'Fight Master' results and live discussion thread (original) (raw)

Episode five of Bellator's new mixed martial arts (MMA) reality show "Fight Master" hits the airwaves tonight (Weds., July 24, 2013) on Spike TV, featuring four coaches in Randy Couture, Greg Jackson, Frank Shamrock and Joe Warren.

MMAmania.com will be here live tonight to cover the second official episode of the show now that everyone has fought their way into the 16-man tournament. Stay tuned tonight to see who advances through the Sweet 16.

If you're expecting a knockoff of UFC and Spike's original brain child, The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), think again.

A group of 32 welterweights will be whittled down to 16 competitors, and that's when things get interesting. The twist is that each winning fighter will then have an opportunity to "choose their destiny" by interviewing and ultimately selecting one of the panel of four coaches to be their mentor for the upcoming season.

Each coach will have four fighters to specifically focus on through the course of the show, and from their history, you can expect some healthy competition. The coaches have also seeded all 16 fighters who advanced and the top seeds will get a chance to choose their destiny by having control of their next fight.

Fighters confirmed thus far: * = advanced, failed to advance

Team Jackson

Tim Welch
Eric Bradley
Bryan Travers
Joe Riggs

Team Warren

Eric Scallon
Evan Cutts
Jason Norwood
Ismael Gonzalez

Team Shamrock

Nick Barnes
Chris Lozano *
Mike Dubois
Joe Williams *

Team Couture

A.J. Matthews
Cole Williams *
Cristiano Souza
Mike Bronzoulis *

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Round of 16 Fight #3: Jason Norwood (Team Warren) vs Mike Bronzoulis (Team Couture)

Norwood controls the first round with superior wrestling, taking Bronzoulis down and controlling him via top position. Bronzoulis grabs the fence to try and stop the onslaught but is not deducted a point. When he can't get the takedown, Norwood manages to press Bronzoulis into the fence and keep him pinned to neutralize his striking. Bronzoulis tries to work some punches but it's not enough to win back the frame.

Norwood continues to control Bronzoulis against the fence and while it's not pretty, he's winning the battle of cage control. Just as I say that, Bronzoulis starts to work his way back into the fight and it appears he's the better conditioned fighter. Big spinning back kick scores for Bronzoulis and Norwood is in trouble. Bronzoulis doesn't press the action despite having his opponent in trouble, but he does enough to force a third round.

Bronzoulis definitely has a superior gas tank as the third round begins. Both men jockey for position early and Bronzoulis LEVELS Norwood with a brutal knockout. Daaaaaaamn!

Mike Bronzoulis defeats Jason Norwood via knockout in round three

Round of 16 Fight #4: Ismael Gonzalez (Team Warren) vs Joe Williams (Team Shamrock)

Williams is the superior wrestler and he's getting the job done against Gonzalez, who is no match for him on the ground. It's pretty clear Gonzalez has no idea how to get back up when he's got a strong wrestler on top of him. Frank Shamrock rubs it in by telling Gonzalez he's losing the fight.

Second round is more of the same and Williams secures an arm triangle choke to finish it

Joe Williams defeats Ismael Gonzalez via submission (arm triangle choke) in round two