Written by Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Daniel Cormier is losing his patience.
For the second week in a row on The Ultimate Fighter 33, Cormier had to watch one of his fighters fall flat, much to the former two-division champion’s dismay. This week, it was Team Chael Sonnen’s Roybert Echeverria (Venezuela) who stood tall as he submitted Team Cormier’s Tumelo Manyamala (South Africa) in Round 2.
Manyamala got off to a fast start, using his speed and slick striking to snipe away at Echeverria early. After controlling much of the round with consistent counter-punching, Manyamala cracked Echeverria with right hand that dropped Echeverria to his knees. Echeverria recovered, but went into the second round down on the scorecards.
In between frames, Sonnen and his team told Echeverria he needed to be more aggressive closing the distance to work for takedowns. Echeverria stuck with the game plan, utilizing a similar combination multiple times each time ending with a takedown attempt. Manyamala stuffed Echeverria twice, but succumbed to a third attempt and the fight went downhill for him from there.
Echeverria dragged Manyamala to the mat and kept him there before working for a rear-naked choke that forced a tap.
Afterwards, Cormier couldn’t hide his disappointment in Manyamala failing to come forward in Round 2. In the previous week’s episode, he also blasted Alex Sanchez for his timidity in a loss.
“It’s frustrating, because you should have won that fight,” Cormier told Manyamala. “Remember what you’re feeling right now and make sure it doesn’t happen to you again. Don’t waste this opportunity, you’re going to learn a lot now.”
Echeverria’s performance might have been boosted by an appearance from TUF: The Smashes winner and former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, who served as Sonnen’s guest coach this week.
Cormier’s lead over Sonnen in the series is now down to 4-3. Each coach now has two flyweights in the semifinals, with Cormier sending Alibi Idiris and Imanol Rodriguez, and Sonnen sending Echeverria and Joseph Morales.
Sonnen can tie it up next week when Diego Bianchini fights Cormier’s Rodrigo Sezinando in a battle of each team’s No. 1 welterweight picks.
The Ultimate Fighter 33 airs live every Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Unlike most editions of TUF, coaches Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen will not fight at the conclusion of the season as both are long retired.
The finalists of the TUF 33 welterweight and flyweight tournaments will compete for a six-figure UFC contract in the show’s live finale fights. A date for those bouts is yet to be announced.
Here are the TUF 33 rosters divided by team:
Team Cormier
Flyweights
Eduardo Henrique (13-2), Brazil
Alibi Idiris (10-0), Kazakhstan
Imanol Rodriguez (5-0), Mexico
Tumelo Manyamala (6-1), South Africa
Welterweights
Rodrigo Sezinando (8-1), Brazil
Daniil Donchenko (11-2), Ukraine
Jeff Creighton (11-2-1), USA
Alex Sanchez (15-3), Mexico
Team Sonnen
Flyweights
Joseph Morales (12-2), USA
Furkatbek Yokubov (13-4), Uzbekistan
Roybert Echeverria (10-2), Venezuela
Arshiyan Memon (7-0), India
Welterweights
Diego Bianchini (9-1), Brazil
Matt Dixon (11-1), USA
Richard Martins (9-1), Brazil
Andreeas Binder (10-1, 1 NC), Ireland
Here are the quarterfinal results so far:
Joseph Morales def. Eduardo Henrique via first-round submission (rear-naked choke)
Daniil Donchenko def. Richard Martins via decision
Imanol Rodriguez def. Arshiyan Memon via first-round TKO (strikes)
Jeff Creighton def. Andreeas Binder via decision
Alibi Idiris def. Furkatbek Yokubov via decision
Matt Dixon def. Alex Sanchez via first-round TKO (strikes)
Roybert Echeverria def. Tumelo Manyamala via second-round submission (rear-naked choke)
Advancing to semifinals: Morales, Donchenko, Rodriguez, Creighton, Idiris, Dixon, Echeverria
Eliminated: Henrique, Martins, Memon, Binder, Yokubov, Sanchez, Manyamala