Nine fighters had UFC gold wrapped around their waist after competing on a season of The Ultimate Fighter, and Tina Black expects to “soon†join the group.

The strawweight talent, real name Valesca Machado, was Daniel Cormier's first pick on TUF 34 and made it to the final with a pair of wins over Natalia Alves and Delphine Benouaich. Fellow Team Cormier representative Melissa Amaya will be standing across the octagon at Saturday's UFC Vegas 121.

Black holds a professional MMA record of 15-4 and one no-contest, not including the two TUF wins that are officially ruled exhibitions, and has held titles in Invicta FC and A1 Combat before making it to the show.

“I'm appreciating everything that God has put in my path,†Black told MMA Fighting. “He gave me Invicta, He gave me A1, and now He has given me TUF so I can win the title in the finale, and soon the UFC belt. We're going step by step, and I'm thanking God for giving us wisdom and guidance to follow the right path.

“I always told my coaches that I wanted to come here to stay and make history. I don't want to be just another one. I want to be recognized like so many other people are. There are great names, Amanda Nunes, a great star, Alex ‘Poatan' [Pereira]. I want to get there like they did, making history.â€

The 30-year-old was victorious in seven of eight bouts between her failed Contender Series appearance back in 2021 and joining TUF earlier this year, and said that fighting twice in a short period of time on UFC's TV show wasn't the hardest task of her career.

“It's not really a big deal because when I won a belt in Invicta, it was two fights on the same night,†Black said. “I think it was harder to win the title in Invicta because I had to fight twice in one night, having to study my opponents without knowing who I was going to face, who they were going to put me against first, and then who would make it to the final. The hardest part was in Invicta. I think that [in TUF], it felt like I had already done half of the work before because of Invicta, and this was another experience that I had already been through.â€

Aside from in-cage competition, Black had to deal with beef with other two contestants on TUF. That led to some TV drama, which Black said has bothered her father watching at home.

“Honestly, I'm not a controversial person, but if people want to have beef with me, if they want controversy with me, I'll do it too,†Black said with a laugh. “Nothing I did there was because I was playing a character. If I did it, it's because I wanted to and because it was there to be done. Where I come from, from the community… When I was younger, my mom used to say that if I got beaten up in the street, I would get beaten up at home too. That's the kind of person I am. I'm not going to take disrespect and just let it go. I did everything the right way and kept my connection with God, and I asked Him to guide me and take those intrusive thoughts out of me [laughs].â€

Amaya, her opponent in the Sept. 26 final, earned the spot with finishes against Anna Melisano and GiGi Canuto. Black said “she was a real warrior inside the house†after surviving submission attempts that would have forced many others to tap, and is “very happy for her.â€

“She has a very good mindset and she didn't let herself get lost because of a tight armbar,†Black said of Amaya's semifinal win. “And after other submissions were locked in, she didn't tap. She's a warrior. That's a great achievement for her.â€

Black wouldn't go into details as to how she expects to get the job done Saturday because “I don't know what God is planning for me, but I believe I'm going to leave with my hand raised.â€

“I believe that,†Black continued. “I'm going to leave there as the champion, but I don't know how. I can't give you a spoiler about how it's going to happen [laughs], but I believe I'm going to leave as the champion. The important thing is to put another little trophy up there at my sister's home. She has a shelf there with all my stuff, so I'm going to put this little trophy there and keep moving forward to get the UFC belt.â€

We're back at the Apex for the 12th of 20 straight weeks of UFC events, and has often been the trend this year we have new blood taking on a wisened veteran in the main event.

Bantamweight wunderkind Raul Rosas Jr. headlines for the first time as he takes on Raoni Barcelos in Saturday's UFC Vegas 121 (or The Ultimate Fighter 34 Finale, if you're cool) main event. Both Rosas and Barcelos are on five-fight win streaks, but coming in at different angles. The 22-year-old Rosas has hit his stride as he aims to fulfill his promise to become the youngest champion in UFC history, while Barcelos, 39, has put together the best stretch of his career against a few fellow veterans and another of the 135-pound division's blue-chippers, Payton Talbott.

Tonight we find out if Rosas is ready for another step up in competition or if Barcelos can continue his unexpected run to a title shot.

All that, plus a bantamweight bout between Norma Dumont and Ailin Perez that could produce a UFC title challenger, and a pair of TUF 34 tournament finals.

Where: Meta Apex in Las Vegas

When: Saturday, Sept. 26. The seven-fight early preliminary card begins at 5 p.m. ET, followed by a five-fight main card at 8 p.m. ET. The entire event streams live on Paramount+.

(Numbers in parentheses indicate standing in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings)

Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Raoni Barcelos (13)

I like what I've seen from Raul Rosas Jr. as the matchmakers have consistently pitted him against more experienced competition. He's starting to utilize his unique mix of size and speed more effectively, and the cardio issues that plagued him early on have been corrected. Enough to give him the edge in a five-round fight? We'll see.

For those of you keeping score at home, Rosas has never fought for a full 25 minutes, while Raoni Barcelos has done so a couple of times in his pre-UFC days. One would assume the considerably younger Rosas has the advantage should the fight progress into the later rounds, but Barcelos has remained in great shape throughout his career and has done a fair job of fending off Father Time.

Technique-wise, Rosas continues to improve, though he still has a ways to go when it comes to turning his slick footwork into effective offense. His best path to victory lies in his wrestling, a skill Barcelos will be happy to put up against his own.

This is the right level of competition for Rosas and I expect a strong effort, but I like the more well-rounded Barcelos to force Rosas to stand with him and dictate the action. Once we get to the championship rounds, it will become increasingly clear who is going to pull ahead in the final stretch. I'm going with Barcelos to earn the nod as Rosas once again levels up in defeat.

Norma Dumont (T3) vs. Ailin Perez (6)

We've got a genuine grudge match on our hands here, with Norma Dumont vowing to do things to Ailin Perez that would get her arrested, and Perez confident she's in Dumont's head. All that, plus the winner has a good chance of ending up in a UFC bantamweight title fight next? The schedule makers did the right thing bumping this from the prelims to the co-main event.

Look, I'm not pretending this fight will be pretty. Dumont and Perez's shared animosity is just as likely to give us heated striking exchanges as it is to give us mucky grappling against the fence and on the mat. There will be times good sense goes out the window as these contenders go all out for a win.

Suffice to say, this favors Dumont on the feet and Perez on the ground, so the breakdown here is simple: I believe Dumont has the takedown defense to wear Perez out, and just enough pop in her punches to make Perez think twice about recklessly closing the distance. Eventually, Perez will be out of ideas, and Dumont's striking will carry her to the decision win.

Luis Hernandez vs. Sedriques Dumas

A deputy sheriff taking on a guy with one of the longest rap sheets in UFC history? Well played.

I'll never understand the UFC's fascination with Sedriques Dumas. Character issues aside, the man has not been involved in a single memorable fight and he hasn't picked up a win since 2024. What are we doing? The originally scheduled matchup with Mickey Gall was truly mystifying, and once Gall pulled out, why not just scrub the whole thing?

On the other hand, Luis Hernandez getting this short-notice opportunity makes a lot of sense. Hernandez is fresh off of a Dana White Contender Series signing and while he's not the most technically skilled fighter, the dude is all gas, no brakes, and I've heard they like that sort of thing in Las Vegas. If anything, he might be the perfect opponent to draw some excitement out of Dumas.

Dumas has a significant size advantage, but I've seen Hernandez deal with that before, so I like his chances of just slugging his way in even with Dumas landing a few good shots. Hernandez breaks Dumas down with his pressure and finishes late in the second.

Mahammadali Osmanli vs. Ilimbek AkylbekMelissa Amaya vs. Tina Black

The usual disclaimer: After all these years, I'm still deeply invested in The Ultimate Fighter, and somehow I'm also terrible at picking tournament finals winners. Last year, I nailed Daniil Donchenko and the underdog Joseph Morales, but the year before went 0-2 picking Kaan Ofli and Robert Valentin. Generally it's been a mixed bag and, again, considering how many hours of my life I've dedicated to this show, that's pretty sad.

But I feel good about this season's picks!

The bantamweight final features two prospects just starting their careers, as 22-year-old Mahammadali Osmanli takes on 23-year-old Ilimbek Akylbek. Osmanli enters with considerable hype, having finished both his opponents during this TUF 34 run and having the kind of larger-than-life swagger that teammate Xavier Franklin likened to that of Conor McGregor. He's a striker at heart, but prefers to finish via submission once he smells blood.

Akylbek projects as a classic wrestle grinder, so we'll learn early whether he can outmuscle Osmanli and, if so, whether he can sustain that offense for three rounds.

On the strawweight side, we have a true clash of styles and background with Combate Global standout Melissa Amaya facing former Invicta FC champion Tina Black. Amaya set herself apart from the rest of the cast with her unrelenting toughness, backed by a potent wrestling game perfectly designed to deal with strikers like Black; on the other hand, Black's pure punching power has made her a feared prospect for years, and she also has the gas tank to scrap for three rounds if Amaya refuses to back down.

Normally, Amaya's unique brand of stick-to-itiveness would be enough to convince me she can pull off the upset, but Black is seasoned and I think she finds ways to keep this standing where she has the advantage. Give me Black via a hard-fought decision.

I am buying into the Osmanli hype though, if only because Akylbek is just as raw at this point in their careers. Osmanli's talent will shine through and all it will take is one mistake for Osmanli to catch Akylbek with a knockout flurry.

Rinya Nakamura def. Brady Hiestand

Rodolfo Vieira def. Robert Bryczek

Rodolfo Bellato def. Christian Edwards

Elves Brener def. Josiah Harrell

Ricky Simon def. Montel Jackson

John Castaneda def. Alatengheili

Yazmin Jauregui def. Vanessa Demopoulos