Invicta 1, April 28th, 2012, breathed new life into wmma. Strikeforce had collapsed and Dana White was still adamant that women would never have a place in his promotion. A fan pleasing fight that night was Jessica Penne vs Lisa Ellis in which their heads clashed early in the 3rd round. Halfway through the round, Penne managed to flatten Ellis on her stomach and the ref stepped in giving Penne the win by Ground and Pound TKO.

TUF 20 Episode 3 Recap and Review

This clip, of what kept being brought up as “the bloodiest fight in Women’s MMA” throughout the episode, would have made a great jumping off point. However, something more urgent happened in the house beforehand. The UFC made a great call in opening the show with Dana White having to announce to Bec Rawlings that her stepfather had passed away. White allowed her to call her mother for as long as needed. A testament to Rawlings discipline, determination and mental stability, she decided to stay in the house, stating that it is what her stepfather would have wanted her to do.
Jake Shields and Gilbert Melendez brought her flowers at the house, a nice gesture to let her know that they were there for her.

As the show turned its focus back on the women vying for the belt, this episode became one of the best Ultimate Fighter editing job seen in a long time. Bouncing from Penne to Ellis, it exposed the human side of both fighters.

Ellis struggled deeply with the guilt of having left her 1 year old daughter, Ellie, back in Washington State. Whether these emotions are only focused on because this is ‘her episode’ or maybe it was the idea of fighting for the first time since her birth that brought them all out equates the same: it affected her preparation. Melendez, Ellis’ coach, expressed his concern on the very real possibility that Penne might be too much for her. Shields, doing his best to get her mind back in focus, let her know that he understood what it is like to be away from his own daughter and tried the sympathetic approach. There was no doubt watching Ellis talk to her teammates that her daughter was foremost on her mind, rather than Penne. Undoubtedly an indicator of an even harder war ahead of her: a tough opponent and a mind that’s wandering up the coast to Washington.

Meanwhile, Pettis and his team of coaches spent quite a bit of time analyzing the women’s first fight. They were confident in Jessica and her ability, never wavering in their belief that she would win the fight but that certainty reached an elevated level when they began to discover the true power laying in her hands. In the house, Penne opened up about her struggles as a child. In school she was often bullied by other kids due to the shape of her nose as well as apparently being overweight. She battled deep self-esteem issues, even getting her father to agree to give her plastic surgery to fix her nose when she would be of age – there was no mention of whether or not she ever went through with said surgery. As her coaches tried to praise her abilities she let them know that she can’t really understand the talent she has or doesn’t have. She did seem very confident as a whole about the bout she was about to enter however, having previously beat Ellis certainly gave her the psychological edge and maybe focusing on only one opponent at a time is the best way to keep the demons of self-esteem at bay.

At the house, Heather Clark tried to have a game night with her fellow Team Melendez fighters, which did not go exactly as she would have wished. Rose Namajunas took the reigns of the game right away and led her team members into what they all deemed to be a more fun version of the regulated option Clark was offering. As the days pass, Clark tries harder and harder to fit in and it is a bit heartbreaking to see her failing at every attempt. Yet, it is in amazing contrast that viewers get to watch Namajunas rise as the natural leader of her team. Namajunas has a rare quality, tiny yet deadly would appropriately describe her as would quiet dominance. No matter the words attached to her demeanor, one thing that is undeniable is the fact that she seems respected and accepted by her teammates and easily stands up for herself and her beliefs.

As a small prank, team Melendez’s Angela Hill hung some huge granny panties on Team Pettis’ underwear wall. Felice Herrig, who started the wall, seems very proud of her creation as she got quite insulted when she realized the other team had disfigured it a little so Team Pettis grabbed the panties and stretched them all the way across Melendez’s poster in his team’s locker room.

Fight time, Penne and Ellis take the cage and Penne follows Pettis’s instructions to use her boxing until the girls clinch up and go against the cage. Penne goes for a takedown which wrestler Ellis denies her at first but she eventually gets it and ends up in half guard. Penne starts to move towards mount but Melendez’ work with Ellis’s bjj pays off and she sweeps Jessica. A move she ought to be proud of backfires on Ellis right away, Penne locks in a triangle from the bottom and as Ellis starts to defend, Penne now uses her sweep and takes her opponent’s back. Penne hooks in her feet as Ellis stands up, she tries to shake Jessica off but only manages to get punched more. The women go back to the ground where Penne manages to flatten out Ellis on her stomach and slips in a Rear Naked Choke. It seems Ellis has yet to solve Penne’s puzzle as of yet.

Next week is David vs Goliath time as number 1 seed Carla Esparza from Team Pettis will take on number 16 Angela Hill.