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Episode 4 of “The Ultimate Fighter 28: Heavy Hitters” opens with Team Whittaker’s Julija Stoliarenko doing some fight preparation. She discusses the honor of being the first female Lithuanian fighter to appear on a UFC platform, and she karate champion wants to represent for her country.

Head coach Robert Whittaker says he’s particularly excited for Stoliarenko’s upcoming matchup against Team Gastelum’s Marciea Allen because his top female pick finally gets the chance to compete. The coaching staff is high on Stoliarenko’s skillset and thinks she can win on both the feet and ground.
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At the next Team Gastelum training session, head coach Kelvin Gastelum brings in some special guest coaches. Brian Beaumont, who was one of Gastelum’s first MMA coaches, is there to provide some added assistance. During a grappling demo, however, he surprises Gastelum with his black belt in jiu-jitsu

“To give him his black belt tonight in kind of the pinnacle of his career, almost a as a recognition of everything he’s done and everything he’s been through,” Beaumont said. “To be able to share that with him? I can’t even tell you what the feeling is like.”

Gastelum is emotional in the aftermath of a memorable career moment.

“I didn’t know what to say, but really what I wanted to say at that moment was to the other fighters, ‘Look at these people that surround me. This is why I’ve been successful,’” Gastelum says. “I want to be one of those instruments to these other fighters here.”

Coach Whittaker decides to switch things up for his next training session. He brings the fighters outside of the house to go paddle boarding to help “break the tension” around the highly tedious style of training required to compete on “TUF.”

Team Gastelum’s Allen shift focus to the final stages of her fight preparation. SAs the last overall pick in the competition, Allen believes she’s been somewhat overlooked, but says her skills are far better than what was judged during evaluations at the start of the season.

Back at the TUF House, Team Whittaker’s Leah Letson is growing frustrating with her situation. She doesn’t think the training sessions are challenging her or hard enough, and a result she’s putting in extra work just to ensure her conditioning and strength are up to par for when she gets the call to fight. She mentions how Team Gastelum could be a better fit, hinting at some possible controversy in the future.

At the official weigh-in, Allen and Stoliarenko step on the scale and come in under the required limit. A respectful staredown follows and with that, the second women’s featherweight quarterfinal of the season is set.

Fight day arrives and the athletes head to the TUF Gym. Allen and Stoliarenko warm up in the locker rooms with their coaches before heading to the octagon.

TEAM GASTELUM’S MARCIEA ALLEN (7-2) VS. TEAM WHITTAKER’S JULIJA STOLIARENKO (4-2-1)

Round 1 – They meet in the middle of the octagon and exchange combinations before stepping away and remeasuring distance. Stoliarenko throws some kicks from the outside before shooting in for a takedown on her opponent. Allen stuffs it and is abele to get on top. She’s standing from on top and lands some absolutely massive punches from the stacked guard. Allen is landing more enormous shots as Stoliarenko merely attempts to keep herself int the fight and roll free. Stoliarenko’s nose is bloodied but she’s trying to get an armbar or do anything. Allen is relentless, though, and is battering Stoliarenko with more vicious shots. Stoliarenko somehow survives the flurry and stands up, but she’s taken a lot of punishment. She shoots for a takedown, though, and is able to plant Allen on her back. Stoliarenko then starts to go to work from on top. Stoliarenko passes guard then moves into mount. Stoliarenko grabs the right arm and falls back for the armbar. Allen tries to squirm out but she’s caught and is forced to tap out. Remarkable comeback for Stoliarenko.

Julija Stoliarenko def. Marciea Allen via submission (armbar) – Round 1

Stoliarenko is unsurprisingly emotional after rallying to win in dramatic fashion. She not only got the huge win for herself, but finally got the first victory for Team Whittaker after three losses to begin the competition.

“Right now I feel happy, I feel like I did a little history for my country winning the first TUF fight,” Stoliarenko says. “For me, it’s not over. It’s only the beginning. It’s only one fight. I still have two fights forward. I’ve got to get ready and win the show.”

Once the aftermath of Frazier vs. Da Silva wraps up, the fighters return for the next fight announcement. With control of fight selection, coach Gastelum selects his No. 5 pick, Josh Parisian, to fight Team Whittaker’s No. 5 pick, Michel Batista, in the third heavyweight quarterfinal.

Also see:

• Episode No. 1 recap: ‘The Ultimate Fighter 28: Heavy Hitters’
• Episode No. 2 recap: ‘The Ultimate Fighter 28: Heavy Hitters’
• Episode No. 3 recap: ‘The Ultimate Fighter 28: Heavy Hitters’
• Episode No. 4 recap: ‘The Ultimate Fighter 28: Heavy Hitters’

Catch new episodes of “The Ultimate Fighter 28: Heavy Hitters” every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) on FS1. MMAjunkie recaps each episode of the reality series.