Current UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra and former champion Matt Hughes do not like each other.  It's not like they're polite to each other either.  They flat out, no buts about it, do not enjoy the existence of the other.  With BJ Penn and Jens Pulver, you always got the impression that their rivalry was partly an act and that the two had at least some respect for the other.  That doesn't seem to be the case with our two new coaches for The Ultimate Fighter 6, which features sixteen welterweight fighters vying for a shot at UFC glory.  Tonight introduced us to the fighters, saw Hughes and Serra pick their teams and featured the first bout of the season.

We kick off the episode with Dana White introducing the two captains to each other in the empty, Vegas set Ultimate Fighter training facility.  Both express  their dislike for each other.  Hughes regards Serra's belt as a fluke and doesn't consider him a top 5 fighter in the division.  Serra, for obvious reasons, doesn't appreciate the lack of respect that Hughes gives him.  This conflict seem unresolvable. 

The sixteen fighters arrive.  Before picking teams, the coaches get two hours to evaluate the field.  Here are some names that stick out this episode:

Dan Barrera:  Both coaches like what he brings to the table.  Looks to be an early favorite.

Joe Scarola: Joe has been under Serra's wing for a while and is a friend from back home.  Scarola's brother was in Serra's wedding.  Not the most accomplished fighter, however. 

Mac Danzig: The most experienced fighter on the show, by far. 

Hughes tricks Serra into picking Scarola first, for loyalty reasons, although he's clearly not the best fighter available.  Since Serra took the first pick, Hughes gets to choose the first fight.  Unlike previous seasons, the team that wins each fight does not retain the option to choose the next fight.  However, the team that wins the most preliminary fights decides on the quarterfinal match-ups.  So, Serra picks Scarola first.  Hughes then picks Barrera.  Serra follows with relatively unknown, but impressive George Sotiropoulos.  Hughes follows with the experienced Mac Danzig. 

From there, the show breezes through the rest of the selections.  We'll get to know those fighters in later episodes. 

Unfortunately, one of the fighters is injured during the evaluations.  It's Roman Mitichyan, from Team Serra.  He heads to the doctor and finds out he has a broken elbow.  Roman is a tough dude and he's determined to fight, but that's just not in the cards.  To say he's upset is an understatement.  The man wants to fight.  Dana White feels for the kid, admires and loves his determination, especially when some fighters have left the show before for BS reasons.  But, he's out for six weeks so they call in a replacement.  His name is Jon Koppenhaver. 

Matt Hughes decides to really stick it to Serra early, so he picks his own Mac Danzig to face off against Serra's boy Joe Scarola.  Joe is kind of a pretty boy, but he's a Brazilian Ju-Jitsu Black Belt.  He's great on the ground and Serra really works on his mental game going into the fight.  With Danzig's experience and all-around ability, Scarola is a huge underdog going in.  Mac is very confident.  Joe, not so much.

The fight comes and the first round begins in a promising manner for Scarola.  He gets Mac down to the ground very early, and the fight stays there the rest of the way.  Occasionally, Mac lands some punches to the head of Joe, but they aren't big.  Joe flirts with some good holds, but Mac is patient and is never in any real danger.  Then, with about twenty seconds left, Mac gets Joe in a triangle choke.  With the seconds counting down, and Serra yelling at his boy not to tap out, he does exactly that.  With five ticks remaining, Joe Scarola taps out and loses the match.


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of UFC)