TUF 22 Finale Quick Results: Edgar Dazzles with First Round Knockout

Like Thursday Night's UFC Fight Night 80, The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale also want down at The Chelsea, in beautiful Las Vegas. Headlined by a featherweight contender bout between Frankie Edgar and Chad Mendes, 50% of the 10-fight card's lineup occurred in the lightweight division, while the other 5 bouts occurred at heavyweight, welterweight, featherweight, and flyweight. And though it was hurt by the late withdrawals of names like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Mirsad Bektic, it delivered as a fun one all the same. Highlighted by some back-and-forth fights, and a handful of wild stoppages, it proved to be an excellent warmup for Saturday night's highly-anticipated UFC 194.

Here's a recap of the action for those who missed it!

The Main Card:

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Edgar Flattens Mendes with Surprise KO

The main event honors were held by former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and three-time featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes, in a clash billed by many as the biggest non-title featherweight fight in UFC history. Considering the accolades of both men, it looked like it could be a very competitive encounter.

It was not.

Though Mendes landed repeatedly to Edgar's lead leg in the bout's early moments, he found himself crumpled on the canvas before the first round was over. It was an outcome nobody expected.

The first-round knockout extends Edgar's win-streak to five, and establishes him as the clear-cut number one contender at featherweight. With a little luck, the 34-year-old will find himself on the canvas with the winner of UFC 194's main event in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, he'll return to New Jersey with a solid 20-4-1 record.

Mendes, meanwhile, finds himself in treacherous territory, having lost twice to Jose Aldo, once to Conor McGregor, and now, to Edgar. While he remains one of the featherweight division's best, his contending for the title again now seems like it will require a major divisional shakeup. He's now 19-4 overall, and enters the first two-fight losing streak of his storied career.

Hall Takes TUF Title with Dominant Display

The co-main event of the evening saw Artem Lobov, a longtime Conor McGregor training partner, and Ryan Hall, a decorated jiu jitsu player, mix it up for the TUF 22 crown. The bout marked the first TUF final between competitors who had lost on the show.

The story of the fight, as many expected, was Hall's grappling. Though he was unable to find the tap, he was able to repeatedly pull Lobov into his guard, and spent nearly the entire third round glued to his opponent's back. Now 5-1 as a pro, the TriStar rep will leave Las Vegas as the newest winner of The Ultimate Fighter, and as an intriguing new face in whichever division he chooses to call home (he may return to featherweight).

In defeat, Lobov declines to the .500 mark, with an 11-11 overall record. Considering he landed just 2 strikes against Hall, it's hard to say where the SBG Ireland staple goes from here, though another crack with the UFC seems likely.

Ferguson Taps Barboza in Lightweight Gunfight

TUF 13 winner Tony Ferguson was originally expected to take on Khabib Nurmagomedov in Las Vegas. When Nurmagomedov withdrew from the bout with an injury, however, we were left with Ferguson vs. Edson Barboza—a showdown that was arguably even better on paper.

The fight lived up to the hype.

Round one was highlighted by a handful of wild exchanges, and Ferguson's sustaining a point deduction for an illegal up-kick. Round two was even more hectic, as the two lightweights ripped into each other with kicks, punches, and elbows, before a scramble saw Ferguson lock up a D'Arce choke and coax out the tap.

The submission win, which is the 7th on his record, moves Ferguson onto a fantastic 7-fight streak. Now 20-3 overall, the 31-year-old is banging on the champion's door with both hands. Barboza, on the other hand, falls to 16-4 overall, and 10-4 in the UFC.

Dunham Batters Lauzon to Decision

A few years ago, Evan Dunham was one of the most hyped fighters in the UFC lightweight division. And though that reputation disintegrated with stoppage losses to fighters like Melvin Guillard, TJ Grant, and Donald Cerrone, Dunham is beginning to reemerge as a competitor to watch at 155 pounds. He took another step along that road in Las Vegas, where he battered Joe Lauzon to a lopsided unanimous decision win.

Over the course of the three-round affair, Dunham out-landed his veteran opponent by a 146-41 margin, with every single one of the strikes he landed being deemed significant. With the win, he moves to 3-0 in 2015, and elevates himself to 17-6 overall.

Lauzon, meanwhile, returns to the loss column after a July stoppage of Takanori Gomi. The 13-time bonus winner is now 25-11 overall and 3-2 across his 5 most recent outings.

Kawajiri Overwhelms Debuting Knight

The first of the night's two featherweight bouts saw Japanese veteran Tatsuya Kawajiri mix it up with debuting submission specialist Jason Knight, who replaced Mirsad Bektic on just a few weeks' notice. While Knight's stepping up was certainly commendable, his gamble didn't pay off.

Kawajiri was able to secure takedowns in all three rounds, where he amassed over 13 minutes of control time and let loose an onslaught of nearly 100 ground strikes—more than enough to earn him the judges' favor. With the unanimous decision win, he moves to a strong 8-2 in his last 10. Now 35-8 in total, the 37-year-old remains one of the featherweight division's most game competitors.

Knight, meanwhile, loses for the first time since July of 2012 and falls to 13-2 overall. That said, the 23-year-old appears to have plenty of promise, and can probably be expected back in the Octagon soon.

Erosa Edges Wrzosek in Action-Packed Fight

The main card was kicked off by a clash of TUF 22 cast-mates, as Team Faber's Julian Erosa mixed it up with "The Polish Zombie," Marcin Wrzosek. Both fighters walked onto the canvas eager to avoid a fourth professional loss. After three close rounds of lightweight action, it was Erosa who was able to do so.

With the split decision victory, which was probably awarded on the strength of his landing the fight's more significant blows, Erosa moves to a strong 15-2 overall. Wrzosek, meanwhile, stumbles to 10-3 overall. That said, the razor-thin nature of this loss means he'll probably get another crack in the UFC, perhaps on an upcoming European card.

The Prelims:

Gonzaga Cruises Past Erokhin in Heavyweight Snoozer

The final bout of the undercard saw Russian heavyweight prospect Konstantin Erokhin get a massive step up in competition against Gabriel Gonzaga, who made his 21st return to the Octagon. Despite the 24 combined finishes the two heavies carried onto the canvas, however, the fight was a downright stinker.

After three rounds of action, a paltry 57 total strikes had been landed by the two fighters. Luckily for the judges', Gonzaga was successful on 2 of 7 takedown attempts, which gave them a very small something to base their decision on.

The forgettable performance marks the first decision win on Gonzaga's record, and separates him from a three-fight losing streak. He's now 17-10 overall. Erokhin, meanwhile, stays winless in two UFC bouts, and assumes an overall record of 9-3.

LaFlare Survives Late Scare for Decision Triumph

In October of 2013, veteran welterweight Mike Pierce found himself on the receiving end of a Rousimar Palhares heel hook. The submission, which Palhares held onto for far too long, damaged Pierce's MCL and ankle and, in combination with a 2014 hand injury, kept him on the shelf for over two years. In Vegas, the gritty veteran finally returned to action. He did so opposite New York's Ryan LaFlare.

Unfortunately for Pierce, the comeback didn't go as planned. Though he finished the fight strong, nearly putting LaFlare away in the final seconds, he'd simply taken too much of a licking in the first two rounds, absorbing more than 20 significant strikes to the body.

The unanimous decision win separates LaFlare from a March defeat to Demian Maia, and moves him to 12-1. Pierce, meanwhile, will leave The Chelsea with a 17-7 record—and a sizable hematoma on the side of his head.

Herrera Smashes Sanchez in the Second

The second bout of the night came courtesy of the flyweight division, as Geane Herrera stepped up on a week's notice to take on fellow prospect Joby Sanchez. The condensed training camp didn't seem to be an issue for the Floridian.

As the second round wound down, Herrera found a home for a thudding left hook, which sent his opponent tumbling to the canvas. A few follow-up punches later, and the referee was waving things off.

The TKO win moves the 25-year-old to 9-1 overall, and 1-1 in the UFC. Sanchez, on the other hand, falls to 1-2 in the UFC, and now owns a 7-2 overall record.

Gritz Out-Works Lloveras to Decision Win

The evening was kicked off by a clash of TUF 22 cast-members. In one corner, we had Team Faber's Chris "Gritz" Gruetzemacher, while the other corner was occupied by Spain's Abner Lloveras, a 26-fight veteran representing team McGregor.

After three fun rounds, Gritz's pressure and higher striking output proved more than enough to earn him the judges' favor. The Benson Henderson training partner is now 13-1 in total, with a successful UFC debut in the books. Lloveras, meanwhile, has a four-fight win-streak snapped by the loss. He's now 19-8 overall.