Las Vegas, Nevada - The first-ever active duty member of the United States Armed Forces claimed his first preliminary round win of the competition, as Staff Sgt. Colton Smith won a majority decision over Eddy Ellis on The Ultimate Fighter® Fridays episode six - "One Mission" - that aired on FX on Friday evening.

Colton Smith

The victory gets Team Nelson, coached by UFC® heavyweight Roy Nelson, back in the game, as they cut the gap down to one. Team Carwin, led by former UFC interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin, continues to lead with a 3-2 advantage after five preliminary bouts.

Smith, 24, a Ranger-tabbed infantryman from Fort Hood, Tex., is also a Combatives Instructor who teaches hand-to-hand combat to soldiers being readied for deployment. The father of two, 3-1 in his professional mixed martial arts career, is also a former congressional escort who has been to over 25 different countries before landing in Las Vegas for the show.

"Eddy is a great mixed martial artist but I knew coming in I would prevail, especially faced with adversity like I did in round one. I felt very accomplished but realized I wasn't on top of my game in the first round and made the fight a lot harder on myself. I know I need to be more awake in round one in the future and implement my game plan from bell to bell in order to be victorious. I am a big believer in being a team player and I realize winning for Team Nelson could change the tide of the entire season."

A die-hard Ultimate Fighter fan, Ellis, 28, has been signing up for the show since season two. Upon finally getting his chance, the 17-15-1 MMA fighter and avid bull-riding rodeo fan wasn't overly impressed with his performance.

Eddy Ellis

"After the fight, I felt disappointed with my performance. It seemed like I couldn't find my rhythm, even during the first round I got caught up in the excitement. In the second round, things were still chaotic in my mind. I wasn't able to settle down and implement my fight. I would have collected myself after catching him, settled down, thought clearly, and finished an obviously hurt opponent.

"The mood on Team Carwin after my fight was surprisingly lifted not because I had lost but because I had really fought. The first few fights were rather lack-luster so after watching me go out hard and exciting, it made the other guys want to do the same."

Tickets for The Ultimate Fighter® Finale on Dec. 15 at TheJoint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas are on sale and priced at $304, $254, $179, $154, $104 and $79. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit the Hard Rock Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com, www.thejointlasvegas.com or charge-by-phone at 800.745.3000.

Results after episode six:

Team Carwin (3-2)
Sam Alvey (0-1, lost to Joey Rivera by decision in episode 3)
Bristol Marunde (1-0, defeatedJulian Lane by decision in episode 4)
Mike Ricci
Neil Magny (1-0, defeatedCameron Diffley by decision in episode 2)
James Chaney
Eddy Ellis (0-1, lost to Colton Smith by majority decision in epsiode 6)
Igor Araujo (1-0, defeated Nic Herron-Webb by majority decision in episode 5)
Matt Secor

Team Nelson (2-3)
Dom Waters
Michael Hill
Cameron Diffley (0-1, lost to Neil Magny by decision in episode 2)
Colton Smith (1-0, defeatedEddy Ellis by majority decision in episode 6)
Jon Manley
Nic Herron-Webb (0-1, lost to Igor Araujo by majority decision in episode 5
Joey Rivera (1-0, defeated Sam Alvey by decision in episode 3)
Julian Lane (0-1, lost to Bristol Marunde by decision in episode 4)

A full recap is available at ufc.com.

The series resumes next Friday, Oct. 26, on FX at 10 p.m. ET/PT (check local listings for Central and Mountain Time). In that episode - "Summer Camp" - Coach Roy once again has a fighter choose his own opponent. Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin drops in for training. The feud between Hill and Secor reaches its boiling point. UFC President Dana White expresses his outrage after the result of the sixth preliminary fight.

For more show information, bios, videos and photos, visit ultimatefighter.com and don't forget to follow us on Twitter under our new name @TUFonFX or on Facebook.com/TUF.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Universally recognized for its action-packed, can't-miss events that have sold out some of the biggest arenas and stadiums across the globe, the UFC® is the world's premier mixed martial arts (MMA) organization. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas and with offices in London, Toronto and Beijing, UFC produces more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. In 2011, the UFC burst into the mainstream with a landmark seven-year broadcast agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. The agreement includes four live events broadcast on the FOX networkannually, with additional fight cards and thousands of hours of programmingbroadcast on FOX properties FX and FUEL TV. This also includes the longest-running sports reality show on television, The Ultimate Fighter®, which now airs on FX.

In addition to its reach on FOX, UFC programming is broadcast in over 149 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide, in 20 different languages. UFC content is also distributed commercially in the United States to bars and restaurants through Joe Hand Promotions, in English throughout Canada via Premium Sports Broadcasting Inc. and in French throughout Quebec via Interbox. The UFC also connects with tens of millions of fans through its website, UFC.com, as well as social media sites Facebook and Twitter. UFC President Dana White is considered one of the most accessible and followed executives in sports, with over two million followers on Twitter. Ancillary UFC businesses include best-selling DVDs, an internationally distributed magazine, UFC.TV offering live event broadcasts and video on demand around the world, the best-selling UFC Undisputed® video game franchise distributed byTHQ, and a new franchise in development with EA, UFC GYM®, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo® festivals, branded apparel and trading cards.

\ FX
FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule features a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series Sons of Anarchy and Justified; the miniseries American Horror Story, which earned 17 primetime Emmy® Awards, tying for the most nominations of any program this year and the most nominations for a miniseries in basic cable history; the acclaimed hit comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, Legit, BrandX with Russell Brand, and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell. The network's library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. FX's other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with UFC and NCAA football.