The Ultimate Fighter 9: Episode 5 Recap

The Ultimate Fighter 9: U.S. vs. U.K. Episode 5 Recap & Review

After losing their first match up on TUF 9's Episode 4 to the U.K. squad, Dan Henderson’s U.S. team was looking to rebound in Episode 5. A few problems hindered their success, at least early on, including rampant internal personal issues within the team itself and the fact that opposing coach Michael Bisping had earned the right to pick the second fight following Nick Osipczak’s knockout victory over Mark Miller.

While the immature and probably somewhat fabricated storytelling of Team United States’s Cameron Dollar—a dog with considerably more bark than bite, at least to this point in the season—probably made a large portion of the audience squirm with discomfort and general dislike for the piercing-laden lightweight, it seemed to bother Jason Pierce and Jason Dent that much more.

Pierce chose to stay out of the limelight, opting to socialize with Team U.K.’s David Faulkner by the pool rather than confront some of the more outspoken figures on his own team. Dent, on the other hand, was having difficulty keeping his evident frustration in check, as he responded with a disgusted retort and walked away following Dollar’s pronouncement that he had slept with his best friend’s wife.

The tensions didn’t reach a head, however, until Dent and Dollar got into some serious verbal sparring in the van following one of the team’s outdoor training sessions, prompting an unenthused and clearly underwhelmed Dan Henderson to get involved. The snide, wannabe peace-keeping tactics of the considerably strange Damarques Johnson did not help matters, as Dent comically told the former to turn toward the cameras again, a well-placed jab at Johnson’s apparent need for frequent media attention.

Chosen to represent Team U.K. for the second match, and the first in the lightweight tournament, was confident striker Andre Winner, who rolled through a hesitant Santino DeFranco in the first round by way of a TKO stoppage, putting Bisping’s squad up 2-0 over the Americans. DeFranco attributed nerves to his early defeat.

While Henderson took Mark Miller’s previous loss in stride, he could not help but be bothered by DeFranco’s flop at the hands of the British team, telling his men that the weakness that was being exploited was one of a mental, not a physical nature.

Team U.S. continued to struggle in the house while the boys from across the pond got on wonderfully, even playing on an in-ground trampoline in the back yard, but they found their first in-cage success in the form of Johnson’s first round triangle choke submission of the sluggish Dean Amasinger, who was specifically forewarned by coach Bisping to avoid such a maneuver once the fight hit the mat against his rangy opponent.

Bisping, apparently tied up with other responsibilities, was noticeably absent during the bout, causing pre-fight anxiety that may have translated into a more hesitant performance out of Amasinger.

Scenes from next week’s episode look to focus on the increasing hostility amongst the U.S. team, mainly provoked by Dollar, as well as Bisping’s confession that missing Amasinger’s first round elimination bout was “inexcusable.”

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


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The Ultimate Fighter 9: U.S. vs. U.K. Episode 5 Recap & Review After losing their first match up on TUF 9's Episode 4 to the U.K. squad, Dan Henderson’s U.S. team was looking to rebound in Episode 5. A few problems hindered their success, at least early on, including rampant internal personal issues within the team itself and the fact that opposing coach Michael Bisping had earned the right to pick the second fight following Nick Osipczak’s knockout victory over Mark Miller. While the immature and probably somewhat fabricated storytelling of Team United States’s Cameron Dollar—a dog with considerably more bark than bite, at least to this point in the season—probably made a large portion of the audience squirm with discomfort and general dislike for the piercing-laden lightweight, it seemed to bother Jason Pierce and Jason Dent that much more. Pierce chose to stay out of the limelight, opting to socialize with Team U.K.’s David Faulkner by the pool rather than confront some of the more outspoken figures on his own team. Dent, on the other hand, was having difficulty keeping his evident frustration in check, as he responded with a disgusted retort and walked away following Dollar’s pronouncement that he had slept with his best friend’s wife. The tensions didn’t reach a head, however, until Dent and Dollar got into some serious verbal sparring in the van following one of the team’s outdoor training sessions, prompting an unenthused and clearly underwhelmed Dan Henderson to get involved. The snide, wannabe peace-keeping tactics of the considerably strange Damarques Johnson did not help matters, as Dent comically told the former to turn toward the cameras again, a well-placed jab at Johnson’s apparent need for frequent media attention. Chosen to represent Team U.K. for the second match, and the first in the lightweight tournament, was confident striker Andre Winner, who rolled through a hesitant Santino DeFranco in the first round by way of a TKO stoppage, putting Bisping’s squad up 2-0 over the Americans. DeFranco attributed nerves to his early defeat. While Henderson took Mark Miller’s previous loss in stride, he could not help but be bothered by DeFranco’s flop at the hands of the British team, telling his men that the weakness that was being exploited was one of a mental, not a physical nature. Team U.S. continued to struggle in the house while the boys from across the pond got on wonderfully, even playing on an in-ground trampoline in the back yard, but they found their first in-cage success in the form of Johnson’s first round triangle choke submission of the sluggish Dean Amasinger, who was specifically forewarned by coach Bisping to avoid such a maneuver once the fight hit the mat against his rangy opponent. > Check out the UFC apparel & hats and Hostility MMA clothing online through ProFighting-fans.com! Bisping, apparently tied up with other responsibilities, was noticeably absent during the bout, causing pre-fight anxiety that may have translated into a more hesitant performance out of Amasinger. Scenes from next week’s episode look to focus on the increasing hostility amongst the U.S. team, mainly provoked by Dollar, as well as Bisping’s confession that missing Amasinger’s first round elimination bout was “inexcusable.” Make sure to check back at ProFighting-fans each week for reviews and in-depth analysis of every episode of The Ultimate Fighter 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 finale results!