5 things we learned from episode 10 of TUF 29: Team Volkanovski vs Team Ortega

#4 Team Ortega regroups

Team Ortega dominated TUF 29 early on, but the tides seem to have turned. They're currently on the wrong side of a long skid after Kemran Lachinov, Dan Argueta, Josh Rettinghouse, Michael Gilmore and Liudvik Sholinian dropped five straight fights in the previous TUF 29 episodes.

As the losses piled on, Ortega wanted to make sure his boys were in a great state of mind. 'T-City' paid his proteges a visit so he could bond with them over playing cards. The UFC featherweight title challenger said:

"We went to the house to check on the guys. Make sure they're doing alright. Our guys lost five times. We've been having some rough days and it's important to let them know that we're still here during the good and the bad."

#3 TUF 29 fighter bio: Bryan Battle (Team Volkanovski)

Coach Volkanovski prepares Bryan Battle for his TUF 29 semi-final bout [Photo credit: @poohbearbattle68 on IG]

Coach Volkanovski said he's happy with the improvements he's seeing in Bryan Battle. At the start of TUF 29, the Aussie champ revealed he was looking for fighters who are coachable. And this is exactly what he appears to have found in Battle:

"The way he just adapts, he just does it to a T. Not many people can do that."

Volkanovski also revealed that he regrets taking Battle last. After coaching Battle for weeks, Volkanovski claimed he's highly optimistic about his student's future in the sport. The champ said:

"Andre is in for a tough fight, I can guarantee you. He's huge, he's on point, his takedown defense, his footwork – you know what I mean – he's money at the moment. Sky is the limit for this kid. He was my last pick out of the middleweights and I'll take that back. If I can take that back, I would."

Once Battle returned to the TUF house, he revealed to his teammates that his wife is pregnant.

The TUF 29 middleweight prospect was given the chance to call his family before he went into his semi-final fight, and found out that he's likely to have a baby boy. The biggest guy in the tournament burst into tears as he opened up about missing his family.