Byran Battle is “The Ultimate Fighter.”
It didn’t come without a weathered storm, but Battle (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) defeated Gilbert Urbina (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) via submission at 2:15 of Round 2 to close out the “TUF 29” middleweight tournament.
The “TUF 29” middleweight final was the UFC on ESPN 30 co-main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.
Things went awry for Battle early in Round 1. He was met with a wild opening flurry from Urbina, who took him to the ground and worked for a submission. Battle survived and worked his way to the feet, but somewhere in the fray, his mouthpiece fell out of the cage. Referee Herb Dean did not notice, so Battle fought for over half the round without oral protection.
In Round 2, however, Battle, with his mouthpiece back in, turned the tides. He took a bloodied Urbina to the mat and sank in a rear-naked choke. After a brief struggle, Urbina tapped – and that was it.
PICKED LAST AND NOW HE IS THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER!
🇺🇸 @BryanBattle10 wins by submission win in RD 2!! #UFCVegas35 pic.twitter.com/dWEUyaxJGr
— UFC (@ufc) August 29, 2021
Battle’s final tournament victory comes after exhibition wins over Kemran Lachinov and Andre Petroski on the reality series. In professional competition, Battle has now won five-straight outings all inside the distance.
As for Urbina, the loss is his second in the tournament. After he defeated Micheal Gillmore via submission in the opening tournament round, he was temporarily eliminated in the semifinal by Tresean Gore. However, Gore suffered a knee injury in preparation for the final vs. Battle, so Urbina took his place in the bracket.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 30 results include:
- Bryan Battle def. Gilbert Urbina via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:15
- Ricky Turcios def. Brady Hiestand via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Daniel Rodriguez def. Kevin Lee via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Andre Petroski def. Micheal Gillmore via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 3:12
- Gerald Meerschaert def. Makhmud Muradov via submission (rear-naked choke) Round 2, 1:49
- Abdul Razak Alhassan def. Alessio Di Chirico via knockout (head kick) – Round 1, 0:17
- Wellington Turman def. Sam Alvey via split decision (28-27, 27-28, 28-27
- Dustin Jacoby def. Darren Stewart via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:04
- JJ Aldrich def. Vanessa Demopoulos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Pat Sabatini def. Jamall Emmers via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 1:53
- Mana Martinez def. Guido Cannetti via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
