In the only fight not related to this season of the reality show, lightweights Yves Edwards and Tony Ferguson faced off.
Edwards, a long time veteran, looked to bounce back from a brutal knockout loss to Sam Stout in his last bout.
Ferguson, winner of the thirteenth season of the show, destroyed veteran Aaron Riley at UFC 135 in September.
Ferguson opened with leg kicks. Edwards pressed forward with a flurry to slow Ferguson’s advance. Ferguson landed three straight kicks to the lead leg of the left-handed Edwards. Edwards popped the head of Ferguson with a straight left. A head kick from Edwards surprised Ferguson. Edwards connected with a left hand in an exchange. Ferguson scored with a lead uppercut. A right hand from Ferguson wobbled Edwards for a moment. Another uppercut from Ferguson hurt Edwards. Ferguson backed Edwards against the fence with a right hand and began to unload. Edwards answered with a head kick. Edwards shot for a takedown but Ferguson defended and rolled into an omoplata as the round concluded.
Edwards landed the first shots of the second frame, but Ferguson continued to press forward. A right hand followed by a head kick from Edwards wobbled Ferguson. Edwards launched a flying knee that landed flush on Ferguson’s chin. Blood poured from the nose of Ferguson. A combination from Ferguson scored. A right hand from Ferguson landed. A left from Edwards connected with the jaw of Ferguson, but a counter wobbled Edwards. Edwards again threw a head kick. Edwards shot for a takedown, but Ferguson stuffed it and scored with one of his own as the bell sounded.
Edwards scored with a left hand, left kick combo to open the final round. Ferguson delivered a kick to the body of Edwards. A left hand from Ferguson sent Edwards backwards. Both fighters scored with inside leg kicks. Edwards landed a right hook and followed with another head kick. The pair exchanged wildly, with neither landing flush as the fight went the distance.
The judges scored the fight for Ferguson. “I learned a lot from this fight,” Ferguson explained in his post-fight interview. “I tip my hat to him (Edwards).”
Official Result: Tony Ferguson def. Yves Edwards by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
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Rob Tatum is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at TheMMACorner.com. For anything related to MMA, you can follow Rob on Twitter @RobTatumMMA.