An anticipated grudge match arrived on Episode 6 of The Ultimate Fighter 34.
Back at the start of the season, Cuba’s Sean Mora cut open Illimbek Akylbek Uulu when tryouts got out of hand. This week, they face off – and surprisingly, Mora, along with Micaias Ureña, opted to skip out on a day of training ahead of the fight.
Mora complains that he feels “low energy, with Ureña agreeing he feels the same. “I’m a professional and I know what I’m doing. I’ve been an athlete for a long time,” says Mora.
“I don’t know why. I don’t love that.” Cormier says he trusts the athletes, but wishes they came regardless.
Ahead of the fight, Moras reveals a harsh upbringing: living in poverty with no TV, no bathroom, no fridge and a dirt floor. But at 15, he was representing Cuba in wrestling, and was soon a national champion.
Cormier notes that his fighter’s opponent, Kyrgyzstan’s Illimbek Akylbek Uulu, is going to need to defend takedowns. Team Bisping also has a little outdoor, laid back training session at the TUF house. Xavier Franklin calls it perfect, giving it a chef’s kiss.
Marlon Jones calls Sean Mora a “pretty dirty fighter,” noting he was DQ’d in the past for eye gouging. The face-offs are tense, with the commission warning the pair not to touch one another.
Sean Mora vs. Illimbek Akylbek Uulu
Illimbek Akylbek Uulu opens Episode 6’s bantamweight fight with a kick, and then chooses to wrestle with Mora. He proves able to hold his own with Mora, getting him down, though he’s unable to keep him there. On the feet, Mora fires a kick then lands a takedown of his own. And he is able to keep his opponent grounded, working in half-guard. When Uulu gets up, he briefly gives up his neck. Mora tried for a choke, doesn’t have it, and ends up on his back. “You’re winning from the bottom” hollers coach Cormier. “No he’s not” Bisping yells in response. Mora tries to scramble to the fence but winds up on bottom again. He does return to his feet, and pursues a takedown of his own. It’s a grueling pace. Uulu defends with elbows, as his coach, Bisping, calls for more. But Mora manages to get the fight down, takes the back, and gets hooks in. Uulu rolls, defends, and time expires.
Round two sees Mora fight off a takedown attempt early. Uulu does get the fight down eventually, but Cormier complains that it’s not a fight — “he’s wrestling.”
They finish the round, and there is no third. Someone has done enough to earn a decision win after ten minutes. It’s Illimbek Akylbek Uulu getting his hand raised, but Dana White says he felt Mora did more damage in the second, and that a third round would have been justified.
Next on The Ultimate Fighter 34
Mackenzie Stiller and Delphine Benouaich are the final strawweight quarterfinal, so there’s not much suspense when it comes to picking the next fight.
