Tonight in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 35, we will see a winner crowned in the middleweight division for this season of The Ultimate Fighter. Two members of Team Volkanovski square off as Bryan Battle (5-1) takes on Gilbert Urbina (6-1).
Now, originally Urbina was not supposed to be fighting for UFC contract tonight. Tresean Gore (3-0) of Team Ortega was meant to be taking on Battle in the finale. However, a knee injury forced Gore to pull out of the fight.
To get into the finals, Gore knocked Urbina out in the second round of their semifinal matchup. Urbina is a very tough competitor and he has UFC roots with his brother having competed with the promotion. Tonight, he will get a second chance to try and become The Ultimate Fighter.
However, it’s not going to be easy. Standing in his way is Bryan Battle who’s been seen as a front runner to become the UFC‘s TUF winner at 185 pounds. Battle stormed through the competition on his way to the finals tonight. Overall, he’s also won four straight fights outside of the TUF house heading into UFC Vegas 35.
UFC Vegas 35 Prediction
When it comes to the UFC Vegas 35 co-main event, it’s going to come down to what Urbina is able to accomplish on the feet. I’ve seen stretches where Urbina does really well in striking range.
He does have some really nice kicks. However, he fails to tie things together a lot of the time and is usually outdone with volume. When he advances there are times he can be a bit sloppy. That will not play against Bryan Battle.
Battle looks like a UFC fighter already with his well-rounded skillset. There will not be an area of the fight tonight where he feels uncomfortable. There is a reason why he’s a pretty big favorite in the terms of the public.
I expect Urbina to land some shots particularly kicks from the outside, but I don’t see him winning this fight. I think Battle will get the better of the striking and if he needs to take things down, I believe he can do that. It’s Bryan Battle’s fight to lose tonight.
Prediction: Bryan Battle by Unanimous Decision