TEAM FABER’S JOHN COFER vs. TEAM CRUZ’S VINC PICHEL
Friday, April 20, LIVE on FX at 10 p.m. ET/PT
The Ultimate Fighter® Live on FX continues tomorrow/Friday, live on FX at 10 p.m. ET/PT (Delayed on the West Coast) when Team Faber’s John Cofer (7-1), of Hull, Ga., takes on Team Cruz’s Vinc Pichel (7-0), of Sherman Oaks, Calif., for a spot in the quarterfinals.
With Team Faber’s Joe Proctor notching a victory over Team Cruz’s Chris Tickle last week, Faber’s squad now leads that of his bitter rival 3-2. Down 0-2 at one point, Team Faber has won three in a row.
Below is a description of the upcoming “Weather the Storm” episode:
“Cruz gives Chris Tickle an earful following his loss. After Faber comes to his defense, the coaches get into a heated exchange. With the tensions at the house taking a toll on him, Andy Ogle has an emotional breakdown during practice. Then Vinc Pichel and John Cofer face off in the sixth preliminary fight.”
Cofer and Pichel are looking to move into the quarterfinals along with previous winners James Vick, Justin Lawrence, Al Iaquinta, Michael Chiesa and Proctor.
The 13-week season will culminate with a championship fight and three-hour finale on June 1 at the Pearl Palms Concert Theater in Las Vegas. The coaches will then meet on July 7 at UFC 148, when Cruz defends his title against Faber in the rubber match of their epic rivalry.
Below are select quotes from Cofer and Pichel. Please let us know if you’d like to have the fighters answer any more questions.
JOHN COFER:
Through five weeks, it has been a season of streaks. Team Cruz won the first two, Team Faber the last three? What's the mood of your team, and how has it changed, etc?
“The mood throughout the season has been pretty good, even when we were down, we never felt like we were out. It is an individual sport but when your teammates win, it boosts moral. For the most part, I think we've done really well cohesively to stay positive.”
Do you feel pressure to keep the streak going?
“There's pressure, but it's not from wanting to keep a win streak going. There's pressure from wanting myself to move onto the next round. I also want to win to try and help my teammates get their next pick in the last two fights. So there's some pressure either way.”
What is your mood going into the fight and what do you have to do to win? Is it important just to win, or do you want to win impressively?
“I'm definitely happy to be fighting, I'm glad that my time is now. I'm confident and feel like it's my fight to win. I just have to fight, push the pace, not get desperate, be patient and if there's an opportunity to finish him with a [submission] or if I end up getting a knockout, great. If not, then I just need to continue to push that pace through the 10 minutes.”
How difficult is it to sit and watch during the weeks you weren't fighting? Is it a relief to actually be fighting?
“I wouldn't really say it was difficult to sit and watch. There's always that monkey on your back to get out there and do it yourself. I'm sure once you actually go in there and win it's actually quite a relief. I'm anticipating having that relief!”
Is there anything that's happened in the first five weeks that's surprised you?
“Not really [laugh]. I'm really enjoying my time here. It's definitely a blessing and I'm thankful to have this opportunity. That doesn't mean I don't miss home and I'm not ready to go home but at the same time I'm here to do work and I'm here for a purpose. I'm thankful not just to be here but to have this opportunity, and hopefully I'll make the best of it.”
VINC PICHEL:
Through five weeks, it has been a season of streaks. Team Cruz won the first two, Team Faber the last three? What's the mood of your team, and how has it changed, etc?
“The mood on our team hasn't really changed too much. We're definitely a little bummed that we lost the last three, but in fighting you win some and you lose some. We're not dwelling on it; we're looking ahead and focusing on the next fight. It's one fight at a time. It does bother us but we're not letting it drag us down. We're concentrating on our training and what we have to do to get the hammer back.”
Do you feel pressure to reverse the trend?
“Enormous pressure [laugh]. We had it in our minds that we were going to sweep these guys. Then they came back and won the last three fights and surprised the hell out of us. You know in the back of your head that you could lose a fight, it's always there. It actually happening though kind of 'kicks you in the pants' you could say. There is a lot of pressure on me to get the hammer back and to win a fight for us. I'm trying not to think about it and just to think about my fight that's ahead of me.”
What is your mood going into the fight and what do you have to do to win? Is it important just to win, or do you want to win impressively?
“I'm extremely focused. I feel really good. What I have to do to win is honestly just finish him, either knock him out or submit him. I'm not looking to let the judges decide my fate, I never have and I never will. I'm going to go out there and win or get knocked out trying. That's the way I see it.”
How difficult is it to sit and watch during the weeks you weren't fighting? Is it a relief to actually be fighting?
“It's very difficult to sit and watch people fight. You watch your teammates fight and you see things while they're fighting that you don't see when you're in there. That's why you have coaches, because they see what you don't. That's why they're in the corner yelling stuff at you because they see what's open. I feel the same way when I'm watching my teammates. When they win, it's great and you're winning with them. When they lose, you feel like crap because you lose with them. It feels good and it hurts at the same time.”
Is there anything that's happened in the first five weeks that's surprised you?
“What I have been surprised about is the pranks. There hasn't been that many… yet. Just little stuff like that. It has been a great experience and I can't wait to add a win to that.”
Friday, April 20, LIVE on FX at 10 p.m. ET/PT
The Ultimate Fighter® Live on FX continues tomorrow/Friday, live on FX at 10 p.m. ET/PT (Delayed on the West Coast) when Team Faber’s John Cofer (7-1), of Hull, Ga., takes on Team Cruz’s Vinc Pichel (7-0), of Sherman Oaks, Calif., for a spot in the quarterfinals.
With Team Faber’s Joe Proctor notching a victory over Team Cruz’s Chris Tickle last week, Faber’s squad now leads that of his bitter rival 3-2. Down 0-2 at one point, Team Faber has won three in a row.
Below is a description of the upcoming “Weather the Storm” episode:
“Cruz gives Chris Tickle an earful following his loss. After Faber comes to his defense, the coaches get into a heated exchange. With the tensions at the house taking a toll on him, Andy Ogle has an emotional breakdown during practice. Then Vinc Pichel and John Cofer face off in the sixth preliminary fight.”
Cofer and Pichel are looking to move into the quarterfinals along with previous winners James Vick, Justin Lawrence, Al Iaquinta, Michael Chiesa and Proctor.
The 13-week season will culminate with a championship fight and three-hour finale on June 1 at the Pearl Palms Concert Theater in Las Vegas. The coaches will then meet on July 7 at UFC 148, when Cruz defends his title against Faber in the rubber match of their epic rivalry.
Below are select quotes from Cofer and Pichel. Please let us know if you’d like to have the fighters answer any more questions.
JOHN COFER:
Through five weeks, it has been a season of streaks. Team Cruz won the first two, Team Faber the last three? What's the mood of your team, and how has it changed, etc?
“The mood throughout the season has been pretty good, even when we were down, we never felt like we were out. It is an individual sport but when your teammates win, it boosts moral. For the most part, I think we've done really well cohesively to stay positive.”
Do you feel pressure to keep the streak going?
“There's pressure, but it's not from wanting to keep a win streak going. There's pressure from wanting myself to move onto the next round. I also want to win to try and help my teammates get their next pick in the last two fights. So there's some pressure either way.”
What is your mood going into the fight and what do you have to do to win? Is it important just to win, or do you want to win impressively?
“I'm definitely happy to be fighting, I'm glad that my time is now. I'm confident and feel like it's my fight to win. I just have to fight, push the pace, not get desperate, be patient and if there's an opportunity to finish him with a [submission] or if I end up getting a knockout, great. If not, then I just need to continue to push that pace through the 10 minutes.”
How difficult is it to sit and watch during the weeks you weren't fighting? Is it a relief to actually be fighting?
“I wouldn't really say it was difficult to sit and watch. There's always that monkey on your back to get out there and do it yourself. I'm sure once you actually go in there and win it's actually quite a relief. I'm anticipating having that relief!”
Is there anything that's happened in the first five weeks that's surprised you?
“Not really [laugh]. I'm really enjoying my time here. It's definitely a blessing and I'm thankful to have this opportunity. That doesn't mean I don't miss home and I'm not ready to go home but at the same time I'm here to do work and I'm here for a purpose. I'm thankful not just to be here but to have this opportunity, and hopefully I'll make the best of it.”
VINC PICHEL:
Through five weeks, it has been a season of streaks. Team Cruz won the first two, Team Faber the last three? What's the mood of your team, and how has it changed, etc?
“The mood on our team hasn't really changed too much. We're definitely a little bummed that we lost the last three, but in fighting you win some and you lose some. We're not dwelling on it; we're looking ahead and focusing on the next fight. It's one fight at a time. It does bother us but we're not letting it drag us down. We're concentrating on our training and what we have to do to get the hammer back.”
Do you feel pressure to reverse the trend?
“Enormous pressure [laugh]. We had it in our minds that we were going to sweep these guys. Then they came back and won the last three fights and surprised the hell out of us. You know in the back of your head that you could lose a fight, it's always there. It actually happening though kind of 'kicks you in the pants' you could say. There is a lot of pressure on me to get the hammer back and to win a fight for us. I'm trying not to think about it and just to think about my fight that's ahead of me.”
What is your mood going into the fight and what do you have to do to win? Is it important just to win, or do you want to win impressively?
“I'm extremely focused. I feel really good. What I have to do to win is honestly just finish him, either knock him out or submit him. I'm not looking to let the judges decide my fate, I never have and I never will. I'm going to go out there and win or get knocked out trying. That's the way I see it.”
How difficult is it to sit and watch during the weeks you weren't fighting? Is it a relief to actually be fighting?
“It's very difficult to sit and watch people fight. You watch your teammates fight and you see things while they're fighting that you don't see when you're in there. That's why you have coaches, because they see what you don't. That's why they're in the corner yelling stuff at you because they see what's open. I feel the same way when I'm watching my teammates. When they win, it's great and you're winning with them. When they lose, you feel like crap because you lose with them. It feels good and it hurts at the same time.”
Is there anything that's happened in the first five weeks that's surprised you?
“What I have been surprised about is the pranks. There hasn't been that many… yet. Just little stuff like that. It has been a great experience and I can't wait to add a win to that.”
