The fourth episode of TUF 31 aired tonight and the audience finally got to see Trevor Wells and Timur Valiev square off after their fight had originally been postponed. The big question after the postponement was the weight class at which the two combatants would meet for their rescheduled bout. I remember the topic was up in the air for several days after the postponement but wasn’t aware of some of the back and forth between the two sides that went on and unfolded on this week's episode. Connor’s coaches tried to get the fight at the bantamweight limit of 136 pounds.
Trevor was the smallest bantamweight in the house. He had competed for much of his career in the flyweight division. McGregor and his coaching staff knew that Timur was the heavier fighter and believed that forcing him to cut back down to the 136 pound limit would be a tall order for the Dagestani. Coach Chandler and his staff felt like forcing Timur to cut down to bantamweight again, when the fight cancellation was not his fault, was not a fair agreement. They pushed for the fight to happen at a catchweight of 145 pounds. In the end, Dana acted as a mediator between the two sides and the catchweight fight occurred at 142 pounds.After the catchweight was finally settled, the episode dives into Timur and his backstory. Timur is a native of Dagestan. The Dagestani people have a long and brutal history of war within the region. Many people contribute the rough history and life of the Dagestani people as a possible cause for the region's success in the sport of mixed martial arts. The wrestling control, unorthodox striking techniques, and long history in the sport of sambo give the Dagestani’s a rich history that sets many of them up for success in the sport of mixed martial arts. While many Dagestani fighters grow and develop in the sambo system, once professional, many move West seeking more formal training in mixed martial arts. For over a decade, Timur trained in New Jersey with the likes of Frankie Edgar and Marlon Moraes under the tutelage of coach Mark Henry. In the last couple of years, TImur made the move to Thailand to train full time in Phuket. He has a wife and two young daughters. Timur is a muslim and was the first person to rise every morning because of his strict adherence to prayer. I have always been interested in theology and learning about different religions so I had several conversations with Timur while on the show about it. Timur was a great teammate and person. His love for fighting was palpable. His commitment to his family and beliefs were honorable. He’s the kind of warrior I’d want beside me going into battle. Mentally strong, resolute and steadfast. Those are the words that come to mind when I think of Timur.
The next part of the episode welcomed a guest coach for the prospects, Wonderboy Thompson. I wasn’t at their training sessions with Wonderboy, but I do remember the prospects coming home and being really excited about the work they did with him. The episode also highlighted the coaching of Robert Drysdale for Team Chandler. Coach Drysdale has been a coach on TUF before and has a wealth of experience and knowledge in grappling and how it applies to mixed martial arts. Learning from him and picking up little pieces of his philosophy as it pertains was something I really valued throughout the show.
The last part of the episode, before the fight, dived into Trevor’s personal and professional life. He was adopted at a young age and grew up in a house of adopted children in Temecula, CA. I remember the conversation Trevor and I had about adoption. The episode showed a few pieces of that conversation. It was cool to connect with him over our adoption stories. You don’t meet people every day, or at least you don’t talk about it, so making those connections with Chandler and Trevor were pretty cool experiences to have. Trevor is a really good person and a hell of a fighter. I think that a lot of people underestimated him coming into this competition and he showed himself well. I still think that flyweight is the proper weight class for him and believe that he is going to have a hell of a career.
The fight itself proved to be a battle. Timur used his speed, hard kicks, and overhand right to land clean shots on Trevor. Trevor pressed forward and held his own in the striking department. Trevor also proved to be tough to take down, but, eventually, Timur started having more and more success with his takedowns and top control. Trevor fought a good fight. He proved he belonged. But Timur’s experience and skills proved to be too much that night and he walked away with the decision. Team Chandler climbed to 4-0 in the competition and things began to get uneasy as it seemed like the prospects were unraveling before our eyes. I hope you guys enjoyed the episode. Appreciate you following along with my blogs and journey through this experience. Until next time,
Cody “The Renegade” Gibson
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