TUF 31 Results & Recap TONIGHT For Ep. 4!

Can Trevor Wells defeat bantamweight veteran Timur Valiev and get Team McGregor into the win column?

Season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) was back on the air earlier tonight (Tues., June 20, 2023) on ESPN for Ep. 4 of the long-running combat sports reality show, featuring head coaches Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler leading respective squads of lightweight and bantamweight contestants. Remember, immediate replays of TUF 31 are available on ESPN+ (sign up here) immediately after each episode, or you can save yourself an hour and just read our complete recap below.

Missed last week’s episode? No problem! Get full results and recap videos right here.

We kick things off at APEX in Las Vegas and UFC President Dana White is recapping the drama from episode two, when Trevor Wells was pulled from his bantamweight fight against Timur Valiev for having a suspect rash on his face. Now that he’s medically cleared to compete, it’s time to let these guys throw hands. The only problem is they already cut weight two weeks ago and it was a particularly brutal cut for Valiev, so White wants McGregor and Chandler to figure out a catchweight to make sure this fight moves forward. Wells is not a particularly large bantamweight and doesn’t have to lose more than a couple of pounds, so Coach Connie campaigns to keep the fight at 135 pounds. That puts Valiev — who struggles to make the division limit — in a much more difficult position.
A second cut could affect his fight night performance.

Since Team McGregor is down 0-3 to kick off the season, “Notorious” recruits former welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson to help show his squad how to throw hands (and feet). Both McGregor and White gush for “Wonderboy” and hype up his striking skills. A strange approach considering Wells is a wrestler by trade facing a Dagestani wrestler in this week’s elimination fight. There seems to be some disagreement over the catchweight and both times Chandler is forced to negotiate with someone other than Coach McGregor, who failed to show up for their meeting of the minds. In the end both teams agree on a 142-pound catchweight, with White delivering the news. Both fighters make weight without incident, each tipping the scale at 141.5 pounds. No sign of “Notorious” at the weigh ins. He’s clearly mailing it in and it may explain why TUF ratings are in the toilet.

Let’s fight!

135 lbs.: Trevor Wells (Team McGregor) vs. Timur Valiev (Team Chandler)

Round 1: No touch of gloves and both combatants come out firing. Valiev lands a couple of hard leg kicks but a stiff jab buckles him. Valiev shoots and works Wells to the floor, then takes a minute to regain his wits. Wells not interested in giving him the timeout and climbs back to his feet. Valiev backpacking him and works for the neck. Wells defending. Valiev forced to get his feet to the floor and Wells pushes him off. Spinning back kick does not land for Valiev. Right hand does. Valiev trying to get fancy and Wells sticking to the fundamentals. Valiev kicks the nuts and referee Herb Dean halts the action. 30 seconds later and Wells is back to work. Valiev keeps trying the wheel kick and keeps missing. Valiev fires off a pair of shots but Wells escapes both takedowns. Crescent kick from Valiev misses. Wells finds a home for the jab. Round ends with a Valiev body kick. Close round but I scored it 10-9 Valiev on control.

Round 2: Wells come out with urgency and they trade heavy leg kicks. Wells shoots and pushes Valiev to the cage but can’t keep him there. Big leg kick for Valiev but he eats a stiff jab. Valiev shoots and takes Wells to the floor. Wells has him trapped in half guard. Coach Chandler tells him to slow down and breathe but Wells too busy on bottom for that to happen. Lots of scrambling from both fighters. Hammerfists by Valiev. Two minutes to go. Punches from Valiev. Coach McGregor screaming for Wells to get to the fence but he’s locked in a body triangle. Valiev raining down blows. Wells explodes out and gets top position. Valiev looks stunned. Now back to the feet. Both fighters winging wild punches but Wells looks to be the fresher fighter. Time expires before Wells can close the deal. Clearly 10-9 Valiev. Coach McGregor calls for a Round 3 but does not get it.

Result: Valiev def. Wells by decision

Here’s where we stand after Episode 4:

Team McGregor:

135 lbs.: Mando Gutierrez (No. 1)
135 lbs.: Trevor Wells (No. 2)
135 lbs.: Carlos Vera (No. 3)
135 lbs.: Rico DiSciullo (No. 4)

155 lbs.: Lee Hammond (No. 1)
155 lbs.: Nate Jennerman (No. 2)
155 lbs.: Aaron McKenzie (No. 3)
155 lbs.: Landon Quinones Stewart (No. 4)

Team Chandler:

135 lbs.: Hunter Azure (No. 1)
135 lbs.: Brad Katona (No. 2)
135 lbs.: Timur Valiev (No. 3)
135 lbs.: Cody Gibson (No. 4)

155 lbs.: Jason Knight (No. 1)
155 lbs.: Austin Hubbard (No. 2)
155 lbs.: Roosevelt Roberts (No. 3)
155 lbs.: Kurt Holobaugh (No. 4)

Coach Chandler and his team of UFC veterans are up four fights to zero.

Here are the remaining elimination fights:

135 lbs.: Brad Katona (No. 2) vs. Carlos Vera (No. 3)
155 lbs.: Lee Hammond (No. 1) vs. Kurt Holobaugh (No. 4)
155 lbs.: Jason Knight (No. 1) vs. Landon Quinones Stewart (No. 4)
135 lbs.: Rico DiSciullo (No. 4) vs. Hunter Azure (No. 1)

See you next week for Brad Katona vs. Carlos Vera and the rest of Episode 5!