Jun-10-2009
The Ultimate Fighter: US vs UK - Episode Eleven Recap
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By Thomas Gerbasi
CAUTION: SPOILERS INCLUDED – This week on The Ultimate Fighter: US vs UK, the lightweight final will be determined as Cameron Dollar, Andre Winner, Ross Pearson, and Jason Dent battle it out for two spots on the season finale card at The Palms in Las Vegas on June 20th.
Dollar is dealing with banged up ribs heading into his semifinal fight with Winner, but he’s ready to go and looking forward to banging it out with Winner. That’s just fine with the UK standout, who looks sharp in the gym in the days leading up to the bout.
That sharpness carries over to the fight, as Winner lands some hard shots on Dollar early on. With a minute gone, Dollar shoots for the takedown but is turned away, and Winner continues his attack. Eventually, Dollar gets him to the mat with 2:10 left, but it’s Winner who capitalizes, locking in a triangle choke that produces a tap out and a victory for Team UK.
With each team holding one man in the finals, lightweights Pearson and Dent look to break the tie and make it to The Palms. But it almost looks like Pearson’s run is about to end when he pulls his shoulder out during training. Apparently though, it’s a common occurrence for him and one yank on the arm from coach Michael Bisping cures it immediately.
Meanwhile, Dent promises to turn up the heat in his semifinal fight and show everyone what he can truly do in the Octagon. “I plan to let it all hang out a little more in the next fight.”
Both fighters come out fast, looking to make something happen, and after some early switches in control, Pearson starts to move ahead with some solid striking with his hands, feet, and knees. Dent fires back more consistently in the second half of the round, but it looks like Pearson did enough to take the stanza.
There’s more of the same in the second, with some exciting exchanges punctuating the standup action. With a little over two minutes left, Pearson scores the first takedown of the bout and he lands some ground strikes before Dent rises and starts firing off volleys of punches at his opponent. In the round’s final minute, the fight hits the mat again, and it’s Pearson doing most of the damage with his ground and pound attack.
Dent comes out firing for round three as he tries to turn the fight around, but Pearson lands some hard counters in return and then follows up with a takedown and a series of ground strikes as he keeps Dent pinned to the mat for the rest of the round, securing the victory.
The verdict is unanimous for Pearson, who will now face his teammate Winner in an All-UK lightweight final.
Here’s how the teams look…
TEAM USA
WELTERWEIGHTS
Mark Miller – eliminated on episode four by Nick Osipczak
Jason Pierce – removed from the competition by UFC President Dana White
DaMarques Johnson 2-0
Frank Lester – eliminated on episode six by James Wilks; brought back after Pierce’s removal. 1-1
LIGHTWEIGHTS
Richie Whitson – eliminated on episode seven by Ross Pearson
Santino DeFranco– eliminated on episode five by Andre Winner
Cameron Dollar 1-1 – eliminated in the semifinals by Andre Winner
Jason Dent 1-1 – eliminated in the semifinals by Ross Pearson
TEAM UK
WELTERWEIGHTS
David Faulkner – eliminated on episode nine by Frank Lester
Dean Amasinger – eliminated on episode five by Damarques Johnson
Nick Osipczak 1-1 – eliminated in the semifinals by DaMarques Johnson
James Wilks 1-0
LIGHTWEIGHTS
Ross Pearson 2-0
Martin Stapleton – eliminated on episode six by Cameron Dollar
Jeff Lawson – eliminated on episode eight by Jason Dent
Andre Winner 2-0
For weekly recaps of The Ultimate Fighter, as well as fighter profiles and a blog from UK coach Michael Bisping, stay tuned to UFC.com.
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