Episode No. 9 recap: 'The Ultimate Fighter 14: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller'



With the semifinal round underway, we get the round’s second fight tonight.

So let’s jump into the action.


On the way to the UFC Training Center, Team Miller’s Dustin Pague puts together a goodie bag of food and a note of encouragement for a homeless man they pass each day. Team Miller fighters discuss how not all MMA fighters are barbarians and how Dustin is one of the best.

With Dustin slated to fight Team Bisping bantamweight T.J. Dillashaw in the second semifinal fight, head coach Jason “Mayhem” Miller says his fighter has shown marked improvement during his four weeks on the show. As he did with first-round pick Louis Gaudinot, Miller believes Dustin pulls off another upset.

Back at the fighter house, Miller and the coaches show up for a barbeque. Despite the good food, they soon issue each other challenges to eat a live cockroach. Miller, in his best “Joe Rogan-esque Fear Factor” persona, tracks down a cockroach and beetle. Sure enough, Dustin eats them both. “They taste like Pine-sol!” Dustin shouts while forcing down the nastiness. He earns a cool $60 for his efforts.

On the top of the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, it’s time for the annual coaches’ challenge. This year’s “sport?” Air hockey in a best-of-five series (seven points per game). The winner gets $10,000, and each fighter from his team gets $1,500. Neither coach looks especially polished, or as Dana White put it, “They both sucked.” Bisping does most of the early scoring (even if a few scored against himself), and he becomes cocky by the third game. Miller gets it within 2-1 by winning that third game, but Bisping comes back to win the fourth game and to win the series, 3-1. After celebrating on the table, he jumps off and falls on his ass. Team Miller comes out the losers, but they were all smiles after Bisping’s fall.

At a Team Bisping session, assistant coach Tiki Ghosn tells T.J. to keep a close guard and avoid Dustin’s knees. Tiki thinks T.J. is the best wrestler on the show and has good power to match it.  Bisping calls him the “complete packages.” T.J. likes Dustin but thinks he’ll exploit his limited ground game since he plans to take the fight to the mat.


At the fight’s official weigh-ins, Keith Kizer conducts the ceremony. T.J. and Dustin both weigh 135 pounds.

We immediately jump into fight preparations, and it’s soon fight day.

We’ve got Team Bisping’s T.J. Dillashaw (4-0) vs. Team Miller’s Dustin Pague (10-4).

The fight

UFC president Dana White does intros, and Josh Rosenthal officiates the bout.

T.J. lunges with a punch but misses and resets in the opening sequence. He again does the same before faking a shot and landing an uppercut. T.J. ducks under a hook and shoots to get the takedown. T.J. postures up to throw a punch and nearly gets his arm caught. He returns to full guard, and Dustin continues looking for a submission. T.J. lands a few punches and elbows from the top. T.J. lands another solid forearm strike. Dustin works his way to the cage, but T.J. pulls him away from it and then postures up for more punches. Dustin nearly gets to his feet, but T.J. takes him right back down. Dustin tries to create a scramble, but T.J. keeps the shots coming from the top. In the final 30 seconds, Dustin finally gets back to his feet and delivers a big knee to the chin, and then he avoids a tiring T.J.’s takedown attempt. T.J., though, gets in nice punches just as the round ends. In the first, it’s all T.J., who takes it 10-9.

In the second, T.J. wings a right that’s checked. He then lands a right and looks to clinch. Dustin returns fire. T.J. sets up a takedown with strikes. He lands in half guard before Dustin pulls him into full. Dustin is against the cage and tries to get back to his feet. He then tries to sweep, but T.J. takes side control. T.J. mixes in some elbows from the top. The Team Miller coaches implore Dustin to get up. T.J. mixes in some knees to the body, but Dustin pulls him back into guard. T.J. drops some elbows, a few of which land flush. Dustin looks to sweep, but T.J. continues dropping punches and elbows from the top. Dustin throws elbows from the bottom, but T.J. is far more effective from the top, and he closes out the round with more shots. It’s all T.J., who takes it 10-9.

The fight goes to the scheduled third round with Dustin in a 2-0 hole. T.J. tries an uppercut from distance and nearly eats a knee. Dustin avoids the takedown, but T.J. shoots again and lifts him and takes him to the mat. T.J. drops punches, elbows and hammerfists. Dustin works butterfly guard and tries to get up, but T.J. is relentless. Both fighters are bleeding now. The fighters trade elbows, but T.J. is dangerous when he postures up. Dustin tries anything to get off his back or secure a submission, but T.J. gives no openings. T.J. moves to side control and delivers elbows to the head and knees to the body. He then moves to full guard and delivers more shots. T.J. intensifies the assault wanting to claim a bonus. Dustin pulls him back into full guard as T.J. keeps posturing up for more shots. The final round is all T.J. again, and he should easily take a 30-27 decision.

Sure enough, the scorecards are read, and T.J. takes it via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-26).

With the win, Team Miller and Team Bisping are now tied 1-1 through two of four semifinal fights.




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