“The Ultimate Fighter 31: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler” returned Tuesday for Episode 7 as two fighters head to be examined by the UFC’s chief physician before a lightweight fight ends quickly.
On Episode 7, the matchup between seasoned veteran Jason Knight and up-and-comer Landon Quinones, as Team McGregor seeks its first win over the season after six straight losses.
The season runs from May 30 to Aug. 15 with the live finale expected for later this year. The promotion also intends for coaches Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler to square off in the months that follow the conclusion of the season.
Scroll below for a recap of Episode 7 and make sure to check out an exclusive insider look from Holobaugh, who will peel back the curtain on MMA Junkie the morning after each episode airs.
Adrenaline come-down
The fighters are still a bit fired up from the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler in-cage altercation following Kurt Holobaugh’s late victory over Lee Hammond that was shown on the previous episode.
Team McGregor members Trevor Wells, Aaron McKenzie and Rico DiSciullo giddily recap the action to one another while chilling in the TUF House’s hot tub.
“It was just a crazy turn of events to end the fight,” Wells said. “It sucks to see it takes away from Kurt’s win a little bit. All the chaos ensued right after, but hey, it was cool to see for me.”
'Sometimes Conor McGregor can be a f*cking great man and sometimes you just want to slap the sh*t out of him'
Meanwhile, Team Chandler is in the kitchen. They discuss the incident amongst themselves, with many criticizing McGregor’s shove of Chandler.
“I just feel like sometimes Conor McGregor can be a f*cking great man and sometimes you just want to slap the sh*t out of him,” Roosevelt Roberts said in a cut scene.
McGregor tries to settle himself
Down by a score of 0 to 6, McGregor is two losses away from the first-ever clean sweep in “The Ultimate Fighter” history. After last week’s fiery altercation with Chandler, McGregor shows up to the Apex and throws on training gear to jump in with his guys.
“I don’t know if it’s my adrenaline or something,” McGregor said. “I just need to settle myself almost. My mind is going 90, but it’s nice. I need it. I need it. I need to be immersed in this game. I need to find the motivation. I’m getting the motivation seeing these young kids away from home, away from family, away from everything.”
McGregor puts Quinones down
Sparring with Coach Conor is no joke 😬 #TUF31 pic.twitter.com/XKGKLPI6uF
— The Ultimate Fighter (@UltimateFighter) July 12, 2023
During training, McGregor spars with Quinones, who is the next fighter to compete for his team. McGregor drills Quinones with a body kick. The blow sends Quinones to the canvas, writhing in pain. McGregor encourages him to fight through it and they continue their session.
“It hit me right in my liver, kind of shut me down for a bit,” Quinones said. “When that happened, I feel like I learned more in that round than a lot of rounds in my career. I feel like I’m going to take that with me and it’s going to make me so much better. The way I’m going to train will be completely different.”
Confidence building on Team Chandler
Up 6 to 0 on the series thus far, Team Chandler members Knight and Cody Gibson discuss in the kitchen how successful they’ve been and predicted it will be all their teammates headed to the semifinals.
Blood drawn
During training, Knight suffers a cut during a head clash with Timur Valiev.
Chandler takes Knight to UFC chief physician Dr. Jeffrey Davidson, who examines the laceration and elects to use Dermabond (glue) rather than sutures.
“If there was ever a guy I wouldn’t be worried about with a cut like that, it’s Jason Knight,” Chandler said.
Chandler then encourages Knight to show Quinones the cut immediately when he returns to the house in an attempt at mental warfare.
Another injury
Gibson complains of lingering knee pain that’s persisted since his opening round win vs. Mando Gutierrez, so he pays Dr. Davidson a visit after an MRI is performed. Chandler accompanies him.
Davidson looks at the MRI and informs Gibson he has a grade 2 MCL tear.
“The right thing to do would be to give it about eight weeks,” Davidson said. “Because right now, it’s not surgical. It doesn’t have to be surgical because it’s not completely torn. But it’s a significant injury.”
Despite the risk of a full tear and a higher risk a torn ACL could accompany the MCL damage, Gibson elects to continue his journey in the tournament.
“I don’t have a decision. I already know what that decision is… to fight,” Gibson told Chandler after they left the doctor’s office. “Even if I tore my ACL, I’d fight.”
Friends today, opponents tomorrow
Knight and Quinones spend some of the final hours of their weight cut together as they open up about their typical processes. While there’s tension, there’s also respect overshadows any competitive feelings.
The fight: Jason Knight vs. Landon Quinones
Knight lands a right hand and Quinones returns with a body kick that fires up the roaming cage-side McGregor. As Knight moves forward, he lands a flurry. Quinones ties Knight up against the fence and takes the fight to the canvas. Knight shoots up for an armbar, which Quinones avoids. Quinones doesn’t avoid the subsequent triangle choke attempt, as Knight taps him with a lightning-quick submission – much to the disappointment of McGregor.
“You shouldn’t have went for that takedown, boy,” Knight told Quinones, before shaking hands.
Weight: Lightweight
Round: Quarterfinal
Team Chandler fighter: Jason Knight (23-7)
Team McGregor fighter: Landon Quinones (7-1)
Result: Jason Knight def. Landon Quinones via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1
The score: Team Chandler (7), Team McGregor (0)
Knight digs at McGregor
Upon exit of the cage, Knight has some words for McGregor in passing.
“One more. One more, baby,” Knight exclaimed.
McGregor responded, “One more what?”
“One more fight and we’re 8-0,” Knight returned.
McGregor said, “Is it, yeah? No way.”
Knight and McGregor shake hands despite the exchange.
'What happens if it's a clean sweep'
Visibly disappointed with another defeat, McGregor walks over to UFC executives Dana White, Hunter Campbell, and “TUF” executive producer Gary DeFranco.
“Well, it’s never happened before,” DeFranco said. “We see if anybody wants to go over to the other team.”
McGregor walks away and frustratedly jabs the cage on the way out.
Next week's fight: Hunter Azure vs. Rico DiSciullo
On Episode 8, bantamweights Hunter Azure and Rico DiSciullo square off, as Team McGregor still seeks its first victory – and it appears tensions boil over between the two teams once again in the bout’s aftermath.
Previous episode recaps
- Episode 1: One of the fastest KOs in TUF history
- Episode 2: A cold sore postponement and a flying KO
- Episode 3: Action fight keeps momentum on one side
- Episode 4: Drawn-out negotiating, fight finally scheduled
- Episode 5: A ‘diva’ and ‘unfinished fights’ spark frustration
- Episode 6: Crushed Conor McGregor gets violent
