5 things we learned from episode 4 of TUF 29: Team Volkanovski vs Team Ortega

The fourth episode of the latest The Ultimate Fighter season (TUF 29): Team Volkanovski vs. Team Ortega, aired on ESPN+ Tuesday night.

Brian Ortega's crew is in a comfortable spot, having won all three fights so far. Andre Petroski, Liudvik Sholinian and Tresean Gore delivered the goodies for their squad, pushing Alexander Volkanovski's team down a 0-3 hole.

In this week's TUF 29 episode, Dustin Lampros will try to give Team Volkanovski a much-needed victory against Team Ortega's Vincent Murdock.

Was the UFC featherweight champion able to get on the board with his first win, or did the challenger extend the gap to 4-0? Find out as we discuss five things we learned from episode 4 of TUF 29: Team Volkanovski vs. Team Ortega.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for TUF 29 episode 4.

#5 Team Volkanovski regroups, Team Ortega bonds

The show opened with the champ trying to boost his team's morale by giving his boys a pep talk. Team Volkanovski was frustrated after their top picks at middleweight and bantamweight were eliminated in back-to-back episodes. Volkanovski said:

"I can only imagine what the guys are feeling because the boys have lost, it's been really tough for us at the moment. But that's character building. That's gonna make us so much stronger."

Meanwhile, Ortega and his coaching staff came over to the TUF house, where he bonded with his proteges over steaks and haircuts. It was the first time in three episodes that Ortega was seen fraternizing with the boys as he usually only meets with them during training hours.

"It's good to actually hang out with these guys outside of the mat," Ortega said. "We started to come closer, we started to know each other a lot better."

#4 A special guest visits Team Volkanovski

Alexander Volkanovski brought in a special guest to provide his squad with some much-needed motivation. UFC welterweight contender and former TUF winner Michael Chiesa stopped by to help Team Volkanovski out with their training.

"I always say that this is my roots, man. And it's an honor that Volkanovski let me come on and just kinda hang out for the practice," the sixth-ranked UFC welterweight said.

It was also revealed that Chiesa trains alongside Team Volkanovski bantamweight Brady Hiestand, who is yet to see action this season. Throughout the episode, 'Maverick' acted as an honorary member of Team Volkanovski as he accompanied them from training camp until the announcement of the next fight.

#3 TUF 29 fighter bio: Dustin Lampros (Team Volkanovski) and Vincent Murdock (Team Ortega)

Team Volkanovski's Dustin Lampros was born and raised in the small country town of Freeburg, Illinois. The bantamweight fighter described his hometown as a "town of cornfields and backroads."

Lampros said he was introduced to MMA when he met former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley at a church. 'The Chosen One' apparently invited Lampros to train at his new gym, a proposition that he accepted without hesitation.

As Brian Ortega's last bantamweight pick, Vincent Murdock made it clear that he has a lot to prove. A member of the famed Team Alpha Male, Murdock, revealed that he made it into the UFC just for the rug to get pulled from under him.

Days before his supposed octagon debut, Murdock failed a medical test when his brain scans revealed he was suffering from a fatal disease. The bantamweight fighter was diagnosed with a rare brain condition called moyamoya. Thankfully, he was able to recover after an 11-hour brain surgery.

#2 Team Volkanovski vs. Team Ortega: Who won?

Vincent Murdock took on the role of the aggressor as he immediately targeted his opponent's legs. On the flipside, Dustin Lampros was more conservative in his approach, staying calm and looking for an opening to land a counter.

With two-and-a-half minutes remaining in the opening round, Murdock dropped Lampros with a massive overhand right that came out of nowhere. The Team Volkanovski bet was able to recover, blocking Murdock's follow-up strikes.

But as Lampros tried to get up, Murdock blasted him with a brutal knee to the head that drained the consciousness out of Lampros' body. The referee immediately called for the stoppage at the 2:22 mark of the very first round.

With Murdock's victory, Team Ortega extended their lead to 4-0, while Team Volkanovski is slowly running out of opportunities.

#1 TUF 29 starts to heat up

Alexander Volkanovski at TUF 29 [Photo credit: @alexvolkanovski on Instagram]

Control shifted back to Team Ortega as they once again select next week's fight at middleweight. 'T-City' picked Team Volkanovski's Bryan Battle to go up against his student, Kemran Lachinov.

But before the matchups were announced, the coaches engaged in a heated back and forth for the first time this season. Ortega came 45 minutes late to the fight announcement, which irked Volkanovski.

Things escalated when the challenger made a "4-0" remark. The reigning UFC featherweight champion clapped back by saying:

"Remember, your boys did well, you didn't do shit. You did fucking nothing."

The Aussie fighter added that he didn't appreciate how Ortega felt the need to add insult to injury.

"Say what you want about me, say what you want about the boys," Volkanovski said. "The boys have lost and they're trying to sort of dig into that thinking that's good. You wanna say 0-4 and sorta rub it in my face? You can do that but don't rub it in the boys' faces."

Meanwhile, the challenger knows he's getting under his rival's skin and he's loving every second of it. 'T-City' said:

"Let the games begin. I've got you pissed off now. Now, I'm gonna get you worse."

Check out our recap for Episode 1, Episode 2, and Episode 3 of TUF 29: Team Volkanovski vs. Team Ortega.