UFC Vegas 96: Kaan Ofli vs. Mairon Santos Alves: Live round-by-round updates (TUF 32 featherweight final)
Season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter, led by coaches Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko, featured prospective featherweights and middleweights, who battled it out to secure a berth on the UFC roster. Featherweight hopefuls Kaan Ofli and Mairon Santos Alves now find themselves one step closer to turning their dream into reality.
Ofli, representing Team Grasso, defeated Nathan Fletcher in the quarterfinals and took on Roedie Roets in the semi-finals of the 145-pound bracket. Ofli capitalized on Roets' attempt for a takedown and locked in a guillotine choke to secure his spot in the finals.
His opponent, Santos, who also represented Team Grasso, collected a solid victory over Edwin Cooper Jr. in his first fight after originally being scheduled to take on Zygimantas Ramaska. However, Ramaska was unable to compete, which paved the way for teammate Guillermo Torres to lock horns with Santos. He won the fight by unanimous decision and will be keen on harnessing the momentum when he takes on Ofli.
UFC Vegas 96 is scheduled to go down on Saturday, Aug. 24. The prelims will stream exclusively on ESPN+ at 4 p.m. PT/ 7 p.m. ET, while the main card will then be aired on ESPN and ESPN+ at 7 p.m. PT/ 10 p.m. ET.
Stay tuned to Sportskeeda MMA for live results and play-by-play updates from the Kaan Ofli vs. Mairon Santos Alves fight:
Round 1
Ofli feints a level change early and tries to set up the left hook. He swarms in with a body clinch attempt but Santos recovers from the attacks. Santos' right hand is a sniper from distance but Ofli is giving him no space to get in his flow. The pair engage in a clinch against the cage in a battle of underhooks for a dominant position. Santos launches a sneaky elbow to break from the position. A solid jab from Santos as Ofli walks straight into it. Teep kicks to the midsection from Santos and a leg kick that sweeps Ofli off balance. Santos' jab and straight right have been his most decisive weapons so far.
Our Score: 10-9 Santos
Round 2
Santos' calf kick has had an overwhelming impact on his opponent. Ofli is biting down on every feint which opens up the prospect for Santos to attack. And it is all over! Santos flatlines Ofli with a sniper two-punch counterattack that snaps his opponent's head sideways. He follows up with some strikes following the left hook and walks away as the winner of the featherweight bracket of season 32 of 'The Ultimate Fighter'.
Official Result:
Mairon Santos Alves defeats Kaan Ofli via knockout (1:30 of Round 2).