Tag: UFC Vegas 47

EXCLUSIVE | Bryan Battle Talks “Surreal” TUF Win Ahead Of UFC Vegas 47

Bryan BattleUFC 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 […]

Bryan Battle

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?

EXCLUSIVE | Tresean Gore Ready To Live Childhood Dream Ahead Of UFC Debut

Tresean GoreTresean Gore had a bit of a bittersweet ending to his ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ run, but he’s ready to get off to an electric start to his UFC tenure. Gore was slated to face Bryan Battle in the TUF Finale last August but withdrew from the fight just days before with a knee injury. After […]

Tresean Gore

Tresean Gore had a bit of a bittersweet ending to his ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ run, but he’s ready to get off to an electric start to his UFC tenure.

Gore was slated to face Bryan Battle in the TUF Finale last August but withdrew from the fight just days before with a knee injury. After a long journey working with orthopedics and various medical experts, Gore is ready to make his UFC debut against the man he was supposed to face for the TUF throne.

Gore and Battle will now meet at UFC Vegas 47 on Feb. 5 with unfinished business on their minds. Battle is coming off of a UFC debut win over Gilbert Urbina, who replaced Gore in the Finale.

But making his UFC debut has been a lifelong dream of Gore, and he isn’t looking to let it go to waste. During an exclusive interview with LowKickMMA, Gore spoke about what motivated him to begin fighting growing up.

“I can’t even explain it, dude,” Gore said. “I would watch Anderson Silva in the WEC growing up, getting up on the cage and celebrating. I would get goosebumps all over my body. I wrote down this goal in my journal as a child, and this guy [Bryan Battle] is getting in the way of that. I’m going to move him out of the way swiftly and move along on my journey.”

Tresean Gore, A TUF Betting Favorite, Has Championship Aspirations

Gore was regarded by many, including UFC president Dana White, to be the favorite to win this last season of TUF. He earned dominant wins over Ryder Newman and Urbina en route to the middleweight finale slot.

Gore also told LowKickMMA that he plans on not only fighting for a title at some point in the UFC but also as a professional boxer. During his career, he has showcased a diverse skillset on the feet and one-punch knockout power.

First thing’s first for Gore, who looks to introduce himself to the UFC faithful in emphatic fashion. If he’s able to defeat Battle, he could be a middleweight to watch for years to come.

What do you think is Tresean Gore’s potential in the UFC?

Sean Strickland On Sparring With Francis Ngannou: ‘He Touches Me Once And I Go To Dreamland’

Sean StricklandSurging UFC middleweight contender, Sean Strickland has detailed his experience of sparring with reigning heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou at Xtreme Couture – claiming that if the Batie puncher was to land on his once, sporting four ounce gloves, he would send him to “dreamland”. Strickland, who holds the #7 rank at middleweight, is slated to […]

Sean Strickland

Surging UFC middleweight contender, Sean Strickland has detailed his experience of sparring with reigning heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou at Xtreme Couture – claiming that if the Batie puncher was to land on his once, sporting four ounce gloves, he would send him to “dreamland”.

Strickland, who holds the #7 rank at middleweight, is slated to headline UFC Vegas 47 on February 5. – taking on former Cage Warriors champion and slick grappling talent, Jack Hermansson. 

For Ngannou, the Cameroon native is set to take main event honors at UFC 270 on January 22. – attempting to successfully unify the heavyweight titles as he meets with interim gold holder, Ciryl Gane. 

Sean Strickland most recently scored a July unanimous decision win over Uriah Hall

Earlier this week, Xtreme Couture trainer, Eric Nicksick explained how Strickland routinely welcomes the opportunity to spar with heavyweight champion, Ngannou at the Las Vegas facility – and even manages to hold his own against the devastating knockout artist.

“That dude (Sean Strickland) will literally spar anybody in our gym,” Nicksick told MMA Fighting. “He calls Francis (Ngannou) out every sparring session. He loves to spar Francis because he goes, ‘I want to feel as close to death as possible and I want to have that fear of God in my heart every time I spar a guy like Francis Ngannou.’ So sure, we throw him in there and let him get some rounds with Francis. I watched him and Roy Nelson get after it (spar) last week. Those two try to knock each other’s heads off and here’s Sean Strickland, big old smile ear-to-ear.”

“The rounds between him (Francis Ngannou) and Sean (Strickland) are actually very competitive,” Nicksick said. “Sean gets in there and gets after it and Francis will entertain him if you will, and not knock him out. There’s some great rounds and credit to Sean, not everybody is chomping at the bit to hop in the cage with Francis.”

Confirming his sparring sessions with Ngannou, Strickland tweeted that while he feels comfortable sharing the sparring room with the champion whilst throwing 16 ounce gloves, a showdown with Ngannou sporting four ounce gloves would bring a different result.

“Everyone ask me how do I do with francious (sic) (Francis Ngannou) lol!!” Sean Strickland tweeted. “I will tell you that I do really well with him (Francis Ngannou) with 16 [ounce] gloves in the GYM lol!!! Bottom line is you put 4 ounce gloves on him in a FIGHT and he touches me once and I will go to dreamland!!! LOL.”