Thoughts on TUF 6 -- Episode 8
Here are some of my thoughts on last night's episode:
- Matt Serra is quickly growing to be one of my favorite MMA fighters -- the kind of guy whose personality outside the Octagon makes you root for him inside the Octagon. I interviewed him when he was down at Ground Control here in Baltimore, and he was friendly and warm and bubbly in an infectious way. What I like about him from the show is his matter-of-factness -- he's not afraid to tell you the way it is, but he does so in a way that's not threatening.
On last night's episode, Serra clowned opposing TUF 6 coach Matt Hughes as well as his own fighter, "War Machine" Jon Koppenhaver. Serra clearly dislikes Hughes, but I find his rants about Hughes clever and amusing. In the same way, Serra quickly dissected Koppenhaver's mental game as a weakness, but also gave Koppenhaver the opportunity to earn his trust through proper training.
I thought Serra handled Koppenhaver very well both before and after his loss. Serra is the kind of coach -- much like Tito Ortiz in season 3 -- that I would love to learn from.
- Wow, that Koppenhaver is quite a character. His story about losing his father as an adolescent was truly heart-wrenching and it appears that he hasn't fully dealt with that loss. It really was sad to hear him say that he has nobody in this world (save a couple of friends.) Admittedly, it was enough for me to pull for him in the fight against Hughes farmboy Tommy Speer.
And, it looked like the underdog Koppenhaver might actually get the job done, especially with his early punch that sliced open the bridge of Speer's nose and his numerous rear naked choke attempts. Speer, however, took control midway through the first round and used his size and wrestling ability to control the remainder of the match to earn the decision victory.
- Next week the quarterfinal matches begin. According to the understood rules, Serra chooses all the matchups because he won the preliminary round 6-2. I hope Spike TV and Dana White don't go and muck this up, as it looks like they might from the preview of next week's episode. If Serra wants both Hughes fighters to meet up in the first round in order to eliminate one of them, that's his prerogative. I don't think White or Hughes should have any say in it.
I'm already worked up about it. I guess we'll have to see what happens next week...
Kevin Richardson has been a fan of mixed martial arts competition ever since UFC 3, when 600-pound sumo wrestler Emmanuel Yarborough was beaten by Keith Hackney. Kevin will cover the world of MMA — in Baltimore, nationally and internationally. He plans to take readers into the locker rooms and MMA schools, where they'll hear from local fighters and trainers. If you have a news tip or suggestions for the blog, please 
Comments
i feel sorry for war machine. he needs a hug, but perhaps the large grenade tattoo on his neck scares people away.
Posted by: dex | November 9, 2007 10:03 AM
As to picking the fights, I guess we'd have to be a fly on the wall in the UFC meetings, but what is the purpose of TUF?
Is it to satisfy the egos of the coaches, create a 'team' approach to UFC that never is broached again?
Is it to put the best amateur fight matchups possible?
Is it about exposing as many young fighters as possible to the public?
Is it guaranteeing that the most marketable fighters get the most recognition?
If the coaches are playing against each other in a chess game that is detrimental to the UFC in the long run, I can't imagine Dana and Zuffa not speaking up and using influence.
It happens all the time on every other reality show on television, and it's done to protect the product. UFC has to protect and ultimately control the disposition of the product.
I guess the question is, what is the product: The show, the fighters, or the coaches' chessboard?
Posted by: Guy Gaduois | November 9, 2007 1:29 PM