The Ultimate Fighter: Season 8 Episode 2

In the season debut, Krzysztof Soszynski, Dave Kaplan, Phillipe Nover, Vinny Magalhaes, Antwain Britt, Brian McLaughlin, and Junie Browning brawled, grappled and subbed to earn one of the treasured 16 spots in the Ultimate Fighter house. This week’s episode completes the round of preliminary bouts; we get more bangs per minute than ever with eight competitive contests (some edited for time).

With UFC President/mascot Dana White hooting like a rowdy fan at one of the events he promotes, and coaches Nogueira and Mir evaluating for team picks next week, John Polakowski won a spirited fight against Wesley Murch in lightweight action when a leg injury prevented Murch from continuing.

Murch valiantly hobbled out into the center of the Octagon as the bell tolled for the second round, crumbling due to the intense pain, before the referee stopped the fight and awarded Polakowski the win.

Shane Primm backed up his big talk with an impressive near-naked choke submission of fellow light heavyweight Sean O’Connell. Likewise, Efrain Escudero executed a first round submission with a rear-naked against notable TUF entrant Ido Pariente, a seasoned fighter, bringing the 22-year olds streak to nine straight tap out victories.

As the action of the latter contest heated up, White noted how the lighting-pace, constant action of the “small guys” made for more thrilling exchanges than the slow, lumbering heavyweights, gently ribbing Heavyweight champion ‘Big Nog’ and contender Frank Mir, who both had a laugh.

Worth noting, while O’Connell and Pariente suffered defeat, both exhibited great potential and could have gone far on the show if not for drawing Primm and Escudero in the preliminaries; from the quick dismantling of their opponents, the latter two look like early favorites to take the UFC contracts.

The Main Event

The final skirmish of the episode saw ground-technician Eliot Marshall going the distance with Karn Grigoryan, schooled in BJJ and a member of Team Link, the same camp that produced Gabriel ‘Napao’ Gonzaga and WEC Middleweight champion Paulo Filho. The fighters engaged in what seemed like a teaser of Nogueira/Mir in December: two heavyweights, adept on the ground, jockeying for advantage and looking for the loose appendage.

The tightly contested fight stirred Frank Mir’s passion for the sport; the former UFC champion couldn’t stay seated, bouncing like a grade-schooler on a sugar rush as he barked instructions to Marshall. It didn’t take long for the coaching rivalry to detonate, as Nogueira, usually subdued, countered Mir’s instruction by corning Grigoryan.

After three rounds, the judge’s cards gave Grigoryan the split decision. Both White and Mir expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome, White going as far as telling Marshall he felt the judges made the wrong decision.

Mir reasoned Marshall’s submission attempts should have weighed heavier than Grigoryan’s Jiu-Jitsu defense, since you can win a fight stitching in a sub, but never from escaping one.

Marshall’s dream of having his hand raised as the next Ultimate Fighter didn’t end there, however. A broken hand forced Antwain Britt to bow out of the competition. White announced Eliot Marshall as his replacement.

Also moving into the house is 155-pounders George Roop and Shane Nelson, and 205-pounder Ryan Bader. Next week, the coaches pick their teams. Efrain Escudero and Shane Primm will go as early picks, and there shouldn’t be much surprise as to where Grigoryan and Marshall end up.

Relevant Link: The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir Episode 1

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