TUF 24 Finale results: Devin Clark outworks Josh Stansbury for first UFC win

LAS VEGAS – With his father’s voice booming out encouragement throughout the small venue, Devin Clark simply outworked Josh Stansbury in a three-round battle.

On the strength of his takedowns and power punching, Clark (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) downed a somewhat tentative Stansbury (8-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) to nab the unanimous decision victory with scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28.

The light heavyweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s TUF 24 Finale event at The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. It aired on FS1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on FS1.

For Clark, consistency and aggression carried the day from the first round to the last. He planted Stansbury on his back early on, avoided guillotine chokes on subsequent attempts, and unleashed some heavy hands when the fighters found themselves at distance.

Stansbury was not without his bright spots, however. As the fight wore on, he did a fine job of shutting down Clark’s takedowns, which became increasingly telegraphed as he lost steam in the later rounds. Stansbury also appeared to be the crisper counter-puncher, several times stinging Clark with his short left hook.

But while Clark stayed busy and pressed the action, Stansbury too often found himself waiting and watching, or else getting mired in the clinch as precious seconds ticked away in a fight that didn’t favor him on the scorecards. When it came down to it, he lacked the appropriate sense of urgency, handing the fight to Clark, who kept throwing hard well into the final minute.

When the judges had their say, all three saw it for Clark, with two judges giving him every round.

Clark’s victory is his first since his knockout loss to Alex Nicholson in his UFC debut. The loss for Stansbury snaps an eight-fight winning streak.

Up-to-the-minute TUF 24 Finale results include:

• Devin Clark def. Josh Stansbury via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

For complete coverage of The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

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