Welcome, everyone, to the first edition of a weekly series here on MMANews called The TUF Stuff.
Each week, I’ll be guiding you through a recap of this season’s edition of The Ultimate Fighter, providing updates on what happens in each episode — from the drama and storylines out of the Octagon, to the looks into who the competing fighters are, to what goes down inside the cage.
This season celebrates the 20th anniversary of TUF. That inaugural season from 2005 helped to influence many future MMA fans, media members, and fighters (yours truly included). And now, two more fighters this summer will get the opportunity to call themselves TUF champions when it’s all said and done.
This season’s coaches have both coached previous TUF seasons but will not be two current active fighters who will go on to face each other at the end of the season. Instead, we get two names who MMA fans are more than familiar with — two guys who butt heads every week on their own ESPN TV program — Good Guy, Bad Guy. Those two names, of course, are Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen.
This season of TUF will focus on flyweights and welterweights, and it will feature 16 fighters from 10 different nations.
This season’s participants include:
Flyweights:
Arshiyan Memon: A 7-0 fighter from India — the first Indian participant in TUF history.
Eduardo Henrique: A 13-2 fighter from Brazil who has fought for promotions including LFA and Jungle Fight — and is the former LFA flyweight champion.
Furkatbek Yokubov: A 14-4 fighter from Uzbekistan who is a kickboxing and wrestling specialist. He has competed in UAE Warriors, the LFA, and Belarusian Fighting Championship. He is a former BFC flyweight champion.
Idiris Alibi: A 10-0 fighter from Kazakhstan who, up until now, has fought exclusively in Naiza FC — and is their former flyweight champion.
Imanol Rodriguez: A 5-0 fighter from Mexico, who has competed for Combate Global, Budo Sento Championship, and Fury FC. All five of his wins have come via a finish, and not one of his fights has reached the third round.
Joseph Morales: A 12-2 fighter from the United States who has fought three times for the UFC between 2017 and 2018, defeating Roberto Sanchez but losing to Devieson Figueiredo and Eric Shelton. He’s 3-0 since his UFC release, including capturing the flyweight title in Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat promotion.
Roybert Echeverria: A 10-2 fighter from Venezuela who has fought for Titan FC, Xtreme Fighting Nation, and Anthony Pettis FC, having captured flyweight gold in APFC back in November. He fought on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022, losing to Jafel Filho.
Tumelo Manyamala: A 6-1 fighter from South Africa who has scored finishes in all of his victories so far. All of his wins have come in the EFC Africa promotion, with his sole loss being a split decision in his lone bout for UAE Warriors.
Welterweights:
Alex Sanchez: A 15-3 fighter from Mexico who has fought for promotions including Lux Fight League, UWC, Combate Global, and Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat. He is a former tournament champion in Combate and a former lightweight champion in A1 Combat.
Andreeas Binder: A 10-2 fighter from Ireland known for his expertise in judo. Binder was recently the welterweight champion of Levels Fight League and has also fought for Cage Conflict and Clan Wars. He had been scheduled for a pair of bouts with the PFL in 2023 and 2024, but both fights fell out.
Daniil Donchenko: An 11-2 fighter from Ukraine who has primarily fought for Naiza FC, where he was recently a lightweight champion.
Diego Bianchini: A 9-1 fighter who is a product of the Fighting Nerds. Known as “The Brazilian Bad Boy,” six of his wins have come via submission, including a sub-two-minute submission of Bakhromjon Mashrapov at LFA 178 last year.
Jeff Creighton: “Jazzy” Jeff is an 11-2-1 fighter from the United States. Creighton is a noteworthy U.S. welterweight prospect who has fought for a number of noteworthy regional promotions, including Bellator, Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat, Fury FC, King of the Cage, and Cage Warriors. He has won welterweight gold in A1 Combat and in Melee Combat Championship.
Matt Dixon: An 11-1 fighter from the United States who has primarily fought in the Xtreme Fight Night promotion, having been a former welterweight champion there. Dixon fought on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, where he lost to Orion Cosce.
Richard Martins: A 9-1 fighter from Brazil who hasn’t lost since dropping his second professional fight. All but one of his wins have come via a finish (including seven wins via KO/TKO), and his last four fights have all come in the LFA.
Rodrigo Sezinando: An 8-1 fighter from Brazil who has scored finishes in all but one of his victories. He is a former Battlefield Fight League super lightweight champion and the former Samourai MMA welterweight champion.
Now, let’s dive into this week’s season premiere episode!
Recap of The Ultimate Fighter Season 33 – Episode 1
In typical Dana White fashion, he promises the best season ever.
After the TV/streaming audiences are given introductions to the two UFC Hall of Fame coaches, White notes that there will be previous TUF contestants who will be giving insights into this season’s contestants. This week’s guest is season one winner and former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin.
White tells the contestants to not be scared and to keep their heads on straight with the opportunity ahead of them.
We now go into evaluations, with Sonnen working with fighters in the boxing ring and Cormier working with fighters on the wrestling mats.
Sonnen and Cormier both note how they are looking for fighters’ attitudes and motivations, in addition to their speed, technique, power, and athleticism.
Cormier emphasizes that he’s looking for good wrestling — with him even being brutally honest in saying he was disappointed by the flyweights’ lack of urgency in their wrestling. Eduardo Henrique, however, impresses Cormier with his striking in the boxing ring.
Team Selection
Griffin leads the Team Selection process. Cormier wins the coin toss and decides he wants to pick the first fighters. Flyweights will be picked first, followed by welterweights, then back to flyweights, and so on.
The teams end up as follows:
Cormier Flyweights:
Eduardo Henrique
Idiris Alibi
Imanol Rodriguez
Tumelo Manyamala
Cormier Welterweights:
Rodrigo Sezinando
Daniil Donchenko
Jeff Creighton
Alex Sanchez
Sonnen Flyweights:
Joseph Morales
Furkatbek Yokubov
Roybert Echeverria
Arshiyan Memon
Sonnen Welterweights:
Diego Bianchini
Matt Dixon
Richard Martins
Andreeas Binder
Joseph Morales was surprised by Henrique getting picked No. 1 overall over him, feeling that he is not only the better striker, but the better all-around product. Sonnen appeared to agree.
In a humorous moment, as Cormier is trying to give a motivational speech to Sanchez and Binder, the final picks, noting that Brandon Moreno was a final pick on TUF and ended up a world champion, Sonnen “dozed off” to try and get Cormier to move things along.
Coach Chael is being put to sleep by this speech
[ #TUF33 is live NOW on ESPN2 & @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/lnoMd2iJRm
— The Ultimate Fighter (@UltimateFighter) May 28, 2025
Griffin tells the fighters they are now part of the 20-year legacy of TUF and that they need to make their moments count.
The OFFICIAL #TUF33 teams
pic.twitter.com/wyRS2YXguH
— The Ultimate Fighter (@UltimateFighter) May 28, 2025
TUF House
Of course, no TUF season is complete without the fighters running into the TUF House — their home for the duration of the competition.
Memon, who is seen immediately washing his foot in a bathroom sink, discussed his pride in being the first TUF contestant from India. Binder, meanwhile, notes the cultural diversity that is present in the house.
Sezinado proposes a friendly barbeque before the fighters all “smash each other.” Dixon and Morales note how Sezinado is perhaps the most energetic and “crazy” of all the TUF contestants so far. Bianchini, meanwhile, notes how he’s not here to make friends, especially in his weight class — just to whoop the competition.
Team Cormier Training Session
Cormier discusses with his team the importance of hard work and “embracing the grind” (ETG, as Cormier puts it), even when things get tough.
“Make it the best part of your day,” Cormier said.
This is @DC_MMA’s best friend
[ #TUF33 is live NOW on ESPN2 & @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/g1OuN6LnMv
— The Ultimate Fighter (@UltimateFighter) May 28, 2025
Michael Chiesa, who is a part of Cormier’s coaching staff, remembers the opportunities TUF provided him and how it feels full circle to be back as a coach.
Team Sonnen Training Session
Sonnen notes that most TUF coaches miss the fact that coaches are vulnerable to overplanning (or underplanning) and overtraining and hurting their fighters in such a short time.
“A coach is not going to be able to help an athlete very much, in the short period of time that we’re here,” Sonnen said. “But he can damn sure hurt him.”
Sonnen also took pride in that his team has no weak links — noting that the competition is so fierce this year that it’s more than likely a No. 1 pick could fall.
Fight Announcement
Team Sonnen picks the first fight: flyweights Joseph Morales will battle Eduardo Henrique in a battle of No. 1 flyweight picks! Sonnen notes that Morales told Sonnen this is what he wanted, with Morales attributing the decision to his hard-headedness. Henrique appeared to not be surprised to be a target, given his status as a recent LFA flyweight champion.
Trouble or success?
Joseph Morales gets his wish early at TUF 33
[ #TUF33 is LIVE NOW on ESPN2 & @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/wg9AmeRecS
— The Ultimate Fighter (@UltimateFighter) May 28, 2025
Henrique Fight Prep
Cormier notes that Henrique isn’t much of a wrestler, but he’s a great striker. The focus of their training camp is going to be working on his wrestling.
DC states that the key to victory will be for Henrique to keep distance and force Morales to exchange strikes with him.
We then get a video package of Henrique’s highlights in the LFA.
We get a bit of a look into Henrique’s life, too, noting how his mom went down a wrong path and trafficked drugs while working in a bar when Henrique was a baby. As a result, Henrique was raised by his grandparents.
Morales Fight Prep
Morales showed photos of his wife and two sons, who he misses while in the TUF House. Morales noted that if it wasn’t for the support of his wife, he probably wouldn’t be chasing the MMA dreams he has.
Morales also noted his previous tenure with the UFC, noting he felt invulnerable until running into Deiveson Figueiredo and getting finished by him.
“I’ve felt like I’ve improved a lot. I’m ready to get back into the UFC and fight the best guys,” Morales said.
Ready to get back where he belongs
[ #TUF33 LIVE NOW on ESPN2 & @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/kauDkl8MrX
— The Ultimate Fighter (@UltimateFighter) May 28, 2025
Morales told Sonnen he wanted to get into Henrique’s face and pressure him, trying to get Henrique to over-commit before taking him down. Sonnen emphasized Morales cannot settle for being on the bottom in grappling exchanges.
Morales also noted it’s been about two years since his last fight and he feels an extra sense of motivation. Morales noted how Henrique’s weakness is his ground game, and he looks to catch and submit him or open him up with elbows.
Colby Covington is seen working with Morales on his wrestling work, with Sonnen noting how fighters look to him when trying to improve the aspects of their game — especially with wrestling.
The Fight: Eduardo Henrique vs. Joseph Morales
—–IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THE EPISODE AND DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED, THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO TURN AWAY NOW.———
Henrique weighs in at 125.5, but Morales weighs in at 126.5 — a half-pound overweight. Morales weighs in successfully at 126 with the box.
Of particular note, Sezinado and Bianchini trade barbs during the weigh-ins, with Sezinado even flipping the Team Sonnen member off.
Sonnen added that he didn’t appreciate Team Cormier chanting “You’re going to die” toward Morales in Brazilian, with Henrique also bringing a prop with him to the weigh-in and face-off. The two got into each other’s faces and had to be separated by the commission and Sonnen.
Finally, it’s fight day and we’re ready to see the two throw down!
Eduardo Henrique vs. Joseph Morales
Round 1
The two exchange right away. Morales appears to be trying to pressure as promised. Left hand from Morales. Henrique flashes a knee and a jab. Low kick from Henrique. Right hand from Morales. Henrique misses a jumping knee. Jab to the body by Henrique. One-two by Henrique. Combination from Henrique. Jab to the body by Morales. Both men land. Body shot and a kick from Henrique. Low kick from Henrique. Left hand catches Henrique. Henrique answers.
Morales shoots in and scores a takedown. Morales gets to Henrique’s back quickly. Morales’s coaches tell him to hand fight. More calls for hand fighting from both corners now. Morales wraps an arm around Henrique’s neck, and he scores THE TAPOUT!
2:25 into the first round, and the No. 1 overall pick of this TUF season goes down via submission! Joseph Morales is one step closer to coming back to the UFC!
White attributed the victory to Morales’ previous UFC experience and called it “an impressive finish.”
Winner: Joseph Morales (Team Sonnen) via first-round submission (rear-naked choke, 2:25)
Conclusion
Morales is emotional backstage following the win, noting how good it felt to shut Team Cormier up.
“I feel that I proved I’m one of the top flyweights here,” Morales said. “The pressure is on me to win the show, but I thrive under the pressure.”
Henrique noted he made mistakes in the fight, but “every champion makes mistakes.” His coach tells him to take the loss on the chin and learn from it — and to bounce back.
For next week’s fight, the first at welterweight (which is also picked by Sonnen due to the coin toss and Cormier’s choice of picking the first fighters) Team Cormier’s Daniil Donchenko will take on Team Sonnen’s Richard Martins.
Will Team Sonnen draw first blood in both weight classes to start the season? Or will Team Cormier bounce back in the first 170-pound matchup of the season?
Find out next week!
We get a brief montage previewing some of the drama and action that awaits in the rest of the season, as well as some future TUF guests.
Thanks for joining me in the inaugural edition of The TUF Stuff!
