TUF 21 American Top Team vs. Blackzilians: Episode 1 Recap and Results

The Ultimate Fighter returned with its 21st season of the long-running reality TV series Wednesday night with the first episode. This season is not like any other season, though, as two MMA gyms in American Top Team and Blackzilians square off in their South Florida rivalry.

Both gyms were introduced to allow audience members to get to know both squads better. We got a glimpse into the background of their feud, which stems from some of Dan Lambert's ATT fighters breaking away from the gym and joining the Blackzilians gym under Glenn Robinson.

Both sets of coaches met to talk about which eight fighters they would bring onto the all-welterweight cast. The fighters stemmed from longtime vets of the sport such as Steve Carl and Luiz Firmino, to newcomers to the scene such as Carrington Banks and Mike Graves.

As normal, the fighters live in a house together, which has already proved kind of awkward for the participants. They are on rival teams and are already showing signs of conflict, which will be key going forward.

A new format this season will ensure teammates don't fight teammates. Neither team has control of the fights, as both coaches pick a fighter blindly whom they present on weigh-in day, when the fighters find out their opponent.

No fighter is actually eliminated; even if he loses, he is still eligible to fight down the line. That is because there is a point-tier system where team points are based on wins at certain points. For example, in the first tier, fights are worth 25 points, whereas in the second tier they are worth 50 points.

It's an interesting system, though at the end of all the fights, it will be tough to choose who fights in the finale to become the actual Ultimate Fighter.

The first fight selected is against two of the brightest young prospects in the house. ATT chose to go with workhorse Mike Graves, while Blackzilians went with uber-wrestler and physical specimen Kamaru Usman.

The fight was decent at best. Graves was tentative, knowing the takedown was high priority, while Usman did a lot of wrestling and clinch.

After two rounds of fighting, Usman won a majority decision in a bout most people thought deserved a third round (or sudden death). The consensus was that Usman took the first round, but Graves edged the second. Regardless, Usman won and put the Blackzilians on the board.

Dana White panned the fight for its lack of urgency in terms of pushing the action. Hopefully, this is not a sign of things to come, as it could lead to another disappointing season. 

Season Results

Winner	Loser	Points	Total
Kamaru Usman (BLK)	Mike Graves (ATT)	25	Blackzilians lead 25-0

Notes and Observations

• Usman had a great house observation in terms of figuring out who will be fighting next for the other team. He had observations based on who is really eyeing up the other team's guys, but it's noticing the other guy's diets where you can probably figure out who will be picked by the other team.
• I don't know why I noticed this, but during the one-on-one confessional interviews, Graves, to me, looked like a longer-haired version of Jason Segel of Forgetting Sarah Marshall fame.
• The training footage showed Graves training in takedown defense with Yoel Romero, an Olympic silver medalist turned middleweight MMA contender. That's a good guy to have as a training partner.
• Dan Lambert and Glenn Robinson may have the most intriguing rivalry and exchanges on this show in several seasons. These guys legitimately dislike each other and are bound to have some great verbal-sparring matches.
• I love this new format, editing and feel. I know the UFC is going back to the old format for the 22nd season of the show, but it should really consider doing another version of this show. Team Alpha Male vs. Nova Uniao in Las Vegas would be an awesome show.
• I thought the fight should have gone to the third round, but it was close. Graves demonstrated a great ability to get off the ground, which didn't allow Usman to get going. The striking was pretty even, but Graves looked to have a slight advantage. Plus, the back-take in the second round was the most significant thing of the fight. Either way, Graves could be back sometime down the line.