Previously on The Ultimate Fighter…
Team Nunes’ Brogan Walker suffered a knee injury ahead of her fight, but when her opponent was forced out of the competition, she was afforded the time off to recover as an alternative matchup was made.
In the final heavyweight quarterfinal, Team Pena’s Jordan Heiderman rallied from a first-round knockdown to force a third round against Chandler Cole, finishing the tired Team Nunes fighter in the sudden victory round to advance.
All Things The Ultimate Fighter
Now in the final quarterfinal fight, Walker steps into the cage against Hannah Guy.
This is The Ultimate Fighter: Team Pena vs. Team Nunes!
At the house…
Cole sits down in the kitchen with some of the other heavyweights, who playfully roast him about breaking out the spinning hook kick that dropped Heiderman, calling him “Chris Barnett’s cousin.” He’s proud of the effort he put forth and hopes it was enough to impress UFC President Dana White.
Heiderman gives Cole props for the kick, but is also rightfully impressed with his effort, happy to have successfully navigated a dogfight to advance to the semifinals.
Four Days Before the Fight…
RECAP TUF 30: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4 | Episode 5 | Episode 6 | Episode 7
Walker continues doing physiotherapy with Heather Linden at the UFC PI, while Nunes expresses confidence that she’ll be able to manage the injury and handle her business when she steps in with Guy. The Invicta FC alum goes through her fight prep, focusing on striking, believing that Guy won’t want to go to the canvas with the superior grappler.
Walker speaks about the mitt work she did with John Wood, the head coach at Syndicate MMA, gaining a ton of insights on a few different elements of her striking game and how they apply to her fight with Guy.
Back at the house…
Walker hangs out in the living room with Heiderman, discussing travelling, detailing that she was born and raised in California before moving to Guam with her now ex-partner. She’s explains that she is going to head back there after her time in the house, before cranking up her preparations for the finale.
A first-grade teacher back in Guam, she knows that she needs to stay in California to train, but longs to return to the island where she’s built a different life for herself.
Missed The First Few Episodes Of TUF? Find Out How You Can Catch Up Here
Her home video footage from Tumon, Guam runs, showcasing the vast oceans surrounding the island nation. The 32-year-old explains that she started her MMA career on Guam and is overwhelmed by the support she’s received from the people there.
The 7-2 competitor began in Muay Thai before adding jiu jitsu to her repertoire, and then went all-in on her MMA career in 2016. She began her career with six straight victories, including a win over emerging UFC flyweight Miranda Maverick, before dropping consecutive decision to Pearl Gonzalez and Erin Blanchfield. She got back into the win column last year with a first-round submission win over Emilee King prior to getting selected for the show.
Walker was “homesick” for Guam while living in Upland, California as she prepared to enter the competition, but acknowledges that all signs point to her making this kind of commitment to her craft. “I haven’t come this far just to come this far,” she says as footage rolls of her training with her original team again.
Three Days Before the Fight…
Pena explains that having quality training partners is as important, if not more important, than having good coaches as she introduces TUF 29 finalist Brady Hiestand and prospect Ashton Charlton to the crew.
Guy goes through her fight prep for her fight with Walker, with Pena detailing some takeaways she’s gleaned from watching Walker’s previous fights. The approach is for Guy to come forward and control things in terms of where the fight takes place, with a focus on cutting off exit angles for Walker.
“I know she’s a black belt, but I’ve heard she’s not a very good black belt,” Guy says of Walker in between footage of her hitting pads. She’s confident in her ability to control things on the canvas if it gets there, and her coach is comfortable with her charge’s chances as well.
Back at the house…
Team Nunes arrives to check in on Walker as she does her weight cut. She’s happy with how her knee has reacted to therapy and the time off, and is eager to get out there and mix it up with Guy.
Hiestand and Team Pena coach Rick Little then arrive at the house to help Guy with her weight cut as Bobby Maximus is about to get a massage, and Hiestand remarks that they weren’t afforded those luxuries last year when he was on the show.
They convene in the bathroom where Guy is in the tub, and she explains that she bought, fixed, and currently lives in a converted ambulance she’s named “Lola.” The lights and PA system still work, and while the mileage isn’t great, Guy loves the freedom it affords her.
Footage from Columbus, MS runs with Guy giving a tour of her work-in-progress ambulance. The Mississippi native stayed with her mom overnight and explains that finding martial arts is not only when she first really found friends, but also when she found out who she was, as well.
Guy had six amateur fights and carries a 4-1 record into the competition, which includes three consecutive victories prior to entering the house. She explains she was introduced to The Ultimate Fighter by a guy she dated in college, starting with Season 18, which featured Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate as coaches and Pena going on to win the competition. A couple weeks later, she was in a gym.
Flyweight Weigh-ins…
Walker is up first and comes in at 125 pounds on the dot. Guy follows and comes in at 125.5 pounds, making the fight official.
Dana White outlines his thoughts on the fight and how the two match up, setting the table for the final quarterfinal fight of the season.
Ultimate Fighter Flashback, presented by ZipRecruiter…
Last season, despite being the final bantamweight selected by Team Volkanovski, Hiestand worked his way through the competition like his Sikjitsu teammate Pena, advancing to the finals with wins over Josh Rettinghouse and Vince Murdock before dropping a close decision against Ricky Turcios.
Fight Day…
Walker and Guy go through their morning routines at the house and then get shuttled to the UFC APEX, where they get taped up, warmed up, and ready to throw down against one another.
All that’s left now is the fight itself!
Round 1: Touch of gloves and we’re off, with Walker opening in a southpaw stance and Guy fighting orthodox, each pawing before Guy lands the first two good shots. Walker quickly gets her timing and rhythm, answering back with some straight shots of her own, showing her clear speed advantage.
Guy counters a low kick with a right hand, but she’s allowing Walker to initiate the exchanges and struggling to land counters. Walker lands a clean left hand that stings Guy, connecting with it again 30 seconds later, her experience and poise giving her an edge. Guy tries to pressure forward and respond and Walker catches her with a counter right hook that puts her on the deck.
Walker follows her to the canvas, climbing into half guard. Guy looks to scramble up and Walker grabs a front headlock position, burying a knee into Guy’s midsection that sends her to the mat again. Walker attacks with another knee to the body, and another, and another still, finishing the round in complete control.
Round 2: Walker lands a left hand and a right hook that take Guy’s feet out from under her momentarily, allowing the Team Nunes fighter to work into a body lock and drive her to the fence. Guy tries to turn off, but Walker muscles her to the canvas, where Guy desperately searches for a way to connect her legs on something to no avail.
Walker lets her stand and greets her with a right hand before pushing forward into the clinch again. Guy tries to throw a knee, but gets dumped to the canvas, and Walker once again blasts her with a right hand as she slowly rises to her feet. Walker is straight up bullying Guy in every facet of the fight, showing her superior experience and understanding of what to do inside the cage.
Guy finally works off the fence and free to space, charging at Walker who is keen to circle out. Guy rushes forward looking for a takedown, but her technique is poor and Walker stuffs it easily, landing a left hand for good measure with two minutes remaining. The Team Nunes fighter finally closes the distance and gets ahold of Walker, fishing a hook in and eventually dragging her to the floor.
Guy quickly floats into top position and takes the back, hunting for a choke. Walker tries to fight the hands and Guy pounds away with rights, continuing to hunt for the finish, dragging Walker back to the floor. Walker throws short shots over her shoulder with Guy stuck to her like a backpack as the horn sounds.
Did Guy do enough to force a third round? Apparently not, as referee Mike Beltran calls the fighters to the center for the decision, much to the surprise of Team Pena, Dana White, and Forrest Griffin.
Official Result: Brogan Walker def. Hannah Guy by majority decision
Team Nunes celebrates, Team Pena is confused, and the coaches and White recap the action. Everyone agrees that Walker won the first round, but the second is a different story. Yes, Guy got dropped, but she finished the round on Walker’s back, hunting for the finish and landing punches.
“I think pretty much everyone was expecting the fight to go to a third round,” says White, “especially after Hannah got the takedown and seemed to control the fight on the ground. But here we go again. Judges didn’t see it that way.”
Walker celebrates with her teammates, while Guy and Team Pena are left disappointed, confused as to why they didn’t get a third round.
Back at the UFC APEX…
The coaches meet with White to figure out the semifinal matchups. There are five competitors from Team Pena and three athletes from Team Nunes remaining in the final eight.
Team Pena has three of the four heavyweights remaining, which means two of them are going to have to fight each other. She suggests Mohammad Usman and Eduardo Perez face each other, while Zac Pauga and Jordan Heiderman pair off, while Nunes counters with Perez, her lone heavyweight, against Heiderman, and Usman versus Pauga.
White asks each coach, “Who wins the show?” amongst the heavyweights, with Nunes obviously suggesting her top overall selection, Perez, and Pena saying it’s a toss-up between Usman and Pauga.
On the women’s side, Pena suggests Juliana Miller or Laura Gallardo, her two remaining fighters, while Nunes says her athletes, Kaytlin Neil or Walker.
Pena likes the idea of Gallardo facing Walker in an all-southpaw matchup, and Miller facing Neil, but it’s all left in the UFC President’s hands.
White meets with the teams and announces the fights. They are as follows:
Heiderman vs. Pauga
Gallardo vs. Walker
Usman vs. Perez
Miller vs. Neil
Pena got the four matchups she was hoping for, and the semifinals are set.
