Time for the main event, the one for the guaranteed contract, fame and glory—OK, maybe just the first and a sprinkling of the second. The glory comes later if at all.

Ramsey Nijem, who had a penchant for blasting through his opponents and getting naked in a house full of dudes, takes on the Season 13 heel, Tony "El Cucuy" Ferguson. Apparently, El Cucuy means "The Bogeyman" in Spanish so maybe Ferguson likes wearing the black hat, though the Pearl crowd doesn't fit him for one as he enters the arena.

There's a smattering of boos as he's announced inside the Octagon, but not quite a raucous reaction.

The striking starts with the crack of the bat with Ramsey attacking behind his jab. Ferguson responds and then surprises fans of the reality show by taking Nijem down to the canvas. Right away, he makes the odd choice of putting himself in Ramsey's half guard before Nijem shirks him off and climbs back to his feet.

From there, the fight stagnates before a right hand from El Cucuy reignites it and produces a fierce flurry from Ramsey. Ferguson is showing better wresting than we've previously seen from him, which seems to have caught Nijem off guard.

But the confusion doesn't last the duration of the first as Ramsey begins finding his range.

Oops, spoke too soon.

Tony Ferguson catches Ramsey Nijem with a conclusive left hook to the chin that floors Team dos Santos' entrant in the finale. El Cucuy dives on his dazed opponent and finishes the matter with a couple big right hands.

Ferguson showed the most power throughout the show and he just showed it again.

Tony Ferguson defeats Ramsey Nijem by KO (punch) at 3:54 of the first round (Knockout of the Night).

I've got the fighters at a round apiece, but it's entirely possible that Clay Guida is up two rounds to none. If that's the case, Anthony Pettis needs to make a dramatic turnaround else he's gonna lose that cherished shot at the 155-pound title.

The Carpenter opens up the striking with his best snipe of the night before securing yet another takedown. Pettis is still active off his back, but he's much less so than he was in the first. Meanwhile, Guida hasn't lost an ounce of energy to the surprise of NOBODY familiar with the whirling dervish.

He simply will NOT let Anthony Pettis get comfortable or open up space in which to work.

Showtime has struggled back to his feet, but Clay is still on him like white on rice. Guida tries to take the scrap back to the ground, but it backfires as Pettis reverses on the way down and ends up on top of the Carpenter. From there, he goes to work with about 60 seconds left and eventually takes Clay's back.

He's looking for that all-important opening to finish the fight and rescue victory from the jaws of defeat, but in the process, he leaves a window of escape for the Carpenter. Guida is only too happy to blast through the aperture and escape the most serious peril of the confrontation.

From there, he takes Pettis back and stays their until the final horn. Another razor-thin margin decides the round, but I'm leaning toward Guida (10-9). By my count, that's a UD for Clay Guida, but I've been wrong all night so we'll see what happens.

Clay Guida defeats Anthony Pettis by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Guida begins the second round trying to make a little hay with his strikes, but it's Showtime who is getting off faster and with more success. Clay does land a leg kick, but Pettis answers with strikes of his own so the Carpenter comes shooting in for the successful takedown.

Now, Guida's got Anthony pinned at the base of the cage and keeps driving his shoulder into Pettis' chin/upper torso—not gonna knock anyone out with those or do much damage, but it sure must be irritating.

The Carpenter tries to lock in a guillotine, but misses and the error enables Showtime to get back to his feet. Though Guida still has a hold of Pettis' single leg and uses it to pull his adversary back to the ground.

Nothing doing on the ground and they're back on their feet where Showtime starts to live up to his name—a smooth combination lands before a spinning back kick follows suit. Clay Guida is significantly outclassed on his feet, but he's taking Pettis down almost without fail (as he just did).

Pettis throws up another triangle and Guida powers out of it while seeking to improve his position. Showtime catches him in an armbar that Joe Rogan makes into more than it really is as the horn sounds.

Call that one 10-9 for Guida since he enjoyed similar control and Pettis wasn't as effective off his back.

Alright, we've arrived at the fight sundae's whip cream with the cherries still to come—Anthony "Showtime" Pettis is a colorful former WEC Lightweight Champion while Clay "The Guida" Carpenter is a ball of furious energy. This one should be good if Pettis can live up to his billing since we know Guida's gonna bring it.

Showtime opens up the scoring with a dynamite left-right combo and then lands with a kick before throwing a second kick that the Carpenter catches. Guida turns it into his first takedown of the bout and goes to work from Pettis' guard.

Anthony has a reputation for being dangerous off his back and he proves why as he throws a triangle up, forcing Clay to take evasive maneuvers. Showtime lands a few hammerfists off his back and continues to threaten as Guida works to pass guard.

The Carpenter has spent the majority of the round on top of his opponent, but he's often been on the defensive despite holding the dominant position.

Pretty tough to score—I'd give it to Pettis by a 10-9 margin, but the judges sure LOVE that top position.

Time to cue up another match between TUF alumni.

This time it's Ed "Short Fuse" Herman, who was a finalist in Season 3 before losing to Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove in the finale. "Crazy" Tim Credeur, on the other hand, was on Season 7 and had two chances to make the finale, but couldn't beat either Jesse Taylor or C.B. Dolloway to earn a shot at the guaranteed contract.

Instead, he had to battle his way into the UFC at a later date.

Neither man has been inside the Octagon since 2009 so there might be a bit of cage rust on both men.

Ahem, like I said, there might be a little cage rust on Tim Credeur—Short Fuse lands a short right uppercut inside the first 60 seconds that blasts the legs out from under Crazy Credeur. As the latter folds to the ground, Herman jumps on his fallen adversary and calls an end to the proceedings with a final huge right hand as he was standing over his foe.

Not a bad return for Ed Herman.

Ed Herman defeats Tim Credeur by TKO (punches) at 0:48 of the first round.

On my scorecard, we're all knotted at a round apiece, which means the third should be for all the marbles.

If that's the case, there has to be more than a little anxiety in Kingsbu's corner because his left eye is swelling pretty badly and that's only gonna make it tougher to marshal any defense against Maldonado's striking. That's very bad news considering Fabio hasn't been having too tough a time scoring as is.

Nevertheless, Kyle Kingsbury continues to engage and do his damnedest to turn the tide. Unfortunately, he seems to have blown his nose which sets the swelling off in earnest and now his eye is almost closed. Rough.

Maldonado looks a bit winded, which is likely the only thing keeping Kingsbu in this scrap since he's essentially the one-eyed man at this stage. Despite the E flashing on the Brazilian's gas tank, he's still sniping away at the damaged socket while mixing in the standard body shots that he's been using all fight.

As if to put a flourish on the round, Maldonado scores a late takedown right before the final horn and that should seal the 10-9 round for Fabio as well as the UD.

Kyle Kingsbury defeats Fabio Maldonado by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28 and Fight of the Night).

Eh, I don't see that one, but it's not like Maldonado walked away with the victory. Still, tough decision.

Kyle Kingsbury is a physical specimen to be sure, but—as is so often the case in MMA—lots of ripped muscles don't always equal victory.

Kingsbu starts the second round by moving the fight to the ground, but he can't do much there as Maldonado scratches his way to his feet. Once there, he eats a head kick from the American before going back to work on Kingsbury's midsection.

Kyle keeps a hold of his Muay Thai plum and uses it to deliver more knees, some of which were blocked and some of which sneaked through the Brazilian's defense. Once Kyle has kneed himself out for the moment, Fabio stings the body with more of those snapping body shots.

But Kingsbu is having a better round in the second as he kicks Maldonado's leg out from underneath him. The action has slowed as both men look a little fatigue and blood starts flowing from Maldonado's mouth/nose.

He still seems like the fresher fighter, however, and keeps blasting away at Kyle's gut. The American has slowed waaay down, but scores with a body kick and a straight right as the final seconds tick off the clock. I'd call that 10-9 for Kyle Kingsbury.

For some reason, I'm surprised to learn Kyle "Kingsboo" Kingsbury has one his last several fights in the Octagon. I don' think of him as having much success in the cage. Meanwhile, Fabio Maldonado hasn't lost since tapping to a kneebar from Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira.

So we've got a battle of light heavyweights who are riding win streaks. To where? That's debatable because it's tough to see either of these guys emerging as serious contenders for Jon "Bones" Jones belt, but that's hardly a mark of embarrassment.

As for the fight, Maldonado starts off a bit shakily as Kingsbu spent a good 15 seconds driving knee after knee into his opponent's head and forearms. From there, however, the Brazilian asserts himself in both the standup and on the ground.

He's able to wobble Kingsbu on multiple occasions while demonstrating a better ground game. Kingsbury keeps scoring with knees, but that's about all he's got as Maldonado is raking him to the body and head.

Call it 10-9 in Maldonado's direction.

Tough to know what's going on with Chuck O'Neil because this ain't the same dude we saw on the show—he's been almost totally stifled by Chris Cope thus far in the fight and he's gonna need to change that in a big way if he wants to win his UFC debut.

So far, that's not happening as Cope continues to get the better of the striking and has even started his trademark "woo" inside the Octagon. At this point, the only one not amused is Cold Steel, which makes perfect sense.

Frustrating though it may be to get beaten by a guy like Cope, you've got to give C-Murder huge credit. He's not the flashiest fighter and his skill set doesn't bowl you over, but he's had little trouble picking apart a tough adversary in O'Neil.

Really not too much to report from the final stanza—Cope owned the round much like he did the previous two. He used his double-jab and footwork to concede nada while doing enough to take another 10-9 round.

Not quite the war I expected. Sigh.

Chris Cope defeats Chuck O'Neil by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Cope continues screaming in his corner throughout the intermission, eliciting laughs from the media and echos in the stands. Hombre is a little touched, which means he's in the right business.

Anyway, the hostility has resumed inside the cage and Chuck O'Neil remains at a loss while dealing with Chris Cope's fluid striking. C-Murder keeps using that double-jab to score and frustrate Cold Steel, who hasn't landed a quality strike in what seems like forever.

This looks like Trashbag Charlie as opposed to Cold Steel as an awkward spinning back kick goes wanting.

Cope isn't exactly lighting O'Neil up, but he's certainly having more success than his opponent. One thing is clear—it's a good thing neither of these guys has been forced to fight off the ground because it doesn't seem like either has much interest in touching canvas.

An uneventful second round bleeds away and I'll give it to Chris Cope (10-9) for his activity and mild efficacy.

Everyone's favorite underdogs welcome us to the main card as Chris "C-Murder" Cope takes on Chuck "Cold Steel" O'Neil in a battle of never-shoulda-beens from this season of The Ultimate Fighter. Cope was counted out of every fight, but he made it all the way to the semifinals where he lost to Ramsey Nijem.

For his part, O'Neil was an alternate, then he lost his first bout, got revived by the wild card and became a new competitor as he battled his way also to the semifinals before losing to Tony Ferguson.

This one might not be pretty, but it should be a war.

The pair come out with no time wasted as Cold Steel lands a couple hard leg kicks before pressing Cope into the cage where he lands a firm knee to Cope's body. That opening exchange gives way to a period of detente as neither individual can find purchase for much of anything.

A crisp left hook smashes O'Neil's face and C-Murder tries to take advantage of a momentarily shaky Chuck O'Neil. He scores a few more points, but can't take definitive advantage of the big blow. Cold Steel finally answers with another leg kick, but Cope's utilizing a double-jab to near perfection and tosses in a spinning back kick for flavor's sake.

Cold Steel started off well, but that round goes to Cope by a 10-9 margin.

This is a perfect example of endearing yourself to the UFC brass in defeat—there is NO WAY Dana White and Joe Silva aren't impressed by Danny Downes even though he's getting obliterated in this fight.

The obliteration resumes as Lil' Heathen goes back to work taking apart Danny Boy on the feet, starting some blood flowing from near the latter's left eye and then slamming home a takedown. Downes gets back to his feet, but we're officially going through the motions at this point.

You can't question Danny Boy's toughness, but it's not gonna be enough tonight as Stephens presses the advantage on both feet and canvas. More knees, more fists and another takedown with about 60 seconds left unofficially seal the deal.

Just don't tell that to Lil' Heathen—Jeremy is going after his adversary with more elbows before hopping to full guard and then taking Downes' back. Stephens slips in the rear-naked choke and Danny's close to tapping, but he just won't do it before the final horn.

That might be the most impressed with a fighter I've ever been in defeat.

Great performance for both men; early leader for Fight of the Night and, if it doesn't win, we've got a real treat in store.

Jeremy Stephens defeats Danny Downes by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26).

The second stanza starts and is already unfolding against Danny Downes—Lil' Heathen comes out sniping away with his superior striking. Danny Boy's had enough of that so he grabs a guillotine choke and pulls guard, but I don't think that's gonna do the trick.

Joe Rogan criticizes Downes' technique just as Stephens pulls his head out of trouble.

Now, it's Danny who's in trouble as Stephens is in his guard and quickly moves to side mount before wrenching a kimura onto Danny Boy's left arm. Little Heathen starts cranking that left arm until it's bent at an unnatural position, yet there's no tap.

I can't believe his arm is uninjured. To add further insult to possible injury, Stephens slams two horrendous elbows into Danny Boy's unprotected grill. Nevertheless, the kid's got miles and miles of heart as he survives and is back on his feet.

Not only that, but Downes also goes on the offensive with punches (including lefts) and kicks that don't do much except prove Danny is tough as nails.

Alas, it doesn't appear to be winning him this fight as Stephens seals another 10-9 round with a final takedown and knee as Downes is trying to get back to his feet.

Danny Downes goes by the nickname "Danny Boy." Really? That's the best he can do? Though I guess you don't get points for creativity in your nickname. Downes makes his UFC debut tonight against Jeremy "Lil' Heathen" Stephens on short notice after the aforementioned Jonathan Brookins had to withdraw due to an eye injury.

So there's that.

So far, not much to report from inside the Octagon—the feeling out process has lasted about two minutes, though Downes did stuff a takedown attempt from Lil' Heathen.

That didn't work so Stephens goes after his opponent with strikes and lands more than a few as Danny Boy seems a little wobbled. He recovers quickly and begins to find his fight legs and he scores with a knee, arguably his first offense of any consequence.

Stephens is beginning to open up serious distance between him and Downes on the scorecard as knees and right-left combos hit their marks. Another big, looping right finds Danny Boy's noggin as the latter continues to get more than he gives.

Hopefully, that first round was just a case of nerves messing with Downes because he's gonna need a total reversal as the fight progresses if he wants to win his debut.

A ground war has morphed into a striking battles as George Roop opens the final stanza with some beautiful combinations—mixing rights, lefts, front kicks and the more mundane variety with much of it landing. Grispi knows he's gonna have to change tactics because he's getting taken apart on his feet.

Consequently, he shoots for the takedown and gradually accomplishes the feat before referee Herb Dean hits the pause button to check on the Fluke's mouthpiece. Dean has to check a few seconds later and issues a warning to the Fluke.

Upon the restart, Roop blasts away with similarly artistic and effective combinations. The punches and kicks are coming in bunches and most of them are landing as the Fluke is in full retreat. There's another momentary stoppage as George connects with a low blow; he's good enough for government work so they're back at it.

Briefly.

George Roop lands a blistering right hand to the Fluke's stomach and crumples the latter to the canvas. Dean can tell Josh Grispi's had enough so he jumps in to save the vanquished gladiator. Kind of a strange stoppage, but there's no complaining from Grispi.

George Roop defeats Josh Grispi by TKO (punches) at 3:14 of the third round.

Rogan reveals Roop was a 6:1 underdog—don't think that's accurate, but George was certainly the underdog. After that spectacle, you have to wonder why.