Episode No. 1 recap: "The Ultimate Fighter 13: Team Lesnar vs. Team Dos Santos"


Welcome to MMAjunkie.com’s first episode recap of “The Ultimate Fighter 13.”

Our recaps appear after each new episode of “TUF 13,” an all-welterweights season of the reality series that features UFC heavyweight contenders Brock Lesnar and Junior Dos Santos as coaches.

With that quick intro out of the way, let’s jump into the season debut.

The episode begins in the familiar TUF Training Center, where UFC president Dana White is ready to greet a rowdy group of contestants. Dana doesn’t kill the buzz and announces that, unlike past seasons, they won’t need to fight their way onto the cast since the elimination round has been axed.

However, the “wild-card fight” is sticking around. It allows two opening-round losers a second shot at the quarterfinals.

Then, Dana introduces Brock and Junior. The fighters give them a nice ovation as they take their places next to Dana, who gives us a rundown of their bios.

Up next is the audition process. The fighters work out as Brock and Junior get a feel for what they have available to them.

“Gonna see if you guys are worth a [expletive],” Brock jokes to a group of fighters. “So we can win some fights around here.”

Brock specifically calls on strength-and-conditioning coach Luke Richardson to put the guys through conditioning drills.

Junior then addresses the fighters in his vastly improved English. MMAjunkie.com blogger Lew Polley is introduced as one of his coaches (and also as a sort of translator/interpreter to assure his messages are getting across). Junior, though, thinks Brock worries too much about conditioning and not enough about actual fight training.

In between sparring sessions, Brock asks some personal question to each fighter and wants to get a feel for why guys are really there. Junior keeps an eye on wrestling practice and asks for specific matchups to get a better idea of whom he wants to pick.

During a rolling session, though, Myles Jury injures his knee. The workouts end shortly thereafter, and Myles is confident he’ll be good to go.

Afterward, Brock and Junior head to a private meeting with Dana, who flips a coin to determine who gets the first pick. Brock wins, and he opts to choose the first fighter over the first matchup.

After the fighters hit the showers and dress, Dana returns to the group and announces the picks, which were done behind close doors.

And they include (in draft order):

Team Lesnar

  1. Len Bentley
  2. Charlie Rader
  3. Tony Ferguson
  4. Clay Harvison
  5. Myles Jury
  6. Chris Cope
  7. Nordin Asrih

Team Dos Santos

  1. Shamar Bailey
  2. Ryan McGillivray
  3. Javier Torres
  4. Ramsey Nijem
  5. Zach Davis
  6. Mick Bowman
  7. Keon Caldwell

“Being the last pick, I need to come up from the bottom,” Keon says. “Let them know and get the respect, and let them know I’m here to win this.”

Dana gives the fighters a final welcome to “TUF,” and then it’s off to their new home for the next eight weeks.

A mad dash for rooms begins. But Team Lesnar simply takes up the upstairs rooms, and Team Dos Santos takes the lower level.

At the first Team Dos Santos training session, Junior is happy he gets to make the first fight booking rather than pick the first fighter. Lew puts the fighters through the ringer during conditioning drills, and Junior says he’s very happy with his team.

At the Team Lesnar session, Brock wonders what Junior will do about the first fight. He worries about the injured Myles being picked first. Dr. Jeffrey Davidson then meets with Brock and Myles and breaks some bad news: Due to an MRI, he’s learned the fighter has a 100 percent tear of his ACL. The back part of lateral meniscus also is torn.

“It’s going to be my medical opinion that you don’t fight,” Dr. Davidson tells them.

Myles is in a bit of disbelief. Brock offers some words of encouragement but stresses that Myles needs to heal. While meeting with Dana, Myles says he can still learn from Brock and do his best to stay active. But Dana says Myles can’t stay on the cast because he needs to get his knee healed. But Dana promises he’ll be back, though it’s not clear if he means to MMA, “TUF” or even the UFC.

Myles says his goodbyes, and Team Lesnar already is down a member.

In his place steps Chuck O’Neil, a Massachusetts-based fighter and one-time Bellator competitor who owns an 8-3 pro record. The team quickly welcomes him to the squad, and Chuck says he made friends with a lot of them during the audition process. He admits he’s a bit enamored by his new head coach.

Both teams soon meet for the first fight announcement. Junior announces that Shamar, his first pick, will take on Nordin, Team Lesnar’s last pick.

“Anything can happen,” Dana cautions.

Some Team Lesnar fighters think it’s a bad matchup for Team Dos Santos and that people are sleeping on Nordin.

During his fight prep, Nordin says he’s going to take out Brock’s “golden boy.” He plans to hold him up and batter the wrestler with strikes.

Shamar, meanwhile, says he doesn’t know much about Nordin but that there’s a pretty big difference between his American fighting and his counterpart’s European skills. Lew thinks Nordin is overmatched with the athletic and experienced Shamar.

Shamar, an American pastor’s son, and Nordin, a German Muslim, both find comfort in their faith. The next morning, it’s off to the training center for our first fight.

And we’ve got:

Team Dos Santos’ Shamar Bailey (10-3) vs. Team Lesnar’s Nordin Asrih (15-5-1)

As usual, we get two five-minute rounds, and if there’s a tie, a third tie-breaking round takes place.

Referee Steve Mazzagatti gets us started, and Shamar scores a quick single-leg takedown and then wrestles to keep Nordin on the mat. Shamar works from side control and drags his opponent away from the cage. Nordin traps an arm with his legs, but Shamar pops it free and works punches to the head. Brock pleads for Nordin to turn into his opponent instead of away from him. Shamar tries to improve his position further, but Nordin sees an opening and gets back to his feet. Shamar quickly puts him against the cage, wraps the hips and scores a drag-takedown. He then dives in with a big right hand and lands in half guard. Shamar works punches from the top as Nordin throws a few from his back. Shamar frees his leg and briefly takes mount before Nordin kicks him away. Shamar dives back in, and Nordin looks for upkicks. Shamar dives back in with a punch and works from half guard again. He delivers punches to the body and elbows to the head and body. Shamar then mixes in a couple big punches to the head after posturing up. Shamar lands two big elbows to the face, stands, and tries unsuccessfully to pass guard.

The first round is all Shamar, who takes it 10-9.

The second round gets underway, and Nordin misses with a high kick and slips to the mat. Shamar follows him to the canvas, and after a scramble, takes side control and then full mount. Nordin tries to pull him close and initially avoids damage. He then bucks Shamar and gets to his knees, and he then reverses the position and attempts a guillotine before falling to his back. Nordin has to give up the hold, and Shamar reclaims side control. Shamar traps an arm and delivers some punches, but Nordin gets out of the crucifix position. Shamar tries again to buck his way free, but Shamar blankets him from the top. Nordin avoids most of the damage, but Shamar mixes in some knees to the body. He looks to trap an arm again but instead hops into mount. Nordin pulls him close, tries to roll, but gives up his back. Shamar takes back mount, delivers punches, and then returns to the front mount when Nordin rolls to his back. Shamar delivers some heavier punches from the top. Elbows then follow. Shamar closes out the round with the continued ground and pound and wins the round again, 10-9.

Shamar’s ground game was too much for Nordin. The judges declare him the winner, 20-18, across the board.

Dana isn’t thrilled with the bout since “it wasn’t the most exciting” fight in show history. Still, Team Dos Santos cheers the victory.

Brock isn’t too bummed. He knows the odds were against them and that Nordin’s wrestling just wasn’t up to speed. But he admits another loss would make “for a long road” the rest of the way.

With Team Dos Santos up 1-0, our first episode is in the books.




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