The Ultimate Fighter
EPISODE 9 RECAP | THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER SEASON 33
The Semifinals Begin With A Spirited Battle In The Flyweight Division
PREVIOUSLY ON THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER
In the quarterfinal round, Team Sonnen’s Robert Echeverria took out Team Cormier’s Tumelo Manyamala, while Alibi Idiris controlled Furkatbek Yokubov for two full rounds, earning an impressive decision win of his own.
Now it’s the coaches’ turn to compete, as Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen go head-to-head on the pickleball court in this season’s Coaches Challenge before Echeverria and Idiris compete for a place in the flyweight finale.
THE COACHES CHALLENGE
Cormier and Sonnen meet Dana White inside the UFC APEX, where a pickleball court is set up. Sonnen has arrived in blue jeans, cowboy boots, and heavy-buckled belt; not the ideal outfit for pickleball.
It’s best two out of three, with the winning coach earning $10,000, with each fighter earning $1,500 apiece. USA Pickleball is in the building to let the coaches know the rules and officiatethe match.
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Before it gets underway, Joseph Morales raises his hand to ask White a question. He mentions that it’s a special season — 20th anniversary season — and asks if White will make it $20,000 for the coaches. The UFC CEO jokes that Cormier and Sonnen are both already rich, so instead of $1,500 for each fighter on the winning coach’s team, it will be $2,500.
The coaches get changed and hit the court, with White setting the stage for the contest by saying he doesn’t have high expectations for this match. Cormier says he played once before with a friend and they got housed by some older gentlemen, while Sonnen takes the court in half-length, zip-up Cowboy boots, which makes Daniil Donchenko note that he’s a little more confident in Cormier’s ability to get the job done as a result.
The game is a disaster, with faults, missed swings, and Cormier hitting the overhead boom mic at one point. There are very few rallies, prompting Cormier to acknowledge that “all I have to do is get it in play,” with Sonnen agreeing.
Cormier wins the first game, and gets off to a quick start in the second game before he starts getting called for foot faults on every serve, though Sonnen can’t get back into the game because, as White says, “Sonnen sucks.”
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The first real rally of the match gives Cormier match point, except he thinks he’s won and starts celebrating. He then serves out the game and the match, ultimately throttling Sonnen, who admits he would have found some way to cheat in order to win if he had the opportunity. Cormier enjoys the victory, but is most happy to put $2,500 in the pockets of each of his fighters.
ALIBI IDIRIS SEMIFINAL FIGHT PREP
Idiris is shown doing his preparations for his bout with Echeverria as Cormier speaks about the confidence the team has in the Kazakh flyweight. The fighter breaks down his opponent as more footage of his preparation runs, with Idiris emphasizing that he’s going to outwork Echeverria.
To Cormier, the key is pressure and to make him uncomfortable, which is where Manyamala was able to have success against him in the quarterfinals. The aim is to push the pace, mix things up, and just work to wear out the Team Sonnen representative.
TRAINING SESSION | TEAM SONNEN
Echeverria works with fellow semifinalist Joseph Morales and everything seems light-hearted and mellow, prompting Colby Covington to tell the team they’re going to have to work harder, recounting what he saw from Team Cormier when he first arrived in the gym. He’s trying to fire up the team, but it’s not quite landing right, leading to some tension in the room.
Sonnen praises Covington’s coaching and the workout he put everyone through, with some fighters coming through it better than others.
TUF HOUSE
Like previous years, White is giving each semifinalist a chance to call home, and Echeverria is up first. He connects with his family in Miami — his parents, his wife, and his son — calling it “needed” and a great motivator. He explains it has been tough and that it’s made him appreciate his family even more.
Idiris explains to Jeff Creighton that he has a large family and that after every fight, they all get together to have a big celebration with lots of food. He says in an interstitial how much he misses them, but that he declined the opportunity to speak with them because “I came here to battle, to fight; I don’t want to be impacted by emotions. I want to focus solely on the fight, and I want to come out there like a predator.”
He’s shown working out, riding the assault bike in the house; everything is focused on winning this fight.
TRAINING SESSION TEAM SONNEN
Sonnen gathers his team as they welcome Julianna Pena in to coach. The two-time bantamweight champion won Season 18, becoming the first female athlete to win The Ultimate Fighter, and then coached on Season 30 of the show opposite Amanda Nunes.
She calls the experience life-changing and tells the competitors how much they have to use this opportunity to really dig deep and focus on themselves, before speaking with Echeverria, telling him “we need another Venezuelan in the UFC.”
ROYBERT ECHEVERRIA SEMIFINAL FIGHT PREP
Sonnen calls Echeverria the perfect fighter from a coach’s perspective before they discuss his game plan for the fight. The former title challenger is anxious about Idiris’ reach and ability to dictate the terms of engagement, telling Echeverria he’s going to need to stick to the game plan and lean on his conditioning.
“The Unbroken” promises to take the fight Idiris and to punish him for every action he brings. He forecasts a finish and “a hard night for Alibi.”
SEMIFINAL WEIGH-INS FLYWEIGHT
NSAC Executive Director Jeff Mullin gets things underway, with Idiris weighing in first. He comes in at 125.5 pounds, with Echeverria following suit, hitting 126 pounds even. We have ourselves a fight.
The two men face off, with White recapping how the duo arrived at this point, calling it “hard to say” who will control the fight and earn the victory.
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“This is a great way to start the semis!”
FIGHT DAY
There is nothing left to do, but to do it. Echeverria and Idiris shuttle into the UFC APEX, head to their dressing rooms, and get wrapped and loose before making the walk and standing across from one another inside the cage.
Alibi Idiris vs Roybert Echeverria
Alibi Idiris is on to the semifinals after knocking out Roybert Echeverria in the waning moments of the opening round.
Saturday's Fight By Fight Preview
The fight was competitive throughout, with each man having success based on who was going forward, just as the coaches foretold. But late in the frame, Idiris shot for a takedown along the fence and ultimately tripped Echeverria to the ground. When the Team Sonnen member worked back to his feet, the Kazakh flyweight elevated and landed a knee that dropped Echeverria, with the fight stopped seconds after.
Official Result: Alibi Idiris def. Roybert Echeverria by KO (flying knee) in Round 1
The coaches and White recap the action, with each coach having great praise for the fighter on the other side, and the UFC CEO calling Idiris a great fighter who deserves to be in the finale.
“The Kazakh Gangster” is pumped to have punched his ticket to the finale, while Echeverria is understandably distraught, especially because, as Mason Fowler tells him, he was doing everything right before getting caught.
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With Idiris through to the flyweight finale, it’s time for the All-Cormier Showdown in the welterweight division, as Jeff Creighton will go head-to-head with Rodrigo Sezinando to see who will advance.
ON THE NEXT EPISOIDE OF THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER
Sonnen takes the boys to see a Criss Angel show before Creighton and Sezinando face off for a place in the live finale.
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