The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest was the seventh season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) produced reality television series The Ultimate Fighter, and premiered on April 2, 2008 on Spike TV, after UFC Fight Night 13. Unlike several other seasons which focused on two weight classes, season 7 featured only Middleweight fighters (171–185 lb).^[1]

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton Jackson starred as a coach, opposite light heavyweight #1 contender Forrest Griffin, who coached the opposing team. The two fighters fought for the UFC light heavyweight title after the completion of the series at UFC 86 at which time Griffin won becoming the new Light Heavyweight Champion.

In a change from previous seasons, season 7 began with 32 fighters arriving at the UFC training center instead of the usual 16. UFC president Dana White told the fighters that over the previous six seasons, he had become fed up with contestants not training and competing as hard as they could, or complaining about various issues on the show. His solution was for the fighters to earn their way into the house by winning a fight before the show even started. The first two episodes were a compilation of the entry fights.

Cast

Coaches

• Team Rampage
  • Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, head coach
  • Zach Light, assistant coach, Wrestling
  • Juanito Ibarra, assistant coach, Boxing

• Team Forrest
  • Forrest Griffin, head coach
  • Cameron Diffley, assistant coach, Jiu-Jitsu
  • Mark Beecher, assistant coach, Muay Thai
  • Gray Maynard, assistant coach, Wrestling

Fighters

• Team Rampage
  • C.B. Dollaway, Matthew Riddle, Patrick Schultz, Dan Cramer, Gerald Harris, Mike Dolce, Jeremy May, Brandon Sene, Paul Bradley

• Team Forrest
  • Tim Credeur, Amir Sadollah, Jesse Taylor, Matt Brown, Cale Yarbrough, Dante Rivera, Nick Klein, Luke Zachrich

• Fighters Eliminated in or before Entry Round:
  • David Baggett, Steve Byrnes, Erik Charles, John Clarke, Josh Hall, Mike Marrello, Prince McLean, Aaron Meisner, David Mewborn, Reggie Orr, Jeremiah Riggs, David Roberts, Nick Rossborough, Dan Simmler, John Wood

Others

• Host: Dana White
• Narrator: Mike Rowe

Episodes

Episode 1 – No Posers

• Dana White introduces the coaches and tells the 32 fighters the reason there are so many for this season is because he is tired of "the posers who complain about the camera's bothering them or their girlfriend is mad at them." Dana tells them this season they will fight to earn the right.
• These four fights are shown in their entirety on the show:
  • Mike Dolce defeats Prince McLean by KO at 1:21 in Round 1.
  • Cale Yarbrough defeats John Clarke by TKO at 4:02 in Round 1.
  • Amir Sadollah submits Steve Byrnes by armlock at 2:22 in Round 2.
  • Jeremy May submits David Roberts by armlock at 1:17 in Round 1.
• These four fights are shown by highlights and the end result of the fight only:
  • C.B. Dollaway defeats David Baggett by TKO at 1:29 in Round 1.
  • Dante Rivera submits John Wood by kimura at 0:58 in Round 1.
  • Nick Klein submits David Mewborn by arm triangle choke at 3:39 in Round 1.
  • Paul Bradley defeats Reggie Orr by decision after 2 Rounds.

Episode 2 – No Losers Here

• These five fights are shown in their entirety on the show:
  • Matthew Riddle defeats Dan Simmler by KO at :09 in Round 2. Simmler's jaw was broken and he was taken away in an ambulance.
  • Luke Zachrich submits Patrick Schultz by rear naked choke at 2:29 in Round 1.
  • Tim Credeur submits Erik Charles by armbar at 1:00 in Round 1.
  • Jesse Taylor submits Nick Rossborough by rear naked choke at 1:50 in Round 1.
  • Matt Brown defeats Josh Hall by TKO at 4:57 in Round 1.
• These three fights are shown by highlights and the end result of the fight only:
  • Brandon Sene submits Aaron Meisner by rear naked choke at 3:29 in Round 2.
  • Gerald Harris defeats Mike Marrello by unanimous decision after 2 Rounds.
  • Dan Cramer defeats Jeremiah Riggs by unanimous decision after 2 Rounds.

Episode 3 – The Heebie-Jeebies

• The teams are picked. Rampage Jackson wins the coin toss and chooses to pick the first fighter, giving Forrest Griffin the first fight selection.
• Rampage picks C.B. Dollaway first; Forrest picks Tim Credeur.
• Paul Bradley is removed from the house because of a contagious skin condition. Patrick Schultz is brought back as his replacement.
• Team Forrest selects Jesse Taylor to fight Mike Dolce.
• Jesse Taylor submits Mike Dolce by Rear Naked Choke at 1:47 of Round 2.
• Team Forrest retains control of the fight selections.

Episode 4 – Everything to Lose

• Dante Rivera shows disrespect towards Matthew Riddle, saying that he'll go into retirement if Riddle beats him in a fight.
• Team Forrest selects Tim Credeur to fight Matthew Riddle.
• Dante Rivera continues to ridicule Matthew Riddle at the house, claiming he has been in his head since they met. Rivera keeps insisting Riddle to bet him $500 that Riddle won't make it out of the first round.
• Tim Credeur submits Matthew Riddle by armbar at 4:06 of Round 2.
• Team Forrest retains control of the fight selections.

Episode 5 – Chewbacle

• Rampage brings in Michael Bisping as a guest trainer for his team.
• At the house, Jeremy May pours lime juice in Matt Brown's tobacco, and Brown becomes angry and wants to fight him.
• Team Forrest selects Dante Rivera to fight Brandon Sene
• Dante Rivera defeats Brandon Sene by decision after 3 Rounds.
• After the fight, Rampage loses his temper because him and Dana White thought that Sene should've won the fight for doing more damage than Rivera.
• Team Forrest retains control of the fight selections, choosing Matt Brown to fight Jeremy May in the next episode.

Episode 6 – Piece of Meat

• Matt Brown defeats Jeremy May by KO at 3:35 of Round 1. Dana calls it one of the coolest knockouts he had seen in the history of TUF. Members of both teams wanted Matt Brown to win due to May's behavior in the house.
• Team Forrest selects Luke Zachrich to fight Dan Cramer.
• Forrest's method of letting his members decide who will fight by flipping a coin frustrates Rampage.
• Dan Cramer defeats Luke Zachrich by TKO at 1:49 of Round 2.
• Team Rampage gains control of the fight selections.

Episode 7 – Under the Radar

• Team Rampage picks Gerald Harris to fight Amir Sadollah.
• Amir Sadollah defeats Gerald Harris by TKO at 2:36 of Round 2.
• Team Forrest regains control of the fight picks for the final two fights.
• Team Forrest picks Cale Yarbrough to fight Patrick Schultz. This leaves Nick Klein to fight C.B. Dollaway.
• Cale Yarbrough defeats Patrick Schultz by majority decision after 2 Rounds. There was controversy over the decision including demands from Rampage Jackson that the fight should go to a 3rd round. This leads to a verbal argument between the coaches ending with Rampage saying he would bet his purse that his fight with Forrest would not go to decision.

Episode 8 – Mean and Nasty

• Forrest Griffin donkeykongs a door after Rampage Jackson says he would bet his purse that his fight with Forrest wouldn't go to a decision.
• C.B. Dollaway submits Nick Klein by guillotine choke at 2:41 in the 2nd round of the final preliminary match.
• Cale Yarbrough rubs C.B. Dollaway and Matthew Riddle the wrong way by making fun of them because they had the same sunglasses
• After the coaches meet with him, Dana reveals the quarterfinal matchups. They are:
  • Jesse Taylor (Team Forrest) vs. Dante Rivera (Team Forrest)
  • Amir Sadollah (Team Forrest) vs. Matt Brown (Team Forrest)
  • Dan Cramer (Team Rampage) vs. Tim Credeur (Team Forrest)
  • C.B. Dollaway (Team Rampage) vs. Cale Yarbrough (Team Forrest)

Episode 9 – Throwing Bombs

• After flipping a coin, it is decided that Forrest will corner both Jesse Taylor and Amir Sadollah, meaning that Team Forrest fighters Dante Rivera and Matt Brown will be cornered by Team Rampage.
• Other fighters in the house wonder why Jesse Taylor can eat so unhealthy and drink alcohol so much, and still be more in shape and physically fit than them.
• Jesse Taylor defeats Dante Rivera by unanimous decision after 2 Rounds.
• Amir Sadollah submits Matt Brown by triangle choke at 4:09 in Round 2.

Episode 10 – Losers Go Home

• Jeremy May causes more problems for himself by first challenging Matt Brown to a rematch right after his loss. Then he makes insulting and anti-Semitic comments to Jesse Taylor (who is part Jewish) in an attempt to goad Taylor into hitting him, which would result in Taylor being forced off the show and out of the tournament.
• Tim Credeur submits Dan Cramer with a heel hook at 2:10 in Round 1.
• The coaches take both teams out one night to Pole Position Raceway to race go-karts because they have been working so hard and deserved a break.
• When the fighters return from racing go-karts, they begin to drink, and in turn, destroy the house.
• C.B. Dollaway defeats Cale Yarbrough by TKO (strikes) at 2:43 in Round 1.
• Rampage Jackson is late to the meeting to decide the semifinal matchups, so Forrest Griffin and Dana White interview the fighters. Dana's choices are the exact opposite of what Forrest wants for his fighters. Forrest is upset about matchups since he was "brown-nosing" Dana all season and especially since was on time for the meeting, and Rampage was not.
• Tim Credeur will fight Jesse Taylor in the first semifinal match.
• C.B. Dollaway will fight Amir Sadollah in the second semifinal match.

Episode 11 – Coco is King

• The Coach's Challenge is held between Forrest and Rampage. They play "Ultimate Fighter" Horse for $10,000.
• The winning coach's fighters were originally to win $1,000 each. Dana challenges Rampage to make a three-point shot to double the fighter's payouts. Rampage, who claims to be very bad at basketball, makes the three-point shot. As a result, the winning coach's fighters will each receive $2,000.
• Forrest, who played basketball in high school, shoots the ball "like Larry Bird in his prime", according to Gerald Harris. He wins the challenge, finishing with a one-handed slam dunk that Rampage says he won't even attempt.
• Later that night, the fighters engage in drinking again, and Jesse Taylor gets very drunk and urinates his pants, on purpose, inside of the house. Then he runs around the house and yells at everyone telling them what he just did. He then tries to hold himself underwater, partially drowning himself, in the hot tub because he doesn't want to get out.
• Semifinal matches will be three five-minute rounds, as opposed to two five-minute rounds (with a third tie breaker if needed) in the previous matches of the season.
• Jesse Taylor defeats Tim Credeur by unanimous decision (30–27, 30–26, 30–26) after 3 Rounds.

Episode 12 – First Time Ever

• Amir Sadollah submits C.B. Dollaway in the second semifinal bout by armbar at 2:50 in the third round, putting Sadollah in the final match of the tournament.
• Following the taping of the show, Jesse Taylor and four other cast mates stay in Las Vegas an extra night. Dana is given security footage from the Palace Station Casino showing Taylor kicking out a limousine window. Dana is also told that Taylor went into the hotel bar and "terrorized" women there. When approached by security, Taylor became belligerent and was yelling that he was a UFC fighter.
• Dana calls Forrest and Rampage to the training center to show them the video footage and explain the situation. Then Jesse Taylor is called in and told that he will be removed from the fight in the finale. Dana calls into question Taylor's maturity and worries about how he would act if he really were a UFC fighter. He advises Taylor to return home and "get your f***ing life together, f***ing call me in a few months."
• C.B. Dollaway and Tim Credeur are flown back to Las Vegas and arrive back at the training center, where they are told about the situation with Jesse Taylor. They are invited to fight each other for the chance to replace Taylor in the finale to fight against Amir Sadollah. They agree and are given 3 weeks to prepare.
• C.B. Dollaway defeats Tim Credeur by unanimous decision after 3 Rounds to move onto the finals and a rematch against Amir Sadollah.

Finale

• Middleweight bout: Amir Sadollah vs. C.B. Dollaway

Sadollah defeated Dollaway by Armbar at 3:02 of the first round. Becomes The Ultimate Fighter Season 7 Middleweight winner.

Middleweight Bracket

• Patrick Schultz replaced Paul Bradley who was removed from the house because of a contagious skin condition.
• C.B. Dollaway won a fight against Tim Credeur to replace Jesse Taylor after Jesse was removed from the finale.
• Team Forrest in Brown
• Team Rampage in Blue

References

External links

• The Ultimate Fighter website
• Official UFC website