Wang v. Melendez

Let's check in on the latest episode of The Ultimate Fighter. In case you haven't been following things, Team Pulver has won every fight so far. The last match was the closest. Diaz beat Emerson. Emerson was good; Diaz was just a bit better. It looked like Diaz was going to submit Emerson in round two with an armbar, but Emerson was smart enough to throw his body in the direction Diaz was trying to bend his arm, and Emerson escaped ... only to get caught with a rear naked choke and tap with 18 seconds left.

So, Jens Pulver picks Melendez and matches him against Andy Wang. I have high hopes for Wang. He talks about having learned tai chi from his grandfather, who he doesn't want to let down in this fight. He says each fight is a chance to show warrior spirit. He's a black belt in brazilian jiu-jitsu. And he apparently played running back at the University of Hawaii. But he apparently has a history of refusing to try to submit opponents, preferring to trade strikes. Andy's coach, B.J. Penn, makes Andy promise to go for the submission if B.J. tells him to do so.

The fight begins. Melendez is a lot taller and 15 pounds heavier. It quickly becomes apparent that Melendez is also a little quicker and a little more skilled as a striker. Andy does have good defensive skills, but they won't win him the fight. Melendez takes the first round.

B.J. tells Andy to go for the submission in round two, and Andy says he will. I think he may have tried to go for the take-down twice. But he doesn't get it either time, and on each attempt he gives up too quickly. Not to mention, Andy should have tried to get a take-down more than twice. He just doesn't look like he's that good at take-downs. I'm reminded of what my friend Harris Brumer (former state wrestling champ in high school, current student of Brandon "The Truth" Vera) said about wrestling, that it teaches you takedowns better than jiu-jitsu does. Andy is proving the truth of that statement. He can't take Melendez down.

The fight goes the distance and remains a pure striking match. Not surprisingly then, Melendez, the better fighter, wins a unanimous decision.

And then Andy starts crying. He feels bad because he let people down. I can respect that. But he's really howling. Shrieking. Gibbering. Screaming. It's a little embarrassing.

Team Pulver: 4. Team Penn: 0.