TUF Smashes Episode 2 Recap

Sydney, Australia: The Ultimate Fighter: Australia vs UK – The Smashes™ episode two – Freak or Unique – aired on FX on Wednesday evening, delivering the first lightweight fight of the competition and heralding the UK’s inaugural win of the series. 

British fighter, Colin “Freakshow” Fletcher (8-1) defeated Australia’s Ben “Manimal” Wall (6-0) by a unanimous points decision but the bout earned Wall the respect of Team UK for his gutsy effort. Prior to the fight, Fletcher and some of his teammates had mocked Wall, calling him ‘Fox Piss’ in reference to Wall’s flamboyantly dyed hair and their perception that he had an ‘attitude’.
 
Fletcher, 29 years of age from Sunderland, England, grew up fighting and was bullied for his freakishly long arms and unusual appearance, which inspired his nickname. Living up to his moniker, Fletcher regularly dresses in unusual clown-like costumes but says he’s really just a family man who loves his wife and two young children.
 
Twenty-three year old Wall came into the competition undefeated and while the loss to Fletcher was a serious disappointment for the Brisbane local, he saw the experience as a positive one: “It sucks to lose. I’ve never lost before but a lot of the best fighters really start to reach their potential after their first loss so guess it will help,” he said. 

Also on The Smashes this week, injured UK lightweight, Michael Pastou received heartbreaking news that the UFC® had decided to send him home to recover, following a torn bicep that he suffered during training. 

UFC Heavyweight Champion, Junior dos Santos, also surprised The Smashes fighters with a visit to the TUF™ gym, which Australia’s Manny Rodriguez compared to his daughter meeting Justin Beiber. 

The series resumes next Wednesday, October 3, at 7.30p.m. AEST on FX (FOXTEL channel 123). In the third episode – Wasabi – the fighters start to get restless in the TUF house, which prompts “Freakshow” and Ben Wall to tackle a wasabi challenge to ease their boredom.  With the series locked at one win each, both Team Australia and Team UK are confident in their Welterweights, so coaches George Sotiropoulos and Ross Pearson engage in some mind games with each seeking to get the edge in the important third fight.
 For more information, bios, videos and photos, visit au.TUF.tv and follow us on Twitter @UFC_Australia and @FXtvau or on www.facebook.com/UFCAustralia and www.facebook.com/fxtvau. Join the conversation on Twitter: #TUFSmashes  #TeamAUS  #TEAMUK.