‘The Ultimate Fighter’ episode 2 recap: Eddie Gordon vs. Tom Gallicchio
Eddie Gordon’s second go-round on UFC’s “The Ultimate Fighter” doesn’t appear to have ended the same way as the first time three years ago.
Gordon, from Freeport, won Season 19 of the UFC’s reality competition series in 2014 as a light heavyweight.
On Wednesday’s night second episode of Season 25’s “TUF Redemption,” Gordon lost his welterweight fight against Tom Gallicchio.
Gordon was submitted late in the first round via rear naked choke from Gallicchio. This season of “TUF” features contestants from previous seasons of the show, including past winners such as Gordon, who went 0-3 in the UFC after the show and was released by the promotion.
“I know that nobody can beat me here besides myself and that’s what hurts the most, is that I let him get the one shot in here that he can get this,” Gordon said on the show. “And it hurts, it’s furious. But what am I gonna do? Put my head down and dig deep, that’s it.”
Gordon (8-4, 1-3 UFC) landed some solid right hands and elbows early as both fighters were on their feet. Midway through the round, Gallicchio shot in and worked to get the single-leg takedown.
Gallicchio got Gordon’s back with 2:01 left in the round and started going for the rear naked choke. He clung to the back of Gordon, who was on his feet and along the cage. Gallicchio then applied a body triangle 10 seconds later.
“Tom took a sloppy shot,” said Cody Garbrandt, the UFC bantamweight champion and Gordon’s coach for this season. “I think Eddie was surprised Tom took him down and tried to just pop back up with no technique, no fighting the hands, no worrying about the hooks coming in.”
Gordon fought against the choke for a bit and was able to break Gallicchio’s lock for a few seconds. Gallicchio was able to get a stronger submission hold in place as Gordon tried to defend the body triangle momentarily. That led Gallicchio to get the larger Gordon to the ground after a minute of hanging on his back and secure the submission.
“Eddie was fighting the hands, then he stopped fighting the hands and went for the foot,” Garbrandt said. “You have to keep fighting the hands at all costs, especially in that position up against the cage, standing, body triangle, you have to fight the choke hand.”
Gallicchio advanced to the next round of “TUF.” The season is filmed in advanced, edited and broadcast over three months, leading in to the July 7 Ultimate Finale in Las Vegas.
“As soon as he fell, I knew that $5,000 was gonna be mine,” Gallicchio said, referring to the bonus check awarded to fighters who finish fights. “Now I can take my girl out on a vacation or something.”
After the first round of fights conclude and there are seven winners, two losing fighters will face off in a wild-card round for the chance to continue in the competition, which ends with a UFC contract and a $250,000 prize, up from the usual $100,000. It is possible Gordon was one of those two fighters to get another chance.
Mark La Monica is a deputy sports editor at Newsday. He also covers mixed martial arts.
