Randy Harrison
After the most-watched show in the history of The Ultimate Fighter, Episode Four featured a fight between Brendan Schaub and Demico Rogers, more frustration with Rampage while coaching his team, a rift between Team Rashad after Matt Mitirone shared team plans with the other side and a whole lot more. Nokaut.com's Ultimate Fighter 10 blogger Zak Jensen returns this week to weigh in on all of that, as well as the preview for next week's show, which labelled him as a black sheep in the house. There's a lot to get to this week and there's lots of great candid, behind-the-scenes information from Zak this week, so let's get right into week four of the blog!
Nokaut.com: What did you think of the show?
Zak Jensen: It was interesting. I already knew the fight outcome, but it was interesting to see what went on behind the closed door meetings and all of the stuff that I wasn't able to see going on. I thought it was a good episode and the fight was better than the previous three. It wasn't super exciting but at least it was fast-paced and they went after each other, which was a plus for the people watching the show.
Nokaut.com: We saw Marcus have a bit of a situation during the first few moments of the show. Where were you in the house in relation to them when all of that went down?
Zak Jensen: I was downstairs in my room and then I kinda heard what was going on but I didn't go into the room because of how many people there already were in there. The whole thing with that is that Marcus sweats more than anyone that I have ever known in my entire life. At practice he'd have a hydration kit, which is what he'd call it, and it was two 32 oz. Pedialytes, six 20 oz. bottles of water and he'd drink that during practice and still manage to lose between five and ten pounds of fluid. He sweats a freakish amount. I think it was just the heat and being dehydrated. He drank some fluids and he was fine after he cooled off.
Nokaut.com: Was it a situation where anyone thought about getting the paramedics involved at all or did you guys think you had it under control pretty well?
Zak Jensen: Well, Marcus wanted an IV but as soon as they told him that if he got an IV he'd be out of the competition he was like "screw that" and he was talking about how in the league (NFL) he always got IV's and their response was that this isn't the league. When they told him that, he said alright and just drank some water and cooled off. It was just dehydration basically.
Nokaut.com: Some of the guys on the show were talking about how it may have been Marcus' body reacting adversely to the two-a-days and not being used to that kind of greuling regimen. How were you holding up?
Zak Jensen: I was fine with it. I liked it. It was nice to not have to worry about figuring out when you were going to work out. It was nice to have it set for twice a day. The only bad part was the forty-five minute drive, but that was also nice because it got us out of the house. It sucked to be in the car for that long, but it was nice to be somewhere and out of the house.
Nokaut.com: It looked like in one of the training sessions, Marcus was getting a little over-zealous and dinged you up a couple of times. Did that kind of thing happen often with him with everybody or was that an isolated incident?
Zak Jensen: He just doesn't know. The armbar thing, we had sixteen-ounce gloves on so you're pretty much stuck, you can't limp-arm your way out of it and he popped his hips so fast, I was tapping. He just doesn't know how strong he is. For anyone that's read Of Mice and Men, he's Lenny without being special. He's just so big and strong, he just doesn't know. We could be doing drills with a low leg kick followed by a punch and just going through the motions to get the movements down and after three or four times, he still doesn't realize that he's actually kicking you hard. It happened to me where he got me a couple of times in the same spot and my quad just swelled up. He didn't mean to do it, it just kind of happened where he'd throw a punch and it would connect or he would throw a kick and it would connect. He didn't know how to take a shot so we asked him to do a power-double or a freight train-double and he's like "what's that?". You were a defensive end in the NFL so just put your head into the middle of my chest and tackle me and he got it then. Once he got it, he loved it and started giggling like a little kid. He's so big, he just doesn't realize and doesn't know how big and strong he is.
Nokaut.com: Any lasting injury from any of that in terms of stuff that nagged you during the rest of the time in the house, or was it just one of those things where it was sore for a day or two and then everything was back to normal?
Zak Jensen: It was a couple of days with my quad being swollen. The chiropractor kind of came in and worked it out so it was just one of those nagging injuries that took a few days to subside. Basically ice and a bandage wrap and it was fine. I didn't miss anything and it was just more annoying than anything else.
Nokaut.com: Was it something where anyone pulled Marcus aside and got him to ease up a little bit or did the team talk to him about it?
Zak Jensen: No, he kinda realized it after a while when it was happening to more than one person. He really just didn't understand and he was feeling like he was just going through the motions, but we were telling him that it was still really hard. He apologized right away and it was really no big deal. It happens so no one was angry at him and the coaches were just getting him to calm down a little.
Nokaut.com: Rashad talked about how you can only spend a little bit of time with each guy and that his tack was to give guys points on polishing up certain aspects of their game rather than just breaking them down and starting over. Was that the style of coaching with Rampage's team?
Zak Jensen: It was more Kimbo, Kimbo, Kimbo and he got more one-on-one time, even after he lost. It was more of a team thing where we'd have a team wrestling practice or a team jiu-jitsu practice or spar together and if they saw something, they'd tell us to work on this or on that, so we practiced more as a team rather than on anything individually.
Nokaut.com: Was there any talk at this point about how Kimbo's treatment was a little different and did it start to wear thin after a while?
Zak Jensen: We all knew it was the Kimbo show and I didn't say anything. It was annoying me especially after they had the five or eight minute thing at the beginning of the show with the Kimbo/Roy fight again and they were stroking Kimbo and basically saying that Roy wasn't happy with the win and he took a desperation shot and all of that. If you want a desperation shot, what Demico did in his fight with his first shot was a desperation shot. Shooting from like four feet out and what Roy did was a perfect takedown. The knee was a bad knee and Roy just stepped to the side and used it to take him down. That's the furthest thing from a desperation shot so it was interesting since that was the first person they actually consoled and tried to give a pep talk to after their loss. After Demico lost there wasn't any pep talk and you guys didn't see it but Rampage was talking to Demico and telling him that he quit and all of this and the last thing he said was that it was time to go read that little red book that he was carrying around because it was for his acting class. It was interesting that Kimbo was getting a lot more attention than other people, even after his loss.
Nokaut.com: In terms of the acting class you touched on and all of the other stuff, was Rampage there 100% or did it feel like he was giving it a little less than his all?
Zak Jensen: I'll put it this way. We had a practice before Demico's fight and then Demico stayed at the house and went out an hour and a half before his fight. They didn't want to bring us all back to the house and back and forth so we stayed there and the Ultimate Fighter staff, the Spike staff got us some food, sandwiches and stuff. The coaches went and got food, and that's totally understandable you know, grab some fast food or grab a sandwich or something quick to get back and get your guy ready. Instead, they went to a sit-down Thai restaurant and then they got there twenty minutes before the fight started. He's a great guy, and he's even said he's not the greatest coach. We have a great jiu-jitsu coach in Junior and Tom Blackledge is extremely well-rounded, a great coach. Sick Dog (Hector Ramirez) is a great wrestling coach and Tiki (Ghosn) is a good striking coach, but Rampage admits he's not a good coach. He was kind of distraught about the losses because he hates losing and coming off of season seven where he lost almost every fight, I can see where it would wear on you but we're still here, there's still guys left in the tournament so let's focus on the task at hand here.
Nokaut.com: Do you feel like there was a bit of a leadership vacuum at the top of the team with Rampage admitting he's not a good coach so there isn't the one strong leader for how everything on the team will run?
Zak Jensen: Yeah, it's like an honor roll student leading a study group and a class clown leading a study group. We were all there for the same reason and we all trained hard, but we had a goofball as a coach and they had a focused guy as a coach who made gameplans and picked who they wanted to fight all lined up, so it was definitely two different styles.
Nokaut.com: What were things like in the house after the Matt Mitrione situation where he discussed the fight picks with your team? The show makes it seem like it was kind of blown off and not that big a deal, but is that more of the calm before the storm?
Zak Jensen: Well, basically James calls him a snitch and a rat for the rest of it. He's a meathead, just like Scott said. I don't know why he told Scott and the only thing I can think of is that he was afraid of Marcus. At the same time, Scott shouldn't have told Justin so that we could have used that information. As Team Rampage, we didn't really care, and it kind of affected Rashad's team more. Scott really shouldn't have told Justin and then we could have used that to our advantage a little more.
Nokaut.com: Do you think it would have been taken a lot worse if Demico had been able to pull out the win and change the momentum of the game a little bit?
Zak Jensen: Not really because Demico wanted that fight anyways. Demico wanted that fight with Brendan from the beginning so if we had had the pick, we would have picked it because he was confident and that's what he wanted and the coaches thought it was a good match-up. If it was a different fight, that could have affected it, but that fight didn't really matter because that's the fight Demico wanted anyways.
Nokaut.com: Moving on to the fight pick, how did you view the match-up between Brendan and Demico?
Zak Jensen: Demico definitely had the better wrestling between the two and we all knew Brendan, all of his wins were knockouts so his striking was there. Demico has decent hands in terms of the crispness and the flow of his punches so we thought it was a decent match-up. Brendan's 4-0 in pro and Demico is 4-0 in amateur fights and they've been doing it for about the same amount of time so on paper it seemed like a good match for us. If he was happy with it, it was a pretty good pick on paper.
Nokaut.com: What types of things were being worked on in practice to get Demico ready for the fight and what was the gameplan going in?
Zak Jensen: Using his punches to set up the takedown, that was his gameplan. So we worked on some sparring and stuff like that. That was about it. He definitely did not use that in his first takedown attempt and in that first takedown attempt, he almost got caught in the anaconda about fifteen seconds into the fight. The gameplan kind of got thrown out instantaneously.
Nokaut.com: When he nearly got caught in that choke right at the beginning of the fight, were you worried the second time when he got into that position and was up on his hands and knees?
Zak Jensen: When he was bellied out like that, Brendan went straight for a front headlock into an anaconda. Demico wrestled in high school and he says he was a great wrestler and the first thing as a wrestler is that if someone has a front headlock on you, you go for hand control. You grab his hands and he can't get an anaconda on you. As soon as the roll happened, it was tap, tap, tap. My whole thing is that if it's a choke and it's not a trachea choke that can damage your windpipe, if it's a blood choke, just go to sleep. You're not going to get hurt. That's what happened to be when I fought Brad Imes and I'm stubborn like that. I'll tap an armbar or stuff like that, but a choke like that where you're just going to go to sleep, try to fight it as much as you can and then go to sleep if you can't get out of it.
Nokaut.com: What was the mood in the locker room when the coaches weren't there helping Demico get ready for the fight when you could hear the other team helping Brendan prepare?
Zak Jensen: Well we were sitting there wondering where the hell they were. We kept asking the producers to call them so we could tell them to get their asses over there. We asked Demico if he wanted to do some stuff and get ready, but he said no because he thought he could warm up quick so it was weird. I've never been put in that situation and I was just sitting there wondering what was going on. The gloves they give you when you fight are really stiff and me and I can't remember who else, we each had a glove and we were twisting them and bending them to get them ready and that was pretty much all we could do with Demico just trying to stay as calm as he could.
Nokaut.com: Was there a thought that this could be another situation where a coach wasn't able to show up for a fight for his team, or were you confident that they'd be showing up?
Zak Jensen: At least when it happened before, the other coaches were still there. If it had been me, I would have been a little pissed off. I'm not sure if Demico was or not. If worse came to worse, there was someone to wrap his hands and he would have gotten warmed up and there would have been people in his corner regardless if it had been the coaches or been us.
Nokaut.com: Do you feel like the lack of pre-fight coaching and preparation may have affected Demico and contributed to the loss, or did it not really play a factor?
Zak Jensen: Demico was winning the fight, even though when he got into the guard and didn't know what to do and got really hesitant. He was fine until he tried to go to full mount. When he tried to go to full mount, he got swept. Brendan works with Shane Carwin all the time and if you are rolling with Shane Carwin and someone with less experience and skill hops from side control to try to mount, that's an easy sweep. That was the first mistake that he made and it went rapidly downhill after that. I don't think any of the pre-fight stuff had anything to do with it and it was just Brendan being smart and seeing the opportunity and taking advantage of it when Demico gave it to him.
Nokaut.com: After Demico's loss, it looks as if the team and coaches stayed away from him for a little bit afterwards with Rashad and his team talking to him and Rashad kind of getting on Rampage after for leaving him high and dry. What kind of timeframe was there in real time from the end of the fight to when Rampage came into the cage and do you feel like Demico was isolated like Rashad had said?
Zak Jensen: We as a team never walked into the cage after a fight so that just wasn't our thing. We waited until they came out of the cage and then we talked to them, and the coaches never did either. They only did it the once with Kimbo so that was obviously a pattern there. It was kind of weird about how Rashad checked in on him and they gave him a stool and everything and even Rampage said "why are they giving him a stool? it's over" and all of that. It was a while. Rampage didn't even get into the Octagon and they didn't talk to Demico until he came back out and sat down.
Nokaut.com: Does that do anything for the morale of the team to see the coach kind of throwing his hands in the air and giving up after what happened?
Zak Jensen: Yeah, it definitely was a shot to the morale. It also kind of showed that he was giving up on us and giving up on the whole situation. What he said in the closed-door meeting after the fight with the talk that he couldn't handle this and couldn't deal with this, we didn't know that he said that but when he came back we almost felt it. We felt like where was his coaching in this situation, you're a great guy and a fun guy to hang out with, but you're a coach and you need to step up as one in this situation. He's lost before so he knows how it feels, so he should know that whether it's the truth or not you want to tell them that they just got caught and they were doing good before then or that there's stuff to improve and they can work on it. Basically, what they did with Kimbo. Why did Kimbo get that and not Demico? It's messed up.
Nokaut.com: The team sits at 0-4, Rampage seems to be pulling away from the team out of frustration and it's looking kind of bad for Team Rampage. What are you guys holding on to to try to keep positive and keep focused as a team?
Zak Jensen: We're looking at how their team is falling apart with the whole situation with Matt and seeing that they're winning, but they're falling apart. We're losing, but we're still tight as a team so we've got that going for us at the moment. (laughs) We'd all rather be dysfunctional and winning than be losing and being a tight team, but it definitely helps that we're getting that close. We all wish it would be under different circumstances, but we've got that going for us. It'd be a lot worse if we were 0-4 and hating each other.
Nokaut.com: So are you taking that cohesiveness and trying to turn it into something positive to try to get some momentum and get some good things going for your team?
Zak Jensen: Yeah, we're behind each other and whoever is getting ready to fight or if someone's having a hard time in practice everyone is right there trying to help get them through a down moment or through the day. It's definitely a good thing and it helped a lot.
Nokaut.com: At the end of the episode, they show you sitting by the pool and the other guys giving you a hard time while the voiceover calls you a black sheep in the house. Do you feel like that's a fair portrayal of your time there?
Zak Jensen: They said that and showed me sitting by the hot tub by myself and then Wes Sims talking a bunch of stuff. I remember that whole situation and it's going to be interesting to see how it plays out on TV because I know what happened. All I can say is remember when Wes was talking about how he was the only person to beat Frank Mir on two separate occasions and he followed it up with someting about never letting the truth get in the way of a good story. Just remember that when you're watching next week because Wes Sims is a goofball and that's just who he is. It just happens to be the quiet guy that minds his own business and gets targeted and that was me. James just follows Wes around because he knows he can get digs on people that way.
Nokaut.com: So if the situation they show on TV and what really happened differs too much, you'll be able to set the record straight next week then?
Zak Jensen: Yeah, it's funny, but it's just weird. I can't explain it anymore without giving it away because I don't know how much they're going to show of it so next week I can definitely give some more insight into what was going on.
Nokaut.com: In terms of the timeframe of things, will next week see the introduction of the infamous calendar or does that come a little later?
Zak Jensen: No, the calendar actually started after the Kimbo/Roy fight so I was surprised that I didn't see that, but I think that they might just put it all into next week. It'll be interesting to see. I look at it this way. If they portray me as the black sheep that everyone gives a bunch of crap to, at least they'll remember me and I'd rather be the black sheep kind of guy than a guy who threw a glass at someone's head like Junie Browning. I'm just being myself and not trying to do anything to get on the camera or anything so it's just who I am and if they find that it's fun to pick on me then they have some immature issues to deal with.
Nokaut.com: Well, I'd much rather be working on a blog with the guy that's getting "picked on" instead of the guys that are doing the picking because how do you ask someone a question about being a bully?
Zak Jensen: Yeah, I'm glad to be doing a blog with someone that feels that way. (laughs) It's like if I was asking Darrill what was going through his mind when he picked up that baby bird and through it into the hot tub.
Nokaut.com: Yeah, it's better to get a clear side of things rather than perhaps some revisionist history from a bully.
Zak Jensen: And with me, whether it's about me or about someone else, I'm going to give you my take on it. If I end up doing something stupid and you ask me about it, I'm going to be honest about it and not try to bend it. I'm not saying I do and I'm not saying I don't but I'm going to say it how it is no matter what.
Nokaut.com: So that means we can expect a bit of an in-depth story when it comes to Green Zak in a few weeks then?
Zak Jensen: Yeah, I'll definitely be talking all about that. (laughs) I hope they lead into it because I'm waiting for the stuff that leads into that. If they just show me all of a sudden being green, then I'm going to look stupid. It involves me and it involves Kimbo and it's funny because it's already started by this point..it was either right before the Demico fight or right after I can't quite remember, but that's when the whole thing started that leads up to me being painted green. I hope they start showing a little bit of it because if they don't and I just show up green, it's going to lead to a lot more explaining. There was a build-up to it and plus when you've got nothing going on in the house and it's an off day and you've got green paint lying around, why not?
Nokaut.com: You only go around once huh?
Zak Jensen: Yeah. (laughs)
WEB SHOP
