The Ultimate Fighter 33 is coming to a close, and Tuesday night saw the last semifinal take place – with the finalists of Team Cormier vs. Team Sonnen now set.
Earlier in the season, Joseph Morales, the only fighter on the show to have previously competed in the UFC, booked his spot in the flyweight finals, where he will face Alibi Idiris.
Rodrigo Sezinando, a Brazilian who has made a name for himself fighting in Canada, went on to win a decision over countryman Diego Bianchini to claim the first spot in the welterweight final.
Tuesday night’s The Ultimate Fighter 33 Episode 12 saw coaches Chael Sonnen and Daniel Cormier take their teams out in one big group to close out their time in the TUF house, with D.C. adding a motivational speech for the entire crew.
“Chael and I have done a lot of things in our career that allow us to be in this position where we get to see our name in lights,” he said in part. “Know that you guys are now on a path to doing that for yourself at some point. So envision that, because it’s possible for every one of you.”
With Sonnen unable to attend one of the final training sessions, former UFC light heavyweight champ and TUF veteran Rashad Evans turned up as a guest coach, the last special guest of the season.
The Ultimate Fighter 33: Daniil Donchenko vs. Matt Dixon
The final exhibition fight of The Ultimate Fighter Season 33 saw welterweights Daniil Donchenko and Matt Dixon start hot, trading at an impressive pace. While the ref would warn both fighters for having their fingers extended, no eye pokes actually connected, thankfully. Instead, Dixon went in on a takedown, only for Donchenko to smash away in response, bloodying Dixon. Worse, some blows connected to the back of the head, leading to the ref halting the action. Donchenko drew a warning, but the fight did continue after a brief moment, despite Dixon’s team urging him to take a longer time out.
Back underway, it was right back to stand and bang action, both men connecting, and Dixon smiling at his opponent. Donchenko, however, tagged Dixon, forcing him back to the fence. Suddenly, he was under fire, and dropped to his side. With Dixon covering up, the ref urged him to fight back. Coach Sonnen tried to buy his fighter some time, hollering out that Dixon was okay, but the ref clearly did not agree, halting the action shortly after. Daniil Donchenko earned the TKO win, and a spot in the welterweight finals!
Your TUF 33 final match-ups are:
- Rodrigo Sezinando vs. Daniil Donchenko
- Joseph Morales vs. Alibi Idiris
Of note: all four finalists were among the top four picks on their respective teams. None of the bottom four picks on either team went the distance this season. Joseph Morales was the highest pick to make the finals, selected #1 overall by Chael Sonnen. The other three finalists were all part of Team Cormier.
