Back to the first fight selection.  First reaction, advantage Team Rampage.  Scott Junk is an experienced fighter with excellent wrestling and a brutal ground and pound attack, while Matt is more of a standup fighter looking to exchange punches.  It is a great matchup for our side.

It is unbelievable how much Rashad and Rampage dislike one another.  Each episode there is an on-screen blow up and the tension made it seem like at any point blows would be exchanged.  I am sure I can speak for each guy in that house (and MMA fans) when I say that this fight NEEDS to happen.  I am disappointed that it may not ever happen.  C’mon Rampage … Get back into the octagon. 

Back to the episode.

As usual, Mitrione brought drama into the TUF house.  He did an outstanding job of rubbing everyone the wrong way.  Besides maybe Brendan Schaub, it was really Mitrione vs. everyone else in the house. 

Even before getting into the house, I was aware of his antics.  During tryouts back before the show, Matt and I got to talking and exchanged numbers.  He seemed like a likeable enough guy and we exchanged texts every now and again.  Huge mistake. 

It wasn’t before long that he was broadcasting to every potential cast member that I didn’t like to get punched in the head.  Although true, it is part of the sport and it comes with the territory.  Who likes to get punched in the head?! 

Cameras don’t lie.  The guy is an ##### and a terrible teammate.  Between the note about Wessel not wanting to fight Junk, to his training shenanigans with Madsen, and then flexing on his coach, it is easy to see why he was so disliked.  In the end, only one fighter is crowned The Ultimate Fighter, but you still have to respect your teammates and each person in that house.  Matt seemed to always be angling for his own benefit. 

Back to Scott Junk.  Scott was an unbelievable team captain.  I have never met anyone who enjoys the sport of mixed martial arts more than Scott.  This is how he makes a living and he would absolutely fight for free. 

I remember a conversation that we had during the early stages of the show that stuck with me.  He told me that he would love to fight me in the finale.  It was not out of disdain or dislike, but rather just love for his job.  He wanted to step into the octagon with me and just bang, because he felt I would be a great opponent.  I took that as the greatest of compliments. 

And let me tell you, that boy can cook.  Between him and Kimbo, we were always taken care of in the house.

On fight day both fighters seemed ready to go.  Matt seemed excited to finally exercise his demons, while Scott seemed calm and collected.  As I mentioned earlier, Scott was the favorite in my eyes. 

The bell rings and the fighters exchange blows.  Despite his lack of experience, Mitrione does own very powerful hands to go along with an unusual fighting stance.  He stuns Junk right off the bat and I don’t think he ever fully recovered.  He shot in for a few take downs, but Mitrione was able to block them.  End of round 1. 

At the beginning of round 2, it is easy to see both fighters are gassed.  Matt from all the punches he threw and Scott from absorbing those punches.  Not much action but Scott does score a takedown and controls Matt with his wrestling and ground and pound, but for some reason the ref stands them up.  From that point on it wasn’t much of a fight and Matt wins by decision.  All the pressure falls on me now to get Team Rampage a win.

Through the magic of television, many people don’t realize this, but I was actually in the locker room getting ready to fight during Rampage’s explosion following the loss.  I fought on the same day. 

All I heard was this thunderous noise that made it seem like everyone was fighting.  Rampage came into the locker room pissed and sweating.  I walk out and see the door.  It was insane.  It was a stressful situation, considering it was my first-ever fight in the UFC.  It messed a little with my pre-fight mind state. 

We will see if I was able to get over it next week during episode 8.

Rashad noticed that Darrill was sluggish during practice and after McSweeney spilled the beans, Rashad was forced to pull Darrill aside and explain to him the opportunity that was in front of him.

Darrill is a darkhorse during the competition, but he is undefeated in his mixed martial arts career and is an extremely tough competitor. Rashad wants Darrill at 100 percent and Darrill got the message. He put the drinking on the back burner until after the show.

Darrill was obviously the main focal point of this episode. Besides his drinking problem to start the show, he also reached his boiling point with Rampage.

The episode did a great job of showing how relentless Rampage can be. Now imagine that type of heckling over the course of six weeks and that is what Darrill was forced to endure. “Titties” is not exactly a term of endearment and Darrill had enough. That is two Team Rashad fighters that have approached Rampage in a not-so-friendly manner. It gives you an idea of how talented Rampage is at getting under the skin of a competitor.

It also helps that Rampage can back it up. He fights at 205 pounds, but walks around at a much heavier weight. He is also scary athletic. But anyway, Rashad did the right thing in stepping up to Rampage and deflecting the attention away from Darrill. Darrill was close to snapping. Crisis averted. Zak Jensen vs. Darrill Schoonover: First thought was that Darrill would have the edge. He has strong jiu-jitsu and a pro boxing background and like I said, he’s undefeated in his career. Zak, on the other hand, has a strong chin and can wrestle a little.

In addition to this, we were hoping that all the taunting and heckling would unleash an animal in the octagon. That is where the name Linderman came from. We wanted to create an alter ego to Zak. Zak was too nice and non-confrontational. Linderman would be the complete opposite. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

One of Zak’s biggest issues is his confidence. He seems to be fighting himself at all times and in effect, has two opponents every time he is out there.

Round 1 begins and Zak seems like a different man. Moving with a little more fluidity and seems to have a plan. The game plan was to get Darrill to the ground and control him from there since Darrill had the advantage standing up. At the beginning of the round Zak eats a few knees to the midsection and some hard punches to the face. After being moved to the cage by Darrill, Zak goes in for the takedown. Success.

However, Darrill’s strong jiu-jitsu prevails as he moves from closed guard to a triangle choke position. Zak is caught and unable to escape. Similar to Sims before him, Zak refuses to tap and goes to sleep. Victory Team Rashad. I am starting to side like an old record, but hopefully we can pull a win off next week. Team Rashad 6, Team Rampage 0.

That is all for this week. Until the next time!

Marcus Jones

Despite what you hear from Rashad and the guys in the house, my nickname is actually “The Darkness” and not “Big Baby.”  So if you see me in the streets, make sure you get it right. 

I was in that house to fight. When Rashad mentioned that I may be the next fight, I got excited.  I was in great mental and physical shape, was working hard in practice and wanted to show what I can do.  I wanted the opportunity to be the guy to break the losing streak. 

Rampage and the coaches really did do a great job with us.  The cameras are really portraying Rampage in a different light than how we first saw him.  He is a very emotional fighter and it kills him to see his guys go down.  He really cared for us.  Rampage and the coaches put a lot of time into our fight preparation.  For each fight Rampage would develop a game plan.  It was up to us to execute.  It just seemed like once gloves were touched all that went out the window.  I think his attitude towards his fighters is based on the expectations he has for us and when we didn’t perform, he took it hard.Zak Jensen had a tough time in the house.  His biggest issue is that he is just way too nice of a guy.  I think many of the other guys noticed that he didn’t have much fight outside of the ring, so they would joke on him without retaliation.  It really became a situation where Zak was a sheep, and everyone else was a wolf.  Personally, I really like the guy, so I didn’t get involved in it.  I tried to toughen him up, but he was too laid back with it all.

At first glance, the fight matchup would seem to favor Team Rampage.  Wes Sims is an experienced mixed martial artist with a very strong chin and good wrestling skills.  But Justin Wren is one of the few guys I was warned about before going into the house.  Coming out of Frank Mir’s camp to help Mir train for his fight against Brock Lesnar, Wren was not to be overlooked.  He has an Olympic caliber wrestling background, plus very good jiujitsu. 

I felt that Wren’s jiujitsu would pose a problem for Sims, because that has plagued him a bit in his career and it turned out to be the difference.  It was a very quick fight.  With his length, it was imperative that Sims keep Wren at a distance, but Wren executed and closed the distance on Sims.  Wren shot in for the takedown when Sims went for a kick and that pretty much decided it.  Wren passed Sims guard and put him into an arm triangle.  Sims will never tap, so he passed out.  Winner, Justin Wren by arm triangle.

Another loss, another Rampage storm-off.  I agree with Dana that you should never leave your fighter.  I became friends with my teammates while on the show and it bothers me every time I see him take off.  Win, lose or draw you should be there for your guy. 

Oh well…. guess we need to win.

That is all for this week.  Hope you enjoyed my recap.

It seems like I have been a lightning rod for controversy over the last few episodes.  For those who tuned in and thought Kimbo was going to replace me…. SORRY! 

It really wasn’t anything too bad.  I didn’t faint or pass out.  The sweating spell is nothing new to me, as it has happened a few times in the past.  As you can see from the show, my pores open up and I become drenched with sweat.  I normally combat it by grabbing a Gatorade and a candy bar and relaxing on the couch.  The guys overreacted to the situation a bit and it received more camera time than necessary.  I had a really hard practice and it just hit my body later in the day. 

A lot of the episode focused on Matt Mitrione and his snitching.  He absolutely stabbed his teammates and coaches in the back by revealing the potential matchups.  I will say it right now – Matt Mitrione did not want to fight me.  For whatever reason, he did not want to step into the octagon against me so he sabotaged his own team by telling Scott the matchups.  It is that simple. 

After snitching, he became somewhat of an outcast in the house.  Nobody could really confide in him.  In a way, it became Matt vs. everyone else.  But after seeing it play out on the screen I had to laugh, because Matt is the same guy that in the first episode of the season said I would be an easy fight for him. 

After Matt’s antics were squared away, fight selections came.  Team Rashad selected Brendan Schaub to fight Demico Rogers.  It was a matchup between the most athletic fighters for each team.  I was expecting a great bout. 

The coaches let Demico down.  Before the fight he needed to be getting coached up like Brendan.  We could hear Brendan prepping, getting instructions from Team Rashad while Demico waited.  Despite all that, Demico came out and actually controlled the first round up until a major slip that allowed Brendan to sink in an anaconda choke. 

I do not think that Rampage gave Demico enough credit for his fight.  We are all green.  Demico is still learning things and he put himself in a bad position.  I think Rampage let his emotions get the best of him and overreacted, but Rashad Evans’ decision to console Demico after the fight shows the type of class guy he is.  Going into the house, I did not know what to expect from Rashad, but I must say, the way he handles himself on a day-to-day basis, inside and outside of the octagon, is extremely impressive.

Another fight, another loss, but as always Team Rampage will continue to work.  Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts on the episode.  Until next week.

The episode opens with the lighter side of Kimbo Slice.  Being stuck in the house for six weeks, led to a lot of self-reflection.  Many of the guys kept journals to help pass the time and to get their feelings down on paper.  I, however, chose to take that time to envision myself as the next Ultimate Fighter and that was reinforced whenever I would see Rashad and Keith Jardine.  They were in my shoes only a short time ago and now they are successful, UFC stars.  It helped push me through the tough times in the house.

Overall, Kimbo was a really good guy.  He worked really hard and was respectful towards every person in the house.  His persona as a backyard, street brawling thug is definitely inaccurate.  He is a family man that at the end of the day is just trying to earn a living for himself by becoming the best mixed martial artist that he can.  He was thrust into the limelight without a background in the sport.  I think he has done a great job considering where he was only a few years ago.  During training, I never heard him complain or say I can’t.  He soaked up everything that was passed along to him.  The only problem was is that he only had a couple of weeks to learn the years of skills that Roy possessed on the ground.  It was an extremely tough matchup for Kimbo.  It needed to be all standup for it to be in his favor. Roy is much different than Kimbo.  Roy is a self-made fighter that handles his own career.  He has been in the game for a long time, earning all the respect he has garnered in the MMA community.  I’m truly impressed with the caliber of fighter he is considering all the responsibility he takes on with his career.  He is well-rounded in every aspect of the word, but he is a real talent.  Rampage mocks his belly at times during the episode, but it is a huge advantage.  He is able to use it to pin you down and keep control.  It really is almost like a third arm and he uses it to his advantage. 

In round one Kimbo landed a couple of real nice shots to Roy.  I think it really stunned Roy, as did Kimbo’s initial take down defense.  But Roy, recognizing his obvious advantage, continued to work at getting Kimbo on his back.  He eventually did and was able to get him into the side crucifix and worked him over until the end of the round.  Round two began and ended with similar results.  Kimbo ultimately ended back in the side crucifix and Roy ended the fight.  I think Roy went into each round hoping to bang with Kimbo, but since it is a tournament, he was very intelligent and elected to take it to the ground where he would suffer much less damage.

In the end, another fight and another loss by Team Rampage.  Kimbo is eliminated. We are now down 3-0.  We will continue to work our butts off in practice and hope to turn around our fortunes.  Tune in next week.

It is detailed in the show how Rampage favored Kimbo, pulling him aside after practice to work even further with him.  Any fighter would have loved to have been in Kimbo’s position.  Rampage immediately took him on as a project, seeing Kimbo as a similar fighter to himself.  I needed to work on my hands and wish I was able to get the same amount of attention from the coaches, but we all understood.  Kimbo needed work on the ground and he had a target on his back.  As soon as Rashad had the chance, he would put him in the octagon.I was disappointed in the way that Rashad and his coaches took Roy aside.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t condone someone clowning around during practice, but Roy is an accomplished fighter.  For them to pull him aside and berate him was inappropriate.  Roy is a professional that understands what he needs to do in order to be ready to fight.  He has been doing this for a long time.

Going into the fight announcement, Rampage asked us who was physically ready to fight.  Wes was one of the guys that raised his hand.  Watching past seasons and listening to fighters, I knew that I wanted to take a little time before I mixed it up.  I needed to adapt to the conditions of my new environment.  Wes did not have the same fears that I had and was anxious to knock off Rashad’s number one pick.  Wes is a matchup nightmare with his combination of size and strength.  McSweeney is an accomplished K1 kickboxer, so we knew that he would be elusive and have a lot of power behind his kicks.  The game plan was simple.  Keep distance and go for the take downs whenever possible.  Great game plan, but Wes just completely gassed out.  Neither fighter seemed prepared for the cardio aspect of the fight, but Wes was unable to push the pace.  James took advantage, peppering him with kicks and a few punches.  I thought Wes did some damage, enough to possibly earn a third round, but he was so winded that I don’t think it would have mattered.  Another fight, another loss for Team Rampage.

I look forward to recapping the next episode, including discussing the Nelson vs. Kimbo fight.  Until next week.