Highlights! Santos, Loder Win TUF With Violent KOs

Mairon Santos and Ryan Loder captured Ultimate Fighter honors last night (Sat., Aug. 24, 2024) at UFC Vegas 96 LIVE on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, each turning in violent knockout finishes to win their respective finale.

The first finale was Santos against fellow featherweight standout Kaan Ofli. Both men looked great during season 32 of TUF, but it was Santos who was the 2-1 betting favorite. That’s likely due to his high level striking and ability to stop a fight. Ofli is the complete opposite as he usually implements his grappling to grind an opponent away.

Luckily for Santos, he was able to stay off his back and it allowed the young Brazilian to score big shots with his punches and whipping calf kicks. Ofli kept trying to push forward to close the distance, but Santos was too quick and crisp. Santos finished his efforts up with a slick left hook counter in the second round that stuck Ofli and instantly slept him. A few insurance landed, but weren’t needed.

Check out the finish below:

Next on the docket was a middleweight finale between wrestler Ryan Loder and the well-rounded Robert Valentin. The latter finished both of his TUF fights, while Loder needed a three-round decision win against Omran Chaaban in the semi-finals. Because of that, along with the fact that Loder turned pro just three years ago, Valentin was the betting favorite.

That really didn’t matter, though, as Loder quickly moved inside to utilize his powerful wrestling and turned the TUF finale into a grappling war. Valentin had some solid transitions and almost had a rear-naked choke locked up, but Loder was in his realm. In the second round, he gained top control again and tied up Valentin in a crucifix. Loder landed smashing elbow after smashing elbow to finally force the referee’s hand.

Check out the final moments below:

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For complete UFC Vegas 96 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.