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The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 33 semifinal matchups continued in the 10th episode of the season, with welterweight tournament hopefuls colliding in another high-stakes bout.
TUF Welterweights Throw Down, Team Sonnen Coaches Received Magical Celebrity Experience
With a coveted spot in the live finale on the line, Brazil’s Rodrigo Sezinando and the United States’ Jeff Creighton faced off in the second 170-lb contest of the penultimate portion of the bracket. Outside of the competition, both men have embarked on lengthy stays in the win column at the time of this writing, with Creighton riding an eight-fight unbeaten streak along with Sezinando winning his past four in a row.
Sizing up TUF’s Rodrigo Sezinado
Stepping into the cage as recently as episode eight of TUF, Sezinado battled fellow South American native and bitter rival Diego Bianchini. Surviving an early storm from his opponent, Sezinado began to wear on Bianchini’s gas tank with non-stop pressure and denying his takedowns. It was in the second round where the welterweight prospect truly took over the match by reversing Bianchini on the ground, keeping him on his back while damaging him with ground-and-pound for over four minutes.
Looking at TUF’s Jeff Creighton
In his quarterfinal match against Andreeas Binder on TUF, Creighton had to overcome several hurdles before the pairing could even take place. First off, the Irishman ended up having to stop his weight cut midway through the episode. Then, at the behest of Team Sonnen head coach Chael Sonnen, he had to work out the details of a last-minute catchweight fight, settling on a purse increase of over $20,000.
Advancing in the TUF welterweight tournament in dominant fashion, Creighton bloodied Binder en route to a clear unanimous decision, heading back to the Ultimate Fighter house with both a triumph and a sizable payday.
“Mindfreak” Entertains TUF Cast on Tuesday’s Show
Before Team Sonnen geared up for another trip to the Octagon, though, they paid a special visit to one of the most prolific magicians of all time, Criss Angel, who was doing a show in Las Vegas at the time. Attending said performance, UFC legends Sonnen and Colby Covington got the chance to join the entertainment phenom on stage, much to the jubilation of the Nevada crowd.
Sezinado Dominates American Creighton with Blowout showing on TUF
Although they were foes inside the cage, both Team Cormier representatives embraced one another before the first punch was thrown, demonstrating their camaraderie despite the magnitude of the bout they were in. The first round was dictated by the Brazilian, with Sezinado keeping Creighton up against the cage before taking him down and keeping him there. He then proceeded to threaten several submissions in the forms of an arm triangle and a rear naked choke before the horn sounded.
Taking a page out of his adversaries’ book, Creighton started off the second by smothering the Brazilian on the cage wall and nailing a takedown of his own. Sezinado would swiftly reverse the position, however, and rack up even more control time and damage. While the American did get back to his feet past the halfway point of the round, Sezinado put Creighton back on the canvas following a failed elbow strike, pinning him there for the rest of the stanza.
The third played out very similarly to the other rounds, as Sezinado continued to employ his grappling strategy to further nullify the impressive standup game of Creighton. By this point in the fight, both men started to show clear signs of exhaustion, though Sezinado appeared to be the fresher man. In the end, the South American standout took home the dominant unanimous decision win, claiming the second welterweight spot in the TUF live finale later this year.
