TUF Brazil 3 - Episode 7 Preview

Last week's episode of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 showcased the infamous fight between coaches Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva after a verbal sparring match turned physical, forcing the fighters who were supposed to be competing on the show into glorified bouncers asked to break up a melee between their mentors.

While coaches have definitely had serious issues with each other in past seasons of The Ultimate Fighter, this is the first time where things broke down so badly to the point where a fight broke out.  

Considering the coaches essentially ended up in a street brawl, with one of them getting sucker punched repeatedly by another assistant coach, you know this is going to end up with a call from UFC president Dana White.

When White first spoke about the incident back in January, he was already in an incendiary mood about the fight and how irresponsible it was for everyone involved that it happened.  This week, White's ire lands directly on the coaches’ shoulders after the fight broke out and ended up as one of the most disappointing moments in the show's eight-year history.  
There was no hiding how the fight broke out or what resulted, but one person that will get dealt with quickly as the episode gets underway this week is Wanderlei Silva's assistant striking coach Andre Dida.  

Dida was the fighter who swooped in as soon as the fight broke out and began punching Sonnen in the head as he was on the ground with Silva.  Dida not only punched Sonnen, but tore his jersey off during the fight and went to the back, where he celebrated the move like he just won the fight himself, waving the ripped shirt like a flag of victory.  

Needless to say, White was not too happy about this move.

White has already said Dida should probably be arrested for his part in the melee, so there's a fairly easy guess as to how harsh the UFC head honcho comes down on the Brazilian coach for his actions.  

As unfortunate as the fight between Sonnen and Silva was for The Ultimate Fighter, the competitors in the house are still there for only one reason and that's to fight in the finale and to go home with the six-figure contract.  As mad as everyone was that the coaches took the focus off the fighters and put it on their own grudge last week, the resiliency of the competitors takes center stage once again as they move past the brawl and get ready for the next middleweight matchup in the competition.

The hard truth about the current standings of the tournament are skewed in Team Wanderlei's favor, as his squad is undefeated and running roughshod over Team Sonnen in the overall competition.  Like many past seasons of The Ultimate Fighter, the team that chooses the fights to start can usually make moves and matchups to give them the advantage and hold on to it for as long as possible.

Now there are a few caveats to those plans in this season of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3, namely the team competitions that are a bit of a throwback to the first couple of seasons of the show.  Some of the team competitions have allowed the coaches to earn the fight pick that way, but once again, Team Wanderlei has still been ruling the day.  The upcoming team game involves four players from each side and a huge array of cling wrap.  Yes, it's just as strange as it sounds, but a fight selection is up for grabs.

Is this the week for Team Sonnen to finally win something?  

To hopefully help his team stay in control, Wanderlei brings in a very special guest to help inspire his team to victory.  Longtime friend and training partner Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who cut his teeth under Silva while they were both a part of the legendary Chute Boxe fight team in Brazil, stops by to meet the fighters and give them some inspiration ahead of the next bout at 185 pounds.

Rua's legend looms large in Brazil, where he is still routinely recognized and revered by every fighter that ever laces up a pair of gloves and steps into the cage.  Whatever advice he can offer to the team will be hugely valuable as they move forward in the tournament, hoping to advance with a clean sweep over Team Sonnen.

Fight time will see two more middleweights go to battle in one of the hardest fought wars so far during this season.  Is there an upset brewing or is Team Wanderlei winning the mental battle as well as the physical war, staying undefeated on the show and, with each victory, breaking the backs of Team Sonnen just a little bit more each day.