Rate it!

0 votes

Eurosport blogger Dean Amasinger has been impressed by the new series of The Ultimate Fighter.

It has dawned on me that I have yet to talk about the new series of The Ultimate Fighter.

It might have something to do with the fact that I didn't want to acknowledge that my time on the show has passed and a new group of 16 hopefuls will now be enjoying the time of their lives.

I could go on to mention that I didn't think this series would be as exciting as ours and the fights wouldn't be as good or the reality parts wouldn't be as interesting - but I'd be lying.

Having Rampage Jackson on any show be enough, but add to that the internet sensation and MMA enigma Kimbo Slice, four former NFL players and the former International Fight League heavyweight champ and you have a recipe for a great show.

Admittedly the first two fights were less than exhilarating, but even though I knew the result of the Kimbo fight before I watched it I was still excited to see him fight and I think five million other people agreed.

Kimbo impressed me with his striking and takedown defence but when it finally hit the ground there seemed to be a chasm between his skill level on the feet and on the ground.

Roy Nelson was criticised for his performance by UFC president Dana White but I didn't see anything wrong with it. He came in and did what needed to be done and didn't exert too much energy while doing so, leaving him fresh for his next fight.

I have a feeling that Dana didn't like the aesthetics of Roy's performance, just like he didn't like the aesthetics of Roy's belly, which is reportedly why we haven't seen Big Country in the Octagon sooner.

As I mentioned before, Rampage has been genuinely entertaining and has had me laughing out loud at a couple of his one-liners.

The conflict between himself and fellow coach Rashad Evans seems to be genuine and it goes back as far as UFC 96 when they had a war of words after Rampage had a decision win over Keith Jardine.

There was also an infamous pushing incident at UFC 100-now on YouTube - that has further added to the hype around this fight, making it one of the most anticipated fights in UFC history that might never happen.

Since filming the show,Rampage has announced his retirement to pursue a career in acting. He is filming the A-Team movie right now and it would have delayed his scheduled fight with Rashad.

This made Dana White an angry man - and we all know Dana likes to get angry. A war of internet words ensued via Twitterand any other social networking sites you could name and resulted in Rampage announcing his retirement.

Dana has fallen out with more people than Jenna Jameson has (I'll let you finish that) and if he can make up with Tito after their acrimonious separation then I'm sure he can mend things up with Rampage. Let's hope!

As it happens, the next UFC is the same night as my fight, so when I go to the UFC website the countdown clock for that event is also counting down to mine.

I am looking forward to watching UFC 104 after my fight. It's not the best card but the main event should be good and Shogun Rua has the skills and style to present a decent challenge to the Champion.

Another fight that looks interesting is Antoni Hardonk v Pat Barry. Both men are world-class strikers and I am sure there will be fireworks.

The preparation for my fight is still going well, nearly everything that needs to be done has been done, and all that's left is bringing the weight down. It's going to plan and at this stage I am just cutting out the carbs in my evening meal.

One of my favourite evening meals is scrambled egg white (from www.twochicks.co.uk), smoked salmon and spinach. It's about as low carb as you can get and it's a good source of different types of protein, vitamins and Omega fatty acids.

Next week is crucial to my training and Ill be doing the infamous Rough House shark tank. This is where you do three five-minute rounds of MMA sparring with a fresh man every minute - and with our roster of fighters that's a tough thing to finish.

If you want more up-to-date information go to www.deanamasinger.com or www.facebook.com/dean.amasinger.

Dean Amasinger / Eurosport