UFC's Ultimate Fighter Results for June 10, 2009
Recap of Spike TV’s TUF
Team US fighter Cameron Dollar is training for his fight against Andre Winner. Coach Dan Henderson wants him to work on taking Winner down and finish the fight on the ground. Dollar’s ribs are very sore and he worries about a body shot folding him up and ending the fight.
Back at the house, Team UK is ribbing Winner good-naturedly about his habit of sucking his thumb. Winner initially denies it. “I’ve never sucked my thumb once since I’ve been here. Only at night, and on the odd occasion in the van.”
Dollar says, “I can’t lose to a guy who sucks his thumb.”
Dollar Vs Winner
Dollar is the aggressor, throwing first, but Winner responds with a flurry of his own. It is a high-speed slugfest. Dollar fails at a takedown attempt, but does push Winner to the fence.
Winner hits some knees and leaves Dollar sprawled on the mat. Dollar keeps trying for the takedown but Winner is landing punches and staying on his feet. Just under the three minute mark, Dollar finally gets Winner to the mat but Winner quickly takes top advantage.
Winner rolls into position for a choke. Dollar holds on, throwing punches, but taps at 3:30.
Pearson Vs Dent
The next semi-final fight is Ross Pearson versus Team US’s Jason Dent.
Dent is looking to make an impression. “I’m a little irritated… that Dana (White, UFC president) said that my first fight was boring.”
Dent starts by landing some kicks but Pearson answers with jabs and a kick of his own, chasing Dent to the cage. They clinch and circle on the fence. Pearson goes for knees to the head, but slips, though he recovers quickly.
Both fighters are busy, but Pearson is connecting better. He backs away, allowing Dent off the fence. Dent taunts, but Pearson is still more aggressive and landing more shots. He backs Dent to the cage again where they clinch. Neither can land any real power shots but when Pearson backs up, Dent lands a five-punch combination.
The fighters return to the centre of the Octagon with two minutes remaining. Pearson is again the aggressor, driving Dent back to the fence with punches and knees. Dent answers one punch but ties Pearson up in the clinch again. They break and head to centre.
Back to the fence again, Pearson is able to avoid the tie up and land more shots. Dent taunts again, luring Pearson into the clinch. Dent circles to get Pearson on the fence where he lands some strong knees and punches. With 30 seconds left the two return to the centre and trade till the horn.
Pearson Vs Dent Round Two
Dent starts round two with kicks but misses a superman punch. Pearson capitalizes on the miss, and lands a straight left and strong right hook. There is a lot of circling and trading, with both fighters landing and missing equally. Pearson charges Dent to the fence where they clinch. Dent misses another takedown and they return to centre.
Dent drives Pearson to the cage where he connects with good offense, though Pearson is answering every shot. Pearson circles and takes Dent down on the fence around the three-minute point. Neither fighter can land any impressive blows and Dent gets back to his feet, taking the fight back to the centre.
They stand and trade with Dent gaining the advantage. Dent lunges at Pearson’s legs for a takedown, but Pearson steps out. Dent is now on his back, covering. Pearson rains down 7 unanswered punches before Dent can get his legs up to hook Pearson’s neck, looking for the elbow. Pearson escapes and continues to land dominant punches and elbows for the last seconds of the round.
Dent comes out bloody for round three, but aggressively drives Pearson to the fence with punch combos and kicks. He lands a hard body kick as Pearson steps back. The two trade a couple of hard punches, though Dent is covering and looking more tentative than in previous rounds.
Pearson takes Dent down, but Dent is holding Pearson’s neck and looking for a choke. The two clinch awkwardly on the cage, but Dent gets to his back and locks in the guard. Pearson still lands elbows and hammer fists. Dent tries to escape, looking for Pearson’s arm but winds up giving his back.
The final two minutes of the round are all Pearson as Dent stays on mat, looking for, but not finding, any offense. Winner by unanimous decision, Ross Pearson.
Dent Gains Respect
White says he is very impressed with Dent’s showing. “He’s gained more respect in this loss than he did in his last two wins on Ultimate Fighter.”
Team UK has both fighters moving on to the finals. Winner and Pearson pose for their promotional photo, after which Pearson pretends to go for a takedown on Winner.
What do you think about this article?
Latest Articles