TUF Brazil 4 - Episode Ten Preview

The preliminary round fights will wrap up this week on the latest episode of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4, with the final two lightweights looking to punch their ticket to the semifinals as Team Shogun's Adilson “Jack Godzilla” Fernandes takes on Team Nogueira's last hope, Fernando Bruno.
 
While the fighters have already known for the past couple of weeks that they would be facing off with each other, both Jack Godzilla and Bruno want to put on a show to make their families and friends watching back in Brazil proud of what they are doing. Respect has been at the highest levels between the two teams and the fighters all season long, and that doesn’t change as we get to the final fight in the opening round between Team Shogun and Team Nogueira.
 
Before the focus shifts to the next fight, Reginaldo Vieira will look back at his upset victory over Matheus Mattos from last week's episode. Vieira was eliminated several weeks ago in a very close decision, but got the chance to come back after Giovanni “Soldado” Santos was forced to drop out of the competition due to injury.  In his place, Vieira stepped up and put on his best performance to date as he took out a highly rated prospect in Mattos.
 
While it was tough to watch one Team Nogueira fighter beat another, it somehow still served as a good morale boost for the squad because they needed a win even if it was over each other, and this sets the stage for Bruno stepping in as the final chance to put two guys into the next round of the tournament.
 
The struggles for Team Nogueira have gone beyond just what's been happening inside the Octagon this season because they also can't seem to catch a break when it comes to the team competitions when they face Team Shogun as an entire unit.  From the chance to go skiing to a night spent on top of the Stratosphere hotel, Team Nogueira has had to sit by and watch Team Shogun enjoy the spoils of war both inside and outside the cage because all they seem to do is win.
 
The upcoming episode will mark one more chance for Team Nogueira to notch a win, and with the competition about to reach the semifinal rounds, it would be a nice victory to have this late in the series.  The teams will match up in a competition that involves carrying and sawing logs as a group, but in a strange twist, the final result will also depend on putting the wood pieces back together again.
 
Team Nogueira desperately needs a win here as well, but can they finally come together and get the job done?
 
This week's episode will also mark the final chance for the Octagon Girls to make their case before the final two participants are chosen, with the winner ultimately getting the gig and appearing at The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4 finale in June. The ladies have been a great distraction for the guys all season long, but now the competition dwindles down to just two and the fans will be the ones to vote on the winner.
 
Following the Octagon Girl competition coming to an end, the final elimination round fight takes place between Jack Godzilla and Fernando Bruno.
 
Like so many fights this season, this matchup is a classic striker versus grappler showdown with Jack Godzilla gunning for the knockout while Bruno will definitely try to drag this bout to the mat and get the win by submission. Jack Godzilla will enjoy a nice height and reach advantage, so keeping Bruno on the end of his punches will be easier, but it's also a key if he wants to win this fight. Jack Godzilla can't allow Bruno to dip inside, where he can begin to look for takedowns from the clinch or against the cage.
 
Bruno knows he's got the grappling pedigree to give his opponent problems, but if he starts eating jabs and straight punches in the center of the Octagon, his best weapon could go away in a hurry.  There's also a ton of pressure on Bruno to perform this week as he tries to give Team Nogueira their first legitimate semifinalist after it took an injury and two of their team members fighting each other to get the other person into the next round.
 
Once the fight between Jack Godzilla and Fernando Bruno provides the final participant in the semifinal round, the coaches will work together to select the last four matchups in the lightweight and bantamweight divisions to determine the winner of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4.  Mauricio “Shogun” Rua already knows that the downfall of so much early success is that several of his fighters are going to be forced to face off with each other in the next round of the tournament.
 
If Jack Godzilla is successful this week, that means only one Team Nogueira fighter will be remaining in the entire competition, so the pressure is certainly ratcheted up as the semifinal bouts draw near.  With only five fights left to go for the entire season before the finale, this is a huge episode of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 4 and one that definitely cannot be missed.