TUF 12, Episode 2 recap
After this past week’s season debut, we now get to the pivotal second episode of “The Ultimate Fighter 12: Team…
After this past week’s season debut, we now get to the pivotal second episode of “The Ultimate Fighter 12: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck.”
In the debut episode, 28 lightweight fighters went through elimination-round fights, and the winners earned a spot on the cast. This week, they’re drafted into two teams.
As the episode begins, the fighters are shuttled to the official “TUF” house. And the place is simply immaculate. And in the usual reality-show dash, the fighters scatter to claim bedrooms (while a few make a B-line for the bar).
A few fighters, though, quickly realize that this year’s oddball may be Jeff Lentz, who declares he’ll never tap in a fight as he enjoys some of his usual vices.
“I don’t think smoking and drinking every night is going to help you in the long run in this kind of sport,” Kyle Watson jokes.
“Let them think I have no gas in the tank,” Jeff says. I’ve got cardio for days.”
The attention then quickly turns to Alex Caceres, whom you probably better know as “Bruce Leeroy.” Alex quickly find an audience and plays some music on his harmonica, and shares of stories of killing an alligator with his bare hands and wrestling a deer.
The following day, the crew boards the vans and heads to the gym expecting teams to be drafted. Various fighters weigh the benefits of each coach, and some clearly want Georges St-Pierre while others want Josh Koscheck.
In a Team Koscheck meeting, Josh says he wants Michael Johnson first and then discusses some of his other picks. But with Team GSP, Georges and trainer Greg Jackson discuss whether they should pick a fighter or pick the matchup first. (In past seasons, coaches got one or the other.) They also discuss how to handle Marc Stevens, a friend of Josh’s. Georges decides to make a fake list of picks with Marc on tops in hopes Josh will spend an early pick on his buddy.
Dana White easily sees Georges’ list of names and casually tells him to cover it up. The coach, though, whispers that it’s part of his strategy. Sure enough, it works, and when Team Koscheck catches a peek of the list and wins the coin toss, they elect to pick a fighter (rather than getting first dibs of matchmaking) and take Marc. Greg simply winks at Georges as their plan works to perfection.
Georges, meanwhile, picks up Michael, who otherwise would have been Josh’s first pick.
“Well played, Georges St-Pierre,” an impressed Dana says in a confessional. “Well played.”
