THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FRIDAYS – EPISODE 11: FIGHT THE PERFECT FIGHT

Las Vegas, Nevada – Episode 11 – “Fight the Perfect Fight” – ofThe Ultimate Fighter® Fridays reality series aired Friday night on FX and featured the final pair of this season’s quarterfinal matchups.

First, after a tense two rounds between evenly matched combatants,Jon Manley took a majority decision over Team Carwin teammate Joey Rivera. Then, things heated up as former friends turned rivals Mike Ricciand Michael Hill entered the Octagon® to finally settle their dispute. And, after pressing the action in both rounds, Ricci nabbed the win via unanimous decision.

Finally, UFC® president Dana White rounded out the episode by announcing the semifinal matchups: teammatesJon Manley and Colton Smith will faceoff and Mike Ricci will take onNeil Magny. The two winners of these matchups will face off in the much-anticipated LIVE Finale on December 15 from The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Here’s what the fighters had to say after their bouts:

Manley: “I’m not very happy with my performance. I did very well in trying to win the fight, but I spar with the guy a lot, I wrestle with him a lot, so I was scared to really exchange with him because in practice he beats my ass.”

Rivera: “I’m a little upset at myself, upset because I didn’t perform the way I should’ve. No excuses, I didn’t step on the gas the way I should’ve and Jon Manley was the better man today.”

Ricci: “I knew he was going to be tough, I knew he was going to come to fight. This means a lot to me, it means everything to me at this point. There are people who believe in me; my family, my friends and my coaches, but a lot of people said I was too small to be in this tournament and I want to prove those people wrong.”

Hill: “It just wasn’t my day today. Ricci came out to fight, I just didn’t give it my all, I didn’t give it 110%. I just let him beat me up for two rounds.”

The final episode will air next week, on Dec. 7 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX (check local listings for Central and Mountain Time).Episode 12 – “Semifinal Showdown” – two semifinal fights determine which two men will move on to fight in the Finale for a coveted UFC contract.

Tickets for The Ultimate Fighter Finale on Dec. 15 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas are on sale and priced at $304, $254, $179, $154, $104 and $79. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit the Hard Rock Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com,www.thejointlasvegas.com or charge-by-phone at 800.745.3000.

Results after episode 11:

Team Carwin (6-6)

Sam Alvey (0-1, lost to Joey Rivera by decision in episode 3)

Bristol Marunde (1-1, defeated Julian Lane by decision in episode 4, lost to Neil Magny by decision in episode 10)

Mike Ricci (2-0, defeated Dom Waters by decision in episode 9, defeated Mike Ricci by decision in episode 11)

Neil Magny (2-0, defeated Cameron Diffley by decision in episode 2, defeated Bristol Marunde by decision in episode 10)

James Chaney (0-1, submitted by Jon Manley in episode 8)

Eddy Ellis (0-1, lost to Colton Smith by majority decision in epsiode 6)

Igor Araujo (1-1, defeated Nic Herron-Webb by majority decision in episode 5, lost to Colton Smith by decision in episode 10)

Matt Secor(0-1, lost to Michael Hill by split decision in episode 7)

Team Nelson (6-6)

Dom Waters (0-1, lost to Mike Ricci by decision in episode 9)

Michael Hill (1-1, defeated Matt Secor by split decision in episode 7, lost to Mike Ricci by decision in episode 11)

Cameron Diffley (0-1, lost to Neil Magny by decision in episode 2)

Colton Smith (2-0, defeated Eddy Ellis by majority decision in episode 6, defeated Igor Araujo by decision in episode 10)

Jon Manley (2-0, submitted James Chaney is episode 8, defeated Joey Rivera by decision in episode 11)

Nic Herron-Webb (0-1, lost to Igor Araujo by majority decision in episode 5)

Joey Rivera (1-1, defeated Sam Alvey by decision in episode 3, lost to Jon Manley by decision in episode 11)

Julian Lane (0-1, lost to Bristol Marunde by decision in episode 4)