UFC TUF 22 Finale Report 12.11.15: Edgar Wins

FS1 Main Card
#2 Frankie Edgar (145.5 lbs.) vs. #3 Chad Mendes (146 lbs.)
Artem Lobov (155 lbs.) vs. Ryan Hall (155 lbs.)
#6 Edson Barboza (155.5 lbs.) vs. #7 Tony Ferguson (156 lbs.)
Joe Lauzon (155.5 lbs.) vs. Evan Dunham (156 lbs.)
#13 Tatsuya Kawajiri (146 lbs.) vs. Jason Knight (145 lbs.)
Julian Erosa (155 lbs.) vs. Marcin Wrzosek (155 lbs.)

FS1 Prelims
Gabriel Gonzaga (263 lbs.) vs. Konstantin Erokhin (230 lbs.)
Ryan LaFlare (171 lbs.) vs. Mike Pierce (170.5 lbs.)
Joby Sanchez (126 lbs.) vs. Geane Herrera (125 lbs.)
Abner Lloveras (155 lbs.) vs. Chris Gruetzemacher (156 lbs.)

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Hello everyone and welcome to night two of three in 411mania’s LIVE coverage of UFC action. Tonight we have the finale of The Ultimate Fighter season 22, I haven’t seen a single episode of the show but this is a solid card. Ignoring the guys from TUF, incidentally God bless Larry Csonka for adding that show to his coverage duties I have no idea how he does it, the card is solid. The main event clash is all but guaranteed to crown the next featherweight contender when former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar takes on Chad Mendes, and there’s an awesome featured lightweight fight between rising star Tony Ferguson and Edson Barboza. Plus while you may not know anyone from this season of TUF the fights with them could be awesome, you just never know. Tonight’s event is reusing the set up from last night’s Fight Night, thanks to all of you who were there last night when I covered that one, and of note they’re using the smaller 25 foot cage instead of the 30 foot one, the 30 footer will be used tomorrow for UFC 194, and the smaller cage tends to give us more finishes so let’s all cross our fingers for that. The venue is the same as last night, The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada and has Jon Anik and Brian Stann on commentary.

This is our first fight of the night featuring two guys from this season of TUF. Abner Lloveras has a pretty long career thus far he trains with Gabriel Gonzaga in Ludlow Massachusetts and is riding a four fight winning streak coming into tonight’s UFC debut, you only get one chance to make a first impression and he’s hoping to make a good one here. Chris Gruetzemacher is riding an eleven fight winning streak last beating John Gunderson in the WSOF and brings all that momentum into his UFC debut where he hopes to make an immediate splash in the absolutely stacked lightweight division.

Lightweight Bout: Abner Lloveras (19-7-1, 155 lbs.) vs. Chris Gruetzemacher (12-1, 156 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Lloveras has three inches of height and two of reach on Gruetzemacher. Touch of gloves gets us going. Gruetzemacher lands an inside leg kick. Lloveras lands a right and a decent body kick. Gruetzemacher pushes into the clinch and they trade knees to the body then break. Gruetzemacher pressing Lloveras against the fence. They clinch again, Lloveras has Gruetzemacher on the fence. Lloveras works some short punches before they break. Rights traded and we’re clinched then break again. Lloveras lands a couple of body kicks. They clinch, Lloveras lands a right as they break. Another hard body kick from Lloveras, Gruetzemacher lands a knee to the body. Lloveras lands a leg kick. Lloveras doing a good job of countering the forward motion of Gruetzemacher. They clinch again, Lloveras can’t get a takedown and they break. Gruetzemacher lands a leg kick. Short right uppercut from Gruetzemacher hurts Lloveras, he’s pressing looking to maybe end this. Lloveras uses some body kicks to get Gruetzemacher to back off. They clinch again, trade some body work then Lloveras looks for a single leg takedown and drags Gruetzemacher to his knees. Gruetzemacher back up quickly then Lloveras drags him back down and rides out the round on the mat.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Lloveras

ROUND TWO: Lloveras lands a leg kick to start, Gruetzemacher returns it. Lloveras lands a left hook, Gruetzemacher still trying to walk him down and lands a leg kick. Stiff one two combination and a couple of leg kicks land for Gruetzemacher. Lloveras is bleeding around the right eye after that series of punches. They clinch again, Lloveras has the rear waist lock and looking to take the back standing. Lloveras has the choke but Gruetzemacher throws him off and we separate. Gruetzemacher misses a couple of spinning techniques, Lloveras actually has cuts above and below the right eye, can’t tell how bad it is yet. Gruetzemacher lands a couple of punches against the fence, Lloveras having a lot more trouble haling Gruetzemacher’s forward motion this round. Gruetzemacher lands a leg kick, those are starting to add up. Lloveras lands a right. Lloveras lands a right to the body then a left to the head. Gruetzemacher lands a hard right to the body. Gruetzemacher lands another leg kick, Lloveras is limping a little now and Gruetzemacher is slowly ramping up the out put. Lloveras lands a good right after eating a couple of body shots but nothing comes of it before the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Guetzemacher, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Lloveras shoots a double leg, they scramble briefly and Guetzemacher winds up on top in the ride position for a moment then they separate. Guetzemacher lands some jabs to the body then an uppercut in close. Lloveras looking for another takedown, he spins to the back and gets one hook in but Guetzemacher regains his feet and we break. Guetzemacher pushing forward, lands a knee to the body as they clinch. They grade body shots before breaking apart. Guetzemacher walking forward with rights, Lloveras is having some problems with the volume of Guetzemacher. Lloveras drops for another takedown and gets Guetzemacher down but Guetzemacher to his knees then back up immediately. Lloveras has the rear waist lock, Guetzemacher lands some elbows then spins free and lands some short punches to the body. Guetzemacher lands an uppercut in close, then another one before they break. They clinch again, Guetzemacher just trying to out work Lloveras this round and so far it’s working. Guetzemacher lands a leg kick. Lloveras lands a right. They trade in the clinch, Lloveras looks much worse for wear but he’s still firing back. Guetzemacher lands a flurry, Lloveras lands a left and right, Guetzemacher lands two hard body shots as time expires.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Guetzemacher, 29-28 Guetzemacher overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Chris Gruetzemacher via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Interview for Gruetzemacher, tough win for him. He says the UFC debut was a long time coming and the win feels better than he could have imagined. He says he’s never felt better than he does right now and that he’s living the dream. He mentions he’d like to move to featherweight but will fight at lightweight if the UFC wants because he just wants to stay with the promotion.

Joby Sanchez is 1-1 in the UFC but is coming off of a win over Tateki Matsuda and is looking to keep that momentum going with another win here and start climbing that ranks at flyweight. Geane Herrera is coming off of a loss in his UFC debut to Ray Borg and took this fight on short notice when Justin Scoggins got injured and while you don’t get a chance to make another first impression tonight he has the opportunity to get the all important first UFC win.

Flyweight Bout: Joby Sanchez (7-1, 126 lbs.) vs. Geane Herrera (8-1, 125 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Touch of gloves to get us going. Both men probing distance and defenses early. Herrera moving forward, Sanchez looking to counter early. Herrera lands a bit of a left hook. Sanchez trying to work body to head, Herrera lands a counter right that lands flush. Stiff one two from Herrera lands. Herrera lands a knee to the head in close, Sanchez really struggling early. Sanchez hits a counter right. Lefts traded, Sanchez doing a better job of moving around now. Sanchez lands a couple of body shots. Herrera’s volume is starting to fall off and Sanchez might be trying to just get Herrera tired after one round and come on more later. Sanchez lands a jab to the body then one to the head. Herrera lands a jab. Sanchez lands a left to the body. Sanchez doing much better now, has a much better feel for the range and timing. Sanchez misses a spinning kick and they scramble on the mat for a bit before the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Sanchez

ROUND TWO: Sanchez looking for angles early. Herrera lands a right then a left. Sanchez lands a left hook, Herrera lands a left of his own. Herrera lands a right after eating a left. Sanchez lands a left to the body, Herrera lands a counter left. Stiff right lands for Herrera after eating a jab, Herrera’s counter game much sharper thus far this round. Sanchez bleeding around the hairline now, nothing bad but worth noting. Sanchez lands a right to the body then a left hook. Hopping front kick to the face lands for Herrera then a counter right when Sanchez tried to rush him. Sanchez pushes forward with a combination, including a couple of body shots and Herrera has to spin off the fence. Herrera tries a flying knee that’s blocked. Sanchez lands an overhand right. Sanchez digs a hard left to the body. Sanchez lands a right shovel punch. Herrera lands a massive counter left hook that floors Sanchez then he pounds on Sanchez a bit before the ref stops this one.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Geane Herrera via TKO, punches, at 4:28 of Round 2

Beautiful left hook there, I’m busting out a Boom flyweights! Herrera gets some mic time now with Jon Anik. He opens with some Spanish then says he feels great and puts over Sanchez as a great competitor then says he’s here to show the rest of the division what it’s all about. He talks about training a lot and he wants to make a change in the division and this is how you do it.

Ryan LaFlare lost his last outing against Demian Maia but was unbeaten before that and Maia represented a pretty significant step up in competition for him, tonight he looks to rebound from that loss with a win over the returning Pierce and work back into contention. Mike Pierce hasn’t fought since his leg got mangled by Rousimar Palhares in October of 2013 but had a four fight winning streak going before that loss and has an opportunity here to get back near the top of the division after over two years off.

Welterweight Bout: Ryan LaFlare (11-1, 171 lbs.) vs. Mike Pierce (17-6, 170.5 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: LaFlare has five inches of height and four of reach on Pierce. Touch of gloves, LaFlare fighting southpaw. LaFlare lands an inside leg kick. LaFlare lands a body kick, he’s doing a good job of fighting at his range while Pierce circles and looks for openings. LaFlare using the left front kick to the body to keep his range. Pierce lands a high kick, LaFlare just eats it. Pierce catches a kick and gets the clinch against the fence. LaFlare spins out of the clinch. Pierce catches another kick and goes for another takedown that stalls out on the fence. LaFlare spins out of the clinch again. Pierce lands a right hand that gets LaFlare backing up. LaFlare dodges a hook then lands a straight left. LaFlare lands an inside leg kick. Something is bothering LaFlare’s left eye, not sure if it was a punch or what but it’s bothering him. LaFlare lands a one two combination. Pierce lands another high kick that doesn’t seem to phase LaFlare to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 LaFlare

ROUND TWO: Touch of gloves for the second round. LaFlare lands a body kick. LaFlare lands the front kick to the body again. Pierce lands a right hand then they clinch, LaFlare drops for a takedown that Pierce avoids and they separate. LaFlare lands an inisde leg kick then a long left hand. LaFlare lands a couple of knees to the head as Pierce ducked down. LaFlare lands a straight right but Pierce rocks him with a right. Pierce follows up with a couple of punches then goes for a takedown against the fence. LaFlare gets his leg free and they separate. Pierce lands a left hook then a right, his timing is improving as the fight goes on. LaFlare lands another front kick to the body. LaFlare lands a left to the body then a right hook. LaFlare lands a knee to the head as Pierce ducked his head. Pierce punches into the clinch where the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 LaFlare, 20-18 LaFlare overall

ROUND THREE: Pierce moving forward this round, both miss hooks and they clinch on the fence. Pierce lands a right in close then looks for a single leg takedown. Pierce bails on it and they trade some body shots before they break apart. LaFlare lands a hard body kick. Pierce just can’t land consistently, LaFlare lands another left. LaFlare lands a knee to the body. They clinch again and Pierce pushes LaFlare into the fence. LaFlare spins out of the clinch but eats an uppercut as he does so. LaFlare lands a right hook then circles away from Pierce. Pierce trying to instigate a brawl here, LaFlare not falling for it. LaFlare lands another body kick, Pierce lands a high kick then a couple of punches in close that stun LaFlare. Pierce trying to finish but the clock’s gonna run out on him as he and LaFlare trade with LaFlare’s back on the fence.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Pierce, 29-28 LaFlare overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Ryan LaFlare via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)

No interview for LaFlare, some of the crowd were vocally unhappy with that decision though I’m not sure why as LaFlare easily took rounds 1 and 2 and there’s a strong argument for him taking round 3.

Gabriel Gonzaga is a former heavyweight title contender but that was way back in 2007, he’s currently on a three fight losing streak and coming off of a loss to Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic when he was stopped in the third round. If Gonzaga wants to salvage his current UFC run he has to win here and avoid a four fight losing streak that would most likely result in a pink slip for him. Konstantin Erokhin lost his UFC debut but had a nine fight winning streak going before that, tonight he’s got a chance to get a win over a fighter with some name value for his first UFC win.

Heavyweight Bout: Gabriel Gonzaga (16-10, 263 lbs.) vs. Konstantin Erokhin (9-2, 230 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Gonzaga has three inches of height and reach on Erokhin. Touch of gloves to start us off. Gonzaga circling early, very sedate start. Gonzaga misses a right hand. Gonzaga lands an inside leg kick. Well this is a fine staring contest so far. Gonzaga lands a bit of a right then shoots a double leg that Erokhin sprawls out of. Erokhin lands a left hook. Gonzaga misses another double leg. Even the ref is getting bored here. Gonzaga lands a switch kick to the body then gets a takedown into half guard with ten seconds left. Nothing comes of the takedown before the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Gonzaga

ROUND TWO: Sedate start to the second round. Gonzaga backing up, Erokhin walking forward. Gonzaga lands a bit of a right hand. Gonzaga lands a leg kick. Erokhin trying to get his jab going, the ref begs for some action. Crowd booing, I agree with their assessment. Erokhin lands a right to the body. Gonzaga doing a lot of flinching on the feints of Erokhin and circling. Erokhin lands a jab. Erokhin misses a high kick, Gonzaga tries a takedown that stalls out on the fence. Round ends with Gonzaga holding Erokhin on the fence.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Erokhin, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Erokhin lands a jab. Gonzaga misses a right hand. Erokhin lands a right, Gonzaga desperately shoots a double leg and this time finally gets Erokhin down into half guard. Gonzaga trying to set up either an americana or a kimura, Erokhin avoiding it. Gonzaga lands an elbow. Gonzaga doing just enough to avoid being stood up but nothing impressive. Gonzaga tries to set up the kimura again. Gonzaga trying to pass to mount, and does. Gonzaga trying to posture up but Erokhin kicks off the fence and regains his feet. Gonzaga standing still, Erokhin misses a left. The ref asks for action for about the fourth time this round. Erokhin avoids a takedown. Erokhin lands an uppercut, Gonzaga circles away. Gonzaga content to circle the last ten seconds away.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Gonzaga, 29-28 Gonzaga overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Gabriel Gonzaga via unanimous decision (30-28, 30-27 x2)

So round 2 was a draw for one judge. The only real losers there are the fans, that was awful. Just awful. No interview for Gonzaga.

These two both competed on this season of TUF. Julian Erosa is on a four fight winning streak all of them finishes coming into his UFC debut and getting the first UFC win in his debut would be a great way to kick off his UFC career. Marcin Wrzosek is also on a four fight winning streak and looking for an impressive UFC debut tonight.

Lightweight Bout: Julian Erosa (14-2, 155 lbs.) vs. Marcin Wrzosek (10-2, 155 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Erosa has four inches of height and five and a half of reach on Wrzosek. Touch of gloves to get us going. Wrzosek walking forward with his punches. Erosa lands a jab, Wrzosek lands a right that wobbles Erosa and they clinch. They break apart. Wrzosek still trying to work the overhand right, lands one to the ear and they clinch again. Erosa with some knees to the body. Wrzosek with some body work of his own. Erosa doing well in the clinch here, working some knees to the body. Wrzosek can’t get out of the clinch, Erosa lands some knees to the body, Wrzosek drops for a takedown but Erosa gets a guillotine. Wrzosek avoids that but Erosa switches to a d’arce choke that’s tight but Wrzosek breaks the grip and they stand in the clinch again. Erosa with some more knees to the body. They jockey for position in the clinch. Wrzosek lands a right, Erosa lands a knee to the body. They trade a few more short blows then separate as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Erosa

ROUND TWO: Touch of gloves for the second round. Inside leg kicks traded. Wrzosek pushes into the clinch then gets a takedown against the fence. Wrzosek lands a right hand from the guard of Erosa. Wrzosek lands some rights as Erosa regains his feet and they resume clinching. They separate without incident. Wrzosek lands a left hook then a right that wobbles Erosa and they clinch again. Wrzosek looking for a takedown, bails on it and Erosa lands some knees to the body. Erosa lands an elbow. They separate without incident. Wrzosek walking forward, gets another double leg takedown. Wrzosek lands a right then an elbow from the guard of Erosa. Erosa back to his feet and they fight in the clinch. Wrzosek misses a right as they break. Wrzosek lands a jab. Erosa’s arms are a little fatigued and Wrzosek gets another takedown into the guard of Erosa. Erosa lands an elbow from his back as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Wrzosek, 19-19 overall

ROUND THREE: Jabs being traded, we get a bit of a hook brawl in close then Erosa kicks Wrzosek below the belt who gets some time to recover. Wrzosek is good to continue and we’re back. Erosa lands a jumping knee. Wrzosek lands a stiff jab then a leg kick. Wrzosek reaches for a double leg, Erosa avoids it then hits a double leg of his own but Wrzosek thinks about a guillotine then thinks better of it. Wrzosek back to his feet and they resume punching. Erosa lands an uppercut then avoids a takedown from Wrzosek. They clinch again and Erosa gets Wrzosek on the fence. Wrzosek goes for another takedown that stalls on the fence. They jockey in the clinch then separate. Wrzosek tries another takedown, again stalls out on the fence. Erosa lands a knee to the body, Wrzosek lands a couple of punches to the head as they break. Erosa lands another jumping knee as they clinch, Wrzosek has a pretty good chin apparently. They break the clinch without incident. Erosa gets a takedown into half guard. Wrzosek trying to sweep but Erosa keeps top position. Erosa gets another d’arce choke, they roll a bit then regain their feet. Wrzosek tries one more takedown that fails before time expires.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Erosa, 29-28 Erosa overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Julian Erosa via split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)

That fight hinged on scoring round 1. No interview for Erosa.

We get a cageside interview with Luke Rockhold, who talks about the upcoming middleweight title fight. He says that Weidman is a tough well rounded guy but notes that Weidman’s toughest fight was Lyoto Machida and Rockhold calls his fight with Machida one of his easiest then mentions he’s fought tough grapplers like Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza then says he’s been the best guy for a while and while Weidman has been a great champion he plans on bringing the division to a new level.

Tatsuya Kawajiri has been around MMA for a long time, he’s coming off of a win over Dennis Siver and is 7-1 in his last eight if he wants to make a run towards the top of the division tonight is a must win for him. Jason Knight took this fight on short notice when Mirsad Bektic got injured but he’s riding an eight fight winning streak and has some hype behind him as he makes his UFC debut tonight and a win over the respected veteran Kawajiri would be a great way to get his UFC career going.

Featherweight Bout: #13 Tatsuya Kawajiri (34-8-2, 146 lbs.) vs. Jason Knight (13-1, 145 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Knight has five inches of height on Kawajiri but just two of reach. Kawajiri fighting southpaw to start, Knight working the jab. Kawajiri misses a spinning back fist then gets a takedown, Knight quickly to rubber guard. Knight working towards a triangle choke, using some elbows to the head of Kawajiri as well. Knight has the legs the wrong way, more controlling than choking and Kawajiri pulls his head out then passes to half guard. Knight quickly back to full guard and Kawajiri lands a couple of hard elbows. Kawajiri passes to half guard for a moment, Knight back to full guard quickly. Kawajiri working short elbows to the head. Knight thinks about an armbar, Kawajiri avoids it and lands a hammer fist. Kawajiri with some more elbows to the head of Knight. Series of punches from Kawajiri land, he’s starting to smother and beat up Knight against the fence. Knight is cut on the left cheek, Kawajiri passes towards side control Knight quickly uses his hips to get back to full guard. Kawajiri stands and lands a couple of punches then returns to the guard as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Kawajiri

ROUND TWO: Kawajiri misses another spinning back fist to get the second going. Kawajiri shoots, Knight tries to jump into a triangle choke but Kawajiri avoids that easily and settles into top position. Knight back to rubber guard now, Kawajiri postures through it and lands an elbow. Another elbow lands for Kawajiri. Kawajiri looking to pass now, Knight keeping him in full guard but he’s eating elbows and not doing a whole lot offensive. Knight to rubber guard again, Kawajiri pushes Knight to the fence but the ref stands them up for inactivity. Kawajiri gets another takedown off of a kick and quickly passes to half guard. Kawajiri now passes to side control. Knight tries to get back to half guard and Kawajiri nearly mounts him because of it and Knight has to scramble with his hips to get back to half guard. Kawajiri trying to mount again, he’s in something like three quarter mount and tries to set up an arm triangle choke. Knight regains half guard and avoids the choke. Kawajiri lands another elbow. The round ends with Kawajiri on top.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Kawajiri, 20-18 Kawajiri overall

ROUND THREE: Kawajiri lands a spinning side kick to open the third round then gets a takedown. Knight quickly to rubber guard but Kawajiri has passed the other leg so Knight has to try for conventional guard but Kawajiri fighting to keep half guard. Kawajiri trying to pass again but Knight fighting to keep him in half guard. The ref stands them up, not sure I agree with that. They fight close again and Kawajiri gets another takedown into half guard. Kawajiri passes to side control quickly and starts looking to tie up a kimura. Now they move to north/south after Kawajiri bails on the kimura. Kawajiri with some body punches. Kawajiri back to side control and lands a short elbow. Knight trying to tie up a crucifix from the bottom, he ties up the left arm of Kawajiri to avoid being hit in the face and the position stalls out. They’re really tied up and the ref has to stand them up because no one was moving in that position. Knight charges at Kawajiri, they trade a couple of punches then Kawajiri gets another takedown. Knight with some elbows from rubber guard, Kawajiri settles into the full guard and lands another elbow. Knight trying to spin for an armbar, Kawajiri easily avoids it and lands some hammer fists as time expires.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Kawajiri, 30-27 Kawajiri overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Tatsuya Kawajiri via unanimous decision (30-27 x2)

Dominant win for Kawajiri, no interview for him but he beat up Knight from start to finish basically.

Joe Lauzon has been with the UFC seemingly forever and is coming off of a win over Takanori Gomi, he’s after a second consecutive win here to keep himself relevant in the lightweight division. Evan Dunham has also been with the UFC for a while, he never quite capitalized on the potential he showed early in his UFC run but is riding a two fight winning streak and getting a third over a tough veteran like Lauzon would move Dunham closer to a top fifteen ranking and open up bigger things for him next year.

Lightweight Bout: Joe Lauzon (25-10, 155.5 lbs.) vs. Evan Dunham (16-6, 156 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Touch of gloves, Dunham fighting southpaw. Dunham flashing the jab early, lands a quick combination. Dunham lands a left then a right uppercut. Dunham doing a good job volume striking, Lauzon pushes close and lands a left hook. Dunham is throwing three or four punch combinations. Lauzon lands a left to the body then they clinch, Dunham lands an uppercut as they break. Dunham lands a right hand as Lauzon tried to close distance. They clinch, Lauzon lands a hard elbow as they break. They clinch again then break, Lauzon prefers the fight ugly it seems while Dunham has a technical advantage. Dunham lands a couple of close punches then a stiff right uppercut. Lauzon lands a jab. Dunham lands a body to head combination, again using three or four punches at a time. Dunham lands a stiff uppercut in close. They clinch, Dunham lands a knee to the head before pushing out of the clinch. Power hands land for both men, Lauzon just gets a hand up to block a high kick. Dunham lands a leg kick after a combination. Dunham just out working Lauzon, including leg kicks into his arsenal now. Lauzon tries for a takedonw but Dunham avoids it. They clinch after Lauzon lands a right and the round ends as Dunham gets a takedown into half guard.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Dunham

ROUND TWO: Touch of gloves for the second round. Dunham lands a high kick. Dunham lands a right uppercut in close. They clinch and Dunham exits the clinch with a left hand. Dunham lands a body kick, Lauzon catches it and lands a knee to the body before they break. Dunahm lands a left, right, then a leg kick. Lauzon lands an inside leg kick. Dunham again lands four or five punches. They clinch again, Dunham trips Lauzon to a knee, Lauzon back up quickly. Dunham keeping Lauzon on the fence with the clinch. Dunham working knees to the thigh, Lauzon lands a knee to the head. Dunham lands a good elbow. They break the clinch. Dunham gets the clinch again and gets Lauzon on the fence. Dunham lands a couple of elbows in the clinch. Dunham controlling Lauzon here and roughing him up with elbows. Dunham lands an uppercut then Lauzon lands an elbow as they separate. Dunham again using combinations, this one includes some knees from the Thai clinch. Dunham just out working and slowly overwhelming Lauzon. They trade in the clinch to close the round.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Dunham, 20-18 Dunham overall

ROUND THREE: Dunham lands an inside leg kick to start the third round. Dunham lands another combination. Dunham has landed more than three times as many strikes as Lauzon has. Dunham lands a good straight left hand. Dunham ends a combination with an outside leg kick. Dunham lands a stiff right hand, Lauzon moving closer and closer to zombie mode. Dunham lands another right uppercut to straight left. They clinch, Lauzon tries to roll for a kneebar, Dunham avoids easily and makes Lauzon stand again. Left to the body from Dunham, this is becoming very one sided. Lauzon misses a takedown and eats a body kick. Dunham really teeing off on Lauzon, body to head, leg kicks, darn near anything he wants. Dunham eats an uppercut and lands four or five punches. Dunham has now landed more than four times as many blows as Lauzon has according the UFC’s statistics. Lauzon’s face is busted up, Dunham lands a high kick as time expires.

SCORECARD: 10-8 Dunham, I’m not sure Lauzon landed ten strikes that entire round, 30-26 Dunham overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Evan Dunham via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26 x2)

Really outstanding performance from Dunham who now gets an interview. He says changing up his camp helped a lot, puts over his new striking coach and says a camp focused around himself is working for him. He says he’s stopped worrying about stuff which has helped his career now then says he doesn’t call out fighters just goes where the company tells him to.

Edson Barboza is 3-2 in his last five fights but is coming off of a win over Paul Felder and a win over the surging Ferguson would move him closer to a title shot next year. Tony Ferguson has won six fights in a row and is coming off of a dominant win over Josh Thomson, a win here would move him to seven in a row and make a strong case for Ferguson to get the next title shot pending a clean finish to the upcoming dos Anjos vs. Cerrone title fight.

Lightweight Bout: #6 Edson Barboza (16-3, 155.5 lbs.) vs. #7 Tony Ferguson (19-3, 156 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Ferguson will switch his stance often, Barboza is orthodox. Touch of gloves to get us going and Ferguson lands a jab, both men throwing early. Ferguson grabs a single leg, Barboza avoids it but these two are going at it. Ferguson rolls for a kneebar, he’s nearly got it and lands some hammer fists from the bottom. Barboza has his leg figure foured to avoid the knee bar, Ferguson landing rights while keeping a threat of the knee bar. Barboza lands some elbows to the body. Ferguson lands an illegal kick to the head of Barboza, more glancing but Barboza’s balance is a tad compromised and he’s got time to recover. The ref calls in the doc to examine Barboza, who says Barboza is good to continue. The ref takes a point from Ferguson for the illegal blow. Ferguson lands a left as we’re back, he’s pushing forward. Barboza tries a high kick, Ferguson blocks it and keeps pressuring Barboza. Barboza lands a couple of hooks to the body. Ferguson tries another roll, Barboza avoids this one. Barboza ducks a right and lands a body shot. Ferguson gets close and pulls guard, Barboza stands and Ferguson regains his feet. Ferguson bulls into the clinch, eats a knee from Barboza as he breaks. Barboza lands a left. Ferguson lands a hard right, Barboza returns it then tries a wheel kick that’s blocked. Ferguson lands a jumping front kick. Barboza lands another left hook, Ferguson misses another roll for a leg. Ferguson lands a right, Barboza lands a spinning kick to the body. Ferguson lands a right hand, Barboza lands a body kick. Ferguson lands a left and a right then clinches as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-8 Barboza after the point deduction

ROUND TWO: Ferguson comes out aggressive, Barboza lands a right. Barboza lands a body kick, Ferguson returns it. Elbows traded, Barboza got opened up from Ferguson’s. Ferguson pressing forward, lands body to head with punches. Ferguson lands a leg kick, Barboza catches it and sweeps Ferguson down. Ferguson landing elbows off of his back while Barboza sits in his guard then stands and we’re back upright. Ferguson lands a right, both guys bleeding now. Ferguson ducks a wheel kick from Barboza. This fight is crazy. Ferguson lands another elbow then a high kick. Barboza lands a right but he’s slowing down. Barboza tries a double leg that Ferguson defends then transitions to a d’arce choke. Ferguson looking to finish this choke and Barboza has to tap.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Tony Ferguson via Submission, d’arce choke, at 2:54 of Round 2

That was a great fight, Edgar and Mendes have some work to do to take Fight of the Night away from those two. Mic time for Ferguson. Ferguson is busted up under the left eye but that was a glorious bloody brawl. Ferguson thanks his wife for the support then dedicates the win to his unborn son. He says he had to watch what he was doing after the up kick, he apologizes for the illegal kick then thanks Barboza for taking the fight on short notice. Ferguson says he wants whoever is next in line as he just beat number 6, he wants number 5 or his title shot next, then says this is his mountain.

This is the finals of this season of TUF. Ryan Hall actually lost in the quarter finals of the show but when the original finalist had Visa issues Hall got the call to replace him, I suppose they wanted to continue the USA vs. Europe narrative despite Hall’s unimpressive run on the show. Hall is a decorated jiu-jitsu practitioner and has won his last four fights so he brings some momentum into the biggest opportunity of his fighting career tonight. Artem Lobov hasn’t lost in his last three fights though there is one draw there and earned his spot in the finals with KO wins in the quarter and semi finals, now he looks to claim the title of TUF champion and get his UFC career off with an important win.

Lightweight Bout: Artem Lobov (11-10-1 1 NC, 155 lbs.) vs. Ryan Hall (4-1, 155 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Hall has four and a half inches of reach on Lobov but just one of height. Hall quickly got a takedown, sorry I had some quality issues there but I come back with Hall having the full back mount with a body triangle. Lobov doing a good job of defending the choke here, Hall with some elbows and punches trying to open up submission opportunities. Loud dueling chants as the Irish are supporting Lobov and the Americans are supporting Hall. Hall ends the round with some more punches.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Hall based on what I saw, if he had back mount longer borderline 10-8

ROUND TWO: Touch of gloves for the second round, Lobov misses an uppercut. Hall using some front leg kicks. Lobov knocks Hall off balance with a left and makes Hall stand up. Lobov fighting southpaw, as is Hall now. Lobov lands a glancing left but Hall pulls guard because of the closed distance. Hall working short punches, Lobov staying close then escapes when Hall rolled for a knee bar. Hall tries for a roll for a leg lock but Lobov avoids it. Lobov stuffs a takedown, Hall pulls guard. Lobov doing nothing from top position while Hall is working from his back. Lobov working to posture up, lands a left elbow. Hall ties up Lobov and starts working a high guard. Hall with some punches off of his back while rolling for a leg lock, trying for a heel hook now. Lobov avoids it and settles on top. Hall trying to switch to the inverted heel hook position while Lobov is on top. Hall with some punches from bottom then tries to extend the leg again, Lobov hand fights to avoid the submission as the round ends.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Hall, 20-18 Hall overall

ROUND THREE: Touch of gloves for the final round, unless we need the sudden victory round. Lobov lands a couple of leg kicks. Lobov misses an uppercut then avoids a takedown. Hall drops for another knee bar, switches to an inverted heel hook position but Lobov pulls free and Hall dives into a takedown but Lobov back up then Hall pulls full guard. Not a lot happening here, Hall tries to twist for an armbar then switches to a leg lock but Lobov pulls out and Hall jumps to take his back standing. Hall is a human backpack now, the ref warns him to work or he’ll separate them. Hall lands some lefts in response to that. Lobov ties up the hands and hopes to be separated. Hall looking for the choke now after getting an arm free, Lobov defending it. Hall still landing short blows trying to open up the choke, Lobov just riding out the clock now as he’s basically conceded the fight here. Lobov tries to slam backwards, doesn’t lead to anything and time expires.

SCORECARD: 10-9 Hall, 30-27 Hall overall

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Ryan Hall via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26 x2)

Like I said, my TV feed had some issues for round 1 but no issues with it being 10-8. Irish contingent loudly booing Hall’s win, Hall gets an interview now. He says Lobov could have knocked his teeth out with one shot, says he just got over a bad staph infection and he thanks his coaches for getting him ready.

Chad Mendes is coming off of a loss in an interim title fight against Conor McGregor and lost to Jose Aldo not too long before that for a second time with a win over Ricardo Lamas being between those. A loss here would likely kill the title aspirations of Mendes for the next couple of years while a win over a fighter the caliber of Frankie Edgar could get him one more shot at the belt whoever holds it after UFC 194. Frankie Edgar has won his last four fights, including finishes of BJ Penn and Cub Swanson and while he’s also lost to Jose Aldo that was nearly three years ago and a fifth consecutive win this time over a three time title contender in Mendes would make Edgar the undeniable number one contender for the belt regardless of who the champion is.

Featherweight Bout: #2 Frankie Edgar (19-4-1, 145.5 lbs.) vs. #3 Chad Mendes (17-3, 146 lbs.)

ROUND ONE: Edgar has two inches of reach on Mendes but they’re the same height. Touch of gloves to get us going, Edgar circling and lands an inside leg kick. Mendes lands a hard leg kick. Edgar lands a bit of a right then a leg kick that’s partially checked. Edgar circling looking for his opening, Mendes lands an inside leg kick. Edgar sneaks a right hand through, Mendes lands a heavy leg kick. Edgar lands a leg kick, then avoids an uppercut and lands a counter right. Edgar trying to use volume and avoid the counters, Mendes lands another hard leg kick. Edgar lands a left hook in close that DROPS Mendes and this one is over! Wow.

OFFICIAL RESULT: †WINNER – Frankie Edgar via KO, punch, at 2:48 of Round 1

Mendes definitely went out there for a moment or two, the left hook then a couple of punches on the ground before Mendes started responding I’m OK with that stoppage. Well that seals Edgar as the next title challenger, that’s also Edgar’s first first round finish by strikes since 2007. He says this was a big win for him, thanks his team and family and says he loves what he does. He notes that’s his third finish in his last five fights and if someone falls out tomorrow he’s ready to fight for the belt. Edgar notes that UFC President Dana White isn’t here for the fight because he didn’t want to deny Edgar a title shot. Edgar says he just sped up his punches when he and Mendes were throwing at the same time and he got a little lucky to land that one, then says he deserves the next title shot and dedicates the win to the state of New Jersey.

Alright everyone that wraps up the TUF 22 finale. Thanks for being here, that’s 2 down and 1 to go. I’m back tomorrow night for UFC 194, so I’ll hope to see you all come back then. This entire massive week is going to be talked about his Sunday at 8pm eastern standard time on the 411 Ground and Pound radio show, which takes live callers at [phone] if you’d like to get your opinion on the air. Again I’m back tomorrow, until then stay safe and keep checking 411mania for all your pop culture needs.