Ultimate Fighter Season 12 Episode 5

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010


First off the episode is called "Disrespectful", that always gives you a nice feeling going into it...


Jon Fitch joins Koschecks training. He is a welterweight fighter whose only loss since 2003 has been to GSP. He has the same thoughts as I do towards a fighter's attitude. He says he'd rather take a guy who is out of shape with no talent and listens over a guy who is talented but doesn't listen. Just like a tshirt I have says, "Hard work beats talent that hardly works". If you're not willing to learn, you're never going to improve. Chuck Liddell also stopped by to talk to Koscheck's team. He needs no introduction, a light heavyweight hall of fame fighter at 40 years old he's been around the sport for a while. His best advice is to enjoy what you do. If you don't like fighting and if you don't like training, its always going to suck. He tells them its better than any 9-5 job and leaving it is the hardest decision to make. The team asks him about returning for one more fight, possibly to take out Tito. He says he'd love to fight Tito, and he's got one more fight. I definitely think the result of Titos fight against Matt Hammil at UFC 121 will help determine what will happen with that. As awesome as it would be to see that fight, it would be the third time! Liddell has fought and beat Tito twice already and when he has only had 29 fights, thats a lot considering how many fighters there are. 


During GSP's training, he brings in Jean Charles Skarbowsky, a mui thai trainer from Paris, France. Now THIS guy is a nutcase. GSP even has to warn his guys about him, he respects people who respect him. If you choose not to show him that respect he WILL knock you out. He doesn't really look like a fighter. He smokes, drinks, and somehow throws down every single guy on GSPs team. I'm not sure how I feel, if I'm disgusted by him because he came into training with a belly and drunk or respect him because he's such a ridiculous fighter. I found this video on youtube of some fighting highlights, if you don't watch the whole thing at least check out about the 1:30 mark, craaazy!
Youtube video of Jean Charles >>click here<<

Bruce Leroy of course decides to start some drama on his own team, by mistake. Leroy put bleach in Nam Phan's fabric softener and Johnson decided to use it for his own laundry. Luckily nothing was ruined but jeeze, thats just plain rude. Putting jello in someone's shoes would be one thing, but attempting to ruin every piece of clothing someone owns is a little too far. Leroy admits he has a love/hate personality, thats why he doesn't have a lot of friends. A lot of times people come on the show and say this is me, my friends know me, my family loves me, these guys are my competition and don't have to. Like meathead during the heavyweights season. Everyone thought he was a freak but he always said it doesn't matter what his opponents think, his friends and family know he's an awesome guy. Leroy on the other hand openly admits that he doesn't have a lot of friends. So this is how he is, and he's not going to change for anyone. 


Team GSP announces the fight Spencer Paige vs. Nam Phan. Team GSP wants to keep the fight on their feet. However during the premiere episode Paige won his fight by unanimous decision because his opponent was not able to control him on the ground so he does have some wrestling skill as well. Phan runs every day, can only assume his cardio will be at a great level. He did manage to finish his first fight on the premiere episode by TKO but it was against a less experience ex pro skateboarder. Phan gives off a nice guy gentleman persona, which I like, but he has to be able to fight too. Rich Franklin has that same persona, yeah he kinda looks like Jim Carey in the cable guy but he was a math teacher for pete's sake. If you're going to be the nice guy you still have to kick some butt too.


Both fighters talk about doubt. Paige is scared, scared, scared, scared until that moment he finally steps into the cage and he has to fight, too late to back down. Only at that point does he switch into fighter mode. Phan describes the sounds, the murmer of the crowd, the click of the cage door closing, the drumming of his heartbeat and then he thinks to himself..maybe I should have listened to my dad and become a business man. Even if he was being sarcastic with that comment, it doesn't exactly give off the most confident vibes. 


Paige describes the difference between the two coaches really well. He says Koscheck is the immature 6-year old and GSP is the professional fighter, ha. GSP admits this trash talking does bother him, of course it does, eventually if you here the same taunting day after day it may not hurt you but it sure as heck would annoy you. He would love to do something to disrespect him back but he wont. He will stay true to himself. Of course Koscheck tries to make fun of Jean Charles because he's still getting no reaction out of GSP. I really wanted the maniac to just kick him in the face, but even drunk he's classier than Koscheck and chose not to respond. McKenzie is cracking me up, he really is proving to be quite the goober. They never focus on him for very long but they show him trying to trash talk and beak Koscheck but after saying "I can talk trash real good" and he chooses "Wouldn't you like to know" after Koscheck asks him something. Really buddy? Even I can come up with something better than that. 


Round 1
Paige does have a 2 inch height advantage and a 4 inch reach advantage. He throws some big leg and body kicks and even knocks Phan to the ground. Phan gets a one punch that knocks Paige off his feet but kick after kick to the gut has to wear on him. Getting further into the round Paige doenst throw too many punches, seems like he is having trouble getting the distance and spacing right in the beginning, even with the reach advantage. Phan catches one of Paige's kicks and get his on his back. He lands some major ground and pound and gets Paige's arm twisted in a major Kimura (like in movies when cops control a bad guy by spinning his arm behind his back with it bent at the elbow) at the end of the round. As soon as that 10 second warning goes off you can see Paige trying to control his breathing and hold on through the pain for those last moments. It was a pretty even round up until the end


Round 2
Paige lands a big body kick and seems to hurt his own leg in the process. Phan lands some big body shots that seem to hurt Paige more each time. Paige tries to get a takedown but Phan turns it around on him, landing some big elbows and knees. Phan definitely pushes the pace the whole round. I have to give it to Phan, after the premiere episode I didn't think he was that great but he definitely showed a lot of passion in this fight. He attacked, defended, ate some big hits too and kept going. After the fight we also hear Paige broke his hand. He's not even sure which hit it was the did it but he kept going. Phan says he likes showing America little Asian boys can scrap. He wasn't super aggressive, I think especially since Paige was obviously hurting he could have taken him down and finished the fight but he was consistenly landing big punches and a few kicks.


Nam Phan wins by decision. Even after the win Koscheck's reaction is one of relief saying he's not about to loose 7 straight to a loser. He's such an awful person, like GSP said there are sore loosers but there are sore winners too. They start banging on the wall of the dressing room that they share with team GSP. Its like they suddenly forgot that this is the fourth fight and they have still lost three before pulling off this win.


Next Episode...
2 fight episode!
Team Koscheck gets cocky after 1 win...
GSP gets a cut during training :(