Team Melendez, winless thus far this season, pitted No. 7-seed Rose Namajunas against No. 10-seed Alex Chambers.

Chambers entered with a professional record of 4-1, and Namajunas came in with a 2-1 record. Both losses for the women came at the hands of quality competition. Chambers dropped a bout to Mizuki Inoue, and Namajunas was on the losing end to Tecia Torres.

The fight started and Namajunas came right out to the center. Namajunas threw a nice kick and then closed the distance. She then unloaded a nice flurry, but Chambers avoided most of the damage.

Namajunas came forward with a takedown attempt, but she could not complete it. Chambers was forced into being reactive early on. Namajunas set the distance and tempo of the fight. Namajunas won the clinch battle with a knee and a takedown about halfway through the round.

The American took her back with around two minutes remaining, but Chambers fought back up to her feet. Namajunas scored another takedown and stayed on Chambers’ back. She got the hooks in and sunk in the rear-naked choke for the finish.

The fight was all Namajunas, but Chambers was a game opponent. It would have been interesting to see what adjustments Anthony Pettis would have had for his fighter for the next frame, but Namajunas finished the bout for Team Melendez’s first win of the season.

Tecia Torres will get a chance at redemption when she takes on Bec Rawlings next week as the final opening round bout.

Note: The highlighted matchup is the fight that will air next week. Tecia Torres replaced Justine Kish on Team Pettis following an injury that forced Kish out of the competition.

• The show opened with Team Melendez having heat with two of their teammates. Lisa Ellis and Heather Clark have been spending time with ex-teammate Tecia Torres and Team Pettis, and that doesn’t sit well with others. Ellis called it immature, and it is.
• Kron Gracie came in to assist Team Melendez, and this episode focused on his training with Namajunas. It was clear foreshadowing to how the fight would end.
• Chambers has one of the most impressive backgrounds of any fighter in TUF history. She has a background in engineering and astrophysics. Not your typical fighter. She chose to forgo that part of her life to live her dream as a martial artist.
• Carla Esparza’s pettiness continues to come through the screen as she refuses to accept Torres on her team. It was not Torres’ idea to switch teams. If these two meet in the next round, it will be a tension fueled fight worth watching between two of the show’s favorites.
• As it turns out, Clark’s injury was very much real. She had a complete tear of her ACL. Her teammates did apologize to her for doubting the legitimacy of the injury, and hopefully everyone can move forward. Let’s hope for a speedy recovery for Clark.
• Namajunas talked about a past with violence, sexual harassment, abuse. It was important to showcase as Namajunas stressed to the audience that they can always find someone to talk to about their problems.
• Megan Rapinoe and Sydney Leroux of the U.S. Women’s National Team made an appearance on the show to have an informal discussion with the cast. There is little doubt this had to do with Fox acquiring the rights to the 2015 Women’s World Cup, but nonetheless it was a nice addition to the show. They discussed the struggles of being a female athlete, and they even got to get some instruction from the cast on submission and striking techniques.