T.J. Dillashaw turned up at the start of The Ultimate Fighter 33 Episode 2, talking to the guys from Chael Sonnen’s team. A former TUF competitor who lost in the TUF 14 finale to John Dodson, Dillashaw went on to become the UFC bantamweight championship — though the show glossed over Dillashaw’s PED scandal.
“This was like for me, the perfect opportunity for me to escape,” Dillashaw said of his time on TUF, which saw him enter the house with just four pro fights to his name.
Ukraine’s Danil Donchenko is up first in episode two, representing Team Cormier, and talks about the war back home, with Russia having invaded in 2022. Donchenko has already seen teammates and old school chums killed and maimed in the war. “I have friends who are already dead,” he says, calling the situation at home a big motivation for him.
Brazilian welterweight Richard Martins tells coach Sonnen that he wants to stand and trade with Donchenko, rather than trying to take him down. “I will try grappling, but for me I want to strike with him.” Sonnen eventually agrees, telling Martins that he’s convinced him. With a Muay Thai background, Martins says he always tries to win his fights by knockout.
“I’m going to make Richard bleed,” Donchenko says following weigh-ins. “Maybe I will bleed too, but I don’t care. I want to feel his blood.” Ominous.
The Ultimate Fighter 33: Danil Donchenko vs. Richard Martins
Donchenko connected with a big right hand early once episode two’s fight got underway, then exploded forward, swarming Martins. A very strong start by the Ukrainian, with the ref urging Martins to fight back. Martins avoided being finished on the feet, tying things up and fighting for underhooks. When they came off the fence, coach Cormier admonished Donchenko for loading up on his punches, and told the welterweight to “just touch him.” Donchenko was keeping up so high a pace that Cormier also told him to slow things down a bit.
Despite that early onslaught, Donchenko vs. Martins made it out of the round. Sonnen advised his student not to worry about Donil Donchenko’s power, and to “just touch him” as well, shades of DC in round one. Donchenko’s overhand flashes, and he trails with a kick. Donchenko drops levels, looking for a takedown but Martins fights that off as Sonnen urges his guy to stay active. Martins seems to be having issues pulling the trigger by the time the midway mark of the round rolls around. Sonnen is worried that Martins doesn’t have enough time, and urges him to get to work. Martins does get a little scrappier, and soon Donchenko is bloodied. Martins fires a knee to the body towards the end of a hard-fought round. Both teams get their guys ready for a possible third round, but instead, the judges have a verdict – and it’s a decision victory for Danil Donchenko.
That’s a wrap on episode 2 of TUF 33. We’ll recap each episode from the season as the show unfolds.
