TUF 20 Finale results: Felice Herrig taps rival Lisa Ellis with second-round armbar

Felice Herrig

LAS VEGAS – In a frantic fight that saw both women trading submission attempts all over the cage, Felice Herrig was the one to finally finish one in her bout with Lisa Ellis.

An armbar from the bottom by Herrig (10-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) forced Ellis (15-9 MMA, 0-1 UFC) to tap at 3:05 of Round 2, capping a grappling-heavy effort in exciting fashion.

The women’s strawweight bout closed out the preliminary card of today’s TUF 20 Finale event at The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on FOX Sports 1.

Herrig found herself in trouble right off the bat, as Ellis transitioned from a head-and-arm throw to a standing guillotine choke against the fence that seemed close to putting Herrig to sleep. Though Herrig admitted later that the choke had her “gurgling,” she managed to escape and soon after nearly locked up a triangle choke of her own.

Ellis would escape that attempt, along with some follow up armbars, and the bout continued in that fashion around and around throughout the entire first round. It didn’t let up in the second, either, though this time it seemed as though Ellis was beginning to fade as Herrig kept the pressure on.

After Herrig slapped on an armbar that isolated Ellis’ right arm completely, she rolled to her belly and extended the limb before Ellis could begin any defense. Fresh out of options and with her elbow in the process of bending the wrong way, Ellis had no choice but to tap.

The win is Herrig’s first since losing a decision to Tecia Torres in December 2013. Ellis has now lost four of her last five.

Up-to-the-minute TUF 20 Finale results include:

• Felice Herrig def. Lisa Ellis via submission (armbar) – Round 2, 3:05
• Heather Jo Clark def. Bec Rawlings via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Joanne Calderwood def. Seo Hee Ham via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
• Tecia Torres def. Angela Magana via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
• Aisling Daly def. Alex Chambers via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:53
• Angela Hill def. Emily Kagan via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)

For more on The Ultimate Fighter Finale 20, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on site in Las Vegas.)