'TUF 19' winner Eddie Gordon addresses complaints of illegal blows in finale win

Even though Eddie Gordon needed just 71 seconds to capture “The Ultimate Fighter 19? middleweight crown, some questions surrounded the validity of how he got the job done.

In the midst of Gordon’s (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) fight-ending flurry against Dhiego Lima (9-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) to earn the six-figure UFC contract inside Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center on Sunday night, it appeared some blows strayed into illegal territory.

Gordon threw clubbing shots as he worked to earn the first-round stoppage. Replays showed a pair of strikes hit Lima directly in the back of the head, but Gordon insists there was no malice involved and says everything he landed was within the rules.

“I threw like 25 punches in one minute,” Gordon told MMAjunkie Radio. “One might have glanced him, but when you’re in the moment, it’s hard to tell. I would never try to hit anyone, especially Dhiego, in the back of the head. That’s not the way you want to win a fight. I feel like everything was completely legal.”

Through his stint on “TUF 19,” Gordon was known mostly for his wrestling ability. But at the finale, everything changed and he scored the quick finish with his hands due to his newfound infatuation with striking.

“The game plan worked,” Gordon said. “It’s good when everything you work on comes to fruition perfectly. Wrestling’s my bread and butter, but I’ve fallen in love with the striking.”

After spending six weeks in the “TUF” house and finally winning the tournament crown, one would think Gordon would be compelled to lay low and take some time away from the spotlight.

The 30-year-old feels quite the opposite, though, and says he will be right back in the gym in anticipation of his next fight, which he understands could come six days, six weeks or six months from now. Whenever he gets the call, he’ll be prepared.

“When you’re at this level, you always want to stay in the gym and be ready,” Gordon said. “If the UFC calls and it’s a short-notice fight, you don’t ever want to say no to Joe Silva or Dana White.

“I just want to be as busy as possible, get as much experience as possible and I feel at home when I’m in that cage. Everything else is great. Nobody loves training, but when you’re in that cage it brings it full circle and makes why you’re there so special. I’m ready to jump back in there as long as I’m healthy and everything is fine. As soon as UFC gives me a call, I’m ready to rock and roll.”

As a training partner and teammate of Chris Weidman, Gordon knows the steps he must take to progress his career down the same path as the reigning UFC middleweight champion.

Gordon is beaming with confidence coming off the life-changing victory to win a UFC contract. Regardless of who the UFC books him to fight against next, the New Yorker is ready to make inroads in a loaded middleweight division.

“I want the best of the best of the best,” Gordon said. “The bigger the name, the better for me. I was the underdog on every single fight on the show. That drove me a little bit crazy, but if you don’t believe in yourself, no one is really going to believe in you. I’ve got confidence; I know any given night I can go in and beat anybody. I’m just waiting for the opportunity. I’m not going to sit here and call people out because I’ve only had one fight in the UFC. I’m not that kind of guy.

“I’m very outspoken, but I’m not going to disrespect the sport. Line them up and I’ll fight them.”

For complete coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.