Team GSP fighters advance to TUF finale
Posted December 2, 2010 1:30 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
THE CANADIAN PRESS
It will be Jonathan Brookins against Michael Johnson in an all-Team GSP finale to Season 12 of “The Ultimate Fighter.
In the episode that aired Wednesday night, titled “Victory’s All That Matters,” Brookins won a clear decision over teammate Kyle Watson while Johnson earned a split decision over Nam Phan of Josh Koscheck’s team.
The two lightweights will meet in Saturday’s live finale at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
Brookins has already won a fan in UFC president Dana White.
“In my opinion, Brookins is phenomenal,” White said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anybody as respectful and humble as Brookins is, for as talented as he is.”
Make your MMA Fantasy Tournament picks for Saturday’s TUF 12 finale, as well as the Strikeforce: St. Louis card now.
The outcomes raised Georges St-Pierre’s record to 8-3 against Koscheck fighters.
“I’m not blaming it on my fighters, I’m not blaming on it my coaching staff,” Koscheck said of his team’s poor run. “Josh Koscheck picked this team, Josh Koscheck lost this competition.
“The good thing is I get an opportunity to redeem myself and that comes in December when I get to beat Georges St-Pierre’s ass.”
The two coaches square off Dec. 11 in Montreal with St-Pierre’s welterweight title on the line.
Earlier, Koscheck’s team essentially threw their coach under the bus, complaining St-Pierre brought in better expert help and that the Team Koscheck workouts had petered out as the show wound down.
“We’re still here, we still want to train and there’s not much to do,” said Andy Main. “It’s kind of each man for himself.”
Added Marc Stevens: “We didn’t really learn much.”
Sako Chivitchian was slightly more positive. “There’s a lot of bad (things) to it but I got a lot of positive things from Josh. I mean, I expected less.”
Koscheck suggested his fighters should perhaps look in the mirror rather than criticizes their coaches.
In contrast, Watson said St-Pierre shared everything with his fighters.
“He didn’t hide anything. He gave us everything.”
Brookins had dominated his competition during the show, but was unable to put Watson away. He took him down throughout the fight and scored with bursts of effective ground and pound.
Watson was unable to use his jiu-jitsu from the bottom and was clearly beaten.
The Johnson-Phan fight was a much livelier affair. Johnson was the aggressor in the first round, cutting him open with a knee, but Phan came back in the second, stuffing takedowns and using his standup skills to punish a tiring Johnson with good body shots.
“He is one tough dude to take those body shots,” said Koscheck.
Johnson sucked it up in the third and did enough to score a 29-28, 29-28, 28-29 decision in what White called “an absolute war.”
Phan took it on the chin outside the cage on Wednesday’s episode, with several cast members accusing him of being two-faced. His fellow fighters also burst in on him in the shower, hoping he might be caught in an embarrassing moment.
Koscheck, meanwhile, failed to get under St-Pierre’s skin throughout the season with the champion electing to ignore his brash rival’s jibes and pranks.
UFC fleshes out TUF 12 finale card, adds cast members
Submission specialist Cody McKenzie will take on England’s Aaron Wilkinson on Saturday’s live finale.
Other cast members added to the Las Vegas card include Sako Chivitichian and Kyle Watson, who will meet in a lightweight fight, and submission specialist Cody McKenzie (11-0) will take on England’s Aaron Wilkinson (6-3) in another 155-pound fight. Meanwhile, semifinal loser Phan will take on Leonard Garcia at featherweight. Phan moved up to lightweight to compete on the reality show.
The main card will also feature a light-heavyweight bout between Season 1 alumnus Stephan Bonnar and Igor Prokrajac.
