Ultimate Fighter 10 Episode 2: All About Survival

Written by Ryan AnthonycloseAuthor: Ryan Anthony Name: Ryan Anthony
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About: 25 year old Tennessee resident and small government conservative. I first discovered my love of writing while working for a high school newspaper; that was eight years ago. Now I'm studying for an Associate's Degree in journalism. My favorite topics to cover for Parcbench include contact sports and television.See Authors Posts (34) on September 24, 2009

Wes Shivers

Fresh off the one-man demolition team sent to blow Abe Wagner’s orbital area into bits, we’re now being treated to the second episode of the Evans-Jackson blowout. As it opens, Kimbo, doing his best Lauren Caitlin Upton impersonation, reminds us all of his lust for victory. Roy Nelson, the fighter who first made his mark on the MMA world in Rage on the River, dreams of his name in lights vs. Kimbo over breakfast.

We’re let in on the first training session of the episode for Team Rampage, in which the gym is bustling with not only spider crawls, but a game of jump rope absent The Hulk.  Kimbo, however, is being treated by Quinton to a regimen that works out (pun intended) for his own physique.

Nice art-deco shirt Kimbo. You’ll fit right in on the set of Judge Dredd.

Then, we go to Team Rashad’s training session: where Schaub spends some time in a more conventional boxing ring, and Wessel deflects gloved punches in the Octagon. Rashad, again driving home his aim to recruit not only mental powerhouses  but those most able to take direction, becomes perplexed with Roy’s seeming inability to take criticism and be respectful.

Rashad and two others conduct intervention for Big Country (who may as well be named “Big Ego”) behind closed team doors, and Roy isn’t having any of it. After a lot of gesturing and browbeating — during which assistant coach Trevor Wittman confesses he’s tempted to give Quinton the headache — Roy shoots his mouth off to the camera. It looks more and more like there are two sensei on Team Sugar.

Oh snap.

Rampage orders the second fight to be London-born James McSweeney vs. the 6′7″ Wes Shivers, former football player for the Tennessee Titans. All, of course, just to be a thorn in Sugar’s side.

I’ll apply a paraphrased sentiment that has been echoed by one Godfather of mafia movies and another of the high-powered boardroom:

It’s nothing business. It’s just personal.

Or is it?

Post-first commercial break, we come back to team Rashad lounging on the gym training mat like Boy Scouts around a fire. Rampage, ever the one to pick a fight, instantly thought of pulling his pants down and farting on their heads.  Is taking a swipe at Rashad’s ego more or less gentlemanly than invoking the spectre of bodily functions? You make the call!

After QRJ verified the saying “Thou dost protest too much,” Rashad confessed an intermittent desire to faceplant his fist in the other guy. Team Sugar arrives at the studio to promptly start their workout of cross-legged crunches.

Th’n fight day cometh, punctuated by tiredness, stretching, and shots of the amazing artwork on the Ultimate Fighter house walls. Wes makes his entrance and James pumps up for the fight by getting the blood flow in his arms working.

With kickboxer James on White’s left, Muay Thai fighter Wes on his right, and Abe’s same-day bloodbath behind, the round was inaugurated by Steve Mazzagatti — who would have his hands full during this fight.

Round one: Early in the match, Wes obtained control and tried to choke James with his left elbow. Albuquerque’s adopted son shakes it off, gets back up, and delivers a series of kicks. Left to Shivers’ head; right to his upper leg area; another  . . . by Wes, in the balls?

Ouch! I bet James wished he’d had a cup.

So anyway, the fight restarts; James again finds himself on the defensive before long. He delivers a right jumping kick against the fence @ 2:36 in, then – strangely enough – grabs the cage trying to get away from his opponent. After a spinning right hook that would make a ballerina blush, McSweeney works on the knees.

Round over: second begun, James told to lay off the kicks and jab at Wes.  Didn’t take long to demonstrate his ignorance of instructions – approximately nine seconds in. He was playing with fire for a while there – a missed roundhouse kick at 4:21 left gave Wes a much-needed opening to rush and tackle James. Evans’ exhortations were reaching fever pitch by that point – he sounded like he was in a horror movie!

By two minutes left and ten, it seemed like neither of them had much of a game plan, or energy, left.

No 3rd round, it would seem. 19-19, 20-18, 20-18 winner by majority decision was James. I’m loath to sound trite or politically correct, but on the whole it actually was a great job by both fighters, who pushed themselves to the brink of exhaustion.

With the second victory for Rashad, James takes five on the couch. According to Brendan Schaub on his blog, Wes wasn’t able to walk for four days after the fight. Color me unsurprised what with all the kicks he was taking – those weapons definitely stopped the Mississippi native.

At episode end, Rashad announces next fight as Roy Nelson vs. Kimbo, thereby giving Big Country his wish.

Let’s see if the individualized training paid off, or if Roy will be the one to trudge back to his hole in the wall.