TUF 22 Finale results: Frankie Edgar lands first-round knockout bomb on Chad Mendes

Frankie Edgar

LAS VEGAS – In a meeting of two featherweights seeking another shot at the title, ex-lightweight champion Frankie Edgar knocked out Chad Mendes in the first round.

Edgar (20-4-1 MMA, 14-4-1 UFC) clipped Mendes’ (17-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) jaw with a perfectly placed left hook that sent the three-time title challenger crumbling to the mat for a TKO at the 2:28 mark of the opening frame.

“This one was a big one for me,” Edgar said after his victory. “Thank god I’m blessed with such a great team and a great family.”

The featherweight bout was the main event of today’s TUF 22 Finale event at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The entire event aired on FOX Sports 1.

Edgar, the No. 3 ranked featherweight in the NOS Energy Drink MMA featherweight rankings, questioned why UFC President Dana White wasn’t in the octagon after his win and again stated his case for a title shot, pointing out three finishes in five fights.

“C’mon, you’ve got to give it to me,” Edgar said.

The win was one of the most emphatic of the ex-lightweight champ’s career. Often criticized for a style that favored points over finishes, Edgar’s knockout of No. 4-ranked Mendes was just his third stoppage by strikes in 19 UFC appearances.

This knockout, however, was nearly a one-punch finish, which was previously unseen for “The Answer.” With five straight wins since a failed bid for featherweight champ Jose Aldo’s belt, Edgar awaits the winner of Saturday’s title unifier with interim champ Conor McGregor.

Mendes, meanwhile, drops to 1-3 in his past four outings, which include a loss to McGregor in July for the interim belt and a loss to Aldo in a rematch for the undisputed strap.

Up-to-the-minute TUF 22 Finale results include:

• Ryan Hall def. Artem Lobov via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
• Tony Ferguson def. Edson Barboza via submission (d’arce choke) – Round 2, 2:54
• Evan Dunham def. Joe Lauzon via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-26)
• Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Jason Knight via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Julian Erosa def. Marcin Wrzosek via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Gabriel Gonzaga def. Konstantin Erokhin via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-28)
• Ryan LaFlare def. Mike Pierce via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Geane Herrera def. Joby Sanchez via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:28
• Chris Gruetzemacher def. Abner Lloveras via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

For complete coverage of the TUF 22 Finale, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

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