Oh, what a day! Happy International Women’s Day, folks. 🎉 #TUF32’s got something special lined up. Coaches? None other than the fierce @AlexaGrasso and the legendary @BulletValentina. They’re hitting the screens come June 4th on @ESPN. Can’t wait? Me neither. Check out the teaser! pic.twitter.com/JC4msNmWuY – shouts out danawhite on March 8, 2024.
So, here’s the scoop. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is bringing back “The Ultimate Fighter” this summer. Yep, you heard that right. It’s the show’s 32nd season we’re talking about! And guess where it’s airing? ESPN and ESPN+, folks.
Now, get this. The coaches are none other than the women’s flyweight champ, Alexa Grasso, and the former queen of the 125-pounders, Valentina Shevchenko. They’re taking the helm of featherweight and middleweight teams. Word on the street (since last December, actually) is that they might throw down for a third time at the season’s end. People are whispering about the Noche UFC event, maybe UFC 306, happening inside The Sphere in Las Vegas on Sept. 14. But hey, that’s not set in stone yet.
Let’s rewind a bit. Grasso snatched the belt from Shevchenko in March 2023 at UFC 285. It was a face crank in the fourth that did it. Fun fact: that was only Grasso’s second submission win. Her first? Against Joanne Wood, a year earlier. That victory marked her fifth win streak. These two warriors clashed again five months later, ending in a split draw that had everyone talking.
For Shevchenko, this was a bit of a rough patch. It’s the longest she’s gone without a win. Remember her days at 135 pounds? She fought Amanda Nunes for the belt twice. The second time? A split decision that could’ve gone either way. But flyweight’s where Shevchenko truly shone. She moved down in 2018, dominated Priscila Cachoeira, and nabbed the vacant title from Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She defended that title seven times, setting a UFC women’s championship record. Talk about a legacy!