The Ultimate Fighter 28 Episode 5 Recap: Team Whittaker Gains Momentum

The fifth episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters featured the third heavyweight bout of the season between Team Whittaker’s Michel Batista and Team Gastelum’s Josh Parisian. Team Whittaker picked up their first win in episode 4 and built on that momentum.

The Fight: Michel Batista vs. Josh Parisian

Batista, an Olympian in wrestling, wanted to get the fight to the ground as quickly as possible. Eight seconds into the fight Batista had Parisian on the canvas. Parisian worked his way back to his feet but couldn’t escape the grasp of the Cuban. Batista repeatedly took Parisian down in the opening frame. Parisian didn’t have an answer for Batista’s Olympic-level grappling.

Parisian pressed forward to start the second round but Batista quickly changed levels to secure an early takedown. He delivered a series of short left hands as Parisian desperately tried to stand. Batista’s relentless pressure prevented Parisian from mounting any offense. Parisian worked his way back to his feet only to be slammed back to the canvas. Batista continued to land left hands until the referee had seen enough and stepped in to stop the fight.

This article first appeared at News – MMAWeekly.com