Alexa Grasso has taken control of The Ultimate Fighter 32.
Two Team Grasso middleweights have now advanced in the reality show competition with her No. 3 pick Omran Chaaban (6-1) taking out Valentina Shevchenko’s No. 1 pick, Shamidkhan Magomedov (7-1). After dropping the first round, Chaaban battled back to finish Magomedov with a tight anaconda choke.
This is the third win in the first four fights for Grasso, who also saw her No. 2 featherweight pick Kaan Ofli advance last episode with a win over Nathan Fletcher.
Chaaban and Magomedov were to compete in an earlier episode, but an open cold sore on Chaaban’s lip caused the bout to be postponed. During their time in the house, the Muslim fighters bonded over their shared faith. That didn’t stop them from engaging in an intense battle when they stepped into the cage against one another.
The opening round of the fight saw Magomedov go for takedowns early and often, ducking under his larger opponent’s strikes to close the distance and wrap up Chaaban’s hips. He persistently worked to take Chaaban’s back and emphasized control as he favored position over offense. Chaaban shook Magomedov off, but could not keep the Russian fighter from tying him up. Magomedov capped off a clear 10-9 round with a slam in the closing seconds.
Chaaban fought with desperation in Round 2 and was rewarded. Despite Magomedov scoring another takedown and attacking with a leglock, Chaaban remained calm until he could explode out of danger and control Magomedov on the ground. He landed a few ground-and-pound strikes, then went for an anaconda choke that Magomedov tried to fight off. Magomedov refused to tap and eventually went to sleep.
The Finnish-Lebanese fighter advances to the middleweight semifinals alongside teammate Robert Valentin. By eliminating Magomedov, Chaaban earned a measure of revenge for coach Grasso as Shevchenko’s top 145-pound pick Roedie Roets had previously beaten Grasso’s No. 1 featherweight Guillermo Torres.
In other storylines, both coaches engaged in team building, with Shevchenko bringing her fighters to her favorite Las Vegas casino, and Valentin emerging as one of the leaders on Grasso’s side.
Next week, featherweights are back in action with Team Shevchenko No. 2 Zygimantas Ramaska fighting Team Grasso No. 3 Bekhzod Usmonov.
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
- Guillermo Torres (Mexico) (7-1)
- Kaan Ofli (Australia) (10-2-1)
- Bekhzod Usmonov (Tajikistan) (11-4)
- Mairon Santos (Brazil) (13-1)
Middleweights
- Robert Valentin (Switzerland) (10-3)
- Paddy McCorry (Ireland) (4-1)
- Omran Chaaban (Finland) (6-1)
- Tom Theocharis (Canada) (9-5)
Team Shevchenko
Featherweights
- Roedie Roets (South Africa) (7-1)
- Zygimantas Ramaska (Lithuania) (9-2)
- Nathan Fletcher (England) (8-1)
- Edwin Cooper Jr. (USA) (6-1)
Middleweights
- Shamidkhan Magomedov (Russia) (7-1)
- Mark Hulme (South Africa) (12-3)
- Ryan Loder (USA) (6-1)
- Giannis Bachar (Greece) (9-2)
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
Omran Chaaban def. Shamidkhan Magomedov via technical submission (anaconda choke) (R2)
Advancing to semifinals: Roets, Valentin, Ofli, Chaaban
Eliminated: Torres, Bachar, Fletcher, Magomedov
