After the last match, Miesha Tate talks to selected Raquel Pennington and has the team raise her in the locker room. Back at the house, Julianna Pena starts giving Pennington and Sarah Moras makeovers. During this girl time, Pennington recalls the hardships of coming out as gay to her family.
However, the conversation ends on a good note as Pena puts dresses on Pennington and Moras and has them strap high heels on. Though she has them do a walkway stroll, they come out awkward and all three have a good laugh.
Later on the fighters all go to the Green Valley Ranch where the Hooters girls catered for them while watching the fights. Pennington laments about how she isn’t able to eat much while opponent Jessamyn Duke doesn’t go at all and stays in The Ultimate Fighter House.
Later on a drunk Anthony Gutierrez annoys roommates Pennington, Pena, and Moras by smacking on the door and disturbing them in their sleep. The girls go off to sleep but look for a way to get revenge. The next morning they bounce on Gutierrez’s bed and push him off the other side, getting even.
During Duke’s training, she recalls how many who knew her during her upbringing couldn’t believe she went into fighting, considering she was a quiet book worm type. She also recalls how she was supposed to make her professional fighting debut against Pennington, but was advised against it so she dropped out.
Pennington likewise recalls during her training how Duke withdrew but decides its for the best as they can fight on a larger stage (The Ultimate Fighter) than they would’ve originally. It is also during her training that she and Tate come up with a game plan to defeat Duke at her own game. Part of their reasoning is that Duke’s striking isn’t so refined.
The first round is close but Duke is slightly more active in terms of striking. However, in the next round Pennington becomes the more aggressive fighter and forces the fight into a third round. Both fighters fight hard in the third but Pennington is definitely the more aggressive fighter and gets the decision.
The fight is praised by members of both teams and Dana White and is mentioned as a candidate for fight of the season. With Team Tate back in control, Tate chooses Team Rousey’s Michael Wootten to face her fighter Josh Hill.
What’d you think of this last episode? Leave a comment!