The middleweight finals of “The Ultimate Fighter 29” have a new
pairing after Tresean
Gore suffered a knee injury that forced him to pull out of a
clash with Bryan
Battle.
As a result, Battle will now square off against Gilbert
Urbina with a UFC contract on the line. UFC president Dana
White revealed the new pairing to TMZ Sports.
“Brutal for this poor kid, you know,” White said. “But, what we’ll
do is when Tresean
Gore is healthy, does he fight Bryan
Battle if Bryan wins the fight? You know, I don’t know. We’ll
see how this thing plays out. But, yeah, Gore is out.”
The “TUF 29” finals, which take place as part of the UFC on ESPN 30
card on Aug. 28, will also see Ricky
Turcios square off against Brady
Hiestand at bantamweight with a promotional deal on the line.
The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined
by a featherweight duel between Edson
Barboza and Giga
Chikadze.
Battle is 5-1 as a professional, with four of his triumphs coming
inside the distance. To get to the finals of the reality show, the
26-year-old Charlotte, N.C., native defeated Kemran
Lachinov via unanimous decision and Andre
Petroski by submission.
Urbina, meanwhile, is 6-1 as a pro with appearances in
organizations such as Combate Americas and Legacy Fighting Alliance
to his credit. The 25-year-old from Weslaco, Texas, submitted
Michael Gillmore in the quarterfinals before falling to Gore by
knockout in the semifinals.