TUF 17 Ep.7 Recap: Styles Decide Fights

Because you missed another episode of TUF and need to get a quick rundown before this afternoon’s water cooler talk, here’s an abbreviated synopsis of TUF 17 Ep.7 featuring Team Jones’ Clint Hester vs. Team Sonnen’s Jimmy Quinlan.

(And, dang, you seem to be missing a lot of episodes lately.  What gives?)

The Blow by Blow
This week’s episode opened with more talk about the potential wild card spot, with Bubba McDaniel eyeing the opportunity.  And Uriah Hall’s continued assholery is discussed with Jon Jones.

But enough with the small talk, the guys went to Hooters -- and Gilbert Smith Jr. undressed on cue and took his shirt off.  After finding his way into a size smedium Hooters tank top, Gilbert then ripped that off to the staged applause of the waitresses.

Before departing the restaurant, the fighters and coaches posed for a picture with the Hooters ladies, but the always grumpy Uriah refused to join in.

"Argh, I love being naked on TV."

The next morning, Josh Samman woke up with intense leg pain and was taken to the hospital due to his history of blood clots.  He ends up being released and okay.

(Which I somehow missed entirely.  Mid-fight, I blurt, ‘Hey, what happened to Josh,’ but fortunately my fiancée was there to back me up.  I guess this occurred when I making an adult beverage.)

A lot of the episode was spent discussing the stylistic differences of Clint, an accomplished striker, and Jimmy, who has a background in grappling.  Chael Sonnen reveals that both coaches wanted Clint with the first overall pick.

Both Clint and Jimmy genuinely like each other and appeared to be bro-ing it up a bit.  Clint said most the house doesn’t get Jimmy, but they’re besties.

Get to Know Your Fighters
Clint (7-3) is from Powder Springs, Ga. -- which is about 30 miles from the ‘ole home base in downtown ATL -- and he tries to be a humble dude.  He had a stable upbringing where he lived with his aunt and uncle, but he just liked to fight.  Clint hung with some smaller guys, so he stuck up for them -- and fought.

He wanted to box when he was young, but started in 2005.  After his boxing gym closed, he found a nearby gym that also featured MMA, which intrigued the fighter.  Clint took his first MMA fight 10 months later.

Jimmy (3-0) went to school for criminal justice and didn’t grow up in bad neighborhood.  He tries hard to be a good cop.

Jimmy also believes his police training helped to prepare him for the scenario he faces on the show -- being holed up with a bunch of dudes while competing.  The local police force has allowed Jimmy to train and pursue wrestling and MMA.  He has a job waiting when he gets back -- but he hopes to win.

The Fight

Photo from UFC.com.

Jimmy shot early and lifted Clint for an immediate slam to begin the first round.  Although Jimmy secured a strong side position after the slam, Clint quickly escaped -- yet soon was thrown a second time by Jimmy.   Clint popped up and the pair returned to grappling.  Clint almost secured a guillotine and landed some knees while controlling Jimmy’s head.  After separating, Jimmy again lifts Clint for the third slam of the round and rode the top position until the horn.

Clint opened the second round by shooting and Jimmy almost secured a guillotine after sprawling – and the second round again turns into a grappling match.  Jimmy assumed the top position.  Fighting to escape, Clint rolled to his stomach and Jimmy sat on his back.  The wrestler dropped some small bombs before sinking in the guillotine to end the fight at 3:16 with a quick tap by Clint..

Episode Grade:  C+
TUF has oft been criticized for being a juvenile and focusing on pranks -- and I miss it.  We’ve had two straight weeks of friendly fights with little build up.  If it weren’t for Uriah being a self martyr, the season 17 house might have flat lined by now.

By the way, what the hell was Clint thinking to open the second round?  Was he trying to catch Jimmy off guard, by shooting?  He needed to toss some haymakers to utilize his strengths, but too often played into Jimmy’s grappling background.

 By default, the final round matchup is Zach vs. Dylan.  Dylan was last pick, so Zach should be the assumed favorite next week.