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

Episode five of the returning reality show The Ultimate Fighter season (TUF 29): Team Volkanovski vs. Team Ortega, aired on ESPN+ Tuesday night.

Four weeks in, Brian Ortega's boys are on an absolute tear, having won all of their TUF 29 first-round fights so far. Andre Petroski, Liudvik Sholinian, Tresean Gore, and Vincent Murdock dominated Alexander Volkanovski's team to extend their lead to 4-0.

On last week's episode of TUF 29, a heated verbal exchange between the coaches broke out when Ortega tried to add insult to injury by making a remark about Team Volkanovski's string of losses.

The champion's squad is in a vulnerable spot but middleweight Bryan Battle will try to end the drought against Team Ortega's Kemran Lachinov. Find out if Team Volkanovski was able to finally snag a win as we discuss five things we learned from the fifth episode of TUF 29.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for TUF 29 episode 5.

#5 TUF 29 contestants Andre Petroski and Mitch Raposo don't see eye-to-eye

For the first time this season, two contestants got tangled into a dicey situation. TUF 29 seemed headed towards a drama-free direction with previous competitors remaining civil and respectful with one another even after fights.

Last week's episode even opened with Tresean Gore and Ryder Newman reflecting on their fight and seemingly establishing a newfound friendship. This week, though, tensions are beginning to flare as Team Ortega's Andre Petroski and Team Volkanovski's Mitch Raposo got into a heated exchange of words.

Raposo took issue with Petroski, who chimed in as the mentors were talking smack to one another during the last episode's weigh-ins. The Team Volkanovski bantamweight told Petroski he had no business getting involved in the interaction.

#4 Brian Ortega plays mind games

TUF 29 coach Brian Ortega

TUF 29 coach Brian Ortega sensed that he's getting under the skin of Alexander Volkanovski and his proteges. 'T-City' vowed to make things worse for members of his rival squad and he followed through on this week's episode:

"Let the games begin. I've got you pissed off now. Now, I'm gonna get you worse," Ortega said.

The UFC featherweight title challenger visited the TUF house to have fun with the fighters. He challenged some of them to a two-on-one game of foosball. But his idea of fun clearly rubbed Raposo the wrong way. The bantamweight contestant said Ortega was being "annoying" and "too childish."

#3 TUF 29 fighter bio: Bryan Battle (Team Volkanovski) and Kemran Lachinov (Team Ortega)

Kemran Lachinov of Team Ortega [Photo Credit: @killa_kem_ on Instagram]

Kemran Lachinov of Team Ortega is an Uzbek-born fighter who grew up in Russia. One of the most experienced contestants on TUF 29, the hard-nosed grappler has 13 professional MMA fights under his belt with 10 victories. Lachinov earned a 5-1 record at Bellator, having fought for the promotion since 2015.

The 30-year-old admitted that cage-fighting wasn't his first love. He aspired to play football at a high-level but one of his coaches introduced him to MMA. Shortly thereafter, Lachinov went all in and pursued a career in prize fighting.

Team Volkanovski's Bryan Battle is one of the largest fighters among TUF 29's middleweights. He admitted that he used to fight at heavyweight in the early days of his MMA career. However, he eventually dropped to 185 pounds and he has called the division his home since.

Unlike some of the other TUF 29 contestants, Battle trains in a relatively unknown gym called Hayastan MMA in Matthews, North Carolina.

#2 Team Volkanovski is finally on the board

Bryan Battle vs Kemran Lachinov [Photo credit: @killa_kem_ on Instagram]

TUF 29 contestant Bryan Battle may not be as experienced as Kemran Lachinov but he used his size and range advantages to outpoint his opponent. Bothered by his opponent's length, Lachinov took a curious approach as he threw caution out the window and marched relentlessly towards his opponent like an undead ghoul.

Once he closed the distance, however, Lachinov wasn't able to utilize his supposed advantage in grappling against Battle, who handily fended off his takedown attempts.

If you've never seen @killa_kem_ fight, this sneak peak from tonight's #ReturnOfTUF should give you an idea 😳Stream the episode starting at 9 PM ET on @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/l0LXVGExRv

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 29, 2021

In round two, Battle grew more comfortable as he started piecing up his opponent with a diet of kicks and jabs. Lachinov continued to move forward and try to initiate a clinch, but Battle proved too big to be taken down.

The Team Ortega bet successfully brought Battle to the ground for a brief moment, but nothing came of it as his opponent quickly recovered. From there, the fighter from Team Volkanovksi never relinquished the lead and earned a unanimous decision victory.

#1 Who's fighting next week on TUF 29?

Next week on TUF 29, the fight will shift back to the bantamweight division. The match-making decision shifted back to TUF 29 coach Brian Ortega, who will attempt to widen his lead over Alexander Volkanovski.

With Battle snapping Team Volkanovski's losing streak, it will be up to Rickey Turcios to keep their success going against Team Ortega's Dan Argueta. Both men seem to be looking forward to meeting each other:

“I was glad they called me up next,” said Turcios. “Now I have an opponent in front of me. This is what I came here to do. I came here to fight. I came here to win.”

In regards to the fight, Dan Argueta said:

“When I got my input on who I’d like to fight, I wanted to pick someone that’s gonna up my career, up my experience and that’s Rickey, man."

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Check out our recap for Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, and Episode 4 of TUF 29: Team Volkanovski vs. Team Ortega.