This week`s episode of The Ultimate Fighter 33 saw Daniel Cormier`s team suffer a defeat, which subsequently led to a display of significant frustration from Cormier himself.
In the third welterweight bout of the season, Matt Dixon of Team Sonnen (USA) faced off against Alex Sanchez of Team Cormier (Mexico). Dixon emerged victorious via first-round knockout, applying early pressure on Sanchez and maintaining control throughout the fight.
Dixon successfully kept Sanchez on the defensive, a situation that visibly annoyed Cormier. The former two-division UFC champion repeatedly instructed Sanchez to move forward and initiate offense, but Sanchez struggled to find his rhythm, primarily countering and circling. The fight concluded when Sanchez stepped into a left hand from Dixon, which dropped him to the canvas, allowing Dixon to secure the finish with ground-and-pound.
Following the bout, a frustrated Cormier sharply criticized Sanchez.
“Listen to me, Alex, you have to attack first,” Cormier stated. “Your style doesn`t suit retreating. Don`t back up! If you`re a fighter, you don`t back up. You move forward and fight. Don`t back up! You can`t just run. If you choose this path, you have to fight, do you hear me? If we`re giving you instructions, listen.”
Dixon`s win helped Team Sonnen narrow the gap in the overall competition. Team Cormier currently leads 4-2. Dixon is the first welterweight from Team Sonnen to advance to the semifinals, joining Team Cormier`s Daniil Donchenko and Jeff Creighton.
Next week`s episode features the final flyweight quarterfinal match, with Roybert Echeverria (Venezuela) from Team Sonnen competing against Tumelo Manyamala (South Africa) from Team Cormier.
This week also featured notable guest coaches. Daniel Cormier brought in former TUF participants and later UFC champions, Rose Namajunas and Raquel Pennington. Chael Sonnen enlisted the help of veteran MMA fighter Ed Herman.
Unlike many previous seasons, coaches Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen, both retired fighters, will not compete against each other at the conclusion of the season.
Current TUF 33 Rosters by Team
Team Cormier
- Flyweights: Joseph Morales (Advancing), Alibi Idiris (Advancing), Tumelo Manyamala
- Welterweights: Daniil Donchenko (Advancing), Jeff Creighton (Advancing), Alex Sanchez (Eliminated)
Team Sonnen
- Flyweights: Eduardo Henrique (Eliminated), Richard Martins (Eliminated), Roybert Echeverria
- Welterweights: Imanol Rodriguez (Advancing), Arshiyan Memon (Eliminated), Matt Dixon (Advancing)
Quarterfinal Results So Far
- Joseph Morales def. Eduardo Henrique via first-round submission (rear-naked choke)
- Daniil Donchenko def. Richard Martins via decision
- Imanol Rodriguez def. Arshiyan Memon via first-round TKO (strikes)
- Jeff Creighton def. Andreeas Binder via decision
- Alibi Idiris def. Furkatbek Yokubov via decision
- Matt Dixon def. Alex Sanchez via first-round TKO (strikes)
Advancing to Semifinals: Morales, Donchenko, Rodriguez, Creighton, Idiris, Dixon
Eliminated: Henrique, Martins, Memon, Binder, Yokubov, Sanchez
Marcus Blakely