For strategies, Team Garbrandt is working with Hayder Hassan on his take down defense and keeping his striking sharp, while Team Dillashaw works on Joe Stevenson’s head movement to make sure he doesn’t get hit.
Before the fight, Stevenson invites everyone from both teams to pray after the fight regardless of who wins or loses.
During the actual fight, Hassan gets an uppercut on Stevenson which puts him on the floor and the fight is stopped.
Afterwards, Cody Garbrandt rubs in the fact that Stevenson shouldn’t have been fighting six days after the fight he had with Justin Edwards which went to a decision.
Following the fight, the two teams pray together and the quarterfinal fights are eventually put together.
The matches are announced as Team Garbrandt’s Edwards versus Team Dillashaw’s Tom Gallicchio, Gilbert Smith versus Dhiego Lima both of whom are from Team Dillashaw, Team Dillashaw’s Jesse Taylor versus Team Garbrandt’s Hassan and the last and second all Team Dillashaw match up, James Krause versus Ramsey Nijem.
Smith and Lima have a mutual respect for each other, however there is some slight tension between Krause and Nijem during their stare down and there is some worry about how the training will be split.
Before the quarterfinal fights begin, Dana White hosts the seasonal coaches challenge which this year is a tetherball competition. The twist is that the competition is in the middle of the pool on a pole in the pool. Both coaches have to stand on small poles.
The rules are that the first coach to ten wins is the victor. Garbrandt builds a lead against TJ Dillashaw and is two wins away when Dillashaw mounts a come from behind victory. During the whole comeback, Nijem starts smack talking on Garbrandt who afterwards with helps throws Nijem into the pool.
During the fight prep, Gallicchio works a little on his striking while also continuing to plan on using his wrestling ability to take down Team Garbrandt’s Edwards. At the same time plans are for Edwards to keep the fight standing.
Once the fight starts, Edwards is able to land a solid strike on Gallicchio which floors him. However, instead of trying to finish him via striking, Edwards tries to pull a guillotine choke. Gallicchio is able to break the choke and grapples his way to Edwards back.
From there he is able to sink in a rear naked choke for a submission win.