TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - It's the fight Josh Samman wanted from day one in The Ultimate Fighter. Tonight, the Tallahassee native duels Jimmy Quinlan in the quarterfinals.
Quinlan is a former Pan Am games Ju Jitsu champion. Tonight's fight will be a contrast of styles between the wrestler Quinlan and Samman, known more for his power and striking capabilities.
"A lotta times when you fight the grapplers," says Samman, "they're not used to being hit, and I hit pretty hard when I hit people. So that was something I was banking on, and hoping I could break him once I started to do some punishment.
Also tonight, a second TUF quarterfinal match will feature Uriah Hall and Bubba McDaniel. The two winners tonight advance to the semifinals, where they will join the winners from last week, Dylan Andrews and Kelvin Gastelum. During the team selections in the first episode of this TUF season, Andrews and Gastelum were the last two picks.
"For (Dylan) to win his quarterfinal matchup, he had to beat the very first pick who was Luke Barnatt," says Samman. "Dylan kind of flew under the radar coming into the house. Kelvin just won upset after upset, every fight that he was in. We'll see how it unfolds for the rest of the season."
Tonight's match will air on FX at 9:00 p.m.
