The Ultimate Fighter Brazil's third season, featuring coaches Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva, continues, only on UFC Fight Pass...
Through two episodes of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil thus far, there's
one thing that's overwhelmingly clear - neither Wanderlei Silva nor
Chael Sonnen are going to give each other an inch up in the competition,
whether it's in the cage or outside of it.
The battle lines
were already drawn last week when Wanderlei threw down the gauntlet
before teams were selected as he demanded that Sonnen apologize to
Brazil for all of the jokes, insults and demeaning things he's said over
the years about Brazilian fighters and the entire country as a whole.
Of course, Sonnen wasn't about to bow down to Silva's demand, and it
immediately caused a rift that left all the fighters fresh off their
first bouts in a state of confusion, wondering if the show would even
move forward.
Well, we have an entire season of The Ultimate
Fighter ahead, so obviously cooler heads eventually prevailed, and as we
move into episode three this week, teams get selected and the training
begins for the middleweights and heavyweights all hoping to get to the
next stage of the competition.
Unlike past seasons of The
Ultimate Fighter in the United States or even the international
versions, the Brazilian competitors this year will have one extra
benefit (or distraction depending on how you look at things) while at
the house and the gym. A group of young ladies will also be competing
to serve as the new Brazilian Octagon Girl, and the fighters are in
charge of picking who moves on to the next round each week until the
selection is narrowed down to one remaining finalist.
It's
temptation and damnation mixed in one grand gluttonous main course
between a slew of alpha males and a mix of happily married fighters now
surrounded by girls wearing ‘barely there’ outfits while trying their
hardest to resist the feast. If the earliest interactions are any
indication, future seasons of The Ultimate Fighter in America will
probably have this particular segment requested in contracts before
signing on to participate in the show. Needless to say, things will
probably get rather interesting as the season moves forward.
When
it comes to training, despite their differences, both Chael Sonnen and
Wanderlei Silva prove to be two of the best at this job.
Sonnen
is a high level wrestler, which brings a great element to his team this
season because while Brazilians are known for being great mixed martial
artists and jiu-jitsu practitioners, wrestling is one area that could
always use improvement. There's little doubt that Sonnen will provide
that this season, and if episode three is any indication, the impression
that the “American Gangster” made as a great coach when he was last
seen on The Ultimate Fighter 17 will certainly carry over this year.
It was noted last week that Sonnen's ace in the hole for his coaching
staff could end up being former Ultimate Fighter finalist Vinny
Magalhaes, and we once again see him lurking around the team this
episode. Magalhaes is one of the best grapplers on the planet, and when
you combine his submission skills with Sonnen's wrestling, it certainly
makes for a deadly combination.
As for Team Wanderlei, the
legendary former champion has coached his fair share of fighters as
well. His style is almost exactly the opposite of Sonnen's, so it will
be interesting to see how his team adapts versus his opponent’s as the
season progresses. Silva has been known as one of the most aggressive
and dangerous strikers to ever strap on gloves and step inside an MMA
ring or cage, but will that style translate to his fighters or will the
former PRIDE icon adapt and change for his team?
Then it's
finally fight time once again and the upcoming matchup will leave one
coach in a state of confusion about the selection being made. Without
giving away any spoilers, the coach in question is baffled at the choice
of his future opponent, but then again it's not likely these two will
agree on much of anything all season long.
One final note
about this episode, as if you needed any other teasers - gear up for the
first of what is expected to be many altercations between Sonnen and
Silva. It's already been talked about that eventually these two will
throw down before the season is over, but let's just say the tension
will ratchet up a few more notches during episode three.
The third episode of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 will debut on UFC Fight Pass tonight.