TUF 16 Finale Fight Card
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play-by-play and live results of the
UFC TUF 16 Finale which is headlined by a heavyweight grudge
match pitting Roy Nelson
against Matt
Mitrione.Check out the MMA
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predictions below.
Round 1
Papazian rushes toward Elliott right after the bell but quickly
gets taken down. Elliott tries a guillotine and lets it go just as
quickly. Elliott takes a kick to the body and tangles up with
Papazian, winding up on top in the ensuing scramble with Papazian
trying to squirm out underneath. Elliott looks for a topside
guillotine, gets pushed out by Papazian and comes back down to his
opponent’s guard. Another scramble and Elliott again winds up on
top, but gives up the position in order to attempt another
guillotine. Papazian is safe from the choke but caught in a
headlock as he leans from Elliott’s right to left. Papazian pops
his head free and Papazian tries to shove him into the cage.
Papazian goes to throw a knee as Elliott is falling backward, but
the strike lands just as Elliott’s posterior hits the ground.
Elliott looks to be dazed and out of sorts but it allowed to
continue. He clubs Papazian with a straight left and the momentum
of the fight turns in an instant. Elliott tries to finish with
punches, can’t; he takes the back, can’t secure it, stays on top
and winds up in mount. He gets some ground-and-pound off before
Papazian escapes with about a minute to go. Papazian clinches
Elliott into the fence to throw knees but Elliott escapes and
charges just before the horn signals the end of a wild first
frame.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 Elliott
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-8 Elliott
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Elliott
Round 2
Elliott seems to have shaken the cobwebs off and comes out strong
in round two, first looking to box and then taking Papazian to the
canvas. He busts Papazian up with stiff shots on the ground, and
when they get back to their feet, Papazian is leaking blood from
his nose and forehead. Elliott spins him back down to the ground
but Papazian is quicker to pop up this time. Elliott keeps him on
the fence, doesn’t get any offense going before Papazian shoves him
away. Elliott leaps at Papazian with a body kick and follows with a
one-two. Now it’s Papazian coming forward with an uppercut, and
Elliott feints a spinning kick. Papazian grazes with a jumping
knee, follows it with an uppercut as the round hits the 2:00 mark.
Papazian stifles the next takedown attempt and moves backward to
dodge punches. Elliott gets off a kick to the breadbasket and pulls
up short on some flicking punches. A left-right-left combo from
Elliott precedes a single-leg which has Papazian struggling to his
feet at the horn.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Elliott
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Elliott
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Elliott
Round 3
Elliott shoots for a takedown, then tries to snare Papazian in a
guillotine mid-sprawl. Papazian denies the choke and shoves him
back to take top position, so Elliott goes behind Papazian’s back
to grab for a foot. They stall out in an awkward position, neither
man with an advantage, so ref Chris Tognoni stands them up.
Papazian gets dropped with another straight punch and Elliott hops
into full mount almost instantly to try and finish. Papazian is
covering up, turning away and defending himself, but not offering
anything in return as Elliott rains downs punch after punch.
Sinking in his hooks, Elliott takes back mount and keeps the
punishment coming, further bloodying Papazian, who flips back over.
Elliott goes from mount to the back again and works for the
rear-naked choke with 1:45 left in the fight. Papazian is a bloody
mess, hanging on to Elliott’s right arm with both hands to defend
the choke. Elliott relents and Papazian struggles back up, only to
eat a nasty elbow and get taken down again, allowing Elliott to
finish on top with ground-and-pound. Papazian and Elliott walk
toward each other after the horn, jawing, and have to be separated
by the ref.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 Elliott (30-25 Elliott)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Elliott (30-26 Elliott)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-8 Elliott (30-25 Elliott)
Official result: Tim Elliott def. Jared Papazian via
Unanimous Decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26) R3 5:00
Round 1
Rio presses his man into the fence and leans on Cofer, keeping
things slow early with occasional dirty boxing. They break up after
a minute and it’s the southpaw Cofer on his back foot, using head
movement and popping the flat-footed Rio with punches. The
“Wolverine” hits the deck but Cofer can’t capitalize, as Rio once
again leans him against the cage and goes low for a leg. Cofer
shoves him off and they’re back to striking with 2:00 left in the
round. Cofer comes over the top with a straight left and Rio
decides to shoot again. He pulls Cofer to the ground and Cofer
quickly begins throwing elbows and punches from his open guard. Rio
pops him with a left hand and Cofer uses a heel hook attempt to
sweep to top position. Cofer drops a few elbows and Rio closes his
guard, then throws a hard elbow from underneath. Cofer punches at
Rio’s body and Rio tries a heel hook of his own just before the
horn.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cofer
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Rio
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Cofer
Round 2
Rio comes at Cofer aggressively, swinging hard, hooking punches and
hitting a takedown after about a minute. Cofer gets Rio to back out
with an omoplata and they stall out as Rio stands over his prone
opponent. Ref Kim Winslow wants a restart and Cofer stands up to
begin socking Rio with his left hand again. Rio lands a left of his
own and Cofer responds with a hard kick to the body. Botching a
trip attempt, Rio finds his back pressed into the fence with Cofer
throwing hard knees in the clinch. Rio turns him around with the
Thai plum, Cofer escapes and Rio shoots a long single-leg. The
takedown doesn’t come at first but Rio keeps after it and brings
Cofer to the ground before taking his back. Rio has both hooks in
with one minute left in the round; he loses the position when Cofer
stands and shakes him off. Cofer on top now, and he manages a
couple elbows before Rio pushes him off and stands up. It’s arm
punches from Rio and more knees from Cofer as the round ends.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Rio
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Rio
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Rio
Round 3
Cofer cracks Rio with another straight left hand and turns away a
takedown, but Rio spins him to the ground on the second attempt.
Cofer puts Rio in his closed guard and swings his legs up for a
triangle. Rio shucks the legs and passes to side control,
north-south position, back to side control. He leans right to left
on Cofer and elbows the body while Cofer tries to buck free. Rio is
attacking Cofer’s left arm; he loses the grip but gains an armbar
as Cofer tries to escape and Rio comes over the back. Cofer stacks
him up and frees his arm, and now it’s Cofer on top with 1:40
remaining. Rio catches Cofer sleeping with his arm laid in Rio’s
guard. Rio sits up and then rolls to his back again, stretching out
Cofer’s right arm while his left is trapped as well. Cofer can only
wiggle his fingers to signal his submission to the armbar.
Official result: Mike Rio def. John Cofer via Submission
(Armbar) R3 4:11
Round 1
It’s a tentative start to the fight with both bantamweights
feinting in the orthodox stance. After 55 seconds, Viana blitzes
and knocks Duran to the ground with a left hook. Duran recovers
quickly and stands back up, but he’s soon dazed by another shot
from the Brazilian, this time a right hand. Duran closes the gap
and pushes Viana against the fence with double underhooks. Viana
gets over-unders and turns Duran around, then gets off the fence.
Viana takes the center and stalks Duran around the outside,
swinging hard punches but not connecting. A right hand from Viana
lands to the body, and the next one comes over the top to drop
Duran again. One more time, Duran gets back to his feet, apparently
having shaken off the shot quickly. The next overhand right from
Viana sends Duran face-planting, and referee Steve Mazzagatti steps
in to call the fight.Official result: Hugo Viana def. Reuben Duran via KO (Punch)
R1 4:05
Round 1
The welterweights clinch up and Waldburger takes the outside,
shoving Catone against the fence with an overhook. Catone walks off
the fence and throws knees in the clinch, turning Waldburger
around. They switch positions again, Waldburger trying for a
takedown but settling for pushing Catone on the outside. Now midway
through the round, Catone puts Waldburger on the ground. Waldburger
hops up but can’t escape Catone’s pressure against the fence. Now a
kimura attempt puts Catone on the defensive and Waldburger pulls
guard in an attempt to finish the armlock. They stand back up with
Catone holding Waldburger’s back via waistlock, so Waldburger takes
a knee, swerves around and reverses. Catone hits the switch and
takes Waldburger’s back before the round expires.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Catone
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Catone
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Catone
Round 2
Catone has a left high kick deflected, but Waldburger comes
straight forward to drop Catone with a stiff right hand. Waldburger
follows the dazed New Jerseyan to the ground and grabs for an arm,
then switches to a triangle. Waldburger throws a few elbows,
adjusts the hold, and it’s now a deep, deep triangle. Catone still
appears to be conscious even as Waldburger pulls on his head to
finish. A few seconds more in the choke and referee Herb Dean
recognizes that Catone has gone out cold.
Official result: T.J. Waldburger def. Nick Catone via
Technical Submission (Triangle Choke) R2 1:04
Round 1
Khabilov gets inside on a single-leg, struggles with Pichel against
the fence for a moment and then spins the Californian to the
ground. Pichel struggles back up once, gets suplexed back to the
ground, gets up again and Khabilov ragdolls him onto his head.
Pichel stands once again, but Khabilov just trips him down and
briefly takes full mount. Pichel gives up his back, stands and
Khabilov suplexes him onto his head, this time appearing to daze
Pichel badly. A few more punches from Khabilov knock Pichel cold
and ref Chris Tognoni waves this one off. Khabilov records and
impressive knockout in his UFC debut.Official result: Rustam Khabilov def. Vinc Pichel via KO
(Suplex and Punches) R1 2:15
Round 1
Bedford elevates Vinicius with a single-leg and the Brazilian
snares Bedford’s head in a loose guillotine. Extracting his head,
Bedford sets up in his opponent’s open guard while Vinicius scoots
backward toward the fence. Side control for Bedford now but he
doesn’t hold the position long as Vinicius squirms underneath, then
closes up his guard. Vinicius uses butterfly guard to push Bedford
away, and Bedford opts to let Vinicius back up. Bedford sticks his
jab in Vinicius’ face, has an uppercut blocked. A right hand from
Bedford sends Vinicius to the ground and Bedford tries to pound him
out from top position. Vinicius survives the assault but Bedford is
able to take side control and works for a crucifix. Vinicius gets
back to his feet and is met by knees from Bedford, who digs an
underhook and puts Vinicius on the fence to finish the round.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Bedford
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Bedford
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Bedford
Round 2
Bedford gets a kick in the groin just a few seconds into the round
and takes a minute to recover. When they resume, it’s Bedford
pressing the action, forcing Vinicius to back up toward the cage.
Bedford lands a straight right and Vinicius crumbles with his back
to the cage. The Brazilian grasps for a leg as Bedford swarms him
with punches and lands a soccer kick to the body. A couple more
punches make Vinicius go limp and ref Kim Winslow is forced to
intervene.
Official result: Johnny Bedford def. Marcos Vinicius via KO
(Punches) R2 1:00
Round 1
The rangy welterweights throw long punches, with Head pushing the
action and keeping Pyle on the perimeter, then scoring the first
significant strikes of the fight with straight punches. Another
combo lands for Head and Pyle responds with a hard right hook.
Still on the outside, Pyle eats another right hand before being
muscled into the fence. Pyle grabs the Thai plum and drills Head
with a knee to the body, then one to the face that sends the
Oklahoman to the ground right away. Pyle socks him with a
half-dozen follow-up punches before ref Steve Mazzagatti steps in
to rescue Head from any further damage.Official result: Mike Pyle def. James Head via TKO (Knee and
Punches) R1 1:55
Round 1
The southpaws come out swinging punches with Brookins throwing to
the body and Poirier swinging combinations to the head. Brookins
gets Poirier against the fence and appears to daze him with a right
hand, and they explode in a flurry of punches with Brookins
swinging wildly, trying to hurt Poirier further. Poirier weathers
the storm and slows the pace with a double-leg. Brookins steps out,
waits for Poirier to come forward and zaps the “Diamond” with
another wide right. Standing elbow from Brookins now and Poirier
responds with a hook as they move off the fence. Brookins lands a
left straight and Poirier gets off a good right hook before
Brookins hustles him into the fence. They don’t stay there long,
and when they split, it’s Poirier on the advance, trying to mug
Brookins with uppercuts in the Thai clinch. A hook clips Brookins,
who staggers but stays on his feet. Poirier presses him against the
fence, steps back and unloads with punches. Brookins shoots and
leaves his neck exposed, and Poirier wastes no time in slapping on
a brabo/D’arce choke. It’s immediately tight and Brookins has no
choice but to tap out.Official result: Dustin Poirier def. Jonathan Brookins via
Submission (Brabo Choke) R1 4:15
The UFC has announced that
Jamie Varner has fallen ill and this fight has been
canceled.
Round 1
Del Rosario opens up with a kick to the body and Barry returns fire
with a leg kick inside. Barry ducks under a punch as del Rosario
comes forward and clinches up. Del Rosario gets the outside
position as they tie up on the fence and works Barry’s thigh with
knees. A single-leg almost downs Barry, who is able to stay
vertical with the help of an unseen cage grab. Del Rosario stands
him up and grinds away with thumping punches to the body and knees
inside. They break off and del Rosario lands a leg kick, answered
by a cracking kick from Barry. Charging for another takedown
attempt, del Rosario winds up working for the double-leg against
the fence. He gets the takedown on second effort and hops on
Barry’s back, then tries to finish with a no-hooks rear-naked
choke. Del Rosario is high on Barry’s back and slips off when he
tries to finish with an armbar. He switches to an omoplata, then
gives that up to take back control again. Barry sweeps on top just
before the horn.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 del Rosario
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 del Rosario
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 del Rosario
Round 2
Del Rosario comes forward swinging an uppercut. Barry stuns del
Rosario with a huge overland left, smells blood and blitzes. A
right hook lands on the temple and another right on the jaw puts
del Rosario down for the count, slumped against the fence.
Official result: Pat Barry def. Shane del Rosario via KO
(Punches) R2 0:26
Round 1
Colton shoots a single-leg and gets sprawled on, then elbowed in
the side of the head by Ricci. He stands back up and puts Ricci on
the fence with underhooks, then drags him to the ground and hops on
the kneeling Ricci’s back. Ricci stands up with the wrestler still
latched on his back, but Smith loses his hooks. Ricci kneels and
tries to scrape Smith off with the help of the cage. Smith gets his
hooks back in and Ricci is forced to play defense as Smith hunts
for the rear-naked choke. Ricci sits up and Smith has his back to
the fence, punching over Ricci’s shoulder and trying to soften him
up. Suddenly, Ricci twists around and stands back up. Smith wraps
him up again and uses a waistlock to drag him back down.Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Smith
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Smith
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Smith
Round 2
Ricci appears to catch a kick in the groin, but ref Steve
Mazzagatti doesn’t recognize it and Smith attacks. Ricci continues
to protest even as Smith grabs a single-leg and moves him around
the outside. Smith can’t get him down and they clinch on the fence.
He takes Ricci down on the second effort, then moves to take his
back when Ricci posts and tries to stand. Ricci defends the hooks,
so Smith stays on the rear and knees him in the thigh. One hook in
for Smith now and he goes for the RNC. He doesn’t have his arm
under the throat and Ricci is able to escape out the backdoor.
Smith gets the waistlock as they stand and tosses Ricci right back
down. Smith is again unable to secure the choke but remains glued
to Ricci’s back until the end of the frame.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Smith
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Smith
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Smith
Round 3
It’s just a matter of seconds before Smith has Ricci on the ground
again and is working to secure the Canadian’s back. Ricci again
tries to escape by leaning into the cage, but it only allows Smith
to get his hooks in. Smith tries the RNC, still can’t get under the
chin. Now Smith comes off to the right side, threatening with an
arm-triangle choke. He ditches it in favor of full mount, Ricci
rolls and they’re right back where they started. Two minutes left
now and it’s looking like a lost cause for Ricci, who can’t get
away from Smith’s stifling back control. Ricci goes for broke with
an armbar attempt in the last 20 seconds, but Smith slips loose and
fittingly finishes the fight on Ricci’s back.
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Smith (30-27 Smith)
TJ De Santis scores the round 10-9 Smith (30-27 Smith)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Smith (30-27 Smith)
Official result: Colton Smith def. Mike Ricci via Unanimous
Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) R3 5:00
Round 1
Herb Dean is the third man in the cage for tonight’s main event.
The southpaw Mitrione snaps off jabs while Nelson tries to get
through with big right hands. Mitrione kicks Nelson’s body, has a
high kick blocked, and Nelson hugs him against the fence. They move
slowly along the outside as Nelson tries to trip him up. Mitrione
turns it around and sends a knee up the middle, then exits with an
elbow. Mitrione has another head kick blocked but gets through with
a snappy right hand. Nelson swarms Mitrione with punches and
“Meathead” loses his mouthpiece but keeps fighting, kicking at
Nelson’s body and legs. Nelson stuns Mitrione with an uppercut and
knocks him to the floor with a left-right combo. Mitrione goes
fetal, covering up while Nelson bombs with punches from the
standing position. Referee Dean recognizes that Mitrione is
finished and steps in to end the assault.Official result: Roy Nelson def. Matt Mitrione via TKO
(Punches) R1 2:58