It might have not been the most attractive card compared to what UFC has planned for the rest of December, but The Ultimate Fighter 24 (TUF 24) Finale on Saturday night from Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas ushered in the busy month with a packed card.
Here are the complete results from the night, first from the main card followed by the undercard:
| Fighter | Fighter | Result |
| Demetrious Johnson | Tim Elliott | Johnson via Unanimous Decision (49-45, 49-46, 49-46) |
| Joseph Benavidez | Henry Cejudo | Benavidez via Split Decision (30-26, 29-27, 27-29) |
| Jake Ellenberger | Jorge Masvidal | Masvida via via TKO (Punches) |
| Jared Cannonier | Ion Cutelaba | Cannonier via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) |
| Alexis Davis | Sara McMann | McMann via via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) |
| Ryan Benoit | Brandon Moreno | Moreno via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) |
FS1
Undercard
- Devin Clark def. Josh Stansbury via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Anthony Smith def. Elvis Mutapcic via TKO (elbow and punches)
- Jamie Moyle def. Kailin Curran via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Dong Hyun Kim def. Brendan O'Reilly via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Rob Font def. Matt Schnell via TKO (knee and punches)
- Ryan Hall def. Gray Maynard via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Fights Of The Night
Demetrious Johnson vs. Tim Elliott
The winner of The Ultimate Fighter 24, Tim Elliott entered the Octagon for a UFC event on Saturday for the first time since a loss to Zach Makovsky at UFC Fight Night 60 in February 2015.
He didn't get an easy draw with Demetrious Johnson either, who defended his flyweight title successfully for the ninth straight time on Saturday via unanimous decision.
In order for Elliott to have a chance, he needed to put on the performance of a lifetime, and it looked as though he would do just that when he got Johnson down on the canvas, but the champ was able to escape.
Elliott then got him up against the cage and landed a few body shots before a left hand looked as though it dropped Johnson. However, the favorite was going for Elliott's legs at the time of contact, so it was unclear just how clean the shot was.
USA Today's Mike Bohn was surprised like the rest of the UFC world after that first round:
Tim Elliott just had his way with Demetrious Johnson in the first round. Pretty shocking to watch. #TUFFinale
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) December 4, 2016
Johnson spent most of the second and third rounds on top of Elliott, who was able to scramble out of every attempt to put him away. Elliott managed to stay loose in the process, winning over the crowd with his comedic antics, via Josh Sanchez of Campus Sports:
How much fun is Tim Elliott having? Demetrious Johnson pinched his nose so he couldn't breathe, Elliott just laughed. #TUFFinale pic.twitter.com/qicDuOwX0N
— Josh Sánchez (@jnsanchez) December 4, 2016
Elliott looked to be in trouble in the fourth round when Johnson was able to get his arm under the neck, but after he slowed his breathing, Elliott scrambled out once again.
Shortly after, though, Johnson landed a number of hard punches to the side of Elliott's head, who hung tough and was able to get off the canvas at the end of the round.
While the fifth round was nothing more than confirmation that Johnson would hold on to his belt, Elliott did prove that he was capable of staying in the UFC long term and succeeding at a high level.
Henry Cejudo vs. Joseph Benavidez
There was bad blood fully on display in the co-main event as Henry Cejudo and Joseph Benavidez spent plenty of time feuding as opposing coaches on TUF 24.
Cejudo came out firing, connecting on a number of punches and kicks, including a left-handed blow that dropped Benavidez momentarily.
However, Cejudo was deducted a point due to a low blow, stymieing his momentum. Still, he was impressing Fox Sports UFC:
This is the best Henry Cejudo has looked in his MMA career. #TUFFinale
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) December 4, 2016
It allowed Benavidez to settle down after the frantic start and dominate the second half of the round.
No fighter could get an edge, though, as they seemingly traded blows in the final two rounds. It made the final minute of the match all the more intense as the two fighters tried to gain an edge, via Fox Sports UFC:
Bitter rivals go the distance. Final minute of the @JoeJitsu & @HenryCejudo battle we've been waiting for #TUFFinale https://t.co/dJBRJxQ81W
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) December 4, 2016
It made that point deduction all the more glaring when it came to judging time, as Benavidez came away with the split-decision win.
Sara McMann vs. Alexis Davis
Sara McMann used an arm-triangle choke in the second round to defeat Alexis Davis and use the underdog's strategy against her.
Clearly looking to subdue her opponent and slow the pace, Davis did most of her damage on the canvas. That included at the end of the first round, when she landed multiple hard elbows to McMann's head.
But in the second round, just over three minutes in, McMann got the arm-triangle choke on Davis and did not let go. After a few seconds in which she tried to loosen McMann's grip, Davis tapped out.
These are a pair of fighters who competed for the bantamweight crown in the past. While there was no belt on the line on Saturday, McMann will be hoping that her win over Davis will put her back in the conversation of a rematch with Ronda Rousey, who beat her in 66 seconds in 2014.
While McMann has been searching for a way to get back in the title picture—which has been inconsistent with the likes Rousey, Meisha Tate, Holly Holm and current champion Amanda Nunes all grabbing the belt—Davis ended a 19-month absence from the Octagon on Saturday due to maternity leave.
Jared Cannonier vs. Ion Cutelaba
Jared Cannonier put the pedal to the metal and went all out on Ion Cutelaba, unleashing numerous powerful shots to set the tone of the bout early on. While Cutelaba managed to go the distance, Cannonier gained a huge advantage in the second round with this sequence, via UFC:
Cannonier landing some BIG shots here in R2! #TUFFinale https://t.co/ZwtfYpZXLV
— #TUFFinale (@ufc) December 4, 2016
For those who like raw power, Cutelaba's ability to stay on his feet provided their fight of the night as the two continuously bombarded punches at each other.
But after Cannonier's second round that got him an advantage on the scorecard, Cutelaba went for it all, providing a fun finish to the bout, via Fox Sports UFC:
What. A. BATTLE. Cannonier and Cutelaba absolutely slugged it out in the final minute. #TUFFinale https://t.co/uYQH6u5ajj
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) December 4, 2016
While Cutelaba was able to land some significant blows in the final round, Cannonier was still able to win by unanimous decision.
Move Of The Night
During the undercard, Rob Font wasted little time during his bout with Matt Schnell to put things to bed. Just 3:47 into the first round, Font unleashed a devastating knee that sent Schnell to the ground.
He followed up with some heavy punches before the fight was called, via UFC:
OHHH MY KNEE!!!!! @RobSFont #TUFFinale https://t.co/uzrbGw9H6o
— #TUFFinale (@ufc) December 4, 2016
The UFC is back next weekend with a packed schedule. On Dec. 9, it's UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Abdurakhimov from Albany, New York, followed by UFC 206 and the interim featherweight bout between Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis on Dec. 10 from Toronto.
Stats courtesy of Sherdog.com.
