We’ll be recapping each episode of The Ultimate Fighter 32 this year, with episode 8 arriving on July 23, 2024. Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko are your coaches, while featherweights and middleweights are featured.
The most recent instalment of The Ultimate Fighter 32 sees things shift back to the middleweight division, but first up, coach Valentina Shevchenko takes her team on a helicopter tour of Las Vegas. Rodie Roets calls the experience one of the best of his life. The team seems to think it’s a great break from the rigors of training.
Paddy McCorry is at the TUF house showing castmates photos of himself with his first amateur belt, and his grandfather. Of note, the Irish fighter is (in one photo) sporting a “Legalize Diaz” t-shirt. Fans will no doubt recognize what that’s in reference to. McCorry also speaks about “the troubles” in Belfast, and the “generational” trauma that remains, before showing off a bit of his training.
McCorry opens up about his struggles as a teen, drinking and partying. His refuge became the gym, with his goal to fulfill his potential as a mixed martial artist.
Opposite McCorry this week is Mark Hulme. Hailing from South Africa, Hulme calls his own teenage years “a tornado” due to medical issues, accidents and misfortunes. That included a dislocated ankle, while Hulme didn’t have medical coverage. After the ankle is fixed, he gets sideswiped on his motorcycle, injuring that same ankle all over again. Hulme winds up on the road, sleeping rough, sometimes without even a tent.
Both men seem to have been saved to some extent by MMA, which has put them on a collision course on The Ultimate Fighter 32. McCorry and Hulme make weight, and then it’s time for the final quarterfinal fight of the season.
The Ultimate Fighter 32: Paddy McCorry vs. Mark Hulme
Round 1:
Hulme connects early, then catches a leg and quickly takes the fight to the mat, getting on top. From there, he takes the back; McCorry gets up, but Hulme still has a body lock and drags him back down. McCorry works up again, but can’t shake Hulme off. The first half of the round is basically all Mark Hulme, and his dominant, blanket-like wrestling. McCorry’s biggest moments are simply making it to his feet. Just past the halfway mark, he eats a standing knee. But McCorry finally gets a moment to shine, pulling guard and locking up a choke! After being dominated for a full three minutes, McCorry forces the tap via guillotine, pulling off the comeback.
Official Result: Paddy McCorry def. Mark Hulme by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1
McCorry’s team tells him how he’s grown as a man and a fighter, as he heads off to the semifinal round. Hulme meanwhile isn’t making excuses. “At the end of the night, Paddy was the better fighter,” he tells the camera. Later, he adds “I’ll take this loss on the chin, like a man. I’ll keep my chin up high.”
Before episode’s end, Dana White interviews all the semifinalists, as well as the coaches.
When all is said and done, the semifinal match-ups break down as follows:
Middleweight
Omran Chaaban vs. Ryan Loder
Paddy McCorry vs. Robert Valentin
Featherweight
Kaan Ofli vs. Roedie Roets
Zygimantas Ramaska vs. Mairon Santos
