Tresean Gore

UFC Vegas 35 Preview: Bryan Battle – Gilbert Urbina

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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

UFC: TUF 29 Middleweight Finale Set

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Tonight on the UFC‘s Ultimate Fighter, we saw the final semifinal matchup of the season. The middleweights were featured as Gilbert Urbina (6-1) of Team Volkanovski was taking on Tresean Gore (3-0) of Team Ortega.

Last week saw the bantamweight finale booked. Team Volkanovski fighters Ricky Turcios and Brady Hiestand will be battling it out for the 135 pound TUF title. Bryan Battle (5-1) of Team Volkanovski already punched his ticket to the middleweight finale.

With that in mind, Gore was the final hope for Team Ortega. If Urbina was to take the semifinal matchup, Ortega would be shut out of the TUF 29 finale. However, Gore was not going to go down without a fight.

Throughout the entire season, Gore has really impressed. If I was Ortega, Gore is the one guy I’d want in this final spot. On tonight’s episode, both Gore and Urbina got to see their families through a FaceTime Call.

Both men used the calls as motivation as they turned their focus to competition for a spot in the UFC TUF 29 middleweight finals.

UFC TUF 29 Middleweight Finale Set

This fight was insane from the beginning and had a feel like a fight from Dana White’s Contender Series. As soon as the fight stared, Gore immediately started pressuring Urbina.

However, I was very impressed with Urbina’s striking from the outside. He was catching Gore early with jabs and he was landing powerful leg kicks. Halfway through the round, Gore really showed off his power.

A powerful left hand sat Urbina down briefly. However, Urbina was able to compose himself. When Gore looked like he was going in for the kill, Urbina rocked him with a powerful straight left. Both of these men really wanted that UFC contract.

In the second round, it was more of the same to start. Pressure from Gore and outside striking from Urbina. Urbina pushed forward with his own attack with his guard down and a massive left hook from Gore put him out cold. A stunning knockout from an incredible fight.

And just like that, the middleweight finale of TUF 29 is set. Unfortunately for the UFC featherweight champion, he will not have all four spots in the finale.

TUF 29 Middleweight Finale: Bryan Battle (Team Volkanovski) – Tresean Gore (Team Ortega)