The blood has been spilled, the checks have been written, and ‘The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale' is in the books. All-in-all it was a successful event for the UFC, who come away with an explosive new TUF champion and familiar face positioned as the next contender in the lightweight division.
It took all of four minutes for Anthony Ferguson to knockout Ramsey Nijem with a blistering left hook and lay claim to season 13's TUF crown. It will be interesting to see what the UFC decides to do with Ferguson -- a young prospect who has impressed inside the cage all season. ‘El Cucuy''s standup game is particularly refined, especially when compared to TUF champions of the past. In a welterweight division filled to the brim with standouts, the former-All-American wrestler is sure to have plenty of tough tests ahead of him.
In the night's other co-headlining event Clay Guida upset Anthony "Showtime" Pettis, outwrestling the former-WEC champion to claim an unanimous decision victory. With the win, "The Carpenter" unequivocally bullied himself into the conversation of lightweight title contention. After the fight, Guida publicly called for his shot at the title, though it is more than likely that the Greg Jackson product is one fight away from that platform. Perhaps he faces the winner of Jim Miller vs. Ben Henderson?
In the card's additional bouts, TUF-veteran Ed Herman knocked-out Tim Credeur swiftly in the first round. The win was a much-needed stroke of encouragement for "Short Fuse", who had been sidelined since 2009 because of a knee injury sustained while fighting Aaron Simpson at UFC 102.
Former title contender Scott Jorgensen rebounded effectively in his first fight since losing to bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz at WEC 53. "Young Guns" dominated Ken Stone throughout the first round, finishing the WEC-veteran with a brutal series of punches from the ground.
Chris Cope soundly defeated Chuck O'Neil via unanimous decision in a battle of TUF season 13's two semi-finalists. With the win, the young California-native likely secured his spot in a future UFC event.
Full Results:
Tony Ferguson def. Ramsey Nijem via KO (Punches) at 3:54 of Round 1
Clay Guida def. Anthony Pettis via Decision (Unanimous)
Ed Herman def. Tim Credeur via TKO (Punches) at 0:48 of Round 1
Kyle Kingsbury def. Fabio Maldonado via Decision (Unanimous)
Chris Cope def. Chuck O'Neil via Decision (Unanimous)
Jeremy Stephens def. Danny Downes via Decision (Unanimous)
George Roop def. Josh Grispi via KO (Punch to the Body) at 3:14 of Round 3
Shamar Bailey def. Ryan McGillivray via Decision (Unanimous)
Clay Harvison def. Justin Edwards via Decision (Split)
Scott Jorgensen def. Ken Stone via KO (Punches) at 4:01 of Round 1
Reuben Duran def. Francisco Rivera via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 1:57 of Round 3
Bonuses:
Submission of the Night: Reuben Duran ($40,000)
Knockout of the Night: Anthony Ferguson ($40,000)
Fight of the Night: Kyle Kingsbury vs. Fabio Maldonado ($40,000 each)
Fighter Payouts (figures do not include fight-ending bonuses):
Anthony Ferguson: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
Ramsey Nijem: $8,000
Clay Guida: $74,000 (includes $37,000 win bonus)
Anthony Pettis: $10,000
Ed Herman: $48,000 (includes $24,000 win bonus)
Tim Credeur: $10,000
Kyle Kingsbury: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus)
Fabio Maldonado: $10,000
Chris Cope: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
Chuck O'Neil: $8,000
Jeremy Stephens: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus)
Danny Downes: $4,000
George Roop: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus)
Josh Grispi: $15,000
Shamar Bailey: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
Ryan McGillivray: $8,000
Clay Harvison: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
Justin Edwards: $8,000
Scott Jorgensen: $29,000 (includes $14,500 win bonus)
Ken Stone: $5,000
Reuben Duran: $12,000 (includes $6,000 win bonus)
Francisco Rivera: $4,000