Wow, so there I was watching The Ultimate Fighter season…what was it? Oh right, 33. Team Sonnen was trying to snag a second win in the last flyweight quarterfinal. Honestly, it felt like a big showdown vibe, you know?
So, okay, they’ve just nailed a win since the very first episode, and it’s like Team Cormier had this whole invincible aura. Four wins back-to-back, not kidding. But here comes Sonnen going, “Let’s disrupt that party.” So, he tossed Echeverria, his last flyweight hope, into the ring against Cormier’s Tumelo Manyamala. Intense, right?
Now, Echeverria, this dude from Venezuela, has been scrapping since 2013. Though in 2020, things got real – he went pro and BAM, seven wins on the trot. Five fights just in 2021. Crazy schedule but it worked out, led him to Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022. And yeah, he got knocked out by Jafel Filho. Bummer. But then, bounced back, like, 3 wins out of 4. Even snagged the Anthony Pettis FC flyweight title. Pretty cool comeback arc, if you ask me.
Oh, and look, there’s a pic of Daniel Cormier from some UFC event in Austin. Seems like a fun place, Austin. Never been, but heard good stuff.
Swinging back to the fight scene – Manyamala is known for not relying on judges at all. Pretty wild. All six wins? Finishes. Like five of them knockouts. Only lost once, and that was a long-haul against Mark Climaco in 2024. Tough match, from what I gather.
Anyway, kicking off what felt like a flyweight epic, Echeverria started off quite the predator, dodging hits from Manyamala’s lightning speed jabs. Until wham! South African hammer right hook sent him down. Barely made it through the round. Everyone saw it, fight endangered or whatever.
Second round, and oh boy, Echeverria switched it up – grappling time. Got Manyamala down, and before you know it, a rear naked choke out of nowhere. Did Manyamala just… not fight back? Almost too easy for Echeverria. Odd, right? But Team Sonnen snagged the second win, making it 3-4. This was almost too close on the scoreboard for Cormier’s crew.
And there you have it. Who knew TUF had this much drama packed in?
