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‘The Ultimate Fighter 29’ Middleweight Final

NR | Bryan Battle (5-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. NR | Gilbert Urbina (6-1, 0-0 UFC)

ODDS: Battle (-155), Urbina (+135)

Battle certainly seems to be a natural at this, as his game is much more than the sum of its parts. On his regional film, it did not seem like what Battle brought to the table should work. He did not appear to be much of an athlete and quickly found himself having to fight through exhaustion, but his combination of durability, aggression and heart led to him consistently gutting out a war of attrition and finding a finish. It was much the same story over the course of “The Ultimate Fighter” season. Battle looked in much better athletic shape while being able to focus on the sport, but it was usually up to him to ride out what his opponents brought to the table and fight back from adversity. Battle was slated to fight Tresean Gore in the final, but with the latter injured, Urbina gets a second chance. This will also be the Urbina family’s fourth attempt at winning a season of the reality series: brothers Hector Urbina and Elias Urbina also appeared on several editions of the show.

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Even with a sparse record in recent years, Urbina was one of the more proven fighters among the middleweight cast, even if he did not get the chance to show much depth in his two fights during the season. He quickly ran through a late replacement in Micheal Gillmore before getting physically outmatched and knocked out by Gore. Much like Battle, he is a scrappy fighter who focuses on offense and outlasting his opponents, though Urbina is much more willing to move forward and make something happen. This fight should wind up in some entertaining clinch and grappling exchanges before long, and from there, it figures to be a fun mess, as neither man is particularly overwhelming physically while also being difficult to put away. Someone could catch a submission, but this looks to be a close fight. Still, it is hard not to favor Urbina. He has the more valuable experience of the two and is the more aggressive fighter, and Battle’s usual advantages of size and durability are diminished against a fighter with an even larger frame. The pick is Urbina via decision.

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