Another Monday means another episode of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4. As always every Tuesday, here’s a recap of the latest from the TUF franchise.
What Happened:
Team Shogun’s Dileno Lopes earned a spot in the bantamweight semifinals by submitting Team Nogueira’s Bruno “Bulldog” Silva in the first round, and the next lightweight quarterfinal, between Team Shogun’s Glaico Franca and Team Nog’s Nikolas Motta, was set.
The Fight:
Dileno Lopes (14-1) picked up right where he left off in the preliminary round. For the second time in as many fights Lopes picked up a first round submission victory.
The bantamweight scrap between Lopes and Bruno “Bulldog” Silva (8-2) started off with tepid striking, which was an area that Silva was supposed to have the advantage in. Lopes held his own with kicks, and he was able to capitalize on an aggressive takedown attempt from Silva by whizzering out of the attempt and locking on a guillotine choke.
After securing the head and arm, Lopes pulled guard and cranked on the arm-in guillotine choke, until Silva tapped out. The fight was over in roughly a minute.
Lopes joins his teammate Matheus Nicolau (10-1-1) in the bantamweight semifinals.
Next Fight:
Another victory for Shogun puts his team at a perfect 3-0 and retains him the right to select the next fight. In the season’s second lightweight quarterfinal, Rua decided to pit Glaico Franca (12-3) against Team Nog’s Nikolas Motta (6-1). During the team selection in episode two, Franco was the fourth 155 pounder picked, while Motta was the third.
Other Notes:
– The narrative of the show thus far is that Team Shogun is a laid-back squad that is really bonding and constantly having fun, whereas Team Nogueira is much more intense – likely due the fact that not a single fighter on the team has earned a victory yet.
– Examples of both dynamics: for Team Shogun, an impromptu billiards tournament they held where they mimicked a UFC card with pre and post-billiards interviews, and for Team Nogueira, at a training session where teammates Erick da Silva and Nikolas Motta nearly came to blows when they started getting too rough while grappling.
– In the lead-up to the Lopes/Silva fight, the Nogueira brothers came by the TUF house, and they gave the backstory behind Bruno “Bulldog” Silva joining Team Nogueira prior to the show. Years ago in Brazil, Silva won an opportunity to visit the Nogueira’s gym by selling supplements in a contest. At the gym, Silva asked Rodrigo Nogueira if he could train there, and eventually impressed him by showing off his athleticism with five consecutive backflips.
– The girls competing in the octagon girl competition came by the TUF house to have a poker night with the guys. Bruno Korea and Jennifer Giacatto rekindled their relationship that started last episode at Mount Charleston, and Andre “Dede” Ricardo hit it off with another aspiring ring card girl Diana.
– The ring card girl for the Lopes/Silva fight was Elenita Machado.