The Ultimate Fighter season 20 airs Wednesday, September 24 at 10pm ET on FOX Sports 1
Rematches are always tricky business when it comes to fighting.
An epic war the first time around certainly doesn't guarantee anything in a second fight. Just ask Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar about that. A one-sided knockout doesn't necessarily guarantee the second fight will go the same way -- ask Matt Serra and Georges St-Pierre about that. And sometimes things get even worse when two fighters rematch -- just ask Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva about fighting Cain Velasquez twice.
This week on The Ultimate Fighter, two of the women on the show rematch as Jessica Penne faces Lisa Ellis in the third opening round matchup of the UFC strawweight title tournament. They first met in Invicta Fighting Championships in 2012 in a really solid back and forth battle until the third round.
> Watch: Jessica Penne vs. Lisa Ellis on UFC FIGHT PASS for Free!
Ellis, who comes from a wrestling background, was able to secure several takedowns on Penne throughout the fight, although she struggled to maintain control while constantly defending submissions on the ground. Still, Ellis was able to toss and throw Penne to the mat over and over again. The third round brought a dramatic shift to the fight, however, as Penne landed a knee (some argue it was a head butt) that busted Ellis' nose and she started leaking blood like a faucet.
From there, things just got messier and messier, and in the end, Penne put Ellis away by third round TKO after taking her back and pounding her out with punches before the referee stopped the fight.
Now the two ladies are ready to do it again, but is Ellis really ready for part two?
As it turns out, Ellis dropped off the radar after the last fight with Penne so she could have her first baby, and she's been out of action ever since. Starting a family was paramount for Ellis and her husband so she took time off to focus on her baby while taking a step back from fighting.
Now she's returned to action, but hasn't fought since the brutal finish she suffered at the hands of Penne the last time around. Have two years away from fighting been enough to subdue the kind of psychological roadblocks that might prevent Ellis from coming back and getting her revenge?
We'll find out this week on The Ultimate Fighter
TRAGEDY STRIKES
It's easy to tell that emotions are running high this week on The Ultimate Fighter after one of the competitors gets some tough news courtesy of UFC president Dana White. While the teaser for this week's episode doesn't go into full detail, it's clear that Australian-born fighter Bec Rawlings is the one who receives the bad news and there might be a few tears shed this week.
This isn't the first time in the history of The Ultimate Fighter where one of the competitors is forced to deal with bad news while filming the show. Who can forget the emotional trials and tribulations Michael Chiesa had to suffer through after the loss of his father while filming. It was one of the most emotional scenes in the show's history without a doubt.
How will Rawlings react to the news she's delivered and will it affect her staying or continuing on The Ultimate Fighter this season?
ROOMMATES FROM HELL
Everyone that attended college heard the horror stories about the bad roommate.
They played music too loud late at night while you were trying to sleep. They left food all over the counters and refused to clean up their own messes around the house. And when bills come due, they are suddenly broke as a joke.
Well, The Ultimate Fighter is no different really (although they don’t have to pay bills), but this situation is even more amplified because these 16 women are not only living together, but they are doing so with minimal distractions outside of each other. There's no TV, no internet, no cell phones and not even a book to read.
So this week the women in the house decide to play a little game to pass the time, but it doesn't take long before one of the roommates ends up on everybody's bad side. It seems like this storyline will permeate a big chunk of the season as the fighters all seem willing to ostracize at least one teammate from playing any reindeer games.
FIGHT TIME
The rematch this week between Jessica Penne and Lisa Ellis presents some interesting struggles when breaking down the fight.
On paper, Penne is still the better fighter, she's been more active and has the confidence of winning over Ellis already. Still, considering how she finished the first fight in such dramatic fashion it could be very easy for Penne to get it in her own head that she has to somehow top that performance and it could force her into bad situations in the rematch.
> Watch: Jessica Penne Practice Highlights
Ellis may have been out of action for over a year, but that doesn't discount that she's a true veteran with some very dangerous skills. As a former college wrestler, Ellis has the takedowns to slow down or negate an opponent's best weapons by dragging the fight to the ground over and over again. Even if she fails to do damage, just putting Penne down on the mat repeatedly will certainly zap her energy and could even break her will.
> Watch: Lisa Ellis Practice Highlights
Chances are, however, that Penne comes out and does the same or even worse to Ellis in part two of their series. Penne is a threat to win the whole tournament with her long reach and quick-minded jiu-jitsu game on the ground. Penne has been in much deeper waters than Ellis, and she'll look to drown the Team Melendez fighter this week and put her squad up 3-0 in the competition.
But the only way to find out for sure is to tune into The Ultimate Fighter this Wednesday night at 10pm on FOX Sports 1.
