The Ultimate Fighter 9: Episode 4 Recap

The Ultimate Fighter 9: U.S. vs. U.K. Episode 4 Recap & Review

Sixteen fighters have now officially entered the infamous Ultimate Fighter house following last week’s final pair of delayed elimination bouts. The cast is split with eight welterweights and eight lightweights, but the real split—the one all of us viewers are paying special attention to—comes with the eight U.S. fighters and their U.K. rivals.

The admittedly childish concept of the show attempts to put U.S. viewers and U.K. viewers firmly in the camps of their own teams, but after watching the latest episode, some members of the former group may not want to be associated with their nation’s official TUF representatives.

That is not to say that all of Team U.S. is comprised of immature, attention-seeking reality wannabes. For instance, Jason Dent, the lightweight who earned his place in the house by sending Robert Browning packing in the first round in Episode 3, seems to be getting along quite nicely with the boys from across the pond. A short preview for Episode 5 that aired after the credits seems to suggest that Dent’s misplaced allegiances will continue in subsequent episodes.

Team U.S. fighters Whitson, DeFranco, and Pierce were similarly absent from the antics of their more vocal teammates. Of these less passive members of Team U.S., perhaps most volatile was welterweight Damarques Johnson, who not only continues to rile opposing coach Michael Bisping with his overly-aggressive team spirit, but also sought to get a rise out of the collective Team U.K. by writing on personal clothing and equipment on more than one occasion.

While the first writing incident was largely disregarded and even laughed off by the U.K. team, the second was taken more personally, as U.K. lightweight Ross Pearson threatened physical ramifications for continued offenses by the U.S. team.

In the season’s first official tournament elimination bout, welterweights Nick Osipczak (Team U.K.) and Mark Miller (Team U.S.) squared off in a fairly even and fast-paced battle. Osipczak ultimately finished the one-dimensional Miller off in the second round with a beautifully executed pump-fake head kick that recalled images of Georges St-Pierre’s first victory over Matt Hughes back at UFC 65 in 2006.

What made the victory even sweeter was the fact that one of U.S. coach Dan Henderson’s assistant trainers was “randomly” highlighted assuring Miller that his opponent lacked any real or threatening power in his kicks, adding some well-worked irony into what has—by the estimation of some—become a relatively stale, predictable formula.

Team U.S. may have lost their first bout against Bisping’s squad—by knockout, no less—but it is doubtful that U.S. viewers were very disappointed by the outcome.

While it may be true that the U.K. fighters have come as something of an interesting relief from the past eight seasons, and have generally presented themselves as genuinely likable cast members when compared with U.S. characters such as the aforementioned Johnson and Cameron Dollar, the truth of the matter is that most Mixed Martial Arts fans, no matter their country of origin, are usually fairly objective when judging the worth of any particular fighter. The popularity of Welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and the fast rising Lyoto Machida are just a couple of examples of this fact, which seems unique to MMA.

Make sure to check back at ProFighting-fans each week for reviews and in-depth analysis of every episode of The Ultimate Fighter 9 this season.


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The Ultimate Fighter 9: U.S. vs. U.K. Episode 4 Recap & Review Sixteen fighters have now officially entered the infamous Ultimate Fighter house following last week’s final pair of delayed elimination bouts. The cast is split with eight welterweights and eight lightweights, but the real split—the one all of us viewers are paying special attention to—comes with the eight U.S. fighters and their U.K. rivals. The admittedly childish concept of the show attempts to put U.S. viewers and U.K. viewers firmly in the camps of their own teams, but after watching the latest episode, some members of the former group may not want to be associated with their nation’s official TUF representatives. That is not to say that all of Team U.S. is comprised of immature, attention-seeking reality wannabes. For instance, Jason Dent, the lightweight who earned his place in the house by sending Robert Browning packing in the first round in Episode 3, seems to be getting along quite nicely with the boys from across the pond. A short preview for Episode 5 that aired after the credits seems to suggest that Dent’s misplaced allegiances will continue in subsequent episodes. Team U.S. fighters Whitson, DeFranco, and Pierce were similarly absent from the antics of their more vocal teammates. Of these less passive members of Team U.S., perhaps most volatile was welterweight Damarques Johnson, who not only continues to rile opposing coach Michael Bisping with his overly-aggressive team spirit, but also sought to get a rise out of the collective Team U.K. by writing on personal clothing and equipment on more than one occasion. While the first writing incident was largely disregarded and even laughed off by the U.K. team, the second was taken more personally, as U.K. lightweight Ross Pearson threatened physical ramifications for continued offenses by the U.S. team. In the season’s first official tournament elimination bout, welterweights Nick Osipczak (Team U.K.) and Mark Miller (Team U.S.) squared off in a fairly even and fast-paced battle. Osipczak ultimately finished the one-dimensional Miller off in the second round with a beautifully executed pump-fake head kick that recalled images of Georges St-Pierre’s first victory over Matt Hughes back at UFC 65 in 2006. What made the victory even sweeter was the fact that one of U.S. coach Dan Henderson’s assistant trainers was “randomly” highlighted assuring Miller that his opponent lacked any real or threatening power in his kicks, adding some well-worked irony into what has—by the estimation of some—become a relatively stale, predictable formula. > Check out the UFC apparel & merchandise and TapouT clothing & hats online through ProFighting-fans.com! Team U.S. may have lost their first bout against Bisping’s squad—by knockout, no less—but it is doubtful that U.S. viewers were very disappointed by the outcome. While it may be true that the U.K. fighters have come as something of an interesting relief from the past eight seasons, and have generally presented themselves as genuinely likable cast members when compared with U.S. characters such as the aforementioned Johnson and Cameron Dollar, the truth of the matter is that most Mixed Martial Arts fans, no matter their country of origin, are usually fairly objective when judging the worth of any particular fighter. The popularity of Welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and the fast rising Lyoto Machida are just a couple of examples of this fact, which seems unique to MMA. Make sure to check back at ProFighting-fans each week for reviews and in-depth analysis of every episode of The Ultimate Fighter 9 this season. 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 TUF 9 fight card & results!