Last week on the premiere episode of Fight Master, we saw five fighters secure spots on the teams of the four coaches: Chris Lozano and Nick Barnes went to Frank Shamrock, AJ Matthews went to Randy Couture, Tim Welch went to Greg Jackson, and Eric Scallan went to Joe Warren (even though Warren didn’t even want him).
This week, we’ll likely follow the same format, with fighters facing off in an empty, darkened gym and then asking the coaches questions before finally selecting one. And yes, I still think the format would benefit from a modification where the coaches have some say in who they get. Whatever. We’re moving on.
Mike “The Zombie” Dubois “grew up fighting in the streets and in the fields” and is a repo man. They call him a zombie because nothing stops a zombie “except removing the head and destroying the brain”. Well, I’m pretty sure your opponents will be working hard to do both, regardless of your zombie status. Rob Mills is a counter-terrorist officer from the UK and says he can knock out “any man that God ever created”.
Right away, Dubois shows some adept submission defense as he goes for a takedown and Mills locks in a pretty good guillotine, but Dubois blocks it with his left arm in. Dubois ends up in half guard, posturing up and pounding away. Mills works to his knees and is put in a guillotine that he tries to fight out of, but as Dubois stands up he cinches it in for good and gets the tap. Nice performance by Dubois, who celebrates by saying, “Yahtzee!” “I feel like I just got done having sex for the first time,” Dubois says in the locker room. Okay then.
Dubois says he doesn’t know Warren well, which I take to me he doesn’t watch Bellator. “Did any of you see anything that made you want to work with me?” Dubois asks the coaches, and Shamrock immediately jumps on it and kisses some ass. Jackson says Dubois is his kind of fighter. Couture asks how long Dubois has been fighting (four years) and his record (4-0 counting the Mills fight). Shamrock tries to create doubt in Dubois by pointing out that Jackson has never been a fighter, and unbelievably, it works. Dubois picks Shamrock! I’m amazed at how many of these young fighters are picking Shamrock, despite the fact that Jackson is a bigger name with today’s fans, Couture was a more accomplished fighter (and more recently) and Warren is a current fighter.
Next up are Tom Gallicchio and Eric Bradley. He’s a bit goofy but seems like a good guy. He’s one of those “fighting for the fun of it” types, aka a crazy person. Eric Bradley was a national collegiate boxing champ and a two-time All-American in wrestling. He’s been a part of Xtreme Couture in the past, but had his career derailed when a “prank” from college landed him in jail for “one to two years”.
Let’s see what Google says!
Apparently, the “prank” was breaking into several fraternity houses and stealing “more than $22,000 worth of property”. Hmmm. Almost more puzzling is the fact that it happened three years before Bradley was convicted, which would have made him 26 years old. Now, 26 is a little too old to be doing stupid stuff just to do it, and also a weird age to still be trolling around campus, particularly when you were done two years earlier. Couture apparently doesn’t know about Bradley’s legal troubles, as he says he “just kinda disappeared”.
At any rate, he is by all accounts a good guy and seems to have gotten it together. We get started and Warren is creepily excited to see the fight. Bradley’s hands are way down, but his takedowns are quite nice. The fight is given the highlight treatment, but we see that Bradley is still a work in progress on the mat, though he has some good, aggressive ground and pound. “Interesting transitions,” says Couture. “I feel like I’m watching Animal from the Muppets fight out there.”
Anyway, Bradley just continues nailing takedowns, but I wonder if for a multiple-year pro, it’s a bad sign that he isn’t more comfortable with his striking by now. Still, you can count on former wrestling standouts to be in shape, know how to cut weight, and control the fights without getting injured. All are key in a format like this where you fight a bunch of times in a short period of time.
“For a brief period of time, I was an international fugitive,” he explains to Couture, who defers to the other coaches and tell us in private that “this is the same Eric that I saw 6 years ago; I didn’t see any new skills”, confirming my suspicions that he’s been slow to evolve past just being a wrestler. I think some time with Greg Jackson would be good for him, personally. Jackson says he can help Bradley in all areas, while Shamrock says he has “concrete systems” and that anything he’s dreamt of, he’s been able to do. I guess he never dreamed about beating Nick Diaz? Bradley makes a good choice and goes with Jackson, which gives him two fighters and in my opinion, the best roster so far of all four teams.
Brett Nakamura faces Evan Cutts next. Nakamura is a Hawaiian fighter and seems very humble. Cutts says he was “the king of nerds” in high school and still plays Dungeons and Dragons and video games. Nothing wrong with that, brother. The two get started and Nakamura is reluctant to touch gloves, but does. Nakamura keeps his chin tucked extremely low but also keeps his hands low when he moves. After a missed (and stunningly slow) spinning back kick by Nakamura, Cutts deftly takes his back while standing and in no time has a body triangle. Nakamura stands up and Cutts takes advantage and sinks in a rear naked choke, and the fight is over as quickly as it began, with Cutts getting the “W”.
Warren says he was excited to see the right cross and grappling. “I know you come from a good fighting background,” Warren says. “How do you know he came from a good fighting background?” Couture asks. “You got to see him for all of a minute!” Catty! Shamrock says Cutts should pick Greg Jackson, mostly because he sees holes in Cutts’ striking and wants to direct him away from his own team. Nobody really seems to want him, honestly. Cutts selects Warren, so Warren has two guys that nobody really wanted very badly.
Cole Williams and Joe Williams face off in a family feud next. No, just kidding, it’s not a brother-brother bout, though Cole does live in a trailer. His girlfriend is working hard and supporting the family so he can train full-time, which is pretty cool. Joe Williams is very religious, and he “absolutely” loves “hurting people”. Well then. “I wanna beat everybody…and I wanna glorify God while doing it.”
We see in highlights that Joe is a very aggressive wrestler, though he can’t keep Cole down for long after successful single-leg takedowns. Hard to say who won from what we were shown. In the second, they are a bit tired and stand up more, allowing Cole to show off his striking, which is much better than Joe’s. Joe’s takedowns are no longer landing, either. An overtime round is needed, and predictably, Joe is waning, though he’s working hard to stay in the fight. He gets rocked hard but also gets a takedown later in the round. The coaches applaud the fight after three rounds, though it seems that Cole deserved the win…and he gets it.
Cole Williams asks what type of training each coach would mostly have him doing. Warren says “throwing some punches, attacking the body, and making sure once we get on top, we control.” Couture says he can refine Cole’s overall game, and Shamrock says that Cole should go to Jackson’s team. Jackson doesn’t mind the redirection this time, though it’s weird to see since Cole is a pretty good fighter. Ultimately, he chooses Randy Couture, who says he’s “very happy” and that Cole has “a ton of tools”.
Jacob “Not Tito” Ortiz and Jason Norwood. Jacob’s nickname is “Kobe the Stunna”, which may be the worst nickname in the history of the sport, or even the world. Jason Norwood is a West Point graduate and says most fighters he meets “wouldn’t last a day there.” Frank Shamrock notices that Norwood “has a magnificent chest.” The other coaches raise their eyebrows and Shamrock says it’s “extraordinary!” As a guy who spends some time in the weight room myself, I have to admit it’s pretty impressive, especially for a 170-pounder.
Norwood waits no time to shoot and gets in deep on a double leg. The highlights also show him rocking Ortiz with a right hook and working within Ortiz’s guard. In the second round, Ortiz looks fired up but eats a leg kick and then another. “He made a fight of it,” Jackson notes, but Norwood still seems to be controlling the bout, even if Ortiz is a tough nut to crack. Still, the unanimous decision goes to Norwood. Warren wants Norwood bad, because Norwood, like Warren, loves overhand rights and takedowns. “Yeah, but what do you teach him, cause he already knows that stuff?” says Shamrock. He’s got a point.
Norwood knows this is a life-changing decision. His question is a good one: “Who wants me on their team?” Warren jumps right in there: “I know exactly who you are! I know that mindset. Your strength is at a different level right now.” Couture is not sure if he wants Norwood or not, because at this point, rosters are filling up and he doesn’t want to be out of spots. Jackson isn’t sure he wants Norwood because you’re “not going to make him super technically better in the short time that we have”, and refers him to Warren. Shamrock calls him a “raw killing machine” and says he wants him.
Norwood really flips the script by saying his faith is important to him and asking if any of the coaches relate. None of them really do, and Warren doesn’t believe there’s a place for religion in business. Ultimately, Norwood picks Joe Warren, because he is “emotionally invested” in him as a fighter. It makes sense- why go to a team where you’re not the biggest focus?
Finally, we get to see Cristiano Souza and Steve Montgomery scrap. Souza is Brazilian and is quite a gymnast. He also has a lot of capoeira experience. Souza has to fight Montgomery, even though they train in the same camp at home. “I can’t believe it, 32 guys and I have to fight Steve?!” he says. It appears Dana White isn’t the only person who gets off on screwing up friendships, eh? Montgomery downplays it: “One day my life is going to flash before my eyes, so I intend to make it worth watching.”
They touch ‘em up and we’re underway. Montgomery takes the center of the cage and flashes a jab, measuring distance. He has a lot of reach on Souza. Nice body kick for Souza and as Jackson points out, smart movement. A big right lands and rocks Montgomery, though, and Montgomery is pretty much done. He takes several unnecessary shots and though he’s a game fighter and tries to argue the stoppage, he was out of it for awhile before the stoppage. Afterward, Souza is emotional and gives his teammate a big hug. He does not look happy and in the locker room says he feels bad. Montgomery said he was gun-shy because he didn’t want to hit Souza, too. Bummer, and I can’t help but think it was done to add a silly angle to the show.
Souza says he is nervous in front of the coaches and asks Warren if he can make him a better fighter. Warren says he can help Souza’s “wrestling and mindset”. Jackson says he won’t change Souza’s style, but will work with it. He mentions that nobody on the stage has trained more champions than he has. Couture says “we have all the pieces in this camp to take you all the way in this competition.” Shamrock, who has never trained a champion, says, “I can make you a champion, that’s what I do.” Souza chooses Couture.
That does it for this week. Next week, we’ll wrap up the elimination round, including an appearance from UFC and Strikeforce veteran Joe Riggs. “WHO. WILL. THEY. CHOOSE?” Well, Promo Guy, WE’LL. FIND. OUT. NEXT. WEEK.
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