EIGHT-MAN TEAMS SELECTED FOR
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER® LIVE ON FX
Brave Chiesa decides to pursue TUF Live dream in wake of father’s passing
Vick KO’s Cruickshank in night’s lone fight
The Ultimate Fighter® Live coaches and bitter rivals Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber picked their teams this past week from the field of 16 finalists who won their elimination bouts to enter The Ultimate Fighter® Live House. Missouri native Justin Lawrence was the first overall selection by Team Cruz, while his teammate James Vick (5-0), of Fort Worth, Texas and Team Faber’s Daron Cruickshank (10-2), of Wayne, Mich., were slated to face off in the first fight of the night.
Episode 2 – “Embrace the War” – saw 16 victorious lightweights move into the House and begin their quest for a six-figure UFC contract. After coaches Faber and Cruz selected their teams, training began. Fighter Michael Chiesa then received sad news from home, and was faced with a very hard decision.
This episode was the most emotionally impactful episode, not just in TUF history, but perhaps the history of reality television, as Team Faber member Chiesa received a telephone call from his mother informing him of his father’s passing. Mark Chiesa had been unwell for some time but had insisted his sonpursue his dream of becoming the next Ultimate Fighter. The younger Chiesa has decided to honor his father’s wishes and will remain on the show.
“I told you it was the most emotional episode ever!” said Dana White, UFC President. “It doesn’t get more real than this. These guys aren’t actors, they’re guys who are working their asses off to become UFC fighters. They know what’s on the line and they want it bad.”
In this season’s format, the first half of the show will feature reality footage taped in the previous few days followed by a LIVE fight between a member of Team Cruz and Team Faber.
By winning the coin toss, Faber got the option of choosing the firstfight or making the first fighter selection. He chose the former, leaving Cruz with the initial fighter pick.
Cruz’s choices (in order): Justin Lawrence (4-0), Villa Ridge, Mo.; Sam Sicilia (11-0), Spokane Valley, Wash.; MylesJury (10-0), San Diego, Calif.; Mike Rio (9-1), Miami, Fla., Vick; Vinc Pichel (8-0), Sherman Oaks, Calif.; Chris Tickle (8-4), Bloomington, Ill.; and Jeremy Larsen (9-2), Phoenix, Ariz.
Faber’s choices (in order): Al Iaquinta (6-1-1), Wantagh, N.Y.; Cristiano Marcello (13-3), Curitiba, Brazil; Cruickshank; Joe Proctor (8-1), Pembroke, Mass.; Michael Chiesa (8-0), Spokane Valley, Wash., John Cofer (8-1), Hull, Ga.; Andy Ogle (9-1), Tynemouth, England; and Chris Saunders (10-2), Long Beach, Calif.
Friday night’s episode saw Vick knockout Cruickshank with an impressive knee to the head at 2:16 of the 1st round at the famed TUF Training Center in Las Vegas.
“I’m just so happy and feel so satisfied,” said Vick. “Team Cruz had a great game plan for me. It was the exact combination that we worked on all week and I landed it. To all my friends and family I love you all so much and thanks for all your support since the beginning of my fighting career.”
With the win, Team Cruz selected the next fight, which will pit Justin Lawrence against Cristiano Marcello on Episode 3, Friday, March 23.
“It’s my time,” said Lawrence. “Time for me to step up to the plate and come up with another victory for Team Cruz and keep the ball rolling. I’m going to go out there and execute my game plan.”
Marcello will be ready. “I think its going to be a great fight. He’s a tough kid and he’s going to have the chance to prove himself. So, let’s do it!”
The eventual winner of the inaugural 13-week Live season will receive a six-figure contract from the UFC and a Harley Davidson motorcycle. The Series continues next Friday on FX at its regular time of 10 p.m. ET/PT
For more show information, bios, videos and photos, visit ultimatefighter.com.
Universally recognized for its action-packed, can’t-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, and with offices in London,England, Toronto, Canada and Beijing, China, UFC® produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world.
In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX network annually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programming broadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now air on FX in an exciting new live format.
In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with nearly two million followers on Twitter.
Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed UFC magazine, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed by THQ, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel, trading cards, and JAKKS Pacific articulated action figures.
FX
FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series including Sons of Anarchy, Justified and American Horror Story, and acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer and Wilfred. Its library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. The network’s other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with college football and the UFC.
Photo courtesy of the UFC: “James Vick celebrates an impressive first win over Daron Cruickshank on The Ultimate Fighter Live.”