The Ultimate Fighter 5
The Ultimate Fighter 5 – Season Recap
The fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter returned to Spike TV in April, 2007. In a break from previous seasons, only 1 weight class is included: lightweights. 16 MMA fighters gather into 1 common house and are split into 2 competing teams. The first team is led by UFC Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn. The second team is headed by former UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver.
The season gets off to a rocky start in Episode 1 as Penn encourages the cast to publicly shun Pulver. By the end, Cole Miller from Team Pulver has eliminated Allen Berube. In Episode 2, tensions mount between members of Team Penn, signaling a potential rift in the group. Manvel Gambaryan from Team Pulver is picked to battle Noah Thomas in the ring. Gambaryan goes on the offense immediately and beats Thomas. During Episode 3, Rob Emerson is defeated by Nate Diaz, continuing Team Penn’s losses.
In Episode 4, Andy Wang from Team Penn sets his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu technique aside in favor of striking. His gamble doesn’t pay off and he is eliminated by Brandon Melendez. Corey Hill steps forward in Episode 5 to challenge Gabe Ruediger from Team Penn. Unfortunately, Ruediger doesn’t make weight, and UFC President Dana White eliminates him from the cast, bringing Emerson back. Hill gets another chance to fight in Episode 6 and defeats Emerson.
Episode 7 begins with a team change. By the end, Team Penn’s Gray Maynard beats Wayne Weems, expelling him before the semi-finals. Miller and Joe Lauzon square off in Episode 8. After an illegal blow to the back of Miller’s head, Lauzon wins the match (despite losing a point for the strike). In the following episode, Maynard enters the ring to fight Melendez, eliminating him in the second round.
Episode 10 features 2 bouts. The first, between Diaz and Hill, ends with Hill defeated from a triangle choke. In the second bout, Gambaryan eliminates Matt Wiman. Gamburyan progresses to the semi-finals in Episode 11, during which he defeats Lauzon by decision. At the end of Episode 12, Diaz trounces Maynard in the ring and moves on to fight on the main card for the season finale. During the final bout of the season, Diaz defeats Gambaryan and becomes The Ultimate Fighter of Season 5.