Episode No. 8 recap: 'The Ultimate Fighter 20: Team Pettis vs. Team Melendez'

Episode No. 8 of “The Ultimate Fighter 20: Team Pettis vs. Team Melendez” opens with tension in the “TUF” house with Team Melendez. After Tecia Torres reentered the competition and was placed on Team Pettis, her former teammates feel uncomfortable living in the same room and want her to leave.

Bec Rawling in particular, who fights Torres later in the episode, wants Torres and Heather Clark to switch rooms. Clark is unwilling to oblige when confronted, but the subject is far from over.

At the next Team Melendez training session, coach Gilbert Melendez prepares Rawlings for her upcoming bout. He praises her boxing skills and says he fully expects a winning outcome against Torres.

Rawlings says she’s inspired to fight by her two children, ages 3 and 5. She’s now a single parent after recently escaping what she calls an abusive relationship, a discussion that makes her quite emotional.

“It took a lot of people to help get me out of the situation,” Rawlings says. “No matter what you did in the past or in the present, it doesn’t give anyone the right to treat you like an animal.”

The following day, both teams and the coaches visit a Las Vegas hotel for a pool party and to watch a UFC on FOX event. The topic of Torres and Clark moving rooms is brought up again. Torres says she’s not willing to inconvenience herself before a big fight, but she may consider moving afterward.

Torres attempts to focus on her fight and says she’s determined to make the most of her second opportunity. After Justine Kish was removed from the tournament due to a knee injury, UFC President Dana White selected Torres, whom Randa Markos upset in the first matchup of the season, to return.

Fight day arrives, and the eighth and final preliminary-round contest of the “TUF 20” tournament is underway.

No. 3 Tecia Torres vs. No. 8 Bec Rawlings

Round 1 – Referee Herb Dean oversees the action. Torres lands the first significant blow with a front kick to the body. She follows with two more body kicks. Rawlings counters a fourth kick attempt with a combination. Torres lands a leg kick and then pushes forward with a series of punches, and it’s clear she’s the far more active fighter as Rawlings struggles with her range. Torres lands two uppercuts from the clinch before Rawlings begins to throw kicks to the legs and body. Torres gets inside with combinations to the body and head. She’s much faster and is able to get in and out with ease. Rawlings lands strikes from the clinch, but Torres quickly breaks free. Torres continues to pepper Rawlings with punches and kicks to the body. Rawlings tries to close the distance and clinches against the cage. Torres reverses and holds the position. Rawlings breaks free, and both fighters throw a wild flurry of strikes as the round comes to an end.

Round 2 – Torres opens with a multiple kicks to the legs and body, and she then presses forward, but Rawlings clinches and lands a hip toss. Rawlings moves into the guard but can’t do anything with it as Torres creates space to stand up. Rawlings begins to throw with more frequency and tags Torres with a combination. Torres is strict with her game plan as she lands more kicks from range. Torres clinches and presses Rawlings against the cage. She drops for a takedown, but Rawlings defends well and breaks free into the center of the octagon. Torres lands a hard left hand. Rawlings charges forward, and Torres ducks under with a takedown attempt. She then fights hard for the takedown, and despite eating a few hard elbows to the head, finally gets Rawlings down. Rawlings grabs the arm and tries a kimura, but time runs out before Torres is put in any danger.

Tecia Torres def. Bec Rawlings via unanimous decision

Torres earns the seventh victory of the season for Team Pettis, who improve to 7-1 in the competition. With eight fighters advancing into the next round, the quarterfinal matchups are announced in the order they’ll be fought.

• No. 7 Felice Herrig (Team Pettis) vs. No. 14 Markos (Team Pettis)
• No. 4 Jessica Penne (Team Pettis) vs. No. 5 Aisling Daly (Team Pettis)
• No. 1 Carla Esparza (Team Pettis) vs. No. 3 Torres (Team Pettis)
• No. 2 Joanna Calderwood (Team Pettis) vs. No. 7 Rose Namajunas (Team Melendez)

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Catch new episodes of “The Ultimate Fighter 20: Team Pettis vs. Team Melendez” every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) on FOX Sports 1. MMAjunkie recaps each episode of the reality series.