According to NSAC, the 12 fighters involved with the Dec. 13 event at the Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas that passed were Phillipe Nover, Efrain Escudero, Ryan Bader, Vinicius Magalhaes, Rolando Delgado, Shane Nelson, Tom Lawlor, Eliot Marshall, Junie Browning, Wilson Gouveia, Anthony Johnson, and Krzysztof Soszynski.

The NSAC also revealed the official attendance figures for the TUF 8 finale, with a total of 1,853 fans in attendance for the event for a live gate of $405,000. A total of 1,496 tickets were sold with 357 tickets being distributed on a complementary basis. The event was also short of a sellout, with 289 tickets going unsold.

The stunning high kick delivered to Burns not only improved Johnson’s record to 6-2, but it earned him a $25,000 bonus for “Knockout of the Night.”

You can watch the interview below to get Johnson’s thoughts on working with Cung Le; his feelings towards Burns and the infamous eye poke; how his conversation with referee Steve Mazzagatti went that ensued the week after the original eye poke incident; Johnson’s goals for 2009; and more.

During the course of the interview, Bader discusses his feelings about entering the fight an underdog and the punch delivered to Magalhaes that effectively ended the fight.

According to the release, the TUF 8 finale attracted an average of 1.9 million viewers during the two-plus hour telecast, which emanated from the Pearl at the Palm in Las Vegas.

During its allotted time slot, the broadcast also attracted a total of 539,000 male viewers between the ages of 18-34, making it the most viewed program in that coveted demographic on cable and network television.

The overall household rating for the show was a 1.3 with a 1.87 rating with males between the ages of 18-34.  Amongst males between the ages of 18-49 the show drew a 1.64 rating and the show did a 1.16 with male and female viewers between the ages of 18-49.

Welcome to the latest edition of Postcard From The Couch: The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale.

Before I get into my pre-broadcast thoughts on tonight’s event, I want to quickly express my feelings about the UFC‘s recent “Fight For The Troops” show on Spike TV.

Because of the nature of the event, I thought a PCFTC critiquing it would have been inappropriate. However, I want to commend the UFC and Spike TV for their efforts. Right off the bat, the goal of the broadcast was made clear: this night was about the troops, first and foremost. The packages on the soldiers were riveting. Produced features don’t always need to be flashy from a visual perspective, especially if the stories being told are compelling. These stories fell into that category.

Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan also did a tremendous job – not because of their commentary – but because they showed everyone that they’re just like the rest of us: human. They were clearly moved by what they saw, and, assuming you watched and have a heart, so were you.

Kudos to the UFC, Spike and the fighters who participated on the card. Most of all, kudos to those who serve this country. Please continue to support this important cause by going to http://fallenheroesfund.ufc.com.

PRE-SHOW THOUGHTS:

This is The Ultimate Fighter finale, so three of the five fights slated to be broadcast tonight feature fighters from season 8: Ryan Bader vs. Vinny Magalhaes, Phillipe Nover vs. Efrain Escudero and Junie Browning vs. Dave Kaplan. Therefore, I fully expect Spike TV to show the usual flashback sequences, which gives the viewers at home a reminder of what transpired during the season.

If you’re like me and watched the entire season, these sequences may simply serve as a good time to shotgun a beer or ignore phone calls from your girlfriend who wants you to watch the Sex and The City movie with her instead. (NOTE: this is not a real-life issue with me. It’s simply a recurring nightmare that I’ve had every night for the past week.

Now, for those viewers who’ve never tuned into The Ultimate Fighter – and there will be those watching tonight who’ve haven’t – this is a tremendous opportunity to suck them in for next season, which is tentatively scheduled to premiere in early-April on Spike TV.

I’m also particularly interested at how Goldberg and Rogan set up the Browning vs. Kaplan fight. Browning, as viewers of this season well know, was hardly the ultimate fighter. He was an underachiever inside of the octagon and a train wreck. He was, however, the ultimate reality show star.

So, is this simply a one and done for Browning? Is Dana White looking to use Browning for ratings purposes and then cut him from the UFC, regardless of tonight’s outcome? Personally, I hope so – but not because I want the worst for him. Browning, who has tremendous potential, simply didn’t deserve to be on this card in the first place. Giving him the camera time he desired on TUF was his reward. But TUF cameras stopped rolling weeks ago, so I’d rather see a more deserving fighter in his place tonight.

Throwing hissy fits makes for great reality television, but if Browning wins and continues to fight in the UFC, a “hissy fit” could result in negative publicity for not only the UFC, but for the sport of mixed martial arts. Is Junie Browning worth taking that risk on? We’ll find out soon enough.

We’ll also find out if Rogan takes advantage of his opportunity to read Browning the riot act. Rogan trains in MMA, has an idea of the dedication it takes to partake in the sport and is respected by the fighters. If there’s anyone who will criticize Browning’s behavior on TUF 8, it’s Rogan.

Of course, this is only what I expected to see. The following is what I actually saw…

ANNOUNCING:

Goldberg and Rogan were calling the action as usual, and right away, the focus of the telecast turned to Browning.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that a decent percentage of viewers were tuning in to see Browning not only fight, but get his behind handed to him by Kaplan. Personally, I was one of them. Would it happen? And would Rogan tear into him as well?

The answer to both of these questions was a resounding NO.

Goldberg and Rogan certainly didn’t play down Browning’s controversial stint on TUF. Goldberg, before hitting a commercial break, purposely used it to sell the telecast by teasing that “the most controversial fighter in the history of The Ultimate Fighter show” was coming up next. Which, on a side note, is a tremendous way to sell the show to TUF newbies that were watching.

However, the criticism that I was looking for on Browning’s behavior never materialized once they came back from break. It was wishful thinking on my part, but hardly unrealistic to expect. And honestly, I have no problem with the direction Goldberg and Rogan went, only because they did such a fine job in going with a sympathetic angle instead.

Goldberg and Rogan explained that Browning has turned his life around, both in and out of the octagon, since TUF cameras stopped rolling. And, at least Rogan was truthful when saying, “Well let’s be realistic, those antics are what got him here right now. That’s why he’s on the main card. That’s why he’s not on the undercard. And people like controversy.”

Again, not the direction I was hoping for, but they did a fine job of selling the angle they went with. Which, if Browning were to win, would help offset some of the criticism Dana White and the UFC may take if they chose to keep him on their roster.

As it turned out, Browning arguably executed the most complete performance of the telecast. I think it’s safe to say that Junie “The Lunatic” Browning will be back in the UFC.

While Goldberg did a solid job as usual, Rogan continued to show why he’s so top-notch. As someone who is attempting to learn the sport by watching, as opposed to participating, I truly felt as if Rogan was teaching me something tonight. Rogan truly shines when analyzing a submission attempt, and he did so several times in this telecast. He’s not only adept at describing what he is seeing at the moment, but he’s even more affective when adjusting his commentary to the change in action. For MMA novices like myself – and the many others who were watching – this is just a pleasure to watch. Does it mean that I can now execute a rear-naked choke on my mother when she comes to visit for brunch? No. But it educates me and makes my viewing experience that much better.

Rogan did have one rare misstep though. Before the Nover/Escudero fight, Goldberg set up Rogan into talking about Escudero, to which Rogan responded by saying, “…Dana White has said that he looks like Anderson Silva at 155 pounds.” Of course, Rogan had meant to say this about Nover. Goldberg, however, smoothly corrected Rogan without making him look bad. A minor slip indeed – but hey, I’m a perfectionist, alright?

OVERALL PRODUCTION VALUE:

From a production perspective, there was nothing extraordinarily different that Spike TV did in this particular telecast.

But, I did like the Playstation 3 sponsored “Corner Cams” that were sporadically utilized in-between rounds. In a smaller facility like The Pearl at The Palms, the smaller (and very quiet) crowd allowed the viewer to be able to hear the corners more effectively than they would at a bigger, louder venue such as the MGM Grand. Nothing earth-shattering came out of it audio-wise, but remember, this isn’t a scripted event, so it’s worth going to in case a fighter claims to be hurt, wants to quit, or in rare instances, decides to reveal on national television that his opponent’s body blow forced him to crap in his pants. We can only hope. Someday.

PACING & PACKAGES:

My thoughts about pacing are often based on the following question: is the broadcast taking advantage of its airtime in the best possible way?

Viewers tuning in should realize that those producing the telecast are responsible for hitting a specific number of commercial breaks, so while it’s not always ideal to go to break at certain times, it’s often necessary.

My point is, it’s easy to complain about the pacing of a live MMA event, but there are so many variables that go into it. Having said that, I liked the pre-fight package/commercial break/fighter intros/fight starts flow that Spike/Zuffa executed for several of the fights. Meaning, fighter walks to the octagon were cut out for some fights. Personally, I can live without fighter walks in the following situations: 1) when the event is taking place at a small arena like The Pearl and 2) if it is a non-main event fight.

On the other hand, a couple of decisions negatively affected the pacing.

Going to actor Kevin James after the Browning/Kaplan fight just so he could plug his latest movie and make his predictions on the card was an absolute waste of time. Yes, I understand that some genius out there bought that “advertising” time, hence the reasoning for the segment. It just comes of as WWE-ish. There has to be a more creative way to do that segment.

Rather than have Rogan sit with James and have him bumble his way through his predictions, they should have rolled in a pre-produced one-minute package on James going to train at a gym with a UFC fighter. While he’s certainly not in shape, James is funny, so comedy would ensue, and it would be a more entertaining and creative option, if we are indeed forced to deal with these spots.

The idea of Joe Rogan doing interviews with Forrest Griffin and Frank Mir in the crowd is a great one since they’re two of the more charismatic fighters in the UFC AND they’re fighting in separate fights on the next pay per view card. Spending the first part of it having them talk about being part of The 2008 Video Game Awards? Shameless plug? Sure. Boring? Absolutely.

I also believe that they missed an opportunity to take advantage of a couple of potential features that could have been produced.

Getting back to Junie Browning… the creativity level could have been turned up a notch had Spike/Zuffa produced a pre-fight package on the history of TUF bad boys, such as Chris Leben and Josh Koscheck. With Junie being the latest bad boy, the piece could have looked back at some of the greatest bad boy moments, concluding with the question of whether Browning would turn his life and take advantage of the opportunity he had tonight. Remember, this was on “free” television, so it would have also served as another selling point for The Ultimate Fighter reality show.

Another missed opportunity was the chance to show clips from some of the greatest TUF Finale fights from past seasons. They could have done a “Top 5 Finale Fights” for this show and rolled in the clips throughout the telecast, with the #1 fight (Forrest Griffin-Stephan Bonnar from TUF 1 finale) being rolled in right before the last fight of the night. Again, another selling tool.

On a positive note, the flashback packages on all four finalists fighting tonight were simple, but effective. If I were watching tonight and hadn’t watched this season, I got a clear vision of each fighter’s path to their fights tonight.

QUICK HITS:

David Kaplan walking to the Octagon and dancing to “Tenderness” by General Public in sunglasses and bling was fantastic.

Anthony Johnson’s head kick KO of Kevin Burns: wow.

THE FINAL WORD:

This was hardly a bad telecast by Spike TV/Zuffa. The fights were entertaining, and the call by Goldberg and Rogan was good.

Aspects of the production such as visuals, audio, lighting and graphics were up to par with other broadcasts we’ve seen from the UFC. But my biggest critique has to do with creativity. There’s essentially no competition for them to be concerned about on television, so it’s not as if the folks at Zuffa are constantly worrying about changing what they do.

Having said that, my suggestions about doing other packages have nothing to do with being concerned about competition. It’s about being creative and not content on doing the same thing every time. The Ultimate Fighter is a gigantic part of the well-oiled machine known as the UFC. And it relies on storylines, as well as the fighting, to attract and sustain its viewers. I believe that just a bit more could have been done tonight to showcase what the series is about for those who may not know.

One has to think that the UFC, Spike TV and Zuffa still want to attract new fans. Sometimes, after watching them execute the same approach over and over, I have to wonder if they’re almost daring you not to watch if you don’t like it.

Thankfully, I absolutely love it. I just wish they’d be open to some minor change, little by little.

Overall, a solid B effort.

Thanks for reading. And by the way – my after party is going to be at Sam Caplan’s house. Everyone’s invited!

I had the pleasure of being a guest on Steve Cofield’s ESPN Radio show in Las Vegas last night following the live finale for The Ultimate Fighter.

One of the things Cofield and I discussed is the position of some pundits that TUF has lost its way and is no longer producing good prospects for the UFC.

While I believe that criticism has been valid in recent seasons, I think you need heed the advice of Dr. Phil McGraw and “wake up.”

As I told Cofield on the air, taking out pure fighting ability and looking at things strictly from a marketing perspective, TUF 8 is the show’s strongest season as far as creating stars with drawing power.

The strength of this year’s show was never more apparent during the post-fight press conference in which TUF 8 champions Ryan Bader and Efrain Escudero along with runner-up Phillipe Nover were on display.

Escudero, nicknamed “El Matador,” came dressed in colors honoring his Mexican heritage. Towards the tail end of the presser, he was asked a question in Spanish and responded in kind. While Roger Huerta might have a new five fight contract, the UFC has added another potential drawing card as it looks to increase its following amongst Latin fans. As boxing has taught us, a fight promotion can never have too many Latin American stars.

In Bader, the UFC has a former All-American wrestler who carries himself like a seasoned 35-year old despite the fact that he is only 25. While Bader wasn’t exactly a monk during this past season of TUF, he came off as a solid citizen and didn’t require a lecture about how to act like an adult.

During media interviews, Bader remained upbeat and despite having every right to have a chip on his shoulder having been counted out by so many people, he took everything in stride and never once lashed out.

The only concern about Bader coming into the fight was whether or not he could put on an entertaining fight. During his early tournament matches on TUF, Bader appeared to be the kind of fighter who relied heavily on his tremendous wrestling base. However, the Reno native proved that hard work pays off by showing noticeable signs of improvement at the finale. His fight vs. Vinicius Magalhaes was anything but boring.

Then you have Nover, who despite turning in a disappointing performance, still has a bright future ahead of him. Anyone who is writing him off based on last night’s effort really doesn’t understand the sport of fighting. A fighter is only good as his last fight but Nover is just one big win away from regaining much of the momentum lost as a result of his unanimous decision defeat.

With the UFC harboring hopes of conquering the Philippines in the coming year and Nover’s Filipino heritage has garnered him a strong following in a short amount of time. His ability to speak Taglog makes him an invaluable resource to the UFC.

But Nover’s appeal extends beyond the Filipino demographic. While Junie Browning managed to alienate fighters and fans with his crazy antics, Nover presented himself as the anti-Junie on the show and his classy demeanor was one that a fan of any heritage could appreciate.

But Escudero, Bader, and Nover are more than just marketable – these kids can bring it in the cage.

Aside from a few flashes of solid striking, Escudero appeared to rely heavily on his wrestling during TUF. However, during the finale, it appeared he made the most of his six months leading up to training. While Escudero utilized his shot to prevent Nover from getting into a rhythm with his standup, he still showed compelling reason to believe he will become a well-rounded fighter.

Bader showed decent striking on Saturday but is far from being ready to stand and trade with Quinton Jackson, Wanderlei Silva, or Chuck Liddell in the UFC’s stacked light heavyweight division. But Bader is a hard worker and is training under Trevor and Todd Lally of Arizona Combat Sports, who have a growing reputation for being able to turn standout wrestlers into actual mixed martial artists.

As for Nover, while he denied every question that insinuated the pressure of being labeled the “lightweight Anderson Silva” had a negative effect on his performance, I don’t see how it couldn’t have.

Coming into the show, Nover was a total unknown. While he possessed tremendous potential, he possessed it while flying completely below the radar. He became an overnight sensation and having worked with Phillipe on a weekly blog for this site, I can tell you he’s the kind of kid who doesn’t want to disappoint anyone.

Spike TV sent advanced copies of the show to fighters during the season so that they wouldn’t have to wait until Thursday in order to write their blogs. Towards the end of the season the episodes were coming in late and Nover actually traveled 45 minutes by train from Brooklyn to a Spike executive’s house so that he could retrieve an advance copy so that he’d be able to submit his blog in time to this site and so that he’d also be prepared for his weekly Thursday viewing party. I can’t imagine how he’s handling all of his media requests and requests from fans.

Seeing Nover’s performance in the first round, I couldn’t help but come away with the impression that he wasn’t fighting to win but was instead fighting not to lose. That’s what happens when everyone keeps telling you how good you are and how they expect you to win.

The crazy thing is that no sooner than the Silva talked began to subside during the post-fight press conference, a Filipino reporter asked him a question in which she compared him to Manny Pacquiao. The kid can’t catch a break. He just needs to be allowed to be Phillipe Nover and I believe the loss will actually help him in that regard. With Escudero having the title of TUF champion, Nover will now be able to enter the UFC with a little less of a spotlight on him.

But the depth when it comes to potential stars extends beyond the three aforementioned names. The biggest star of them all could be Junie Browning. Yes, Junie. We can sit here and complain about the kid all we want but there was a degree of method to the madness. When it came to Junie, there was a degree of Howard Stern syndrome in that everyone complained about his antics all season long yet still tuned in because they couldn’t wait to see what he was going to do next.

The biggest issue I had with Browning was that his performances in the cage were a tremendous letdown from his outbursts outside of it. However, even Browning’s harshest critics have to admit that he looked greatly improved during his fight vs. Dave Kaplan.

There also appears to be a lot of growth in regards to Browning. In deciding to be represented by Denaro Sports Marketing, the Kentucky native chose a management group in which active fighter Jake Hattan is a big part of. Hattan has been able to speak to Browning as someone who has lived the life and signs are that Browning has taken some of the life lessons he’s learned in recent months to heart.

Under Denaro’s guidance, Browning also relocated to Vegas where he prepared for his fight vs. Kaplan at Xtreme Couture. What you saw in the cage last night was not a mirage; it was the result of months of hard work with renowned striking coach Shawn Tompkins.

Browning no doubt made an ass out of himself on the show but if UFC fans have proven one thing over the years is that they can be won over. Chris Leben was a villain coming off his TUF 1 stint and now gets more cheers than boos. Fans will continue to respond to Browning if he keeps talking the talk, just as so long as he’s able to keep walking the walk.

Those quick to dismiss my assessment of Browning’s potential should realize that he was kept on the show not because White wanted to see him get his ass kicked, but because White liked him. Sources indicate to FiveOuncesOfPain.com during the course of the weekend that since the end of TUF, White has remained in consistent communication with Browning.

Another fighter who shouldn’t be written off is Vinicius Magalhaes. The native Brazilian looks like he’s straight out of central casting and has the fighting credentials to back it up. Magalhaes fought poorly on Saturday but he’s still only 24 and his best years are ahead of him. If the four-time world jiu-jitsu champion is able to take his loss to Bader and use it to motivate himself then it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he emerges as a better fighter than Bader down the line.

Additionally, Kaplan, Krzysztof Soszynski, and Cofield-favorite Eliot Marshall all appear to be keepers as well.

While Kaplan may never be title contender material, he possesses solid submissions and standup and his colorful entrance alone likely earned him at least one more fight in the Octagon.

Soszynski is a former pro wrestler and understands the art of self-promotion. He has a marketable look but the concern was whether or not he was skilled enough to survive at 205 pounds in the UFC. But having watched him in the IFL, I can tell you he has made remarkable improvement over the past couple of years and while I don’t see him hanging with Silva, Jackson, Liddell, Rashad Evans, or Forrest Griffin anytime soon, I definitely believe he could be a legitimate mid-tier 205’er that will have enough name recognition to be featured on Spike TV events.

Marshall looked solid on Saturday and has yet to turn in a boring fight. If he makes it, it could potentially give the UFC as many as eight fighters that TUF will have produced for the promotion this past season. At a time where many are questioning the longevity of the TUF franchise, I don’t see it disappearing anytime soon after it just got done producing one of its strongest classes.

In the main event, Escudero defeated Phillipe Nover via unanimous decision, in which many considered a slight upset. Escudero controlled the fight from the very start. He consistently ducked under Nover’s strike attempts and went straight for the takedown. From there he was able to control the action and neutralize Nover’s jiu-jitsu, as it never really came into play.

Escudero twice successfully thwarted major submission attempts by Nover throughout the fight. If there is a weakness in Nover’s game, it’s his takedown defense, and it was exploited by Escudero tonight. Coming into this fight Nover had been compared to a young George St. Pierre or B.J. Penn, a huge honor for any fighter, but on this night the cards didn’t fall in his favor.

Still undefeated in his MMA career, Escudero will have a bright future in the UFC. His wrestling skills are a solid base for his fighting style and is stand up is seemingly always improving. In due time we should see Escudero become a main player in the lightweight title picture.

Despite the loss Nover will surely rebound as he is still growing into becoming a completely well rounded fighter. His name will probably be mentioned with the likes of Kenny Florian and Chris Leben, as a fighter who used his experience to become one of the top fighters in the UFC.

Bader proved to the world that he was worthy of being Nogeuira’s first overall pick on this years show. The two time All-American wrestler from Arizona State defeated world class BJJ black belt Vinicius Magalhaes via KO at 2:18 of the round 1.

Despite Bader’s wrestling background he knew he had to keep this fight standing, and did just that. Magalhaes looked hesitant to get in close to pull guard or clinch, possibly fearing Bader’s raw power, which lead to his downfall in this bout. Bader connected with a right hand to the temple which dropped Magalhaes to the mat. He followed with several hammer fists to capture the light heavyweight Ultimate Fighter title.

Even at this point in his young career, Bader will pose a huge threat to anyone currently in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. Although not displayed in this fight, his double leg takedown in one of the best in the game, and once he has you on the ground he is relentless with the ground and pound. Bader’s ability to end a fight standing or on the ground is a tough to defend against

As for Magalhaes, being a four-time world champion in BJJ at the tender age of 24, shows the raw talent he posses. The sky is really the limit and he Brazilian native will be back in the Octagon soon enough.

This season’s ultimate bad boy Junie Browning, defeated fellow teammate David Kaplan in a statement match for the troubled fighter. Browning looked like a completely different person than we saw on the show and he’s greatly improved his game inside the octagon. After dominating the first round with his improved striking and kicks, Browning caught his opponent with an arm-bar at 1:32 of the second round for the victory in his UFC debut. If Browning has truly turned his life around and dedicated himself to the sport, look for him to stay with the UFC for some time to come.

In a rematch, Anthony Johnson got his redemption with a KO victory over Kevin Burns via a spectacular head kick. The kick conjured up flashbacks to Gabriel Gonzaga’s KO of Mirko Cro Cop. Their last fight ended controversially when Burns accidentally poked Johnson in the eye. The poke was so bad the fight was forced to stop and Johnson had to have surgery. Johnson now has three very impressive KO wins in the UFC. Look for his stock to rise in the coming months in the welterweight division.

Despite his opponent not making weight, Jason MacDonald still agreed to fight Wilson Gouveia. MacDonald was looking to move up the middleweight division’s food chain with a win, but fell short in that attempt. He was caught by Gouveia with a straight right, followed by a short left and was dropped. After eating several harsh elbows, MacDonald was busted open and forced to tap-out at just 2:18 of the first round. Because he still agreed to fight Gouveia, MacDonald will receive 20% of his opponent’s purse for the fight, small compensation for a tough loss.

Johnson earned the bonus following a stunning high kick delivered to Burns’ head that sent him to the mat. The talented welterweight prospect credited the improved effectiveness of his kicks to his recent work with Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le.

Additional $25,000 bonuses were awarded to Dave Kaplan, Junie Browning, and Krzysztof Soszynski.

Kaplan and Browning claimed the “Fight of the Night” bonus in response to their strong performances during the opening bout of Spike TV’s live telecast. The fight ended with Browning submitting his fellow TUF castmate with an armbar at 2:32 of round 2.

Soszynski received the “Submission of the Night” bonus in recognition of his second round tapout of Gracie Tampa product Shane Primm during the show’s non-televised undercard. The former professional wrestler ended the fight by forcing Primm to tap to a Kimura.

Escudero defeated a game Phillipe Nover at lightweight via unanimous decision in the night’s main event. Escudero looked crisp during the fight and utilized his best weapon, his wrestling, to nullify Phillipe Nover’s standup game. Every time Nover would come in to throw a right hand, Escudero would duck under and take him to the ground and control him from there. Nover was game, though, and did not quit looking for submissions from the bottom and even seemed to have Escudero in some trouble with an omoplata attempt late in the third round. The Mexican born fighter survived, however, and went on to take the decision from the fighter that many considered the favorite going into the bout.

Ryan Bader was able to secure a TKO victory over his opponent, Vinny Magalhaes, in the first round. Going into the fight many believed the only way that Bader had a chance to win was to keep the fight standing and that’s exactly what he did. The fight didn’t even have a chance to hit the ground as Bader threw a strong right hand that grazed the jiu jitsu ace’s temple, sending him to the canvas. From there Bader jumped in with solid hammer fists that forced the referee to step in and stop the fight.

In other action on the card, Anthony Johnson was able to finally set the record straight in convincing fashion with his head kick knockout over Kevin Burns in the third round. After the way the first contest ended between these two competitors, Johnson wanted to make sure he put an exclamation point at the end of this fight and that’s exactly what he did. For the first two rounds it was a good battle with Johnson landing some nice strikes as well as taking Burns to the ground. Burns was no slouch off his back, however, looking for submissions the entire time and landing some decent strikes of his own. At the beginning of round three, Johnson threw a head kick that landed right on Burns’ chin and sent the Iowa fighter crashing to the mat in a heap. Johnson exacted his revenge and looks to be on the up and up at 170 lbs.

Wilson Gouveia, who was unable to make the 185 lbs. weight limit yesterday, made quick work of Jason MacDonald, winning via submission in the first round. Gouveia hit MacDonald with a left hand that put MacDonald down early and never let up from there, pouncing on him and landing a barrage of elbows that split MacDonald’s face open. Gouveia continued to rain down blows and forced MacDonald to eventually tap due to strikes. Gouveia said afterward that making weight will never be a problem again and that he absolutely intends on staying at middleweight.

In the night’s opening fight, Junie Browning made an impressive showing, submitting Dave Kaplan in the second round with an armbar. Browning looked like a much improved fighter than what was shown on the television show, working in crisp striking and footwork along with takedowns, guard passes, and an overall well-rounded game. Browning’s conditioning was not a factor either as he dominated Kaplan in every aspect of the fight. Browning apologized to Frank Mir after the fight, saying he was sorry that he gave Mir trouble on the show.

Full results from the event are below:

MAIN CARD:

• Junie Browning def. David Kaplan via submission 1:32, Round 2.

• Wilson Gouveia def. Jason MacDonald via TKO 2:18, Round 1.

• Anthony Johnson def. Kevin Burns via knockout 0:28, Round 3.

• Ryan Bader def. Vinny Magalhaes via KO 2:18, Round 1.

• Efrain Escudero def. Phillipe Nover via unanimous decision.

• Roli Delgado def. John Polakowski via submission 2:18, Round 2.

PRELIMINARY CARD:

• Shane Nelson def. George Roop via split decision.

• Tom Lawlor def. Kyle Kingsbury via unanimous decision

• Eliot Marshall def. Jules Bruchez via submission 1:27, Round 1.

• Krzysztof Soszynski def. Shane Primm via submission 3:27, Round 2.

All but one of the 20 fighters scheduled to compete on Saturday made weight, with Wilson Gouveia weighing in four pounds over the mandated middleweight limit of 185 pounds. Gouveia is set to face Jason MacDonald in one of five bouts slated to be televised on Spike TV. The former light heavyweight competitor will have up to two hours to make weight.

Full results from Friday’s weigh-ins are as follows…

• Lightweight: John Polakowski (152 lbs.) vs. Rolando Delgado (155 lbs.)
• Lightweight: George Roop (153 lbs.) vs. Shane Nelson (156 lbs.)
• Light Heavyweight: Tom Lawlor (204 lbs.) vs. Kyle Kingsbury (205 lbs.)
• Light Heavyweight: Jules Bruchez (205 lbs.) vs. Eliot Marshall (203 lbs.)
• Light Heavyweight: Shane Pirmm (202 lbs.) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (205 lbs.)
• Lightweight: Dave Kaplan (156 lbs.) vs. Junie Browning (156 lbs.)
• Middleweight: *Wilson Gouveia (189 lbs.) vs. Jason MacDonald (184 lbs.)
• Welterweight: Anthony Johnson (171 lbs.) vs. Kevin Burns (171 lbs.)
• Light Heavyweight: Vinicius Magalhaes (205 lbs.) vs. Ryan Bader (205 lbs.)
• Lightweight: Phillipe Nover (155 lbs.) vs. Efrain Escudero (156 lbs.)

The Nevada State Athletic Commission did not allow Gouveia to cut any additional weight over health concerns. His fight vs. MacDonald will go on as scheduled, however, it has been changed to a catchweight of 189 pounds. Gouveia will be forced to sacrifice 20 percent of his purse to MacDonald. Gouveia’s failure to make weight also comes at a time when the UFC is looking to make cutbacks to its roster.

The light heavyweight final will pit a former NCAA standout wrestler in Ryan Bader against a world class jiu-jitsu black belt in Vinicius Magalhaes. In the lightweight final, we’ll see another former NCAA standout in Efrain Escudero take on Phillipe Nover, who is a true mixed martial artist as he is a threat both on his feet and on the floor.

In addition to the two TUF tournament finals, viewers will also be treated to fights between fighters already on the UFC roster when Jason MacDonald takes on Wilson Gouveia and Anthony Johnson rematches Kevin Burns.

Below FiveOuncesOfPain.com’s preview of the five fights scheduled to be televised.

TUF 8 Light Heavyweight Final: Ryan Bader vs. Vinny Magalhaes – Bader trains out of Arizona Combat Sports under Trevor and Todd Lally. ACS is one of the fastest rising fight gyms in the world and in addition to Bader, C.B. Dollaway, Aaron Simpson, Steve and Ray Steinbeiss, WEC lightweight champ Jamie Varner, and WEC welterweight champ Carlos Condit all work out of ACS. Needless to say, Bader isn’t at a loss for good training partners.

ACS specializes in taking standout NCAA wrestlers and turning them into well-rounded mixed martial artists. But that transformation takes time. Pundits were critical of Dollaway’s performance during the course of TUF 7 but overlooked the fact that he’s only been training for a couple of years. Bader is also still relatively new to the world of MMA and should be excused for still being a little green.

A tremendous athlete with a ton of potential, the question that needs to be answered Saturday is whether Bader is ready for the shark tank that is the UFC’s light heavyweight division. He will take his first test on Saturday against Magalhaes, a world renowned jiu-jitsu player who possesses a tremendous amount of danger to Bader on the ground.

Bader’s best weapon is his wrestling and he will need it to prevent Magalhaes from taking him down. The last place he wants to be against Magalhaes is on his back. It also remains to be seen whether Bader wants to be on the floor at all. During a recent interview conducted by FiveOuncesOfPain.com contributing writer Cory Brady, Bader expressed little concern about being in Magalhaes’ guard. However, anytime a fighter talks strategy in public, it should be taken with a grain of salt. Even on his back, Magalhaes’ jiu-jitsu is still a threat that Bader might want to avoid.

Bader’s best bet is to keep this fight standing and try to utilize his tremendous strength to knock Magalhaes out standing. If this fight turns into a standup war — which I fully expect — Bader can test Magalhaes’ striking skills. From what I saw on the show, Magalhaes’ striking is a lot better than people are giving him credit for. However, standing and trading with Magalhaes is a better percentage play for Bader as opposed to getting involved in a jiu-jitsu match with him.

Prediction: Bader has a bright future but Magalhaes is just dangerous. I expect the fight to primarily be a standup war but I do think the fight will eventually go to the ground, where I envision Magalhaes winning via third round submission.

TUF 8 Lightweight Final: Phillipe Nover vs. Efrain Escudero - UFC President Dana White confirmed during a special Q&A session in Fort Bragg, North Carolina that the fighter he once referenced as “the lightweight Anderson Silva” was indeed Phillipe Nover.

Nover, who served as a blogger for FiveOuncesOfPain.com during the course of the airing of TUF 8, may not yet be the lightweight version of Anderson Silva, but he’s one of the brightest prospects that the TUF franchise has ever produced.

In Nover, the UFC uncovered a hidden gem. I am just amazed how the Manhattan resident has come out of nowhere. Living in Philadelphia, I pay close attention to the East Coast MMA scene. While I wouldn’t call myself an “expert,” I would say that I am very familiar with fighters coming out of New England, New Jersey, Delaware, and Southeast Pennsylvania. I am also familiar with a lot of fighters that are based out of New York. However, in all my travels, I had not heard of Nover. The first time I was ever exposed to him was through TUF.

Possessing well-rounded skills, Nover is ready to come in and compete with the UFC’s top lightweights right now. His dynamic striking ability coupled with his impressive jiu-jitsu skills makes him the worst possible matchup for a fighter such as Efrain Escudero.

Escudero is a strong prospect in his own right, but coming from a wrestling background is still looking for his all-around game to evolve. While his striking looked better than expected during his semifinal matchup, the last thing he wants to do is test his standup against Nover.

Escudero needs to get the fight to the ground as soon as possible because exchanging strikes with Nover will be a losing proposition that could end his night early.

Prediction: Escudero will get it to the ground but fail to keep it there, setting up the chance for Nover to win via second round KO.

Kevin Burns vs. Anthony Johnson - Burns, a jiu-jitsu blue belt who submitted black belt Roan Carneiro in his UFC debut, won a controversial bout against Johnson at UFC Fight Night 14 in July. The official result was a TKO for Burns over Johnson but that TKO was caused by an illegal eye poke that referee Steve Mazzagatti missed.

Upon seeing the replays, Mazzagatti actually approached Johnson a week later at EliteXC’s “Unfinished Business” event in Stockton, California and apologized for missing the poke. Johnson graciously accepted the apology and seemed pretty poised for someone forced to the sidelines after undergoing surgery as a result of the injury sustained.

Burns has been professional through the ordeal as well, apologizing and taking the blame for the illegal strike. However, he attributed to his frequent eye poking during the course of the bout to having a broken hand that hasn’t healed properly. It begs the question that if Burns couldn’t throw a close handed jab in July, will he be able to do so on Saturday? Mazzagatti may have missed a few calls during their first encounter, but based on all the controversy, there will likely be zero tolerance for poking this time around.

Johnson is a tremendous athlete with a ton of upside, and as such, I was surprised that Burns was able to hang with him for much of the fight. Athletically, these two are on two completely different levels and Burns is the kind of opponent that Johnson needs to put away in order to realize his potential.

Look for Johnson to not only be more aggressive in this fight, but to also be more effective since he will be able to fight without impaired vision.

Prediction: As long as Johnson can see clearly, I expect him to enact a measure of revenge and knock Burns out in the first round.

Jason MacDonald vs. Wilson Gouveia - This should be an interesting fight in that it’s cutdown season in the UFC. Both MacDonald and Gouveia are talented fighters that certainly belong in the UFC but with both having moved up the pay scale, one has to wonder what might be in store for the loser of this encounter.

MacDonald recovered from a loss to blue chip prospect Demian Maia at UFC 87 in August to come back the next month at UFC 88 to submit Jason Lambert. The loss forced Lambert out of the UFC and MacDonald received a new contract soon after. However, as many fighters have learned the hard way, your UFC contract isn’t worth the paper it’s printet on if you’re not winning fights.

Gouveia, a former light heavyweight competitor, has won some fights and has lost some. A member of American Top Team, he possesses a lot of potential but hasn’t been able to win on a consistent basis. There’s a real opportunity for Gouveia at 185 but he’s going to need to be able to put together three to four straight wins if he hopes to be able to contend for a title.

Both fighters are strong on the ground and if it hits the floor, a stalemate is possible. The fighters would be wise not to expend too much energy fighting a game of inches on the ground. Instead, their best bet is to keep the fight standing and vie for “Fight of the Night” honors.

Prediction: MacDonald is nicknamed “The Athlete” but I think Gouveia actually might be better athletically. I am picking Gouveia via unanimous decision, as he has the better standup of the two.

Junie Browning vs. Dave Kaplan - I was really impressed by Junie Browning during the qualifying round but felt that he underachieved once he got into the house. It just seemed like Junie was at war with himself every time he had to fight and Dave Kaplan’s standup is good enough that he’ll put Junie down if he’s not mentally ready to fight. Maybe the switch finally clicked for Junie while he’s been training in Vegas these past few months, but I still think the safer pick is Kaplan.

Prediction: Kaplan via third round TKO.

Bader joins the growing influx of top level collegiate wrestlers that have invaded the sport of mixed martial arts in recent years. The 24-year old light heavyweight had over 120 victories while wrestling for Arizona State University. He went on to become a three time PAC 10 Champion and two time NCAA Division I All-American.

The Tempe, Arizona native has made the transition from pure wrestling to MMA look easy since joining up with one of the sports top gyms, Arizona Combat Sports in 2007. Carving a path of destruction at 205 pounds since jumping head first into the sport, Bader has gone undefeated in his career and fought six times in 2007 alone. He is known for his powerful slams, suffocating wrestling, punishing ground and pound and has shown impressive boxing in many of his fights.

The man that is affectionately known as “Darth” Bader will be presented with some unique challenges when he steps into the octagon with Magalhaes to find out who is this seasons “Ultimate Fighter” at 205 pounds. Magalhaes is one of the most decorated submission grapplers that has ever stepped onto a mat. The 23-year old native of Rio De Janeiro holds world championships at the Pan American Games, the Brazilian Nationals, and the American Nationals, among others.

Bader spoke exclusively with FiveOuncesOfPain.com recently about being on the brink of this huge opportunity in his career, how he matches up with Magalhaes and what the future holds for him in the UFC at 205.

Cory Brady: Would you say your overall experience on the show was a good one or were you just dying to get out of there towards the end?

Ryan Bader: Yes, I would say it was a great experience. There was times when all you wanted to do was just get out of there but focusing on my goals helped a ton. There was good times and bad times in the house just as if you were at home. Overall I had fun and would do it again.

Cory Brady: What have you been up to since the show wrapped up?

Ryan Bader: Just training full-time. I took some time off right after the show and went away for a couple weeks. I came back and got right back in the gym. I just enjoyed being free and able to do whatever I wanted to do. That was huge to me after being cooped up in the house for so long. So not too much, just enjoying everyday life and training.

Cory Brady: Are you still living with C.B. Dollaway?

Ryan Bader: Yep, we still live together. We get along and have a lot of fun. We lead a similar life, with the same career and what not so it is easy to get along. Its also nice having somebody that knows what you are going through when you are going through a training camp. A lot of people don’t realize the work, dedication and sacrifices it takes. So some friends cant understand why I cant go out with them Saturday night, or why I am so “grumpy.” So we usually find ways to take our mind off of the fight and have fun without sacrificing what we are working towards.

Cory Brady: How are you feeling physically in the days leading up to the biggest fight of your career?

Ryan Bader: I feel great! I am in awesome shape right now and I feel I have gotten a lot better and have grown as a fighter. I am really looking forward to getting back in the cage. It has been too long!

Cory Brady: How confident do you feel going into your fight with Vinny?

Ryan Bader: I feel very confident. I am in great shape. My skill set is up and I am hungry for this win. I am very excited to get in there and mix it up with him.

Cory Brady: How do you feel you match up with Vinny?

Ryan Bader: I feel that I match up very well with him. He is amazing on the ground, but with my wrestling I feel that I can dictate where the fight takes place. I feel that I am better on my feet and that I am a lot more mentally tough, and if it goes to the later rounds I will have a definite advantage.

Cory Brady: Have you traveled anywhere to prepare for this one or have you stayed at home with Arizona Combat Sports for the most part?

Ryan Bader: I have stayed at Arizona Combat Sports with an exception of one week at Nogueira’s gym in Miami. It is nice to be around your training partners and your own trainers who know how you are progressing, how your body works, and what you need and don’t need to work on for the upcoming fight.

Cory Brady: Who are some of the key people that have helped you prepare for this fight?

Ryan Bader: The Lally brothers, Gustavo Dantes. These people are my main trainers and have helped me tremendously. Also my training partners, C.B. Dollaway, Aaron Simpson, Jesse Forbes, Steinbeiss brothers, Jacob McClintock and many many more. I couldn’t do it alone and they are always there pushing me and making sure that I am where I need to be.

Cory Brady: Who have you been training your submission game with?

Ryan Bader: I have been doing my Jiu Jitsu with Gustavo Dantes and Jacob McClintock. Gustavo is a stud world champion and Jacob has a similar style as Vinny with a lot of rubber guard, flying armbars, etc. I also roll and work out with as many high level grapplers as I can.

Cory Brady: You will definitely have the advantage in the wrestling department. Will you be confident in utilizing your ground and pound against against a guy like Vinny?

Ryan Bader: Yes, I am not afraid of being on top of Vinny. He has some slick submissions but I am not going to fight him like I fought Eliot. I will be punishing him so he never even gets the chance to play his game.

Cory Brady: Do you feel you have the superior stand up game?

Ryan Bader: Yes I do and it is evolving everyday. We are both not stand up studs by any means but I definitely have more power. I have been working hard and will be bringing a lot more into this fight. I feel like I have yet to show my true stand up skills in a fight and am looking forward to doing that.

Cory Brady: Will you be looking to make a statement in this fight?

Ryan Bader: Most definitely, I will be looking to make a big statement. I had a lackluster fight with Eliot and am looking to get that back. A nice KO would be perfect!

Cory Brady: How do you visualize this one ending?

Ryan Bader: Me the victor. I am going in this fight to finish it so it would be great any way I can achieve that.

Cory Brady: How excited are you to test yourself in UFC’s stacked 205 pound division?

Ryan Bader: Very excited. I am a competitor and want to test myself and there is no better place than the UFC especially at 205.

Cory Brady: What does the future hold for Ryan Bader in the UFC?

Ryan Bader: The future will hold success. I am looking to have a long successful career and one day be the champ. That is my ultimate goal, if it wasn’t I don’t know why I would be in this sport. I want to be the best at what I do.

Cory Brady: Is there anyone you would like to thank?

Ryan Bader: I would like to thank my camp Arizona Combat Sport and the Lally brothers first off. All my training partners that have helped me get to where I am today. Also Jason Genet with LG Sports Marketing. Also check out www.ryanbader.com.

Season eight resident prankster and Team Mir first pick, Krzysztof Soszynski, was 100% positive he would be the one left holding the trophy above his head when it was all over and once the coaches had picked their teams, the seasons consensus favorite wasn’t the only one who believed he’d be competing in the finals.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com asked this season’s most experienced and most intimidating contestant to discuss the experiences he’ll be taking away from living in the TUF house, his future with the UFC, and just what exactly happened that resulted in his disappointing loss to former Team Quest training partner and now TUF finalist, Vinny Magalhaes.

Gary Ibarra: Your game plan coming into your fight with Vinny was pretty obvious, keep the fight standing up and don’t go to the ground with him, it looked to be really effective until he managed to pull guard on you and take you down. Can you take us through what happened?

Krzysztof Soszynski: Well I thought I was controlling the fight pretty well, he knows that my strength is in my striking so I could see his game plan was to stay out of my range, that’s why you saw so many leg kicks, it was because I couldn’t reach him. I was trying to soften him up with the kicks and slow him down so I could get him into the range of my punches but I was completely surprised when he rushed in and pulled guard on me. I’ve trained with Vinny for a long time, both before and during the show and not once had he ever pulled guard on me, not once. I was shocked! But I guess that was why he did it, he knew I wasn’t expecting it since I hadn’t seen it from him in all the time we’d spent training together.

Gary Ibarra: You and Ryan Bader were the first picks for your teams and were the consensus favorites this season before the prelims had even begun, do you think that maybe caused you to look past Vinny a little?

Krzysztof Soszynski: A little bit, I never had any doubt that I could fight any of the guys in the house and win. I wouldn’t say I was looking past anyone, but I definitely had the confidence in my own ability. You cant argue with the outcome though, Vinny beat me straight up and I have to give him the respect for being able to do that and I’ll be pulling for him in the finals.

Gary Ibarra: One of the reasons experts had designated you the favorite was because of your extensive experience before the show, 24 professional fights, but your experience extends much further than that, is that fair to say?

Krzysztof Soszynski: Absolutely, I was a bodybuilder, I had tried to get into professional wrestling for a while before I became a member of the L.A. Anacondas in the IFL, my wife and I even owned and operated our own fight promotion in Canada for a while before moving to California.

Gary Ibarra: During the show, your friend and training partner at Team Quest, Dan Henderson, was on hand to help out with the training, how does having a guy like Dan to train with and to be in your corner help you as a fighter?

Krzysztof Soszynski: It definitely gave me a confidence boost, having a familiar face like Dan around during the training; it really made me more comfortable. I had only been training with Dan for less than a year at the time but we have become pretty good friends. I’ve helped corner him in his recent fights and I’ve really tried to take the things he teaches me and input them to better my wrestling. He had come to the training facility for Vinny’s fight and he ended up staying and training with us until I fought, which was great. He’s one of the best; it can’t hurt to have him in your corner.

Gary Ibarra: Your next bout is during the finale show and your slated to fight fellow cast member Shane Primm, you’ve seen him in action both in training and in his fight with Eliot Marshall. Some people say Primm is a different fighter when he trains then when he fights, is that something you noticed? And will that effect the way you approach the fight once you’re in the ring?

Krzysztof Soszynski: I think I’ve learned that you can’t really overlook anyone, whatever the issues a fighter has, he’s obviously fighting in the UFC for a reason, so no I won’t change the way I prepare for this fight. I will definitely try to raise my focus on my Jiu Jitsu training since that’s Shane’s background, but that’s what I do in all the time in every aspect of my game, I continually try and get better. The level of talent we have at Team Quest really helps elevate my game.

Gary Ibarra: The show is known for playing up rivalries between fighters and the antics of some of the more interesting characters in the house mostly for ratings, but you managed to become a popular personality in the house with your pranks and not by displaying any dysfunction, how did that happen?

Krzysztof Soszynski: I have a great life, a great wife, and a great son, everyone has issues in their life, but my family has kept me on an even keel so I don’t really have that many and especially not the kind that would make me act like a nut on TV. My whole idea was to come into the house and just be myself and what you saw on the show, that’s me. I like to joke around; I think the pranks are still hilarious even now when I see them replayed, but you get some guys who need to be the center of attention and don’t care how they do it or how it makes them look. I can say that from this experience I see that it’s mostly just an act.

Gary Ibarra: So you spent six weeks in a house with no TV, no radio, no magazines, no books, no phone, they wouldn’t even let you have writing pen’s or markers to draw with! Why do you think the UFC and Spike keep you guys cut off from the world so much?

Krzysztof Soszynski: That’s easy, the ratings. If this show was just about the training and the fights, the only people who’d watch it would be your hardcore fans. You put 16 guys in a house, guys whose normal outlet is training to fight and tell them they can only train for 2 hours a day and the rest of the time they have to interact with each other in a house full of alcohol? There you go; you’ve got your ratings.

Gary Ibarra: What do you think about the finals, any predictions?

Krzysztof Soszynski: I like Phillipe, he’s a freak, and he’s one of the only people I’ve ever met that are genuinely nice except for when you get them in the cage. He must have a mental switch that he flips because he almost becomes a completely different person before he steps in the ring, it’s weird. That’s not to say Efrain isn’t a good competitor or a great fighter, I just think Phillipe is going to be too much for him.

Gary Ibarra: And the fight between Vinny and Bader?

Krzysztof Soszynski: Vinny is the best Jiu Jitsu guy I’ve ever seen, I am definitely going to be pulling for him in the finals because contrary to what people have heard, we are not at odd’s. Bader though, is a great wrestler, I mean the guy was a two-time All American. As much faith as I have in Vinny’s Jiu Jitsu I still have to give Bader the edge. I can say that if Vinny has done his part to better the aspects of his game that needed work, like his wrestling and his stand up, I would give him a better chance but I think Bader is going to come out on top.

Gary Ibarra: Are there any pranks that you’ll remember that maybe didn’t make it into the final cut of the show?

Krzysztof Soszynski: Oh yeah, a few. The Polakowski prank, the one where Dave Kaplan was taking the marsh mellows out of his Lucky Charms, what they didn’t show was that he had been taking them out for weeks. Kaplan had done it a few times before Polakowski finally got pissed. But my favorite will always be the night Bader and I after a few drinks tried to climb up this wall in the house to get to this ledge that was up the stair case, it wasn’t a place that was accessible from the floor and it barely had room for one person to sit in. While Bader was trying to climb up the wall to get to it he accidentally kicked a huge hole in the drywall! He got a piece of paper and taped it to the wall next to the hole and wrote “Please UFC don’t kick me off the show, it was an accident, I’ll pay for the damages just please don’t kick me off the show” It was funnier at the time, not just because what had happened, but because watching him try to write that letter while he was drunk made it even funnier.

Gary Ibarra: People just assumed you’d be fighting Bader in the finals, is that something you’d like to still see happen in the near future?

Krzysztof Soszynski: I’d love to fight Bader; I would love to fight anyone the UFC gives me the opportunity to fight. I just want the chance to prove myself to the fans and the UFC management. I like to fight, it’s what I do. I’ve come a long way from never even being punched in the face a few years ago to having an opportunity to fight for the premier fighting promotion in the world. This experience has opened a lot of doors for me and not just opportunities to fight, in January Sokoudjou and I are going to be in an episode of CSI, it’s crazy.

Gary Ibarra: You had a year long stretch where you lost three times in a row, had a draw, then were TKO’d by Ben Rothwell, a stretch like that would make most fighters question weather they were in the right field, what made you stick to it?

Krzysztof Soszynski: I wasn’t ready for those fights, some of them I took last minute, some I took to see where I was in my training, but regardless of the outcome, every one of those losses taught me something and have become more important to my career then the wins because they made me the fighter I am today, I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com had the chance to speak with George Roop and talk about his time in the TUF8 house, his relationship with Frank Mir, and his future with the UFC.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: How did you make your way onto the show, did you go to the auditions or were you referred by a coach or former cast member?

George Roop: It’s really a good story. I was scheduled for a fight in Denver on a Saturday night, and some of my friends told me that there were auditions on the Thursday before my fight. Not having the money to fly in and stay in a hotel, I had planned on just fighting and not going to the auditions. When I told my friends this, they advised me that I was going to the auditions, and they had already purchased a plane ticket and hotel stay for me,. From there I went through the process, I train at a small gym and I didn’t have the benefit of a coach who could make a call for me. I have some really good friends who looked out for me.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: It was pretty well documented that your hand was in pretty bad shape. How bad was your hand injured, and were you ever concerned you wouldn’t be cleared by the Doctor to fight?

George Roop: Yeah, I was definitely worried. I knew it was broken. Frank Mir brought in a great doctor to help me with my hand, and help me get through.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: With the way the show can be edited, sometimes the time line can be misleading, how long were you battling the issue with your hand.

George Roop: When the show aired it looked like I injured it about 2 days before the John Polakowski fight. It was actually about 2 weeks before that fight when it happened.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Your season featured many practical jokes and crazy house antics, did that have any effect on you and your performances?

George Roop: No, I was never involved in any of that. But it was hard being away from my family. The lack of communication with the outside world is difficult. No TV , Radio, or literature.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: The show didn’t feature training in many episodes this year, how did you feel about the training you received with Team Mir?

George Roop: It was incredible, in fact Frank Mir has moved me out to Las Vegas right after the show. I’ve been training here for the last three-and-a-half, four months.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Given all the circumstances surrounding your hand, the house, and your time away from your family, how prepared did you feel going into your fight with Phillipe Nover?

George Roop: I am not one to make excuses, and I don’t want it to sound that way. Phillipe was the better fighter that day. I wasn’t there mentally ready to go, my hand was broke, and honestly I was ready to go home.

EDITORS NOTE FOR CONTEXT: by “ready to go home” Roop later commented that the show wrapped up production just a few short hours after his fight.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: You are scheduled to fight Shane Nelson on December 13, at the finale, what are your thoughts on the match up.

George Roop: I think it’s a great match up, I like Shane Nelson, he’s a great fighter. It has been several months, I have my cast off my hand, and I think that I’m going to expose a lot on him. I am fully healed and I will be able to use my full arsenal.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: It’s no great secret that the UFC has been trimming their roster. Going into your fight with Shane Nelson do you view this as a must win to stay in the UFC?

George Roop: Absolutely! Honestly I love it that way. I think my hard work will show and payoff.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Now that the TUF8 season is over, would you do it all over again?

George Roop: Let me just say I wouldn’t want to do it again, but yes I’d do it. ( laughs) It was a great experience, but there was nothing at all fun about it.

Marshall sat down to talk to FiveOuncesOfPain.com about Bader, respect, urine, and anything we wanted. Except Junie Browning.

Jonathan Snowden: Last night they aired your fight with Ryan Bader, a fight that looked more like a wrestling match than a MMA bout. What were your thoughts going in and know that you’ve had time to think about it?

Eliot Marshall: Bader did a great job of winning the fight.  He did what he had to do to win.  What can I say?  You watched it. So?  He took me down and held me on the cage, waited, and he won.  That’s my responsibility.  It’s my responsibility to deal with those sorts of tactics.  That’s what people are going to try to do to me.

Jonathan Snowden:  What can you do when you are matched up with a superlative wrestler like that?  If he doesn’t want to do anything but take you down and watch the clock, what can you do?

Eliot Marshall: I’ve been doing a lot of work to be able to deal with this.  I’ve been just working on getting back to my feet, my footwork when I’m striking.   Moving in circles.  That’s it you know?  What else can you do?  I’m getting better, adapting my jiu-jitsu game towards that kind of wrestler’s style.

Jonathan Snowden: The good news is, you’re not going to have to deal with many wrestlers better than him in your career.

Eliot Marshall: Right. And I deal with Rashad (Evans) in practice all the time. There’s not a better one than Rashad. So, that’s my practice.

Jonathan Snowden: After your fight with Shane, you challenged Bader in the cage. Why did you guys agree to fight? What was the thinking…

Eliot Marshall: There was no thinking behind it. It was a joke. He was drunk in my room one night before everyone went to bed, everyone was all joking around talking shit. That’s all it was man. It doesn’t matter to me who I fight. I’m not scared to fight anybody. If Bader and I are going to fight, then Bader and I are going to fight. Plus we knew if Krzysztof and Vinny made it to the semi-finals that there was no way they were going to let them fight in the finals. Because at the time they trained at the same gym (Team Quest in California). How would that work? How would you train?  So it was going to be me and Bader. I was pretty sure Jules wasn’t beating Vinny. I was pretty sure Kyle wasn’t going to beat Krzysztof. So there it was.

Jonathan Snowden: How have you bounced back from the loss?

Eliot Marshall: It’s not hard at all. You’ve just got to go. If you’re the type of person that losing is going to crush you like that, then this isn’t the sport for you. You’re going to have to deal with that a lot in this sport. It’s just inevitable. You lose. The best guys in the world lose.

Jonathan Snowden: Overall, looking back, what did you think of the Ultimate Fighter experience.  This season seemed especially crazy?

Eliot Marshall: It was a great experience you know? It’s not a fun one,but its a good one that’s worthwhile. Hopefully I’ll be able to take my career to the next level because of it. “The Ultimate Fighter” is not as easy as you think it is. Talk to any of the guys that have done it before. It’s terrible. It’s not fun. You go kind of crazy in that house. Not being able to get your own stuff, your own food. They’ll eventually bring you whatever you want, but if you want a cheeseburger-not being able to drive down the road to get that cheeseburger… it’s kind of weird when those freedoms get taken away.

Jonathan Snowden: It reminds me of basic training. Or prison.

Eliot Marshall: At least in jail you get TV.

Jonathan Snowden: Let’s talk about some of the crazy stuff that went down. The first question, because of the focus on him in what seemed like every episode, what did you think of Junie?

Eliot Marshall: I’m not going to talk about Junie.

Jonathan Snowden: Not at all?

Eliot Marshall: Nope. You can put that in there: ‘I’m not going to talk about Junie.’  Junie’s a jackass. He can do his own thing.

Jonathan Snowden: The pranks this season were kind of taken to a new level. You guys were doing some crazy stuff…

Eliot Marshall: Don’t say ‘you guys.’ I wasn’t doing anything.

Jonathan Snowden: The guys around you were. There was a minor furor online when they showed guys drinking urine and generally being gross. How does that affect how fans and critics see fighters and the fight game?

Eliot Marshall: I thought it was a very bad and poor representation of what a professional athlete is supposed to be. If you look at basketball, football, and baseball, when their athletes travel they have to dress appropriately. In a very professional manner.  They try to portray this image of professionalism. I thought it was terrible. We’re trying to be professional athletes. I want to make money like the basketball players and the football players. But then, people are going to act like that.  Not good.

Jonathan Snowden: One of the other incidents you had a role in was an issue of “respect.” There was criticism online that some of you guys weren’t appropriately deferential to Nogueira. What kind of respect do you owe a fighter like Nog when he comes to talk to you about something?

Eliot Marshall: Give Nogueira a call and ask him if he felt disrespected by me. He an I had a conversation like two adults. I’m not going to put any person on a pedestal. He’s not my father. If I disagree with you, I’m going to speak to you about it. We had a conversation at the end of it, we shook hands, and he left. That was how it was. He didn’t feel disrespected. He went out and bought me a cheeseburger after the fight with Ryan Bader.

Jonathan Snowden: Did you see the backlash against you online?

Eliot Marshall: I read it. People were going nuts. Online? Whatever. These are 15 year-old kids that sit in their mom’s basement. He’s a great fighter, but he’s been wrong before in his life.  People have disagreed with him before. You’re allowed to disagree with people aren’t you?

Jonathan Snowden: Certainly. About the training: Obviously, you’ve got this world-class facility with with the world class coaching, but people complain about the lack of intensity. Does the competitive nature of the show keep guys from giving their all in training with someone who could be an opponent?

Eliot Marshall: That and you know you’re going to have to fight when you show up at the show.  Right?

Jonathan Snowden: Right.

Eliot Marshall: So, you have to be prepared for a war right then. So, you have to prepare for four or five weeks before. When you get to the show you have six more weeks. That’s a lot of intense training and you have to find some rest time. You can only peak and be fighting well for so long.  Ten weeks is way too long to do that. So you have to find a way to modify your training.  You can’t always go as hard as you can and kill yourself everyday. It doesn’t work. You’re going to get injured, you’re going to get hurt, you’re going to over-train.

Jonathan Snowden: How did the coaches handle that?

Eliot Marshall: I thought Mir did a great job. He didn’t try to make us do anything. He gave us opportunities and showed us things. But he didn’t necessarily kill us.

Jonathan Snowden: In your blog you said: “I know that when I trained with Krzysztof during our time on TUF Vinny would get upset.” How did you navigate the politics of the house?

Eliot Marshall: What can you do? There’s nothing you can do about things like that. You have to worry about yourself. Krzysztof and I were friends. I liked Vinny. Vinny and I got along fine.  Krzysztof and I were about training our overall games. We sparred together, we rolled together, we wrestled together. Vinny just liked training a lot of jiu-jitsu. In the early parts of the show, before we knew Krzysztof and Vinny were going to fight, Krzysztof and I ended up training together a lot because nobody else really wanted to spar. And Krzysztof and I would spar.

Jonathan Snowden: You fought Bader and trained with Vinny for weeks. How do you see that fight going down?

Eliot Marshall: I don’t think it’s going to go to the ground. I think Bader is going to keep it standing.  I feel like with me, Bader had to take the risk of going to the ground because I could beat him on the feet. I don’t believe Vinny is going to be able to beat him on the feet. So I don’t believe Bader is going to take the risk of going to the ground with Vinny. Bader did a really good job of avoiding my submissions, but that can only last for so long. Eventually you get caught. You make a mistake.

Jonathan Snowden: Plenty of fighters have gone from where you are right now to solid careers in the UFC, guys like Koscheck and Leben and Hamill. What’s next for you? You must feel good about being matched with Jules at the Palms.

Eliot Marshall: Anybody can win a fight. That’s why you fight the fights. I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in. I’m mentally prepared. I’m very ready to go. I didn’t take this fight with Jules lightly.  I’ve been in Albuquerque for five weeks. I’m ready to go you know? I’ve been training with Rashad and Keith and Nate and Duane. All the big boys. There’s no easy fights. You work, you train to win the fight. Then afterward, you know? Train hard, fight hard, party hard.

Jonathan Snowden: How helpful is it to have multiple guys at Greg Jackson’s preparing at the same time. Rashad is obviously getting ready for a big fight too.

Eliot Marshall: Man, Rashad! Whew. Rashad is looking great. Rashad beat me up for the last couple of weeks. It’s great. And in Colorado, sparring with Duane (Ludwig). Duane can put it on you. When he puts it on you it’s probably the worst experience in the world.

Jonathan Snowden: You called him “terrible” in your blog. Is there pressure now, because if you lose, you lose to a dude you said was terrible?

Eliot Marshall: That’s what gives you those nerves. That’s what makes you feel you’re alive.  I’ve got to put my money where my mouth was.

Jonathan Snowden: Good luck to you. Anything you wanted to say to the fans who have been watching you on TV?

Eliot Marshall: I want to say thank you to “The Ultimate Fighter” crew. The camera crew guys and the guys who got all of our food and stuff like that.  Without “The Ultimate Fighter” we’d all have a different job. All of us, me and you. It made MMA kind of, so I wanted  to say thank you to all of them. I appreciate it. Tune in on the 13th, watch the fights, and you’re going to see a dominant and impressive performance.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com had the chance to speak with Browning following his semifinal elimination loss to house rival Escudero and get his thoughts on going after Shane Primm; the fight with Escudero; Frank Mir as a coach; the bouts between the finalists; and more.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Do you feel like you were looking for a way out of the house when you got into it with Shane Primm or was it more that you just got angry and reacted?

Junie Browning: I was more or less just pissed off but the simple fact that I didn’t want to fight helped me not think of the consequences. I was at a point where I didn’t really care. It wouldn’t have bothered me if they kicked me off because I knew I was out of shape and shouldn’t have been fighting.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: So what are your thoughts looking back on your fight with Efrain?

Junie Browning: It was horrible. I looked like [expletive]. I fought horribly. I felt like the longer I was on the show the worse I was getting.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Why did you feel like you were getting worse as the show went on?

Junie Browning: People don’t want to train and wack cardio. People say “Well you can do your own cardio” but I don’t think that’s possible. I feel like you can only push yourself so far without someone being there to push you cardio wise. There was nobody there to do that for us. After my second fight I hurt my foot and I couldn’t train for like a week and a half, two weeks but they didn’t show that on there.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: So you were left trying to play catch up with your training?

Junie Browning: Yeah, big time.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Were you surprised with Efrain’s willingness to stand and trade with you?

Junie Browning: No, I think he knew I was out of shape and he was going to try to push the cardio. It was his best chance to try to show that he had some stand up. It was smart of him. He knew i was out of shape. I couldn’t push the pace or anything. I was watching the show and you could even hear his corner saying “Oh he’s tired, he’s tired” and he would get even more psyched the more tired I got. He knows if I was 100% that he wouldn’t be able to do any of that stuff?

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Do you feel like you were really caught in that D’arce choke or that it was more from fatigue?

Junie Browning: I was really caught but I should never let it get to that point. I was so out of shape. The submissions that I would normally just fight out of or muscle out of, at that point I was so tired I think I would have gotten caught in just about anything. I was so tired that I don’t think I had the intestinal fortitude to fight or anything. I just wasn’t making anything happen on the bottom. I was just laying there being lazy in my guard. I wasn’t trying to get my guard back as much as I should have. You should never go into a fight out of shape and I knew it was going to be like that too. I feel like if I couldn’t beat him in the first round then I couldn’t beat him at all.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Is that why you went for that takedown for so long in the first?

Junie Browning: In my mind I felt like I had to take him down. I felt like if I didn’t take him down that he would end up on top and either get a submission or I would just gas out. The takedown made me even more tired. I felt like I could take him down but I started getting lazy with the takedown. When I went for singles I just sat there instead of attacking the other leg.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Are you going to be interested in a rematch with Efrain at some point?

Junie Browning: I would fight him tomorrow. I would rematch him in the gym. It would be a first rounder for sure. I know for sure. It was a horrible fight for me. I don’t normally fight like that. I normally push the pace and fight hard. I was concentrating on not getting tired and that’s never a good way to fight. You shouldn’t be worrying about your cardio. I don’t make excuses up, I fought horrible and that’s just part of the game. I should have been prepared. I’d be prepared to fight him tomorrow now.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Do you feel like you were let down by some of the guys for not training with you enough?

Junie Browning: Not really Shane Nelson but the rest of the lightweights, yeah. I felt really disappointed and that they were lazy but I’ll pay them back for that next Saturday.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Do you feel like Frank Mir gave you the training you expected?

Junie Browning: Not at all. I didn’t necessarily expect him to be training one-on-one that much because I know he has stuff to do but I expected him to at least bring people in. He brought in Joe Stevenson once and that was awesome training but that was once. I should have been getting that kind of training every day.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: How do you feel about Frank Mir’s decision to stop shouting out advice towards the end of the fight?

Junie Browning: The funny thing is, he gives up on me like he was disappointed but he was never there to train with me to begin with. How am I going to listen to my corner when he was never there for me to begin with?

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: What about when he said he liked everyone on his team except for you?

Junie Browning: I saw that coming. I figured that. he doesn’t say anything all season and then as soon as I lose and make him look bad then he doesn’t like me.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: So who do you see coming out on top between Mir and Nogueira?

Junie Browning: If Mir treats his training the way he did on the show then I definitely see Nogueira winning. If Mir actually trains I think he’s a little more athletic so he could do good so I don’t know how I see that one going. From what I saw from Frank on the show I could see Nogueira winning just based on conditioning and heart. I don’t know if that’s necessarily how he is now but based on how he trained on the show I couldn’t see him beating too many people right now. I don’t see that Brock Lesnar fight going the same if he continues to train like he did on the show.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: How about Ryan Bader and Vinny Magalhaes?

Junie Browning: I see Vinny winning by submission. Bader pretty much does the same thing to everybody. Unless Bader can beat Vinny standing. It’s hard to take Vinny down and hold him. His jiu-jitsu is on a whole other level. I see him train every day. The first time at practice with Xtreme Couture he put Forrest Griffin in a flying armbar like three times. His jiu-jitsu is really sick. There’s no way Bader is just going to be able to hook him down like he did Elliot. Vinny’s submissions are just way too good. Even if Vinny doesn’t submit him there’s no way that Bader will be able to just lay on him.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: What about Phillipe Nover and Efrain Escudero?

Junie Browning: I’d say Phillipe if it stays standing but if Efrain takes him down I could see Efrain winning a decision. The whole determining factor on that fight will be takedowns.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: So were you ever serious about retiring or were you just frustrated and venting at the time?

Junie Browning: I was just pissed. They do that confessional immediately after the fight so after I went home I had time to think about it and realized that it wasn’t my 100%. I can’t quit. Especially when I know that I didn’t give it my all. I never want to leave the sport knowing that I didn’t do my best. I’ll never quit.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Do you feel like you were accurately depicted on the show or do you think the editing made you seem a little more hostile than you really are?

Junie Browning: No, I’m pretty much crazy. It doesn’t matter. I’m good now and I’m not getting into any trouble. Not everybody can be the good guy.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: So if you had the chance to do it all over again, would you?

Junie Browning: Yeah, I would just do things differently. I would have been more prepared and tried to get on the other team.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: What does the future hold for you?

Junie Browning: People will see next Saturday.

FiveOuncesOfPain.com: Anyone you would like to thank?

Junie Browning: TapouT and Denaro Sports Marketing.

Episodes 11 and 12.

Bader vs. Marshall -

I thought Bader did his thing. He is a great wrestler with unbelievable power! It wasn’t the most exiting fight but he pulled out the win! I personally thought Elliot should have thrown less high kicks and stay in ow stances and focus on the punching. All the credit to Bader. I wasn’t happy how Mir said Bader wasn’t a good fighter and that he was just a wrestler. That was plain wrong — Bader is a great fighter!

Myself vs. Roop -

Going into the fight I had so much respect for Roop. He was a great person to hang around with. It’s so much easier fighting someone who you don’t like. But I liked the guy. We shared food and chatted all the time. I had to put that aside. The other obstacle in my mind before the fight was how tough Roop was mentally. His thumb was really bad and lot of fighters would have backed out. He had a war with Polakowski a week before he had to throw down with me and has no hesitation in doing so. He is one tough dude. In fact, after the win, I went over to him and called him “The toughest dude in the house” but that wasn’t shown. He really was the toughest.

The strategy I had was to go out there and overwhelm him with big shots — and sub him. I wanted to cut the distance fast and stay out of his kicking range. I was swept and stayed cool. As soon as I locked that Kimura I stayed relaxed and slowly adjusted my hips and legs. Right after the fight I felt so free. It was the last day living in the house and a few hours later I was able to call my family and friends.

Side note: The actual fights occurred as follows: Wednesday: Bader vs. Marshall then Efrain vs. Junie. Thursday: Myself vs. Roop and then Krzysztof vs. Vinny. This also meant I didn’t sleep much on Wednesday night before the semi’s. There were only four fighters left in the house who needed to fight and I was one of them. Everyone else was in crazy party drinking mode. Wednesday was nuts! I had to put in ear plugs and cover my head with a pillow. Then I moved my mattress into the closet to stay away from the singing.

After the fight, Dana had some more great words about me. He really thinks I’m a great fighter. He even said “I think this guy is one of the best fighters ever to get on this show.” This really blew my mind. I was silent for a minute just thinking it over. It’s a lot of pressure but I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing. Training everyday like my life depends on it.

Vinny vs. Krzysztof -

Again I can add that Vinny is a beast on the ground! His guard is nuts. Once in his guard the trouble begins. Props to both fighters.

Efrain vs. Junie -

I like the way Dana handled Junie this season. He knew Junie wanted an out and if would have gotten thrown out he would have left with all his pride. Dana didn’t let that happen.

As for the fight itself, Efrain played it smart. I knew Junie wasn’t going to take Efrain down. When I saw Junie shoot in and Efrain stuff it, I knew it was going to end soon. The elbow strikes when Junie shot in were genius. Junie said some things after the fight that made him look even worse. I know he didn’t mean he was going to give up fighting. He’s on the card against Kaplan!

The finals -

Efrain and I are good friends. We slept in the same room. We cooked together. We chatted all day. We know a lot about each other. I respect him as a fighter and as a man. It’s all business when the cage door shuts. He knows it and I know it. I am honored to fight him.

Editor’s Note: FiveOuncesOfPain.com would like to publicly thank Phillipe and Spike TV for making this great content available to us all year long. It has been an absolute pleasure working with Phillipe and it was an honor being able to feature his work on our site. We’d like to wish Phillipe the best of luck on Dec. 13 in Las Vegas in his continued quest at becoming the next “Ultimate Fighter.”

With three UFC events scheduled for the month of December, the TUF 8 finale will feature more of the show’s eliminated cast in comparison to any season in recent memory.

Spike TV’s five-bout telecast will consist of the lightweight final between Phillipe Nover, FiveOuncesOfPain.com’s resident TUF 8 blogger, and former NCAA wrestler Efrain Escudero, as well as the light heavyweight final between another former NCAA wrestler, Ryan Bader, and jiu-jitsu black belt Vinicius “Vinny” Magalhaes.

Augmenting the TUF finals will be bouts featuring UFC veterans, with welterweights Anthony Johnson and Kevin Burns will compete in a rematch from their controversial first bout at UFC Fight Night 14. Middleweights Wilson Gouveia and Jason MacDonald will also square off as well.

Serving as the show’s opener with be a lightweight title between former Team Mir teammates, Junie Browning and Dave Kaplan.

The entire 10 bout card is listed below.

Televised Main Card:

• Phillipe Nover vs. Efrain Escudero
• Ryan Bader vs. Vinicius Magalhaes
• Jason MacDonald vs. Wilson Gouveia
• Kevin Burns vs. Anthony Johnson
• Junie Browning vs. Dave Kaplan

Non-televised preliminary card:

• Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Shane Primm
• Eliot Marshall vs. Jules Bruchez
• Kyle Kingsbury vs. Tom Lawlor
• Shane Nelson vs. George Roop
• Rolando Delgado vs. John Polakowski

FiveOuncesOfPain.com founder and publisher Sam Caplan will be at the event covering it for CBSSports.com. However, he’ll be conducting various interviews while in Las Vegas for FiveOuncesOfPain.com before and after the event.

Bader spars with Nogueira who wears no protective gear. They seem to be going pretty hard, Bader landing some good shots on Nogueira and vice versa. Of course, Bader has headgear on so it’s a little unfair. Both fighters look prepared for the fight and before you know it, it’s already fightin’ time.

Ryan Bader (Team Nogueira) vs. Eliot Marshall (Team Mir)

Round 1

The two fighters come out trading low kicks and punches on the feet. Marshall lands some nice leg kicks and Bader returns the favor. Marshall lands a kick that catched Bader in the junk but he’s okay. The two tie up in the middle of the cage and Bader forces Eliot to the floor. Bader controls from the top position and throws an elbow every now and then to keep active. The ref warns them for inactivity but never does anything about it. The round ends with Bader in top control.

Round 2

The fighters trade strikes again and Bader is able to catch one of Eliot’s kicks and take the fight back down to the mat. The same scenario as round one plays out as Bader is content to control Eliot from the top and punch every now and then. Bader is redefining the term “lay n pray” with this fight. He puts Eliot in his corner. The ref warns them again for inactivity but once again does nothing about it. Finally he stands them up and Bader lands another takedown almost immediately. The round ends with Bader in top control, controlling Marshall.

Round 3

Bader lands another takedown early and forces Marshall into the cage. Eliot looks for a submission from the bottom, trying to roll into a kneebar but Bader stuffs it and continutes to simply control position. The referee stands them up again and Bader forces the fight right back down to the mat with another takedown. This round is almost a carbon copy of the first two rounds and it ends the same way as well with Bader controlling from the top.

Winner: Ryan Bader via unanimous decision

Bader says it’s the biggest win of his career whether it be in amateur wrestling or MMA. Nogueira congratulates him on the win. Phillipe Nover and George Roop are now set to weigh in and face off in a lightweight semifinal matchup.

Phillipe Nover (Team Nogueira) vs. George Roop (Team Mir)

Round 1

Phillipe comes out firing, landing solid combinations on Roop’s noggin that back him up and Phillipe scores a takedown. Roop is able to utilize the cage and sweep Nover but Nover grabs his left arm during the scramble and is able to lock on a kimura from the bottom position which forces Roop to tap.

Winner: Phillipe Nover via submission (kimura)

Nover and his teammates celebrate the victory and before long we’re already onto the next episode where the first fight will be the final light heavyweight semifinal and will feature Krzysztof Soszynki taking on his Team Quest and Team Mir teammate, Vinny Magalhaes.

Soszynski is confident in his standup ability and isn’t afraid of Vinny’s jiu jitsu credentials, saying that if you hit a black belt in the face once that they become a brown belt and that if you hit them in the face twice they become a white belt. We’ll see if that rings true. My guess is no.

Krzysztof Soszynski (Team Mir) vs. Vinny Magalhaes (Team Mir)

Round 1

Soszynski comes out firing with a solid leg kick. Magalhaes lands a combination and both fighters trade punches on the inside. Magalhaes is able to jump guard and pull one leg up, trapping Soszynski’s head and shoulders and landing some vicious elbows. Soszynski is able to power out of it, though, and makes Vinny stand back up with him. Magalhaes stands up and lands a solid body kick. Soszynski fires off some very solid leg kicks that are unanswered by Magalhaes. More leg kicks from Soszynski and Vinny charges and gets dropped by a body shot but jumps back to his feet and tries to strike again with Soszynski. The two fighters fight in close and Magalhaes is able to drag Soszynski down to the ground, locking in an armbar on the way down. There is no escape for Soszynski and he’s forced to tap.

Winner: Vinny Magalhaes via submission (armbar)

The light heavyweight finals are now set with Ryan Bader taking on Vinny Magalhaes. Soszynski comments that he needs work on his jiu jitsu. Go figure.

The final fight of the evening will pit Junie Browning against Efrain Escudero. At the gym Junie shows his frustration with the training, saying that he feels like he’s gotten worse since he’s been there. He says that he’s getting caught in submissions and positions that he normally wouldn’t get caught in and that he doesn’t even feel like fighting. He tells Mir that he’d rather have Shane Nelson fight for him.

Back at the house the fighters are waxing intellectual about the Bader vs. Magalhaes matchup and Junie is running his mouth about how no one on Team Nogueira, including Nogueira, has as good jiu jitsu as Vinny has. Shane Primm takes offense to this and sticks up for his teammates. Junie says that he doesn’t care if he loses and that even if he does that he’ll be the most successful fighter from the show. Primm says “I’m from the ‘Show Me’ state. You don’t have to tell me, just show me.” At this, Junie loses it and throws a coffee mug at Shane’s head Nolan Ryan style according to Roli Delgado. He also jumps up and takes a swing at Primm and tries to hit him.

The fighters are able to drag Junie away from the situation but it looks like he’s on his way out of the house with this latest outburst. Dana White shows up shortly thereafter to talk to Junie. He tells Junie that he doesn’t know if he’s retarded, bipolar, or if he just has a fear of losing. He comes to the conclusion that Junie would rather not fight and get kicked off the show and tell his friends at home that he would have won it if he hadn’t gotten kicked off. So instead of kicking him off, Dana lets the other fighters in the house decide.

Of course Efrain wants him to stay because Efrain wants to beat him. The other fighters agree that Junie should stay and fight. Dana tells Junie what the decision is and before you know it, it’s fightin’ time again.

Efrain Escudero (Team Nogueira) vs. Junie Browning (Team Mir)

Round 1

Junie comes out and lands a nice leg kick. Efrain lands a leg kick in response and follows up with two more. Junie lands a nice body shot but Efrain is able to shoot in and take him down. Efrain begins to rain blows down on Junie but Junie is able to get back to his feet. For some reason Junie tries a shot of his own that gets stuffed by Efrain and Efrain punishes him with elbows to the side of the head against the cage. Escudero forces the action back to the center of the cage and fires off some more solid leg kicks. Junie answers with one of his own but eats an uppercut for his troubles. Junie trying to work the leg still but his cardio looks to be running out on him again as Escudero plants another right hand on him. Efrain finds his range and lands a few nice jabs and Junie answers with a leg kick as the round ends.

Round 2

Efrain comes out with a jab that lands. Junie tries for a spinning backfist that whiffs. The whole time Junie’s corner has been yelling at him to throw combinations in threes and he has been ignoring them. Junie shoots in again and is stuffed again. He eats some more elbows to the side of the head. Efrain lands some nice knees as the fighters break. Junie lands a big right hand but it doesn’t seem to faze Efrain. The fighters trade blows again and Efrain is able to secure a takedown. Browning is frustrated as Efrain works for position, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration. Efrain hops to side control and Junie has basically given up at this point. Efrain locks in a D’arce choke and Junie almost immediately taps.

Winner: Efrain Escudero via submission (D’arce choke)

Mir says that he’s not a cheerleader, he’s a coach and that when Junie stopped listening that he no longer decided to coach him. Mir calls Junie a “disappointment” and says that he enjoyed his time with all of the other fighters on the show except for Junie.

The finals are as follows:

Lightweight:

Efrain Escudero vs. Phillipe Nover

Light Heavyweight:

Ryan Bader vs. Vinny Magalhaes

As punishment for losing three of the semifinal matchups, Nogueira gets to shave Frank Mir’s hair. Frank is none too excited about it but a bet’s a bet. Junie is on camera again and tell us that he’s in the wrong sport and that he’ll never fight again because losing to Efrain is the worst thing that could have ever happened to him. I think we’ll see Junie in the Octagon again no matter what he says.

Next weekend is the finale event, ladies and gentlemen! Join us here at Five Ounces on Saturday for our live coverage of the event as well as coverage of the event the week leading into the fight.

When Fiveouncesofpain.com spoke to Polakowski in an exclusive interview he was just as friendly as you would imagine. Even in the day following the show that aired his loss to George Roop he kept a positive attitude and was looking forward to showing the world what he can do in the UFC once again in the near future.

Fiveouncesofpain.com: So what are your thoughts now that you’ve had a chance to watch your fight with George Roop?

John Polakwski: Well one thing I definitely need to work on is with the taller fighters you have to get inside in your range and that’s really hard because as soon as you come forward you’re setting yourself up for a takedown so I need to work on not overstepping myself and kind of working my way in a little better instead of just lunging in. I think that could help me avoid the takedown a lot better. Also, I know in the second round at least, I got comfortable exchanging and I kind of forgot about the takedown and that’s why I got taken down. As far as the fight went, I definitely gave George the first round. I definitely feel like I did more damage in the second round. I agree with what Dana said that I did more damage and it should have gone to a third. At the same time, George was in control a lot of times during the round. He didn’t really hurt me but he controlled me a lot of the round and that’s part of what factors into the judging of the fight is who controlled the fight. It is what it is.

Fiveouncesofpain.com: You’re such a friendly guy that I think it caught a lot of people off guard when you got upset about the Lucky Charms incident. Were you really as bothered as the guys made it out to be or do you think it they just didn’t expect it from you?

John Polakwski: Well you know what? That wasn’t the first time that it happened to me. That’s why I got irritated. The first time it happened to me I just laughed it off, no big deal. Then they did it again and that’s when I felt like it wasn’t a prank anymore. I felt like the were just messing with me and I didn’t really know why so that’s why I got upset with them.

Fiveouncesofpain.com: How did you get on the show? Did you audition, go to the tryouts or were you referred?

John Polakwski: I auditioned, I sent in a video.  It’s kind of funny, for my interview I took a quadruple espresso right before. I already have a lot of energy so I was bouncing off the walls. I was like dancing the whole interview.

Fiveouncesofpain.com: Where did the love of hugging come from? Did you hug a lot of people back in grade school and high school?

John Polakwski: I guess I kind of grew into it. I started being more of a huggy person in College. I just became really comfortable hugging all of my friends. I felt it was a nice gesture and I enjoy it and I think everybody else probably enjoys it too.

Fiveouncesofpain.com: Do people tell you that you are a good hugger?

John Polakwski: You know a lot of people have told me that I give the best hugs that they’ve ever had. I’ve received many compliments.

Fiveouncesofpain.com: Who was the best hugger that you hugged on the show?

John Polakwski: There were a lot of good huggers there. Kyle always gave me a good hug. Phillipe, Efrain, Nogueira and I guess even Rolando gave me some pretty good hugs too.

Fiveouncesofpain.com: Which lightweight impressed you the most from this season of The Ultimate Fighter?

John Polakwski: Probably Phillipe. There’s a reason why people think he’s the next Anderson Silva. He’s equally as comfortable at standing up as he is on the ground. The talent and the fire is there so he will have a really successful career.

Fiveouncesofpain.com: Who would you say you bonded with the most closely from the house?

John Polakwski: Phillipe maybe? Phillipe, Kyle and Efrain. We all got along really well together. I got along with everyone really but those were probably the closest guys.

Fiveouncesofpain.com: Who did you end up learning the most from on the show?

John Polakwski: Nogueira. He really helped me with my jiu-jitsu a lot . That’s evidenced in my fight that my ground skills aren’t the best but I’ve seen a huge night and day difference in my ground game since training with Nogueira. What a treat to be able to learn from Nogueira and learn from the master.

Fiveouncesofpain.com: Would you say your overall experience at the house was a good one?

John Polakwski: Oh definitely. The best experience of my life. It really was. A lot of people that I’ve seen from other seasons come on the house, they go crazy, they’re complaining and they can’t wait to go home but honestly I enjoyed every minute of it. You know, just hanging out with friends not a worry in the world and all of your food is brought to you. All you have to worry about is training and hanging out and I really enjoyed that.

Fiveouncesofpain.com: Where have you been training since the show?

John Polakwski: I’ve been training at The Pit with John Hackleman and I’ve been doing my jiu- jitsu training at a gym called Paragon in Santa Barbara. The head instructor over there is Ricardo “Franjinha” Miller and he’s an awesome guy and he’s really helped my jiu-jitsu come along.

Fiveouncesofpain.com: What does the future hold for John Polakowski?

John Polakwski: I have a feeling that you’ll be seeing more of me in the UFC. All of the fights that I’ve had are always exciting to watch. I like to stand and bang it out and one thing I’m really known for is never giving up. Always having a lot of heart and never giving up and you’ll see that in the other fights I have in the UFC.

Fiveouncesofpain.com: Alright John thanks so much for your time. Are there any sponsors that you would like thank, or anyone at all?

John Polakwski: All of my training partners at The Pit. John Hackleman, Scott Lighty. Luke Riddering, Antonio Banuellos and of course Ricardo “Franjinha” Miller from Paragon.