Episode 9: Funky chickens

By Brett Okamoto

Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009 | 12:23 a.m.

Matt Mitrione’s brain is still not doing well from his opening-round fight.

If he can’t come back…gee whiz…which eliminated fighter will take his place?

Could it be Kiiiiimbo?

The Episode

First fight up in the quarterfinals: Roy Nelson v. Justin Wren. Rashad is quick to point out that seven of the eight fighters in the quarterfinals are his. It makes for pretty awkward training sessions, with both Nelson and Wren working out simultaneously for Team Rashad.

Nelson says that it’s tough fighting teammates and you just want to get it over with so you can get back to ‘giggling’ with each other. Ha, ha. Giggling.

Poor Mitrione. He looks like the drunk guy in the group that can’t get home fast enough as Team Rashad drives home following their workout. He’s dry heaving. He’s dizzy. Brendan Schaub makes a decent assessment of the situation that he could have suffered from a concussion and makes an even better assessment that if Mitrione can’t fight, Kimbo’s probably coming back.

Everyone is real big on Kimbo coming back. Way to be sensitive guys. Mitrione’s corpse ain’t even cold yet and we’re sizing up Kimbo’s comeback.

Team Rampage decides to play a trick by placing funky chickens into the cars of Team Rashad while they’re working out. Rampage says that he loves chickens but not these ones cuz, ‘These are some funky chickens.’ Five chickens in Rashad’s car. The next five minutes are Team Rashad chasing the funky chickens around the gym. Rashad takes it well, even naming the chickens and taking some of them home.

Schaub is full of good commentary in this episode, saying he thinks Wren’s jiu-jistu defense cancels out Nelson’s submissions and the fight will turn into a stand-up war. If the short promotional clips Spike showed at the beginning of the show are indicative, I’d say Shaub is right on.

Alright, first fight of the TUF 10 heavyweight quarterfinals. I’m leaning towards the experienced Nelson in this one.

Fight begins with a little feeling out from both fighters. Wren pushes forward and lands the first big shots of the fight, rocking Nelson with a good right hand before Nelson moves into the clinch. Wren lands some more big shots after the clinch is broken up. It looks like Nelson is trying to counter but he’s not doing a good enough job avoiding the shots to come back with effective ones of his own. Nelson lands a few jabs and then a decent leg kick. Nelson lands the better shots to end the first and you have to wonder if that’s because Wren was tired, as his corner was yelling at him to keep his hands up for the final 90 seconds of the round.

Wren lands a nice leg kick in the opening minute of the second round. Nelson uses the jab well and ducks under a right hand from Wren and counters. Wren goes for the Muay Thai clinch briefly and then backs off. Not a single takedown attempt in this fight so far by the way. Again Wren looks for the Muay Thai clinch but Nelson fights him off. Wren lands a good straight left that snaps Nelson’s head back. Nelson continues working the jab seeing that Wren’s hands are down. Wren is definitely tired and his strikes have become a bit wild.

Second round ends and it seems like everyone is looking for a third round but announcement is made that fight is over. Nelson wins by majority decision. It seemed like Nelson won the fight by being the aggressor at the end of the first round and then cruising through the second round after Wren became clearly exhausted.

Episode ends with Nelson telling White he tried to make it more exciting for him this time, but White doesn’t agree, saying that Nelson got killed in the beginning of the fight.

Best Moment

“I get a chance to get these haymakers on ya,” says Kimbo, with his fists clenched. “You’re a done dolla. Believe that.”

Close second: Rampage to live, clucking chicken as he throws it into Rashad’s car: “Shut yo ass!”

Kimbo Watch

Of course, everyone is talking about Kimbo…but how likely is it that he comes back? Mitrione is going to quit because his head hurts? Come on. As much as I hate to say it, I think this is all promotional stuff and Kimbo remains on the sidelines the rest of the series. I’ve been known to be very wrong when it comes to these things though. The Bacherlorette almost never picks the guy I think she’s going to.

Hey, even if he doesn’t compete again in the show, Kimbo Slice is still fighting in the UFC and apparently he continues to impress wherever he goes.

Here’s what WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown said of Kimbo in an interview earlier this week:

“He’s a hard worker. The most amazing thing about the guy is he’s very humble. There are so many people that talk (expletive) about that guy and he never speaks bad about anybody. He never talks smack. He trains hard and he just fights. You can’t hate the guy because people want to see him fight.”