Gilbert Urbina says TKO win over Orion Cosce was real UFC debut, not TUF 29 finale loss

LAS VEGAS – Gilbert Urbina thinks he finally showed UFC fans what he’s made of.

The UFC welterweight picked up a nasty, body kick TKO finish at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 224, putting away Orion Cosce in the second-round of their contest. It was his second fight in the UFC, but Urbina (7-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is counting it as his first.

“This was my UFC debut,” Urbina said at the UFC Fight Night 224 post-fight press conference. “I fought the TUF (29) finale on 10 days’ notice. I wouldn’t count that as a UFC debut. It was a weight class above me. But this is my UFC debut at 170 pounds and man, it feels pretty good. It feels pretty good.”

Along with the good, Urbina felt he made some mistakes against Cosce (8-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC). He’s not 100 percent happy with his performance and knows there’s room to grow.

“It feels really good like I said, but I know there’s a lot more work to be done,” Urbina explained. “Like I said, I went in there and I showed a lot of good things and a couple of bad things, but it’s only up from here. I’m really focused and just blessed to be here in this environment at the UFC Apex and I can’t wait to show some more.”

You can watch Urbina’s full scrum in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 224.