The Ultimate Finish: The Ultimate Fighter Finale

It was one of the most anticipated nights in UFC history. It was hard to believe that they were finishing off their seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter. It seemed like yesterday we were seeing Chris Leben breaking doors, Diego Sanchez breaking bones, and Forrest Griffin breaking numbers.

Now it was time to end the season with a bang! Here now is the recap of The Ultimate Fighter Finale.

First Bout: Matt Riddle (Team Rampage) vs. Dante Rivera (Team Forrest)

As round one begins, both men dance around each other until a kick and some punches give Rivera the early advantage. Both men throw knees while in a grapple with Riddle putting him against the cage. Dante bounces back with some quick knees and a couple of kicks, but Matt shakes them off and lands some elbows as the first round ends.

In Round Two, Rivera has Riddle in half guard, but Matt slips out and lands some shots while standing over him. In the midst of the round, a slugfest commences with Riddle getting the advantage with an armbar to end the round.

In the final round, Rivera gets taken down, but locks Riddle's right arm and lands some punches. Riddle lands some good elbows and punches before both men stand back up. Riddle gets all the points for the third round as he mounts Rivera and pummels him as the round ends.

Decision: Riddle by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Second Bout: Spencer Fisher vs. Jeremy Stephens (Battle of Iowa)

In round one, both men are slugging it out on the mat. After Stephens misses an armbar, Spencer capitalizes and punishes him. He continues it by mounting his opponent and throwing some good punches as the round ends.

In round two, the Southpaws are continuing their slugfest. Fisher reverses a takedown and lands some elbows and punches. Fisher is caught in Stephens' guard but is still able to land some severe shots. Jeremy manages to pick him up, slam him down and land some punches as the round ends.

In round three, kicks and punches are flying from both men. Fisher gets caught in the guillotine but manages to escape and throw some punches. Both men start tagging off on each other until Stephens locks in the guillotine once again. Amazingly, Fisher is able to avoid tapping out as the round ends.

Decision: Fisher by Unanimous Decision (29-28 on all three scorecards)

Third Bout: Diego Sanchez vs. Luigi Fioravanti

In round one, the two men are landing some shots to start the fight. After Luigi misses a knee, Diego ducks some punches and lands a few for good measure. The round ends with Fioravanti landing a takedown against Sanchez.

In round two, Diego lands a right hand to drop Luigi and has control on the ground. After getting pummeled on the ground, Luigi slips out bringing the fight back to the middle. Sanchez snaps and throws a mountain of shots, but Luigi recovers and throws some combinations as the round ends in a stalemate.

In round three, both men are in a slugfest. Luigi manages to wiggle out of a choke, but his time is almost up. Midway in the round, Sanchez lands another head kick to stagger him followed by a high knee to drop him and pounds him until the ref calls a stoppage to the fight.

Decision: Sanchez wins by TKO (4:07 in the Third Round)

Fourth Bout: Amir Sadollah (Team Forrest) vs. CB Dollaway (Team Rampage) (The Ultimate Fighter Championship)

This bout lived up to the hype as the rematch didn't even go three rounds. Dollaway gets the takedown and goes for the submission, but Amir shows his heart by not calling it too soon. CB has the advantage until Amir locks in the armbar and forces Dollaway to tap out once again.

Same move. Same result. Different venue. Same stakes.

Decision: Sadollah wins by Armbar Tapout (3:02 in the First Round)

Main Event: Kendall Grove vs. Evan Tanner

In round one, Tanner gets the early takedown, but Grove lands some elbows and knees that end up cutting Tanner. As Tanner has a hold of Grove's knee, he gets caught with an unorthodox high knee. On the ground, Grove goes for the choke but is unable to lock it in as the round ends.

In round two, Grove manages to stay one step ahead of Tanner throughout the round. Grove manages to rock Tanner and goes in for the kill, but Tanner recovers long enough throw some kicks and punches to end the round.

In round three, both men spend more time jockeying for position against the cage. With the round winding down, both men end the round in a slugfest.

Decision: Grove wins by Split Decision (29-28 Tanner, 30-26 & 38-36 Grove)

In earlier action, Drew McFedries defeated Marvin Eastman by TKO @ 1:08 in the first round.