Sherdog.com’s Guide to TUF 9
Scott Holmes Apr 23, 2009
After last week’s dramatic episode where Jason Dent
took out Rob Browning and Kiel Reid was
knocked out, the teams for “The Ultimate Fighter 9” are set and the
training begins.
U. K. coach Michael Bisping takes a shine to all of his lads pretty quickly. Most of them already have some notoriety on the U.K. circuit.
“Training is going fantastic. I couldn’t ask for a better team to
be honest,” says Bisping. “They're all hard workers; there’s not a
single one who’s a slacker or a complainer or a winger. They're all
loving it.”
Winger? This Yank has to run to the Internet for that word.
"I know one thing, they ain’t training harder than us,” says Bisping confidently.
As Bisping and his boys file out of practice, one of the Americans offers up a lame jibe of "better work on that jumper.” None of the Brits know what that means. How could they? It's basketball related. Bisping fires back that they'll have to try and do better than that if they want to talk smack. Bisping has a way of getting under the Americans’ skins, and it’s beginning to put a bit of a hiss under the pot.
U.S. coach Henderson introduces his coaching staff as well. Gustavo Pugliese is on boxing and Ricardo "Pancho" Feliciano will help out with submissions, while Cyrille Diabate will hold the pads and instruct in Thai boxing. Dan also brings in his long-time training partner from his Greco Roman wrestling days, Heath Sims.
“Hendo” is worried about his team fighting so soon. In the real time, it's only been a few days since the Americans last fought, while the U. K. team has enjoyed two weeks of recovery. Hendo's biggest concern is the weight-cutting. Making weight for a third time in a week would be brutal for anyone, so Henderson asks his boys who is ready to go right now. Since his team won the coin toss last week, they have the choice for the first matchup.
Henderson likes his
squad.
Hendo and company decide to let Mark Miller
out of the cage first considering that he put on quite a show
during his qualifying fight, despite having to face his friend and
training partner. Henderson wasn’t too impressed with Nick
Osipczak's first fight, so they match him with Miller, much to
approval of Osipczak and Bisping. Osipczak really likes the matchup
since he’s much taller than Miller, who happens to be one of the
shortest competitors on the show.
Shortly after the announcement, Bisping is back to chirping at the American team.
"I think Bisping talking shit and stuff, that’s all fine and good, but he’s not going to be in there getting that ass whooping with them,” says U.S. fighter Damarques Johnson.
Bisping and his coaches sit down to watch tape and break down Miller's game. It doesn’t take long for Bisping to spot some glaring issues and they all note Miller’s tendencies, such as patting down the jab and dropping his hands when he throws leg kicks. Bisping steps into the cage and preps Osipczak for Miller's bruising style. Osipczak explains how his game has evolved, admitting that his Kung Fu was Kung Fu--ed once he stepped into an MMA gym.
Miller is likened to a Tasmanian devil and considered to be one of the toughest guys on Team USA.
“I think I was at breakfast with my grandma and she asked me what my fight nickname was and I said ‘Meat Missile’ as a joke,” Miller tells the camera of his unique moniker.
Unlike Bisping and Osipczak, Miller hasn’t looked at any film.
“Not really one for game plans,” says Miller.
Miller does pick Thai expert Cyrille Diabate's mind for a few tips though.
“Not a power kicker?” asks Miller, to which Diabate shakes his head. Uh oh, that's called foreshadowing people.
Miller has heavy hands, and Diabate nods in agreement listening to Henderson's take on the fight: “I think he’s going to beat the f--- out of the guy."
There’s not too much to report this week in the antics department. There’s some defacing of training property, but nothing that warrants being tossed through a plate glass window just yet.
The fight is a rough one though, as the 6-foot-2 Osipczak and Miller, who’s 5-foot-10, aren’t playing around. Osipczak starts off the party with a nice hip toss, while Miller attacks an arm to set up a sweep. They exchange several more guard and mount reversals, but the first round evolves into nothing but elbows, uppercuts, knees, hooks and straights.
In the second round, Miller drops for a single leg that leaves his head open for a guillotine attempt, which is pretty close to finishing him off. Miller makes a hand motion that has referee Herb Dean asking him if he tapped, but he jerks his head out before any call is made.
Miller escapes trouble and comes right back, swinging wild, compact bombs.
Again Osipczak lands on top of Miller, taking side control and delivering knees to the body. Osipczak finally gets the full mount he is looking for. After repeated screams from coach Henderson, Miller obeys his commands and bucks his hips to roll Osipczak off and reverse the position. Miller is spent and can’t get anything going though, so referee Dean stands the pair back up.
Miller is gassed and in Osipczak's own words, he sets the American fighter up with “the oldest trick in the book.” As the two face off, Osipczak glances down toward Miller’s legs, but throws a nasty high right kick that flashes Miller out, who falls like a tree. Referee Dean stops the fight by KO.
"Mark didn’t stick to the game plan and his opponent was a lot tougher than he looked in his first fight,“ says Henderson. Diabate's earlier summation that Osipczak wasn't a "power kicker" has also proved to be false. Looks like they should have gone to the tape.
If that was America’s toughest team member, this does not bode well. Bisping rattles off some more trash talk to the shell-shocked Americans.
“You can be beat before you step into the cage,” said Bisping, justifying why he continues to chip at the U.S. team, even if it makes him look like a "d--k.”
At this point, it looks as though UFC President Dana White wasn't just spouting hype for television’s sake -- the U.K. team is coming in to stomp some a--.
U. K. coach Michael Bisping takes a shine to all of his lads pretty quickly. Most of them already have some notoriety on the U.K. circuit.
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Winger? This Yank has to run to the Internet for that word.
Bisping also takes a moment to introduce his personal coaches, who
will be acting as his assistants during the season. Mario "Sacuta"
Neto will be the man on submissions and Dave Jackson will
handle all things standup related.
"I know one thing, they ain’t training harder than us,” says Bisping confidently.
As Bisping and his boys file out of practice, one of the Americans offers up a lame jibe of "better work on that jumper.” None of the Brits know what that means. How could they? It's basketball related. Bisping fires back that they'll have to try and do better than that if they want to talk smack. Bisping has a way of getting under the Americans’ skins, and it’s beginning to put a bit of a hiss under the pot.
U.S. coach Henderson introduces his coaching staff as well. Gustavo Pugliese is on boxing and Ricardo "Pancho" Feliciano will help out with submissions, while Cyrille Diabate will hold the pads and instruct in Thai boxing. Dan also brings in his long-time training partner from his Greco Roman wrestling days, Heath Sims.
“Hendo” is worried about his team fighting so soon. In the real time, it's only been a few days since the Americans last fought, while the U. K. team has enjoyed two weeks of recovery. Hendo's biggest concern is the weight-cutting. Making weight for a third time in a week would be brutal for anyone, so Henderson asks his boys who is ready to go right now. Since his team won the coin toss last week, they have the choice for the first matchup.
Dave
Mandel/Sherdog.com
Shortly after the announcement, Bisping is back to chirping at the American team.
"I think Bisping talking shit and stuff, that’s all fine and good, but he’s not going to be in there getting that ass whooping with them,” says U.S. fighter Damarques Johnson.
Bisping and his coaches sit down to watch tape and break down Miller's game. It doesn’t take long for Bisping to spot some glaring issues and they all note Miller’s tendencies, such as patting down the jab and dropping his hands when he throws leg kicks. Bisping steps into the cage and preps Osipczak for Miller's bruising style. Osipczak explains how his game has evolved, admitting that his Kung Fu was Kung Fu--ed once he stepped into an MMA gym.
Miller is likened to a Tasmanian devil and considered to be one of the toughest guys on Team USA.
“I think I was at breakfast with my grandma and she asked me what my fight nickname was and I said ‘Meat Missile’ as a joke,” Miller tells the camera of his unique moniker.
Unlike Bisping and Osipczak, Miller hasn’t looked at any film.
“Not really one for game plans,” says Miller.
Miller does pick Thai expert Cyrille Diabate's mind for a few tips though.
“Not a power kicker?” asks Miller, to which Diabate shakes his head. Uh oh, that's called foreshadowing people.
Miller has heavy hands, and Diabate nods in agreement listening to Henderson's take on the fight: “I think he’s going to beat the f--- out of the guy."
There’s not too much to report this week in the antics department. There’s some defacing of training property, but nothing that warrants being tossed through a plate glass window just yet.
The fight is a rough one though, as the 6-foot-2 Osipczak and Miller, who’s 5-foot-10, aren’t playing around. Osipczak starts off the party with a nice hip toss, while Miller attacks an arm to set up a sweep. They exchange several more guard and mount reversals, but the first round evolves into nothing but elbows, uppercuts, knees, hooks and straights.
In the second round, Miller drops for a single leg that leaves his head open for a guillotine attempt, which is pretty close to finishing him off. Miller makes a hand motion that has referee Herb Dean asking him if he tapped, but he jerks his head out before any call is made.
Miller escapes trouble and comes right back, swinging wild, compact bombs.
Again Osipczak lands on top of Miller, taking side control and delivering knees to the body. Osipczak finally gets the full mount he is looking for. After repeated screams from coach Henderson, Miller obeys his commands and bucks his hips to roll Osipczak off and reverse the position. Miller is spent and can’t get anything going though, so referee Dean stands the pair back up.
Miller is gassed and in Osipczak's own words, he sets the American fighter up with “the oldest trick in the book.” As the two face off, Osipczak glances down toward Miller’s legs, but throws a nasty high right kick that flashes Miller out, who falls like a tree. Referee Dean stops the fight by KO.
"Mark didn’t stick to the game plan and his opponent was a lot tougher than he looked in his first fight,“ says Henderson. Diabate's earlier summation that Osipczak wasn't a "power kicker" has also proved to be false. Looks like they should have gone to the tape.
If that was America’s toughest team member, this does not bode well. Bisping rattles off some more trash talk to the shell-shocked Americans.
“You can be beat before you step into the cage,” said Bisping, justifying why he continues to chip at the U.S. team, even if it makes him look like a "d--k.”
At this point, it looks as though UFC President Dana White wasn't just spouting hype for television’s sake -- the U.K. team is coming in to stomp some a--.
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