Justin Wren Puts Wes Sims To Sleep on SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter 10

Heavyweight Justin Wren (8-1) choked “Whole Show” Wes Sims (22-13-1) unconscious in the first round of an exhibition fight on SpikeTV’s The Ultimate Fighter 10 Wednesday night.

UFC President Dana White gave the 6’10″ three-time UFC vet, Sims, the advantage, but neither Sims’s six-inch reach advantage nor his 35-fights worth of experience came into play in the short contest.

Wren, a Greco-Roman wrestler – “Whatever the fuck that is,” as “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (3-1) put it – shot on Sims to open the fight, then climbed a level to press Sims against the cage with double underhooks.  Sims defended himself well with a body lock and knees to Wren’s gut before Sims rolled away from the cage.

With some distance between him and Wren, Sims extended a long teep kick that he followed into the Thai clinch.  But, Wren muscled Sims to his back, then passed effortlessly from side control to full mount.  Wren wrapped his meaty arm around Sims for an arm triangle then stepped to the side to finish the choke.

Referee Herb Dean shook Sims’s arm three times until it went limp on the final shake and Dean pulled Wren off and revived Sims.

“I underestimated him,” Sims admitted after the fight.  “You saw what happened.  If I could remember, I’d tell you.”

White ate crow, saying, “I don’t know what happened to Wes Sims since he fought in the UFC.”

Wren’s victory gives Team Rashad, coached by Fighters.com’s third-ranked light heavyweight “Sugar” Rashad Evans (13-1-1), an astounding 5-0 lead over Team Rampage, coached by now-retired fifth-ranked “Rampage” Quinton Jackson (28-7).

After the fight, Evans confronted Jackson in a tense exchange about Jackson not entering the Octagon to support his fighters after they lose.  Jackson contended that he supports his fighters in the locker room after their loss.