TUF 9: Episode 10 Recap - The Ultimate Fighter 9

The Ultimate Fighter 9: U.S. vs. U.K. Episode 10 Recap & Review

Episode 10 of Season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter promised us two things in the week of promos leading up to the Spike TV broadcast: an argument between the coaches and Dana White about semifinal match ups and what was supposed to be the best fight of the season thus far.

For once, it seems, TUF delivered on both fronts.

The only house drama occurred when Jason Pierce was spied by U.S. lightweight Richie Whitson giving advice and sensitive training information to the U.K. squad through his confidant, David Faulkner. After a brief confrontation that Whitson clearly got the better of—at least verbally—order was restored and training commenced for the eight semifinalists.

In a genuinely surprising turn of events, Dana White budged perhaps for the first time in his career as he conceded to allow coaches Henderson and Bisping to have their way with the semifinal match ups after pitching the unpopular idea of pitting team mate against team mate in order to ensure fighters from both nations would appear in the live finale next month. Although Henderson voiced his disagreement, Bisping grew increasingly frustrated with the notion, even going so far as to claim a favoritism bias against the U.K. fighters, all of whom he fully expected had the potential to make it to the finals.

The first semifinal bout was announced, pitting U.K. welterweight Nick Osipczak against U.S. favorite Damarques Johnson. The resulting three-round slugfest lived up to the hype and delivered a fast-paced battle with plenty of turnarounds and heart-pounding moments.

After controlling most of the first round with crisp and punishing punching combinations, Johnson took Osipczak down with relative ease and looked to ride out the round on top, throwing occasional jabs and elbows from the top position. In what was surely the highlight of the season, Osipczak reversed the position and had Johnson seriously wounded with a flurry against the cage in the final 15 or so seconds. Johnson, recovering gamely, took back some of the momentum with a few hard shots of his own before the bell sounded to an exciting round.

Round two was similar to the first, with Johnson concentrating on taking Osipczak down and looking for submissions throughout most of the five-minute affair. While he landed several unanswered blows from the top in the final seconds of the round, Johnson was unable to finish the game U.K. striker, who was assisted to his stool by coach Bisping after the break.

The final round saw both fighters strike with exhausted gusto until the final minute, when Osipczak reversed Johnson and attempted to finish the U.S. favorite from the top. Unfortunately for Osipczak, his fatigued arms lacked the power or speed to do any serious damage, and Johnson walked away with the unanimous decision, earning his way into the finals of the welterweight tournament.

Overall, episode 10 was the most entertaining and fulfilling TUF episode in quite some time. Here’s to a repeat next week.


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The Ultimate Fighter 9: U.S. vs. U.K. Episode 10 Recap & Review Episode 10 of Season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter promised us two things in the week of promos leading up to the Spike TV broadcast: an argument between the coaches and Dana White about semifinal match ups and what was supposed to be the best fight of the season thus far. For once, it seems, TUF delivered on both fronts. The only house drama occurred when Jason Pierce was spied by U.S. lightweight Richie Whitson giving advice and sensitive training information to the U.K. squad through his confidant, David Faulkner. After a brief confrontation that Whitson clearly got the better of—at least verbally—order was restored and training commenced for the eight semifinalists. In a genuinely surprising turn of events, Dana White budged perhaps for the first time in his career as he conceded to allow coaches Henderson and Bisping to have their way with the semifinal match ups after pitching the unpopular idea of pitting team mate against team mate in order to ensure fighters from both nations would appear in the live finale next month. Although Henderson voiced his disagreement, Bisping grew increasingly frustrated with the notion, even going so far as to claim a favoritism bias against the U.K. fighters, all of whom he fully expected had the potential to make it to the finals. The first semifinal bout was announced, pitting U.K. welterweight Nick Osipczak against U.S. favorite Damarques Johnson. The resulting three-round slugfest lived up to the hype and delivered a fast-paced battle with plenty of turnarounds and heart-pounding moments. After controlling most of the first round with crisp and punishing punching combinations, Johnson took Osipczak down with relative ease and looked to ride out the round on top, throwing occasional jabs and elbows from the top position. In what was surely the highlight of the season, Osipczak reversed the position and had Johnson seriously wounded with a flurry against the cage in the final 15 or so seconds. Johnson, recovering gamely, took back some of the momentum with a few hard shots of his own before the bell sounded to an exciting round. Round two was similar to the first, with Johnson concentrating on taking Osipczak down and looking for submissions throughout most of the five-minute affair. While he landed several unanswered blows from the top in the final seconds of the round, Johnson was unable to finish the game U.K. striker, who was assisted to his stool by coach Bisping after the break. > Check out the UFC apparel & hats and Punishment MMA gear online through ProFighting-fans.com and check out our week 10 The Ultimate Fighter interview with Jason Dent of Team US! The final round saw both fighters strike with exhausted gusto until the final minute, when Osipczak reversed Johnson and attempted to finish the U.S. favorite from the top. Unfortunately for Osipczak, his fatigued arms lacked the power or speed to do any serious damage, and Johnson walked away with the unanimous decision, earning his way into the finals of the welterweight tournament. Overall, episode 10 was the most entertaining and fulfilling TUF episode in quite some time. Here’s to a repeat next week. By Steven T. Kelliher ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer > Find all of Steven's The Ultimate Fighter 9 recaps & reviews online with Pro Fighting Fans and check out The Ultimate Fighter 9 fight card & results! The Ultimate Fighter logo used with permission from the UFC