LAS VEGAS — Tina Black defeated Melissa Amaya at UFC Vegas 121 to become The Ultimate Fighter Season 34 strawweight winner, completing a journey she believed her faith had been guiding all along. Black said she had dreamt about the moment so many times that when it finally happened, she was ready, trophy in hand and cameras in front of her.
“Happy with this dream, this dream come true, I dreamt so much. I had so many dreams of being here, being in front of the cameras, having this trophy,” Black told reporters including Cageside Press through a translator at her post-fight scrum. Getting into the right headspace was not always easy during the competition.
Faith became central to pushing through those moments. “It was difficult to put my mind in the right headspace. I have a God and a God that has not failed me and has put me in the right spot that has come through on his promise that has always been there for me,” she said. “That God promised I would be here and here I am and this is what it’s gotten me.”
Winning The Ultimate Fighter 34 was never about proving she was better than everyone else in the house. The toughest opponent was herself. “My biggest competitor was myself. I knew that if my headspace and my mind was on the right place 100% I was going to (win),” she said. “I knew that I was going to win this show, and I won.”