Primm still in running to become Ultimate Fighter

Former MTSU student and Murfreesboro, Tenn. native Shane Primm has survived the first episode of "The Ultimate Fighter," sort of.

The first episode featured eight fights and saw nine fighters eliminated (eight fighters who lost their preliminary bouts plus Jason Guida, who didn't make weight). So far, so good for Primm. Primm didn't fight in the season debut, so there's still no telling whether or not he made it into the fighter house.

The good thing for Primm is that it appears that many of the favorites in the light-heavyweight class fought on the first show. Antwain Britt, Ryan Jimmo, Krzysztof Soszynski and Vinicius Magalhaes all fought on the first show. Magalhaes and Soszynski have to be considered among the favorites to win the competition while Britt and Jimmo were highly touted prospects.

Also eliminated was Jason Guida, who was the most experienced fighter on the show with 34 professional fights. UFC fighter Clay Guida's brother was unable to make weight, and while he wasn't considered a prospect or a favorite to win the whole thing, there were definite expectations for him to win at least a fight or two.

Another fighter of note that did not advance in the 205 lbs. division was Lance Evans. Evans is not considered a prospect nor was he expected to be a mover and shaker during "TUF" but he is well known for being UFC light-heavyweight contender Rashad Evans older brother.

While Primm's opponent for the next episode is unknown and this week's episode eliminated a lot of tough bouts for the 23-year old.

Ryan "Darth" Bader is 7-0 and trains out of Arizona Combat Sports. ACS is a very respected gym that serves as the training home for last season's "TUF" finalist C.B. Dollaway and WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner. Of the twelve fighters that are not eliminated, Bader has to be considered one of the top five favorites.

Kyle Kingsbury (7-1) trains out of American Kickboxing Academy which boasts numerous current and former UFC fighters, including Mike Swick, Josh Koscheck, Cain Velasquez, Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson, Rich Crunkilton and Paul Buentello. AKA can certainly boast a roster full of top-level fighters. Kingsbury also will be one of the bigger competitors considering he used to compete at heavyweight and has a 6' 4" frame.

Eliot Marshall (5-1) trains in Colorado in the well traveled Duane "Bang" Ludwig's camp. He also is a former Ring of Fire light-heavyweight champion. ROF is a smaller promotion which has served as a platform which fighters can cut their teeth before hitting the big time. Marshall has trained with former ROF vets Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, now a contender for Varner's WEC title, Luke Caudillo, a UFC vet, and Shane Carwin, one of the UFC's top heavyweight prospects.

Tom Lawlor (4-1) should be no stranger to Primm, considering Primm's only pro fight was against Lawlor. While Primm did win that contest, it was a disqualification 24 seconds into the first round. Lawlor trains with one of the top camps in the nation in American Top Team. ATT is the home of numerous elite fighters, including Thiago Alves, Marcus Aurelio, Mike Brown, Roan Carneiro, Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante, Yves Edwards, Luigi Fioravanti, Wilson Gouveia, Denis Kang, Jeff Monson, Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva, Thiago Silva and many, many more. In fact, there are at least 22 fighters from ATT that have fought in either the UFC or the defunct PRIDE organization. Who knows how good Lawlor is, but he certainly comes from a top camp.

As promised, I am posting the link to my story about Primm. Take a look at it if you want to know more about him.

http://media.www.mtsusidelines.com/media/storage/paper202/news/2008/09/15/Sports/Former.Mt.Student.To.Compete.For.Ufc.Contract-3430307.shtml

I hate to sound biased, but I have talked to him twice (once over the phone and once in person) and he seems like a good guy, so I'll definitely be rooting for him on the show