The name of the game for Liudvik Sholinian was non-stop pressure and the tactic paid off for him as he becomes the first bantamweight to advance in The Ultimate Fighter 29 tournament.
Coach Brian Ortega picked Sholinian (9-1-1) to match up with the first overall pick of the season, Alexander Volkanovski’s Mitch Raposo and the choice paid off as Sholinian used an aggressive wrestling game to score a decision victory. It was the first loss* in MMA competition for Raposo—a training partner of UFC bantamweight contender Rob Font—who entered the show 5-0 as a pro and 6-0 as an amateur.