Sherdog's Guide to 'The Ultimate Fighter 10'

The quarterfinals have been set going into this week’s episode of “The Ultimate Fighter 10” and that has Coach Rashad Evans thinking about the situation.

“Team Rashad has seven going into the quarters,” says Evans, “and Rampage? One, just one.”

Evans is struggling to find a way to coach and corner all of his fighters fairly since they will have to face each other. In the end, he decides to take a step back and not coach any of them, letting them compete with their own terms.

Admitted friends Justin Wren and Roy Nelson are the first ones up. Wren talks about how strange it has been to train in the same room with someone you’ll be fighting. Nelson and Wren are both sneaking peeks at each other’s regimen and keeping a close eye on one another.

“Big Country” Nelson has been eager to get in that cage and get the fight over with so that the two men can, in his own words, “...Go back to giggling and shooting the crap with each other.”

Matt Mitrione is still suffering some effects following his win over Scott Junk last week.

“Kind of made me stupid for a little while,” says Mitrione, who is unable to shake the dizziness and is battling common concussion issues, like light sensitivity.

Mitrione’s teammates are skeptical watching Mitrione sway in the van on the way back to the house, thanks to his crying wolf over his shoulder injury before his fight.

“I think he has a concussion,” says Brendan Schaub after taking a look in on Mitrione. Mitrione’s spot might be up for grabs if he is declared unfit by the doctor and after he heads off to the hospital to get checked out, the wheels start turning.

“It’s no secret that we want Kimbo to get back in there because he’s the most improved,” says Coach Quinton Jackson, “and we were so impressed with the job he did against fat, nasty ‘Big Country.’”

Slice has been ready to go since his loss to Nelson and his time spent training on the show has emboldened him.

“I’m a fight contractor, you know what I’m saying? I’m putting more tools on my belt, so I’ll have every tool I need to build a solid fight foundation,” says the wiser Slice. Of course, even Slice knows that when it comes down to it, he still only has one big tool in that belt.

“When I get a chance to put these haymakers on you, you a done dada. Believe that,” he adds.

Surprisingly, Evans is fine with the idea of Slice replacing Mitrione, noting that it would be exciting.

During the downtime, Rampage decides to get with assistant coach Tiki Ghosn and shove some “funky”-smelling chickens into Evan’s empty vehicle.

“Not one or two, but five chickens,” laughs Evans after finding them and witnessing what the birds have left all inside his car.

Rampage and Tiki laugh their a--es off watching Evans deal with his new little feathered friends. Jackson is later disappointed that Evans and Co. aren’t upset at all, especially after they receive better rental cars in the fallout.

Mitrione returns to the house after his doctor visit and everyone, including Slice, tries to feel him out for info. Slice figures that Mitrione has already pulled out of the competition just by virtue of having gone to the hospital for a night.

UFC President Dana White stops by the house to check up on Mitrione and make sure he’s good to go. Mitrione gives White a tepid affirmative, which doesn’t stop Scott Junk from announcing that he’s ready to get back in if Mitrione can’t.

“If Matt doesn’t want to fight, sign me up,” Junk tells White.

Slice takes time to break down the fight between Nelson and Wren. To Slice, Nelson is a contractor (like himself) with a lot of tools on his belt and a solid foundation. Wren, on the other hand, is just a kid that sneaks donuts out of refrigerator under his mom’s nose.

Schaub makes a more apt observation, giving Nelson world-class jiu-jitsu status and Wren world-class jiu-jitsu defensive status.

“Roy loves Roy more than anybody loves Roy,” says White, adding that he’s still not impressed with Nelson. White is quick to heap praise on Wren though.

Schaub predicts a standup battle and the first round of Nelson vs. Wren is just that. Nelson is the more technical of the two, using jabs and a little bit of movement to get his shots in. Wren is the more explosive fighter, picking his moment and then rushing forward with a barrage of punches that nearly catch Nelson at the start. No takedown attempts are made the entire five minutes, as the pair trade punches.

In the second round, Nelson starts to get the best of the exchanges. He seems to always get off first and stays elusive -- or at elusive as a man that size can be. Wren spends most of the round chasing Nelson and eating a jab in the process. From either frustration or fatigue, Wren begins to drop his hands a bit and Nelson makes him pay with a shot to the body or a kick to the lead leg.

After the second round, both coaches seems convinced there will be a third round. Instead, the judges came back with a majority decision (20-18, 19-19, 20-18) for Roy Nelson.

There is some discussion over if it should have gone to a third round and White says that Nelson has squeaked out a win.

“I tried to make it a little more exciting for you,” says Nelson to White, as he exits the Octagon area.

“The day that we see Roy Nelson in an exciting fight that he made exciting, I will give him his props,” answers White.

Whether White likes it or not, Nelson is moving on and we will have to wait and see if Mitrione will remain in the competition or if Slice will be stepping up.