Following the debut of The Ultimate Fighter 34: Team Cormier vs. Team Bisping on Sunday, the fighting reality show is switching to it’s regular Tuesday slot as it continues its run on Paramount+.
Week 2 of TUF 34 saw Marlon Jones of England, part of Michael Bisping’s team, taking on American wrestler Christian Strong. That’s a pairing picked by Cormier, against his team’s wishes. Team Cormier assistant coach Rosendo Sanchez calls the decision “the stupidest sh*t ever” and admits he’s pissed at DC for not choosing Illimbek Akylbek Uulu vs. Sean Mora, after Mora cut open the Team Bisping fighter during a tryout wrestling session that got ugly. That leads to some tension between coaches before the smooth it over.
Could we get a little inter-team drama this season? Probably not, but maybe keep an eye on things.
Last week’s winner, Meslissa Amaya, gets some camera time as the season’s opening fight is recapped. If you missed it, she picked up a first-round submission of Anna Melisano.
“The Ultimate Fighter, it’s probably the best way to get into the UFC, to be honest,” says Liverpool, England’s Marlon Jones. “It’s the best way to get my story out there.”
Jones lost his mother when he was just seven years old, and admits that he doesn’t have many memories of her. As for his dad, “he ended up going to jail shortly after that.” Instead, Jones lived with his aunt and uncle. It was his uncle Charles he got him started in martial arts.
In training with coach Michael Bisping, “The Count” unleashes Paddy Pimblett’s famous “Scousers don’t get knocked out!” line in relation to Jones (“Scouser,” for those unaware, is a common British term for the residents of Liverpool). “I honestly think Marlon is going to blow right through this guy,” Bisping suggests on the match-up with Strong.
Between segments focused on week two’s competitors, Tina Black complains about the mess her housemates are making. “I was up really early, I clean, I leave,” says Black, who then comes back to a big mess. Xavier Franklin feels like he’s being “snarled at by my mom.”
“First off, calm the f*ck down, that wasn’t me, I always clean my sh*t,” exclaims Franklin, speaking to the camera, not to the strawweight. Gigi Canuto says Black is “always angry.” Another storyline to keep an eye on.
Christian Strong admits he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do in college, though he flirted with the idea of being a strength and conditioning coach for pro athletes. He also reveals that he was put in the foster care system for a time, before being placed back with his mother in extreme poverty. To the point that the family was homeless. “I thank God every day that I found wrestling,” says Strong. “I ended up being able to get a college scholarship. Wrestling was the best thing that ever happened to me. It made me the man that I am today.”
Strong works full time in construction, and is married, on top of training.
Weigh-ins have Jones and DC chirping back and forth, but nothing comes of it. Both men make weight, and Cormier says he’ll enjoy watching Jones get elbowed in the face, while Bisping chides him for making it personal.
Christian Strong vs. Marlon Jones
Not surprisingly, Christian Strong shoots for a takedown just seconds into TUF 34’s second fight of the season, and first bantamweight bout. Jones stands right back up, but Strong stays on him and gets Jones seated along the fence. Jones defends with a guillotine, but doesn’t have it. He does manage to climb back up, and punches his way out of danger only to be taken down once more. Up and down went Jones, who by two minutes in was on his back, at center, with Strong on top of him, working over the body. Michael Bisping called for Jones to fire elbows off his back, but he couldn’t find room for them. Strong finished the round strong, no pun intended, posturing up and punching away.
Coach Bisping tries to fire up his fighter between rounds. “Did you come all this way to lose?” The former UFC middleweight champ encourages Jones to go after it, use his 1-2, and get back in the fight. Instead, Strong lands another takedown early, and again, Jones tries for a guillotine that he simply doesn’t have. Jones does get up but gives up his back and is forced back down. In tight to the fence, Strong threads a leg through Jones’ own and is in control. Jones winds up on his back, smothered. He survives the position, but struggles to make it back to his feet. With two minutes remaining in the second round, Strong is still all over him.
“You’ve got to explode right now, Marlon,” Michael Bisping implores from Jones’ corner. No such luck. Jones is floundering, and no third round will be needed. It’s a decision win for Strong after two rounds.
Dana White, it turns out, doesn’t love the fight. “The problem is, wrestling without a finish does not make for an exciting fight. So Christian is moving on, he didn’t take much damage, but if that guy wants to stand out in this tournament, he needs to be more aggressive in the semifinals.”
“I’m only 24, I’m still on this path. This isn’t the last you’ll see of me,” Jones says following the loss. Strong says he’s “ecstatic” at shutting Jones down, and calls his performance “straight domination.”
Next Up on TUF 34
Team Cormier is now 2-0 to start The Ultimate Fighter 34. Michael Bisping now gets to pick the next fight. He goes with Gigi Canuto vs. Anita Karim. Daniel Cormier actually guesses the match-up before Bisping announces it; Karim was his last pick.
