TUF 30 | What you’ve missed so far

The 30th season of The Ultimate Fighter is currently underway though we wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t even know it had started yet. The muted reaction to the return of TUF has caused a lot of conversation about whether it’s necessary anymore but it has to be remembered just how many contenders this format has produced.

In this season, eight heavyweights and eight women’s flyweights have been coached by bantamweight champion Juliana Pena and Amanda Nunes ahead of their title rematch. Here is everything you’ve missed in the four episodes that have aired.

The first thing to point out is that thus far, as many will have predicted, the rival coaches have been incredibly professional towards each other. Whilst Team Volkanovski vs Team Ortega had a few squabbles that added a little tension to their fight, Pena and Nunes have barely spoken to each other on the show. Both women will want to focus on doing the best job they can for their fighters and with Pena now being champion, she does not need to engage in a back and forth with Nunes as we saw in the build-up to their first fight.

A second part of the series to take into account is the two weight divisions chosen for this season. Aside from the women’s featherweight division that seems to open up and shut down whenever Nunes is defending that belt (which she still holds), heavyweight and women’s flyweight are the two divisions in the UFC that are always desperate for new talent. With both divisions being fairly thin in terms of depth, there is a real chance with this series to produce several fighters that will go on to compete for the UFC for years to come if they can impress on the show.

Episode 1

The first thing that is noticeable about this series compared to others is that Forrest Griffin is now a major part of the TUF setup. He has essentially taken Dana’s role of carrying out the briefing as well as hosting the weigh-ins and fight picks. Once the teams have been picked, Juliana Pena gets to make the first fight and chooses her second heavyweight pick Zac Pauga to take on team Nunes’ last pick Nyle Bartling. Pauga wins a fairly one-sided unanimous decision, showcasing some good striking with a very loose and low stance that left Bartling stuck on the outside.

Episode 2

In the second episode, the women’s flyweights took to the stage as Pena picked her number one flyweight Helen Peralta to take on Nunes’ third flyweight selection Kaytlin Neil. Neil is talking at the house about feeling disrespected by team Pena as she knows them from training at Syndicate. She says in an interview that they’ve been to some of her fights and Pena even called her last fight but has now matched against her to face their first pick.

Just two days before the fight, team Nunes comes into the dressing room to find Neil crying, she had just been told that her father had passed away. Kaytlin Neil goes on to pull off the upset, beating Peralta via a split decision after three rounds, using her height and reach advantage to keep Peralta back. Pena’s number one pick seemed cautious and overly willing to clinch with Neil despite losing those exchanges.

Episode 3

Episode 3 flips back to the heavyweights with a match up that provided the best piece of entertainment so far. The fights haven’t been the best so far but the history between Mitchell Sipe and Mohammed Usman was sure to add some tension. Sipe was constantly talking to Usman and trying to get under his skin, he claimed that he and Usman were meant to fight a few years back but Usman pulled out and went on to fight someone else.

Mo Usman was always going to be a huge point of interest for TUF as the younger brother of Kamaru Usman and in this episode, he gets to play the face against Sipe’s very cocky heel personality. This plays out in the fight also with Sipe constantly taunting Usman and talking to him with his hands down. Though this resulted in a more entertaining watch, the fight itself was fairly slow with Usman picking up a unanimous decision after it went to a third round. Sipe’s overconfidence and taunting may have cost him the fight.

Episode 4

The most recent episode of TUF saw tensions run high for both teams as team Nunes’ pick Brogan Walker suffered an injury (that didn’t end up being as bad as it seemed) and team Pena’s pick had a steep weight cut ahead. Chantel Coates was pulled out of the tournament as attempting a near 30-pound cut would’ve been dangerous for her health. Pena brings in alternate Laura Gallardo who she’s familiar with but with team Nunes having the fight pick, they choose to remake the fight due to Walker’s injury. Laura Gallardo faced Kathryn Paprocki after coming into the tournament a few days earlier and picked up a majority decision after she dominated the second round with her wrestling.

Check back each week for more episode recaps as they happen! Who’s your favourite to take home the TUF trophies at the tournament end?