The Ultimate Fighter Finale: Final Results

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By Results by Gavin Porter - UFC.com • Jul. 6, 2018

Who were the winners at The Ultimate Fighter Finale: Tavares vs Adesanya? Click below to get the results for all the fights at The Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, NV on Friday, July 6, 2018.

Action starts at 10 pm ET

That elbow tho ...@Stylebender #TUF27 pic.twitter.com/zXeRXU4N5C
— UFC (@ufc) July 7, 2018

Main event: Israel Adesanya defeated Brad Tavares
Tavares opens up as the aggressor, with some punches finding their mark. The two briefly meet in the clinch and Tavares catches Adesanya with a right-cross on the break but Adesanya shakes his head. After nice body kick from Tavares, Adesanya brushes his side off and smirks at the Hawaiian. Quick explosions from both fighters are followed by Adesanya pointing at the center of Octagon. Adesanya goes in for a leg-lock to end the round but Tavares snuffs it out and jumps into a mount position where he lands a couple strikes and a knee as Adesanya gets to his feet.

Both fighters continue to pace themselves as the second round starts. Adesanya barely misses a massive spinning head kick, then follows it up with some theatrics that drew a chuckle from the crowd. Tavares seems to have figured out his timing, landing a couple nice jabs and crosses in a row, including one that earned the approval of the audience. Adesanya caught Tavares with a huge kick but Tavares recovers with a his back against the cage and nearly connects on a massive overhand right.

Tavares brings the pressure back in round three but Adesanya answers by creating space with kicks from all angles. Adesanya lands a knee to the dome of Tavares and he motions for more. Moments later Tavares connects with two good shots and Adesanya literally brushing his shoulder off. After a leg sweep by Adesanya the two middleweights collide in the center of the Octagon before Tavares has his takedown attempt stopped. Adesanya’s leg kicks are starting to bother Tavares. Adasanya’s length is starting to play a factor as he is connecting on his jab. He throws a spinning backfist that is blocked by Tavares. Adesanya tags Tavares with a couple shots and Tavares looks hurt, with Tavares retreating Adesanya lands a couple huge head kicks before the conclusion of the round.

Tavares is back to applying pressure as the two clinch momentarily before Tavares earns a takedown. Adesanya gives up his back but he makes it to his feet and lands a couple brutal shots to the side of Tavares head. Mid-way through the round Herb Dean stopped the fighters to discuss a cut on the right eye of Tavares. But the doctor says all is good and we continue. Tavares comes out of the break swinging but Adesanya is clearly taking over by using his length to piece Tavares up. Adesanya gets Tavares with a strong right cross that had the attention of the audience at The Pearl. Adesanya connects on three knees in a row and that’s it after four.

Tavares opens the round by pushing Adesanya to the fence but the Stylebender isn’t fazed. Tavares hits the canvas and Adesanya connects on a massive knee as Tavares stands up but the Hawaiian doesn’t flinch. Final minute here and Tavares is on his heels with Adesanya picking his shots carefully. The final horn goes off moments before Adesanya could submit Tavares. Great performance from both fighters but Adesanya diverse strikes were a huge difference in this one that went the distance. He was dominant and the judges scored the bout for Adesanya by unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45).

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Trizano throws up a triangle at the end of round 1, but the horn sounds!#TUF27 pic.twitter.com/8AxQ39cv18
— UFC (@ufc) July 7, 2018

Mike Trizano defeated Joe Giannetti
Both lightweight fighters open up using their kicks to create distance, Trizano to the body and Giannetti to the legs. Giannetti secured a quick takedown but Trizano immediately made his way to his feet. After Giannetti latched to Trizano’s back for a couple minutes Giannetti slammed Trizano to the canvas but the two ended-up tangled in the north-south position. The two battled for top control, each owning a portion of the round in the dominant spot. At the end of the round Trizano nearly put an end to the fight with a triangle choke but Giannetti was saved by the horn.

The second round started with an exciting sequence where both fighters landed leg kicks and Giannetti barely missed with a spinning back fist. Trizano and Giannetti made their way to the canvas with Trizano in side control. Giannetti attempted to flip Trizano and ended up locking the two fighters in the north-south position with neither dealing out any real damage for the remainder of the round.

Round three started with Trizano hitting Giannetti right in the groin, the two fighters embraced after a moment and then the match resumed. Trizano surged forward landing successful leg kicks which were answered by Giannetti with a couple of nice kicks that hit Trizano’s side flush. Trizano landed a nice cross and his pressure is starting to put Giannetti against the Octagon cage. Giannetti’s hands are low but Trizano didn’t stop attacking with his kicks. Trizano took over in the last minute with Giannetti smiling the whole way. Trizano’s aggression and persistence was awarded by the judges, as he was crowned The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated winner by split decision. The judges scored the contest Trizano (29-28, 29-28), Giannetti (29-28).

THEY SAID IT:
Mike Trizano: “I felt amazing, this is the best shape I’ve ever been in. I’ve trained really hard these last few months, especially since getting out of the house and being free. I went back to my team and we put a game plan together and I tried to stick to it as much as I could. I got the win, that’s the most important thing but I’ll go back to the drawing board and start to improve on my game again. I knew everything he was going to do, I knew he likes to throw a back leg round kick followed by a left hand and I saw it coming every time. I was never in trouble, he did throw in a leg lock that was pretty tight, I didn’t see that coming. I have never seen him throw leg locks before, where he is usually looking for the choke. That caught me off guard but I defended it, other than that I was super prepared for tonight. My I would love to fight in New York, it’s where I am from and I would bring a big crowd.”
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OHHHH @BradKatona drops Cuccinello in round 1, but bounces right back up!
#TUF27 pic.twitter.com/k9pRP6l7e7
— UFC (@ufc) July 7, 2018

Brad Katona defeated Jay Cucciniello
The first round for the featherweight Ultimate Fighter stated with Cucciniello as the aggressor and Katona comfortable with waiting for his moment. Out of nowhere Katona landed a massive left hook that put Cucciniello on his butt. Cucciniello popped right back-up and came at Katona like nothing ever happened and the horn put an end to the first period.

Cucciniello started the first second round just like he did the first, with immediate pressure. But Katona caught him with another huge left hook, sending Cucciniello crashing to the canvas. Yet again, Cucciniello jolted back to his feet, shaking off the damage like he hadn’t been hit all night. Katona was able to secure a takedown and control Cucciniello for the rest of the round with some ground and pound from half-guard.

After a knockdown in each round and controlling the majority of round two all the momentum was on Katona’s side. Cucciniello continued with heavy pressure and Katona remained happy to counterstrike. The two fighters went into the clinch, where Katona was hable to lift Cucciniello up for a slam putting him into half-guard. Katona didn’t let up and utilized his dominant position to execute more ground and pound. Katona was able to get in a full mount position and punish Cucciniello. Overall it was an incredible performance from Katona and the judges agreed, rewarding him with the Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated featherweight title and the unanimous decision victory (30-26, 30-26, 30-26).

THEY SAID IT:
Brad Katona: “I felt amazing tonight, you know as soon as Jay did a first jab, I was very happy from there because when I fought Kyler (Phillips) the same thing happened, it was a beautiful fight, a beautiful performance I felt on my part. Against Bryce (Mitchell) the whole fight went by really fast, I don’t remember the details, it was just because I was perfectly in the zone. Leading up to this fight I worked really hard with my performance coach, Jason Brooks back in Winnipeg. We’ve been long-time friends, since my boxing days. We’ve just honed it in, and under John we’ve honed it in under simulation rounds in the gym and I just felt great to put all that work into one of the best performances I’ve had. I liked that Octagon, and it is warmer than most venues I’ve fought in, it feels like the training room, so you can just perform. Other venues, it’s just not the same. Here, there were no Octagon jitters, it felt like home in there and I can’t wait to make a career in there.”
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HUGE shot by Caceres drops Bravo in round 2! #TUF27 pic.twitter.com/B3eDnn6CB7
— UFC (@ufc) July 7, 2018

Alex Caceres defeated Martin Bravo
It was high-energy right off the bat, as both Caceres and Bravo pushed the pace. Bravo was able to get in a few good punches, but Caceres quickly returned the favor landing some nice hooks after Bravo caught one of his kicks. Caceres also got Bravo’s attention with a straight right that snapped El Toro’s head back. Both fighters had their moments during a very entertaining round.

Bravo continues to catch kicks and then Caceres dishes out damage while Bravo is holding his leg. Caceres stunned Bravo with a big left hand and sent him stumbling backwards. Caceres went for the submission but Bravo recovered nicely and the two returned to their feet. Caceres started finding his rhythm and that cross started finding its home. Caceres was pouring it on but the Bravo clipped him and sent him retreating. Both fighters looked tired but that didn’t stop them from giving their opponent the business.

Bravo opened the last round with heavy pressure and strong grappling. After he had Caceres against the wall he put him on the mat and continued fighting for wrist control until Caceres was able to break free. Both fighters are landing big shots, swinging for the fences. Two big punches landed by Bravo knocked out Caceres mouth piece. Both fighters have their chins on display and both fighters are in the zone. Each exchange ends in a trade where both Caceres and Bravo are taking damage. In the final ten seconds the crowd could do nothing but cheer and give the fighters a standing ovation. Big time Fight of the Night candidate. After three rounds the judges decided that the winner was Caceres (29-28, 29-28) by split decision over Bravo (29-28).

THEY SAID IT:
Alex Caceres: “I felt good, we definitely implemented a lot of the training we had been working on. I guess the fighter in me did get sucked into that brawl, but I wanted to show my range, I could have but I just like the fight. I know that Bravo is a stand up fighter, but to be honest, I was surprised with all the wrestling he was doing. I was planning on going in there and wrestling him a little bit but he surprised me by that. What’s next for me? Just give me the next fight, I am ready to go.”
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Modafferi dropping HUGE shots in some vicious GnP! She gets the stoppage victory in round 2!! #TUF27 pic.twitter.com/UAOGRRReGw
— UFC (@ufc) July 7, 2018

Roxanne Modafferi defeated Barb Honchak
“The Happy Warrior” and “The Little Warrior” started their long-awaited rematch with patience. Neither backed down as they both stayed dead center in the middle of the Octagon. The two flyweights continued exchanging blows until Modafferi was able to take Honchak to the canvas and gain side control. From there Modafferi put her ground and pound game to work by dropping in some nice elbows.

In the second Honchak shot for a take down but Modafferi was able to turn the tables and end up in a full mount. From their Modafferi followed the ground and pound formula that she used at the end of the first. She eventually maneuvered into a full-mount and Honchak rolled over presenting Modafferi with her back. From there it didn’t take long, as Modafferi unleashed a flurry of elbows that earned her the stoppage victory.

THEY SAID IT:
Roxanne Modafferi: “I have been preparing for this fight for a very long time. In my last fight against Nicco Montana I was not able to wrestle her to the ground and do what I wanted to do. So for seven months since that fight I have been training my wrestling, my striking, and my takedowns. That was something I really wanted to get on-board, I knew she was aggressive so I wanted to challenge myself and take her down, elbows are at the top of my forte. I am happy it went that way. I hope to get another fight soon and I want someone who is ranked above me and go back into title contention.”
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Head kick lands for @JMarquezMMA but Di Chirico just takes it! #TUF27 pic.twitter.com/s2ZeFnK9Pk
— UFC (@ufc) July 7, 2018

Alessio Di Chirico defeated Julian Marquez
It was a battle of heavy hands to start off the main card as both Marquez and Di Chirico came out swinging. Di Chirico landed some solid kicks to the body but it didn’t take long for Marquez to bounce back in a big way. Marquez rocked Di Chirico and sent him retreating around the edge of the cage. Di Chirico shook off the cobwebs and hit Marquez with another good kick to the mid-section. With less than a minute to go in the round Di Chirico took Marquez down but the Cuban Missile Crisis got back to his feet and let his hands fly yet again. It was a great first round that hand earned the fighters a loud cheer from the crowd.

The second started with both fighters landing kicks to the body and with Marquez attempting a spinning back kick that just missed its mark. Di Chirico secured a takedown but Marquez managed to get to his feet and land a few good licks before the two ended up finishing the rest of the round on the ground.

Di Chirico started the last period by going back to the body with yet another leg kick that hit its target. Marquez kept hunting Di Chirico down, with that big right hand connecting multiple times. Marquez connected on a massive head kick that drew a big reaction from the crowd, but Di Chirico ended up taking down the surging Marquez. In the last 30 seconds of the fight both men were swinging for the fences, Marquez walking forward like a zombie. Neither man could put the other down for the count prompting the judges gave the split decision nod to Di Chirico (29-28, 29-28) over Marquez (30-27).

THEY SAID IT:
Alesso Di Chirico: “After all my fights I always want to better, that is because I am a perfectionist. Marquez is a very tough fighter and I knew he would be. For my next fight, I would love to fight in Europe, I’ve only fought there once so I’d love to go back. Either in Europe or I’d also like to fight in New York.”
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TUF Finale FS1 prelims

Action starts at 8 pm ET

De La Rosa is unleashing some serious GnP!!#TUF27 pic.twitter.com/nNimbuLT7a
— UFC (@ufc) July 7, 2018

Montana De La Rosa defeated Rachael Ostovich
It took a few minutes to feel each other out but as the first round progressed it was De La Rosa’s striking that stood out. She used that reach advantage and caught Ostovich with a few good jabs and combinations.

The two former Team Gaethje fighters continued their chess match in the second, neither afraid to stand in the middle of the Octagon and strike. When the two went into the clinch the size advantage for De La Rosa was apparent as she used her leverage to control Ostovich.

At the start of the third Ostovich gained some momentum by landing a nice straight right and then flipping the script on De La Rosa on the ground. Ostovich went for an arm bar but De La Rosa was able to slip free and transition herself onto Ostovich’s back. De La Rosa dropped vicious elbows from the top until she sunk in a rear naked choke for the win.

THEY SAID IT:
Montana De La Rosa: “I was planning on getting a submission, I thought it was going to be hard to stay on her back because she’s got such good back defence but that submission just presented itself. It was everything we game planned for in this fight and it couldn’t have gone better. I just want another opponent as soon as possible, I am ready to get back in there, I’m not really hurt, I am ready to go.”
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Pena lighting Smullen up on the feet and drops him early!#TUF27 @ViolentBobRoss pic.twitter.com/i9gAeNnErQ
— UFC (@ufc) July 7, 2018

Luis Pena defeated Richie Smullen
In another battle of former teammates both Pena and Smullen ended their run on the show due to injury and both had plenty to prove. Pena used his length to put together some great combinations that resulted in Smulen hitting the deck. Pena pounched and the two jockeyed for position before Pena mounted Smullen finished him in a guillotine choke.

THEY SAID IT:
Luis Pena : “I felt great, it’s like I said, wherever the fight went I would take it there and get the finish and that is exactly what I did. I can’t lie, Richie (Smullen) hit a lot harder than I thought he would but at the end of the day I come from a jiu-jitsu gym and I have a blue belt in jiu-jitsu and I am a state champion wrestler. I want the winner of tonight’s The Ultimate Fighter Finale at 155lbs and start my path to the belt.”
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Spinning back-elbow lands at the end of round 1 for @JohnGuntherMMA! #TUF27 pic.twitter.com/vVXvbt6Q3s
— UFC (@ufc) July 7, 2018

John Gunther defeated Allan Zuniga
It took a little while for the two Team Miocic fighthers to find their rhythm, but when they did it was John Gunther that took control. For nearly the entire first round Gunther would slam Zuniga, then Zuniga would stand-up only to be put on his back again by the persistent Gunther. Then all the sudden Zuniga exploded to finish out the final ten seconds of the round with big shots and a head kick.

The two started the second with a flurry of strikes but it was only a matter of time before Gunther was able to press Zuniga against cage and earn another takedown. After Zuniga was able to get to his feet, the ref instructed the two fighters to step away from the cage and meet in the center of the Octagon. Zuniga was able to land a few shots that forced Gunther to take a few steps back. Gunther lunged forward using his grappling to put Zuniga on his back two more times before the conclusion of the round.

There was more of the same in the third period as Gunther quickly pushed Zuniga to the outside of the Octagon and then took him down. When the ref separted the two, Zuniga knew it was go time and started giving Gunther everything he had. Like a man possessed Gunther plunged forward, snuffing out the space that Zuniga kept trying to create. In the final 30 seconds of the round both fighters stood in the center, with Gunther throwing spinning backfists and Zuniga landing a head kick that made the crowd erupt. In the end it was the control and takedowns by Gunther that earned him the majority decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 28-28).

THEY SAID IT:
John Gunther : “As soon as The Ultimate Fighter wrapped up it was Alpaca shearing season so I was on the road doing that, so I was travelling and trying to find a gym where I could to train for tonight. So even though I did enough to win, I noticed out there that I wasn’t in the shape that I’m used to being in. I would love to fight Joe (Giannetti) again, I hate losses and I hate losing like that. There were no surprises tonight I knew Zuniga was going to come out and try and throw hard.”
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NASTY elbows by @ThugNastyMMA, but @TylerD1amond escapes the triangle and ends up on top!

What a round! #TUF27 pic.twitter.com/Sn2RUA4ged
— UFC (@ufc) July 7, 2018

Bryce Mitchell defeated Tyler Mitchell
It was a battle of two former Team Cormier teammates, with both fighters finding their moments in the first two rounds. Diamond continued to press Mitchell and used his strength and wrestling to bully his old housemate. Mitchell used a head triangle to land nearly 20 elbows to Diamond’s temple, but it wouldn’t be enough to stop the TUF 27 top pick.

In the final round of the fight it was all about the take down for Diamond as he muscled his way to controlling the majority of the round. From there Diamond attempted to pass Mitchell’s guard and he eventually ended up taking his back. It was a dominant final round from the Team Alpha Male product. But it wasn’t just to give him the nod, as the jui-jitsu of Mitchell helped him earn a majority decision (29-28, 29-28). *One judge scored the match as a draw (28-28).

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TUF Finale FIGHT PASS prelims

FIGHT PASS customers: Watch the prelims right here! | Don’t have FIGHT PASS? Sign up here

These two are going at it! #TUF27 pic.twitter.com/7bZ5cBMRsE
— UFC (@ufc) July 6, 2018

Matt Bessette vs Steven Peterson
The fight started with a bang as Peterson came out with an immediate flying knee attempt. About halfway through the round both fighters took their place in the center of the Octagon and started throwing shots. Bessette put together quite a few combinations that found their mark, including a couple of counterstrike uppercuts.

Round two picked up right where it left off, with a flurry of strikes. Bessette continued to counter punch and pick his strikes and then landing a huge left head kick. With just over a minute left in the round Peterson took Bessette down and took his back. The round concluded with Peterson grinding out some ground and pound.

The two fighters didn’t show any signs of slowing down in the third. As he had been the entire fight, Peterson continued being the aggressor, initiating the clinch and shooting for take downs. Peterson found himself in the exact same position as the end of the second round and was able to stifle multiple stand-up attempts by Bessette. Peterson maintained control utilizing the body triangle and ground and pound. In the end Peterson’s control and aggressive natured earned him the split decision victory (29-28, 29-28) (Bessette 29-28) THEY SAID IT:
Steven Peterson : “It’s a long time coming, happy to be here and happy to get this win. There was a lot of work that went into this, I’ve been doing this now for 11 years. Finally now on the biggest stage, the UFC and now getting this win. I just can’t put it into words. I won the second and third without a doubt, but hey, all the credit to Matt, he stuck in there and made it a war. He landed a couple of head kicks but there wasn’t any power in them but aside from that I won the rounds, I got the take downs and I did the damage. The game plan was to do what I do, to go in there and put the pressure on him. I wanted to take him out, I had that guillotine, I went all out for it, I felt that he was on his way out but he rolled onto his side and it slipped out. We scrambled a little bit and got back to my feet.”

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WHAT. A. ROUND. @The_Real_GM3 POURS it on, then submits Piechota w/ the RNC! Wow! #TUF27 pic.twitter.com/AKUvZXqcZg
— UFC (@ufc) July 6, 2018

Gerald Meerschaert vs Oskar Piechota
About a minute into the fight Piechota took Meerschaert to the mat spending time trying to get into dominant position. Meerschaert eventually wiggled his way into guard before the ref stood the two fighters up. After a few exchanges Piechota pressed forward dropping Meerschaert with a big right, followed by a full mount. He wasn’t able to secure the submission and Meerschaert was able to extend the fight by another round.

The second round started with Meerschaert establishing himself in the center of the Octagon. Piechota hit Meerschaert with some big leg kicks that left him second guessing the pressure. Meerschaert took Piechota down before advancing to side control and taking his back and attempting a submission. Piechota was able to get back to his feet but absorbed tons of damage while doing so. Meerschaert took control and started landing blow after blow before Piechota returned fire. Excellent clinch work from Meerschaert mixing in big knees and big elbows. Before taking the back of Piechota and finishing him with a rear naked choke with just seconds left in the round. What a start to the night.

THEY SAID IT:
Gerald Meerschaert : “I felt sluggish in the first round, he got me a couple of times. I am always looking for the win. He is a very very tough opponent but I am very well rounded. I have a great team behind me and I did what I had to do. I’m now going to have a couple of weeks of rest, and I am going to try and get that analyst spot if I can, other than that I just want to do my highlight reel.” br />
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