Episode No. 10 recap: 'The Ultimate Fighter 21: ATT vs. Blackzilians'

American Top Team (top) and the Blackzilians

Episode No. 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter 21: ATT vs. Blackzilians” opens with Blackzilians owner Glenn Robinson gloating over his team’s dominant effort thus far in the competition.

Robinson is proud his team owns a 300-100 lead in points and is one victory away from deciding the season. ATT’s Dan Lambert knows that his team has its back against the wall and announces that, “there is no margin for error.”

ATT discusses which fighter will compete in arguably the most important contest of the season. Nathan Coy, who suffered a third-round submission defeat to Vincente Luque on Episode No. 7, will be granted a second opportunity to prove his worth.

Coy, 36, is one of the most experienced fighters on the cast. He says he got “too excited” in his first bout, but feels comfortable in the high-pressure spot.

Blackzilians select Valdir Araujo to represent the team in the upcoming bout. The coaches predict ATT will select a different fighter from Coy, but Araujo says he’ll be ready to fight anyone pitted against him in the octagon.

Araujo stopped high-touted ATT fighter Steve Carl with a second-round submission on Episode No. 3. It was an important victory for the team over the former WSOF champion and Araujo hopes to deliver a repeat performance.

The following day the fighters get a special visit to the “TUF” House. UFC lightweight Michael Chiesa and featherweight Frankie Edgar arrive to inform fighters from both teams that they’ll be visiting the Harley Davidson Motorcycle shop to pick a custom bike that will be awarded to the winners of the competition at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale on July 12.

The official weigh-in follows, and Coy and Araujo learn they’ll be fighting each other. Both fighters successfully make the welterweight limit and the matchup is official.

The fighters finalize their preparation and game plan and the 10th tournament bout of the season is underway.

Nathan Coy (14-5) vs. Valdir Araujo (14-5)

Round 1 – A flurry of strikes opens the fight. Coy ducks under a punch and completes a single-leg takedown. He controls Araujo on the ground and moves into half guard. Coy then advances to side control and begins to throw heavy ground strikes before being pushed back into guard. Araujo tries to keep active off his back with submission attempts, but Coy stifles him. Coy cuts Araujo above the eye with an elbow during a big onslaught of offense. Coy keeps top position until the final 20 seconds of the round when he stands up as Araujo threatens with a submission. They fight from the clinch before the round comes to an end.

Round 2 – Coy opens the round by pressing forward. He eats a counter combination from Araujo for his trouble. Coy lands a knee from the clinch before Araujo breaks free and throws a flying head kick that cuts Coy and knocks him down. Araujo gets on top and attempts a guillotine choke, but Coy escapes. Araujo briefly secures mount but Coy scrambles free. Coy completes a reversal and takes top position. Coy controls Araujo on the mat and begins to throw punches from half guard. Araujo rolls for a leg lock, but stays heavy on his limbs and rolls on top. Araujo attempts another leg lock off a scramble. He can’t lock it in, though, and Coy gets back on top. Coy has Araujo trapped against the cage on the ground and peppers him with punches. Araujo works for most submissions of his back but don’t have the energy to lock anything in. Coy controls Araujo’s hips and prevents him from completing a stand-up. Coy rides top position until the end of the round.

Nathan Coy def. Valdir Araujo via unanimous decision (20-18, 20-18, 20-18)??Coy gets a much-needed victory for ATT. The team is awarded 100 points for the win and closes the gap in the competition. Blackzilians still lead 300 to 200 in points with two 100-point fights remaining. However, home gym advantage goes back to ATT for the next fight.

Also see:

Catch new episodes of “The Ultimate Fighter 21: ATT vs. Blackzilians” every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) on FOX Sports 1. MMAjunkie recaps each episode of the reality series.

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