The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale Results: The Real Winners and Losers
MMA fans who forgot about The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale forgot about one of the best MMA matchups of the year.
That would be a featherweight battle between Frankie Edgar, the indomitable former lightweight champion, and Chad Mendes, the heavy-fisted wrestler who was arguably a full training camp away from facing Jose Aldo at UFC 194 instead of Conor McGregor.
There was a good chance that the winner of this one would go on to face the winner between McGregor and Aldo, which is not only the main event of Saturday's UFC 194 but the main highlight of a highlight-filled, three-event weekend for the UFC.
Another title challenger may also have been identified earlier on the main card, when streaking lightweights Tony Ferguson and Edson Barboza did battle. And that's to say nothing of Ryan Hall and Artem Lobov, who faced off for the vaunted six-figure contract at the end of the TUF rainbow.
As always, the final stat lines only reveal so much. These are the real winners and losers from the TUF 22 Finale.
Full results also appear on the final slide.
Winner: Frankie Edgar
1 of 9
Well that was emphatic.
After about two-and-a-half minutes of even, fairly unremarkable action, Frankie Edgar threw a left hook from close range. It looked innocuous enough, until Chad Mendes hit the ground like a bag of dirt.
There you have it. Edgar knocked out Mendes in the first round Friday night.
The shot was lightning-fast and accurate—right on the chin. Mendes was quick to spring back to his feet, but the fight had already been (rightly) stopped, and Mendes (rightly) declined to protest.
That's five in a row for Edgar. His only loss since dropping to 145 pounds came to Jose Aldo.
After the fight, Edgar made his case to receive the next shot at the title, the holder of which will be determined by the UFC 194 main event between Aldo and McGregor.
"C'mon," Edgar told broadcaster Jon Anik in the cage after the fight. "You gotta give it to me."
After that flash performance, there shouldn't be any argument.
Loser: Chad Mendes
2 of 9
As Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com noted on Twitter after the fight: "Statement made...left hook!"
If you read those four words before the fight, you probably would have presumed a Mendes win. But, it didn't happen that way.
It all happened so fast that Mendes can't be blamed too badly for any weaknesses. To quote an anonymous 16th-century German philosopher, it was what it was.
That said, that is now three losses in four contests for Mendes. He may need to take a little breather from the top of the division for a while.
Winner: Tony Ferguson
3 of 9
After the relatively slow-burning fights that came before them, Tony Ferguson and Edson Barboza looked like they were moving at hyperspeed.
The two aggressive lightweights attacked each other early and often. Each man attempted to establish his own game—Ferguson imposed his high-output pressure game, while Barboza implemented his laser-focused muay thai—and when they collided, well, we got something to remember.
An illegal kick from Ferguson took some wind out of Barboza's sails, but the Brazilian rallied and probably won the first round thanks to his spinning kick attack.
The tide turned early in the second when an upward elbow from Ferguson sliced open Barboza, and in seconds blood covered half of his face. Ferguson, also bleeding from a facial cut, completed a takedown and locked on his signature submission move, a D'arce choke. It was tight, and Barboza tapped.
Both of these guys are very good. Ferguson is probably the most underrated fighter in the UFC. Or he was, until Friday. Speaking to Anik in the cage after the fight, Ferguson said: "I knew I had it. It's what I do."
As for his next opponent? The lightweight champion, of course. After the rocket-fueled performance he put on Friday night, he's earned it.
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Winner: Ryan Hall
4 of 9
The world grappling champion took his talents to TUF. This time, it was a good decision.
The native of the Washington, D.C. area displayed brilliant and creative grappling, including a stunning back take in the first round, in dominating a limp Artem Lobov en route to the TUF 22 prize.
Las Vegas fans booed the action, as Hall largely relied on top control. He tried for several submissions, however, and was masterful in the effort, action-packed or otherwise.
It will be interesting to see what the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt does in UFC gen pop.
Loser: Saul Rogers
5 of 9
There was an invisible man in the cage for the evening's co-main event.
Englishman Saul Rogers earned his way to the TUF 22 final, but after it was discovered that he falsified information on his visa, he was banned from traveling to the United States, ending his tournament.
It was Rogers' mistake, but you have to feel for him.
Hall lost to Rogers on the show but took Rogers' place in the final; we know what happened there. If the falsification was serious, he shouldn't be allowed to fight in the UFC. But if it was relatively innocuous, it might be nice to see him get a shot down the road.
Winner: Evan Dunham
6 of 9
At the beginning of 2015, Evan Dunham was 33 years old, and his UFC career was hanging by a thread.
A loser of three straight, it looked as if Dunham wasn't a solid match for the top of the stacked lightweight division. An announcement that he'd received walking papers would have surprised no one.
But the announcement never came, and now everyone has to be grateful for that one.
At the end of 2015, Dunham has turned his streak inside out with three straight victories, including a solid 15-minute beating of a flat-footed Joe Lauzon on Friday.
The fight took place almost exclusively on the feet, and Dunham ruled, landing thudding combinations almost at will to overwhelm Lauzon.
"I don't really call anybody out," Dunham told Anik in the cage after the fight. "I'm a company man. I go where they tell me."
Maybe it's time to rectify that, Evan.
Loser: Mirsad Bektic
7 of 9
Mirsad Bektic had to be kicking himself.
The featherweight prospect was set to face Japanese grinder Tatsuya Kawajiri on this main card. But then, just two weeks ago, he fell injured and was forced to withdraw. Bektic out, Jason Knight in.
As much of a cult favorite as he is, Kawajiri is a visual fire blanket on any heat a card may have generated to that point. He took the decision, and good for him, but Bektic would have been a stiffer test, to say the very least.
Bektic will be back, but for Friday night, his loss was ours as well.
Loser: Gabriel Gonzaga
8 of 9
The last fight on the undercard is typically designed to be exciting. The intention behind Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Konstantin Erokhin was no different.
Unfortunately, things don't always go the way we plan them in life.
In a surprisingly actionless affair, the two heavyweights took turns staring at each other, attempting and thwarting takedowns, lumbering, stumbling, bumbling and fumbling. But mainly, it was the staring.
To illustrate, the two men combined to land 35 of 96 significant strikes, for a clip of 36 percent, per FightMetric. In the previous fight, loser Mike Pierce landed 42 on this own.
So don't look at me like that, Gabriel. You may have won the decision—probably by virtue of the two takedowns you landed in seven attempts—but you know you deserve the loser tag. This was one of the worst UFC fights in recent memory.
TUF 22 Finale Full Card Results
9 of 9
Main Card
- Frankie Edgar def. Chad Mendes by KO, 2:28, Rd. 1
- Ryan Hall def. Artem Lobov by unanimous decision
- Tony Ferguson def. Edson Barboza by submission (D'arce choke), 2:54, Rd. 2
- Evan Dunham def. Joe Lauzon by unanimous decision
- Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Jason Knight by unanimous decision
- Julian Erosa def. Marcin Wrzosek by split decision
Preliminary Card
- Gabriel Gonzaga def. Konstantin Erokhin by unanimous decision
- Ryan LaFlare def. Mike Pierce by unanimous decision
- Geane Herrera def. Joby Sanchez by TKO, 4:28, Rd. 2
- Chris Gruetzemacher def. Abner Lloveras by unanimous decision
Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter.
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