Justin Lawrence may have fallen short in the TUF Live semi-finals, but he walked out the big winner at Friday’s The Ultimate Fighter Live Finale.
Lawrence, the No. 1 draft pick of the season, took home two $40,000 bonuses, earning both ‘Knockout of the Night’ and ‘Fight of the Night’ for his three-round war with John Cofer. The pair were locked in a highly-competitive back-and-forth brawl, until a jarring head kick from Lawrence shut the lights off his opponent 19 seconds into the final frame.
“I’m here in the UFC, and I’m here to stay,” Lawrence gushed afterward.
Elsewhere, upstart welterweight contender Martin Kampmann rallied back from the brink yet again, surviving early trouble to knockout Jake Ellenberger midway through the second round of the night’s main event. Kampmann was awarded a ‘Knockout of the Night’ bonus for his work, and has now earned three post-fight bonuses in his last four appearances.
“I need to get punched a little bit to wake me up,” Kampmann joked. “I saw the opportunity to finish, and I did.”
Finally, Michael Chiesa’s roller-coaster season ended on a high note, as the perpetual underdog secured an early rear-naked choke to render his former teammate Al Iaquinta unconscious in the TUF Live finals. With the win, the 24-year-old Chiesa was awarded a UFC contract, a Harley-Davidson, a TapouT endorsement deal, and an extra $40,000 for ‘Submission of the Night.’
“This is exactly what I wanted. This has been such a journey,” he said during an emotional post-fight interview. “There was no way I was losing this fight.”