Read on for a recap of episode three of The Ultimate Fighter Brasil 2...
TIAGO ALVES AND YAN CABRAL ARE THE FIRST TWO QUARTERFINALISTS ON THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER BRAZIL 2
• Defeating Cleiton “Foguete” and David Vieira by decision and submission, respectively, Tiago and Yan open the scoring for Team Werdum.
• Playing with mattresses and with the lockers during the episode reveals the joking spirit of the 14 participants on the second season of the show.
• After hurting his hand during his battle against David, Yan Cabral awaits the verdict of the doctor on whether he can continue in the competition.
"I do not want to eat, do not want any sleep, I want war." That sentence from Yan Cabral defined the spirit of the third episode of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 2. Shown on Sunday, March 31, the program showed the house and the gym where the 14 participants will live for the next few weeks.
In the war between Teams Nogueira and Werdum, Tiago Alves and Yan Cabral were the first to move to the next step, putting Team Werdum ahead 2-0. At the end of the episode though, there was suspense, as an injured hand suffered by Yan could be severe enough to remove him from the competition. The fate of Yan will be revealed in the fourth episode, which promises even more tension between the teams.
The third episode did come with some good news for the 14 participants. Coaches Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Fabricio Werdum reported that upon completing the initial round of fights, an additional fight will be added, giving a fighter eliminated in that initial stage the chance to rejoin the competition. In this way, a defeat in the first round does not necessarily mean the end of the journey. Furthermore, the fighters will receive prize money according to their performances. The winner of the season and his coach, will each receive a Renault Duster, with the awards being:
Best Knockout: 50 thousand Brazilian reals
Best Finish: 50 thousand Brazilian reals
Best Fight: 50 thousand Brazilian reals (for each fighter)
Any submission or knockout: 10 thousand Brazilian reals
Pranks in the house and in the gym also dictated the tone of the third episode, and at first contact with the luxurious house of this season's program, some roles were defined. The Argentine Santiago already dubbed the busy Patolino "Chatolino." Always active, he has already begun to amuse and annoy the housemates: "it is cool in the first five minutes, but then, you already want to pull his beak out of him," joked Leo Santos. The games of the carioca particularly bothered Yan Cabral, dubbed by his mates as the "President," who was already getting tired of the antics of the youngest member of the house. "He is a boy of 21 years, I understand him, he is dazzling," complained Cabral. "But there are times when he is losing the point of this."
However, it was not Patolino who created the real trouble in the house, but the members of Team Werdum - encouraged by Yan. Returning from the first practice, the team members decided to implement the first trick of the season, removing the mattresses of all participants of the house. After playing to skip the objects in the pool, "surf" on the lake and slip through the garden, they had to deal with the wrath of the participants of the opposing team, who disliked everything after getting from the workout to find that they would have to sleep without the comfort of their mattresses. "It's a childish thing, real men do not have that kind of attitude," complained a member of Team Nogueira, Luiz "Besouro".
However, the joke was not cheap, and in due time the Team Nogueira decided to fight back. While their rivals were out for training, they invaded their locker rooms and started throwing shaving foam on their belongings. Not even Wanderlei Silva was safe, getting his shoe soggy. Although entertained, Márcio Pedra and Pedro Irie rebuked this attitude. "At least they could respect our masters," said Irie. This did not prevent the yellow team from doing the same . In the end, the two ended up with their locker cabinets overturned, and their mats and personal belongings properly flooded. Santiago seemed particularly amused by the situation, taking everything as a joke. "What you did with us, you can be sure that it will come back," said Julian Ninja.
After winning the coin flip on the second episode, Werdum chose the right to match the first fight. The coach opted to pit Tiago Alves against Cleiton "Foguete", the knockout artist of Rio Grande do Sul who had already confessed being injured after the battle to enter the house. The attitude of matching a healthy fighter against an injured one was criticized by Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira, but Werdum countered that the intention was exactly that, to destabilize the opposing team.
The fight began with some tentative striking. Foguete tried to keep the distance, while Tiago tried to shorten the distance to implement his strategy. After exchanging blows without efficiency, Tiago went for the takedown, knocking the opponent down with a single leg and he remained on top on the ground. Tiago got the mount twice, while Foguete fought to keep his back off the ground. At the end of the round, Foguete briefly got the battle back standing, but was soon knocked down again. And though he was totally dominated for much of the round, Tiago could not finish him.
The second round was even more dominant for Tiago Alves. After a failed attempt of a spinning kick from Foguete, the Team Werdum product got the takedown again, staying on top. The fighter of Team Nogueira resisted as much as he could, but he could not shake off the weight of his opponent, who was very quick in his transitions on the ground. More than once, Tiago got the mount, and Foguete, despite the cries of his coach to use a hip escape to return the clash to the feet, could do nothing to respond to the attacks of the opponent.
The victory goes to Tiago Alves by unanimous decision after two rounds.
A target of all members of Team Nogueira after leading the joke of the mattresses, Yan Cabral was selected from Team Werdum for the second fight. Born in Viscount de Maua, in Rio de Janeiro, Yan entered the house with an impressive unbeaten record of ten victories - all by submission. The opponent chosen by Werdum to face Yan was David Vieira - despite repeated requests from Patolino. David, who also comes from jiu-jitsu, also has an undefeated record outside the house, with four wins.
The first round was busy. Early on, David tried for the takedown, seeking the leg of Yan to finish, but the yellow team member managed to rotate, stay on top and to pull away. David got his back and would not go, but Yan managed to stand and, keeping calm, managed to escape from David and back up. David worked aggressively underneath, keeping guard and seeking to improve position, but very calmly, Yan dodged and held the posture.
Cabral was able to put the clash standing, but David always stuck with his plan and threw it back to the ground. Toward the end of the round, Yan went over and was able to impose his game more, while David, apparently tired, decreased the intensity of his efforts. Yan once again stood up, and ended up dominating the round, managing to punish his opponent.
The possibility of having broken his hand, which he communicated to coach Fabricio Werdum between rounds, did not prevent Yan from coming back aggressively - while investing even more in his jiu-jitsu as a strategic asset. Again hitting the mat, Yan worked calmly, while David used his hooks and long arms to keep the distance and avoid being smashed on the ground. The President kept his cool, scoring with blows to the face and seeking ways to submit his foe. In the second half of the round, Yan was able to mount, going for the back and sinking in the rear naked choke that ended the clash.
Yan Cabral wins by submission in the second round.
The celebration led to concern when Yan returned to the locker room and found his hand sore and swollen. While his coaches and trainers tried to reassure him, Yan showed concern. "It was just a fight, but there's more, brother," he said, visibly shaken by the possibility of something more serious. In the locker room, the doctor examined the damage and determined the need for X-rays. The episode ended with Yan being taken to the hospital and hoping for the best. "Hopefully it is nothing," he said.
