UFC: Bryan Battle says Tresean Gore hasn’t shown a whole lot of layers to his game

For 29 seasons, The Ultimate Fighter has provided mixed martial arts fans with entertainment both in and out of the Octagon. Alumni of the program have gone on to do terrific things, with the likes of Rashad Evans, Michael Bisping, and Forrest Griffin all capturing gold.

Though ratings are no longer what they used to be, many watched Bryan “Pooh Bear” Battle‘s journey to the finale, where he was scheduled to meet Tresean Gore. Gore would be forced to withdraw due to injury, and Battle found himself fighting for glory against Gilbert Urbina.

The South Carolina native would finish Urbina via second-round rear-naked choke, earning himself the TUF trophy and UFC contract.

Now officially in the UFC, Battle is keen to defend his title as The Ultimate Fighter and prove doubters wrong in his debut.

“A lot of people are like ‘well if I was on the show I would’ve won.’ Well, I’m here baby. If you wanna prove it, you can come prove it anytime,” Battle told The AllStar.

“I want to fight 3-4 times this year and I’m not ranked. So all these guys coming off the Contender Series or who just got into the UFC who are talking junk, we can settle it. I’m not a big deal, I’m just the Ultimate Fighter. And if you want to test out your metal against the Ultimate Fighter, I’m here. I’m ready.”

Since picking up the coveted six-figure contract Battle’s life has changed for the better. Now a full-time fighter, he’s keen to make the most of the opportunities at his disposal.

“I’ve gotten to whole new levels since I’ve gotten back [home],’ Battle said. “Just the ability to train and focus. I thought I was working as hard as I could before but I was just working as hard as I could with what I had. Now, with what I’ve got, the hard work has gone to a whole new level. I’m just excited to show off.”

“I’ve gotten better physically. I’m stronger, faster, my technique is sharper and my fight IQ is higher. My body is harder, my punches are [landing] more often. All around [I’ve improved]. My grappling is more destructive.”

Living in the TUF house together for a number of weeks, Battle’s more than familiar with his upcoming opponent Tresean Gore.

Gore boasts some good hand speed with the power to match, and despite having just three pro fights, is a threat to each man he faces.

Battle talked about the skills of his opponent and why he expects to walk out on top on February 5.

“Let’s go with the eye test first and state the obvious. [He’s] fast, explosive, [has good] athleticism [and] sharp hands. There’s no tell to his kicks. When he throws a kick, if you’re not prepared for it, that shits gonna land every time. He does several things very very well, but outside of those several things, he hasn’t shown a whole lot of layers to his game.”

“I’m respecting his hands but I’m not afraid of them. My hands are gonna be up, I’m gonna be looking to move my head to avoid as much damage as possible. I’m not gonna look to avoid contact the whole fight, [though]. I’m looking for us both to be in the fire and see who can handle the heat the longest.”

“I feel like the first round is going to start off competitive but as it goes on I’ll begin to take over. In the second round, I’ll go for the kill. If you look at my record on Tapology you’ll see all second-round finishes. I haven’t been to the third round in a long, long time and I don’t plan on going to it in this fight either.”

Though they shared some friendly moments on the show, Battle is prepared to put emotions aside and keep things strictly business.

“I like to keep business, business,” he said. “Bringing emotions into a fight, it’s going to happen sometimes. But if I can just see him as another person that’s in the way of my goals – that’s the way I look at it sometimes.”

“He’s a really considerate guy when he wants to be. Probably the biggest thing I learned is that he does like to play those little mental games, where he’s gonna come in and act like your buddy [and say stuff like] ‘Hey we’re cool, but I’m also gonna knock you out,’ the middleweight stated.

“That’s not what you say to your buddy, you know what I’m saying? That’s something I definitely noticed and always thought was kind of funny.”

“We’re friends on social media but it’s not a friendship I’m willing to develop until February 6.”

Fighter profile

Bryan “Pooh Bear” Battle is a 27 year old male fighter from United States with 6 pro wins and 1 losses. Battle is scheduled to fight Tresean Gore at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland on Saturday February 5, 2022.

Battle’s recent form coming into this matchup

Battle has gone 5-0 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.

• Win vs Gilbert Urbina • Submission R2 2:15 • 2021-08-28
• Win vs Andre Petroski • Submission R2 2:05 • 2021-05-20
• Win vs Kemran Lachinov • Decision R3 5:00 • 2021-05-06
• Win vs Ben Fowler • Submission R2 1:02 • 2021-02-06
• Win vs Josh Krizan • KO/TKO R2 4:40 • 2020-11-06

Bryan Battle’s next opponent: Tresean “Mr. Vicious” Gore

Tresean “Mr. Vicious” Gore’s recent form coming into this matchup

Tresean “Mr. Vicious” Gore is a 27 year old male fighter from United States with 3 pro wins and 0 losses. Gore is scheduled to fight Bryan Battle at UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Strickland on Saturday February 5, 2022.

Tresean Gore has gone 5-0 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.

• Win vs Gilbert Urbina • KO/TKO R2 1:14 • 2021-05-20
• Win vs Ryder Newman • Decision R3 5:00 • 2021-04-29
• Win vs Christian Echols • Submission R1 2:17 • 2020-10-03
• Win vs LJ Jones • KO/TKO R1 5:00 • 2018-06-22
• Win vs Prince Ellerbe • Decision R3 5:00 • 2018-03-30

How to watch and bet on Bryan Battle vs Tresean Gore

Keep track of all the latest odds and line-movements at our bout page for this matchup.