CageJunkies Exclusive: TUF 17 Recap Episode 7

Tonight we’ll see Team Jones’ #1 pick take on Team Sonnen’s Jimmy Quinlan in this season’s 6th preliminary fight, and a classic striker vs grappler match. The fighters also get a night on the town with a trip to Hooters, and Josh Samman gets a trip to the emergency room because of his leg, due to a previous torn quad.

Show starts with Bubba McDaniel talking about how important the wild card is to him. Jimmy Quinlan is preparing himself mentally for top striker Clint Hester.

Both Team Sonnen and Team Jones takes the guys to Hooters Las Vegas, to let loose and have some fun. Everyone is having a good time, except for Team Sonnen’s Uriah Hall. He literally segregated himself from everyone else. Smoking hot Hooters girls included. Uriah continues to alienate himself from everyone, including his own teammates.

Josh Samman pulled or strained his left leg in his previous fight, and asks to be take to the hospital. He talks about his history of blood clots, including a family memner who died of one, so naturally he wants to take every precaution so he doesn’t have to pull out of the competition due to injury. The doctor gives him good news, that everything’s ok, he’s just going to have to deal with some pain. He said as long as he’s ready to fight he’s good with the pain.

Jimmy Quinlan talks about growing up in massasschusets, and being a police officer. He said the police academy taught him about descipline, the from college wrestling he found MMA.

Coach Sonnen talks about Quinlan’s grappling skills, and says he thinks Quinlan should be able to get Clint Hester to the mat and take his hands away from him. Sonnen gives his team a motivational speech at the training center, to pump his fighter up for his upcoming fight.

Clint Hester talks about growing up and his close knit family, and was well taken care of. He said he liked to fight way too much. And since he was 9 or 10 he wanted to be a boxer. His boxing gym closed down, so while searching for a new gym to box in, he found an MMA gym and had his first fight 10 months later.

Coach Jones personally works with Hester at the training center, and praised Hester for using the techniques he’s taught almost right away. Jones tells him to use his jab more, because he has one of the best jabs in the house this season. Jones expresses some concern with Hester’s cardio, and says it’s definitely something they’ll be working on.

On fight day, Hester and Quinlan are actually joking around with each other and both fighters say they get along pretty well. All that needs to be pushed to the side now, as it’s time for theses guys to throw down in the octagon.

Clint Hester 7-3 (Team Jones) vs Jimmy Quinlan 3-0 (Team Sonnen)

Quinlan immediately goes for a takedown. Hester stuffs it pretty well, but Quinlan works his way inside an picks Hester up and slams him. He tries to gain side control but Hester gets back to his feet. Quinlan drags him down again, Hester gains control of his back but doesn’t do much with it. Hester spins and puts Quinlan against the cage and then hurts him with a knee to the body, Quinlan goes for a takedown but Hester peppers him with punches to the head on his way in. Quinlan is hurt, and struggles to get the takedown, tries to drag Hester down by the waist and then but picks Hester up and slams him. He’s in Hester’s full guard and does absolutely nothing with it. No damage either. Just tries to hold him down the whole time to end the round.

Hester looks tired to start the round, but out of nowhere shoots for a takedown on Quinlan. No dice, and Quinlan takes hester down then gets his back. Hester turns into him, and Quinlan gets full mount. Hester turns again, and now Quinlan outs both hooks in and sinks in a rear naked choke. Hester has no idea how to defend it, and taps out.

Winner via Submission (Rear naked choke) Jimmy Quinlan (Team Sonnen)

Since Team Jones lost the fight, Jon Jones has to wear a Team Sonnen jersey during his teams next practice, per the bet he had with Chael Sonnen last week.

Jon Jones picks next week’s fight, and it will be Dillon Andrews vs Zak Cummings.

The preview next week shows an awesome coaches challenge, and a “out of nowhere announcement” from UFC President Dana White, just before the wildcard selection process.

See you next week, CageJunkies!