Things have certainly changed with the last episode of The Ultimate Fighter. Things came to a head with the coaches when Team Tate guest Dennis Hallman and Team Rousey lead trainer Edmond Taverdyan nearly engaged in fisticuffs, forcing Dana White to lay down the law and lecture both ladies. It also saw Team Armber take control, with underdog Jessica Rakoczy powerbombing her way to victory over Roxanne Modafferi. Now, with Ronda in control, we begin the build up to to Davey Grant vs. Louis Fisette here in episode 5.

TUF 18 Report: Episode 5

The episode starts at the TUF house, with Jessica Rakoczy taking care of Roxanne Modafferi’s injuries. While she wasn’t happy to fight her friend, Rakoczy was still feeling like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. While being tended to, “The Happy Warrior” reveals to the architect of her defeat that while she’s not thrilled to have lost the fight, she’s at least glad it was to “Ragin’.” The pair embrace, while Roxy narrates and talks about the impact of her defeat. We are then shown footage of Modafferi, trying to hide in the backyard from her housemates and from the cameras, her octagon microphone necklace off, bawling her eyes out. Modafferi continues on, discussing that while she may feel bad, she has to stay positive for everyone else so that they don’t feel sad, and to prove that she really is “The Happy Warrior” while we see her putting herself back into her usual, giggly self.

We move to Davey and Louis talking, discussing the logistics of their fight. Both men decide that even though they’re friends, fighting is no longer just something they do for fun, it’s a job and they must do business. Each man sings the others praises in cut-aways before we move to the next day, out on the front porch.

Raquel Pennington is talking with Shayna Baszler, asking if she’s ever had any troubles being a gay athlete. Pennington, in a cutaway, matter-of-factly states that she’s a lesbian and has a girlfriend, before telling the story of how things went when she first came out to her family. Her mother had difficulty with it, but her father was more accepting, and supported her. Her family, however, has come back together. “The people who truly care about you are the ones who will always be there,” she says. Shayna responds to Pennington’s question simply, saying that she does not have all the answers, and that she won’t give “Rocky” the answers she doesn’t have.

We cut to later in the day, with the bulk of the fighters in the house outside with Davey Grant, who talks to them about missing his family and literally feeling home-sick. Holdsworth, the young and single man about Team Tate, empathizes Grant, talking about how the situation must be especially hard on people like the Brit and Cody Bollinger who are away from wives/girlfriends and kids. Grant opens up and reveals that he’s hoping to win the show so he can afford to have a proper wedding with his girlfriend. Davey then starts to narrate his backstory, talking about how he moved away from partying after meeting his fiancee’ and was able to truly focus on following his dreams to be a fighter, as she is supporting him by working and taking care of their children. He says he can’t thank her enough for it, because now he can follow his dream. After we see a short clip of Edmond Taverdyan telling “Dangerous” Davey that he has the ability to wreck everybody in the house, we cut back to Grant’s narration, talking about how he first started into MMA at the age of 14 by going to a kickboxing dojo, and how he developed from there. Back to the training footage, we see the British bruiser working on cage wall escapes with Taverdyan, Manny Gamburyan, and another member of Ronda’s coaching staff while Coach “Rowdy” looks on. We jump to Rousey discussing how she is impressed not only with Davey’s striking, but also his grappling ability. She notes that he has a tendency to lose himself in his fights, but that the mental aspect is something they’ve been helping him with. Grant calls this the most important fight of his life, and talks about the importance of doing well on the big stage as we cut between footage of him talking and scenes of him hitting mitts before we go to break.

Passing time back at the house, the fighters are playing truth or dare. When asked who she found most attractive, Sarah Moras replies that she finds Anthony “Sharkbait” Gutierrez to be most ideal. We cut to Julianna Pena, who criticizes this decision to the camera crew, saying that “Sharkbait’s” boyish personality makes him the “ugliest person in the house.” Moras then gets to give a dare to Josh Hill, who she orders to use a cheesy pick-up line on Roxy Modafferi. We then see “Gentleman” Josh walk up to “The Happy Warrior” and eventually drop the classic line, “Nice shoes… Wanna f–k?” After a brief pause, the innocent Modafferi suddenly busts out, “You can’t handle this!” as everyone bursts out laughing.

We go back outside, and it’s Raquel Pennington asking “Sharkbait” if he chooses truth or dare. Gutierrez, perhaps not so wisely, picks “Truth.” When asked by “Rocky” who he feels is the weakest link in the house, Anthony points to Louis Fisette then starts to back away as the Canadian replacement fighter gets agitated. “Sharkbait” explains his decision, both in cutaways and to Fisette’s face in the kitchen, stating correctly that the Winnipeg Academy of MMA product was the only one in the house who tapped out in their preliminary fight. The pair then arrive at a state of detente after discussing the situation, with Louis happy that Anthony at least explained his position to him without avoiding the question. Fisette then, to the camera, says he wasn’t happy with his performance against Holdsworth, but warns that he is underestimated at other people’s peril, and will prove it with his actions.

We go to Louis talking about his history, growing up as non-violent, friendly person who got into MMA after joining a friend at a gym. He soon became addicted to the process, learning as much as he could and enjoying the rush of getting his hand raised and his name called out after a victory. He again warns people about understimating him as we see footage of him training. In the cage, Fisette is working on striking strategy with Bryan Caraway, discussing the pros of circling to control distance and position as opposed to just backing Grant straight up in the fight. We jump to Coach “Cupcake,” who says that Louis needs to be aggressive in his fight, as she doesn’t believe that Davey Grant likes to fight off his heels. She again praises Fisette in his fight with Holdsworth in the preliminaries, and states that she doesn’t feel Grant has the ground game to be a threat to her comeback kid. We go back to Fisette, who reveals he lost his job for the opportunity to compete on the Ultimate Fighter, talking over training footage about how he relishes the underdog role. He respects Grant, but refuses to fear him.

That night, we see Chris Holdsworth finally getting the whole enchilada from Julianna, literally. “The Venezuelan Vixen” has cooked for everybody, with Anthony Gutierrez chowing down the most. Shayna Baszler and others chide him for his appetite, to which “Sharkbait” takes offense. Cody Bollinger also takes some flack, but says he always makes wait due to his background in wrestling.

Both Davey and Louis begin their weight cuts, with Louis revealing he’s been maintaining around 145 lbs. to give himself an easier time. Grant, however, is seen bathing in epsom salts to help cut the 13+ pounds necessary. He discusses the difficulty of it, talking about how it is not only physically draining, but also mentally taxing as well.

We return to training with Team Armbar, as Ronda brings in her mother, the first American woman to win a World Judo Championship, Dr. Ann Maria De Mars. We jump to Ronda talking about how her mother has taught and inspired everything she does in MMA, but admits to not quite matching up to the good doctor’s energy. After the introductions, Dr. De Mars says she wants to see everybody train before she can give advice. Ronda speaks in awe of her mother’s ability to intimidate people, and jokes around that the reason she was so nice to people when around her family, saying that when people ask her how she’s so nice with such an intense parent, she says, “It’s only because I’m standing next to her! When I’m over here, I’m a bitch!” While we see Ronda working with her charges as Dr. Ann Maria watches on, “Rowdy” talks about her mom’s way with words, being able to inspire supreme confidence and completely tear down ego.

After some time watching everybody work, Dr. De Mars takes a moment to explain that everybody, injured or not, should be training unless they’re the one fighting next. She explains how she trained through injuries, detailing how she resumed training 6 days after a major knee surgery in order to keep at competition level, adjusting her training to minimize the impact on her recovering limb, explaining that it’s how her mat work got so good. Ronda quotes her mother again, saying, “You’re not training to be the best in the world, you’re training to be the best in the world on your worst day.” She also explains how her mother was hard through training, putting her into difficult situations so that she could experience the worst and be able to get through it. After Dr. De Mars finishes up her lecture, we jump to Jessamyn Duke explaining how Ronda makes more sense after meeting her mother. Before the break, we get one last show of mother and daughter, daughter carrying mother while running while mother instructs to be brought to her coffee.

We go back to the house, with Chris Holdsworth breaking down Davey Grant with Louis Fisette. Holdsworth calls his style, “UK Kickboxing,” and both agree that putting the pressure on Grant will help ensure the win for Fisette. Chris then gives his former opponent encouragement, with Louis feeling motivated afterwards.

Ronda and Dr. Ann Maria come to the house, with ice cream for the fighter. Coach “Rowdy” also did this so that Davey Grant could get some time with her mother, since he was cutting weight and couldn’t attend the training session. Dr. De Mars and the Brit start bonding almost immediately, with Grant’s children being the same age as Mama Rousey’s grandkids. Ann also uses Davey’s kids as a means to motivate him, encouraging him much to Davey’s delight before we go to break.

When we return, Team Tate decides it’s time to prank Team Rousey. Wearing ridiculous fake noses and glasses, Miesha and Caraway sneak into Team Rousey’s green room before the weigh-ins and leave a little figurine of Sesame Street character The Count with Edmond Taverdyan’s name on it, as well as an eyebrow waxing coupon in an attempt to further antagonize Ronda’s lead trainer. Luckily, it was Shayna Baszler and not the Armenian volcano that found the offending items. After discussing how to deal with the situation, Ronda – to the shock of many TUF viewers, I’m sure – took the high road and kept her promise to Dana White from last episode, vowing not to retaliate in a prank war. She gets a cutaway though, explaining how she doesn’t like people like Tate, who act in what she believes to be a passive-aggressive manner, smiling to someone’s face and pulling pranks and talking smack when they’re not looking. Back in the gym, Coach “Rowdy” vows to get payback when she faces “Cupcake” for the second time.

It’s time for the official weigh-ins now, with Team Rousey weighing in first. Davey Grant is happy with how his cut went, and feels good about the fight as he makes 135 lbs. on the nose. Anthony Gutierrez gets an aside, and talks about how sharp Grant has been in training, and how he is watching him in case they have to square off at some point. We jump to Chris Holdsworth, who predicts that Louis Fisette will be able to use the same aggression he saw in their bout in order to pressure and defeat “Dangerous” Davey en route to regaining control for Team Tate. With that said, we find out that the Winnipegan is on weight at 135.5 lbs. We finally cut to “Uncle” Dana, who isn’t sure what to expect from this contest. He was impressed with both men in their preliminary bouts, and hopes for a good fight.

It’s fight day at the house, and we start off with Louis Fisette, who claims he couldn’t ask to fight a nicer guy. He notes that if it weren’t for the sport, he would not want to punch Grant in the face, but that both men will go in there and play their sport. When Davey gets his chance to speak, he says he’s fighting to give his family the best life possible. He notes that due to Louis getting a second chance as an injury replacement, that the Canadian will likely fight harder in order to prove himself. Both men shake hands and exchange a bro-hug in the hall of the UFC Training Center before retiring to their dressing rooms for prep and warm-up.

We turn to the coaches next, starting with Ronda, who feels that Davey will stay true to the form of his prelim bout and finish Fisette. Miesha talks about Louis’ athletic ability and her feelings that he’s being underestimated. “Cupcake” hopes to see her fighter push the pace and put “the fear” into the Brit. The fighters get their last words, with “Dangerous” Davey, who talks about the opportunity being what he’s wanted since he first watched the show, and that he feels that nobody can sto him from winning and getting what he’s always wanted. The angularly-coifed Canadian says that he believes himself to be the best in the world, and that he’s untouchable. He does not fear or respect Grant, but will instead take this opportunity he’s been given.

Davey Grant (Team Rousey) Vs. Louis Fisette (Team Tate)

The first round starts with the two, equally-built men in terms of height and reach touching gloves before exchanging hard, probing strikes. The Brit finds early success with leg kicks before rushing in with a punching combo that backs his Canadian foe against the cage. He tries to swarm Fisette, but the Winnipeg Academy of MMA products fights him off and tries to circle out before getting caught and clinched. “Dangerous” Davey attempts a takedown against the cage, but Louis takes the chance to reverse position and force Team Rousey’s representative against the cage. Louis attempts a trip takedown of his own, but Grant is defending well. Davey reverses position, then shortly after tries to unload on Fisette, who stops him by re-clinching and landing a solid knee to the belly. Grant catches the leg at the crook of the knee, and the cocky Canuck goes for a jumping knee to try and counter, only to be taken down at the 1:28 mark. The father of two is landing shots from top position inside the unemployed Canadian’s guard, bloodying him up. Grant goes for a can opener guard pass after landing some big shots at around 2:38, but Fisette is able to defend it long enough to spin and go for a kneebar at 2:51. Davey escapes the leglock attempt and takes side control before going for an armbar with 1:48 left in the round. It doesn’t work, however, and Fisette is able to escape and take top position inside Grant’s guard at 3:32. The Canadian stacks his foe and lands some ground and pound while fighting off another armbar attempt, then dumps him into turtle position and tries to take the back. Grant shucks him off and regains top position in the guard, landing elbows as Fisette overhooks one of his arms. With less than a minute left, Louis is able to disrupt Davey’s balance, but not enough for an escape or a sweep. The UK battler retains his top position, landing short elbows as he passes to side control, and starts fishing for a brabo choke with 15 seconds left before returning to strikes in an attempt to finish the fight before the end of the round. Fisette holds on though, but Grant takes the 10-9 round.

Round 2 starts out a little differently, with Fisette rocketing straight out of the gate with a takedown attempt, only to be shucked off by Grant. The pair clinch up against the cage as “Dangerous” Davey Grant channels the late “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith by scooping up his Canadian friend and foe and slamming him down to the mat. From there, Grant passes to mount, firing off ground’n’pound to soften Louis up before the Manitoba-based fighter gives up his back, gets caught in a rear naked choke, and taps out.

Davey Grant def. Louis Fisette via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:01 of Round 2.

Post-fight, Louis picks Grant up and carries the victor around on his shoulders in a display of good sportsmanship. Coach Miesha breaks down the fight saying that the Brit was too strong for her charge, but that her fighter showed great heart. Ronda noted that her warrior, Grant, went out, got the submission with style, and dominated the striking as well. Rousey finishes her assessment by saying that Davey Grant shows a lot of qualities that will help him be a force in the UFC well after TUF has ended.

Back in the locker room, Ronda’s mama asks Davey if he’s getting a DVD of this fight to show to his kids, before they get a chance to watch it on Youtube when they’re older. The team then gives him a round of applause. Over at Team Tate, Fisette feels like he let everybody down, and notes that he was on the receiving end of a one-sided beating. Coach Tate is still proud of him, though, noting that he went out and fought like a man.

It’s time for fight picks, and with no Dana White in sight, Coach Ronda takes the initiative and pairs up the lanky submission artist Jessamyn Duke against Team Tate’s resident brawler, Raquel Pennington. Both coaches are happy with the match-up, for different reasons, and the teams leave as the episode closes.

Seeing Roxanne Modafferi trying to hide in the backyard, sobbing heavily early on in the episode was hard. It goes without saying just how seriously the women are taking this season, but it was easily one of the most raw moments of the series to date. The truth or dare stuff was mildly entertaining, and it was interesting to see how, at least within the context of what we were shown, Julianna continued to separate herself from the rest of her housemates due to her sense of self-superiority. Also, Roxy finally having a comeback to being hit on was hilarious. I enjoyed seeing Dr. Ann Maria De Mars on the show, as I always find her to be entertaining, but was shocked at just how far she was willing to go in order to help her daughter understand what it took to be the best in the world at a young age. That’s some tough love, right there. As far as Miesha’s prank goes, it was immature, and I applaud Rousey for keeping her promise to her boss and taking the high road. When you’re dealing with immature, high school-style bullies who are trying to get a rise out of you or your friends, it’s always best to try and keep the moral high ground – no matter how badly you want to retaliate. I enjoyed the fight between Louis Fisette and Davey Grant, and found it to be more one-sided than I had expected. Fisette obviously has talent, but I don’t feel that the 23 year old fighter is quite ready for the UFC. If he can re-dedicate himself to training, as he admitted during the preliminary fights that he doesn’t train has hard as he should, he could be ready and fighting for the big show within a couple of years. I was impressed by Grant as well, who proved that he’s talented enough that he doesn’t have to resort to 12-6 elbows to the spine and knees to downed opponents to win fights like he did in the prelims. I also like the match-up that was set for the next episode, but can’t help but feel that Pennington doesn’t have the power to put away “The Gun.” After all, it took an illegal knee to a seated Duke for noted Muay Thai crossover Miriam Nakamoto to put her out in her last fight (which was overturned into a no contest due to the illegal strike), and Pennington’s only professional TKO victory was over the notoriously fragile Kim Couture. “Rocky’s” fighting style is best described as a mix of brawling on the feet and heavy top pressure on the ground, while Duke’s is slick both standing and off her back. It should be entertaining, regardless. Now, let’s look at the standings.

Team Tate (2-2)