Episode No. 12 recap: 'The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn'

Episode No. 12 of “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn” opens with Team Penn’s middleweight semifinalist Roger Zapata discussing his desire to defeat Team Edgar’s Dhiego Lima and reach the final. He’s feeling homesick, but sees that the end of the competition is near.

Lima, who has been a tournament favorite since the outset, has high expectations for his semifinal bout and is backed by a confident head coach in Frankie Edgar.

Fight day sneaks up quickly, as Lima and Zapata will face off in one of two semifinal bouts in the episode. Both fighters complete their warm-ups and preparation before entering the octagon for the high-stakes affair.

TEAM EDGAR’S DHIEGO LIMA (9-1) VS. TEAM PENN’S ROGER ZAPATA (4-1)

Round 1 – Referee Herb Dean oversees the action. The fighters touch gloves and Lima opens with back-to-back leg kicks. Lima throws a body kick that is caught by Zapata. Zapata counters and knocks Lima to the ground. Zapata follows Lima to the ground, diving into his guard with a punch. Lima throws his legs up for a triangle choke and transitions into an armbar. Zapata’s arm is twisted in gruesome fashion and he quickly taps out to the submission.

Dhiego Lima def. Roger Zapata via submission (armbar) – Round 1

An emotional Lima celebrates his victory and becomes the second middleweight to advance to the tournament final at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale on July 6 in Las Vegas. He will face his Team Edgar teammate Eddie Gordon with a six-figure UFC contract on the line.

At the next Team Penn training session, coach B.J. Penn brings in UFC Hall-of-Fame inductee as a special guest coach for the day. Liddell teaches Daniel Spohn, who fights Team Edgar’s Matt Van Buren in the final light heavyweight semifinal, his patented takedown defense in anticipation of his upcoming match.

TEAM PENN’S DANIEL SPOHN (8-3) VS. TEAM EDGAR’S MATT VAN BUREN (6-2)

Round 1 – Referee Herb Dean oversees the action. They touch gloves to start the match. Van Buren opens with an inside leg kick followed by a body kick and another inside leg kick. Spohn fires back with a series of strikes. Van Buren lands a straight to ht ebody then has a kick blocked. Spohn lands a leg kick of his own. Van Buren throws a leg kick that is caught by Spohn. He uses the leg to take Van Buren to the ground and is now in top position. Spohn advances to side control and Van Buren rolls over a to give up his back. Spohn throws punches and attempts to get his hooks in, but he’s too high on the back and Van Buren eventually shakes him off. Van Buren returns to his feet and throws a combination to the body that’s completed with a leg kick. Spohn lands a hard right hand that forces Van Buren to back up. Spohn clinches Van Buren against the cage and both men work strikes to the body and head. Van Buren attempts to escape the position with a hip toss, but Spohn denies it and stays on his feet. Van Buren reverses the position and briefly forces Spohn against the cage. They break and Spohn stalks Van Buren in the center of the octagon. They trade wild shots as the round comes to an end.

Round 2 – Spohn drops Van Buren with a right hook to open the round. Van Buren recovers and gets back to his feet before he can be hit on the ground. All technique goes out the window as Spohn and Van Buren trade blows in a wild exchange where both men are throwing huge punches and leaving their chin directly in the air. Spohn is caught with a hard blow and is forced to drop for a takedown. Van Buren reigns down a vicious series of elbows to the side of Spohn’s head as he works for a takedown. Van Buren shakes it off and works knees to Spohn’s body. Spohn has multiple gashes open on the side of his head and around his eye. He’s on shaky legs but continues to push forward and throw heavy punches. Van Buren lands an uppercut that drops Spohn and referee Herb Dean is forced to jump in and halt the action.

Matt Van Buren def. Daniel Spohn via TKO (strikes) – Round 2

With the victory, Van Buren moves to the light heavyweight final where he’ll meet Corey Anderson.

The two tournament winners will be determined at “The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale” this Sunday at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The main card will air on FOX Sports 1 with preliminary-card action on the same channel and UFC Fight Pass.

Coaches Edgar and Penn square off one final time before their third meeting at the TUF 19 Finale. Edgar was the winning coach this season, as he advances four fighters into the finals.

A friendly stare down between the coaches closes out the season and with that, “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn” is in the books.

For the latest on The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.