Episode No. 8 recap: 'The Ultimate Fighter 24: Tournament of Champions'

Episode No. 8 of “The Ultimate Fighter 24: Tournament of Champions” opens with UFC President Dana White reviewing the opening round of tournament fights and previewing the first quarterfinal matchup, which will pit Team Cejudo teammates Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Kara-France against each other.

Before the next round of action goes on, though, the coaching staffs from both teams surprise the athletes at the “TUF” house for a mid-season party. Coaches Henry Cejudo and Joseph Benavidez arrive with pool games, alcohol and food for the fighters to enjoy.

Once the party wraps up, the fighters take the rest of the day to relax before turning the focus back to training and fight preparation.

Coach Cejudo says he intends on stepping aside for the matchup between No. 1 Pantoja and No. 9 Kara-France. He personally won’t provide coaching to either fighter, but will split the assistant coaching staff between Pantoja and Kara-France.

At the next Team Benavidez training session, striking coach Duane “Bang” Ludwig arrives at the “TUF” gym to serve as a guest coach for a few days. Ludwig helps train Team Benavidez, but in a surprising twist, coach Benavidez invites all of Team Cejudo, with the exception of coach Cejudo, to come train with Ludwig, as well.

Coach Cejudo encourages the athletes to accept Benavidez’s offer but admits he feels somewhat slighted by the gesture, and it only makes his upcoming fight with Benavidez, which will take place at The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale on Dec. 3, even more personal.

The following day, several members of Team Cejudo take up the offer to work with coach Ludwig. All the fighters seem to enjoy the process, especially because many of the athletes haven’t had the chance to train with certain competitors from the opposing team.

At the official weigh-in, Pantoja and Kara-France come in under the 126-pound flyweight limit, and the first tournament quarterfinal matchup of the season is official. A friendly staredown between teammates follows.

Fight day arrives and the fighters head to the training center to finalize preparations before they step in the octagon for competition.

No. 1 Alexandre Pantoja (16-2) vs. No. 9 Kai Kara-France (12-5)

Round 1 – Pantoja shoots for a takedown almost immediately and puts Kara-France on his back. He quickly scrambles back to his feet, but Pantoja hangs on to a leg and pushes Kara-France’s back toward the cage. Pantoja gets sloppy with his takedown technique, allowing Kara-France to break free and throw a combination of strikes that’s mostly blocked. Pantoja immediately initiates another grappling sequence, shooting for a takedown then transitioning onto Kara-France’s back. He slips free, but again, Pantoja is still hanging on. He takes Kara-France’s back again, but he escapes danger and creates distance to strike. Pantoja comes with a flying knee but is met by an overhand right. Pantoja is trying to close the distance with his strikes to get inside, but Kara-France is using good foot movement to stay away and land his strikes. The pace begins to slow with the offensive output of both sides becoming much more measured. Kara-France uses the jab well and Pantoja is answering with kicks to the legs and body of his opponent. Pantoja lands a stinging overhand, but Kara-France takes it and continues to move forward. Pantoja shoots for another takedown just before the end of the round, but it’s easily stuffed.

Round 2 – Kara-France opens with a big uppercut. Pantoja fires back with a hard body kick before shooting for a takedown. Kara-France easily denies it again. Kara-France is pressuring but it’s a pair of big punches and a grazing head kick from Pantoja which causes him to back up. Pantoja is upping his striking volume, throwing heavy kicks to the body and legs, as well as fast hand combinations. Kara-France struggles to find openings for his own strikes, and the leg kicks of Pantoja are starting to slow his movement. Pantoja fails on another set of takedown attempts, and that gives Kara-France the confidence to move forward and attack the head and body of his opponent. Pantoja shuts down the progress with more kicks and punches off the counter, and it’s obvious Kara-France is becoming increasingly frustrated. Pantoja gets inside for a takedown and is able to grab Kara-France and push him toward the fence. He can’t connect his hands to complete it, though, and once again Kara-France breaks free and looks strike. Pantoja’s counters continue to be devastating, though, and despite a late charge from Kara-France, the Brazilian cruises to the final bell.

Alexandre Pantoja def. Kai Kara-France via unanimous decision

Pantoja earns the first decision victory of any fighter on the season after the opening round consisted of all stoppages. He says he would have liked to finish the fight but was aware that with two more fights potentially ahead, he needed to approach the bout with Kara-France in a methodical matter.

“Kai is a very young and experienced fighter – I was a little hesitant to come out looking to trade,” Pantoja says. “I’m still a little hurt from my last fight, and if I hurt myself even more, it would be hard to advance to the semifinal. So, I fought a more strategic and calm fight.”

Pantoja becomes the first fighter to advance to the tournament semifinal and will next face the winner of No. 5 Hiromasa Ogikubo from Team Benavidez and No. 13 Adam Antolin of Team Cejudo, who are set to clash on the next episode.

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Catch new episodes of “The Ultimate Fighter 24: Tournament of Champions” every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) on FS1. MMAjunkie recaps each episode of the reality series.