Team Pettis’s clean sweep continued with another impressive victory tonight during Episode 3 of The Ultimate Fighter: “A Champion Will Be Crowned.” Jessica Penne kept her team’s perfect record intact by submitting Team Melendez’s Lisa Ellis in a rematch from Invicta FC 1 back in April 2012.

Just as she did in the pair’s first fight, the #4-ranked Penne once again used quick transitions and her formidable grappling skills to get the better of the #13-ranked Ellis on the ground. She took Ellis’s back after a scramble and landed a series of punches that set up a fight-ending rear-naked choke.

Penne (11-2-0 pro) and Ellis (15-8-0 pro) exchanged punches in the opening minute and Ellis scored first by securing a brief takedown against the cage. Penne worked back to her feet and landed some nice knees in the clinch. She stuffed a second takedown from Ellis and then reversed a third into top position in Ellis’s half-guard. Ellis showed that she was no slouch on the mat by exploding out into Penne’s guard, but Penne immediately threw up her legs and swept back into full mount.

In the ensuing seconds, Ellis gave up her back and Penne went to work by landing punches as she flattened Ellis out. After landing some solid ground and pound, Penne snuck her arm under Ellis’s chin and locked on a tight rear-naked choke. Ellis had nowhere to go and tapped out at the 3:47 mark.

Tonight’s victory marked the second time that Penne had gotten the better of Ellis. She stopped the veteran wrestler with vicious ground and pound in one of the bloodiest female fights in recent years at Invicta FC 1 and was equally dominant in tonight’s rematch. Penne joins teammates Randa Markos and Joanne “JoJo” Calderwood in the quarterfinals, while Team Melendez remains in search of its first win.

Next week’s TUF 20 episode will feature an intriguing matchup between former Invicta FC Strawweight Champion Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza (ranked #1) and highly-touted striker Angela “Overkill” Hill (ranked #16), who looks to score the biggest upset of the season.

The Ultimate Fighter 20: “A Champion Will Be Crowned” airs every Wednesday night on FOX Sports 1 and Sportsnet 360. The winner of the gruelling competition will become the inaugural UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion.

(Photo Credit: Esther Lin, AllElbows.com / InvictaFC.com)