TUF 7 Episode 12

Wow, what a crazy week! Let's jump right into the action just like the show did. Amir and CB went at it to determine who would make it to the finals.

Round 1: CB took Amir down quickly and was able to control him fairly well however he really didn't score much damage in that round but based on the fact that Amir was neutralized the whole time the first round had to go to CB.

Round 2: CB looked much more dangerous this round. He took Amir down quickly again but this time inflicted much more damage on the ground and was far more active. He cut Amir pretty good too.

Round 3: It looked like more of the same with CB taking Amir down but this time Amir knew he was in trouble and was far more active on the ground. They got into a couple of scrambles but eventually Amir caught CB in an arm bar and ended the fight.

Amir was elated as was to be expected as both guys knew CB was the favorite. I personally couldn't believe Amir was able to pull that out. I knew he was scrappy, had a ton of heart, and could take shots but the way he keeps pulling out fights is just incredible. CB was obviously very disappointed and for the moment it looked like an all Forrest final which Forrest was pretty happy about. So it appeared to be Jesse vs Amir in the final. This didn't last long though.

After the show had ended Jesse stayed in town and got wasted and started acting like an animal (kicking out car windows, harassing girls, fighting security) all while letting everyone know he was a "UFC fighter" which of course he isn't yet. Dana White brought back Forrest and Rampage and showed them what happened and everyone knew Jesse couldn't be in the final after that show. He ruined the biggest opportunity of his life and after talking big about how no one could take food out of his child's mouth it was Jesse who ultimately defeated himself. The kid obviously needs help with his substance abuse and emotional issues. However, I have no sympathy for someone who gets their lifelong dream and just throws it away when so much is on the line, especially when they have a kid depending on them. Jesse obviously has issues but it's no excuse for his behavior and for throwing away the opportunity of a lifetime, which of course he only realized after he lost it all. With all that being said there was a huge hole to fill in the final.

Dana called back Tim and CB to fight to see who gets to replace Jesse. Rampage was excited because he knew he had another chance and Forrest was less than pleased. Dana also brought back Amir to let him know what had happened and to let him watch the fight. Tim and CB had been itching to fight each other all season since both were their respective coaches number 1 picks. With all the drama behind us let's move on to the fight that would determine the last finalist (again).

Round 1: Not surprisingly Tim and CB both stand up the whole time. Tim wanted no part of CBs ground and pound and CB thought Tim had nothing on his feet. Tim took some good shots but ultimately it was Tim that looked more dangerous in that round, knocking CB down, even though the judges did not agree with me.

Round 2: CB came out swinging and dropped Tim early and to be honest I'm surprised the fight wasn't stopped. But Tim recovered and was able to get back to his feet. That didn't last long though as CB gave up on trying to knock Tim out and brought the fight to the ground which is both fighters strengths but Tim knew he was outclassed there. Tim did well in round 2 in the scramble getting back to his feet often but that was obviously CB's round.

Round 3: Tim wanted to keep it standing but CB just imposed his will on Tim taking him down and keeping him down. However, once it got to the ground CB didn't really do much and to be honest Tim looked a lot better than I expected. Due to CB's inactivity I would've given the round to Tim but again the judges disagreed giving a unanimous 30-27 decision in favor of CB.

This was a really good fight to determine the last finalist. It was the fight everyone wanted and while it wasn't the fight of the season it was definitely in the top 3. CB gets his rematch against Amir this Saturday but Tim I think (even at his age) has a bright future and I think he'll definitely make it to a UFC show soon (not including the finale). What an interesting and crazy season of The Ultimate Fighter! All the usual elements were there but I really enjoyed the new "win your way in" format and I thought the fights this season as a whole were much better than last season. That's it for this season but this is a huge summer for MMA so keep it locked. Today or tomorrow I'll be rolling out my TUF 7 Finale preview so keep your eyes open for that one. Until then,

Soccer kicks and head stomps...