Josh Fremd isn’t expecting something he’s never seen before out of Tresean Gore at UFC Fight Night 213 in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Josh Fremd[/autotag] isn’t expecting something he’s never seen before out of [autotag]Tresean Gore[/autotag].
Fremd (9-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) takes on Season 29 “Ultimate Fighter” alum Gore (3-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 213 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
The pair was booked for a matchup in July, but after Fremd withdrew, the promotion rescheduled them for Saturday, which has given Fremd plenty of time to study Gore.
“He’s a body type, he’s a style that I have fought many times,” Fremd told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s pre-fight news conference. “I don’t put too much stock into camp changes or anything like that. I have my camp, I have my group. I’ve got Cody Brundage over there, so I’m pretty happy with where I’m at, and I’ve just got to go and put some work on this guy.”
Fremd will be in search of his first octagon win. His UFC debut came on short notice when he stepped in to face Anthony Hernandez at UFC 273 in April. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.
“(My) mindset is I need to get a win,” Fremd said. “I don’t care how that win comes. Obviously, I want to get a finish because there’s a good chance for a bonus if that happens. But I told a lot of people I still don’t consider myself a UFC fighter yet until I get that win and until I get my hand raised. Then I’ll be able to enjoy it.”
“TUF 29” runner-up Tresean Gore broke down crying, as he described adversities in his life – and what’s at stakes for his family.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Tresean Gore[/autotag] wants to make those around him proud. That’s why he apologized after he cussed at a UFC Fight Night 213 news conference Wednesday.
“F*ck the naysayers,” Gore told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “Excuse my language. I shouldn’t be cussing. I don’t want my son to see this and copy what I’m saying. But forget the naysayers, man.”
Being a good example is why Gore (3-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) broke down in tears at multiple points during his interview. Gore is a “TUF 29” runner-up who has gone 0-2 in the UFC thus far with one decision defeat and one knockout loss. He said his family cried after his losses and he doesn’t want to repeat that if he can help it.
“My wife and my son deserve to be great,” Gore said. “I feel like they deserve to. When I fight, they fight. When I lost, all my siblings cried, so it’s like, I’m not trying to put them through that. This sh*t is dangerous what we do.”
Gore, 28, grew up in Little River, S.C., a small town with a population of a little over 9,000 people. According to Gore, he was surrounded by drugs and poverty in an environment he referred to as a “ghetto.”
There’s a sense of pride and accomplishment that comes from overcoming the odds and being the small-town kid who made it big. There’s also a deep yearning to not let his roster spot disappear.
“The fact that I’m here, holding this microphone, talking to you and I’ve got all these big cameras in my face is crazy,” Gore said. “It’s crazy. I’m just grateful to be here. Taking those losses made me grateful. They made me more grateful. They made me realize I don’t have to be here but I’m here. I get to shine and I get to chase my dreams on the main card. I just feel honored and I’m just ready to go in there and back up my words and be somebody – be great.”
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Gore said he’s wanted to be someone special for as long as he can remember. Being a UFC fighter is a big accomplishment, though he wants more than simple participation. Gore admits it’s a lot to juggle. There’s trolls to deal with and sacrifices to make.
He recently moved to Dallas to train under coach Sayif Saud at Fortis MMA. He lived at his brother’s apartment and slept on a blowup mattress. The absence of his wife and son hit the hardest, but Gore thinks it was for the betterment of their futures.
“I just have a lot on my mind because I still want to be champion of the world,” Gore said. “I still want to be champion of the world, but it doesn’t just get given to you. It takes sacrifice. It takes taking losses sometimes, when you don’t want to lose. All I have to do is just learn from my mistakes and move forward. That’s all I can do.”
Gore strives to make his wife proud and his son, too, as he continually reiterated throughout his media session. He strives to ensure his siblings don’t cry after his UFC Fight Night 213 bout vs. Josh Fremd (9-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) – and to make his parents proud; his mother is recovering from a leg amputation, and his father is imprisoned.
“People don’t understand the things you go through as a fighter outside of this,” Gore said. “I feel motivated to go be somebody and get my mom in the best rehab facility in the world because I don’t want her to die. … I just want to go in there and shine and be somebody great.”
Ricky Turcios landed just 11.5 percent of his strike attempts at UFC on ESPN 39, putting him in the record books for the wrong reasons.
After International Fight Week took over the MMA world, UFC on ESPN 39 on Saturday proved to be something of a hangover card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
[autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) put a highlight on the end of a long night of fights, though, when he scored a fifth-round knockout of former UFC champ [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] (32-14 MMA, 20-12 UFC) to extend his winning streak in the lightweight division to six consecutive fights.
For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 39.
Cody Brundage scored an increasingly rare knockout from the mount position when he slept Tresean Gore at UFC on ESPN 39.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Cody Brundage[/autotag] scored an increasingly rare knockout from the mount position on Saturday with a savage finish of [autotag]Tresean Gore[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 39.
Brundage (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) pulled off a somewhat surprising result after he opted to strike with Gore (3-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in the middleweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It paid off when he landed a hard punch in the early stages of the round that rocked his opponent.
That’s when Brundage jumped to the mat, where he quickly moved into mount and unleashed a perfect flurry of punches that put his opponent to rest at the 3:50 mark of Round 1.
Check out the replay of the victory below (via Twitter):
After as sensational performance, an ecstatic Brundage said he was proud to show he’s got multiple dimensions to his game.
People say I’m a grappler, I’m a wrestler – I’m a winning,” Brundage said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “I find ways to win at all times.”
All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past two weeks.
MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.
But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.
Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.
Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from April 18-May 1.
Fans can call it whatever, but there are different stakes for the fighters involved in the “should-have-been” TUF 29 Finale matchup.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag] and [autotag]Tresean Gore[/autotag] may have unfinished business, but history has already been written.
Two members of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Season 29, Battle (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Gore (3-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) were expected to face off at the TUF Finale in August. However, fate had other plans as Gore withdrew due to a knee injury and Battle went on to defeat replacement Gilbert Urbina instead.
Although Gore earned his slot in the tournament finals, neither he nor Battle thinks there’s any sort of unofficial label up for grabs Saturday when they face off at UFC Fight Night 200 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Both men ooze with respect for the other.
“It’s whatever the people call it, you know what I’m saying? Battle told MMA Junkie at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “If people want to call it ‘the real TUF Finale’ and that’s what the perception is going to be, then whatever. I’ve still got the trophy and I’ve still got the contract. Yeah, whatever people want to stamp on it to make it saucier, go for it.”
For Gore, the one who could scream from the rooftops Battle’s TUF championship should be asterisked, declared the bygone is bygone. He’s not willing to demean Battle for his own injury.
“No, I don’t feel like it’s for the TUF title because Bryan won that,” Gore told MMA Junkie at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “He won that fair and square. I got injured. It’s not his fault that I got injured. He did his job and he showed up. You know. He won it, so they need to go ahead and give that man his respect. That’s a TUF champion. But at the same time, I’m going to be champion of the world. So he can have that title because I want that belt.”
With the “TUF contestant” label purposely shaken, Battle and Gore view themselves as UFC fighters, which they are. The goals have changed compared to when they were first matched up – a targeted booking that was worked on long before their TUF stints.
“I remember one time we got offered $600 to fight in Derek Brunson’s promotion (on the regional scene),” Gore said. “Bryan didn’t take the fight because they didn’t want to accept that amount of money. But I was ready to fight for that sh*t, because I knew where it was going to get us ultimately. But we’re here now. We’re here now and it wasn’t meant. Now we get to fight live on a (UFC) Fight Night on a main card. Look at God.”
Battle, who already has his first UFC win notched, shared a similar enthusiasm. TUF is behind them, but the numerously-matched fight needs to play out for him to feel a bit more comfortable.
“I don’t know if Bruce Buffer will be here for this one, (but) it’s definitely different,” Battle said. “It’s different from TUF. It’s definitely something he’s going to have to adjust to. He trains with good people. They’re going to have him ready to go. I don’t think he’s going to get in there and lay an egg. I think Tresean is going to get in there, the lights are going to shine on him, and the best version of Tresean is going to be in there Saturday night.”
Both fighters think UFC Fight Night 200 will be an opportunity to prove something to a wider audience. For Battle, he wants to show that he’s deceivingly devastating.
“If you just have to eye test, he’s a much scarier person than me,” Battle said. “His fighting style is scarier. The people talked about the way he looks is scarier. I come in ‘Pooh Bear, Mr. Dad-bod.’ I’m not the most imposing person in the world, but it’s not going to matter when I impose my will on you. Exposing people’s perspective on fighting. What they think to be true vs. what is actually true.”
For Gore, his angle is to prove Battle and his team wrong, and that he is better.
“I need to show him he’s not better than me. Because he thinks he is. He and his team, they sleep on me. I’m tired of this sh*t. I’m going to show them that I’m on another level. My coaches, my team, they know I’m on another level. I’m just ready to go in there and display my talent.”
The original “Ultimate Fighter 29” final between Bryan Battle and Tresean Gore has been rebooked.
The original “Ultimate Fighter 29” final has been rebooked.
[autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag], winner of Season 29 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” will square off with the show’s original finalist, [autotag]Tresean Gore[/autotag], at UFC Fight Night on Feb. 5.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Battle (6-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will finally get to square off with Gore (3-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) after multiple bookings fell through. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Battle revealed that he almost fought Gore on multiple occasions, but the fight never came to fruition – including their TUF 29 Finale bout.
The last pick on “TUF 29,” Team Volkanovski’s Battle picked up wins over Kemran Lachinov and Andre Petroski en route to a finals showdown with Gore. But after Gore was forced to withdraw due to injury, Battle ended up facing semifinalist Gilbert Urbina in August, whom he submitted in the second round to win the show.
Gore, a member of Team Ortega, defeated Ryder Newman and scored a knockout of Urbina before an injury forced him out of the competition. Currently training at Team Lima’s American Top Team, the 27-year-old has just three official professional fights to his name but was being touted to win the show.
With the addition, the current Feb. 5 lineup includes:
Dana White announced Tresean Gore is out due to injury and will be replaced by Gilbert Urbina for The Ultimate Fighter 29 Finale.
“The Ultimate Fighter 29” season finale has been shaken up due to injury.
Following the last episode of the season on Tuesday night, the middleweight finals were set between [autotag]Tresean Gore[/autotag] and [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag] to determine who would win the 29th season of the show and earn a UFC contract.
On the final episode of the season, Gore punched his ticket to the finale by knocking out Gilbert Urbina with a counter-left hook in the second round.
However, according to UFC president Dana White, Gore (3-0) has suffered a knee injury and will be unable to compete at UFC on ESPN 30 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
“Tresean Gore is injured, it looks like his meniscus,” White told TMZ. “I think a lot of people figured that this kid could win it. Obviously, (it would have been) a great fight with him and Bryan Battle. Gore is out. Probably going to be out for six months.”
Gore’s replacement? The man he knocked out, Urbina (6-1).
Fights during the season of ‘TUF’ are considered exhibitions, therefore Urbina’s loss to Gore does not affect his professional record. His lone official professional loss came against current UFC welterweight Sean Brady via unanimous decision.
White said when Gore is healthy, he will be granted the opportunity to fight on an official UFC card.
The TUF Finale will take place as a part of UFC on ESPN 30 on Aug. 28 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event is headlined by Edson Barboza vs. Giga Chikadze.
Check out the highlights of the 12th and final episode of the 29th season of “The Ultimate Fighter” featuring Gilbert Urbina vs. Tresean Gore.
This season, teams consist of bantamweight and middleweight fighters coached by featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and former title challenger Brian Ortega.
If you missed the previous episodes, check out those highlights below:
Meet the 16 contestants chosen for the relaunch of the UFC reality series.
“The Ultimate Fighter” is officially back.
After years of UFC president Dana White repeatedly stating the reality series would eventually relaunch, the wheels are fully in motion. The 16 selected bantamweights and middleweights have made their way to Las Vegas for pre-season medicals.
With taping set to begin soon, the promotion announced the season’s full roster during the UFC on ESPN 22 broadcast Saturday. The first episode is set to stream June 1 on ESPN+.
TUF 29 will be coached by UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (22-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) and his next title challenger, [autotag]Brian Ortega[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC). The two will square off following the conclusion of the season, in a rebooking of their canceled UFC 260 matchup.
Scroll below for the full TUF 29 bantamweight and middleweight rosters:
