THE RETURN OF THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER | EPISODE 12 RECAP

Back at the house, four members of Team Volkanovski and Tresean hang out by the pool, where Ryder spits some lyrics before passing the mic to Tresean, who breaks out a little a capella song.

Cut to the PI, where Tresean is getting his fight prep in ahead of his clash with Gilbert.

“What I see is me being in his face, making him uncomfortable,” he says of the final middleweight matchup of the season. “He’s gonna throw all his weapons to try to keep me at bay, but it’s not gonna work.

“I’m just ready to go in there and make this great fighter look average.”

Fighter Profiles: Gilbert Urbina | Tresean Gore

Ortega and Tresean have a sharp sparring session, going hard with one another, with Ortega explaining to his charge that it’s the mental side of things where he needs to continue building.

“We can all be tough. We can all fight. We have to be disciplined — all the way to the fight, we have to stay disciplined. Down to your fight, your strategies, your intuition when you’re in there — whoever does this s*** the right way, has the most advantages, and in a game of inches, you want every f****** advantage you can get.

“It’s going to be a crazy war or a nice fight,” Ortega adds.

“It’s not going to be a war,” Tresean counters.

“Make it a beautiful fight then,” his coach responds.

SEE WHAT THE COACHES OF TUF 29 HAD TO SAY: Volkanovski | Ortega

Back at the house, Tresean shadowboxes in the backyard while Gilbert cleans the grill for him, speaking about the connection he feels with Tresean, while the two share a moment as respectful competitors outside.

“I’m coming, man,” Tresean tells him. “I know you’re coming too, but it’s mine.”

It’s weigh-in day at the UFC APEX.

Gilbert is first on the scale, coming in at 185.5. Tresean steps up and hits the same number, making the fight official.

Various team members weigh in on the matchup, with only Ryder suggesting that he’s unsure who will win, calling the impending clash a “dogfight.”

Round 1: Tresean sprints across the cage to close the distance to start, trying to hem Gilbert in along the fence. Gilbert is the first to throw, but Tresean is the first to land, connecting with a long jab. Gilbert lands a right and Tresean lands a body kick behind it.

Gilbert presses forward behind a combination, which Tresean handles easily, and then he drops Gilbert with a short left hook. Gilbert pops right back to his feet and backs up towards the fence, with Tresean coming forward at him. Gilbert looks to have recovered as neither man throws anything in the 30 seconds after the knockdown, with Tresean applying pressure, but unable to cut off Gilbert’s movement.

Gilbert lands a kick to the thigh and one to the body, but Tresean is unbothered. He pushes forward again, digging a long left hook to the body, with another front kick to the midsection behind it. Tresean sticks a long jab in Gilbert’s face but doesn’t follow up. He lands another, but again it’s just a single shot.

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Gilbert lands another kick to the thigh and is starting to apply pressure. As he comes forward and throws out a jab, Tresean counters at the same time and drops him again. Gilbert scrambles to his feet quickly again and Tresean looks to capitalize, with Gilbert firing back aggressively off the fence with a little over two minutes remaining in the round.

Gilbert lands a good jab from southpaw and another kick to the thigh, walking Tresean down. He attacks the thigh again, but once more, he staggers backwards after Tresean pops him with a jab. They trade strikes ­— Gilbert attacking the thigh with a kick, Tresean countering with a right hand — and it’s clear the power difference is vast between the two. The sequence is repeated and again Tresean’s blow lands heavier.

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Tresean presses forward and again backs Gilbert up with a sharp, clean jab. Gilbert crowds his way in and lands a right hook to the jaw, but it has little impact. With 30 seconds remaining, Gilbert looks to step in and Tresean intercepts him, wobbling him once more with a right hand.

Gilbert finishes the round coming forward and landing, but it was a dominant frame for the Team Ortega middleweight.

Round 2: Tresean comes forward to start, but Gilbert backs him up with long punches, only to stop advancing and let Tresean come forward again. With Gilbert circling along the cage, Tresean hits him with an overhand right followed by a left uppercut that lands flush, adding a long jab on at the end.

Gilbert circles out, but Tresean is in pursuit, landing the same overhand right, uppercut combo again. Gilbert tries to back him off with a teep kick to the midsection, but as he walks forward to press the action, Tresean once again intercepts him on the way in, putting a left hook on his jaw that sends Gilbert to the canvas and prompts Mark Smith to instantly stop the fight.

Tresean gets on his knees and gives thanks to God while the Team Ortega coaches celebrate.

Official Result: Tresean Gore def. Gilbert Urbina by KO (left hook) at 1:14 of Round 2

The highlights of the fight roll and the coaches recap the action, with Ortega thrilled with Tresean’s performance.

“What a way to cap off a great season,” begins Dana White, “with an incredible knockout and a very well-deserved win for Tresean Gore. This kid has a ton of heart, and he is determined to become the next Ultimate Fighter.”

Ortega and Tresean share a nice moment in the Octagon, with Ortega quietly congratulating Tresean, reminding him that he’s in the finals and that the coaches will see him there.

“When I come back for the finale, it’s going to be levels above where I’m at right now,” Tresean says.