Someone is just three fights away from a UFC contract.
With the prelimary fights of TUF 22 in the books, UFC president Dana White set the quarter-final match-ups for the remaining fighters in the competition.
There were nine names left on his list so, unfortunately, Chris Gruetzemacher was eliminated by White for having the least entertaining fight of the round.
That left eight names and here is what White set up for the quarter-final stage… Watch your back Joe Silva.
Artem Lobov v Martin Svensson
Irish eyes will be keenly watching the first quarter-final as SBG’s Artem Lobov takes on Swedish lightweight Martin Svensson.
The omens are good for Lobov as The Russian Hammer has actually already fought and beat Svensson at a 2013 event in Sweden which Lobov took via second round TKO.
Lobov was handed a lifeline after being defeated in the fights to get into the house by Mehdi Baghdad but Conor McGregor’s training partner rebounded and earned the only knockout of the next round to earn his place in the quarter-finals.
Svensson, meanwhile, beat one of the tournament favourites when he submitted Thanh Le on episode seven to earn a place in the final eight.
Saul Rogers v Ryan Hall
This would have been our pick for the TUF final if we were to have made our choice after this round of fights.
Bolton’s Saul Rogers dominated in his last fight as he was rewarded with a number of 10-8s so superior was he in the grappling exchanges with Billy Quarantillo.
Ryan Hall has probably been the stand-out performer thus far and looks like the best Jiu Jitsu competitor to emerge from The Ultimate Fighter since Vinny Magalhaes in TUF 8.
Hall needed less than two minutes to synch up a vicelike heel hook on Frantz Slioa and will give Rogers fits on the mat if the Brit decides to initiate a takedown.
Marcin Wrzosek v David Teymur
The second teammate versus teammate fight of the season as Poland’s Marcin Wrzosek meets Sweden’s David Teymur in what should be a stand-up battle.
Wrzosek showed crisp boxing when he eliminated Tom Gallicchio by picking the American apart on the feet.
Teymur’s last performance was less technical and more gutsy as he went through a gritty war with Johnny Nunez in last week’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter.
After the judges’ scored the fight a draw, a decisive third round was required and that’s when Teymur bit down on his mouthpiece and started connecting with gorgeous switch kicks and knees to leave the final round in no doubt.
Julian Erosa v Abner Lloveras
Ah the ol’ striker versus grappler match-up.
Julian Erosa put on a counter-striking clinic when he exhibited superior technique to opponent Mehdi Baghdad in his last performance.
Veteran Abner Lloveras looked slick on the mat in the final preliminary fight of the season as he transitioned at will while on top of Team U.S.A.’s Jason Gonzalez.
Catch The Ultimate Fighter at 3am GMT every Thursday morning on BT Sport (part of the Setanta pack in Ireland). Repeated at 10pm GMT on Thursdays.
