Gautier (8-1) faced off with Valentin at ceremonial weigh-ins. The latter screamed in his face trying to get a reaction from Gautier, but got nothing more than a slight smirk.

“About the energy, you know, I didn’t really care. Everything he was doing for me was ok. You can do whatever you want, but in the cage you’re going to be just you and me. Whatever you can do it won’t change the results,” Gautier told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

If earning a bonus was his plan well then it worked perfectly as he scored a 50k bonus. It was something he expected following the result.

“I’m going to get the bonus (the scrum was before those were announced). I was violent. Have you hear(d) the noise of my punch like BOOM, BOOM. Like a small explosion. So I’m going to get the bonus,” he said.

Not many people know that Gautier has actually attended university and earned degrees, but the reason behind it is interesting. Mama Gautier laid down the condition that, if he wants to fight, he must have a degree.

“I always used to fight, but not like proper fight. I always used to fight in the street in my country. For me it was normal. I wanted to fight, but my mom (was) like you can’t fight if you don’t get degrees,” he said.

“So that’s why I went to uni. I did physics just to make her like, ok, I’m smart, but fighting for me is for like stupid people. I’m smart, but I want to fight. I just enjoy it.”

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Ateba Gautier above.

The post Ateba Gautier’s Mom Made Him Earn Degrees Before He Could Fight appeared first on Cageside Press.

Gautier (7-1) made his debut against Jose Medina in March finishing that one in the first round with a massive knee. The fighter out of Cameroon was set to continue his win streak against Valentin.

Valentin (10-5) comes into this one on a two fight losing skid after winning The Ultimate Fighter Season 32. With a lackluster start to his UFC run he needed this win badly.

Round 1 Valentin came out with the lead leg light trying to show Gautier that he’d be sending kicks up the middle. Gautier wasn’t worried and began to put his strikes on Valentin rather heavily.

Valentin landed some shots on Gautier, but then ate a flurry of strikes that put him on skates and hurt him badly. Gautier hunted, but did it very patiently and strategically. He landed shots everywhere, found the right hand around the guard, and when Valentin got back up he put him back down with another heavy shot.

Valentin tried to survive, at one point urging Gautier forward, but ended up on the wrong end of an onslaught and Herb Dean had seen enough.

Ateba Gautier is the new boogieman at middleweight.

Official Results: Ateba Gautier def. Robert Valentin via R1 TKO, 1:10

The post Ateba Gautier Makes Quick Work Of Valentin, Gets Early First Round TKO appeared first on Cageside Press.

While he and Valentin are each other’s best training partners, the UFC middleweight explains that they are a lot closer than just training partners.

“We live together in Thailand, so we’ve know each other for a long time. I consider him my little brother. He’s been with me to a bunch of fights, cornering me. I’ve been with him to a bunch of fights, cornering him,” Valentin explained. “We spend our free time together. We go through thick and thin, and we learn from each other. He’s such a talented kid, such a great fighter.”

[SPOILER ALERT: First episode results below]

So naturally, when Donchenko got the call to go on the show, big brother stepped in to make sure that he had everything he needs. The first thing they handled was the physical demands of the show.

“Me coming back from the Ultimate Fighter and him going into it, I was like, hey, bro, look, this is how I did it,” he said. “So, I set him up with my nutritionist who programmed for me, like, every day of the Ultimate Fighter, how I need to do it to be on weight every time. Because you have to make weight back-to-back – that’s kind of a challenge, right?”

But as anyone who has watched the show knows, some of the biggest challenges on the Ultimate Fighter are not physical. Luckily for Donchenko, Valentin had him set on the mental side of things as well.

“I kind of prepared him also of how it will be feeling in there and what kind of mindset to keep. So I said it before, it’s either you’re a temple or you’re prison,” Valentin said. “So, go in with the right mindset and it will be your temple, and he did exactly that. In the first fight – great performance, good energy – so, I’m super excited to see the semi-finale.”

Physical side, mental side – some might think that’s all there is to the fight game and the Ultimate Fighter. However, Valentin revealed that neither of those pieces were the most important piece that he told his roommate. Instead, it was about sleeping arrangements.

“I told him, look, bro, you come into the house first and everybody will run upstairs because they think the nice rooms are upstairs,” he explained. “But actually, upstairs is shit because upstairs you will be in the same room with eight people. So, you run in, you take a left and take the last room on the floor on the right side, and you will have a nice bed and only one roommate and it will be the best room. And he did exactly that.”

You can continue to watch how Donchenko handles the advice of his teammate each week on the Ultimate Fighter. It airs on Tuesdays at 10pm EST on ESPN+. Meanwhile, you can catch Valentin on UFC 318, where he fights Ateba Gautier. That fight airs on the prelims which begins at 6pm EST this Saturday, also on ESPN+.

The post UFC 318’s Robert Valentin Shares Advice for TUF Contestant, ‘Lil Bro’ Daniil Donchenko appeared first on Cageside Press.

Kicking off this UFC 318 edition of TTP is our interview with UFC flyweight, Carli Judice. Judice talks about getting the opportunity to fight in front of her hometown crowd. She also intends on getting her customary doughnuts after the fight and is looking for a spot to grab them (shoutout some suggestions in the comments). In addition to all of that, she is also breaking down the fight as well. She fights Nicolle Caliari as part of the prelim portion of the card.

Fights, Dogs and Parlays: UFC 318 (12:20)

UFC stays in the south this week. After an exciting, underdog filled UFC Nashville, the UFC is heading to New Orleans. It’ll be the goodbye fight for Dustin Poirier and he settled the trilogy with Max Holloway. We’ll also get an exciting middleweight fight between Roman Kopylov and Paulo Costa. We’ll break down those fights as well as some of our other favorite fights on the main card. Plus, as always, we’re hitting you with an underdog and a plus-money parlay that we think will make your wallet fat this weekend. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Robert Valentin Interview (21:22)

Closing out this UFC 318 edition of TTP is our interview with UFC middleweight, Robert Valentin. Valentin talks about his good friend and ‘little brother’, Daniil Donchenko. With Donchenko on the current season of The Ultimate Fighter, Valentin reflects on his time on the show. He also discusses the advice that he gave to his friend and roommate before he headed into the house. He also gives his thoughts on his recent fight with Torrez Finney and what he took away from that fight mentally. With that in the rear view mirror, he turns his attention to UFC 318. He fights a striker in Ateba Gauthier as part of the prelim card.

The post TTP Ep. 489: Carli Judice, Robert Valentin, and UFC 318 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Josh Emmett

Lerone Murphy out pointed Josh Emmett to win a unanimous decision in the main event on Saturday. Josh Emmett has now lost three of his last four fights stemming from his unsuccessful interim title bout in 2023.

Emmett entered the bout with a #8 ranking at 145lbs, while Murphy was ranked at #10. Josh, who turned 40 years old about a month ago, is in a precarious position as he will likely be teetering on the edge of the top 10 come Tuesday.

Emmett should fight the winner of the Dan Ige vs Sean Woodson fight at UFC 314 on April 12th. The timing would be great. Ige is currently ranked at #15 in the featherweight division, while Woodson is unranked. Woodson has been a spectacular prospect with the promotion. The 2019 Contender Series vet is 7-1-1 and riding a 7-fight unbeaten streak. Ige is a tried and tested veteran that has faced the top of the division (including Emmett in 2021). The 2017 Contender Series alum has struggled recently, having lost three of his last four bouts. Either matchup, the fans win. Both Ige and Woodson are strikers with real fight-stropping power. Fans could either get a rematch between two veterans or a veteran vs an up-and-coming rangy striker. Winner of this fight would guarantee themselves a spot in the rankings while the loser would likely end up falling just outside #15.

Emmett’s next fight: Winner of Dan Ige vs. Sean Woodson

Joanderson Brito

Joanderson Brito was nearly shut out in what was a textbook display of grappling dominance from Pat Sabatini. The loss was Brito’s second in a row, after he dropped a split decision to Williiam Gomis last September. Prior to that, Brito was riding high on a 5-fight win streak that saw him finish every opponent and land two performance bonuses.

This one is an easy one. Joanderson should fight Do Ho Choi next. These two guys were made to fight each other, and I could see a potential fight of the night out of the matchup. Choi went 3-3 thru his first six fights from 2014 to 2019. ‘The Korean Superboy’ landed five straight performance bonuses including his legendary scrap against Cub Swanson making him a fan favorite. Momentum slowed for Choi after he broke his arm in 2019 in his loss against Charles Jourdain. Choi was further delayed as he had to serve mandatory military service as a South Korean.

Since Choi returned in 2023, he has experienced a career resurgence going 2-0-1. He’s a crisp counter striker that’s not afraid of a battle and at 34 he’s still got a few more wars in the tank. Choi was last in action back in December when he put away Nate Landwehr in the final round. Great dance partner for a fighter like Brito that likes to move forward and throw venom. Sign me up.

Brito’s next fight: Doo Ho Choi

Cortavious Romious

Chang Ho Lee melted Cortavious Romious with some devastating ground and pound to get the second round TKO at UFC Vegas 105. Romious is now 0-2 under the UFC promotional banner. The two-time Contender Series competitor was signed last year after his unanimous decision win over Michael Imperato.

Cortavious also missed weight prior to the fight by 3.5lbs so he is in a very tough position. Next fight for Romious, if he gets one, should be against Josias Musasa. ‘The KO Wizard’ is also 2024 Contender Series veteran. Like Cortavious, Josias is also winless with the UFC and struggled on the scale. Musasa was submitted in his debut by Carlos Vera last month in the first round of their bout. Josias also missed weight for that bout coming in at 136.5lbs. Good matchup here, that makes sense for both fighters with the loser potentially facing an axe from the promotion.

Romious’ next fight: Josias Musasa 

Gerald Meerschaert

Gerald Meerschaert dropped a hard-fought unanimous decision to Brad Tavares at UFC Vegas 105 Saturday.  It was Meerschaert’s second loss in a row after he was submitted by UFC newcomer, Reinier de Ridder, last November.

Meerschaert now has a UFC record of 12-11 and has anchored his position as a gatekeeper within the promotion’s middleweight ranks.

Couple different options are available for Meerschaert. Hes fought nearly everyone. Meerschaert could take a compelling rematch against a guy like Eryk Anders. The pair first fought in 2019 with Anders snagging a split decision. Since that bout, Anders is 5-4 and Meerschaert is 7-7. Eryk may have won his last two fights, but they were against guys who are no longer with the promotion (Jamie Pickett and Chris Weidman). Gerald’s been more active against more competitive guys. All things considered; this is a matchup that could be revisited.

Or perhaps, what makes more sense is to have Gerald take on the winner of Zach Reese vs Dusko Todorovic who are slated to fight on May 31st. Zack is a 2023 Contender Series vet that is 2-2 thru four bouts with the promotion. Dusko Todorovic is 3-5 with the UFC and came off the 2019 season of the Contender Series. Winner of this striking battle should take on Gerald as both are still under the prospect tag currently. This option gives fans a great striking vs grappling matchup with the winner proving their relevancy within the division. Leaning towards the winner of Reese vs. Todorovic but it really depends on the direction the UFC wants to go in.

Meerschaert’s next fight: Eryk Anders II or Winner of Dusko Todorovic vs. Zach Reese

Luis Gurule

Ode Osbourne upset Luis Gurule at UFC Vegas 105, handing him the first loss of his professional MMA career, in what was the 31-year-old’s promotional debut. Luis earned a contract off of a split decision victory over Nick Piccininni on the Contender Series last year.

A prior edition of losers had targeted former UFC flyweight, CJ Vergara, for the loser of this bout. However, Vergara was released by the promotion following his third loss in row to last week.

Instead, Luis should take on Felipe dos Santos in his next fight. Felipe is 1-3 with the promotion and has lost his last two fights. Felipe was last in action a couple of weeks ago when he a dropped a unanimous decision to hot prospect, Lone’er Kavanagh. Despite his UFC record, Felipe has had some solid showings inside the cage. His UFC debut was against Manel Kape, and though he lost, the Brazilian fighter still put in a fight of the night winning effort. Felipe has had some tough opponents. The 24-year-old flyweight is also a veteran of the LFA and a fight between these two would be nonstop action. Winner of this fight would establish a foothold within the division, while the loser could easily be released.

Gurule’s next fight: Felipe dos Santos 

Robert Valentin

Robert Valentin dropped a split decision to Torrez Finney in a wrestling heavy bout to kick off the UFC Vegas 105 main card.  Valentin became the runner up of the 32nd season of The Ultimate Fighter last year with his loss to Ryan Loder.

A prior edition of losers had targeted former UFC middleweight, Julian Marquez, for the loser of this bout. However, Marquez has since been released from the UFC following his fourth straight loss last month.

The perfect matchup for Valentin would be Jose Medina. Jose is in a similar position to Valentin. Medina lost his Contender Series bout in 2023 to Magomed Gadzhiyasulov by unanimous decision. However, thanks to his tenacity, Jose snagged a UFC contact from the performance anyways. Medina dropped to middleweight for his UFC debut losing a unanimous decision to Zach Reese last August. In his last fight, Jose was on the opposite end of a first-round highlight reel KO courtesy of Ateba Gautier. Considering both fighters situations, this high-stakes bout is bound to deliver. Two guys who are likely on their final chances with the promotion, loser gets cut.

Valentin’s next fight: Jose Medina 

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 105 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

Valentin told Cageside Press ahead of the fight that he saw the bout as a bigger opportunity than most, given the following he and Finney had grown through TUF and the Contender Series.

The first round began with Finney immediately applying pressure on Valentin. He shot in on the legs, lifted Valentin, and walked him across the cage before slamming him down in his corner. Although Valentin quickly returned to his feet, Finney stayed locked on and took him down again. Valentin managed to work back to his knees and stand, but Finney remained relentless, scoring two more takedowns against the cage. To his credit, Valentin repeatedly got back up, but he couldn’t shake Finney’s grip. While the damage was minimal, Finney effectively neutralized Valentin’s offense with constant takedown pressure and control.

Round two opened with Finney landing a big scoop slam just seconds in. Valentin looked to threaten with a kimura, but Finney’s strength easily nullified the attempt. Valentin then transitioned to an armbar, but Finney powered out by slamming him on his head. Valentin eventually worked up to a knee, trying to stand, but Finney attempted to take the back—slipping off in the process. Still, he managed to latch onto a leg and maintain control. The round closed with little action, but Valentin was once again pressed against the cage as the buzzer sounded.

Knowing he needed a finish, Valentin came out aggressive in round three, letting his hands go. Finney wanted no part of the striking exchange and quickly pressed Valentin against the cage, securing another takedown. While Finney continued to dominate in the wrestling department, he struggled to control Valentin on the ground, allowing him to return to his feet over and over. The referee separated them, but Finney immediately closed the distance and drove Valentin back to the cage. Another brief break from the ref followed, only for Finney to shoot again—this time lifting and planting Valentin with authority. Valentin once more managed to stand, prompting yet another separation from the referee, who appeared visibly frustrated. Still undeterred, Finney clinched again and ended the fight with Valentin pinned against the cage.

The result of the fight after 15 minutes felt like a forgone conclusion. Judge Tony Weeks, who has a boxing background, apparently saw something no one else did however. He awarded all three rounds to Valentin, while the remaining two judges scored the fight a more reasonable 29-28 for Torrez Finney.

Official Result: Torrez Finney def. Robert Valentin by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)

The post UFC Vegas 105: Torrez Finney Grinds Way Past Robert Valentin, But Scorecard the Bigger Story appeared first on Cageside Press.

“Robzilla,” who returns to action against Torrez Finney at UFC Vegas 105 this Saturday, actually had the time of his life on the show, despite the hurdles that have left other fighters struggling.

“To be honest if you say it like this, it sounds awful, but for me it wasn’t hard. Actually when people ask me, until today, I say it was the best time of my life. I enjoyed every single day,” Valentin (10-4) told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. “The hardest part was maybe that I had to leave again. Because I would get so comfortable in that house, I was really in my happy place— only having to focus on training and fighting and no distractions, no other B.S. around you. I have to really say for some people it was a prison, for me it was a temple. I really enjoyed it.”

Having been through the show all the way to the finale, falling just short of winning the show, Valentin has technically competed in the UFC once already. Still, it’s UFC Vegas 105 that he sees as his debut. “This fight is my debut, because the last fight was still kind of feeling like The Ultimate Fighter. We were wearing The Ultimate Fighter shorts, Ultimate Fighter gloves. Even though everything else was on the UFC card, I feel like this is my real debut for the UFC now.”

The feeling coming into this Saturday “definitely feels different,” Valentin added. “And I have to say, I think in the last fight I let the pressure take over me. For this fight, the motto for the fight camp was ‘remember your past self would have died to be here, so enjoy it.’ It’s an amazing opportunity and an amazing experience, and my younger self would have done anything to be in this moment here. I love to fight, I love to be in there, so I tried to make it about that again, and go out there and enjoy myself and not let this pressure take over.”

Torrez Finney, the man Valentin faces at the Apex on Saturday, was not unknown to him prior to the match-up being booked. He’d seen Finney during his Contender Series appearances, with the American appearing on the show three times before the promotion signed him.

“I think it’s a great match-up. I kind of see it as an opportunity the UFC provides for the both of us. If you look at the others guys coming off The Ultimate Fighter, they get fights that are I would say a little bit more meaningless. This match-up, I feel like it’s a big opportunity because he has something to his name, me also obviously a little bit,” stated Valentin. “I made kind of an impact on the show. So we’re bringing this fanbase and we’re bringing just a tiny little bit of name in this game to this match-up.”

Another part of that opportunity: the chance to become the first man to beat Finney, who has a 10-0 record as a pro to date.

A glance at MMA’s record keepers will show that Valentin, who has lived and trained in Thailand the last three years, holds six submission wins, while Finney owns seven KO/TKO finishes. The records don’t tell the whole story, Valentin suggested.

“Sometimes the records speak a complete different language than the actual fight style. Because he’s more of a wrestler, a guy who wants to take it to the ground. Even though I have submissions, it’s mainly because people try to take me down because they didn’t want to stand with me,” he noted. “My background being Judo, I’m a passionate grappler but I love Muay Thai, I love the standup, that’s where I enjoy the fight most. I think it’s more of a wrestler versus striker match-up, even though the record says something else.”

Valentin has no plan to go out and engage in a grappling match come Saturday. “That’s never been my style of fighting. I think it’s a big stylistic match-up between wrestling, and trying to keep it stand-up.”

Watch our full interview with UFC Vegas 105 middleweight Robert Valentin above, where he talks more about the fight, his time on TUF, Alexa Grasso‘s impact on him, and the “problem child” that is Swiss MMA.

The post UFC Vegas 105’s Robert Valentin: “Past Self Would Have Died to Be Here” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Jared Cannonier

Jared Cannonier lost a unaimous decision to surging Caio Borralho in the main event of UFC Vegas 96. It was a bout that saw Jared severely hurt at one point.  Cannonier headed into the fight as the #5 ranked UFC middleweight while Borralho was ranked at #12 going in. Cannonier has now lost three of his last five fights dating back to his July of 2022, unsuccessful title challenge, opposite of Israel Adesanya.

Jared’s next fight should be against Paulo Costa. Both fighters are on two fight losing streaks. The pair were also supposed to fight in August of 2021 before Costa withdrew from the fight. Costa is ranked at #8 in the UFC’s middleweight rankings. Costa has also lost four of his last five fights dating back to his 2020 unsuccessful title challenge against one Israel Adesanya.

It’s a fight that would make sense for both men as well as fans.

Cannonier’s next fight: Paulo Costa

Angela Hill

Angela Hill lost an entertaining fight to Tabatha Ricci in the co main event of UFC Vegas 96.

Hill entered the bout ranked at #9 in the women’s strawweight division while her opponent, Ricci, was ranked at #11. Hill has now lost two of her last six fights dating back to her August of 2022 unanimous decision victory against Lupita Godinez.

Angela has fought so many people in the division, and with her active muay thai style she always makes for an entertaining fight.

Hill should fight Looma Lookboonmee in her next fight. That fight would be a rematch of the pair’s February of 2022 fight, in which Angela Hill won a unaimous decision. Since that bout, Looma is 5-1, only losing to Lupita Godinez in November of 2021. Looma is still unranked, but it would be a perfect time in both women’s careers for this muay thai rematch.

Hill’s next fight: Looma Lookboonmee

Robert Valentin

Robert Valentin was TKO’d while trapped in a crucifix in the second round of his bout with Ryan Loder on Saturday. The bout was to decide who was to be crowned The Ultimate Fighter 32 at 185lbs.

Valentin had not lost in five fights dating back to 2022 and will now look to see if he will potentially get a contract with the UFC. Robert will very likely get some fights in the UFC thanks to his persona, fight style and the current state of the UFC’s middleweight division.

Tresean Gore and Antonio Trocoli are slated to fight on November 11th. Robert should get the loser of that fight. Gore was also nearly a TUF winner like Valentin (Injured ahead of TUF 29 finale). Gore is still very inexperienced at just 4-2 as a pro. Antonio Trocoli is a Contender Series vet that lost his short notice UFC debut to Shara Magomedov back in June. Either match up would be a good fight for Valentin based off the skill level of both fighters.

Valentin’s next fight: Tresean Gore vs. Antonio Trocoli Loser

Kaan Ofli

Kaan Ofli was brutally KO’d by his opponent, Mairon Santos, in the second round of their bout on Saturday at UFC Vegas 96. The bout was to decide which fighter would be crowned The Ultimate Fighter 32 at 145lbs.

Heading into the bout, Ofli had not lost since 2016.  He won eight fights in a row in order to secure his spot on TUF 32.

With the result on Saturday and the current state of the UFC’s featherweight division, it’s unlikely Ofli is picked up by the UFC. At 31 years old it is possible that the UFC comes looking for him if they need a short notice replacement or someone to match up with a Contender Series guy, but outside of that, there isn’t really a matchup that stands out for Ofli at this point.

Ofli’s next fight: Contender Series Winner/ Short Notice Fight

Neil Magny

Neil Magny was smoked in the first round of his bout against undefeated prospect, Michael Morales. Magny, a UFC OG, with 33 fights with the organization, has now lost four of his last seven fights. This dates back to his June of 2022 loss opposite of Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Neil Magny entered the fight ranked at #12 in the welterweight division while his opponent, Michael Morales was an unranked hot prospect.

With that in mind, Neil Magny should fight Randy Brown. Magny is a bonafide gate keeper at this point and might lose his ranking when the new rankings come out. Brown is on a three-fight winning streak (Wellington Turman, Muslim Salikhov and Elizeu Zaleski). He deserves a shot at cracking into the rankings. The two long rangy welterweights should scrap as it’d be a good one.

Brown’s next fight: Randy Brown

Edmen Shahbazyan

Edmen Shahbazyan was submitted in the opening fight of the UFC Vegas 96 main card, when Gerald Meerschaert completed the miraculous comeback, pulling off a second-round submission. The heartbreaking loss for Shahbazyan earned his opponent a performance bonus for the submission.  And a spot in the record books as Gerald passed Anderson Silva for the all-time UFC middleweight finish record.

Shahbazyan has now lost five of his last seven fights dating back to his 2020 step up in competition against Derek Brunson. Edmen has struggled mightily since that step up in competition and now has a record of 6-5 with the UFC.

Shahbazyan should fight Michal Oleksiejczuk in his next fight. Michal is currently on a three-fight losing streak having lost to Michel Pereira, Kevin Holland and most recently, Shara Magomedov. Michal’s last win came in August of 2023 when he finished Chidi Njokuani in the first round. Oleksiejczuk is 7-7 with 1 NC in the UFC since 2017. This fight has the potential to be a great standup banger.

Shahbazyan’s next fight: Michal Oleksiejczuk

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 96 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

While coaches Alexa Grasso and Valetina Shevchenko were set to face off a third time next month, one of Loder and Valentin would earn themselves a spot in the UFC on Saturday in the middleweight finale.

Loder started the fight with a high kick into an upper-body takedown. Valentin got his legs up and threatened with a submission quickly. He used it to almost get to his feet but Loder put him down. Loder was locking in a scarfhold armlock but Valentin scrambled and took the back. Valentin flattened out Loder and went for the rear-naked choke. Loder survived but Valentin still had the body triangle. Valentin went after the rear-naked choke again but Loder fought the wrist and turned towards Valentin getting on top. With a minute left Loder didn’t deal much damage but ended the round on top.

In round two Loder was after the takedown right away. Valentin used the wizard but tried to step over the back and Loder landed on top. Loder got Valentin in the crucifix and was smashing with some short elbows. Valentin couldn’t get out of the position and eventually, the ref saw enough. That gave Ryan Loder the TKO win, and TUF 32 crown at middleweight!

Official Result: Ryan Loder def. Robert Valentin by TKO (elbows), Round 2, 1:49

The post UFC Vegas 96: Ryan Loder Captures TUF 32 Middleweight Crown, TKOs Robert Valentin appeared first on Cageside Press.

Throughout the show, Valentin remarked that Team Grasso often felt like a family. They worked together, but they also deeply cared about each other. He pointed out that it was even more so in real life as the show failed to show some of the times when they were having the most fun.

“Every day we were in the van driving to the gym – to the Apex,” Valentin shared. “Our team, we just talked so much shit and we had so much fun.”

With cameras rolling almost 24 hours a day, some of the material needs to be cut for time purposes. However, some of the stuff from those van rides may have needed to be cut for content purposes. Noting the lonliness for some of the guys in the house, some of the Team Grasso members had an idea for a sequel to their reality show.

“At one point, we started to talk to the producers,” he said. “We said after the show ends, we’re going to rent another Airbnb and film another show called The Ultimate F*ck House.”

While there was no sequel to be filmed, the guys from the show had more fun joking with the producers in the van. Sometimes those jokes took the form of smells.

“When we started cutting weight, when we started to re-load, everyone started to fart in the car,” Valentin recalled with a laugh. “They said, I don’t think you should film The Ultimate F*ck House, I think you should film The Ultimate Fart House.”

Although plenty of fun was had inside of the house and van, Valentin is happy to be out and looking forward to his UFC debut. He takes on Ryan Loder to crown the Ultimate Fighter middleweight champion. That fight takes place on the main card of UFC Vegas 96, which starts at 10pm EST.

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