Sherdog’s Guide to ‘The Ultimate Fighter’

We jump right in on the last episode of Season 12 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” with Kyle Watson explaining his small-town roots, having had to pay an organization for his first fight. Watson goes on to say that when he reached a fork in the road, he turned down an offer from a promotion in the big city to leave his girl, job and dog to try and make a dollar the hard way.

Going into the semi-finals Georges St. Pierre’s assistant coach, John Danaher, feels the matchup between Watson and Jonathan Brookins is premature and should have come at the finale. He believed they have made the greatest strides during their time on the show.

Meanwhile, Josh Koscheck’s little helpers are starting to become bored without any fights for which to prepare, and Koscheck is not providing much coaching, either.

“I don’t feel like that I got much out of it,” says top pick Marc Stevens, pointing out that GSP brought in a who’s who of fight gurus throughout the season. Team Koscheck did get its ears boxed by Jon Fitch, but morale is at an all-time low.

“Just getting back home and bitching, I’m sure it’s not helping,” admits Jeff Lentz, as his teammates commiserate together.

There are a few dissenters, Sevak Magakian chief among them. “I get a lot out of Josh,” he says. However, he later concedes, “I expected less.”

After his teammates complaining to each other, Stevens entertained them with a hilarious imitation of Koscheck, which included primping of the hair, self-involved speak and training mantras such as “hard work pays off.” Koscheck walks in on the performance and stares at Stevens, who squirms while trying to downplay what just happened.

Koscheck has no problem saying his team’s members should be pointing fingers at themselves, not him, when it comes to their “failures.” He ends his solo camera time by repeating, “Hard work does pay off.”

Brookins readies for Watson by isolating himself with some outdoor activities like pool punching and tree swinging, all while talking about trying to stay away from the camera. Despite his breezy demeanor, the WEC veteran appears to have a real grasp of where he is headed in terms of an MMA career.

Another semi-finalist, lone Team Koscheck representative Nam Phan, also spends time in backyard isolation, but not by his design. Phan’s teammates no longer have fights for which to ready themselves, and they use their time to shun him. He is viewed as “shady” and “two-faced,” with Lentz going so far as to call him a gossipy girl after some he-said-she-said shenanigans. It forces Phan on the defensive, as he awkwardly fends off the sniping from teammates whose love he has apparently lost.

The morning of the Brookings-Watson semi-final, the two started the day in styles befitting their on-screen personas. The sun silhouetted Watson as he leaned against a post on the patio, coffee in hand, like straight out of a Folger’s commercial. Brookins did Jedi handstands in the yard and weighed in on his state of mind.

“If you’re prepared,” he said, “there’s no such thing as pressure.”

Brookins has proven graceful in his application of technique, but Watson quickly reminds him that the Octagon is indeed a violent place, snapping his head back to start the fight. Quick consideration leads Brookins to race in low for the takedown and push Watson against the fence. On the mat, Brookins postures in Watson’s guard and displays some legitimate ground-and-pound. He requires little space to generate power, thudding Watson’s head against the canvas for a majority of the first round.

In the second, Brookins goes low again. Watson fights off his advances, only to be thrown. Watson does not regain his footing until the end of round two, after Brookins runs him over for another five minutes. Watson is clearly behind on the scorecards, so cornerman and fellow semi-finalist Michael Johnson gives him the all-or-nothing pep talk between rounds.

“He’s going to come in with his head low … short uppercut, move away,” Johnson says.

Instead, Brookins and Watson clinch almost immediately, trading knees. Brookins scores with an elevated slam and slowly inches Watson toward the fence. There, he finishes the fight by beating on Watson in convincing fashion, securing his place in the final. Watson leaves with a sensible attitude, vowing to take home all he has learned from St. Pierre.

“He didn’t hide anything,” Watson said. “He gave us everything.”

Meanwhile, the situation surrounding Phan does not improve, as being ostracized takes an unpleasant toll. Footage shows him training in silence in an empty gym.

“You’re put in a situation, and it’s not always in your favor,” he says.

However, he believes Johnson was the ideal matchup for him in the semi-finals.

“Michael Johnson has the most holes in his game,” Phan says before comparing himself to a Honda Civic. “I’m not the biggest, strongest, fastest car on the lot, but I’m efficient on gas.”

Koscheck pins his hopes on Phan, his team’s last surviving member.

“All my eggs are in his basket,” Koscheck says. “He’s the Easter Bunny.”

Technique meets attitude when Phan and Johnson step into the cage. Johnson scores with two quick takedowns but absorbs some elbows to the head for his troubles. After they return to their feet, Phan starts to connect. Johnson gets popped a few times before his next takedown.

Phan describes Johnson’s style as “ghetto brawling,” but it seems to work well, as he swarms him against the fence in a fury. Phan hits Johnson flush, as both men eat heavy shots. Johnson takes down Phan several times but never keeps it on the ground for long. They fight like men possessed. Johnson appears to win round one, and Phan’s corner is emphatic in its call for more pressure.

However, it is Johnson who puts on the squeeze in round two. He remains in control, until Phan plugs him with a body shot that wows UFC President Dana White and others sitting cage-side. Johnson’s hands drop, and Phan repeatedly tags him with a left hand to the right side of the body. Phan also throws plenty of kicks, some of which Johnson checks. Johnson shows his resolve, as he withstands the onslaught and keeps pressing forward. He comes alive in the final 30 seconds, thumping Phan in attempt to take away the round.

Johnson plows right into his foe to start the third round, and while Phan remains active, he has no mustard on his punches. Johnson again seems in control, until Phan lands another body shot that nearly crumples him. Johnson folds over but continues to fight, moving Phan against the cage in time to recover. Late in the round, St. Pierre pleads with Johnson to attempt one more takedown. Instead, with 45 seconds left, Johnson swings for the fences and keeps Phan on the run to end an epic battle.

The fight had it all: takedowns, elbows, knees kicks, devastating body blows and even a cut to Phan’s eye. Both corners claim victory while the scores are being tabulated. Johnson walks away with a split decision.

Phan takes the difficult loss like a pro.

“I do this because I love it,” he says.

Johnson’s victory sets up a showdown with Brookins, his Team St. Pierre stablemate, at “The Ultimate Fighter 12” Finale this Saturday at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

“I gave them the key,” St. Pierre said, “but they opened the door themselves.”

With that, we can put to bed another season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”