Both fighters stood up for the entirety of the fight. Wren rushed Nelson early and landed six or seven punches that forced Nelson to clinch up, but the former International Fight League champion slowed the pace and began beating Wren to the punch more often than not, mostly with straight shots and jabs. Wren’s arms hung down tiredly around his waist by the end of the second round, allowing Nelson to wrack up points.
Nelson won 20-18 on two scorecards; a third judge had the fight a draw. White said Nelson “squeaks out a win” and believed the fight should have gone to the third round. He also said Nelson was not producing exciting fights despite his proclamations to the contrary. Jon Madsen meets Brendan Schaub in another quarter-final next week.
The latest episode mostly revolved around Matt Mitrione’s battle with a headache, which had him discombobulated and forgetting who it was he beat in the first round. The condition was not enough, however, to convince him to bow out of the tournament. Coach Quinton Jackson hinted, yet again, that ratings juggernaut Kimbo Slice should fill in if Mitrione cannot fight because he is the most improved fighter in the house.
The episode drew an average of 2.4 million viewers on Spike TV, the lowest of the season but still on track to ensure Season 10 will be the most-watched in series history.
Spike TV released previews of the rest of the season that hint where things are headed. Slice apparently battles an injury on the Nov. 18 episode; there will be no episode the night before Thanksgiving. The final two episodes will air back-to-back on Dec. 2. The last two quarter-final fights will air in hour one, and the two bouts to determine the final will air in the second hour.