Make Him Pay - Recap

The season now enters the semi-finals thus giving us two back to back episodes. The fights this week are Ryan Bader vs. Eliot Marshall in a light heavyweight fight and Phillipe Nover vs. George Roop in a lightweight fight.

We see Bader training with Team Nogueira. Bader says this fight will be settled in the cage. We shift to Team Mir with Eliot telling us that Bader will be a difficult challenge for him. Fight Day arrives with Mir saying that it's time to end the party for Bader.

Bader says he's a better wrestler than Eliot and can control the fight. The Tale of The Tape reveals a fairly equal match up except that Eliot is three years (27) than Bader (24) and he has a slightly longer reach.

Round 1 sees both fighters trying to throw strikes. Eliot throws a high kick. The two strike again with no real advantage because both fighters are cautious to come in close. At 2:25 Bader takes Eliot down to the mat. He's able to land a few hits.

Mir is yelling at Eliot that Bader is just pinning him down and now doing any damage. However, Eliot is unable to counter with any big damage of his own. The bulk of this round would see Bader in control with Eliot down on the mat landing random strikes every now and then.

Round 2 follows a similar pattern to the first round with Bader controlling Eliot on the ground. Bader comes out swinging and appears to land an uppercut. Eliot responds with the same high kicks in the first. Bader blocks the kick, throws a strike of his own, and once again takes Eliot down to the mat.

On mat, the fighters trade blows but neither fighting is pulling away with the fight. Bader at one point does pick Eliot off the mat and throws him down again. The ref tired with seeing both guys near the cage instructs to stand up and fight. The two do so but once again Bader's strategy of taking Eliot down is successful.

The horn sounds with Bader mostly in control and even throwing blows as time expires.

Round 3 follows the same pattern as the first two rounds. Eliot this time comes out swinging but Bader thwarts any of Eliot's plans to make this a kickboxing or boxing match by again planting him on the ground. Eliot while down tries to break Bader's guard but he is just isn't powerful enough. He tries a couple of leg submission but again isn't successful.

Eliot even tries to use the cage as leverage but referee takes away a point from him. Once again the ref instructs both men to stand up and fight but Bader uses his wrestling strategy once again to take Eliot of the ground. The horn sounds with Bader as in other rounds on top of Eliot and throwing in whatever shots he can land. The winner is named and it's Ryan Bader.

Antonio Nogueira says Bader controlled the fight. Dana says Eliot never took any risks in the fight and thus the fight never changed. Mir says that Bader isn't a good fighter but a good wrestler. He congratulates Bader for having limited fighting skills but using his strategy to his advantage. Eliot accepts the loss without making excuses. Dana says this wasn't fight of the year.

We move on to the next semi-final fight this time with the lightweights Phillipe Nover and George Roop. Roop says this is his dream and he wants to be a champion. Roop mentions that he is hurt with a bad hand. He is also sporting a black eye. Mir calls Roop one of the toughest guys in the house. Roop says he is the underdog.

Dana jokes about Phillipe fainting near the beginning of the show but says he's totally removed that image. Dana says Nover has a lot of talent. The fight itself turns to be easy for Nover.

In Round 1 the two wrestle to the ground like Bader and Eliot However, Roop makes the mistake of leaving his arm exposed for Nover thus giving him the opening for a submission known as the Kimura.



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