The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale is taking place live from The Palms in Las Vegas as we speak. In the main event of the evening, UFC flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson will fight TUF 24 winner Tim Elliott.
Check out results of the first three main card bouts below.
Jared Cannonier def. Ion Cutelaba via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jared Cannonier’s debut in the light heavyweight division couldn’t have gone much better for him. He defeated Ion Cutelaba, who was the betting favorite going into the TUF 24 Finale main card bout, by clear unanimous decision.
Both fighters looked fantastic early on, making the first five minutes a close, back-and-forth round. Cannonier and Cutelaba both got in their fair share of shots on the feet, but Cutelaba mixed in a couple of takedowns, as well, and had better use of combinations.
Cannonier took over in the latter two rounds, particularly the third, as Cutelaba tired as time went on (which was somewhat surprising, as Cutelaba is somewhat known for good cardio and Cannonier dropped down from heavyweight for the first time). The later the fight went, the harder Cannonier seemed to hit. Cutelaba still had success with takedowns in the last two rounds, but Cannonier, who even rocked Cutelaba late in the third round, did enough on the feet with his power-punching to get the judges’ nod.
Sara McMann def. Alexis Davis via Submission (arm triangle) at 2:52 of Round 2
Sara McMann continued her winning ways in a fight with fellow women’s bantamweight Alexis Davis, defeating the Canadian via second-round arm triangle. She had to overcome a bit of adversity to get the tap-out win, however. McMann looked sharper and more powerful than usual on the feet early on, but took the bout to the mat. Davis constantly attempted with submissions, particularly a triangle choke, off her back, and landed tons of nasty elbows from the bottom.
But McMann found herself in a better position after taking her opponent down in the second round, and it didn’t take long for her to lock in an arm-triangle submission for the victory.
Brandon Moreno def. Ryan Benoit via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Brandon Moreno defeated Ryan Benoit by split decision — although, it probably should have been unanimous — in the TUF 24 Finale main card opening bout. Training at Team Elevation in Colorado has certainly paid off for “The Assassin Baby,” who has improved greatly since his stint on TUF 24 earlier this year.
Moreno had a higher output on the feet than Benoit, but “Baby Face” clearly had the power advantage and even dropped Moreno once in the fight. Had Benoit found his range more often, he could have pulled off the upset. But it was all Moreno, who kept the fight where he wanted it and picked his opponent apart. Particularly early on, Moreno looked fantastic on the mat, as well, taking Benoit down several times and clinching him up against the fence.