Camozzi says his good byes.
The doors to the Octagon burst open: Dana, Chuck and Tito enter the gym. The fighters are apprehensive. They know something’s up, but they’re not sure why they’ve been called for this meeting. Dana asks Camozzi to step forward. Dana tells Chris he’s exactly what they’re looking for: “Your talented, you got big balls, you got a lot of heart….” Unfortunately, he also has a broken jaw, and therefore, can no longer compete in the competition. Camozzi is devastated. “It took years to get here, and it took seconds to lose it.” The other fighters can’t believe it either. The red team believes they lost a huge asset to their team. It is established that Camozzi’s replacement will be drafted from the fighters who lost their elimination battles. Tito and his coaches get their pick of the healthy fighters who are eligible. Dana dismisses the fighters for the night: “You saw how hard it was to get here. It’s even harder to stay here.”
Team Liddell trains in the gym. Chuck talks about maintaining control of fight picks, and how that will work to his team’s advantage. Training is focused. McGee likes his coaches; he thinks they are fair, smart, and good coaches. Hackleman calls Team Liddell “Happy Camp,” comments that they are disciplined, but happy.
Blanchard massages Nick Ring.
The mansion is lit up against the dark sky. A soothing voice is heard: “relax your face, relax your body.” Inside the mansion, Team Liddell’s Blanchard is massaging Nick Ring’s back (Team Ortiz). McCray thinks a 2 a.m. back massage is questionable. As Ring flosses his teeth, McCray and Yager tease him about the rub down. Ring bluntly comments that he enjoyed it, “because I’m a homo,” cracking up the other two. Nick poses in his tight underwear in front of Yager and McCray, refusing their request to take his hand off his hip. McCray says, “3 a.m. man-on-man massage is weird.” He checks his watch to verify the time.
Baczynski joins Tito's team.
Back in the gym, Dana reveals Seth Baczynski will be joining Team Ortiz. Tito says Seth showed a lot of heart in his fight against McGee. Seth seems a bit in a daze, says he’s still getting used to everything. Still at the gym, Chuck is called forward to announce the next fight. He chooses Brad Tavares to take on James Hammortree. The two square off. Tito says “I don’t want to put any extra stress on James, but this fight is a mandatory. We have to win.”
Team Ortiz training gets intense when Ring and Yager’s sparring practice escalates to verbal insults. The coaches have to break it up and the team meets to talk it out. Yager says, “you’re pushing up on me, and then you complain because I hit you…that’s a bitch move. So I called him a bitch.” Nick takes offense at Yager’s name-calling, but Tito tells the fighters the team is what matters.
At the weigh in, Tavares and Hammortree step up to the scale. Attonito predicts Tavares will win by knock out. McCray says Hammortree fights like “they’re holding his family hostage,” and adds that Tavares is the same, calling him a “beast.” Both men make weight. McKinney says Hammortree is going to get a TKO in the second round. Yager says he definitely wants his team to win, but if his boy Tavares goes out there and “does his thing,” then “he does his thing.” How can Yager knock his boy for doing “his thing?” Tavares and Hammortree square off, slap five, and disperse.
Tavares trains in the gym, preps for the fight. He says he loves hand-to-hand combat; he thinks Hammortree is a good match up for him. Hackleman says Tavares is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the UFC. Though raw, he fights with a lot of heart.
James “The Sledge” Hammortree lunges with weights, spars, and takes instruction from Tito as he preps in the gym. He plans to use some of Tito’s ground and pound on Tavares.
Fight day. The sun lifts in the sky. Hammortree and Tavares make breakfast in the kitchen. Tavares says he’s focusing on keeping his mind clear and concentrating on what he has to do. He knows Hammortree is tough, but he’s not going to quit. Hammortree wants to take control of the fight. Tavares says Hammortree is his enemy right now. Their hands are their weapons, and they’re going to lay them on each other and try to hurt each other.
Tavares enter the ring. All he wants is to secure the win. Waiting for Hammortree to enter the ring, he looks focused, yet can’t stifle a hungry grin. Hammortree enters the ring, ready to go.
Dana announces the rules for the fight. Teams clap, coaches shout last minute instructions, and the ref starts the fight. The fighters tap gloves, Tavares starts right away with some early kicks. They size each other up, Tavares continuing to interject with kicks. Finally some punches are thrown and Hammortree moves in for the takedown. Tavares manages to stay up, but Hammortree brings him to the fence. Tavares continues to stay on his feet, landing blows into the side of Hammortree’s head. Tavares hooks a leg and catches Hammortree for a takedown. They both fall to the mat, Tavares on top. Hammortree flips him over, but Tavares stays on top. It’s a messy fight, Tavares staying on top for the better part of a minute before Hammortree manages a reversal. Hammortree’s superior position affords him the opportunity for some ground and pound. Tito tries to coach him through the round. Tavares muscles his way to his feet. Hammortree tries for a takedown, but Tavares flips Hammortree to the floor instead, maintaining top position. The men continue to scramble, but Tavares keeps the upper hand most of the fight. The horn goes off to end the ground-heavy round.
Tito wants Hammortree to use his elbows more when they’re on the ground. Chuck tells Tavares to get up quickly when he’s in the scramble position, try to land some blows. The ref starts the second round. The men tap gloves and get to it again. Immediately, Hammortree drives his shoulder into Tavares’ torso. It’s more of the same, with the two fighters continuing to scramble. Most of the round is fought on the mat. Hammortree dominates the first couple minutes. Tavares fights to stand, but Hammortree has his arms locked. As Tavares wrestles to his feet, Hammortree slams him back to the mat. Tavares locks Hammortree’s left arm as he tries to land some blows with his right. Tavares continues to twist – striving for a kimura; Hammortree is clearly in pain. Tavares releases and the fighters get back in a deadlock. After the horn, Hammortree raises his hands in victory, but the second round ends with still no decision: the fight is going to a sudden victory third round.
Dana reiterates the second round has ended in a draw and the coaches prepare the fighters for the final round. Both fighters are clearly exhausted at the start of the third round. Tavares lands some hard blows to Hammortree’s face. Hammortree goes for the takedown again, drops some elbow on Tavares. It’s not long before Tavares regains control, and maintains top position for the rest of the fight. He continues to hold Hammortree in a body lock, landing some blow with his free hand. Hammortree can’t escape. He tries to take Tavares down, but Tavares won’t release his grip. Tavares continues landing blows to Hammortree’s head to close out the round. Again, Hammortree raises his hands as if in victory. The men hug; Hammortree says, “They call you a beast for a reason.”
A quick recap shows some highlights. Dana says it was a good fight – each guy won a round, and the fight was taken to a sudden death round. Tito thinks Hammortree won the fight. Chuck thinks Tavares won. Dana announces: Tavares is the winner by unanimous decision. His team cheers, McKinney leads the red team’s objections, crying out: “Bullshit!”
Tavares is grateful for the win, saying the fight is for everyone who has backed him: family, friends, girlfriend, etc. Tito says he can’t ask for anything more than what Hammortree gave out on the floor today. He disagrees with the decision. Hammortree is disappointed in the loss, but says he wants to come back for the wildcard.
