The 20th season of the UFC’s hit reality series The Ultimate Fighter trucked on Wednesday evening with Episode 8.
After Team Gilbert Melendez earned its first win courtesy of Rose Namajunas’ handiwork in Episode 7, Bec Rawlings looked to keep her team’s momentum alive as she faced Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres of Team Anthony Pettis.
Interestingly, Torres lost earlier in the season to Team Pettis’ Randa Markos, but an injury to cast-mate Justine Kish gave The Tiny Tornado a second chance at gold. However, she had to turn in her Team Melendez jersey for one of Team Pettis’, something that irked the other women and sparked some tension in the house.
In the end, though, the drama takes a backseat to the action inside the cage, and Rawlings and Torres engaged in a fun, gritty two-round scrap.
Fight Recap
Torres largely controlled Round 1 with her in-and-out, quick, darting striking style.
While Rawlings tried her best to turn the fight into a dirty battle against the cage, Torres circled out well and avoided these situations for the most part. When the two stood toe-to-toe and swung, each woman had her moments, but no significant damage was inflicted throughout the round.
It was close, and you could potentially make a claim for Rawlings stealing the round because of her more powerful strikes, but I saw this one for Torres.
10-9, Torres
Suspecting that Rawlings may have dropped the first frame, Melendez implored his fighter to turn it up in Round 2 and to pursue the finish.
Apparently, his words rang loud and clear, because Rawlings kicked off the round with fire, landing some big strikes and executing a beautiful hip toss to plant Torres on the canvas. Once there though, Torres worked back to her feet in about 20 seconds, where she then resumed her controlled, calculated method of striking.
With roughly two minutes left in the round, Torres began to look for a takedown in hopes of sealing the round and, potentially, the fight. Rawlings showcased some nice takedown defense for over a minute, but Torres’ determination eventually won out, as she secured a single leg against the cage with 30 seconds left.
While she did not inflict any major damage once on top, Torres ended the round with superior position, something that looks nice in the judges’ eyes.
This one was closer than round one, and a case can be made for it being Rawlings’ round, but I’ll stick with Torres again.
10-9
Both coaches felt that a third round was imminent, but the judges rendered their decision after 10 minutes of action, awarding Torres with the victory. She will advance to the quarterfinals.
Winner: Tecia Torres via decision
After the fight, the quarterfinal matchups were announced in full. Here’s what we have to look forward to as the season continues:
Other notes and observations from the episode:
- Rawlings talked about her two children in a touching segment, saying that her three- and five-year-olds are her motivation.
- In addition, Rawlings commented on her own upbringing, which saw her bounce from house to house with no stability. She also talked about a past abusive relationship, commenting that getting beat up by men in sparring sometimes reminds her of those dark days.
- Calderwood and Namajunas had a super intense staredown during the quarterfinal announcements. Neither lady would break eye contact, and the coaches had to pull them away. That fight is going to rule.
- The coaches’ challenge this year will be trivia. Instead of the usual athletic competition, Pettis will pit his brain against Melendez’s. That could be fun.
- Overall, the season is primed for a strong finish. This episode was not super packed with intrigue, but it set the quarterfinals, which is where things will get interesting.
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