A fighter from Daniel Cormier`s team advanced in The Ultimate Fighter 33 tournament this week, overcoming a significant foul during his bout.
This week`s representative for Team Cormier was Kazakhstan`s Alibi Idiris. The previously undefeated fighter faced Uzbekistan`s Furkatbek Yokubov from Chael Sonnen`s team. Idiris largely depended on his wrestling skills to secure a decision victory after two rounds.
Idiris` performance, however, wasn`t without its challenges. Yokubov showed an early advantage in striking, connecting with body kicks and effective counter punches. The fight saw a brief pause after Yokubov accidentally landed a low blow. Following the restart, Idiris successfully closed the distance and initiated grappling exchanges, aiming to take the fight to the ground.
With referee Jason Herzog issuing a warning to Yokubov for grabbing the fence, Idiris persisted, successfully dragging Yokubov down and landing ground-and-pound. The fight continued into Round 2, which featured a wild striking exchange where Idiris accidentally poked Yokubov in the eye. Herzog acted decisively, deducting one point from Idiris.
Ultimately, the point deduction didn`t determine the outcome, as Idiris continued to control the round with his wrestling, securing the victory in the two-round contest.
With this win, Team Cormier now has its second flyweight semifinalist; Idiris joins teammate Imanol Rodriguez. The only other flyweight to advance so far in the bracket is Team Sonnen`s Joseph Morales. Overall, Team Cormier holds a dominant 4-1 lead in the series, thanks to welterweights Daniil Donchenko and Jeff Creighton also securing their spots in the semifinals.
This week`s episode also featured special guest appearances for Team Cormier: TUF 24 veteran and former UFC champion Brandon Moreno, and Super Bowl winner Ryan Clark. Moreno shared valuable insights on the significance of the TUF experience, notably recounting his loss in his single fight on the show before later achieving two UFC flyweight titles.
Clark, who is also a fellow ESPN analyst alongside Cormier, delivered a motivational speech to Idiris and the yellow team before the fight.
Looking ahead, next week`s episode will feature a welterweight bout between Team Cormier`s Alex Sanchez (Mexico) and Team Sonnen`s Matt Dixon (USA).
The Ultimate Fighter 33 airs live every Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Unlike many previous seasons of TUF, coaches Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen are not scheduled to fight at the conclusion of the season, as both are retired from active competition.
The finalists from the TUF 33 welterweight and flyweight tournaments will compete for a six-figure UFC contract in the show`s live finale fights. The specific date for these final bouts has not yet been announced.
Quarterfinal Results To Date
- Joseph Morales def. Eduardo Henrique via first-round submission (rear-naked choke)
- Daniil Donchenko def. Richard Martins via decision
- Imanol Rodriguez def. Arshiyan Memon via first-round TKO (strikes)
- Jeff Creighton def. Andreeas Binder via decision
- Alibi Idiris def. Furkatbek Yokubov via decision
Fighters Advancing to Semifinals:
- Joseph Morales (Team Sonnen, Flyweight)
- Daniil Donchenko (Team Cormier, Welterweight)
- Imanol Rodriguez (Team Cormier, Flyweight)
- Jeff Creighton (Team Cormier, Welterweight)
- Alibi Idiris (Team Cormier, Flyweight)
Fighters Eliminated in Quarterfinals:
- Eduardo Henrique
- Richard Martins
- Arshiyan Memon
- Andreeas Binder
- Furkatbek Yokubov
Rosters by Team (as mentioned in results/upcoming fights)
Team Cormier
Flyweights
- Alibi Idiris (Semifinalist)
- Imanol Rodriguez (Semifinalist)
Welterweights
- Daniil Donchenko (Semifinalist)
- Jeff Creighton (Semifinalist)
- Alex Sanchez (Upcoming fight)
Team Sonnen
Flyweights
- Joseph Morales (Semifinalist)
- Furkatbek Yokubov (Eliminated)
Welterweights
- Matt Dixon (Upcoming fight)
- Richard Martins (Eliminated)
- Arshiyan Memon (Eliminated)
- Andreeas Binder (Eliminated)
- Eduardo Henrique (Eliminated)
