The Ultimate Fighter
The Return Of The Ultimate Fighter | Episode 2 Recap
Both Teams Prepare For The Second Fight On The Return Of The Ultimate Fighter. See Which Of The Bantamweights Comes Out On Top
PREVIOUSLY ON THE RETURN OF THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER…
The eight aspiring bantamweights and middleweights were evaluated at the UFC APEX before coaches Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega picked their respective squads and the athletes moved into the fighter house.
In the first fight of the season, Team Ortega chose Andre Petrovski to face Aaron Phillips, and the former Division I wrestler validated the selection, submitting Phillips via mounted guillotine choke in the first round.
MORE TUF 29: How To Watch The Return Of The Ultimate Fighter | Episode 1 | All Things TUF
Following the victory, the next bout is set, with Team Ortega tabbing Liudvik Sholinian to take on Team Volkanovski’s first overall pick, Mitch Raposo.
This is Episode 2 of The Return of The Ultimate Fighter.
The whole Team Volkanovski coaching staff rolls into the house to cook up some food and watch the UFC 261 pay-per-view with everyone, with the featherweight champion handling duties on the grill.
Just like everyone else, the entire house erupted in surprise when Rose Namajunas connected with the head kick that dropped and stopped Zhang Weili in their strawweight title fight, while fighters on both teams appreciated the Australian and his fellow coaches coming through and cooking for them.
Gilbert Urbina is shown training outside late in the evening, and he speaks about the inspiration he drew from watching Namajunas, a fellow former Ultimate Fighter contestant, reclaim the strawweight title.
SEE WHAT THE COACHES OF TUF 29 HAD TO SAY: Volkanovski | Ortega
Five days ahead of the fight, Team Ortega is at the UFC APEX, with the coaching staff talking to Luidvik about his upcoming fight with Mitch.
Paul Herrerra explains he was one of the team’s top picks, while Ortega calls his charge “underrated,” acknowledging that while Mitch was Team Volkanovski’s first pick, he liked the experience Liudvik had already amassed and his quiet, focused approach to things.
Liudvik explains to the coaches that he’s excited to compete because it has been over a year since his last fight, and that he’s Armenian, but currently resides in Ukraine.
Get To Know Liudvik Sholinian | The Return of The Ultimate Fighter
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Get To Know Liudvik Sholinian | The Return of The Ultimate Fighter
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The bantamweight prospect details that he began his career three years ago, with highlights of his LFA clash with UFC veteran Vince Cachero spliced in between the traditional “confessional shots” of the Team Ortega representative. While he boasts a 9-1-1 record, Sholinian says, “It doesn’t matter” because the aim of everyone the house is to win, describing his style as “a car with no steering wheel.”
During his prep session with Liudvik, Ortega explains that while there is a language barrier between the two, there are still ways to communicate and impart knowledge, including the taped-out patterns they’ve crafted on the floor for one of their footwork and movement exercises.
Ortega says he sees some of himself in Liudvik, recognizing the same independent, “ready for war” spirit that propelled him into title contention, suggesting that the Team Ortega fighter is “dialed in” for his upcoming fight with Mitch. He believes they’ve correctly assessed what Mitch brings to the table and formulated a game plan to beat him based on movement, stuffing takedowns, and breaking his will.
Back at the house, Team Volkanovski is congregated in the living room and middleweight Bryan Battle asks Mitch, “How has this fight game impacted your life?"
Mitch explains that he had a temper when he was younger, frequently scrapping in the backyard with his two brothers, and when he walked into the gym for the first time, he was able to hang with kids that had been training for a year or two already. Like many that pursue this sport, he’s a natural competitor and always preferred the one-on-one nature of combat sports as opposed to team sports.
Get To Know Mitch Raposo | The Return of The Ultimate Fighter
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Get To Know Mitch Raposo | The Return of The Ultimate Fighter
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Mitch’s home video takes the audience to Fall River, Massachusetts, a tough city perhaps best known as the hometown of former NBA guard Chris Herren, who struggled with substance abuse issues throughout his career. It’s also the hometown of two former Ultimate Fighter contestants, Tom Lawlor and Tecia Torres.
He lives at home with his mom and his sister, who says she’s “nervous, but excited” for him to be on The Ultimate Fighter. He also introduces the world to his best friend Charlie, an old English bulldog.
He sings his mom’s praises for the sacrifices she made for him to pursuit this sport as a kid and calls her his “biggest motivation” heading into the competition, before cutting up in a packed car with his four close friends and heading into a final training session at Regiment Training Center before he heads out.
He explains that he gets a lot of work in with current top bantamweight contender Rob Font, and wraps by saying he knows his best is enough to win the whole thing.
Three days before the fight, Team Volkanovski is inside the APEX, going through the paces and formulating a plan for Mitch’s fight with Liudvik.
Highlights from his previous fights roll as Mitch explains that he’s 5-0 as a pro after a 6-0 amateur career, and that he takes a great deal of pride in never having tasted defeat inside the cage. The 22-year-old upstart adds, “I feel my potential is huge and I feel that I could become a UFC champ one day.”
The featherweight champion and head man of Team Volkanovski heaps praise on his first selection, working through timing changes and entries to use in his upcoming fight.
“Why not be great? Why not be that one-in-a-million type person?” Mitch asks as the time at the APEX wraps.
Back at the house, Liudvik lounges in the backyard under the stars with Kemren Lachinov, explaining that he was born in Armenia and moved to Ukraine when he was three years old.
Liudvuk’s home video takes place in Las Vegas, as he moved to the city ahead of The Ultimate Fighter. He FaceTimes with his parents, explaining they moved to Ukraine to find a better life, before he’s shown training in a baseball field, where he details that he was a national champion wrestler in Ukraine.
Check out every contestant's profile on The Return of The Ultimate Fighter.
Middleweight contender Edmen Shahbazyan FaceTimes in to wish his teammate and friend luck, Liudvik trains at Xtreme Couture, and then says when his manager asked him about being on the show, he thought he might be joking.
“I never had money,” he begins. “I always think I do it for my family, for my people. If I win, I can help not only my family, I can support my Armenian people, Ukrainian people, I can motivate a lot of people.
“I had a really long wait for this moment,” he continues. “I will be the first Armenian fighter to win The Ultimate Fighter.”
It’s weigh-in day for Liudvik and Mitch, and both make weight without issue, the former coming in at 136, ripped, and the latter landing at 135.5 for the first bantamweight pairing of the season.
Toyo Tires Ultimate Fighter Flashback: in Season 10, coach Rampage Jackson goes on a rampage of his own following another loss to Team Rashad Evans, eviscerating a door.
FIGHTER PROFILES: Mitch Raposo | Liudvik Sholinian
Fight Day arrives and both bantamweights head to the UFC APEX, ready to step into the Octagon, confident that they will get their hand raised.
Round 1: They touch gloves and we’re off, with Liudvik pressing forward initially and Mitch circling away on the outside, neither landing anything much through the opening minute.
Liudvik deploys the short bursts forward they worked on in prep, retreating after getting inside, frustrating Liudvik a little as he refuses to stay put and engage. Every time Miitch darts in and lands, Liudvik tries to corral him with a little more urgency, but with no success.
Midway through the round, Liudvik shoots and Mitch stuffs it easy, the duo returning to the dance they’ve been doing throughout, Mitch’s speed and movement clearly presenting a challenge to Luidvik. Neither throws or lands a great deal, but Mitch is clearly the more successful of the two, flashing in, scoring, and getting out of the way, much to Liudvik’s consternation.
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In the corner, Team Volkanovski is happy with Mitch’s efforts, while Team Ortega tries to give Liudvik some different attacks to deploy in order to deal with Mitch’s approach.
Round 2: Mitch starts the round throwing a little more and digs a good hook into Liudvik’s midsection. A similar hook lands low, but Liudvik has no interest in pausing the action. A third finds a home once more.
Luidvik shoots and dumps Mitch to the ground, collecting the legs, but Mitch uses the cage to climb to his feet and scramble away. Back in space, they resume the dance they’ve been doing, with Liudvik trying to close the distance and cut Mitch off, and the Team Volkanovski representative content to stick-and-move through the midway point of the round.Liudvik shoots again and gets around to Mitch’s back, hunting for a chance to sink in his hooks. He gets one in and tries to maintain control, collects a wrist and lands a series of short punches, securing back mount. Mitch climbs back to his feet, but Liudvik remains sticky, re-sinking his hook, maintaining wrist control, and landing short punches, continuing through to the end of the round.
Both men return to their corners, knowing a third round is coming, listening to the instructions of their coaches, knowing the next five minutes will determine who advances.
Round 3: Liudvik is the aggressor once more, immediately shooting in as he closes the distance. Mitch defends along the fence momentarily, but Liudvik dumps him to the canvas, again climbing around to the back with a hook in as Mitch looks to scramble to his feet.
Brian Ortega Fight Recap | The Return of The Ultimate Fighter Episode 2
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Brian Ortega Fight Recap | The Return of The Ultimate Fighter Episode 2
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Liudvik keeps adjusting every time Mitch scrambles, landing in half guard and then full guard when Mitch rolls to his back. Mitch attacks with elbows off his back as Liudvik grinds from top position, mashing short elbows into Mitch’s face.
Mitch struggles to create space off his back as Liudvik remains tight, restricting his movements, but three minutes into the round, Mitch finds a way out the back door, scrambling around to Liudvik’s back, immediately locking in a body triangle and threatening with a choke.
As the battle for position, Liudvik ends up on top again, throwing tired punches to Mitch’s body, keeping his shoulders pinned to the canvas.
With 30 seconds left, referee Jason Herzog stands them up. Liudvik shoots immediately, and Mitch dives on a guillotine choke attempt, but there is nothing doing, and the fight ends with Liudvik in top position.
Official Result: Liudvik Sholinian def. Mitch Raposo by unanimous decision
Mitch is heartbroken after the loss, but promises to grow from the setback, while Dana White calls this a “statement win” for Team Ortega after taking out Team Volkanovski’s first pick.
Liudvik dedicates the win to the Armenian people and is happy that he was able to come away with a win, moving into the semifinals in the bantamweight competition.
Team Volkanovski makes the next fight selection, tabbing Ryder Newman to square off with Tresean Gore.
