The Ultimate Fighter
Episode 7 Recap | The Ultimate Fighter Season 33
The Final Place In The Flyweight Semifinals Is On The Line As Roybert Echeverria And Tumelo Manyamala Face Off
PREVIOUSLY ON THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER
Team Sonnen’s Joseph Morales and Team Cormier’s Imanol Rodriguez and Alibi Idiris all claimed positions in the flyweight semifinals. Now Team Cormier’s Tumelo Manyamala of South Africa and Team Sonnen’s Roybert Echeverria of Venezuela battle it out to see who will claim the final spot in the 125-pound tournament’s final four.
UFC President Dana White opens the episode with an interstitial talking about what a great season it has been so far, as highlights from some of the fights from the opening six weeks run. He speaks about the pressures of the competition and how being away from home for weeks on end can weigh on the competitors as the scene shifts to the UFC APEX, where the venue is set up for an Brazilian Jiu Jitsu event.
White explains that he wanted to give the competitors a break, so he brought them all to a Fight Pass Invitational event, explaining that the FPI series was a precursor to the recently launched UFC BJJ series, which kicked off during International Fight Week and brings together some of the best BJJ athletes in every weight class.
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All the contestants seem to be enjoying themselves, with Rodrigo Senzinando really getting into it. Manyamala calls it a chance to bond with the team and cast members, while Echeverria speaks about how much he enjoys watching BJJ competitions.
Cormier brings a bunch of Cajun food to share with his team — shrimp, frog legs, alligator — and he’s giddy to see their reactions. Several did not take to the food at all, with Eduardo Henrique having the hardest time, much to Cormier’s delight.
Sonnen calls the experience a “home run.”
TUF HOUSE
Bianchini calls Echeverria courageous for fighting against someone, and the Venezuelan explains what happened, first to Matt Dixon, and then in an interstitial interview. He details that in 2014, when the protests against the government began in Venezuela, he was one of the people that was involved.
News footage of the protests and conflicts between the protesters and police is shown, with Echeverria continuing to detail things to Dixon in the kitchen. He explains one of his friends was shot in the back and he dragged him to safety in the moment, adding that he passed. Echeverria explains that his nickname, “The Unbroken,” comes from being a part of that group of protesters, which was called “The Resistance.”
Stills from news footage and Echeverria hiding and seeking shelter alongside fellow protesters are shown before he removes his shirt and displays the tattoo of his nickname that runs down his spine, and why he carries that moniker.
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His home video from Miami runs, with Echeverria running around the kitchen with his son as he explains nothing has changed in his home country. He sought political asylum in the United States, settling in South Florida. He’s shown spending time with his parents, and training at The Goat Shed, with head coach Asim Zaidi calling him “the most technical fighter in the gym.”
“I’ve been through a lot, now I have a son, so it’s not just about me or my wife,” Echeverria says. “I have to be even more unbreakable. You have to keep pushing yourself — bite down and keep moving forward, stay unbroken for anything you believe.”
TUMELO MANYAMALA FIGHT PREP
The session begins with Cormier outlining basics of how he wants his charge to approach the fight with Echeverria — jabs, push kicks, starting fast, attacking the body; giving him looks up the middle that make him pause.
“Be as creative and explosive as you can,” he tells Manyamala. He calls the fight a tough fight for his athlete, noting Echeverria’s strengths, but believes Manyamala can win by fighting at range, using his weapons effectively. “He needs to make him pay every single time he enters, and if does that, he can win this fight; not only win this fight — he can finish him; he really can finish Roy.
“He’s got some big power, he’s a very crispy striker, and he’s got some very unique skills,” he adds. “But Tumelo’s a little different; he seems to be a very reserved guy. I just hope that revered type of personality takes a backseat whenever the fight starts, and he’s able to express himself the way that he needs to in the fight against Roy.”
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Manyamala continues drilling with teammates and addresses the fact that people think he’s calm and don’t initially think he’s a fighter when they meet him in an interstitial. He says he doesn’t need to act out, doesn’t need to be rough in order to convince himself he’s good enough to compete with the people in the house.
“I know I’m good enough; I don’t need to put on a persona,” he says. “Roy stands between me and my goal of becoming UFC champion, so as long as I keep him at bay — keep him at my range, my distance — everything will be good; he won’t be able to touch me.”
TEAM SONNEN TRAINING SESSION
Sonnen gathers the squad to introduce the latest former TUF winner to pass through — former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, who won the Australia versus England edition commonly referred to as “The Smashes” back in 2012.
Whittaker talks about how his time on TUF changed his life as highlights from his season run, with Dana White recapping his run to the finals and claiming the tournament victory over Brad Scott in the finale. The UFC CEO continues to speak about Whittaker’s UFC career as further highlights run, including his time as a coach on Season 28 that ended with Whittaker getting a win over his fellow coach Kelvin Gastelum.
“The Reaper” leads the team through a training session focused on spacing, showing them how to use his jab and movements to dictate his opponent’s movements, while Sonnen raves about his approach and the way he moves in the cage. Several members of Team Sonnen voice their appreciation for the information Whittaker has passed on, with the middleweight standout wrapping things up by telling them all about the importance of locking in and simply out-willing their opponents once they’re inside the Octagon.
TUF HOUSE
Manyamala sits out back of the house with several of the competitors, opening the latest sonogram from his pregnant fiancee back home. He says he found out about the baby a week after this first interview with the TUF production team.
Footage from Cape Town, South Africa, runs, with Manyamala hanging on the beach with his fiancee, Rachel. He calls the city “a heaven for me,” and explains that he was born in Pretoria before moving to Knysna, where living conditions were not the best. He details the challenges they faced, but the motivation watching his parents work hard gave him.
He traces his journey through combat sports and is shown in the gym at Pride Fighting Academy. He’s been a pro for four years, and has a record of 6-1. He wells up a little as he talks about the support he feels from everyone at home as he takes this leap of faith with fighting.
ROYBERT ECHEVERRIA FIGHT PREP
“What’s your plan with Tumelo?” Sonnen asks Echeverria, who breaks down his impending opponent and explains how he intends to approach the fight, suggesting he’s going to take him down as quickly as he can.
Echeverria calls himself a smart fighter, noting that he’s not going to go out there and bang as highlights from his previous bouts begin. He notes that he’s 10-2 and always going for the finish. His appearance on Season 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series is shown, where he lost to Jafael Filho by third-round stoppage, running level with the Brazilian through two rounds before getting caught with a nasty left hook.
Sonnen heaps praise on Echeverria’s upside, suggesting he could be in the finale.
FLYWEIGHT WEIGH-IN
Echeverria is up first, hitting 125.5 pounds while wearing his bling, which Cormier asks about. Manyamala follows him to the scale, coming in at the exact same weight.
We’re official, and it’s time to find out which flyweight will advance to the final four. White breaks down the bout and expects it to be exciting.
FIGHT DAY
Both men go through their fight day routine at the house and head to UFC APEX, where they get wrapped and loose.
Each, understandably, believes they’re going to be successful and express how focused and prepared they are for what’s ahead of them.
Tumelo Manyamala vs. Roybert Echeverria
Roybert Echeverria joined teammate Joseph Morales in the semifinals by registering a second-round submission win over Tumelo Manyamala in the final flyweight quarterfinal matchup.
The Team Sonnen member got stung in the first by his South African counterpart, who clearly had a speed advantage. But the Venezuelan recovered and looked to grapple in the second, eventually getting Manyamala to the canvas and taking his back, where he quickly attacked a rear-naked choke and drew out a tap from the Team Cormier athlete.
Official Result: Roybert Echeverria def. Tumelo Manyamala by submission (rear-naked choke) in Round 2
Cormier is upset with the result, calling it “trash” as he walks off in frustration. He recaps the action, praising Manyamala’s ability to hurt Echeverria when he just let his weapons flow, which allowed him to keep the Team Sonnen fighter off him.
But as he refused to go forward, it allowed Echeverria to get him to the fence and get him down. Sonnen says Echeverria used the same approach six times, with his charge finally finding success with the sixth attempt. Cormier can’t understand how Manyamala stopped listening, while Sonnen calls it a great win for his athlete.
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Echeverria is understandably pumped up, while Manyamala is pretty “it happens” about the whole thing, chalking it up to being young in his career, though he’s later shown getting teary eyed in the dressing room.
Cormier gives him a hug and offers him feedback and encouragement, admitting in an interstitial that he’s pissed that Manyamala stopped listening. “It was such a winnable fight,” he says, explaining that he knows Manyamala will be frustrated and disappointed with himself when he looks back on this fight. “It’s hard to live with regret; it’s hard.”
WELTERWEIGHT FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT
White tees up the final quarterfinal fight of the season, calling it “one we’ve all been waiting for,” as Team Sonnen’s Diego Bianchini and Team Cormier’s Rodrigo Senzinanda will finally face off.
Sonnen says he’s going to make it an “international affair,” suggesting the bout is between “Brazil and Canada,” where Senzinando lives, but Cormier quickly pushes back about the blood running through his charge’s veins.
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The two rivals get face-to-face, with Bianchini chirping the whole time, while Senzinando stays stone-faced.
“You do not wanna miss this one,” White says.
ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER
The two men continue bickering in the house before making the walk to face each other, with a spot in the semifinals hanging in the balance before the coaches pick the semifinal matchups.
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