Ultimate Fighter's Team USA: Down But Not Out

Michael Bisping has to be proud of his current Ultimate Fighter roster. All the competitors brought their best, and the UK was able to amass a very solid squad before heading to Las Vegas.

However, the same cannot be said for Dan Henderson, or at least it appeared so during the first 15 minutes of the tryouts for the USA squad.

The show began with a bang, as Jason Pierce hit the floor after fainting due to what he claimed to be light-headedness.

A few moments later, Dana White had to sit down with another contestant who had developed a Herpes lesion on his forhead—not a pretty sight at all. White told the man he simply could not participate.

To make matters worse, yet another fighter was eliminated before the first fight due to his inability to make weight. Not only did he fall short of his target weight, he also passed out on a treadmill, which shot his body right onto the floor.

Just like that, two fighters were already eliminated before the first fight had even occurred.

I cannot imagine what Dan Henderson was thinking during all this. Probably something along the lines of, "What did I get myself in to."

However, the night took a turn as several of the fighters showed they meant business inside the Octagon.

The team as a whole has three fighters who hold undefeated records, while most everyone else has pretty respectable ones.

However, my standout of the night was DaMarques Johnson fighting in the welterweight division.

He stands 6'1" and began training in the military. While his record is 13-6, during his interviews, he seemed to be the one most appreciative for the opportunity.

Oh, and his fighting? All I could really say was,"Wow." His opponent seemed to be nothing more than a rag doll for him, as he threw devastating punch after devastating punch after managing to mount his fellow competitor.

I know it is way to early for these predictions, but if I had to put my money on someone, it would be Johnson in the welterweight division. Maybe his opponent was simply sub-par. Or maybe he has the best hay-makers on TUF 9.

Several other fighters were impressive, including Cameron Dollar, Jason Dent (both lightweights), and Jason Pierce (welterweight).

My pick for lightweight fighter out of the US would have to be aforementioned Jason Dent.

He participated in UFC 63 and UFC 68, losing to Roger Huerta and Gleison Tibau respectively.

The experience he gained from these fairly high profile fights is priceless, and something no other fighter on the show can compare with. This experience should be the edge he needs to dominate the lightweight division on TUF 9.

So the Americans may be off to a rocky start, but the last 45 minutes of the show gave all of us viewers some hope.

With several solid performances from the US squad, things are looking way up for Team USA.

So the next time you hear the cry,"The British are coming",Team UK has made its way to Vegas. Just know Team USA will be more than ready to send each one of them packing.