With coaches Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko leading their teams, there is no doubt that The Ultimate Fighter season 32 on ESPN is going to be must-see TV.
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The first impression I had was kind of like a double feeling at first because at that moment I was in Thailand and I was traveling by car for months just in small villages going to every fisherman village speaking to every fisherman about the culture of fishing and everything. Then suddenly you receive a call from UFC and they're saying, you're going to be a coach for TUF 32 and it was a shock.
First, it was how? I am so far? It's a different world and what you're feeling inside is completely different. You are not ready to put in the work in a sense like that. But once it starts sleeping with you day by day, this idea starts to take over and you change your mind.
Right now, I'm very happy that I am here. I'm very happy that I am going to be one of the coaches for TUF 32. It's a great opportunity for everyone - for coaches, for fighters. I will give the best to make this season the best season.
I think the number one thing that is going to help me to coach this season is my team. All of my assistant coaches that they're also going to have are the best in their business. It's not only an international season for the fighters, but for myself, it’s an international season with the coaches that I have. I have coaches that are from here, from the United States, Las Vegas, New Jersey, Florida. I have coaches from Argentina. I have coaches from Beirut, and Lebanon. So it's going to be very international. They're the best in their business.
We don't have too much time. We don't have too much time to change them. We have just enough time to add the best details to their games. This is very difficult. It sounds easy, but it's very difficult to find the personal approach to every single fighter and to add these tiny things to their games and they are going to be the next generation of stars. So this is the most important goal that I have in my mind.
MORE TUF 32 CAST: Omran Chaaban | Edwin Cooper | Kaan Ofli | Bekhzod Usmonov | Giannis Bachar | Nathan Fletcher | Guillermo Torres | Mairon Alves | Robert Valentin | Mark Hulme | Ryan Loder | Shamidkhan Magomedov | Roedie Roets | Zygimantas Ramaska
It's very hard to say because every single fighter has their own energy for the fight, their own striking style. I'm not looking for something specific. I'm just looking for real warriors. This champion mindset is the most important. If the person has it, then everything else is very easy to add. It's very hard to add a champion mindset. They can be technically perfect, but if they don't have this thing in their head, it's not going to do it.
Oh, this is what I've been doing for all these years. What I practice in martial arts is keeping my motivation on top. I know perfectly what I have to do for the guys. The number one thing they have to do is not just listen, but adapt. As I mentioned, they’re going to have my coaches. My personal coach has so much experience.
In what we do, no matter what, we are training, we are coaching, we are traveling, we are meeting new people. It's helping us be better people, be better fighters. For example, when I travel, I get to know different situations and what 's going to happen.
It's helping me in my fight as well because I am ready for anything. Anything can happen. I'm very much looking forward to this season and I think it's going to be one of the best seasons.
Eventually it is going to happen and I think everything’s fine. I'm a fighter, I'm a martial artist. It is my job to fight anyone, anywhere, anyhow. I think it's going to be a great fight because our last fight was one of the best female fights from what people say. I'm proud that people enjoyed the show.
