This week`s episode of The Ultimate Fighter 33 saw a loss for Daniel Cormier`s team, followed by Cormier losing his temper.
In the season`s third welterweight bout, Team Cormier`s Alex Sanchez (Mexico) faced Team Sonnen`s Matt Dixon (U.S.). Dixon secured a first-round knockout victory by applying relentless early pressure on Sanchez.
Dixon`s pressure kept Sanchez on the defensive, frustrating Cormier. The former two-division UFC champion urged Sanchez to advance and attack, but Sanchez struggled to initiate offense. He primarily countered and circled until stepping into a left hand from Dixon that knocked him down. Dixon finished the fight with ground-and-pound.
Following the fight, a visibly frustrated Cormier strongly criticized Sanchez.
Cormier`s strong words included: “Listen to me, Alex, you`ve got to move forward. Your style doesn`t work if you keep backing up. Don`t [expletive] back up. Don`t back up! If you`re a fighter, you don`t [expletive] back up. You go and you fight. Don`t back up! You can`t run. You choose to do this thing, you`ve got to [expletive] fight, hear me? If we`re telling you something, listen.”
Dixon`s victory narrowed Team Cormier`s lead to 4-2. He is also the first welterweight from Team Sonnen to reach the semifinals, where he joins Team Cormier`s Daniil Donchenko and Jeff Creighton.
Next week`s episode features the final flyweight quarterfinal, with Team Sonnen`s Roybert Echeverria (Venezuela) taking on Team Cormier`s Tumelo Manyamala (South Africa).
This week featured notable guest coaches. Cormier invited former TUF participants and future UFC champions Rose Namajunas and Raquel Pennington, while Sonnen enlisted 20-year MMA veteran Ed Herman to advise his team.
The Ultimate Fighter 33 airs live every Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Unlike previous seasons, coaches Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen will not compete at the end of the season, as both are retired.
The winners of the TUF 33 welterweight and flyweight tournaments will earn a six-figure UFC contract in the live finale fights. The date for the finale is still to be announced.
Team Rosters
Team Cormier
Flyweights
Welterweights
Team Sonnen
Flyweights
Welterweights
Quarterfinal Results So Far
- Joseph Morales def. Eduardo Henrique via first-round submission (rear-naked choke)
- Daniil Donchenko def. Richard Martins via decision
- Imanol Rodriguez def. Arshiyan Memon via first-round TKO (strikes)
- Jeff Creighton def. Andreeas Binder via decision
- Alibi Idiris def. Furkatbek Yokubov via decision
- Matt Dixon def. Alex Sanchez via first-round TKO (strikes)
Advancing to Semifinals:
Morales, Donchenko, Rodriguez, Creighton, Idiris, Dixon
Eliminated:
Henrique, Martins, Memon, Binder, Yokubov, Sanchez
