Preview: UFC Fight Night 200 Main Card

Middleweights

NR | Tresean Gore (3-0, 0-0 UFC) vs. NR | Bryan Battle (6-1, 1-0 UFC)

ODDS: Gore (-160), Battle (+140)

It is good to see the UFC revisit what should have been the middleweight final of its most recent season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” as it remains an interesting fight on paper. Battle, the eventual season winner, does seem to be a natural at this, as he is building a game that thus far has been much more than the sum of its parts. For most of Battle’s regional career, he got by on durability, aggression and little else, gutting things out until he eventually found a finish. He also did not appear to be much of an athlete, which made it questionable that the whole package would work against a step up in competition. With that said, Battle does seem to be helped greatly by the fact that he can now focus on the sport on a full-time basis. He has obviously gotten in much better shape and has started to tighten up his game. He still had to stage an occasional comeback during his path to “Ultimate Fighter” glory, but by the time he tapped Gilbert Urbina to take home the season’s crown, he had affirmed himself as a prospect to watch. For his first post-reality series fight, he will take on Gore, who was initially slated to face Battle in the final before suffering a knee injury and getting replaced by Urbina. Gore is a more traditional high-upside prospect as a powerful athlete with some clear knockout power. Prior to his time on “The Ultimate Fighter,” Gore’s record was particularly sparse, and he was obviously a prospect who was learning to find some comfort with his tools. While Gore does a lot of things right, he is sometimes much too patient in terms of throwing any actual volume. Things do seem to be coming along, however, as he looked good in his two “Ultimate Fighter” bouts and knocked out Urbina to punch his ticket to the final before the injury intervened. It is an interesting dynamic. Battle is the much more active and round-winning fighter, but Gore could undo all those gains with his power and physicality. Gore’s cardio is the big question mark, as it remains unproven how he will look if forced into a high-paced fight across multiple rounds. Still, he has at least shown some solid wrestling and grappling defense in the past that should pay some dividends here. Battle could just eventually swamp and tire out his counterpart, but the bet is that Gore can bank an early lead and at least do enough to survive—or just end the match before it ever gets that far. The pick is Gore via decision.



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