UFC middleweight Bryan Battle is looking to pick up where he left off ahead of his fight with Tresean Gore at UFC Vegas 47.
Battle was supposed to face Gore back in August before Gore pulled out with a knee injury. Battle then took on one of his Team Volkanovski teammates, Gilbert Urbina, and won the fight via submission.
It was the summit of a mountain of hard work put in by Battle during his time on The Ultimate Fighter. He went from the last pick by Alexander Volkanovski to winning the season’s middleweight championship within a span of a few months.
During an exclusive interview with LowKickMMA, Battle explained what went through his mind in the time shortly after the biggest win of his professional career.
“Obviously, right after the fight one of the biggest things is just a huge relief,” Battle said. “Something you’ve been preparing for an extended period of time. It seemed like something that would never be possible. There’s a lot of things that have to go right to not only be on TUF but to win TUF. After the adrenaline wore off, it was a waterfall of emotions. I don’t know if I’m just getting more emotional the older I get, but when I do cry I really cry. That was just something where it wasn’t the result or conclusion to my hard work, but it was the result of years and years of working hard and grinding. Taking a big step towards the overall dream.”
Bryan Battle Went From Last TUF Pick To TUF Champion
Battle trains at Hayastan MMA in Charlotte, NC. Despite the extra fame that came with winning TUF, he doesn’t plan on moving to a bigger gym anytime soon.
As Battle gets ready to make his middleweight return to the octagon, he knows there’s unfinished business with Gore. The winner of the fight can arguably call themselves the ‘true’ TUF winner after the original matchup was postponed.
Nothing has been easy for Battle in his young MMA career, and he’s anticipating the best version of Gore at UFC Vegas 47. Fans can expect fireworks and months of anticipation coming to fruition in Las Vegas.
What is your prediction for Bryan Battle vs. Tresean Gore at UFC Vegas 47?