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Half-Filipino mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Ricky Turcios shone in the bantamweight division finals of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Volanovski vs Team Ortega, Saturday in Las Vegas (Sunday in Manila).

Turcios, who traces his roots to the Philippines through his mother and to El Salvador through his father, outlasted Team Volkanovski training partner Brady Hiestand to eke out a split decision.

Scores were 29-28 twice for Turcios, while another judge had the same score for Hiestand.

His striking proved to be the difference, particularly in the third round when he scored a knockdown against Hiestand.

With his victory, Turcios earned a six-figure contract in the UFC.

Both Turcios and Hiestand also received a bonus as their encounter earned Fight of the Night honors.

That's how you close out the #ReturnOfTUF!@RickyHadouken & @BradyHiestand1 earned your FOTN 💰 #UFCVegas35 @ToyoTires pic.twitter.com/D3AxQimlsj

— UFC (@ufc) August 29, 2021

In the main event, Giga Chikadze scored an impressive stoppage of Edson Barboza that earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.