TUF 12: Episode 11 Recap (Part 2)

Halfway through the last episode of “The Ultimate Fighter: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck”, we already know one fighter who will move on to the show’s final bout, but who will face him? Read on to find out if Nam Phan or Michael Johnson will be in the cage this Saturday night!

Now that Jonathan Brookins’ three round unanimous decision victory over Kyle Watson is complete, it’s time to shift our attention back to the house. Everyone talks about how Nam Phan takes one-hour showers at night, and some of the fighters are talking about busting in to interrupt Phan during what they suspect are shower sessions aimed at more than just um, getting clean.

The group busts in, and apparently they caught him with his proverbial pants down, after all. Aaron Wilkinson jokes around about how Phan is going to have blue balls after having been interrupted. Phan says he would like to be left alone to focus and get in his zone…so that’s what the kids are calling it these days, huh? A joke is made that Phan could become a plumber if MMA doesn’t work out because he was cleaning out his pipes like crazy. Ha!

At practice, Michael Johnson is working the pads and grappling with Georges St. Pierre, as Johnson talks about how he thinks his transitions from wrestling to striking and other areas will overwhelm Phan. St. Pierre says Johnson is his team’s best athlete. In the house, everyone is making jokes. Brookins thinks it was pretty heinous to have messed with Phan the way that everyone did. A great joke is told: “What does the yellow team and Phan’s weiner have in common? They both choked!”

Phan tells everyone that he doesn’t mind the jokes, but that he just wants them to take a break until after his fight happens. Seems like a fair enough request. The next morning, Phan trained by himself because his coaches were apparently busy and his teammates “had a late night”. Phan talks about his team and living in the house: “You’ve gotta have thick skin to hang with these guys.”

Koscheck notes very accurately that while everyone on his team is messing with Phan, “he’s the only one winning!” So true. Phan compares his fighting style to a Honda Civic. He may not be the fastest, strongest, etc., but he’s “efficient on gas”. Koscheck tells him that he has to keep getting up when he’s taken down.

Johnson and Phan weigh in without any problems, and Dana White favors Phan for having “more experience and more tools” than Johnson. Johnson talks about how he loves that Phan’s own team is hazing him. “I can’t lose to someone who beats off in the shower!” he says, then starts laughing. I don’t know if it’s just the magic of editing, or not, but Phan’s teammates are not helping at all in the locker room before the fight. They’re shown yawning, talking, ignoring Phan, and Koscheck even tells them to keep the conversation down as it’s Nam’s moment. Why are they even in there if they’re just going to talk and ignore the guy who’s getting ready for the most important fight of his career?

The two come out to fight, and Johnson says he thinks Phan is tailor-made for him. Phan just talks about how he has to win the fight, he’s ready to die and all the other same old stuff. It’s funny that so many fighters have said that they are willing to die in the cage that it’s become dull. Would you have ever thought that making such an extreme statement could become boring?

The fighters are ready to go, and our referee is “Iron” Josh Rosenthal. Phan looks to land kicks right away, despite the chance of being taken down, and what do you know, he’s taken down. Johnson curiously stands back up, then just takes Phan down again, anyway. Phan is working elbows to the top of Johnson’s head when possible. Johnson stands again. That’s happened twice within forty-five seconds. Phan appears to drop Johnson with a strike, and Johnson goes for a takedown but is clocked again. Now Johnson lands a nice shot of his own. Phan looks for a hook, but is taken down again with three minutes to go.

Phan is able to stand within ten seconds and create distance. Johnson lands a glancing left straight. Phan’s boxing reminds me a bit of that of KJ Noons. Johnson is really throwing some powerful shots as he keeps the pressure on Phan, then looks for another takedown. Phan has a high kick blocked. Phan lands a nice combo with an uppercut to the body, but Johnson works through it and lands several punches. A nasty left hook and right uppercut land for Johnson and Phan is bleeding.

They are clinched up against the cage and St. Pierre wants Johnson to lean on Phan. Phan spins away and tries another head kick. Another Phan high kick is blocked, then another. Johnson closes the distance again and blocks yet another Phan high kick. How about this- if Phan ever actually lands one, I’ll let you know. Otherwise, you can just assume that he’s throwing about one every ten to fifteen seconds, and they’re all being blocked. Phan whiffs on a hook as the bell sounds and Johnson is pissed that he even tried it, but it was thrown simultaneously with the horn, as far as I could tell. Johnson takes that round.

Heard during the commercials: “Don’t miss Denise Richards in her hottest role since Wild Things!” in an ad for Blue Mountain. Ummm…isn’t it her only role since Wild Things? I’m just sayin’.

Okay, time for round two. Thankfully, St. Pierre tells Johnson not to simply let Phan up when he has him on his back against the cage. Unfortunately, Koscheck does not tell Phan that his high kicks may be more successful if he doesn’t throw 25 of them per round.

Johnson lands a hook and pressures Phan, who creates space and kicks when possible. Johnson is working hard to swarm Phan, but Phan is creating distance by circling away from the cage. Phan lands a beautiful hook to the body, though Johnson takes it like a champ. Johnson is just chasing Phan around the cage by now, and eats a knee to the grill before dropping down for an apparent takedown attempt. Nope, he was just resting as he stands back up and lets Phan go. Johnson goes for a takedown and Phan shows beautiful takedown defense, and when Johnson’s driving bounces them off the cage, he uses that momentum to land on top of Johnson. The fighters stand quickly, however.

Another nice body shot lands for Phan. Both fighters are throwing readily, but only Phan is landing much. Johnson does land a glancing uppercut from the clinch, but Phan yet again finds a home for the left hook to the body. A right uppercut to the head lands for Phan, too. Johnson is still coming forward, but Phan is doing a good job of getting out of the way before Johnson can counter his combos.

Johnson clinches again, and Phan again circles away. If you were to ask whether Phan throws another head kick that is blocked at this point, I wouldn’t deny it, either. Johnson partially lands a left hook. Phan is just landing more often at this point, though Johnson is coming forward aggressively and landing nicely as the round draws to a close. Still, I give that round to Phan.

Between rounds, both coaches tell their respective fighters that the other guy is more tired. Koscheck tells Phan that Johnson isn’t on his level. It’s been a good fight so far. Rosenthal gets us started, and away we go. Johnson counters a kick with solid punches, and Phan catches a Johnson kick and lands a left hand in response. Phan is stuck in a takedown attempt and jumps guard, and a part of me believes it may have been a crazy attempt at a flying…something.

PHan has Johnson in his guard and won’t let him rest, throwing elbows at the top of his head over and over. Johnson lands a nice right hand, though he spends most of his time with his head buried in Phan’s belly. Phan creates space by pushing Johnson’s head and stands.

Phan whiffs on a right and eats a 1-2 from Johnson. Johnson clinches and lands a left hook as they break. Phan lands a left to the body, then a right hook to the body. I love how Phan mixes up his combinations. Johnson has him pressed against the cage again, wearing him down for the championship rounds. What’s that? There are no championship rounds? This is the last round? Well then, that doesn’t make much sense.

Johnson does get a takedown into Phan’s open guard, but Phan simply pushes Johnson’s head down and stands again. Johnson is definitely more tired at this point. You have to give him credit, though, he’s pushing forward non-stop. There are two minutes left and Johnson lands a knee to the body from the clinch. Phan spins away and is nailed by a Johnson right hook. Johnson lands an uppercut-hook combo and closes the distance again. Phan needs to circle away again, and does.

One minute left and Phan goes to the body, but eats a knee to the grill as Johnson chases him. The body shots are working for Phan, and now Johnson is carrying his hands very low. This would be a good time to try the head kick again. Phan is trying for a takedown but can’t get it. Phan tries the head kick and Johnson’s hands are slow to come up, but Phan was out of range and it still didn’t land. Phan is trying to line up one big shot as the clock expires, but can’t. I give Johnson that round and the fight.

Koscheck notes that Johnson was a tough fighter in there for eating those body shots, and I concur. Koscheck says that Johnson just tried to lay on Johnson in the third round and win a “Georges St. Pierre victory”. He forgets that he used to fight that way back in his formative days. Plus, Johnson outstruck Phan in the last round, too.

The decision is in, and…it’s a split decision. Judge Hamilton has it 29-28, Weeks has it 28-29 and Towbridge has it 29-28 for…Michael Johnson. Sweet. Maybe Koscheck will explode now. “He’s the lone wolf of Team Koscheck,” Koscheck says of Phan. “Josh Koscheck picked this team. Josh Koscheck lost this competition,” he says. He forgot to add, “Josh Koscheck refers to himself in third person, even though he’s never won a championship to justify his massive ego.”

So, we’ll have Jonathan Brookins vs. Michael Johnson in what should be a very good fight for the finale. Thanks for joining me here on Fightmania.com all season long for all of the recaps. Make sure to come back later this week for my preview and picks of the event, as well as post-fight coverage this weekend!

E-Mail Jon Hartley

Tags: Georges St. Pierre, Jonathan Brookins, Josh Koscheck, Michael Johnson, Nam Phan, The Ultimate Fighter, The Ultimate Fighter 12, The Ultimate Fighter St. Pierre vs. Koscheck