TUF 10: Some Notes Before Episode 6

Well, it’s no secret that Team Rampage is having the worst season in the history of the Ultimate Fighter franchise. They’re the only team to be shut out of the first half of the opening round of the tournament, and there’s a distinct chance that they could lose every fight. After all, team Rampage’s top four pics (Kimbo, Abe, Demico and Wes Sims) have already been knocked off.

It seems a done deal that Rampage is going to lose at least one more: Zak Jensen (Rampage’s last pick) seems screwed, looking at his potential matchups.

What’s really interesting about the season this far is that Rashad has put all of his top five picks in the cage, but that wasn’t entirely his call. Rampage made the choice to put Rashad’s #1 pick (James McSweeney) in on Episode 2, sacrificing Wes Shivers to a superior technical kickboxer.

This season (and historically) it’s clear that the order of the picks is not at all reflective of the quality of the fighters.

As would be expected, McSweeney (the first overall pick) beat Wes Shivers decisively. But Roy Nelson (the fifth pick on Team Rashad) beat the first pick on Team Rampage in Kimbo Slice. But that’s not a surprise either, as many don’t think of Kimbo as a serious first choice.

Still, Nelson vs. Slice isn’t the only example: Jon Madsen (Rashad’s fourth pick) beat Abe Wagner (Rampage’s second) on the first episode of the season.

While two of Rashad’s early picks (Brendan Shaub and Justin Wren) beat slightly lower picks (Demico Rogers and Wes Sims, respectively), it’s clearly not relevant who got picked first.

It’ll be interesting to see how the next three fights unfold, but it’s really going to be an issue for Rampage, given that he has no control of the fights and is definitely getting more frustrated. Though, I find myself developing a little morbid curiosity about what might happen if Rampage doesn’t even get a fighter into the second round. I wonder if Dana just let him go home.