"Game Show Man" Joe Van Ginkel: Well, folks, I know you're used to seeing roundtables for shows like American Idol...but today, you've got one for The Ultimate Fighter. And it's none other than yours truly, the "Game Show Man" Joe Van Ginkel at the helm.
Gordon Pepper: Whoo!
Joe: And, in a reverse of roles, GSNN Reality Editor, and me pal, Gordon
Pepper is here to examine the action of what promises to be a most exciting fight card this evening.
Gordon: Yo. How are you doing this evening, Mr. Van Ginkel?
Joe: Excellamundo, sir. Twelve weeks ago, 16 professional fighters entered the UFC Training Center to try and win a six-figure contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Tonight only four remain. At the end of the night, that number will be down to TWO. Eight middleweight fighters have been whittled down to just two: submission master Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez and jujitsu specialist Kenny Florian.
Gordon: This one has rout written all over it.
Joe: I suspect you're right. But for who, Gordon?
Gordon: If Diego gets inside to Kenny, it's all over. Kenny needs to keep his distance. I'm guessing he won't and Diego will win this in a round. He is very impressive.
Joe: That much is certain. Sanchez has been in three fights already during this series and has yet to record a defeat. His last fight with Josh Koscheck was a war, and he punished his former Team Liddell teammate.
Gordon: Diego has been very impressive.
Joe: So it looks like we've both chosen Diego Sanchez to win this one. In the next fight, it's the light heavyweights, and we're down to Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar. This fight is much harder to call. Griffin has won both of his fights by trapping his opponent on the fence and raining blows on his opponent.
Gordon: I agree - this one could go the distance. I give Forrest the slight edge.
Joe: Bonnar won his first fight by a split decision over Bobby Southworth, and a shocking submission over his teammate Mike Swick won him a spot in the finals tonight.
Gordon: But this one could go either way - Bonnar is much bigger than Forrest's other opponents and he is a moose.
Joe: Definitely. Bonnar is tough as nails. But Griffin is a maniac. In his first fight on the show, he survived a nasty cut on his eyebrow.
Gordon: He's tough, but I think he'll make a mistake and Forrest will capitalize. Bonnar was really close to submission had Swick not made a fatal error. I don't think Forrest will make that sort of error.
Joe: The finale is mere moments away. In addition to our two final fights, we've also got a bonus fight - Legendary UFC fighter KEN SHAMROCK, the "World's Most Dangerous Man," will fight upcoming light heavyweight prospect Rich Franklin. I'll take Shamrock just on name recognition.
Gordon: Ditto. And don't forget the coach Vs. Coach match on Pay-Per-View next week.
Joe: Oh yeah. The Natural vs. the Iceman. Couture vs. Liddell II. It promises to be an insane bout. But this week is the TUF finale.
Gordon: Should be fun - and it wouldn't surprise me if we saw both winners in action there as well - assuming they don't kill the snot out of each other now.
Joe: I'm not so sure. It's only a week away, and I don't think they're gonna get thrown back into the Octagon so fast. And we're LIVE!!!!!!!!
Gordon: We start with...filler! Comparing the gladiators of old with the gladiators of today. Roll Credits! We are LIVE at the Cox Pavillion in Las Vegas for the finals. Your host is Mike Goldberg. He talks about 16 people going to Vegas to hit the Jackpot - and 2 of them will. Joining him is Fear Factor's Joe Rogan, who is hooked on the show. Joe says that this will start a trend - agreed?
Joe: Quite likely. Dana White, the UFC president has said that the second and third shows are being worked on now.
Gordon: It should be - this was a fun show to watch.
Joe: Rogan has been doing color commentary for UFC for a while. He's much better here than on Fear Factor.
Gordon: The 41-year-old Ken Shamrock has always been around the UFC (unless you discount the sabbatical he had to join the WWE).
Joe: Just about.
Gordon: Next up...recaps! How long is this show going to be?
Joe: It's scheduled for two and a half hours, but it may not last that long.
Gordon: In that case, the first match won't start until an hour in.
Joe: One thing that amazes me about this sport is that we're seeing men in their early forties: Shamrock and Randy Couture who we mentioned earlier are both 41, and they're in their prime - their PRIME! - at an age where most athletes would retire.
Gordon: 40 isn't a taboo number any more - Baseball players are over 40, bowlers are over 40. Boxers are over 40. If they are in good shape, why not UFC competitors?
Joe: We're back. The Cox Pavilion at UNLV is packed to the rafters to see this fight card.
Gordon: Did you know that the COX Pavilion is the home of the athletics of UNLV?
Joe: I just said that, goof.
Gordon: Did you know that we are seeing recaps now?
Joe: That we are. While the recaps roll, the show's website indicates that we are actually only seeing the last three fights of an entire fight card. The other cast members actually competed on the undercard.
Gordon: It would have been nice to SEE those fights, no?
Joe: Certainly. It started with Bobby Southworth vs. Sam Hogar, the "heel vs. heel" match I mentioned on my recaps.
Gordon: Do we have any results of these matches?
Joe: No unfortunately. Who would you have picked to win the first one?
Gordon: Hopefully, we'll get those results throughout the show. I think Bobby will spank Sam.
Joe: I certainly hope so. I'd take ten Bobby Southworths over one Sam Hogar.
Gordon: Sam 'the Stealer' Hogar. Oh look - another break - and promises of MORE recapping.
Joe: Results are in, and... Hogar beat Southworth (!?!).
Gordon: Wha?
Joe: Uhhh...ok. Here we see Randy Couture signing an autograph as we do indeed go to break. Mike Swick fought again Alex Schoenauer. Pick on that one?
Gordon: I'll say Swick, but that probably was a close fight.
Joe: So would I. I personally think Swick should be in the finals, but Bonnar got a little lucky. I could be wrong.
Gordon: I dont think lucky - Swick made a huge mistake. Good people capitalize - and Bonnar did just that. You don't leave your arm hanging out there waiting for it to get arm-barred.
Joe: The result is...Swick over Schoenauer. We're both right.
Gordon: Yay =)
Joe: Alex Karalexis competed against Josh Rafferty next. I'm gonna say Karalexis jackhammered Rafferty.
Gordon: Alex, I predict, will make Josh his personal valley girl.
Joe: The result is...Karalexis over Rafferty. We're both right again.
Gordon: Both of us are 2-1. We are back - and we get more recapping.
Joe: Lodune Sincaid fought against Nate Quarry, who did not get to fight on the show. Who won that one?
Gordon: Can we say no one and call it a draw?
Joe: Sure. If you HAVE to.
Gordon: Nah. I'll say Lodune.
Joe: I'm gonna go with Quarry on this one. Much as I like Sincaid, Quarry was far more into his training.
Gordon: So who won?
Joe: Quarry defeated Sincaid.
Gordon: Bah.
Joe: Heh. The next fight makes no sense to me: our boy Chris Leben vs. Jason "Strange Brew" Thacker. No question on that one: Leben probably beat Thacker senseless.
Gordon: This has 'redemption for Chris' written all over it.
Joe: It was, and he did - Leben massacred Thacker. Last one - Josh Koscheck V. Chris Sanford.
Gordon: I'll say that Josh makes up for his loss by ponding Chris.
Joe: You're right - he does. We have shots of the coaches, Liddell and Couture greet us as the recaps end.
Gordon: They talk about the mental states of the competitors. Uh....duh. I'm sure they are thinking, 'Gee, I don't know if I want this contract' - NOT!
Joe: Fun. Yakety-yakety-yakety.
Gordon: If you just tuned in at 9:30 PM, you missed... absolutely NOTHING!
Joe: Here are the rules: Three judges, three five-minute rounds, ten point must system. We see UFC president Dana White talking to Middleweight Contenders Sanchez and Florian. White must be incredibly proud of these men.
Joe: While recording artist Willa Ford was the official "host" of the show, White did most of the real hosting work on this show. And quite frankly, I thought he did a great job.
Gordon: He did - and look! It's Adrian Greiner from HBO's Entourage! Wheeee!
Joe: We're back with a shot of the Sanchez family, who are excited to watch their boy Diego Sanchez, who has been incredible on this show.
Gordon: Here we go - we start the middleweight competition.
Joe: Here's Michael Clarke Duncan as we make preparations for the
middleweight bout.
Gordon: And coming to the ring, we get...a Diego Sanchez profile and recap.
Joe: Mrs. Sanchez says she's Diego's number one fan. We see his training regimen. He has to work with bigger guys, and his crew is doing their best to motivate him.
Gordon: Next up - a profile for Diego's opponent, the Kennymeister.
Joe: On to Kenny Florian in Boston. He works hard with Peter Welch, the boxing coach from the show and many others. He eats dinner with his family to fuel himself to prepare for this final fight.
Joe: And we meet his girlfriend Ana, who hangs on Kenny. Diego gets ACUPUNCTURE?!?! Diego certainly has been the holistic fighter, hasn't he? It looks like we're about ready for the fight.
Gordon: Aouuummmmmm.
Joe: Kenny Florian is first to man the ring. Herb Dean the ref for this fight meets him to check him over. In he goes. Sorry: Steve Mazzagatti is the ref.
Gordon: There's Chris Leben, and he doesn't look beaten up, so I'm guessing he won.
Joe: I would say so. Florian looks ready for a war. Sanchez will give him one. Here comes the Nightmare to a...mariachi band?
Gordon: But first Diego will give him a Mariachi sonata.
Joe: He meets Dean in front of the ring. We see the Sanchezes in the audience. The electricity in the arena is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Break time.
Gordon: And Sanchez and Florian will stare at each other for the next 4 minutes while we watch commercials.
Joe: We've already given you our picks for the winner of this fight: we predict that Diego Sanchez will beatdown Kenny Florian. Here we go. We see Chris Leben and his girlfriend June in the audience. Sanchez is five years younger, and one pound heavier.
Gordon: Apparently, the announcers are more interested in showing us the other UFC competitors than actually telling us what happened in their matches earlier.
Joe: Here's Bruce Buffer to introduce the principals.
Gordon: Any relation to Michael Buffer?
Joe: Likely. Florian's in the blue corner. Diego's in the red corner...and
he's UNDEFEATED. The audience digs him a lot.
Gordon: And we start 45 minutes into the show.
Joe: Lock and load kiddies...the WAR IS ON! The two mean circle each other.
Gordon: And they spend the first 30 seconds circling each other - make it the first 60 seconds as the crowd boos them both.
Joe: The audience doesn't like it.
Gordon: You don't get many points on your circling technique.
Joe: Here we go. Sanchez has him. Florian is pinned to the fence, but Sanchez can't take him down. Knee strike from Sanchez. But Florian breaks free. Sanchez takes him down. Sanchez drops a fist on him. Florian avoids the choke.
Gordon: Diego's trying to get Sanchez on his stomach to finish him off.
Sanchez is pummeling on Florian and the ref gets him off.
Joe: And Sanchez has won it!
Gordon: Blood is pouring from Florian.
Joe: He celebrates on the fence. The crowd chants his name.
Gordon: And that, my friends, is the predicted beat down.
Joe: We see a replay of Diego's ground and pound. He wanted it, and he got it. Break time.
Gordon: What was the advice for Kenny? Don't let Diego get close. What did Kenny do? He let Diego get close. There's the ball game.
Joe: Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez has won not one, not two, not three, but FOUR fights to claim the win in the middleweight division. We see Florian with a cut on the bridge of his nose. Here's Bruce Buffer with the decision...
Gordon: Florian's face is full of cuts. Diego's wallet is full of money - $100,000 worth. Time of the match - 2:49. Diego looks like a fine addition to the UFC.
Joe: A most satisfying win for Diego. Here's our man Dana White. Sanchez shakes hands with the coaches. White is confident that he will be the next UFC middleweight champion.
Gordon: Diego is presented a trophy, a motorbike, a watch and a 2005 Scion.
Joe: And the contract. Big ups to Diego "The Nightmare" Sanchez. Joe Rogan will interview him.
Gordon: Diego thanks Jesus, his family and Albuquerque, New Mexico, his people, all of his supporters and anyone else who is listening.
Joe: We go to the replay. More footage of the ground and pound. More thanks from Diego.
Gordon: He thanks...the Acupuncturist??!!?!? Whos next - the gardener? Forget two-and-a-half hours - this may not get to two hours.
Joe: Indeed. Much like a boxing card...you never know if the fights will go the distance. This next one might. Back we go. We see Kenny Florian, devastated by his loss. And here's BUSTABUS! That's Trevor "Busta Rhymes" Jones. Goldberg hypes the PPV next week. Next week is a double main event: the UFC welterweight championship...and then our coaches, Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell will go to war over Couture's light heavyweight title. Liddell is a former light heavyweight champion. Couture is the current champion. This is a rematch. Couture won the first fight. Who ya got for next week, Gordon?
Gordon: Should be a fun match. You ordering the fight?
Joe: I wish.
Gordon: Liddell will take the rematch.
Joe: I'm not so sure. I think it'll be a war, but I think Couture will retain his title.
Gordon: We'll see next week who is right.
Joe: Indeed we will. It promises to be a most exciting contest. Next season
will be heavyweights and welterweights. We see a contestant call... www.ufc.tv
Gordon: Next up - a preview of Shamrock vs. Franklin.
Joe: We see Rich Franklin, Ken Shamrock's opponent for the main event, making ready for the fight. Light heavyweight time: White sees Grifiin back stage, then goes to talk to Bonnar.
Gordon: What do you rate the UFC series as a whole, Joe?
Joe: Much better than most. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and although I didn't care for some of the anger and bitterness, I was entertained throughout  the show, and I look forward to the next series. 8 out of 10. I am interested in seeing who they'll come up with for the coaches on the next series.
Gordon: I liked the anger and bitterness. What I didn't like were the first eliminations and the admittance of people who clearly were not in shape. Joe: Of course you liked the anger, Gordon. :)
Gordon: Don't say this is the best 16 people when physically, it clearly isn't. After that, the show got rolling. I'll also go 8 out of 10.
Joe: The early shows WERE a little slow without the fights, but once we got to 'em...hoo-hoo-hoo. Okay. Back we go. We see Kevin James of "King of Queens." Time for the fighter profiles...We meet Stephan Bonnar out of Chicago. He works as a personal trainer. He's trained by one of the Gracie family. Royce Gracie was Ken Shamrock's nemesis in the early days of the UFC. Then we meet lovable Forrest Griffin. He trains in Athens, Georgia. He works hard to get ready for the fight. He jokes about not having a lot due to his fighting, but if he wins tonight, he'll have a lot.
Gordon: He lives on a mattress, has no insurance and gets beaten up for a living - nice.
Joe: Fun. Question: would you buy this show on DVD, Gordon?
Gordon: Why buy it when I can tape it off of the many repeats that I'll see on SpikeTV?
Joe: LOL. Forest goes to the ring. He's got his hair back. He enters the ring, and runs around. He bounces to keep himself up. Herb Dean checks him over. Previously Griffin had his arm broken, but came back to win by knockout with his good arm. This is a tough soul. Here comes Stephan Bonnar. He slaps hands with the crowd. Bonnar's built like a tank. Well, as far as light heavyweights go.
Gordon: Bonnar is a big boy.
Joe: I like both of these guys a lot. They'll fight...after more commercials. The prediction from us is for Forrest Griffin...but we guarantee nothing here.
Joe: Back again. Here's Josh Koscheck. And here's Willa Ford and Chuck Liddell, followed by a shot of Randy Couture and his wife. Tale of the tape: Griffin's two years younger, and only one pound heavier. Here's Bruce Buffer.
Gordon: Should be a good one.
Joe: That much is certain. Griffin's in the blue corner. Bonnar's in the red corner. American Psycho? He don't look psycho to me. Herb Dean's the ref. Stand by...the war is on. Griffin lands a combo. They trade. Big shot from Griffin.
Gordon: NO circling here.
Joe: More trading of shots. This one's shaping up to be a slugfest. Big bombs from both men. More from Forrest. They clinch up. Forrest lands the big shots. Leg kick from Forrest. Bonnar lands a shot. Then a big kick. IT'S ON! Big shots from both men. Knee shots from Forrest. The audience digs it. Forrest takes the control, but Bonnar fires back. Griffin takes him down. Bonnar's in control though. They get back up. Griffin pins his man to the fence, but Bonnar breaks free. Bonnar lands bombs. Griffin fires back. They clinch. Bonnar gets slammed into the fence. More shots fired back. Knee shots from Griffin, but Bonnar hangs on and fires back. They trade from the clinch. What a fight. Griffin takes his man down. He's got control, but Bonnar will not give up. He jockey for position...but Griffin locks in a submission hold...time's up! WOW.
Gordon: Now THIS is what the audience wanted to see, and they give props to both guys. Will this go the distance?
Joe: Hard to say. Griffin looks like he's winded but so does Bonnar. Round
two. The commentators think there will be a knockout. They circle...and trade. More bombs landed from Bonnar. Griffin pins him to the fence and then takes him down. He's in control...but he's cut!
Gordon: We got blood!
Joe: His nose is bleeding.
Gordon: Doctor time out.
Joe: Dean takes Griffin to look at the doctor...he grins... He's okay! Back to the war!
Gordon: There is no danger of the blood going into his eyes, so the match continues.
Joe: They circle. Bonnar lands bombs! Bonnar tries to take him down, but Griffin pins him to the fence and knees him. Bonnar breaks free and blasts his man. Griffin pins him to the fence...he knees Bonnar. But Bonnar's got the shields up, and breaks free. Griffin's almost out of energy. Bonnar drops the hammer! Can he capitalize? Griffin's got him in the clinch. Bonnar's against the fence, and can't break out.
Gordon: Man Hugs!
Joe: The audience is digging this one. Griffin lands the knee. They fire again. Back to circling. Back into the clinch. Griffin knees him. Bonnar lands more bombs. He maintains the pressure. Back into the clinch. More knees from Griffin. They're nearly out of gas...but the round is over! Gadzooks!
Gordon: I give Forest the first round, Bonnar the second - u?
Joe: Yeah. Very VERY close. Griffin is badly cut. But Bonnar is hurt too.
Gordon: Now THIS is what I think the UFC was hoping for
Joe: This is insane.
Gordon: And now, to quote Gene Rayburn, we go to round 3
Joe: HAHA! Will there be a knockout here? Or will this go the distance? Or will we see "Sudden Victory?"
Gordon: I don't know, but it will be fun watching to find out
Joe: Round three. Griffin with leg kicks. They trade. Crowd cheers for Forrest. More bombs from both men. Back to the clinch, and Forrest fires more knees. And a jumping knee. More shots traded. Bonnar drops bombs, but Griffin clinches. Bonnar breaks out. A combo from Griffin. More big shots from Bonnar. They're almost out of gas here. Jabs from Bonnar. Big shots landing for both. Neither man wants to give up. Bonnar closing and firing. Jabs are traded. Bonnar tries to clinch. He gets pinned by Griffin to the fence, but he works out and now HE'S CUT!
Gordon: The crowd goes nuts at the bleeding, like they were sharks and
someone threw a skewered pig into the water.
Joe: The audience is going mad in the last minute. The bombs fly. Who wants it more? Clinch and more knees from Griffin...and that's it!
Gordon: I'm sensing a 4th round here.
Joe: Ditto. They embrace each other.
Gordon: I think we're getting a draw.
Joe: Dana White gets up in case there isn't. The commentators say that both men should get a contract. I have to go with you, Gordon.
Gordon: You almost hate to see this go to a decision.
Joe: Agreed. The audience seems to agree as well. But I think we're gonna see "Sudden Victory" here.
Gordon: Well, this more than makes up for the first match.
Joe: Break time. Who will be the winner?
Gordon: Draw - you?
Joe: I'm betting draw and "Sudden Victory."
Gordon: It wouldn't surprise me.
Joe: Couture and Liddell must be incredibly proud of these two men. I sure
would be.
Gordon: It was a great 15-minute match.
Joe: Agreed. What do you think about the commentator's suggestion that both men should receive a contract after this fight?
Gordon: Sure - why not? Have them get the rematch at the PPV next week.
Joe: Back again. Forrest Griffin: "Damn, I'm ugly."
Gordon: Here we go...
Joe: Bonnar grins. The house applauds. Nope. Unanimous decision... FORREST GRIFFIN! WOW.
Gordon: All 3 cards - 29-28 unanimous decision.
Joe: Our original prediction was correct. Forrest Griffin is the winner.
Gordon: Yep - and well deserved.
Joe: Agreed. What a war.
Gordon: Great match.
Joe: And we didn't have to pay to see it. We see the replays of the fight. Incredible action here. Surely, we will see Stephan Bonnar again. Here's Dana White with the award presentation. Randy hands him the keys to his new car. Chuck gives him his new watch. And...Bonnar gets a contract too.
Gordon: AwwwwwBarf
Joe: Just as the commentators suggested. Joe Rogan interviews Griffin.
Gordon: Great match - and the second contract is also well-deserved.
Joe: That much is certain. These two men proved themselves worthy of being part of this organization. Now Rogan interviews Bonnar. He wants to drive Griffin's car.
Gordon: Stephan Bonnar: "The tough son of a bitch wouldn't drop."
Joe: Bonnar can't believe Griffin wouldn't go down. But he knew had to keep fighting. Bonnar again: "Now we're gonna walk around like ugly sons of bitches." These men were incredible.
Gordon: Call them ugly - and call them rich.
Joe: We've gotta get one of these guys on WLTI, don't you think?
Gordon: Someone get us a contact for the fighters - lol.
Joe: We'll have to find their websites. I've found websites for many of the others.
Gordon: BUT ...we still have one more match.
Joe: Indeed. Ken Shamrock and Rich Franklin. Here's the WMDM, Ken Shamrock. We'll see him fight next. Recaps of the series are shown. Another question: how many "Damn I'm Ugly" t-shirts do you think Forrest Griffin can sell in the next few months?
Gordon: Hmm - many.
Joe: LOL. Break time. So much for not lasting two and a half hours, eh?
Gordon: looks like it will go the distance, thanks to the space-fillers.
Joe: LOL. Back again. Joe Rogan talks to Kevin James. Both men are
incredibly impressed with Griffin and Bonnar.
Gordon: It looks like Spike is trying to set this up as a weekly show - do
you think it will run?
Joe: Absolutely. They'll probably need it now that WWE is leaving the network. James picks Couture for next week. Time to meet the fighters for the main event. Ken Shamrock is first. He's been around since the beginning of the sport. We see footage of previous fights with Shamrock. He claims to be the most well rounded fighter in the sport. Next we see Rich Franklin, who claims the same thing. Shamrock knows that Franklin is coming for him.
Gordon: It's funny that this could be a VERY anti-climactic fight, based on that last match.
Joe: Or will it?
Gordon: I don't see this going the distance, to be honest.
Joe: Here's Rich Franklin coming to the ring. He slaps hands with the crowd. Will we see the legendary "Big John" McCarthy reffing this one? Franklin gives love to his team. And yes, there's "Mr. Let's Get It On." I find myself wanting to be a ref for these guys. The prediction from us again is the WMDM, Ken Shamrock, who now walks to the ring in his green robe.
Gordon: I think Shamrock wins this in 2 rounds or less, but I have never seen Franklin at all, so I'll probably be brutally wrong.
Joe: Not to be a parrot, but I think you're right here. Shamrock is just too much of a badass.
Gordon: Van Ginkel wanna cracker?
Joe: (parrot's voice) Awk. Break time.
Gordon: Van Ginkel want a commercial break?
Joe: (parrot's voice) Awk. (back to normal) No, but we get one anyways. Back again. Tale of the tape time...Shamrock's 11 years older and a pound lighter. Here's Bruce Buffer...
Gordon: Pretty close. Who wins Youth Vs Experience?
Joe: Another three round bout. Franklin's in the blue corner. He's won 18 and lost 1. Shamrock's in the red corner, and he's won 26, lost 8 and drawn twice. Big John: "Are you ready?"
Gordon: I'm ready.
Joe: Big John again: "Are you ready? LET'S GET IT ON!!!!!!!!" The two men circle. Franklin lands a kick. They trade shot in the middle of the ring. Shamrock locks on. Can he get the submission? Franklin tries to work out. Here we go...But Franklin reverses. And Shamrock locks on!
Gordon: Ouch. In the words of Dusty Rhodes, the leg was not meant to be bent in that position.
Joe: Indeed. Franklin escapes! And Shamrock had him locked it too. Franklin kicks his man to the body. They're back on the ground. Franklin goes for ground and pound...and HE WINS IT!!!!!
Gordon: And the crowd - is stunned.
Joe: Rich Franklin has KOed the legendary Ken Shamrock...and we suck. ROFL. Shamrock gives big ups to Franklin.
Gordon: Well, Shamrock was controlling the match - until he fell.
Joe: One mistake and that was it.
Gordon: Well, we were right - it didn't go the distance.
Joe: Maybe it didn't. But we picked the wrong person to win.
Gordon: True - but overall, a very good night for the UFC.
Joe: That much is certain. Three amazing new young fighters for the organization.
Gordon: Make it 4, in the form of Franklin.
Joe: Indeed. Back with the official decision. Here's Bruce Buffer...Time of
2:44 in round one for Rich Franklin. Here's Joe Rogan. Franklin was shocked he won so quickly. Franklin wants to go back to the middleweight division. How would Diego Sanchez fare against him?
Gordon: Right now - Diego would probably lose - he needs more experience - but it could be fun a few years down the road.
Joe: Franklin thanks his sponsors and his family. Now we talk to Ken
Shamrock. Shamrock is impressed with the young men we've seen. He was honored to fight Franklin, and he thinks Franklin will go far. Rogan gives the legend big ups. Ooh. Cute women as we go to the final break.
Gordon: Nothing wrong with that.
Joe: One thing the PPVs have over tonight's show: no commercials, or at least much fewer.
Gordon: LOL
Joe: So that's it for the first series of The Ultimate Fighter. It's been a pleasure recapping for you, and I look forward to working on the next run.
For Gordon Pepper, and all the GSNN crew, I'm the "Game Show Man" Joe Van Ginkel, saying Godspeed, spread the love, and - "DAMN I'M UGLY!"