The TUF 28 TUFtermath
It’s week three of The Ultimate Fighter Season 28, and thus it’s time for another men’s fight! Coach Kelvin Gastelum must send out the cardio-challenged Justin “Grizzly Bear” Frazier to take on Coach Rob Whittaker’s striking standout, Anderson “Braddock” da Silva. Just as a warning, this week’s TUFtermath may be a little light on details, as TSN, the sports channel that carries TUF here in Canada, pre-empted nearly half the show for a baseball game that ran long, while running the same junior hockey game on its other four channels.
The Big Three
#1) Thicc Boi – Justin Frazier, unlike many heavyweights, has a significant weight cut. This caused his coaches on Team Gastelum to make sure to come over and help supervise his cut. This was, in Frazier’s own words, a “significant mental boost.”
#2) Maurice Vs. Michel – Maurice Green was convinced that Michel Batista knows more English than he lets on, and is doing his best to cajole it out of him. This could lead to significant friction as the show wears on.
#3) Stress Case – En route to the fight, Justin Frazier admitted to being a bundle of anxiety. He even said he always dry heaves before a fight due to the stress. While it’s got him this far, that may pose a problem as his career wears on.
The Stock Report
Stock Up: Justin Frazier. What Frazier lacks in cardio, he made up for in wrestling dominance. He easily took down a Glory-level kickboxer twice, and notched a pair of 10-8 rounds while not punching himself out of gas. If Gastelum and company continue to help him with his endurance
The Fight
Round one saw a strong start for Justin “Grizzly Bear” Frazier, who took down Anderson “Braddock” da Silva in the first action of the round. However, he seemed to stall out in the Brazillian’s closed guard. There were flurries of action, so it couldn’t be called “lay and pray, but it was still tiring for Frazier as he bloodied his foe with strikes from the top. With under a minute left, Frazier passed into da Silva’s half-guard and earned an easy 10-8 round.
The second stanza saw Frazier again go for the takedown, but was too tired to complete it. This resulted in a clinch against the fence that Silva was able to break free from. “Braddock” was able to do alittle bit of damage from the feet, but fell to Frazier’s second takedown attempt a little over a minute in. Frazier landed in half guard and resumed his methodical ground and pound assault. After a near-miss headbutt from Frazier, Silva was able to briefly threaten a kimura from off his back, but it wasn’t to be. Frazier shrugged it off and continued to slowly brutalize Silva en route to another 10-8 round.
Justin Frazier was awarded the unanimous decision victory.
Next week, Team Whittaker hopes to notch finally notch a win as Juliya Stoliarenko will take on another of Team Gastelum’s Invicta FC veterans, Marciea Allan in the second preliminary featherweight bout. Keep it locked to MMASucka.com for the next TUF 28 TUFtermath!
