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By: Yael Grauer, MMATorch Guest Contributor
If you saw the preview for this episode, you were probably getting your popcorn ready for some drama. Felice Herrig and Randa Markos were squaring off for the first quarterfinal, but first we saw Team Melendez celebrating Rose Namajunas' victory with some partying, while Tecia Torres was trying to sleep (Yes, this happens every season). This allowed Torres an opportunity to switch rooms for her own reasons rather than being bullied into it.
Team Pettis has seven fighters going on to the quarterfinals, so Anthony Pettis has decided to only corner Joanne Calderwood. Felice Herrig is trying to avoid training with Randa Markos since they'll be fighting one another, so her OMGBFF Carla Esparza asks the coaches whether the team can vote on splitting up training sessions. They agree to alternate between day and night sessions. It's understandable that fighters who are game planning don't necessarily want to train with their future opponents, but it's also understandable that athletes used to two-a-days would want to maintain their schedule leading up to a fight.
But enough of that - we get a short break with this season's Coaches Challenge, which is sort of like UFC-themed Jeopardy. Melendez takes the cake, crushing Pettis 1800 to 0. He gets $10K and the fighters on his team get $1500 each.
Now we're back to Markos getting ready to fight Herrig. Markos, as well as Tecia Torres and Joanne Calderwood, wants more gym time, and they're not happy with the arrangement previously discussed. The tension builds, especially since Randa decides to attend a training session that's not hers, even after a team vote. Herrig and Esparza aren't happy with that, and continue their tag-team bullying.
Regardless, it's all settled inside the cage.
Markos throws a few punches, and Herrig works her clinch against the cage. Markos works a reversal but eats some knees in the process. Herrig works a trip takedown but Markos stands, and then lands a takedown of her own before finishing the fight with an armbar.
Markos and Esparza have words after the fight - expressing feelings which haven't abated by their post-show interview with Karen Bryant - but luckily there is a preview for the next episode, where we get to see Aisling Daly square off against Jessica Penne.
Yael Grauer is a freelance writer, you can find more of her at yaelwrites.com/blog
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