The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate (also known as The Ultimate Fighter 18) is the eighteenth U.S.-based installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series The Ultimate Fighter.
The series was officially announced by the UFC in March 2013 with the revelation that for the first time women will serve as coaches and the contestants will be both male and female. Women's Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey was selected to coach against the winner of the Miesha Tate and Cat Zingano bout on The Ultimate Fighter 17 finale in April 2013. Zingano won the fight, but a few weeks prior to filming was removed from the coaching position due to an injury and replaced by Tate.
The season was the first to air on Fox Sports 1 and debuted on September 4, 2013, and also the first time that it had been seen on BT Sport in the UK debuting on September 5, 2013, at 11PM also.
Cast
Coaches
Team Rousey Ronda Rousey, head coach Andy Dermenjian Manny Gamburyan, grappling coach Marina Shafir Edmond Tarverdyan, striking coach Nate Diaz, guest coach
Team Tate Miesha Tate, head coach Thonglor "Master Thong" Armatsena, Muay Thai coach Ricky Lundell, wrestling coach Bryan Caraway, jiu jitsu coach Shaine Jaime Jack Anderson, wrestling/submission wrestling coach Eric Triliegi, nutritionist Melchor Menor, guest coach
Fighters Team Rousey Female fighters: Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, Peggy Morgan, Jessica Rakoczy Male Fighters: Chris Beal, Davey Grant, Anthony Gutierrez, Michael Wootten Team Tate Female fighters: Julianna Peña, Sarah Moras, Raquel Pennington, Roxanne Modafferi Male Fighters: Cody Bollinger, Chris Holdsworth, Josh Hill, Tim Gorman (*Louis Fisette)
* Gorman got injured and was replaced on episode 2 by Fisette
Fighters eliminated during the entry round Laura Howarth, Danny Martinez, Revelina Berto, Emil Hartsner, Bethany Marshall, Valérie Létourneau, Lee Sandmeier, Tonya Evinger, Sirwan Kakai, Paddy Holohan, Colleen Schneider, Gina Mazany, Matt Munsey, Tara LaRosa, Rafael De Freitas
Episodes
Episode 1: "History in the Making" (September 4, 2013) Ronda Rousey enters the Ultimate Fighter training center; she is surprised to see Miesha Tate enter the center and state she is there to coach. Dana White explains that Cat Zingano injured her knee and that Tate stepped up to be her replacement; Rousey is relieved, explaining she thought she was being replaced. Unlike previous seasons, this season will feature women for the first time alongside men, all in the 135 pound divisions. White greets the 32 fighters (16 men and 16 women) and implores them to leave it all in the cage the next day. The 16 preliminary fights began:
Jessamyn Duke defeated Laura Howarth via submission (triangle choke) at 3:50 in the first round. Davey Grant defeated Danny Martinez via submission (armbar) at 2:02 in the second round. Jessica Rakoczy defeated Revelina Berto via submission (omoplata) at 2:32 in the first round. Michael Wootten defeated Emil Hartsner via unanimous decision after three rounds. Peggy Morgan defeated Bethany Marshall via TKO (punches) at 2:58 in the first round. Roxanne Modafferi defeated Valerie Letourneau via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:36 in the first round. Tim Gorman defeated Lee Sandmeier via TKO (punches) at 4:46 in the first round. Raquel Pennington defeated Tonya Evinger via submission (guillotine choke) in the second round. Chris Beal defeated Sirwan Kakai via unanimous decision after two rounds. Josh Hill defeated Patrick Holohan via majority decision after two rounds. Shayna Baszler defeated Colleen Schneider via submission (armbar) at 4:24 in the first round. Chris Holdsworth defeated Louis Fisette via submission (arm triangle choke) at 4:09 in the first round. Julianna Peña defeated Gina Mazany via unanimous decision after two rounds. Anthony Gutierrez defeated Matt Munsey via unanimous decision after two rounds. Sarah Moras defeated Tara LaRosa via unanimous decision after two rounds. Cody Bollinger defeated Rafael de Freitas via TKO (strikes) at 1:54 in the second round.
White greeted the winners and announced that fighters could receive $25,000 for Knockout of the Season, Submission of the Season and Fight of the Season. Rousey and Tate then picked teams and White flipped a coin (green for Rousey, blue for Tate). Rousey won the coin toss and opted to choose the first fight. Women's selection: Coach1st Pick2nd Pick3rd Pick4th PickTateJulianna PeñaSarah MorasRaquel PenningtonRoxanne ModafferiRouseyShayna BaszlerJessamyn DukePeggy MorganJessica Rakoczy
Men's selection: Coach1st Pick2nd Pick3rd Pick4th PickTateCody BollingerChris HoldsworthJosh HillTim GormanRouseyChris BealDavey GrantAnthony GutierrezMichael Wootten White then put Rousey on the spot, forcing her to choose the first fight right there. She chose to match Baszler against Peña, the two first female picks from both teams.
Episode 2: "Ladies First" (September 11, 2013)
Team Tate's Chris Holdsworth admires the situation and debates the possibility of sexual relationships as the season progresses. The women continue to state how seriously they are taking the competition and nothing will interfere with that. White arrives at the gym and is accompanied by a doctor who holds the results of Tim Gorman's MRI test. It is bad news, as the doctor reveals a tear to his hamstring. Gorman is devastated by the news and White pulls him from the competition. Gorman's replacement on Team Tate is Louis Fisette, who was submitted by Holdsworth in the elimination round after an intense battle. Julianna Peña defeated Shayna Baszler via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:08 in the second round. After Rousey went after Tate's top female pick in week one, Tate decides to flip the script by selecting the champion's top pick. The match will see Team Tate's second pick Holdsworth go up against Team Rousey's top selection Chris Beal, who earlier in the episode had complained about an injured hand. The episode closes with both teams leaving the gym and as Rousey walks by Tate, she angrily accuses her of smiling at Baszler's pain.
Episode 3: "Stick and Move" (September 18, 2013) Tate visits the house to bring Julianna Peña a victory butter-fat milkshake and also consoles her friend Shayna Baszler, saying sorry she has to be on Rousey's team. But Baszler says Rousey has "got her back" after her loss. Cody Bollinger states that someone told the green team about Team Tate's women's match-ups and he blames Julianna Peña. He then confronts Peña in the van ride back to the house accusing her of the deed. Feeling like she is being attacked, Peña then points the finger at Roxanne Modafferi because she sleeps in the same room as Team Rousey, but her teammates back her up. Later, Peña apologizes to Modafferi who forgives her. Jessamyn Duke jokes around with Raquel Pennington telling her that she got access to the "secret list" of women's matches. Duke says that Bollinger overheard and used this as an excuse to blame Peña, just because he is irritated by her actions in the house. Both teams gets a private suite at Red Rock Casino to watch the latest UFC fight. While there, Rousey and Tate get into a verbal altercation at the bar when Tate feels Rousey is standing too close to her boyfriend/trainer Bryan Caraway. Rousey then rehashes what Caraway tweeted in March 2012 how he wanted to knock her teeth down her throat on Twitter which he had previously apologized for. Tate retaliates by criticizing Rousey's stand-up game by saying she does not know how to "hit the pads," which her trainer Edmond Tarverdyan does not take well and goes on to criticize Tate and Caraway. Chris Holdsworth defeated Chris Beal via submission (guillotine) at 4:16 in the first round. After the fight, the next match is chosen by Tate: Roxanne Modafferi vs. Jessica Rakoczy.
Episode 4: "Use the Force" (September 25, 2013) Former UFC fighter Dennis Hallman joins the blue team as a guest coach and gets a chilly reception by Team Rousey's trainer Edmond Tarverdyan who "eyeballs" him up and down. On camera, Tarverdyan challenges Hallman to a fight. Off camera, the Armenian is tempted by Hallman to engage in combat for strange reasons. Tarverdyan claims he is being targeted to give producers a reason to kick him off the show. Rousey then confronts Hallman and tells him if he wants to "look like a fucking man," he will fight Tarverdyan when there are no cameras around. The Caraway/Rousey Twitter incident is brought up again by Team Rousey and the drama ensues, making White play the mediator between both teams, saying that it is not good for the sport. During a light sparring session with Modafferi, Raquel Pennington wants to go harder, so Tate starts having the women train with the men. Sarah Moras wants to be one of the guys and asks them to hit her and not hold back, so Cody Bollinger and Louis Fisette oblige. Jessica Rakoczy defeated Roxanne Modafferi via TKO (punches) at 2:33 in the second round. Modafferi is very upset and Rakoczy consoles her, stating that things like this are what make a champion. Both teams feel bad for Modafferi's loss because of how hard she worked and nice she is, especially her friend Shayna Baszler who also suffered an emotional breakdown after her loss. After the fight, Rousey is back in control and chooses the next match: Davey Grant vs. Louis Fisette.
Episode 5: "Redemption" (October 2, 2013) Raquel Pennington expresses to her teammates what it is like being a homosexual athlete. During a game of "truth or dare," Louis Fisette gets offended when Anthony Gutierrez answers his truth question by saying that the Canadian is the weakest link of the males on the show. Back at the house, some fighters on both teams struggle with the pressure to maintain weight before their fights by not eating "clean." Rousey's mother, former judo champion AnnMaria De Mars, stops by the gym to inspire her daughter's team. To ease tension between the teams, Tate and her trainers play a joke on Team Rousey's trainer Edmond Tarverdyan by placing a figurine of Sesame Streets "the Count" who they think has a resemblance to, complete with an eyebrow waxing coupon attached it for his unibrow. But thinking he will do something bad in retaliation, Rousey hides it from him. Davey Grant defeated Louis Fisette via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:01 in the second round. Team Rousey evens up the score and matches Jessamyn Duke against Pennington.
Episode 6: "Little Princesses" (October 9, 2013) Julianna Peña gives Pennington and Sarah Moras makeovers which she calls her "little princesses." The fighters take a break by going on a roadtrip to Green Valley Ranch where the Hooters girls set up private catering poolside. Duke decides to stay at the house to shadowbox and focus on her fight. Anthony Gutierrez annoys the female fighters in the house with his personality and crazy antics while they are sleeping. Tate brings in two time Muay Thai world champion and Hall of Famer, Melchor Menor, to coach Pennington with her anti-clinch game. Raquel Pennington defeated Jessamyn Duke via unanimous decision in three rounds. After a strong first round by Duke, Pennington shut down Duke's forward kicking and closed distance for more effective striking. Rousey, Tate, White, and all the fighters expressed how intense and close the fight was as well as deep respect for both Pennington and Duke as fighters. This ended up being the fight of the season. Having regained matchmaking control, Tate announces the next match: Josh Hill vs. Michael Wootten.
Episode 7: "Zone In" (October 16, 2013) Rousey visits the fighter house to deliver gifts for all the fighting fathers on Father's Day.