Episode 8 of “The Ultimate Fighter 28: Heavy Hitters” opens with fight preparation for Team Gastelum’s Macy Chiasson, who meets Team Whittaker’s Larissa Pacheco in the final women’s featherweight quarterfinal matchup later in the episode.

Head coach Kelvin Gastelum is very high on Chiasson’s skillset, especially given she has only two fights of professional experience. Chiasson knows she’s considered one of the underdogs of the tournament but believes she can win against Pacheco, who has been around the sport for much longer.

Back at the “The Ultimate Fighter” house, Chiasson is growing upset with her teammate Maurice Greene, who has been drinking almost every night since his quarterfinal win. Greene has become somewhat of a nuisance to his fellow fighters because he stays up late drinking and making noise, which is throwing others off as they try to prepare for fights.

Focus shifts to Team Whittaker’s Pacheco, who is preparing for her upcoming matchup against Chiasson. Head coach Robert Whittaker knows he has the most experienced fighter in the competition on his side, because Pacheco has actually competed in the UFC twice, losing to Jessica Andrade and former women’s featherweight champ Germaine de Randamie.

The following day, Pacheco and Team Whittaker head to the UFC Performance Institute to get ahead on her weight cut. Pacheco is the heaviest among fighters in the women’s 145-pound tournament, but she feels confident in her ability to cut the weight and recover enough to perform at the level she desires.

On weigh-in day, Pacheco is still a few ounces over the 146-pound limit for her fight. She’s beginning to struggle with her situation, and it is taking an obvious toll on her.

Despite the struggles, at the official weigh-in, Pacheco (146 pounds) and Chiasson (146 pounds) successfully make weight, and their quarterfinal matchup is set. A tense staredown between the fighters follows.

Back at the TUF house, Team Gastelum’s Greene and Justin Frazier decide they want to drink and play pool prior to heading to the TUF Gym for the fight. Once the drinks start flowing, Greene and Team Whittaker’s Anderson Da Silva begin to exchange some words. They’ve fought before, and the topic of their fight sparks a confrontation. Things are kept tame, though, and the situation defuses before anything serious happens.

The fighters head to The Ultimate Fighter Gym for the matchup between Pacheco and Chiasson. They finalize preparation in the locker rooms with the coaches before the fourth and final women’s featherweight quarterfinal takes place.

TEAM GASTELUM’S MACY CHIASSON (2-0) VS. TEAM WHITTAKER’S LARISSA PACHECO (11-2)

Round 1 – Chiasson opens with a left high kick that tags Pacheco, who tries to clinch before breaking free. Chiasson throws a spinning kick that misses. She follows with a punch, with Pacheco ducks and uses to close the distance on her opponent. Pacheco pushes her opponent against the fence and is working for a takedown, but she can’t get it before Chiasson breaks into free space. They exchange strikes before Pacheco moves in for another takedown against the fence. She’s fighting hard to ground her opponent, and after some initial resistance, puts Chiasson on her back. She can’t keep it there for long, though, because Chiasson scrambles free up to her feet. She scoops Pacheco to the mat with a takedown and lands in half-guard. Chiasson postures up with some clean ground-and-pound, forcing Pacheco to give up her back. Chiasson tries to dive on a choke, but it’s not close. She still has Pacheco’s back, though, and manages to get both hooks in. Chiasson flattens Pacheco out and is throwing short punches that rock her opponent. Pacheco is in an unescapable position, and Chiasson keeps throwing punches until the fight is waved off for the TKO.

Macy Chiasson def. Larissa Pacheco via TKO (punches) – Round 1

Despite her inexperience, Chiasson gets the best of Pacheco and scores the victory to advance to the semifinal round of the tournament.

“I came in wanting to use my long and dynamic type of style,” Chiasson said after the win. “I knew that the No. 1 thing that girls try and do with me is take me against the cage and try and take me down. But going into this camp with Team Gastelum, they have prepared me for literally every single aspect of the fight. I felt extremely comfortable going in there, of course I was nervous, I mean fighting in ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ is the biggest thing I have ever done.

“She has had 14 fights, and I’ve only had two. I didn’t think it was going to be an easy fight at all. I knew when we got in there she was ready to throw, and honestly that is one of my favorite things. If my opponent is down to throw, I am down to throw.”

Once the aftermath of Chiasson vs. Pacheco wraps up, coaches Gastelum and Whittaker meet with UFC President Dana White to deliberate on the potential semifinal pairings. Each coach gives an opinion on who should fight who, but White makes the ultimate decision on the semifinal matchups, which are announced as follows:

Heavyweight

• Michel Batista (Team Whittaker) vs. Justin Frazier (Team Gastelum)
• Juan Francisco Espino Diepa (Team Whittaker) vs. Maurice Green (Team Gastelum)

Women’s featherweight

• Julija Stoliarenko (Team Whittaker) vs. Pannie Kianzad (Team Gastelum)
• Macy Chiasson (Team Gastelum) vs. Leah Letson (Team Whittaker)

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’
• Episode No. 5 recap: ‘The Ultimate Fighter 28: Heavy Hitters’
• Episode No. 6 recap: ‘The Ultimate Fighter 28: Heavy Hitters’
• Episode No. 7 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.