After the highlight show last week, episode 9 starts out with Team Tate’s Cody Bollinger and Team Rousey’s Anthony Gutierrez preparing to fight each other. However, a problem comes up with Bollinger being overweight. The day of the weigh-ins Bollinger essentially stops sweating and despite encouragement from his coaches and teammates, Bollinger mentally breaks down and gives up.
Dana White brings everyone out for Bollinger to announce his inability to make the weight. An angered White essentially kicks Bollinger off the show telling everyone after he leaves that Bollinger is not a fighter.
In the aftermath, Coach Meisha Tate apologizes to White then talks about how she did all she could to help Bollinger make weight and how embarrassing it was for Bollinger to miss weight. Coach Ronda Rousey on the other hand feels Tate was throwing Bollinger under the bus to avoid taking responsibility and goes into her team room to tell her fighters she would take the sole blame.
The next issue that comes up is whether to have Gutierrez fight Chris Beal or simply take the forfeit and advance to the semi finals. When given the choice, Gutierrez isn’t thrilled with the idea of re-hydrating as required by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and then cutting twenty pounds again so he chooses to take the forfeit. While White isn’t thrilled with the idea of a forfeit he also doesn’t blame Gutierrez as Bollinger failed to make weight.
Switching gears to the final women’s fight, Sarah Moras and Peggy Morgan both talk about their lives leading up to The Ultimate Fighter. Morgan is a college professor and mother back home while Moras has been a fighter for a longtime striving for the elite level. Unlike the men’s fight, both women make weight. The fight consists of Moras controlling the stand up until she attains a take down. Though Moras initially can’t capitalize on the take down, she maneuvers into a mount and uses nasty ground and pound to set up an arm bar and submits Morgan.
With the quarterfinals complete, Rousey and Tate meet with White in order to discuss the match ups for the semifinal bouts. Team Rousey is guaranteed at least one fighter in the finals of the men’s division because they have three fighters in the semifinals while Team Tate is guaranteed the same in the women’s division. Surprisingly, Tate and Rousey agree on the semifinal match ups.
The match ups are announced as Team Tate’s Chris Holdsworth vs. Team Rousey’s Michael Wotten; Team Tate’s Julianna Peña vs. Team Tate’s Sarah Moras; Team Rousey’s David Grant vs. Team Rousey’s Anthony Gutierrez; Team Tate’s Raquel Pennington vs. Team Rousey’s Jessica Rakoczy. The remaining fights will be contested as three five minute rounds.
What did you think of Cody Bollinger not making weight? Leave a comment to let us know!