EPISODE 12 ‘REALITY CHECK’
FLASH QUOTES AND PHOTOS
Michael Chiesa and Al Iaquinta set to meet in
The Ultimate Fighter® Live Final
The Ultimate Fighter® Live episode 12 – ‘Reality Check’ – aired Friday evening and saw Team Faber nab both semifinal wins in the final episode of the famed reality series. Michael Chiesa defeated James Vick by knockout at 1:55 of the 2nd round while Al Iaquinta walked away with a unanimous decision victory over Vinc Pichel.
The fights are now set for The Ultimate Fighter® Live Finale Friday, June 1 at the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms in Las Vegas. All but four of the fighters will appear on the three-hour season finale on FX.
Mike Rio, who suffered a rib injury in training and AndyOgle, who was medically suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after being knocked out in the quarterfinals, will both miss the Finale. Following his knockout loss, Vick has also been medically suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and will not compete on June 1. Due to this, Pichel will be unable to fight and will make an appearance on a future UFC card. The complete list of match-ups is below.
TUF Live 1 Finale – The Ultimate Fighter® Live bouts
Jeremy Larsen VS Joe Proctor
Sam Sicilia VS Cristiano Marcello
Chris Tickle VS Daron Cruickshank
Chris Saunders VS Myles Jury
John Cofer VS Justin Lawrence
Michael Chiesa VS Al Iaquinta
Here’s what everyone had to say about the evening’s livefights:
UFC President Dana White:
“There’s no doubt that Vick won that first round but I think the biggest mistake he made was going for that submission at the end of it. I think he should have tried to finish it. He’s a young, tough, bright kid and has a big future in front of him. Chiesa was doing a lot of things to try and make stuff happen in the second round and that’s what he did. The odds said he was supposed to lose twice and here he is. This kid has got a ton of heart.”
“The first round [between Iaquinta and Pichel] was tough to score. I actually think Pichel did more damage but the judges gave Iaquinta the round because of his two takedowns. [Iaquinta] definitely came out and won the second round and got that fight. Al has looked good in both his fights. He looked like he was in great shape. Still moving, still punching and his wrestling was on. This is going to be one hell of a final.”
Michael Chiesa:
“I feel great. It has been quite a journey. A lot of ups and downs but I feel like I’ve earned my spot in the finale and I’m very excited to seize the moment.”
Al Iaquinta:
“I couldn’t have done it without a great team, great roommates. Everyone really helped me out. The coaching staff was just awesome. Everything was a dream come true. When I left I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. Now I have the toughest fight of my life ahead of me, and I’m ready for it.”
Don’t miss the opportunity to catch behind the scenes action by following the fighters on Facebook and Twitter. Find all these links andmore on www.ultimatefighter.com.
Photo credits: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
About Ultimate Fighting Championship®
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 and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 liveevents 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 realityshow 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 149 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions and in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and in Quebec through Interbox. 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 over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed byTHQ, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.
