round comes to an end.

Round two begins and as the fighters meet in the center Yager pats Bryant on the back as to say nice job that first round. Josh decides to return the favor and knocks Yager in the baby maker. Not sure if it really landed or Yager wanted an extra rest and it looked like high thigh. The fighters start to really engage and kicks are landed, punches are landed, and as Bryant is able to catch a leg kick thrown by Yager, the favorite is finding himself once again on his back defending.

Ultimately the fighters are on their feet and Yager seems exhausted. Bryant continues to work, but is swinging wildly. With two minutes to go in the second round, Bryant connects witha nother punch on the jaw of Jamie Yager. After an additional exchange, a tired Yager falls and Bryant lands on top. With minor ground and pound, Bryant does land a few more points controlling Yager. Tito is shouting for his fighter not to give up, but that seems exactly like what is going on as Bryant is not doing anything spectacular.

When the roudn ends though Yager isn’t returning to his corner. Dana announces the judges have it as a tie so there will be a third round. As we return from a commercial break we find out how wrong Dana is. There will be no thrid round as Jamie Yager decides to quit! He literally sat on the stool and shook his head. Nothing more than being tired – the pathetic lack of desire takes Tito over the limit. His friends help him out and escort him to an ambulance.

Now for the second item we were promised today. Dana takes Tito aside and says he has a top notch doctor lined up for him to review his injury. However, since Tito will not be fighting Chuck Liddell due to the injury, Dana decides to take Tito off of the show and have his replacement finsih the coaching for the rest of the season. So for the first time in TUF history, a coach is taken off of the show.

Tito storms off and Dana White has to announce to his team that Tito is off the show. The team seems pissed, however, eventually Tito does return to let his team know in person that he has to leave the show.

The semi fainal fights are annoucnes and ther are as follows:

As the show concludes, we see who we could figure would be the replacement since we know Rich Franklin is the new fight arranged for Chuck Liddell. We will see what this ultimately means for the Team Punishment as the season wraps up.

At the opening of the episode, Tito’s news is exposed as he announces to some of his team that he could be under the knife once again for another neck surgery. Everyone knows of Tito’s troubles with injuries to his spine both at the back and within his neck. Having had numerous surgeries to date, he questions whether or not he should go under once again.

In the meantime, Kris McCray and Kyle Noke have to prepare to fight and for the first time for each of them they are matched up against a long time friend. We will see if either feels the pressure or if they can step up and get the job done. Kris McCray is a strong fighter by much less experienced when it comes to fighting at this level. Kyle Noke has shown his skill and has a significant advantage.

Kris is noticeably less confident, or at least it seems, as they stand across from each other on opposite ends of the octagon. However, as they come out, Kris engages with a jab and a kick and even after taking a knee scores a takedown. They are soon back on the feet, but McCray manages a second takedown of the more experienced Noke. At the halfway point you can tell the fighters have forgotten about their past relationship and they just want to win.

Kyle Noke gets a good grip of Kris McCray’s neck and continues to squeeze, on the ground, as they get back to the feet and back to the ground again. McCray does manage to escape eventually and take top position. Kyle does a great job at managing from the bottom and landing more punches and elbows than Kris can do from the top.

They exchange punches at the beginning of round two and for the third time Kris McCray gets a takedown and then a fourth. He isn’t causing any damage once he gets Noke down, but doesn’t seem to have any trouble getting him there. Not a match you want sitting in the judges hands if you are Kyle Noke. Kris manages control past the halfway point of the round, but then Kyle Noke slides around, gets Kris’ back and begins to work. An exhausted McCray allows Kyle Noke to get an arm around the neck that is eventually let loose for some reason. Without any real effort Kris McCray is back on top to finish the round.

Dana announces the fight is over but shortly after steps into the octagon and announces it is not yet over. Like we mentioned, in the hands of the judges at this point and with that we have to think this is Kris McCray’s fight to win.

In solid fashion Kris gets another easy takedown at the beginning of the round and much of the same. Kyle Noke is breathing heavy from the mouth while on his back and the seconds are flying by. Half way through the round, McCray is still in control on top of Noke. The student amongst many experienced fighters is showing he has the heart to be The Ultimate Fighter. Kyle Noke tries a submission but ultimately is unsuccessful and the referee stands them back up. It makes no difference as Kris McCray grabs hold of Kyle Noke and with ten seconds remaining has Kris has Kyle against the cage. With the control Kris had over Kyle throughout the round, all three judges score in favor of McCray. Winner McCray!

Brad Tavares and Seth Baczynski are expected to be a bit different. They like each other, but aren’t long term friends. Bottom line is that they are ready to fight and both want to bang until one of them drops. The frenzy begins and the energy is high, as Seth holds Tavares against the cage and gets him to the ground. Suddenly Seth has Taveres’ back with both hooks in. Brad is defending, but Seth has the hooks deep. The monkey will not get off his back as Seth moves to a body triangle and eventually slips an arm in under the chin of Tavares. Tavares does escape, but Seth remains strong until a point where he lets open an opportunity.

Brad springs into action and moves into top position. Seth locks in around Brad’s head, but Brad lifts Seth and slams him twice. With less than thirty seconds to go, Brad Tavares lands numerous punches. At the close of the round as the buzzer sounds, Seth kicks Brad in the face and it appears as though he is out for a split second. The round closes with Brad trying to regain his senses as it was obvious the kick landed perfectly.

As we come back from the break the doctor and referee are discussing whether Brad Tavares can continue. After a quick discussion it is decided Brad cannot continue and he is declared the winner by disqualification of Seth Baczynski by illegal kick at the close of round one. There is a bit of controversy at the call as team Ortiz believes the kick was to the chest and not to the face. Tito and Chuck get into a shouting match over the fact that coaches from Team Punishment disrespected a member of Team Liddell. Obviously stemming from frustration that the two may not fight at the close of the season and they truly hate each other.

Danas pull Chuck aside and alerts him that Tito has officially pulled from the end of the season fight. Chuck stands up pissed and then the teasers begin. Will Tito be allowed to continue as a coach knowing he is out of the end matchup. The final quarter final fight ends in tragedy and the finals are announced. All of this next week on The Ultimate Fighter and reported here as no one else can.

Hey, TUF guy! We have plenty of official The Ultimate Fighter clothing in our huge MMA Clothing and Gear store, including the brand new Punishment Athletics Team Fighter T-Shirt.

Kyacey Uscola heads into the octagon against Kris McCray moments after finding out his new baby has been born and is healthy. Both fighters are revenging an earlier loss following this season’s theme of second chances. The first wild card in TUF history features two fighters from Team Ortiz so Tito is sitting this one out.

The fighters step into the center and Kris comes out kicking but immediately takes a clean punch from Uscola. They continue to feel each other out throughout the first minute of the round when Uscola kicks McCray in the center if his left shin cause McCray to wince. McCray uses instinct to wrap Uscola up and pins him against the fence. McCray connects with some knees as he holds his opponent ultimately cracking Uscola in the cup. The last thing this fight needed was more time. To finish the round a couple of nice takedowns result in McCray in control and landing some ground and pound.

Possibly feeling some urgency, Uscola comes out swinging, but McCray ends up with a quick takedown and on top of Kyacey Uscola. After about a minute of complete control, Kris McCray wraps up Kyacey’s arm and manages the submission.

It is the time of the season o choose the quarter final fights and it isn’t call. The fights are as follows:

• Nick Ring versus Court McGee
• Kyle Noke versus Kris McCray
• Brad Tavares versus Seth Baczynski
• Jamie Yager versus Josh Bryant

Back at the house, a guest enters and it is Forrest Griffin with the new version of the UFC video game, UFC 2010. It is a two hour reprieve to let the fighters hang loose and kick some virtual ass. Then after Nick Ring finds out he has reinjured his ACL and is questioning whether or not to withdrawal from the tournament. Dana White pays the house a visit and Nick confirms his decision to withdrawal and get his third reconstructive surgery on his left ACL. Yet another second chance is in store for someone.

Before Dana leaves, he announces to the group of Nick’s decision and lets them know he will consult the coaches for a decision. Hammortree mans up and chases Dana down to claim the spot and in typical Dana style he walks back into the house and says the decision is made. Dana always loves someone willing to fight so Hammortree did himself a great service in confidently expressing to Dana his desire. Joe Henle was a bit shocked at the quick decision, but it is never as appealing the second time is it?

Taking the fight on short notice, James Hammortree runs out to meet Court McGee in the center of the octagon and lands a jab. Court returns a solid kick at the close of the first minute of round one. Minor exchanges continue and at the end of a kick Court is able to catch the heel of Hammortree and after some swiveling gets him to the ground. Quickly returning to his feet however, Hammortree connects with a few punches. McGee takes another punch or two, but manages to grab Hammortree and slam him to the ground. Again Hammortree is quick to his feet. Hammortree eludes a third takedown, the fighters exchange and Hammortree scores his own takedown of McGee. McGee is able to switch position prior to the end of the round making it as close as it can get.

Round two kicks off and both fighters seem eager to pick the action back up. Then only 24 seconds into the round, Court McGee is able to sink in a standing Guillotine choke and has James Hammortree tap. Not something you see often, but something that Hammortree will know to avoid later. Impressive win for Court McGee and the first fighter to win his quarterfinal fight.

Hey, TUF guy! We have plenty of official The Ultimate Fighter clothing in our huge MMA Clothing and Gear store, including the brand new Punishment Athletics Team Fighter T-Shirt.

Keep up with the cuts – check out our always updating UFC Cut List gallery!

The matchup will be Joe Henle of Team Liddell and Seth Baczynski of Team Punishment. Joe Henle is a very inexperienced fighter in comparison to some of the other guys on the show, but has been managing to win fights. Turning pro in July doesn’t allow for him to anticipate everything that might come at him from a more experienced Seth Baczynski. However, if Henle can keep focused and pull off another win like he did to get into the house in the first place, he can move one step closer. He managed to pull off an armbar after being overmatched in his first fight and will be keeping his eyes open for a similar chance to put another win in the books.

This week’s episode has definitely been focused on the fight and less sidebars of drama and it is time for the fight at hand. The tough as nails Seth Baczynski will take on the strong hearted Joe Henle.

As round one kicks off the fighters reach the center of the octagon and start to feel each other out. Quickly Seth is on his back but seems to be controlling Henle from the bottom and nearly submitting him twice and Henle barely escapes. Henle has a wrestling background and he is attempting to use that as his inexperience is being displayed with his lack of ground game. Even when he has Seth’s back he doesn’t attempt anything and quickly finds things reversed and Seth in top position. Seth manages to land a few elbows to the face of the defending Henle as the round closes.

Round two begins and the fighters exchange blows and kicks. As the fighters find themselves on the ground, Henle seems to be in control this time and ultimately has Seth’s back. Seth gets loose, but quickly finds himself on his back again and taking some punches to his ribcage. Not much damage being exchange though as the fighters are merely fighting for control and not throwing many punches. When Seth finds himself loose he lands a flying knee to the turnbuckle. Henle, exhausting, almost gets caught in a rear naked choke but gets saved by the round’s end.

After the first two rounds are declared a draw, we get ready for the third and final round. Seth seems eager to turn things up and immediately takes Henle to the ground and begins to work. Why the referee has not stood them up as they just lie hugging in the corner is troubling, but Seth takes advantage of the time and then moves into a dominant position and lands a few punches. If he can finish in this position with two minutes remaining he will win the fight. Seth continues to work on Henle grazing Henle’s body and head with weak punches.

Henle really doesn’t know what to do and Seth is scoring just enough to take the fight, but certainly not in an impressive fashion. The fight comes to an end and the judges will provide their scores momentarily. The simple fact that with six months experience Joe Henle held his own probably says less for Seth than anything. Seth does manage to win the fight by unanimous decision, but Joe Henle just needs to keep doing what he is doing and increasing his skill.

Before the end of this week’s episode, Dana White announces the wildcard fight for next week and mentions Kyacey Uscola and Kris McCray get the second chance. Again, with injuries plaguing this year’s fighters, Court McGee will take the open spot redeeming what we thought and obviously Dana thought should have been a third round opportunity last week against Nick Ring. Here’s to second chances!

Hey, TUF guy! We have plenty of official The Ultimate Fighter clothing in our huge MMA Clothing and Gear store, including the brand new Punishment Athletics Team Fighter T-Shirt.

Check out our MMA’s Bloodiest Fights & Ugliest Injuries gallery!

“I think now I’m a different fighter than I was back then,” Rua said. “I think now I train much more based on my opponent because I think this is the evolution of MMA nowadays.”

When asked who may be next for him, he commented, “The only guy I wouldn’t fight is Wanderlei Silva because he’s a great friend of mine. Other than that, whoever the show wants me to fight, I’ll fight. I’m a professional fighter, so I don’t care.” Many suspect the matchup will be between Rua and the winner of the upcoming bout between Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson.

All hail the new king! Tons of official Mauricio “Shogun” Rua clothing in our MMA Clothing and Gear store.

Anticipated UFC 116 Fightcard:
Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin
Wanderlei Silva vs Yoshihiro Akiyama
Krzysztof Soszynski vs Stephan Bonnar
Kurt Pellegrino vs George Sotiropoulos (rumored)
Brendan Schaub vs Chris Tuchscherer
Chris Lytle vs Matt Brown
Kendall Grove vs Goran Reljic
Jon Madsen vs Karlos Vemola
Paul Kelly vs Jacob Volkmann (rumored)
Julio Paulino vs Daniel Roberts (rumored)

UFC 116 Event Poster