After twelve episodes of the 34th season of The Ultimate Fighter, we now know the two men involved in the season’s bantamweight finale. During UFC Vegas 121 on September 26, Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu will take on Mehemmedeli Osmanli for a UFC contract.
The winner of the fight will be crowned the TUF 34 Bantamweight winner. Akylbek Uulu and Osmanli, both coached on the show by Michael Bisping, won their quarter-finals and semi-finals and will now take on each other in the live finale at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas.
Starting With A Cut
Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu is a 22-year-old fighter out of Kyrgyzstan. He started his professional MMA career in 2021. After going 7-1 and winning the Octagon League title in Kazakhstan, Akylbek Uulu signed with ONE Championship. After a debut win against Gadzhimurad Gasanguseynov, Akylbek Uulu lost twice and left the promotion to sign with EFC Global in his home country. He won his fight for the new promotion, but it was his only fight for EFC Global. At the end of 2025, he beat Mo Miller at American Fight Promotions by rear-naked choke submission in the fourth round, winning the title. Akylbek Uulu then did tryouts for the 34th season of The Ultimate Fighter. He was chosen to participate in the tournament.
Before the coaches decided their picks, the fighters had to do some workouts so the coaches could evaluate who they wanted on their team. Akylbek Uulu grappled with Sean Mora and went in with his head forward, almost clashing heads with Mora. Mora got upset and punched Akylbek Uulu in the head, causing a cut above his eye. Fortunately for Akylbek Uulu, he got permission to continue. Akylbek Uulu was picked by Michael Bisping, and Mora was picked by Daniel Cormier. The two guys didn’t talk to each other during the days in the Ultimate Fighter house, but squared off against each other in the quarterfinals.
In a close fight, Akylbek Uulu was able to use his dominant wrestling and edge Mora via split decision. It set him up for a semi-final match-up against Michael Bisping’s number one pick, Xavier Franklin. Akylbek Uulu again used his dominant wrestling in the fight, winning the first two rounds. Franklin came back in the third round and looked to finish Akylbek Uulu until referee Herb Dean stopped the fight for an illegal blow. Akylbek Uulu was able to fight out the round and won on the judges’ scorecards via unanimous decision. The win put him through to the finale, where he will meet Team Bisping’s teammate Mehemmedeli Osmanli.
Young, Brash, and Flashy
Osmanli is also 22 years old. The fighter from Azerbaijan was one of the most flamboyant and skilled fighters on the 34th season of The Ultimate Fighter. Osmanli fought the majority of his fights in his home country. For the promotion New Generation Fighting, he won both the flyweight and bantamweight titles. With an 8-1 record, he signed with UAE Warriors in 2024. He fought three times for the promotion and won all his fights. He impressed fans by beating the formerly undefeated fighters Shamil Boraev and Bakhtovar Yunusov.
Osmanli applied for The Ultimate Fighter 34 this year and got chosen to compete in the tournament. He was the second pick at bantamweight of Team Bisping. The fighter from Azerbaijan immediately made clear he was the guy to beat in the tournament and asked for a fight against Team Cormier’s number one pick, Artem Belakh. Osmanli was granted his wish and finished Belakh in the first round with a rear-naked choke submission.
A very impressive win that put him on the map in the tournament as one of the favorites to win. Osmanli then got matched up against Christian Strong of Team Cormier in the semi-finals of the tournament. The fighter from Azerbaijan raised even more eyebrows this time. Right before the official weigh-ins, he told Strong that he was going to finish him with a buggy choke submission. Osmanli kept his promise and beat Strong via buggy choke submission in the second round and secured his ticket to the live finale on September 26 in Las Vegas against Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu.
UFC Vegas 121 – September 26
- Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Raoni Barcelos
- Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu vs. Mehemmedeli Osmanli (TUF 34 Bantamweight Finale)
- Tina Black vs. Melissa Amaya (TUF 34 Women’s Strawweight Finale)
- Norma Dumont vs. Ailín Pérez
- Montel Jackson vs. Ricky Simón
- Yazmin Jauregui vs. Vanessa Demopoulos
- John Castañeda vs. Alatengheili
- Rodolfo Bellato vs. Christian Edwards
- Elves Brener vs. Josiah Harrell
- Mickey Gall vs. Sedriques Dumas
The Ultimate Fighter 34 Men’s Finale Set for UFC Vegas 121