The Ultimate Fighter: Season 29 middleweight finalist Bryan Battle wishes his upcoming fight with Gilbert Urbina was in front of a crowd.
The COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed the landscape of sports, and more specifically how we watch them. Bryan Battle will face Gilbert Urbina for the title of The Ultimate Fighter in front of a virtually empty crowd at UFC Vegas 35.
It wasn’t an easy road for Battle, who was the last pick for Team Volkanovski when teams were picked at the beginning of the season. Before getting the call from the UFC to be a part of the TUF cast, Battle competed in a series of smaller promotions in his native North Carolina.
After beating Team Ortega’s Andre Petroski in the semifinals, Battle was scheduled to face Tresean Gore in the Finale, before Gore pulled out due to injury. Urbina stepped up on just days’ notice to fight his teammate, Battle for the TUF middleweight title.
Despite making it all the way to the finals, Battle wishes that the biggest fight of his professional career took place in front of a raucous crowd, despite the added pressures that come with it.
“Fighting in front of fans in the Finale would’ve been a whole new experience,” Battle said during his UFC Vegas 35 pre-fight press conference. “I wanted all the fans, the energy, it would’ve been awesome. But I won’t take this for granted, we fought in the UFC APEX during the show. It would’ve been the cherry on top.”
Bryan Battle made a run to the TUF Finale after being the last pick by Team Volkanovski
Battle vs. Urbina won’t be the only high-stakes TUF fight on the card, as Ricky Turcios and Brady Hiestand compete for the TUF bantamweight title and Petroski faces TUF alternate Micheal Gillmore.
This season has been one for MMA fans to remember, and Battle looks to put on a show as the spotlight shines bright on him at UFC Vegas 35.