The ninth episode of The Ultimate Fighter Season 33 kicked off the semifinal portion of the flyweight bracket in resounding fashion, while the head coaches from both teams attempted to settle the score on the pickleball court.
Flyweights Take Center Stage This Week on The Ultimate Fighter, Coaches Take Some of the Spotlight
With the quarterfinals of The Ultimate Fighter in the books, the semifinal matches in The Ultimate Fighter officially began on Tuesday’s episode. In the first bout of the second phase of the tournament, 125-lb prospects Alibi Idiris and Roybert Echerverria squared off for bracket supremacy.
Coming off of a dominant victory over Team Sonnen’s Furkatbek Yokubov in The Ultimate Fighter quarterfinals, Idiris placed himself seemingly at the head of the pack in the flyweight group, solidly dismantling the more experienced Uzbekistan native. Weathering an early storm from his opponent, the Kazakhstan representative wound up seizing control of the pace of the encounter, taking a clear unanimous decision.
Showcasing a stalwart level of grit and determination in his first Ultimate Fighter showing, Echerverria nearly lost in round one during his fight with South Africa’s Tumelo Manyamala after being dropped by a strong right hook. Persevering, “The Unbroken” ended up scoring the come-from-behind finish in the second, getting Manyamala to the ground before locking up a rear naked choke to force the tap.
The Ultimate Fighter Coaches Settle a Score in a Pickleball Challenge
Although the main focus of the episode of The Ultimate Fighter was on these two flyweight standouts, head coaches Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen got the opportunity to get some personal revenge on each other in the Coaches’ Challenge with a game of pickleball. Largely struggling to mount much offense, with most of his shots going out of bounds or on the wrong side of the court, Sonnen was easily defeated by Cormier, granting the UFC legend’s team a hefty payday.
Idiris Continues to shine in Toughest Competition in Sports
Taking an aggressive approach early on, Idiris immediately brought the action to Echerverria, using fast straight punches and a jumping knee to close the distance. Although the Venezuelan did manage to land a few big shots in the pocket, the blistering speed of his opponent kept him primarily on the defensive. In the waning moments of the first round, after a brief grappling exchange along the fence, Idiris knocked down Echerverria with another airborne knee. Finishing off his South American foe with ground-and-pound, the Team Cormier juggernaut earned the first spot in The Ultimate Fighter flyweight live finale.
