UFC News and Results
UFC: The Ultimate Fighter 4, recap of Episode 9
By Mallory Mahling
Oct 12, 2006, 23:07

The show started with a recap of the fighters moving on to the semi-finals:

Welterweights: 

Shonie Carter

Chris Lytle

Din Thomas

Matt Serra

Middleweights:

Travis Lutter

Edwin DeWees

Pete Sell

Patrick Cote

Of the two teams, the only representative of Team No Love is Travis Lutter.  The rest of the fighters were from Team Mojo, which just goes to show that a little leadership is a very good thing.

Last week Patrick Cote had beaten Jorge Rivera in the last preliminary match. 

Team Mojo arrived at the UFC Training Center to work with Chuck Liddell.

Matt Hughes showed up with no big announcement, which puzzled everyone.

Georges St. Pierre, who will be fighting Hughes soon for the title, felt it best to leave the training center while Hughes was there.

That was just fine with Hughes.

Matt Hughes said he knew all the guys and it was kind of laid back atmosphere.  Serra said Hughes was a nice guy but a typical jock.

The coaches and the champs and Dana White met with each of the semi-finalists to see who they’d ideally like to fight.  Someone called it the Jedi Council.

Cote said he wanted to fight DeWees, and DeWees wanted Cote.

Pete Sell said he wanted to fight Travis Lutter.  Sell said he was willing to take the harder fight to make sure Cote made it to the finals.  “Now that’s a good friend,” observed Dana.

It was announced that the middleweight semi-final fights would be:

-  Pete Sell vs. Travis Lutter would be the first fight

-  Patrick Cote vs. Edwin Dewees would be next.

As for the welterweights:

Serra said he wanted Shonie because he wanted an opportunity for redemption.

Din Thomas wanted to fight Chris Lytle.

Shonie was chillin’ in his flashy suit and newly bleached hair and said he wanted Thomas because he’d already beaten the other two.

It was announced that the first welterweight semi-final fight would be Chris Lytle vs. Thomas and the second would be Matt Serra vs. Shonie Carter because that is a match that everyone wanted to see.

They were told the prizes for the ultimate winners in the two weight classes would be $100,000 in cash and a $100,000 sponsorship with Xyience.  Plus a title shot, of course.

After the matches had been made, Hughes took everybody out for a sushi dinner.  In the restaurant, Hughes started taking potshots at Georges St. Pierre.  GSP fired back, but seemed uncomfortable with the situation.

Serra said Hughes came across as a “dick” at the restaurant because of the way he was trying to get into GSP’s head.  

Of the Lytle/Thomas match, Shonie said something about a hard working farmer chasing a rooster.  Whatever.  Shonie frequently talks out of his bedazzled hat.

Lytle said this was the biggest fight of his career. 

Thomas said that it was an advantage that he’d been preparing with Chris.

This week’s fight was the first welterweight semi-final match—Din Thomas vs. Chris Lytle.  With more than half an hour left in the show, it looked to be a match that would go the distance.

Dana said this was the first fight where he could not pick a winner.

Round one went the full five minutes—and then some.  The official Nevada State timekeeper had gone over the five-minute mark, and Dana said that was the first time that had ever happened.  Lytle had surprised Thomas with the big right hands he threw.

Round two was much like the first, solid fighting without a lot of fireworks.

Round three was almost constant reminders of “more tired than you.”  I’m not sure to whom that was directed, but they both looked equally tired.  As the clocked ticked down, Thomas seemed to get a second wind and hit Lytle with big shots.

The judges’ unanimous decision was for Chris Lytle.

Din Thomas was a gracious in his loss and thought Lytle had a good chance to win the whole thing.

Next week is Serra vs. Carter.  Must-see TV!

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Feedback or comments?  You can reach me at Mallory at

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