MMA fans who forgot about The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale forgot about one of the best MMA matchups of the year.
That would be a featherweight battle between Frankie Edgar, the indomitable former lightweight champion, and Chad Mendes, the heavy-fisted wrestler who was arguably a full training camp away from facing Jose Aldo at UFC 194 instead of Conor McGregor.
There was a good chance that the winner of this one would go on to face the winner between McGregor and Aldo, which is not only the main event of Saturday’s UFC 194 but the main highlight of a highlight-filled, three-event weekend for the UFC.
Another title challenger may also have been identified earlier on the main card, when streaking lightweights Tony Ferguson and Edson Barboza did battle. And that’s to say nothing of Ryan Hall and Artem Lobov, who faced off for the vaunted six-figure contract at the end of the TUF rainbow.
As always, the final stat lines only reveal so much. These are the real winners and losers from the TUF 22 Finale.
Full results also appear on the final slide.