Sherdog.com’s Guide to TUF 5
Scott Holmes May 11, 2007
Last week Gabe Ruediger
(Pictures) was booted from the show
for not getting his Nicole Richie on and showed up too heavy for
the weigh-in. Due to the infraction, UFC president Dana White
decided to handicap B.J. Penn
(Pictures)'s team by giving Jens Pulver (Pictures) the power to choose the match-ups
for the next two fights. Since Gabe is gone, Dana has decided to
bring back Rob Emerson for Team Penn.
Rob proved his mettle during the war he lost with Nate Diaz in week three, deserving the second chance. With their choices, Team Pulver's Brian Geraghty decides to call out Joe Lauzon (Pictures).
Joe's a tough choice since he's the only contestant on the show
with a solid win in the UFC. Not only that, but his victory was
over Brian's coach!
Brian knows that a win over Joe, he can make a big statement to the rest of the field.
Penn says Lauzon is a creepy looking guy, pointing out that he's known as "Creepy Joe." I wouldn't say the man is creepy, just a little wild-eyed.
During training, Jens discusses his loss to Joe and admits that "he forgot to bring the fight." Joe knocked out the hard-hitting Pulver and it must be a little awkward for Brian, so Jens gives him some good advice: "Forget the fact that he hit me."
Brian doesn't seem to take that to heart as he knows that he is an underdog due to the situation and he wants to help avenge the loss.
It's go time and Lauzon immediately ties up Geraghty with some under hooks, picks him up off the ground, decides to stay against the fence and slams him on his back. Joe postures up and starts pounding Brian with punches while he's balled up against the fence.
Joe lands a heavy elbow that leaves Brian's stunned head on the mat for a moment. Joe knows he's got him in trouble and tries to give him some more but misses with another big elbow that slams into the mat.
Brian manages to scramble out of the way and stands back up but Joe immediately jumps on his back and tries to lock in a choke. Brian falls to the ground and Joe doesn't even waste time getting his hooks in, making Brian tap almost immediately.
I'm not sure what time it was in the round but writing the paragraph above took longer than the actual fight.
Jens says that Joe is good and that he's glad he's good because, "I didn't want to get knocked out by a bitch." Well pop the champagne Jens because Joe ain't a bitch.
B.J.'s team finally gets a win -- not just any kind of win, a showstopper performance from one of their best players. Joe enjoys his win with his team, while a dejected Geraghty leaves the show.
Meanwhile, Emerson's feeling the burden of getting a second chance to make a statement to Dana and the rest of the fighters.
Corey Hill admits he was intimidated by the other guy's records since he wasn't experienced. How inexperienced? He didn't even know who Dana White was! How is this possible?
Rob comes out to the weigh-in wearing a banana hammock, thankfully Spike blurs out his ass cheeks.
Meanwhile Corey is justifiably annoyed that Rob's getting a second chance in the game. No matter what happens in this fight I can guarantee you that we will see Corey in the UFC. Por favor, believe it.
Why? One more time, Corey is 6-foot-4 -- a stunning height for a man that's only 155 pounds and is sure to make trouble for anyone he fights at that weight. He's like a lightweight Semmy Schilt (Pictures).
Sure enough, Corey comes out with a flurry at first and looks to be stronger, pushing Emerson back to the fence. Emerson fights right back though and is able to catch Corey with a great overhand right on the chin that shows he's game.
With Emerson having to deal with such a wild reach advantage, it causes him to be a bit tentative, allowing Corey to push the pace and press forward.
Corey moves with odd timing, feinting and moving almost Capoeira-ish.
When Corey pushes the pace and attacks, he is able to connect at times, especially when holding onto Rob's head. You know, like when the big kid holds the little kid's head at arm's length and lets him swing wildly at the air. It's kind of like that, only meaner.
Emerson is patient though and despite being so much shorter, he is able to pick his shots and take advantage of Corey keeping his hands a tad too low. Both men trade punches equally and the round ends looking like things are fairly even.
At the beginning of round two B.J. starts yelling for Emerson to unload on Corey, but it's easier said than done. Emerson tries to lock up Corey but is stifled each time as he's pushed away.
The two separate and once again it's a bit of give and take. Both guys are able to connect at times but without doing much damage. Emerson begins to tag those long legs with a powerful leg kicks, but also eats a punch or two in the process.
Another big leg kick lands and B.J.'s team erupts with joy, but it's short lived as Corey is able to hit Emerson, causing him to slip to the ground.
Corey pounces but in the scramble Emerson grabs a leg and starts working for a heel hook. With only a few seconds left on the clock, Corey waits it out and the round ends.
This was a hard fight to call since both men did equal amounts of dancing and equal amounts of work. Corey may have been a bit busier in the first round but the devastating kicks and submission attempt by Rob gave him the second round.
The judges agree and send it to a third round.
Corey appears to be winded and B.J. admonishes Rob to take this round away from him. Once the men start to exchange again, Corey fires off some rigid punches that slow Emerson down a bit. Rob tags him with another big leg kick but Corey finds his second wind and continues to press while Emerson plays it safe by staying away.
While Corey lands some punches, Rob's combos are being deflected by the long arms. Another leg kick lands but Emerson doesn't follow up. When he does try to get close he finds himself on the business end of Corey's jabs.
With a minute left in the fight Emerson tries to finish strong and lands some more solid leg kicks that find their mark, turning Corey's leg inward. Of all the strikes thrown by these two, Rob's kicks have been the most damaging but that hasn't stopped Corey from coming forward.
The last round ends and both men feeling like they've done enough work to win. The judges confer and despite the opinions of Dana and B.J., Hill is awarded a unanimous decision by the judges. Perhaps the fact that he brought the pressure and pushed the pace got him the victory.
Afterwards, he decides to tell his team and coach that it was actually his first pro MMA fight! Dear lord if that's his first fight, the sky is the limit for this guy. Pretty amazing stuff.
Only four fighters have yet to fight and next week we will watch them finish out the field for the semifinals. Ironically all four have remained under the radar so far but look how long they've lasted. The moral of the story, keep your mouth shut and you won't get called out.
Rob proved his mettle during the war he lost with Nate Diaz in week three, deserving the second chance. With their choices, Team Pulver's Brian Geraghty decides to call out Joe Lauzon (Pictures).
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Brian knows that a win over Joe, he can make a big statement to the rest of the field.
In discussing the match-ups, Dana remarks that Joe, "looks like a
nice quiet Internet kid, but he will rip your f___ing head
off."
Penn says Lauzon is a creepy looking guy, pointing out that he's known as "Creepy Joe." I wouldn't say the man is creepy, just a little wild-eyed.
During training, Jens discusses his loss to Joe and admits that "he forgot to bring the fight." Joe knocked out the hard-hitting Pulver and it must be a little awkward for Brian, so Jens gives him some good advice: "Forget the fact that he hit me."
Brian doesn't seem to take that to heart as he knows that he is an underdog due to the situation and he wants to help avenge the loss.
It's go time and Lauzon immediately ties up Geraghty with some under hooks, picks him up off the ground, decides to stay against the fence and slams him on his back. Joe postures up and starts pounding Brian with punches while he's balled up against the fence.
Joe lands a heavy elbow that leaves Brian's stunned head on the mat for a moment. Joe knows he's got him in trouble and tries to give him some more but misses with another big elbow that slams into the mat.
Brian manages to scramble out of the way and stands back up but Joe immediately jumps on his back and tries to lock in a choke. Brian falls to the ground and Joe doesn't even waste time getting his hooks in, making Brian tap almost immediately.
I'm not sure what time it was in the round but writing the paragraph above took longer than the actual fight.
Jens says that Joe is good and that he's glad he's good because, "I didn't want to get knocked out by a bitch." Well pop the champagne Jens because Joe ain't a bitch.
B.J.'s team finally gets a win -- not just any kind of win, a showstopper performance from one of their best players. Joe enjoys his win with his team, while a dejected Geraghty leaves the show.
Meanwhile, Emerson's feeling the burden of getting a second chance to make a statement to Dana and the rest of the fighters.
Corey Hill admits he was intimidated by the other guy's records since he wasn't experienced. How inexperienced? He didn't even know who Dana White was! How is this possible?
Rob comes out to the weigh-in wearing a banana hammock, thankfully Spike blurs out his ass cheeks.
Meanwhile Corey is justifiably annoyed that Rob's getting a second chance in the game. No matter what happens in this fight I can guarantee you that we will see Corey in the UFC. Por favor, believe it.
Why? One more time, Corey is 6-foot-4 -- a stunning height for a man that's only 155 pounds and is sure to make trouble for anyone he fights at that weight. He's like a lightweight Semmy Schilt (Pictures).
Sure enough, Corey comes out with a flurry at first and looks to be stronger, pushing Emerson back to the fence. Emerson fights right back though and is able to catch Corey with a great overhand right on the chin that shows he's game.
With Emerson having to deal with such a wild reach advantage, it causes him to be a bit tentative, allowing Corey to push the pace and press forward.
Corey moves with odd timing, feinting and moving almost Capoeira-ish.
When Corey pushes the pace and attacks, he is able to connect at times, especially when holding onto Rob's head. You know, like when the big kid holds the little kid's head at arm's length and lets him swing wildly at the air. It's kind of like that, only meaner.
Emerson is patient though and despite being so much shorter, he is able to pick his shots and take advantage of Corey keeping his hands a tad too low. Both men trade punches equally and the round ends looking like things are fairly even.
At the beginning of round two B.J. starts yelling for Emerson to unload on Corey, but it's easier said than done. Emerson tries to lock up Corey but is stifled each time as he's pushed away.
The two separate and once again it's a bit of give and take. Both guys are able to connect at times but without doing much damage. Emerson begins to tag those long legs with a powerful leg kicks, but also eats a punch or two in the process.
Another big leg kick lands and B.J.'s team erupts with joy, but it's short lived as Corey is able to hit Emerson, causing him to slip to the ground.
Corey pounces but in the scramble Emerson grabs a leg and starts working for a heel hook. With only a few seconds left on the clock, Corey waits it out and the round ends.
This was a hard fight to call since both men did equal amounts of dancing and equal amounts of work. Corey may have been a bit busier in the first round but the devastating kicks and submission attempt by Rob gave him the second round.
The judges agree and send it to a third round.
Corey appears to be winded and B.J. admonishes Rob to take this round away from him. Once the men start to exchange again, Corey fires off some rigid punches that slow Emerson down a bit. Rob tags him with another big leg kick but Corey finds his second wind and continues to press while Emerson plays it safe by staying away.
While Corey lands some punches, Rob's combos are being deflected by the long arms. Another leg kick lands but Emerson doesn't follow up. When he does try to get close he finds himself on the business end of Corey's jabs.
With a minute left in the fight Emerson tries to finish strong and lands some more solid leg kicks that find their mark, turning Corey's leg inward. Of all the strikes thrown by these two, Rob's kicks have been the most damaging but that hasn't stopped Corey from coming forward.
The last round ends and both men feeling like they've done enough work to win. The judges confer and despite the opinions of Dana and B.J., Hill is awarded a unanimous decision by the judges. Perhaps the fact that he brought the pressure and pushed the pace got him the victory.
Afterwards, he decides to tell his team and coach that it was actually his first pro MMA fight! Dear lord if that's his first fight, the sky is the limit for this guy. Pretty amazing stuff.
Only four fighters have yet to fight and next week we will watch them finish out the field for the semifinals. Ironically all four have remained under the radar so far but look how long they've lasted. The moral of the story, keep your mouth shut and you won't get called out.
