The Ultimate Fighter saw #4 seed Jessica Penne dominate #13 seed Lisa Ellis on the third episode. The two met at Invicta FC 1, and Penne won that battle by brutalizing Ellis’ face after a back-and-forth fight. On TUF it was not nearly as competitive, as Penne steamrolled her.
The episode kicked off with Dana White delivering heartbreaking news to Bec Rawlings as her step-father passed away. Everyone offered their condolences, and the UFC allowed her to call home and speak with her mother.
Moving on to brighter subjects, this show was pretty straightforward with no real surprises. With that said, let’s have a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from the third episode.
The Good:
- Team Melendez came to the house to give Rawlings some flowers, and to offer any help they could give to her during the difficult time. A good showing from all involved.
- Penne’s childhood bullying provided good insight into her background. While the situation itself was not good, getting to know her on a more personal level was for the show.
- Penne’s performance was seamless. Quick, dominating. Perhaps Ellis didn’t want to be in there, but I am not sure that it would have mattered much. Penne advances to the next round without any issue and without any injuries.
The Bad:
- Rawlings got news that her step-father had passed away. That was certainly the low-light of the show.
- “I lost my mean” is what Ellis said half-jokingly, but her coaches felt the same. It was a concern, and it showed during the fight. Did having a baby take away some of her hunger for fighting? That is something only Ellis knows for certain, but it definitely looked like it on this episode.
- Heather Clark continues to get under the skin of her teammates, and she is not coming off the best on this season. She can be the nicest, most caring person off the show, but that is not broadcast to nearly a million viewers each week.
- The TUF jokes have often been poor, and the granny panty business of Team Melendez (and subsequently Team Pettis) falls in that category. It was not funny and was not very inventive.
The Ugly:
Nothing
• Jessica Penne vs. Lisa Ellis: Jessica Penne def. Lisa Ellis via submission (rear-naked choke) in Round 1.
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