While there wasn’t an actual fight, the second season of “The Ultimate Fighter” kicked off with a bang as three hopefuls left the competition and waved goodbye to their shots at a six-figure UFC contract.
The most unfortunate departure was that of Kerry Schall, who was forced to leave after suffering an injury during training. The other two, while enough to create television drama, were not viewed as honorable by the remaining contestants.
In an announcement to his peers, Eli Joslin quit, citing mental difficulties. Prior to officially withdrawing from the competition, Joslin complained to Dana White, Coach Rich Franklin and Coach Matt Hughes about the anxiety of being part of the show.
After being named the “weakest link” by White, Franklin and Hughes, Kenny Stevens’ only shot at remaining on the show was to defeat fellow contestant Sammy Morgan in a fight. Despite spending many hours cutting weight, Stevens eventually deemed himself unable to reach the necessary mark (170 pounds) and decided to withdraw. At the time of his decision, he was only five pounds away from reaching his goal.
Because an extra heavyweight left this week, a replacement will join the show on next week’s episode.
