Rachael Ostovich gave Team Gaethje a 4-3 lead with a one-sided win over Melinda Fabian on this week’s episode of The Ultimate Fighter 26.
In a classic grappler vs. striker matchup, it was the Invicta veteran who came out on top, surprising Fabian with hard overhand rights on the feet before taking her down to the ground where she had a clear advantage.
Fabian attempted to escape Ostovich’s control by just powering out of bottom position, but Ostovich scrambled and took her back. She battered Fabian with short punches and hammerfists before forcing the tap-out via rear-naked choke submission with less than a minute to go in Round 1.
With the win, Ostovich advances to the second round of the TUF 26 women’s flyweight tournament where she will face fellow Invicta competitor Barb Honchak. The 26-year-old Ostovich has a 2-2 record in the UFC’s sister promotion and is 3-3 overall.
Fabian entered the TUF house with a 4-3-1 record. Hailing from Budapest, Fabian is hoping to become the first fighter from Hungary to compete in the UFC, a goal that will be put on hold for now after being submitted by Ostovich.
Here are the first-round results so far, and the remaining remaining seeds and matchups:
No. 1 Roxanne Modafferi def. No. 16 Shana Dobson via TKO (ground and pound) in Round 1
No. 4 DeAnna Bennett def. No. 13 Karine Gevorgyan via TKO (ground and pound) in Round 1
No. 6 Montana Stewart def. No. 11 Ariel Beck via submission (D’arce choke) in Round 1
No. 14 Nicco Montano def. No. 3 Lauren Murphy via unanimous decision
No. 12 Sijara Eubanks def. No. 5 Maia Stevenson via submission (kimura) in Round 2
No. 2 Barb Honchak def. No. 15 Gillian Robertson via TKO (ground and pound) in Round 2
No. 10 Rachael Ostovich def. No. 7 Melinda Fabian via submission (rear-naked choke) in Round 1
No. 8 Emily Whitmire v. No. 9 Christina Marks
On next week’s episode, Whitmire faces Marks.
The season is being coached by former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez and former WSOF lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. The winner of the TUF 26 tournament will be awarded the inaugural UFC women’s flyweight title.
Alvarez and Gaethje will fight at UFC 218 on Dec. 2 at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich.
Here is the TUF 26 roster divided by team:
Team Alvarez: Dobson, Marks, Eubanks, Bennett, Honchak, Fabian, Beck, Murphy
Team Gaethje: Modafferi, Whitmire, Stevenson, Gevorgyan, Robertson, Ostovich, Stewart, Montano
Advancing to Round 2: Modafferi, Bennett, Stewart, Montano, Eubanks, Honchak, Ostovich
Eliminated: Dobson, Gevorgyan, Beck, Murphy, Stevenson, Robertson, Fabian
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