THE SEMI-FINAL LINE-UP for the current series of The Ultimate Fighter has been set following last night’s penultimate episode of the season, which features Conor McGregor coaching a team of European lightweights against their counterparts from the USA, who are under the guidance of Urijah Faber.
Irish fighter Artem Lobov booked his place in the last-four courtesy of a second-round KO of Chris Gruetzemacher in last week’s episode, and he was joined in the semi-finals by Englishman Saul Rogers, who overcame elite grappler Ryan Hall.
*The episode aired in the early hours of this morning but it will be repeated tonight at 10pm on Setanta Ireland and 10.30pm on BT Sport 2. If you’re planning to avoid any spoilers until then, don’t read any further.*
In the second pair of semi-finals, which were broadcast on this latest episode, UK-based Polish fighter Marcin Wrzosek scored a majority-decision (19-19, 20-18, 20-18) win against Sweden’s David Teymur.
Spanish veteran Abner Lloveras then took on Julian Erosa, the last man standing from Team Faber. Lloveras took the first round but Erosa won the second to force a sudden-death round.
One judge awarded the third and final frame to Lloveras but the other two favoured Erosa, giving the American fighter the victory via split decision — 28-29, 29-28, 29-28 — with McGregor describing the scoring as “disgraceful” afterwards.
With the four semi-finalists confirmed but the pairings yet to be decided, Artem Lobov approached UFC president Dana White and pleaded for the opportunity to face Erosa: “Let me knock him out.”
When the time came to announce the semi-final match-ups, Dana White gave Lobov what he asked for: “You guys wanted it, you got it.”
Lobov will take on Erosa in next week’s final episode, while Wrzosek will face Rogers. The show was, of course, filmed during the summer, so the two winners will clash in the finale at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas a week on Friday (11 December), when a UFC contract will be on the line.
“He got gifted two decisions,” McGregor told Lobov as he squared off with Erosa. “Let’s sit him down now.”
Next week’s episode also features Conor McGregor being paid a visit by a familiar face…
