Alexa Grasso took the lead again on the latest episode of The Ultimate Fighter 32.
The reigning UFC flyweight champion moved to 2-1 in her coaching matchup with Valentina Shevchenko, as her No. 2 featherweight pick Kaan Ofli won a decision over Team Bullet’s Nathan Fletcher. This is also Grasso’s first featherweight win of the season after her No. 1 pick at 145 pounds, Guillermo Torres, lost to Shevchenko’s top pick Roedie Roets.
Ofli (11-2-1) had to work hard for his decision win as Fletcher (8-1) proved to be more than an equal match on the feet and on the ground. The first round clearly went to the Australian as he used an advancing jab and a heavy right hand to pressure Fletcher before eventually scoring with a slam. From there, Ofli methodically passed Fletcher’s defenses until he took his back, from where he mixed in ground-and-pound with a rear-naked choke attempt.
Fletcher survived to make it to Round 2 and knowing he needed to tie it up to force an extra frame, the Scouser came out swinging. As Fletcher flurried, Ofli remained calm until he found an opening for another takedown. Fletcher quickly returned to his feet, only to get taken down again, but then he surprised Ofli by going for broke with a rolling scramble that resulted in him briefly taking Ofli’s back.
Though Fletcher managed plenty of offense, Ofli continued to catch him with strikes as well and ended the fight working from top position. Ofli’s efforts were enough to earn him a decision and place in the TUF 32 featherweight semifinals.
Next week, we have a rescheduled middleweight matchup between Team Grasso’s Omran Chaaban (6-1) and Team Bullet’s No. 1 pick Shamidkhan Magomedov (7-1. This bout was supposed to take place on Episode 2, but was postponed when Chaaban was diagnosed with an open cold sore.)
In the aftermath of last week’s fight, which saw Robert Valentin score a fast and brutal knockout of Giannis Bachar, the episode opened with a scene of Bachar struggling with his first-ever loss to strikes. Valentin and Bachar’s teammates made sure to comfort the Greek fighter, assuring him that those kinds of losses are simply part of being a fighter.
The Ultimate Fighter 32 airs live every Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Following the season finale, Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko are expected to face off in a flyweight championship trilogy bout at a date still to be determined.
The finalists of the TUF 32 middleweight and featherweight tournaments will also compete for a six-figure UFC contract at the show’s live finale. A date for that event is also yet to be announced.
Here are the TUF 32 rosters divided by team:
Team Grasso
Featherweights
Middleweights
Team Shevchenko
Featherweights
Middleweights
Here are the quarterfinal results so far:
Roedie Roets def. Guillermo Torres via decision
Robert Valentin def. Giannis Bachar via KO (strikes) (R1)
Kaan Ofli def. Nathan Fletcher via decision
Advancing to semifinals: Roets, Valentin, Ofli
Eliminated: Torres, Bachar, Fletcher
