UFC

Kurt Holobaugh and Jason Knight slugged it out in a fight that was worthy of a UFC headliner.

The UFC APEX was host to an absolute thriller on the penultimate episode of The Ultimate Fighter 31, which saw Holobaugh (19-7, 1 NC) defeat Knight (23-7) via second-round TKO to advance to the finals of the season’s lightweight tournament. Holobaugh beat Knight and Team Conor McGregor’s top pick Lee Hammond on the show to earn his shot at another run with the UFC after most recently fighting for the promotion in 2019.

Like the previous lightweight semifinal that saw Austin Hubbard eke out an uneventful decision win over Roosevelt Roberts, there was little sound at the APEX as coach Michael Chandler and his staff didn’t want to take an active hand in cornering either of their fighters; unlike that fight, the silence proved to be the perfect atmosphere for Holobaugh and Knight to slug it out.

Holobaugh beat Knight to the punch from the opening bell, landing his right hand at will on Knight’s chin while pushing the pace with crisp combos. It wasn’t long before Knight answered with flurries of his own and though Holobaugh continued to get the better of the exchanges, Knight more than backed up his reputation as an all-out action fighter.

Holobaugh’s offense proved to be too much however and as he threw hands with Knight trapped against the fence, he landed an exquisite uppercut to the midsection that caused Knight to crumble. A few follow-up shots forced referee Mark Smith to step in, sealing the win for Holobaugh.

That’s now three Team Chandler selections in the finals, with Holobaugh and Hubbard closing out the lightweight bracket, and TUF 27 champion Brad Katona awaiting the winner of the bantamweight semifinal between Cody Gibson and Rico DiSciullo, the lone Team McGregor fighter left.

This week’s episode also saw McGregor and Chandler compete in a coaches’ challenge, with the victorious coach winning prize money for himself and his fighters. They were asked to answer UFC trivia questions while enduring a freezing ice bath, with the first round concerning UFC history, the second round TUF history, and the third featuring questions about each other. McGregor earned a rare victory against Chandler as he came out on top with a score of 16-14.

The Ultimate Fighter 31 airs live every Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+.

Following the season finale, Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are expected to face off in a welterweight bout at a date still to be determined. However, the matchup is yet to be made official and recent sexual assault accusations against McGregor as well as the former two-division champion still dealing with the USADA have left his future competitive status unclear.

The finalists of the TUF 31 lightweight and bantamweight tournaments will also compete for a six-figure UFC contract at a future show. A date for the finals is yet to be announced.

Here is the TUF 31 roster divided by team:

Team McGregor (prospects)

Lightweight

Lee Hammond (27, 5-0)

Nate Jennerman (29, 16-5)
Aaron McKenzie (34, 11-2-1)

Landon Quinones (27, 7-1-1)

Bantamweight

Mando Gutierrez (26, 8-2)
Trevor Wells (27, 8-3)
Carlos Vera (35, 11-3)
Rico DiSciullo (36, 11-2, 1 NC)

Team Chandler (veterans)

Lightweight

Jason Knight (30, 23-7)
Austin Hubbard (31, 15-6)
Roosevelt Roberts (28, 12-3, 1 NC)
Kurt Holobaugh (36, 19-7, 1 NC)

Bantamweight

Hunter Azure (31, 10-3)
Brad Katona (31, 12-2)

Timur Valiev (33, 18-3, 1 NC)
Cody Gibson (35, 19-8)

Here are the quarterfinal results:

Roosevelt Roberts def. Nate Jennerman via first-round KO
Cody Gibson def. Mando Gutierrez via first-round TKO
Austin Hubbard def. Aaron McKenzie via unanimous decision
Timur Valiev def. Trevor Wells via unanimous decision
Brad Katona def. Carlos Vera via unanimous decision
Kurt Holobaugh def. Lee Hammond via second-round submission (guillotine choke)
Jason Knight def. Landon Quinones via first-round submission (triangle choke)
Rico DiSciullo def. Hunter Azure via second-round KO

Here are the semi-final results and matchups:

Austin Hubbard def. Roosevelt Roberts via split decision
Brad Katona def. Timur Valiev via split decision
Kurt Holobaugh def. Jason Knight via second-round TKO
Rico DiSciullo vs. Cody Gibson

Advanced to finals: Hubbard, Katona, Holobaugh

Advanced to semifinals: Roberts, Gibson, Hubbard, Valiev, Katona, Holobaugh, Knight, DiSciullo

Eliminated: Jennerman, Gutierrez, McKenzie, Wells, Vera, Hammond, Quinones, Azure, Roberts, Valiev, Knight