In the first fight this week, submission specialist Ronaldo Candido will take on his training partner from Team Benavidez and upstart talent Eric Shelton. The second fight will match up former UFC contender Tim Elliott against Team Cejudo fighter Matt „Danger“ Schnell in the last bout of the second round.

Ahead of the fights this week, Joseph Benavidez will bring in a surprise guest coach to help assist his team as the last pair of bouts get ready to unfold. Former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw will join the show to help coach Benavidez’s team, but he will also be a valuable asset considering that he hasn’t spent all season with the fighters so there’s no way he could show any bias ahead of the first quarterfinal matchup. Because of the tournament style format, Candido and Shelton both pulled off wins in the opening round but now they will meet in the quarterfinals while still training alongside each other on a daily basis.

That means Benavidez will more or less bow out of coaching duties this week so he doesn’t have to seemingly favor one fighter over the other, but that will allow Dillashaw to step in and help both Candido and Shelton ahead of their showdown.

Dillashaw has experience both as a coach and a competitor on The Ultimate Fighter after he started his career with the UFC as part of the 14th season, when he was part of team coached by middleweight champion Michael Bisping. Despite still being a novice that early in his career, Dillashaw managed to make it all the way to the finals, and while he came up short against John Dodson, that moment helped launch a very successful career for him in the UFC.

Dillashaw would eventually go on to become the UFC bantamweight champion and he returned to The Ultimate Fighter during season 22 to help out former teammate Urijah Faber when he was coaching opposite featherweight champion Conor McGregor. Dillashaw has seen all sides of the reality show, so he’ll definitely be able to impart some wisdom to Candido and Shelton ahead of their matchup.

As far as this fight goes, Candido is a world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor with incredible toughness that he showed off in his first round matchup with Jaime Alvarez. Candido got dropped by a hard punch early in the opening moments of the fight, but then managed to hold on, grab a leg and eventually pull his opponent down into his world on the ground. Eventually, Candido wrapped up a beautiful standing submission to get the first round victory. As for Shelton, he ended up with the biggest upset of the entire tournament when he submitted Yoni Sherbatov in the opening round.

Despite being ranked No. 15 when the tournament started, Shelton showed that he was a dark horse to potentially make it all the way to the finals after a stunning performance against the No. 2 seed in his first fight. Now Shelton has a chance to prove that was no fluke when he faces off with Candido in the quarterfinals this week.

Obviously, Shelton knows that Candido will want to drag this to the ground, where he has his best chance to win, and considering that the winner will still have two more fights to go before earning a shot against flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, coming away unscathed is almost as important as a victory. If Shelton can avoid those takedowns and force Candido into a stand up war, this could favor him to once again pull off the upset and move into the next round.

Conversely, Candido only needs Shelton to make one mistake on the mat and he could easily wrap up a submission from anywhere to get the win. Candido is not only a skilled ground technician, but he’s well versed in transitioning from one submission to the next, which could give Shelton fits on the mat.

In the second quarterfinal matchup, No. 3 seed Tim Elliott will face off with the only representative from Team Cejudo this week in Matt Schnell. Elliott may have been ranked third in the tournament, but he had to be considered one of the odds on favorites to win the entire show considering his background in the UFC and experience against some of the best fighters in the world at 125 pounds. Elliott showed that he was one of the favorites with his quick submission victory over Charlie Alaniz in the opening round, but he’ll have his hands full this week against Schnell.

With a career that launched on a reality show, Schnell is well versed in dealing with the bright lights and pressure filled situations ahead of his fights. Schnell is best known as a striker, but he showed off some nasty submission work with his triangle choke finish over Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Matt Rizzo in the opening round. Schnell was hyper critical of his performance afterwards because he believed that fight didn’t show off his best skills, but if he can put things together in the right way this week, he could give Elliott fits on the ground or on the feet.

Elliott has to be considered the favorite because he also possesses the ability to win this fight on the feet or on the ground as well, but he certainly has more experience against top-notch competition than his opponent. Of course, Schnell wasn’t supposed to out grapple Rizzo in his first fight, but he still finished by submission.

Who will move on to the semifinals when this episode is over? Don’t miss a minute of the action with two fights this week – Candido vs. Shelton and Elliott vs. Schnell – on the new edition of The Ultimate Fighter tonight at 10pm ET on FS1.

China’s Li will be moved to another card, so UFC 206 will proceed with 13 bouts, headlined by the UFC light heavyweight championship rematch between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson.

Jim Norton and Matt Serra break down everything post-UFC 205 including their experiences Octagon-side, matches to make next, quotes, analysis, and much more. Later, UFC Middleweight contender Gegard Mousasi calls in to talk about his rematch with Uriah Hall in Belfast, how he’d match up against Michael Bisping, who deserves the next shot at the Middleweight title, majority draws, Conor vs. Eddie, and a lot more.

Some of the highlights from Episode 43 of UFC Unfiltered include:

Mousasi on settling the score with Uriah Hall

Mousasi on how he matches up with Michael Bisping

Mousasi on who deserves the next Middleweight title shot

Mousasi on Conor McGregor and the real Lightweight contender

Before the familiar foes hit the Octagon, however, a host of fighters worth tracking as this year readies to give way to the next will set the table for them, including a pair of intriguing middleweights and a welterweight aiming to follow up an impressive debut with an even better sophomore effort.

This is On the Rise.

Krysztof Jotko

He raps. He breakdances. He wins fights. What’s not to like?

Though he sports a sterling 18-1 record and carries a four-fight winning streak into the Octagon this weekend, Jotko continues to fly under the radar in the middleweight division. It would be understandable if he were still going the distance and getting the nod in close preliminary card fights as he was to kick off his current hot streak, but last time out, Jotko stopped Tamdan McCrory cold with a counter left just 59 seconds into the first round that should have made everyone sit up and take notice.

Like strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Jotko too has started preparing for his bouts at American Top Team in South Florida and working with such an elite collection of coaches and training partners is only going to help the underrated 27-year-old. If he can add a win over former title challenger and durable veteran Thales Leites to his resume, people won’t be able to keep sleeping on Krys Jotko any longer.

Zak Ottow

Just 22 days after inking a contract with the UFC as a short-notice replacement, Ottow rolled into the Octagon and picked up a split decision victory over savvy vet Joshua Burkman back in October. Now riding a five-fight winning streak and sporting a 14-3 record overall, “The Barbarian” takes another “road game” this weekend, venturing to Sao Paulo to take on hometown favorite Sergio Moraes in what is easily the biggest fight of his career.

Ottow didn’t show any sign of nerves in his debut, comfortably outworking Burkman from start to finish, despite what the scorecards read in the end. He’s the kind of steady, even keel talent who is capable of sneaking up on opponents and fans, but if he adds a second consecutive UFC win to his resume by besting another established vet on their home turf, the opportunity to catch people off guard will have passed.

Jack Hermansson

One of several former Cage Warriors champions to matriculate to the UFC over the years, Hermansson vacated the middleweight title in the spring and collected a unanimous decision win in his Octagon debut in September, defeating Brit Scott Askham in Hamburg, Germany to push his winning streak to nine.

In order to reach double digits, “The Joker” will have to get through former TUF Brazil winner and Sao Paulo native Cezar Ferreira in what should be an explosive affair.

Born in Sweden and fighting out of Oslo, Norway, the 28-year-old Hermansson is a well-rounded talent who has rolled through the competition after a two-fight hiccup to begin the middle third of his career. He controlled the fight with Askham from the outset and, like Ottow, didn’t show any signs of jitters competing under the UFC lights for the first time.

Competing in Brazil can be a challenge and doubly so when you’re fighting a true local product, but if Hermansson can maintain his winning ways on Saturday night, he’ll find himself entering 2017 on the brink of breaking into the Top 15 in the middleweight ranks.

Well, allow that wave of excitement and left over adrenaline to carry you to the weekend, because while last Saturday was about the biggest event in the company’s history, this coming Saturday delivers the UFC version of a day-night doubleheader, with two events and 25 bouts featuring a number of established contenders, intriguing matchups and promising emerging talents.

The action starts in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where two newcomers will look to make an instant impression in their new surroundings, while a charismatic upstart aims to keep his hot streak rolling.

This is On the Rise.

Alexander Volkov

Young, promising heavyweights are hard to find, which makes Volkov’s arrival in the UFC a welcomed and exciting moment.

Having just turned 28, he’s just a pup compared to many of the established names in the division, but the towering Russian is far from a neophyte when it comes to competition. Volkov’s matchup with Timothy Johnson on Saturday will be the 34th bout of his professional career, a seven-plus-year journey that includes title reigns in both Bellator and M-1 and victories over the likes of Ricco Rodriguez, Brett Rogers and Attila Vegh.

“Drago” is a finisher, with 21 of his 27 victories coming by way of stoppage, including each of his two wins earlier this year. Johnson is a solid litmus test for the new arrival, brandishing a suffocating wrestling game (and glorious mustache) that has turned debuts into nightmares in the past, but if Volkov can get by the American in his opening Octagon appearance, the division will have an under-30 name to track heading into 2017.

Teruto Ishihara

While his grandiose personality and flamboyant style are what initially garnered Ishihara attention, the young upstart has started opening eyes with his performances in the Octagon as well.

After battling veteran Mizuto Hirota to a draw in his UFC debut, the 25-year-old Japanese featherweight has earned back-to-back impressive knockout wins, starching Julian Erosa in the second round at UFC 196 and improving on that effort with a first-round finish of Horacio Gutierrez five months later in Salt Lake City.

“Yashabo” is undeniably a character and plays to the cameras, but his talent is becoming evident as well. He’s continued to do some of the preparation for his fights with the crew at Team Alpha Male and his power is truly something to contend with in the featherweight ranks. The lovable rogue has quickly become a fan favorite, and if he keeps stacking up stoppage wins, he’ll become a contender as well.

Jack Marshman

A long-time fixture on the UK regional scene, Marshman makes his UFC debut this weekend opposite Magnus Cedenblad, looking to extend his current winning streak to seven.

The first Welshman signed by the organization, the 26-year-old British paramilitary officer raced out of the gate with 10 consecutive victories to begin his professional career before hitting a two-year, nine-fight inconsistent skid that saw him go 4-5, incurring losses to familiar names like Tom Watson, Xavier Foupa-Pokam and Scott Askham. But the Tillery Combat Academy product snapped out of his funk two summers back and hasn’t lost since, earning a call up to the biggest stage in the sport after capturing the Cage Warriors middleweight title back in July.

Cedenblad has rattled off four straight victories (spread out over three years) after losing his promotional debut, so “The Hammer” is in tough here, but a win over the Swedish veteran will instantly show that Marshman belongs at this level and is someone to keep an eye on next year.

Instead, the crowd roared, chanted, booed, cheered and gave the UFC the welcome it deserved. After 20 years in this business, it was as glorious a night as I hoped it would be, and as anyone in the fight game knows, hopes don’t usually become reality.

More from UFC 205: Results | Milestone tracker | McGregor adds 2nd title with Alvarez KO | Must watch: Dana White event recap | Backstage interviews: Conor McGregor | Eddie Alvarez Tyron Woodley | Octagon interviews: Conor McGregor | Tyron Woodley & Stephen Thompson | Joanna Jedrzejczyk & Karolina Kowalkiewicz

But in this reality, the credit goes to the 22 athletes who made the walk to the Octagon and fought. They didn’t try to play the point game or get the safe win. In a place where legends of boxing made their name, mixed martial artists were determined to do the same.

Not everyone succeeds in situations like this, but the attempt is what matters.

It’s why a loss by Conor McGregor to Eddie Alvarez wouldn’t have affected what he has done in the last 12 months. He dared to be great across three weight classes, and that’s an admirable trait no one can take away from him.

But McGregor didn’t lose. In eight minutes and four seconds, the Irishman made history once again, knocking Alvarez out to become the first fighter to hold two UFC championships simultaneously.

To put this in perspective, not only has no one done this in the 23 years before McGregor did it, but only one fighter – BJ Penn – even tried it. And Penn’s loss to Georges St-Pierre in their 2009 rematch was a one-sided one. McGregor’s attempt to add the lightweight title to his featherweight crown in his trophy case was equally one-sided, but in his favor.

Calling it a master class would be understating things. Simply put, no one does that to Eddie Alvarez, one of the best lightweights of this era. McGregor did. Just like he did against Jose Aldo last December.

Last December? Does it even feel real that in the last 11 months, McGregor has knocked out Aldo and Alvarez and split two Fight of the Year candidates with Nate Diaz.

Now there have been some great years in MMA. Jon Jones defeated Ryan Bader, Shogun Rua, Rampage Jackson and Lyoto Machida in succession in 2011. Shogun’s 2005 campaign saw him turn back Hiromitsu Kanehara, Rampage, Rogerio Nogueira, Alistair Overeem and Ricardo Arona. And Michael Bisping has had an impressive 2016 thanks to wins over Anderson Silva, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson.

But McGregor in 2015-16? That may be the best 12 months ever, and it all has to do with the stage those fights took place on.

New York. Madison Square Garden. Main event in the center of the sporting universe.

That’s pressure few could understand, and it raises the degree of difficulty to rarely seen levels. To perform under those circumstances marks someone as a special, once in a generation kind of fighter.

Before the fight, Alvarez said McGregor’s “Illusion of greatness will soon be over.”

It’s no illusion anymore. And there’s really no argument to the contrary.

On a night when Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson put on an instant classic, Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Karolina Kowalkiewicz proudly represented Poland, Yoel Romero stopped Chris Weidman and Miesha Tate retired, everyone was talking about McGregor, his history-making performance, his laser-like left hand and what’s next.

That’s how great fighters close the show in Madison Square Garden.