TUF 21 Finale Results: Thompson lands highlight reel KO

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 21 Finale took place in the early hours of this morning (July 13, 2015). Although the event may have flown under the radar due to the magnitude of Sunday’s UFC 189, the card definitely delivered, producing some excellent fights and some electrifying finishes to round off an incredible weekend of UFC action.
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In the main event, former kickboxing champion and rising star Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson took on established veteran Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger. Thompson got dropped early on, but was able to recover and put his world class striking to work, picking Ellenbeger apart. “Wonderboy” dropped “The Juggernaut” with a spinning hook kick midway through the opening round, but failed to find the finish. Moments later, however, Thompson landed another highlight reel spinning kick. The kick appeared to just graze the head of Ellenberger, but it was enough to send him crashing to the mat, earning Thompson the KO and a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus.

The co-main event featured the TUF 21 final between Kamaru Usman of the Blackzilians and Hayder Hassan of American Top Team. In the final episode of the show last week, Hassan took his record to 3-0 for the season in a hard-fought split decision victory over Vincente Luque. Usman went 2-0 for the season for the Blackzilians and was their most successful fighter. As the fight got under way, Usman predictably relied on his powerful wrestling and was able to control the majority of the bout. He completed multiple takedowns throughout the fight and was eventually able to secure a second-round submission victory by way of arm triangle choke. Not only did Usman collect $300,000 for the Blackzilians, he picked up a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” Bonus as well.

Also featuring on the card were TUF 21 competitors Michael Graves and Vincente Luque. ATT product, Graves, was able to dominate the opening portion of the fight by effectively mixing his striking and wrestling. Graves continued to outwrestle the Blackzilian but was warned for a knee to the head of a grounded Luque in round two. Luque was able to mount something of a comeback in the final frame, but Graves had done enough in the opening two rounds to secure the unanimous decision victory.

Earlier on the main card, Jorge “Gambred” Masvidal made his welterweight debut against Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira. Masvidal was eager to get back in the win column after his controversial split decision loss to Al Iaquinta last month. Masvidal controlled the tempo early and, towards the end of the first round, was able to land knees to the body from the Thai clinch before connecting with a huge elbow to the face of the Brazilian. He followed up with a flurry of strikes on the ground, forcing referee John McCarthy to intervene at 4:22 of round one. The TKO victory also earned the Floridian $50,000 for “Performance of the Night”.

Angela Magana, the card’s biggest underdog, was able to do little to stop Michelle Waterson en route to a third round submission victory. Waterson dominated the opening two rounds before securing a rear-naked choke in the third.

Elsewhere on the card, Maximo Blanco earned a 16-second TKO of Mike de la Torre, Willie gates scored a first-round finish of Darrell Montague, and Josh Samman made waves by battering Caio Magalhaes in a bloody affair. Samman was able to submit the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, scoring a first-round finish and pocketing the fourth and final a $50,000 bonus.

A complete set of results for the card can be found below:

Stephen Thompson def. Jake Ellenberger via knockout (head kick, punches) – Round 1, 4:29
Kamaru Usman def. Hayder Hassan via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 1:19
Michael Graves def. Vicente Luque via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jorge Masvidal def. Cezar Ferreira via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:22
Michelle Waterson def. Angela Magana via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:38
Maximo Blanco def. Mike De La Torre via TKO (punch) – Round 1, 0:16
Josh Samman def. Caio Magalhaes via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:52
Jerrod Sanders def. Russell Doane via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Trevor Smith def. Dan Miller via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-26)
George Sullivan def. Dominic Waters via unanimous decision (30-25, 29-27, 29-28)
Willie Gates def. Darrell Montague via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:36