Robert Valentin earned yet another first-round finish victory in the ongoing season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” securing him a spot in the live middleweight grand finals later this year.
Valentin overcame adversity against Ireland’s Paddy McCorry, recovering from a rough moment on the feet to win the fight with a submission.
An aggressive McCorry visibly rocked Valentin three minutes into the fight with a clean right hand. He continued to charge forward after landing the shot, trying to capitalize on a moment where Valentin was hurt.
Valentin’s takedown skills allowed him to not only survive the position but also turn it into a finishing sequence. After briefly clinching, Valentin got McCorry to the canvas with a judo throw.
Valentin landed in side control, where he trapped an arm of McCorry with his legs for an armbar attempt. This submission, a less typical version of the armbar, caused a tap from McCorry and brought the fight to an end.
Earlier this season, Valentin had an even quicker stoppage win against Giannis Bachar. He put away the Greek talent in the opening moments of their quarter-final fight with an elbow, earning one of the bigger highlight-reel moments of this season.
Valentin is now expected to meet America’s Ryan Loder in the grand finals of the 185-pound bracket. Loder previously overcame Omran Chaaban and Tom Theocharis to advance to his upcoming fight. It remains unclear when this year’s season of “TUF” will have its live grand final bouts.
Season 32 of “The Ultimate Fighter” will conclude next week with the final featherweight semi-final fight. In a clash that will determine who meets Kaan Ofli in the 145-pound finals, Mairon Santos is booked to face Zygimantas Ramaska. However, the show has teased an injury potentially preventing Ramaska from competing, mentioning that Edwin Cooper Jr. or Guillermo Torres might take his place. We’ll soon know who ends up snagging this year’s last grand final slot.
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