Dana White takes the TUF 33 crew to the Fight Pass Invitational to kick off episode 7 of The Ultimate Fighter 33, which gives the UFC chief a chance to plug the newly launched UFC BJJ.
There’s some bonding between teammates and hot wing eating, but it’s mostly a commercial. Hey fight fans, watch out for UFC BJJ. Then it’s off to the TUF house, where we get to learn about some of the personal story of Roybert Echerverria, who took part in protests in his native Venezuela in years past. “Nothing has changed, the government is still corrupt,” says Echerverria, who alleges that he and his family were followed by government agents. Echerverria trains at the GOATShed Academy, which has seen names like Jose “Shorty” Torres and Gillian Robertson come through.
It’s Tumelo Manyamala who will represent Team Cormier against Echerverria this week. “He needs to make him pay every time he enters,” D.C. says, adding that he believes Tumelo can finish the flyweight fight. Cormier however bemoans Manyamaia’s “reserved” personality, and hopes it takes a back seat when it comes time to fight. “I believe when people act out, they’re trying to convince themselves they’re good enough, they’re man enough,” Tumelo later counters.
Robert Whittaker, former middleweight champ, continues the trend of UFC stars past and present stopping by TUF 33 for visits. Whittaker being a TUF vet himself and going on to become champ is added motivation no doubt. Whittaker happens to be a former TUF coach as well, and as Dana White points out, remains a top 5 ranked middleweight. Whittaker gets in a little training with Team Sonnen, working on footwork and movement.
The Ultimate Fighter 33: Tumelo Manyamala vs. Roybert Echerverria
Roybert Echerverria has the experience advantage in his fight with Tumelo Manyamala, and early on, hems Tumelo in, backing him up to the fence. Manyamala circles along the fence line, finally bursting forward just over a minute in, but soon Echerverria is back to walking him down. Tumelo throws some low kicks, but is on the backfoot a bit too much. Coach Chael Sonnen, meanwhile, urges Echerverria to let his hands go then calls for a takedown. We get a competitive round from there, with Manyamala finding his rhythm, and Echerverria firing some spinning attacks.
Tumelo opens round two with some leg kicks; Echerverria goes after a takedown, and ends up tying things up along the fence, but only for a moment. No takedown to be had. A very scrappy couple of minutes follows, Echerverria struggles with his range initially and Tumelo might have better shot selection. Yet with half a round to go, Echerverria lands a key takedown. Manyamala gets back up, but Echerverria stays on him, and soon takes the back. More of a side mount, but he gets a rear-naked choke in, and shortly after, Tumelo taps!
Roybert Echerverria wins the fight via second round submission, moving on in the tournament! That’s the final flyweight quarterfinal for TUF 33. The final welterweight quarterfinal goes down next week.
