TUF 29: Results, recap for "The Return of The Ultimate Fighter" (Ep. 1) on ESPN+ this Tues. night (June 1, 2021) coached by UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and top 145-pound contender Brian Ortega.
The Return of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Volkanovski vs Team Ortega preview Jun 1, 2021, 9:00am EDT
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After a very long period on ice, The Ultimate Fighter is back to bring you week to week drama, antics and fights.
We’re already familiar with the coaches, as UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega are set to face each other after the season concludes, but we’re first going to take a look at the fighters involved and where they came from.
Gilbert Urbina (6-1)
Some of these names may be recognizable as they have previously competed on other original programming such as Dana White’s Contender Series.
The coaches of TUF 29 will be current featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski and No. 2 ranked title challenger Brian Ortega. Volkanovski and Ortega were expected to meet in the co-main event of UFC 260 last month, but the champion tested positive for COVID-19 and withdrew from the fight.
The pairing has remained intact, however, with Volkanovski and Ortega named as coaches for the upcoming season of TUF less than a month later. There is no word on when or where the fight between them will happen, but it is likely to be on a pay-per-view event some time after the season finishes filming.
Bellator 178: Straus vs. Pitbull 4 Preview and Predictions
The train continues to roll for Bellator MMA. The promotion’s schedule of weekly events takes the company to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Bellator 178’s main event is a familiar rematch. Daniel Straus will once again meet Patricio Freire in a featherweight title fight. Straus recently won his title from Freire, but the fight was close enough to warrant a rematch. This will be the fourth meeting between the two men. Freire won their first two encounters.
The co-headliner is a women’s flyweight battle pitting Ilima-Lei Macfarlane against Jessica Middleton. The two 125-pound fighters are currently undefeated and looking to be one of the first women up when Bellator decides to crown a flyweight champion.
Bellator 216: MVP vs. Daley Preview and Predictions
Bellator 216 is the second part of Bellator MMA’s weekend doubleheader taking place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
The card’s headliner is a quarterfinal bout of the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix. Knockout veteran Paul Daley goes toe-to-toe with human highlight reel Michael “Venom” Page. Daley dropped a unanimous decision to Jon Fitch at Bellator 199. Page retained his undefeated record one event later at Bellator 200, where he beat David Rickels by verbal submission.
The co-main event is a heavyweight affair between former Bellator heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov and UFC veteran Cheick Kongo. Minakov hasn’t fought for Bellator in almost five years and has been out of the cage for just over a year. Minakov’s last Bellator fight ended with him retaining his championship belt and ultimately leaving the company due to a contract dispute. Kongo, 43, has remained active and won his last seven fights i