TUF 14 Finale Prelims: Albert Stops Pague in 69 Seconds

It was over 69 seconds after it began.

Albert (7-1, 1-0 UFC) folded his opponent with a two-punch combination, pounced on the dazed Pague (10-5, 0-1 UFC) and unleashed some rapid-fire hammerfists. He eventually moved to mount and teed off, forcing referee Herb Dean to intervene on Pague’s behalf.

“I’ve been training real hard, working on my right hand,” Albert said. “Pague was probably the best kickboxer on the show. I’ve just been working really hard.”

Carried by his superior striking and excellent takedown defense, American Top Team’s Marcus Brimage defeated the previously unbeaten Stephen Bass by unanimous decision in a preliminary featherweight matchup. Brimage (4-1, 1-0 UFC) weathered a later surge from the Savannah, Ga.-based Bass to sweep the scorecards: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

Brimage landed in combination throughout the 15-minute duel, at a distance and in close quarters, all while denying Bass’ repeated attempts to get it to the ground. Right hands, leg kicks and even a flying knee spilled out of the Brimage repertoire. Behind on the scorecards, Bass (10-1, 0-1 UFC) knocked down Brimage twice in the third round but could not finish, and he came up short in the eyes of the judges.

Canadian bantamweight Roland Delorme submitted Josh Ferguson with a third-round rear-naked choke in a competitive preliminary encounter at 135 pounds. Ferguson (8-4, 0-1 UFC), having been floored and left vulnerable by a left hand, met his end 22 seconds into round two.

Ferguson had his moments, as he mounted Delorme (7-1, 1-0 UFC) in the first round and struck effectively in the second. The tide seemed to be turned in his favor after 10 minutes, but a clean left hand from Delorme put him on the deck and erased his good work. The Canadian pounced on his downed foe, secured the choke and finished Ferguson in a blink.

Steven Silver File Photo

Siler bested Clopton.

Steven Siler utilized repeated knees from the Thai plum en route to a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Josh Clopton in a preliminary matchup between prospective featherweights. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28 for Siler (19-9, 1-0 UFC), who has posted five wins in his last six outings.

Clopton (6-1-1, 0-1-0 UFC), a member of Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez’s Skrap Pack, had no answer for Siler in the clinch. By the end of round two, he was bleeding heavily from Siler’s knees and had already found himself locked in a pair of attempted guillotines. To his credit, Clopton did not go quietly. He scored with a pair of takedowns and some ground-and-pound over the final five minutes, but the finish he needed never materialized.

Strikeforce, WEC and EliteXC veteran Bryan Caraway submitted Dustin Neace with a second-round rear-naked choke in a preliminary featherweight duel. Caraway (16-5, 1-0 UFC) coaxed the tapout 3:38 into round two.

Caraway was the superior fighter from the start. The 27-year-old Team Alpha Male representative rocked Neace with a left hook in the first round and followed up with an uppercut and takedown. He easily avoided an attempted triangle from Neace (23-18-1, 0-1 UFC), moved to side control and ultimately transitioned to his back. It was a sign of what was to come.

In the second period, Caraway secured a single-leg takedown, moved again to his opponent’s back, hooks in, and cinched the choke. The submission followed soon after.