Daniel Cormier is dropping his endurance.
For the second week in a row on The Final Fighter 33, Cormier needed to watch one in every of his fighters fall flat, a lot to the previous two-division champion’s dismay. This week, it was Group Chael Sonnen’s Roybert Echeverria (Venezuela) who stood tall as he submitted Group Cormier’s Tumelo Manyamala (South Africa) in Spherical 2.
Manyamala acquired off to a quick begin, utilizing his velocity and slick placing to snipe away at Echeverria early. After controlling a lot of the spherical with constant counter-punching, Manyamala cracked Echeverria with proper hand that dropped Echeverria to his knees. Echeverria recovered, however went into the second spherical down on the scorecards.
In between frames, Sonnen and his group informed Echeverria he wanted to be extra aggressive closing the space to work for takedowns. Echeverria caught with the sport plan, using an analogous mixture a number of occasions every time ending with a takedown try. Manyamala stuffed Echeverria twice, however succumbed to a 3rd try and the combat went downhill for him from there.
Echeverria dragged Manyamala to the mat and saved him there earlier than working for a rear-naked choke that compelled a faucet.
Afterwards, Cormier couldn’t disguise his disappointment in Manyamala failing to return ahead in Spherical 2. Within the earlier week’s episode, he additionally blasted Alex Sanchez for his timidity in a loss.
“It’s irritating, since you ought to have received that combat,” Cormier informed Manyamala. “Bear in mind what you’re feeling proper now and ensure it doesn’t occur to you once more. Don’t waste this chance, you’re going to study lots now.”
Echeverria’s efficiency might need been boosted by an look from TUF: The Smashes winner and former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, who served as Sonnen’s visitor coach this week.
Cormier’s lead over Sonnen within the sequence is now right down to 4-3. Every coach now has two flyweights within the semifinals, with Cormier sending Alibi Idiris and Imanol Rodriguez, and Sonnen sending Echeverria and Joseph Morales.
Sonnen can tie it up subsequent week when Diego Bianchini fights Cormier’s Rodrigo Sezinando in a battle of every group’s No. 1 welterweight picks.
The Final Fighter 33 airs dwell each Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
In contrast to most editions of TUF, coaches Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen won’t combat on the conclusion of the season as each are lengthy retired.
The finalists of the TUF 33 welterweight and flyweight tournaments will compete for a six-figure UFC contract within the present’s dwell finale fights. A date for these bouts is but to be introduced.
Listed below are the TUF 33 rosters divided by group:
Group Cormier
Flyweights
- Eduardo Henrique (13-2), Brazil
- Alibi Idiris (10-0), Kazakhstan
- Imanol Rodriguez (5-0), Mexico
- Tumelo Manyamala (6-1), South Africa
Welterweights
- Rodrigo Sezinando (8-1), Brazil
- Daniil Donchenko (11-2), Ukraine
- Jeff Creighton (11-2-1), USA
- Alex Sanchez (15-3), Mexico
Group Sonnen
Flyweights
- Joseph Morales (12-2), USA
- Furkatbek Yokubov (13-4), Uzbekistan
- Roybert Echeverria (10-2), Venezuela
- Arshiyan Memon (7-0), India
Welterweights
- Diego Bianchini (9-1), Brazil
- Matt Dixon (11-1), USA
- Richard Martins (9-1), Brazil
- Andreeas Binder (10-1, 1 NC), Eire
Listed below are the quarterfinal outcomes up to now:
Joseph Morales def. Eduardo Henrique by way of first-round submission (rear-naked choke)
Daniil Donchenko def. Richard Martins by way of resolution
Imanol Rodriguez def. Arshiyan Memon by way of first-round TKO (strikes)
Jeff Creighton def. Andreeas Binder by way of resolution
Alibi Idiris def. Furkatbek Yokubov by way of resolution
Matt Dixon def. Alex Sanchez by way of first-round TKO (strikes)
Roybert Echeverria def. Tumelo Manyamala by way of second-round submission (rear-naked choke)
Advancing to semifinals: Morales, Donchenko, Rodriguez, Creighton, Idiris, Dixon, Echeverria
Eradicated: Henrique, Martins, Memon, Binder, Yokubov, Sanchez, Manyamala
