Eric Spicely is a contestant on Season 23 of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs Team Claudia. He will be offering episode previews and insights from his time on the show throughout the season.
The fight between Lanchana and Helen was a total war. They both wanted to win that fight and despite both being kind of inexperienced in some aspects of MMA they both showed a ton of heart and fought hard until the end. It was a very close fight with Lanchana landing hard shots on the feet. Helen tried to work her way inside and didn’t mind eating a few on the way. I gave the third round to Lanchana. She landed more shots, did more damage and did enough to win. Helen did get a takedown and controlled the center but she didn’t do as much damage. It was a razor thin win for sure but I was so happy and ecstatic that Lanchana got the victory. She worked so hard and was kind of an underdog coming in. She showed veteran skills, used her length well and only made small mistakes. The win also gave us control for the next pick, which just so happens to be yours truly.
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Helen was very emotional leading up to the fight and afterwards. She’s a very tough resilient person but sometimes I think she can be pretty hard on herself. It was hard to see her so sad and for us to be so happy. I have never lost a fight in my pro career so I can’t really imagine what it’s like to lose when it’s all on the line. This is the biggest time of all of our pro careers and each fight is incredibly important. So I can imagine getting this far and failing would be very hard. Plus losing and not having your friends, your family and your support system can be incredibly difficult. To work this hard and lose only to go back to the house and sit has to be one of the worst things that could happen.
I can only speak for myself but I take fighting very serious. I train very hard because I do not want to feel what it’s like to lose. I know Helen had a rough few weeks when she got here and she went out and fought three rounds in what was one of the most exciting fights so far. That just speaks to what kind of person she is and I know the future is bright for her.
I was picked next to fight 6-foot-5 Elias Urbina. I’ve said my prayers, taken my vitamins and drank my milk. I believe I’m one of the best guys here and I’m ready to prove it. If I tell you the sun's not going to come up tomorrow, well you better go out and get yourself a god damn flashlight.
