When Jessica Penne and Lisa Ellis met at the inaugural Invicta FC event in April 2012, it turned out to be one of the bloodiest fights in women’s MMA history.
Penne, who would become the first ever Invicta atomweight champion one fight later, broke Ellis’ nose and picked up a TKO win in the third round of their 105-pound bout.
Two years later, both women found themselves competing at strawweight on TUF 20 with the No. 4-ranked Penne of Team Pettis trying repeat history against the No. 13-ranked Ellis of Team Melendez on episode three.
Watch The Ultimate Fighter 20: Team Pettis vs. Team Melendez every Wednesday at 10 p.m. EST on Sportsnet 360
THE FIGHT
Penne (11-2) looked to establish her boxing early, but Ellis (15-8) countered by clinching up. Two minutes into the opening round, Ellis attempted to throw Penne to the ground, but ended up on the bottom. As Penne stalled in half guard, Ellis managed to bridge out for a nifty sweep. Ellis landed one left hand before Penne attempted a triangle, swept Ellis into mount and then took her back. She looked briefly at attacking an arm but opted for the rear-naked choke, which forced a quick tap.
“There’s a lot of ups and downs that go on before a fight and it’s always a good feeling to get in there and all that goes away,” Penne said after her win. “I’m just proud of myself.”
Ellis was emotional and had trouble focussing in training because she was away from her one-year-old daughter, which is something that concerned Melendez prior to the bout.
“I felt like there was too much mental battles going wrong with Lisa; I was scared this was going to happen and that’s what happened,” Melendez said. “She got mauled.”
“I’ll be fine,” a teary-eyed Ellis said. “This is a small part of my life. I mean, it’s a big part, but it’s also a small part. I have so much to be thankful for.”
On the next episode… Team Pettis chose for their top selection and the No. 1-ranked Carla Esparza to fight next; she takes on No. 16-ranked Angela Hill.
