Welcome, everyone, to the sixth edition of The TUF Stuff!
Each week, I’ll be guiding you through a recap of this season’s edition of The Ultimate Fighter, providing updates on what happens in each episode — from the drama and storylines out of the Octagon, to the looks into who the competing fighters are, to what goes down inside the cage.
This season celebrates the 20th anniversary of TUF. That inaugural season from 2005 helped to influence many future MMA fans, media members, and fighters (yours truly included). And now, two more fighters this summer will get the opportunity to call themselves TUF champions when it’s all said and done.
Last week saw the third flyweight matchup of the season, as Alibi Idiris continued Team Cormier’s winning streak, defeating Team Sonnen’s Furkatbek Yokubov.
Recap of The Ultimate Fighter Season 33 – Episode 6
Tonight’s matchup at welterweight will see Team Cormier’s Alex Sanchez taking on Team Sonnen’s Matt Dixon.
Let’s get into episode six of The Ultimate Fighter!
TUF House
Alibi Idiris gifts a Kazakh robe to Furkatbek Yokubov, calling him a respectable opponent he’s always looked to. Yokubov feels some shame in his performance but says he plans to show what more he can do.
Diego Bianchini appears to be making fun of Team Cormier for not having a jiu-jitsu coach. That doesn’t still well with Rodrigo Sezinando, who starts to exchange words. Sezinando implies that no one cares about Bianchini.
Sezinando makes a comment about his sole loss in Mexico, and that sets Bianchini off, claiming he was robbed. This results in a yelling match between the two, with Bianchini saying something about Sezinando’s only loss — and the tension continues to boil and boil. Sezinando says “You’re not a bad boy, you’re a playboy.” Bianchini calls Sezinando jealous, and Sezinando says he smells fear on Bianchini.
“If he asks for a fight with me, he doesn’t like his life, dude,” Sezinando says. “Such a stupid idea.”
Team Cormier Training Session – Rose Namajunas & Raquel Pennington Join
Team Cormier introduces former UFC champions Rose Namajunas and Raquel Pennington, who were on seasons 20 and 18, respectively. Season 18 was the first TUF season to feature women — featuring Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate as coaches. Pennington lost to Jessica Rakoczy in the semifinals.
Namajunas competed on season 20, which introduced the strawweight division to the UFC. Namajunas lost to Carla Esparza in the finals.
Pennington tells the team to “Get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Namajunas adds to embrace everything that has gotten the fighters to this point and to have their “go-tos.”
They lead the team through shadowboxing and other drills.
Namajunas says TUF came at a perfect point in her life, while Pennington reflects on it being a pivotal part in her career — coming into the UFC at a time when women were first just entering the Octagon.
Matt Dixon Fight Prep
Dixon reflects on his appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series as a 9-0 fighter, taking on Orion Cosce. Dixon says he was winning the fight, but a failure to pace himself resulted in gassing out and getting finished. Dixon says the loss took out some of his joy in the sport, but he says that TUF will be what makes up for it.
Sonnen calls Dixon “dog tough,” and Clayton Hires tells Sonnen that he sees something — a hunger, a spark — in Dixon’s eye. Mason Fowler added he’d “put money” on Dixon in this fight.
Sonnen feels Dixon will be in control for all of the fight and can reach the finale; however, he has to pace himself in this fight.
Dixon says he’s going to look to walk Sanchez down and pressure him into knocking Sanchez out.
“You’re going to see kicks, dynamic footwork, dynamic movement.”
Dixon says he predicts this fight to be an all-out striking war.
Team Sonnen Training Session
Sonnen’s longtime teammate, TUF 3 alumnus Ed Herman, joins to assist the team with their dirty boxing and striking training. He shows the team how to execute ground-and-pound by using the half-guard.
“Nasty, dirty, kind of grind stuff to break guys down and finish them,” Herman said.
Dixon calls Herman “brutal” with his ground-and-pound. Echerverria appreciates the opportunity to mix new-school and old-school striking techniques.
Herman loves the opportunity to teach the next generation of MMA stars.
Alex Sanchez Backstory
Sanchez was born in Jalisco. He didn’t have time to train martial arts as a kid because of working from a young age. Sanchez, in fact, worked in the fields in the U.S. at a young age, and he used the money to eventually be able to pay for martial arts training. He shares this experience with Sezinando, who tells him “this is what makes us stronger.”
Suarez lives in Mexico City and received a grant to train at the UFC Performance Institute there. “It has changed my life, and it’ll change the lives of many more.”
Matt Dixon Backstory
Dixon is asked about missing his family and missing (or not) the single life. Dixon introduces his wife and his young daughter, saying they are his greatest success. He adds having a daughter brought about new-found motivation in — something deeper he didn’t know he had.
We see Dixon’s childhood home. His dad is a preacher, and his mom worked two job, so he admitted he and his two siblings were a little wild. Dixon would have a pair of boxing gloves and boxed with friends while struggling to stay focused in school.
Dixon trains at the Hurricane Training Center with TUF alumnus Gerald Harris. Harris calls Dixon “the future” and “a great guy.”
Caleb Benton, his boxing coach, says he’s seen Dixon battle through adversity and has the ability to win the TUF competition. Dixon says winning TUF means everything to him, otherwise he wouldn’t make the sacrifices he’s making.
Alex Sanchez Fight Prep
Sanchez describes himself as a striker with his eight KO/TKO wins — and he hasn’t lost since 2020.
Sanchez feels he’ll be able to handle wherever the fight goes.
Cormier says the fight is “tough” for him because he feels Sanchez cannot get pressured into the fence. Cormier says Sanchez needs to attack and back Dixon up and stop Dixon’s takedown attempts.
Cormier says Sanchez has “serious pop in his hand.”
Sanchez says he won’t be worried if Dixon wants to grapple or strike and feels he is the kind of fighter who can deliver a great knockout, this fight included. In fact, Sanchez calls Dixon “an average fighter” and that it’s Dixon’s turn to lose his dream.
The Fight: Alex Sanchez vs. Matt Dixon
—–IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THE EPISODE AND DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO TURN AWAY NOW.———
Dixon weighs in at 171. Sanchez weighs in at 170.5. The fight is on!
Dana White feels this will be an exciting fight, given that it is striker vs. striker.
Andreeas Binder says Dixon is aggressive with his striking, and that Sanchez cannot start slow. Jeff Creighton says that Sanchez is tough and strikes heavy, and he says that if Sanchez can move and make Dixon miss, he has a good shot.
Dixon says he wants to make things entertaining and that he will do “anything” to ensure he wins this fight. Sanchez says he fights for the people who believe in him and to build a legacy, looking to put on a show and represent Mexico well.
Alex Sanchez vs. Matt Dixon
Round 1
Dixon comes forward. Sanchez with a one-two. Solid right hand from Dixon. Dixon fires off some strikes. One-two from Sanchez. Low kick from Sanchez. Dixon with a one-two. Dixon pressuring Sanchez. Sanchez with a low kick. Cormier calls for more calf kicks from Sanchez. Dixon with a left hand. Jabs from Dixon. Clinch now, and Dixon brings Sanchez toward the fence, landing an elbow in the process. One-two from Dixon after the break. Solid left hand from Sanchez.
Right hand and a left from Dixon. Dixon works his punches. Strong hook from Sanchez. One-two from Sanchez. Body kick from Dixon. Low kick from Sanchez. Body kick from Sanchez. Overhand right from Sanchez. Right hand catches Sanchez clean. Sanchez lands a combination. Right hand from Dixon. Sanchez misses a right hook. Right hand lands for Sanchez. Left hand from Dixon. Another left hand from Dixon.
Strong left hand DROPS SANCHEZ! Dixon with some follow-up ground-and-pound! The fight is over!
The losing streak for Team Sonnen is over!
Cormier is PISSED that Sanchez continuously backed up. “Of course you’re going to get caught.”
Winner: Matt Dixon via first-round TKO
Conclusion
Cormier says that he told Sanchez to press and go forward, but he didn’t do that. Cormier says Sanchez didn’t listen to him and his team.
Dana White said the fighters did as expected — keep the fight standing. White says Dixon controlled the pace and made Sanchez uncomfortable.
Sonnen says Dixon landing to the body was what led Sanchez to drop his hands and set up the knockout shot.
Cormier adds “you can’t run” when being in a fistfight like he and Dixon were in.
Dixon calls the experience surreal and feels justified in being here and that he is a real threat, getting the job done on the biggest stage.
Cormier tells Sanchez that his style doesn’t allow him to back up. “DON’T BACK UP!” he yells several times at Sanchez. “When we’re telling you something, listen! Simple concept, don’t back up. You got to f****** fight.”
Sanchez feels disappointed in how he performed and can’t make excuses, but now he has to shake it off and go from here.
With all other flyweight fighters having competed in their first-round matchups already, the next fight will see Team Cormier’s Tumelo Manyamala take on Team Sonnen’s Roybert Echerverria.
The fighters will also get to experience the UFC Fight Pass Invitational next week, and former UFC middleweight champion and TUF: The Smashes winner Robert Whittaker joins Team Sonnen for a training session.
What will happen next week? Join alongside us then!
Thanks for joining me for another edition of The TUF Stuff!
