TUF 17 Finale results/photos: Travis Browne KOs Gabriel Gonzaga with elbows

LAS VEGAS – Travis Browne was looking for a statement after the first loss of his career. Mission accomplished.

Browne returned from a leg injury that helped lead to a loss to Antonio Silva in October and stopped Gabriel Gonzaga with some vicious elbows in the first round.

The heavyweight bout was part of the main card of today’s Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale event at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. It aired on FX following prelims on FUEL TV and Facebook.

Browne delivered a massive wheelhouse kick immediately that Gonzaga ducked under and nearly turned into a single-leg takedown. He then tried to tie Browne up against the fence, perhaps not wanting to stand with him for too long.

Gonzaga kept after the single with Browne pushed against the fence. But that turned out to be not such a great idea.

Browne started landing elbows. He dropped six of them to Gonzaga’s head, most to the side, and just like that, Gonzaga was out and on the canvas. One of the elbows landed to the back of Gonzaga’s head, but it was after the Brazilian was already out.

It was Browne’s 10th career KO or TKO victory.

“We don’t get paid by the minute out there,” Browne said. “The goal was to get in and out so I can keep my face intact. I wanted to show that my left leg is 100 percent, so I made sure to throw it first. I was determined to show that I’m not just a striker, and I think I was able to do that. Gabriel’s a tough guy to get away from, so I’m happy with my takedown defense. Whenever you’re in that spot, you have to be careful of elbows and strikes, so I capitalized on that. I’m glad to be back on track and have some momentum behind me again.”

Browne (14-1-1 MMA, 5-1-1 UFC) is back in the win column following his October TKO loss to “Bigfoot,” the first setback of his career. Gonzaga (14-7 MMA, 9-6 UFC) had a three-fight win streak snapped and lost for the first time in two and a half years.

Up-to-the-minute TUF 17 Finale results include:

• Travis Browne def. Gabriel Gonzaga via KO (elbows) – Round 1, 1:11
• Robert McDaniel def. Gilbert Smith via submission (triangle choke) – Round 3, 2:49
• Josh Samman def. Kevin Casey via TKO (knee, strikes) – Round 2, 2:17
• Luke Barnatt def. Collin Hart via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Dylan Andrews def. Jimmy Quinlan via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:22
• Clint Hester def. Bristol Marunde via TKO (elbow) – Round 3, 3:53
• Cole Miller def. Bart Palaszewski via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:23
• Maximo Blanco def. Sam Sicilia via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Daniel Pineda def. Justin Lawrence via submission (kimura) – Round 1, 1:35

For more on The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

John Morgan contributed to this report on-site in Las Vegas.