Tina Black dreamt about the moment so many times that when it finally happened, she was ready for it.
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 her toward all along. The trophy was finally in her hands, the cameras were in front of her, and the dream she had pictured over and over again was no longer a dream.
“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.
“Here I am.”
Getting herself into the right headspace wasn’t always easy for Black, but her faith became a major part of pushing through those moments. She believed God had a plan for her throughout the journey, and winning TUF 34 only strengthened that belief.
“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 Black proving she was better than everyone else in the house. For her, the toughest opponent was the one staring back at her in the mirror, and she knew getting her mind right would take care of everything else.
“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.”
Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Tina Black above.