Episode 8 of The Ultimate Fighter 33 gets right into guest appearances, with Daniel Cormier missing from practice for the day. His replacement for the day is a TUF Latin America winner and former interim UFC champion, Yair Rodriguez. His coaching, especially for elbows, received high praise from Team Cormier fighters Jeff Creighton and Rodrigo Sezinando, with the latter fighting Diego Bianchini at the end of the episode.
“The Ultimate Fighter means a lot to me. The mental aspect of being away from everything was like an unforgettable experience.”
Diego Bianchini is up first, showcasing his deep connection with his roots in São Paulo and his parents, as Bianchini describes himself as “spoiled.” Since starting his pro MMA career in 2015, Bianchini has racked up a 9-1 record and trains with the highly acclaimed Fighting Nerds.
“I’ve been working all my life for this moment. I’m not gonna disappoint my family, I’m not gonna disappoint myself. I will be there and I will smash everybody and get this contract.”
Deeper Motivations
We return to an emotional Rodrigo Sezinando, looking at pictures of his mother. Sezinando hasn’t seen his mother in over a year since leaving Brazil and moving to Canada. Traveling to Rio de Janeiro, we are introduced to Sezinando’s single mom, who is fully aware of her son’s care for her.
“His heart’s greatest concern is me, his mom. He wants to give me a better life, so he fights hard for that.”
Sezinando delves into his passion for MMA and why he moved to Canada to further his career, despite having just $200 to his name.
Back in the Team Sonnen training room, weaponizing Bianchini’s pace seems to be the main game plan. With emotions running high going into the fight, they expect Sezinando to waste energy going for the early finish.
Cormier seems to have similar concerns, worrying that Bianchini’s only way of taking advantage is if Sezinando overreacts to his awkward movements. Following this conversation, DC gave some serious words of inspiration:
“Remember what you’re doing this for. You guys are different; you have different motivations. You do this because you know if you win this thing, it will change your family’s life. For him, he’s doing this like buying a new sports car; it’s fun to him.”
We then get a deeper glimpse of the odd trash talk that Bianchini has thrown Sezinando’s way. The disrespect towards Sezinando’s family has angered him, but whether Bianchini’s plan will work is to be seen. One thing is for sure: this is this season’s most anticipated fight among members of the house and fans alike.
Close-ups of heated final words dissecting their hatred for each other show the animosity as we lead into the fight.
The Ultimate Fighter 33: Rodrigo Sezinando vs. Diego Bianchini
Bianchini rushed in with a roundhouse followed by a spinning kick, but neither landed clean. After attempting another spinning kick, Sezinando caught the wild striker’s leg and took him down. The grappling was short-lived after a successful sweep, and Sezinando reopened the striking with a spinning kick that slaps into the fence. After trading leg kicks, both men settled into their striking, Sezinando on the front foot while Bianchini counters. A beautiful headkick is landed by the ‘Brazilian Bad Boy’ with Sezinando leaning right into it; however, he eats the kick and pushes forward. After a blitz of short punches, Bianchini walked into a heavy exchange, eating a massive left hook that stunned him and forced a failed grappling attempt. Bianchini finds success with quick, popping punches and fires off another spinning kick, but the power difference is clear as he’s clipped by another left hook before the round ends.
Bianchini fires off a variety of strikes to start Round 2, keeping Sezinando at range and guessing. However, the Canadian-Brazilian stalked his way into range and forced a bad takedown attempt from Bianchini, immediately reversing into side control and landing some devastating elbows. Once in half guard, Sezinando was in his comfort zone, smothering Bianchini with top control and ground and pound. The fight continued this way until the final bell, with Sezinando getting the Unanimous Decision win. The rivalry also concluded following the fight, with an embrace and kind words shared between the former foes.
The semi-final matchups are set by the coaches to end the episode following conversations with each fighter. The following matchups are now set for the semi-finals:
Flyweight semi-finals
Alibi Idiris vs. Roybert Echeverria
Imanol Rodriguez vs. Joseph Morales
Weltweight semi-finals
Matt Dixon vs. Daniil Donchenko
Jeff Creighton vs. Rodrigo Sezinando
With Episode 8 over, the quarterfinals are all wrapped for The Ultimate Fighter 33. We’ll recap each episode from the season as the show unfolds.
