The Ultimate Fighter 7 Results
by Robert Sargent
In the finals of The Ultimate Fighter Season 7, Amir Sadollah once again submitted CB Dollaway with an armbar to win the UFC contract, while Kendall Grove managed to land enough strikes to take a Split Decision over an aging Evan Tanner.
The judging in the main event was somewhat confusing, as one judge scored the close fight 29-28 for Tanner, while the others somehow saw it as a dominating 30-26 win for Grove.
Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove vs Evan Tanner
This bout was said to be a "loser leaves town" fight, but it is unfortunate that two of the judges apparently ignored all of Tanner's takedowns and effective strikes in the third round, giving all rounds to Grove, despite Grove's lacklustre performance in rounds one and three.The opening minutes of round one were dominated by clinches against the cage, with Tanner landing sparse strikes and looking for takedowns. He managed to briefly get Grove to the ground twice, but could do little but try to pass guard. Tanner managed to secure another takedown and landed in side-control, but Grove got back to his feet once again. Grove landed a standing elbow strike that cut Tanner above the left eye. Tanner went for a single-leg takedown and Grove hit him with a flying knee. Tanner got Grove down and Grove attempted a triangle choke. Tanner escaped, then slipped as he threw a kick and Grove took Tanner's back. Tanner escaped just before the bell. A close round, with Tanner dominating in takedowns and Grove winning the striking.
Round two was unquestionably all Grove, as he nearly knocked Tanner out in the middle of the stanza. Tanner started strong, landing a series of knees in the Thai clinch, then picking Grove up and slamming him to the mat. Grove kept calm and used a Kimura to get back to his feet, then let it go and landed strikes. Grove pushed Tanner against the cage and rocked him with a standing elbow to the temple. Tanner dropped momentarily, but managed to survive the barrage of follow-up strikes from Grove. Tanner did little for the remainder of the round, as Grove landed strikes at will. Grove handily takes round two.
Round three was largely dominated by Tanner, with two judges apparently paying no attention to the action. Grove landed a solid body kick early in the round, then the fighters clinched against the cage and Tanner tried for takedowns while Grove landed weak strikes. Tanner broke from the clinch with a hard right, then landed more rights that seemed to swing the momentum of the round in Tanner's favour. Seemingly desperate for a finish, Tanner continued to unload with wild lefts and right uppercuts, mixing in knees in the clinch. Grove landed a stiff jab and another body kick, then a knee just before the bell, but round three should have definitively gone to Tanner.
Only one judge correctly scored the bout 29-28, scoring it in favour of Tanner, while the other two judges scored it 30-26 for Grove. Round two did not seem dominant enough to be a 10-8 round, but round three should have gone to Tanner, regardless. Grove deserved the victory, but not by such an inflated margin. Sadly, after two straight losses, it seems as if Tanner's best days are well in the past.
Winner: Kendall Grove by Split Decision (30-26, 30-26, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 9-5-0, 1 NC.
TUF 7 Middleweight Final
Amir Sadollah vs CB "The Doberman" Dollaway
In a repeat of their previous bout on TUF reality show, Sadollah once again submitted Dollaway with an armbar, claiming the title of The Ultimate Fighter.Sadollah kept Dollaway at bay early on with front push kicks, but Dollaway scored a takedown. He eventually moved to side-control, but did very little in terms of offence. Sadollah scrambled and regained guard. After a period of inactivity, Sadollah locked on an armbar as Dollaway tried to stand. Just as in their previous bout, Dollaway was forced to submit, though he briefly claimed that he had not tapped, even though he clearly did one time.
Sadollah is the winner of Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter, winning his professional MMA debut.
Winner: Amir Sadollah by Submission (Armbar) at 3:02 of round one. He improves to 1-0-0 and becomes the TUF Season 7 Winner.
Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez vs Luigi Fioravanti
Though Sanchez failed miserably in all but one of his takedown attempts, he displayed improved striking and landed a series of head kicks, eventually finishing Fioravanti late in round three after a high kick and a brutal knee.Sanchez attempted a takedown early in round one and was met with a stiff punch for his troubles, as Fioravanti sprawled to defend. Fioravanti landed a solid leg kick and Sanchez came back with a flying knee and a head kick. Once again, Fioravanti stuffed a takedown attempt and connected with a right. Sanchez landed a quick one-two combination, then managed to get Fioravanti down for all of one second, as Fioravanti used a rolling judo toss to throw Sanchez off. As the round neared conclusion, Fioravanti scored a takedown by slamming Sanchez to the mat. Sanchez takes the close first round.
Fioravanti landed a pair of solid punches early in round two, then briefly injured his foot as he stepped on the edge of the cage bottom while circling backwards. Sanchez rushed in and dropped Fioravanti with a lunging punch, then dove into side-control. Fioravanti quickly got back to his feet and ate a Sanchez head kick seconds later. Both fighters simultaneously landed hard hooks, but it was Fioravanti, with the harder punching power, who surprisingly fell to the canvas. Sanchez again looked for the finish, but Fioravanti held on and landed a solid right before the bell. Sanchez takes round two.
Fioravanti opened round three with a hard left hook, then again easily defended a takedown attempt from Sanchez. Sanchez came back with a pair of right hooks, then scored his only successful takedown, briefly taking Fioravanti's back. Fioravanti covered up, then rolled and escaped danger, but Sanchez badly rocked him with a head kick not long after. Fioravanti wobbled and Sanchez rushed in with a jumping knee, then unleashed a flurry of punches to the downed Fioravanti, prompting the referee to stop the fight.
Winner: Diego Sanchez by TKO (Strikes) at 4:07 of round three. He improves to 19-2-0.
Spencer "The King" Fisher vs Jeremy "Lil' Heathen" Stephens
Fisher returned to his winning ways, defeating Stephens in a hard-fought but decisive victory.Both fighters landed strikes early in round one, with Stephens trying unsuccessfully for a toss takedown. From Stephens's guard, Fisher landed some weak punches and Stephens tried for a triangle choke, then an armbar. Fisher remained calm and escaped the submissions, then moved to half-guard and began landing the first of many unique back-elbow strikes to the face of Stephens. Fisher repeated the effective tactic throughout the fight. Late in the round, Fisher managed to take Stephens's back, but Stephens regained guard. Fisher landed more punches on the ground before the bell and won round one.
Round two was more of the same, but Stephens managed to land some solid punches in the opening minute, including a hard right. Fisher came back with a quick combination, then a right hook, and scored a takedown. From side-control, Fisher landed elbows and assorted strikes to the face of Stephens, and Stephens managed to get back to half-guard. Little happened as both fighters worked to improve their positions on the ground, and Stephens got back to his feet and scored a slam takedown just before the bell. Fisher takes round two.
Fisher opened round three with a kick to the body, with Stephens replying by landing a right hook and a knee to the stomach of Fisher. Stephens locked on a guillotine and pulled guard, but Fisher transitioned into side-control to escape the tactic. From there, Fisher landed elbows and weak rights to the head. Stephens got back to his feet and landed another right hook, then a flying elbow strike. Stephens then managed to score a takedown with 90 seconds remaining, but did nothing and Fisher defended well from guard. Fisher got back to his feet and was trapped in another tight guillotine as time ticked down, but managed to survive until the bell. Stephens takes the close round, but not the fight.
Winner: Spencer Fisher by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 21-4-0.
Matthew Riddle vs Dante Rivera
Rivera had previously promised to retire if he ever lost to Riddle, but claimed after the fight that he would continue fighting, even though he was soundly dominated by Riddle in this bout.All three rounds of this fight were nearly identical, with Riddle getting the better of the rare striking exchanges and holding top position on the ground for much of the fight. In round one, Riddle kept Rivera pinned against the cage for several minutes, landing dozens of knee strikes to the legs and body. Late in the round, Riddle scored a takedown and landed a series of elbows. The second round saw Riddle on top after a failed judo throw from Rivera. Riddle locked on a guillotine, then got mount, but foolishly went for an armbar. Just before the bell, Riddle locked on a triangle choke, but Rivera survived.
Riddle dominated all of round three, scoring an early takedown and holding top position for much of the round. Rivera made good use of the rubber guard, and landed a handful of decent strikes during a brief exchange, but Riddle would not be denied. Just before the end of the round, Riddle scored another takedown and moved to mount, even trying a triangle from the mount position as the bell rang. Riddle handily won all three rounds, but horrid judge Cecil Peoples somehow scored one round for Rivera. He truly should never be scoring fights or have anything to do with MMA.
Winner: Matthew Riddle by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 1-0-0.
Undercard Fights:
Drew "The Massacre" McFedries completely destroyed Marvin "The Beastman" Eastman, winning by TKO (Strikes) at 1:08 of round one after rocking Eastman multiple times with knees and punches. McFedries, coming off of a loss to Patrick Côté and also the loss of his mother, gets back on the winning track and improves to 7-3-0.Dustin "McLovin" Hazelett defeated "The People's Warrior" Josh Burkman by Submission (Armbar) at 4:46 of round two. A huge upset victory for Hazelett, who improves to 11-4-0.
Matt Brown defeated Matt "No Regard" Arroyo for the second time, once again by TKO (Strikes) in the second round, this time at 3:40. Brown improves to 10-6-0 with the win.
Dean "The Boogeyman" Lister defeated Jeremy "Gumby" Horn by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 3:52 of round one in a fight that bizarrely was not shown on the telecast. Lister avenges a previous loss to Horn and improves to 11-5-0.
Rob Kimmons defeated Rob "Monster" Yundt by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 3:58 of round one. Kimmons improves to 21-3-0 with the victory.
A scheduled bout between Tim Credeur and Cale Yarbrough did not take place due to Credeur testing positive for the prescription medication Adderall. Credeur had informed the Nevada State Athletic Commission that he had taken the drug until five days prior to the fight, and traces remained in his system. As a result of his honesty, and the fact that he did not compete, he will not be fined or suspended and no penalty is expected to be levied.
While not the best TUF finale, Season 7 did end with a number of entertaining fights, and Season 8 is truly poised to be the best season in the show's history.
