After a major upset, The Ultimate Fighter 20 returned for its second episode. #2 seed Joanne Calderwood was set to take on #14 seed Emily Kagan. This fight didn’t need to go to a third round as Calderwood did enough to win the first two. She earned a spot in the quarter-finals against the winner of Rose Namajunas vs. Alex Chambers.
Prior to the fight we got a good amount of the show dedicated to the training of both teams, and a small bit of in-house drama. For all the good, bad, and ugly of the second episode let’s continue on:
The Good:
- The new opening video is fantastic. Head and shoulders above anything they have produced before. Quality intro for the show.
- “Be greedy with your defense,” said Duke Roufus. I love the quote. It’s perfect.
- “If you don’t want it, don’t take it,” said Anthony Pettis when they had a team meeting regarding overcoaching. Pettis laid it on the line. They’ll give tips and pointers, but they don’t have to take the advice.
- Felice Herrig talked her teammates into putting a new pair of panties on the Team Pettis sign everyday. Typically, I would put this in the bad category, but Herrig wants this to be a team-building exercise. I can respect that, and to each their own.
- The home videos of the cast have been a welcome addition this season, and the second episode’s videos were great. Kagan discussed her past in Israel, and we got a look at Calderwood’s home life with her sister and mother. It is a great way to humanize the fighters.
The Bad:
- Herrig flirted with Sergio Pettis, and it’s just not needed. Herrig has always been a flirtatious figure in MMA, but the shtick gets old.
- Jessica Penne was one of the most vocal about the training of Team Pettis, and her concern was not enough positive reinforcement. It may be a valid complaint, but I begin to question athletes who cannot handle criticism. We may need to keep an eye on the Team Pettis training moving forward to see how it effects Penne’s performance.
- Heather Jo Clark seems to be getting on the nerves of some of her teammates, none more than Rose Namajunas. The two rolled off the mat during training, and Clark ended up with a cut near her eye. Training hard is good, but fighters cannot afford getting cuts in this format.
The Ugly:
- There were a couple gratuitous shots of the lower-half of the female fighters during this episode, and it was cringe-worthy. It was not needed, and it was clear what the camera operators were doing. Be better than that.
• Joanne Calderwood vs. Emily Kagan: Joanne Calderwood def. Emily Kagan via majority decision (19-19, 20-18, 20-18).
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