Bisping's sauna sacrifice backfires as Tina Black seizes TUF 34 lead for Team Cormier

Michael Bisping’s determination to keep Episode 5 of The Ultimate Fighter 34 alive ultimately benefited his rival: Tina Black knocked out Natalia Alves late in Round 2, handing Team Cormier a 3-2 lead on the season.

Black, a former Invicta FC champion, controlled the fight from the outside, out-striking Alves and repeatedly denying her attempts to force a wrestling match. The finish came via a knockout flurry that capped a performance built on footwork and sharp counter-punching.

The road to the fight was anything but straightforward. Bisping attempted to gain a tactical edge by tricking Black’s outside coach, UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber, into believing Black was on his team — a ruse designed to extract information about her weaknesses. Armed with what he believed was inside knowledge, Bisping’s camp built Alves’ game plan around wrestling. It never materialised.

TUF 34 contestant and guest blogger Xavier Franklin, a Team Cormier member, explained why the strategy fell apart. “Tina is a backfoot fighter. She’s a sniper. She can fight moving any way,” Franklin said. “You have to have somebody going forward in order to catch them in the takedowns. If you can’t get to the target, you’re not going to be able to employ your strength.”

Franklin also identified the moment the fight turned. “Tina was going straight and Natalia was trying to go around, so that’s how she got hurt. She went to open up and throw something and she got caught with basically a straight left jab.”

Alves’ weight cut dominated the episode’s narrative before a single punch was thrown. She was still attempting to shed the final pounds right up to the deadline and was granted an extra hour to make weight. Bisping, according to Franklin, refused to leave her side — or let her leave the sauna. “Bisping was literally in the sauna with her. She tried to get out. He trapped her in there. She was screaming and all this shit. He said, ‘We’re not leaving until you get this weight off,’” Franklin recalled.

The gruelling cut appeared to take its toll. Franklin noted that Alves looked drained heading into the bout, and suggested the physical toll of making weight compounded the tactical problems she faced against a composed and mobile opponent.

With Team Cormier now ahead 3-2, the pressure shifts firmly onto Bisping’s squad to respond in the coming episodes.