Seth Baczynski

14 welterweights from past seasons of The Ultimate Fighter return to the UFC training center for a second chance in the competition. Some have heartbreaking stories of defeat, others underachieved in the UFC, but all are in search of redemption. After the fighters arrive, Dana White brings in the coaches, UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, and former bantamweight champion and TUF alum, TJ Dillashaw. Former training partners turned bitter rivals, the coaches start the competition by picking their teams and announcing the first two fights, which will happen on the same day.

Cody Garbrandt and TJ Dillashaw's war of words continues at the second preliminary fight announcement. As they walk back towards their respective locker rooms, the banter escalates and TJ ends up confronting his old Team Alpha Male mentor, Urijah Faber. The two argue over what really happened when TJ quit the team and all the assistant coaches join in on the fray. TJ takes the entire blue team out to celebrate one of the fighter's birthdays. His upcoming welterweight participates in the festivities but only has the upcoming bout on his mind. Back at the gym, the two coaches are hard at work preparing the next two veterans for what promises to be a classic striker versus grappler matchup. Each of the two fighters talk about their different redemption stories and, through their home videos, reveal what their life has been like since the last time they competed on The Ultimate Fighter. TJ visits the house on the day of the fight to prepare his warrior for battle. After a hard-fought combat, the second quarterfinalist is revealed, moving one step closer to the $250,000 grand prize. Then, at the fight announcement for the third preliminary fight, the coaches continue to exchange harsh words.

In a touching moment at the house, one fighter tells the others about a tragic family story that changed his life forever. The next day, we learn about how another fighter juggles training with a unique career back home. Team Garbrandt and Team Dillashaw's last remaining welterweights face off in the final preliminary fight. Then, after Dana calls the coaches into his office to discuss potential picks for the wildcard fight, the matchup is announced.

One of the teams tries to rebound from its early struggles in the competition. In preparation for their upcoming fight, two fighters with a personal history discuss the advantages and disadvantages of having trained together at the same camp. Through home video footage, we learn about one fighter's home life balancing time with his sons and his busy fight career. In another video, a different fighter shares his story of leaving his home country to live on his own and pursue his fighting career. Then, it's the third preliminary fight, as Team Garbrandt takes on Team Dillashaw with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line.

Before practice, Team Garbrandt uses rolls of red tape to give TJ's big poster in the gym a 'snake'-over. After discovering what they did, TJ decides to embrace the joke instead of getting revenge. After a day of training, Cody comes to the house with a party bus to take both teams out for a night on the town. Drinking and dancing ensues, but a somber Gilbert Smith is having no part of it. At the restaurant, Gilbert decides to head to the bathroom stall to get in an extra workout instead of partaking in the festivities. Then, in the second quarterfinal fight, teammates square off with a spot in the semifinals on the line.