After 12 long weeks, season 23 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) has finally wrapped, leaving us with the 115-pound championship rematch pitting strawweight titleholder Joanna Jedrzejczyk against No. 1 contender and fellow TUF coach Claudia Gadelha.
In addition, TUF crowns will be awarded in the 115-pound and 205-pound divisions, along with a couple of six-figure contracts. Elsewhere on the FOX Sports 1 card, which pops off this Friday night (July 8, 2016) inside MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, ex-Bellator champ Will Brooks makes his Octagon debut opposite Ross Pearson.
Let the good times roll!
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire TUF 23 Finale fight card below, starting with the Fight Pass “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET, and then the remaining undercard balance on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 10 p.m. ET, also on FOX Sports 1.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps, and post-fight analysis following “Jedrzejczyk vs Gadelha.”
Without further delay, see below for the latest TUF 23 Finale results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)
TUF 23 FINALE QUICK RESULTS:
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Claudia Gadelha
Andrew Sanchez vs. Khalil Rountree — Sanchez def. Rountree by unanimous decision (30-25 x2, 30-26)
Amanda Cooper vs. Tatiana Suarez — Suarez def. Cooper by submission (d’arce choke) at 3:43 of Round One
Ross Pearson vs. Will Brooks — Brooks def. Pearson by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Doo Ho Choi vs. Thiago Tavares — Choi def. Tavares by KO (punches) at 2:42 of Round One
Joaquim Silva vs. Andrew Holbrook — Silva def. Holbrook by KO (punches) at 0:34 of Round One
Gray Maynard vs. Fernando Bruno — Maynard def. Bruno by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
John Moraga vs. Matheus Nicolau — Nicolau def. Moraga by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Cezar Ferreira vs. Anthony Smith — Ferreira def. Smith by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Joshua Stansbury vs. Cory Hendricks — Stansbury def. Hendricks by majority decision (29-27 x2, 28-28)
Jake Matthews vs. Kevin Lee — Lee def. Matthews by TKO (punches) at 4:06 of Round One
Li Jingliang vs. Anton Zafir — Jingliang def. Zafir by KO (punches) at 2:46 of Round One
TUF 23 FINALE LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY:
115 lbs.: UFC Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Claudia Gadelha
Round 1: Gadelha scores a quick knockdown and takes the champ to the ground near the fence. Jedrzejczyk manages to work her way to the feet and press Gadelha against the cage. One minute in. Gadelha with a hard right hand as they separate. Gadelha pressuring, Jedrzejczyk flurries in response. Gadelha ties up once again. Two minutes in. Gadelha wrangles her to the mat and sets up in half guard. Good ground-and-pound from the challenger. Jedrzejczyk scoots to the fence and gets to her feet. Two minutes to go.
Both swing on the break. Snap kick to the body from Jedrzejczyk, then a low kick after Gadelha claims an eye poke. Left hook by the champion. One minute to go. Jedrzejczyk switching stance, landing low kicks. Quick exchanges in the center. Jedrzejczyk to the body once again. Gadelha with a right hand inside, more low kicks from the champion. 10-9 Gadelha.
Round 2:
Round 3:
Round 4:
Round 5:
Final result::
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205 lbs.: Andrew Sanchez vs. Khalil Rountree
Round 1: Sanchez tries a high kick, avoids counters. Sanchez shoots, sprawled on. Body kick lands for him. One minute in. Sanchez shoots again and he completes this one. Rountree scoots to the fence. Sanchez grabs the waistlock as Rountree stands, then wrangles him down. Up pops Rountree again, taken down again. Sanchez staying heavy on him, denying any opportunity to stand. Two minutes to go.
More grinding by Sanchez, short right hands. One minute to go. Rountree makes it to his feet and manages to separate. Sanchez fires a head kick and shoots. Rountree swats him off of his back. 10-9 Sanchez.
Round 2: Rountree moving forward, denies a takedown. 1-2 by Sanchez. Two left hands from Rountree force a shot. Sanchez working for the single-leg. One minute in. Rountree continues to defend for a while, then gets put on his rear. Two minutes in. Sanchez continues to grind away, landing the occasional punch. Two minutes to go.
Sanchez has one hook in against the cage. One minute to go. Sanchez still doing his thing. Elbow by Rountree. 10-9 Sanchez.
Round 3: Sanchez fires a head kick, shoots and stuffed. Right hook from Rountree. Sanchez shoots and Rountree cracks him with hammerfists as Sanchez drives. One minute in. Sanchez manages to drive him to the mat. Two minutes in. Rountree has his back on the fence, won’t or can’t stand. Sanchez moves to take the back as Rountree slowly gets to a knee. Two minutes to go.
Rountree just totally unable to do anything as Sanchez grinds. One minute to go. More of the same. 10-9 Sanchez.
Final result:: Sanchez def. Rountree by unanimous decision
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115 lbs.: Amanda Cooper vs. Tatiana Suarez
Round 1: Cooper with a right hand early. Suarez goes for a single-leg and wrangles her to the mat. Full guard. Ground-and-pound by Suarez. Cooper turns for an armbar, but doesn’t have Suarez’s elbow in position. Suarez slips out and scores another takedown on the cage. One minute in. More short ground-and-pound. Cooper sweeps and takes half guard. Two minutes in. Suarez slips out, so Cooper falls back with a high-elbow guillotine that Suarez avoids. Good shots by Suarez as she stands over Cooper. Two minutes to go.
Suarez moves to pass and sets up a d’arce choke in transition. She drops her weight on Cooper’s neck and it’s not long before she draws the tap.
Final result: Suarez def. Cooper by submission (d’arce choke)
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155 lbs.: Ross Pearson vs. Will Brooks
Round 1: Low kick from Pearson, Brooks answers in kind. Body kick by Brooks met by a right hand. Another low kick from Pearson. They tie up and Pearson tries a foot sweep. One minute in. Brooks lands a knee to the body, then a body kick and a knee. Lead hook by Pearson, knee by Brooks. Brooks tries an outside trip and ties up on the fence. Two minutes in. Pearson defending the takedown. They separate, Pearson sporting a cut above his right eye. Two minutes to go.
Body kick from Brooks. Pearson pops him with a counter that appears to stun the Bellator champ. Brooks shoots, stuffed and he eats a knee. One minute to go. Pearson reverses position on the cage. Brooks reverses in turn and they trade knees until the bell. Close, close round. 10-9 Brooks.
Round 2: Short left by Brooks, straight right by Pearson as they pivot. Pearson working the body as Brooks advances. Hard knee by Brooks. Counter uppercut by Pearson. One minute in. Brooks with a pair of kicks, then again to the body. 1-2 by Brooks, then an outside trip into guard. Two minutes in. Brooks working some ground-and-pound from the closed guard. Brooks grabs the turtle position has Pearson stands. Right hands from Brooks, who slips in a hook but quickly loses it. Pearson makes it to his feet, still controlled form the rear waistlock. Two minutes to go.
Knees from both against the fence. Pearson reverses position. More knees from both men. Brooks reverses, lands an elbow and a knee. Solid clinchwork by Brooks. Good uppercut, good knee. Pearson reverses position. Knee by Brooks, then a pair of right hooks as they separate. Pearson knocks down an off-balance Brooks and lands in guard before the bell. 10-9 Brooks.
Round 3:Pearson lands a hard punching combination to start the round. Chopping right from Brooks, shoots and stuffed. Pearson body kick, eats a knee and lands a sneaky left hook. Brooks again shoots, again stuffed. Knee by Brooks and he ties up on the fence. Pearson knee goes low and they pause. Pearson stuffs a takedown and lands an elbow on the restart. Hard body shot by the Brit. Pearson’s really found his range here. Two minutes in. 1-2 from Pearson. 1-2 by Brooks in return. Pearson to the body, good shots upstairs. Counter right hook by Pearson stings the Bellator champion. Hard body kick, Brooks lands a right hand in return. Pearson opening up against the fence, ripping to the body. Two minutes to go.
Pearson just demolishing Brooks’ body on the fence. Brooks comes back, lands a knee and right hand before Pearson clinches. Brooks reverses position and separates. Knee by Brooks, nasty body kick by Pearson. Brooks slings Pearson the mat and grabs the rear waistlock as he stands. Pearson turns to face him with a minute to go. They trade knees to the body and Brooks reverses in turn. Nice elbow by Brooks. They trade knees to the body. Nice exchanges of knees and elbows until the bell. Great fight, wouldn’t complain about 29-28 either way. 10-9 Pearson.
Final result:: Brooks def. Pearson by unanimous decision
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145 lbs.: Doo Ho Choi vs. Thiago Tavares
Round 1: Choi fires an early knee and Tavares puts him on his rear against the cage. Choi briefly gets back to his feet, brought back down. One minute in. Tavares struggling to get him off the fence. Choi manages to pop back up and grab an underhook to press Tavares against the cage. Tavares counters with an inside trip. Choi again pops up. Two minutes in. Choi separates and lands a straight right. 1-2 melts Tavares and a right hand puts the Brazilian to sleep.
Final result:: Choi def. Tavares by KO (punches)
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155 lbs.: Joaquim Silva vs. Andrew Holbrook
Round 1: Straight left from holbrook. Silva catches a body kick and dumps Holbrook to the mat, then drops him with a right hand on the way up and puts him to sleep with follow-up hammerfists.
Final result:: Silva def. Holbrook by KO (punches)
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145 lbs.: Gray Maynard vs. Fernando Bruno
Round 1: Bruno swarms with a flurry and they trade bombs. A counter right hand sends Bruno to his knees but the brawl continues. Nice throw by Bruno, Maynard counters with the whizzer and takes top position. One minute inBruno works to stand on the fence. One minute in. They separate, Maynard continues to advance. Bruno slips while punching, goes back to swatting with his punches. Two minutes in. Nice left hook from the Brazilian. Two minutes in. Maynard ties up on the fence. Bruno throws on the exit and they exchange big punches. Two minutes to go.
Bruno to the body. Maynard low kick and straight right. Bruno’s so awkward it’s impossible to tell when he’s rattled. Bruno counters a takedown, eats a right hand. Maynard stays attached. One minute to go. Bruno to the body, Maynard with knees in return. Single-leg by Bruno. Maynard scrambles up. Close round. 10-9 Bruno, barely,
Round 2: Maynard marching forward. Body kick by Bruno, straight right from Maynard. Bruno lands an uppercut, then uncorks a flurry. Counter right by Maynard. One minute in. Bruno goes for a low single and Maynard uses a nice counter to wind up on top. Half guard for Maynard. Two minutes in. Bruno tries to stand and Maynard forces him back down. Now to the front headlock and Maynard locks up an arm-in guillotine that looks good. He can’t get it, but maintains top position. Maynard staying really heavy on his turtling foe. Two minutes to go.
Bruno scoots to the fence and stands. Bruno with some swatting shots as they separate. He looks bushed. Maynard counters a takedown and moves to the back once more. Bruno counters with a Kimura attempt. One minute to go. Maynard patiently extracts his arm. Bruno stands, Maynard hits an outside trip into half guard. Now the back. 10-9 Maynard.
Round 3: Bruno still slinging arm punches, shoots in. Maynard just bulldozes him to the mat and takes top position. One minute in. Nice left hand by Maynard. Maynard continues to dominate over the next two minutes, dominating positions and landing in transition. Two minutes to go.
Suddenly, Bruno slaps on a tight-looking palm-to-palm guillotine. Maynard slips his head out and they stand. Bruno shoots in on the fence. Maynard sprawls on it. One minute to go. Bruno wings a few more tired punches after they stand and falls to the mat as Gray shoves him down. 10-9 Maynard.
Final result:: Maynard def. Bruno by unanimous decision
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125 lbs.: John Moraga vs. Matheus Nicolau
Round 1: Low kick from Moraga. Nicolau answers in kind. One minute in. Nicolau jabs the body, eats a low kick. They exchange left hooks. Two minutes in. Low kicks. Not a terribly pleasant fight thus far. Two minutes to go.
Nice 2-3 by Nicolau on the counter. Moraga left hook. Nicolau counters a low kick with a long left hand. One minute to go. Moraga tries to counter. Both land low kicks. Moraga shoots, stuffed. Check hook from Nicolau. 10-9 Nicolau.
Round 2: Low kicks to start the round. Both whiff on combinations. One minute in. Nasty overhand right and left hook by the Brazilian. Two minutes in. Moraga really looks gunshy and underwhelming in there. Two minutes to go.
Nicolau whiffs on an overhand left. Low kicks land for him. Moraga with a calf kick. Straight right by Nicolau. One minute to go. Moraga lands a body kick, can’t tie up. Nicolau counters well. 10-9 Nicolau.
Round 3: Moraga lands a hard straight right early on. Left hook by Nicolau. One minute in. Left hands by both men. Moraga tries an uppercut. Two minutes in. The fight kinda sucks. Nicolau tries a spinning back fist. Left hook and straight right both land. Moraga boots ihim in the calf. Two minutes to go.
1-2 by Moraga, blocks a head kick. Nicolau lands a lead right. 1-2 lands for Moraga. One minute to go. Nicolau stuffs a takedown and reverses into Moraga’s guard. Nicolau lands some shots and takes the back at the bell. 10-9 Nicolau.
Final result:: Nicolau def. Moraga by split decision
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205 lbs.: Joshua Stansbury vs. Cory Hendricks
Round 1: Kicks from Hendricks in the early going. Stansbury ties up and takes him to the fence. One minute in. Hendricks reverses. They separate and wing punches. Body kick from Hendricks. Left hook from Stansbury finds its mark and they resume kicking one another. Hendricks doing very good work with his legs thus far. Two minutes in. Stansbury catches a body kick, lands a right, and shoots in. Hendricks defends on the fence. Two minutes to go.
Counter left hook by Stansbury. Hendricks connects with punches, opens a cut near Stansbury’s ear. More combination work by Hendricks. Stansbury whiffs on a spinning back fist. Head kick from Hendricks and Stansbury cracks him with a left hook in return. One minute to go. They tie up and Stansbury puts him on the fence once more. Knees by Hendricks. They separate. Left hook from Stansbury before the bell. 10-9 Hendricks.
Round 2: Stansbury lands another left hook early. Both whiff on punches until Hendricks lands a straight right. Stansbury lands an overhand right, then some solid dirty boxing inside. One minute in. 1-3 by Stansbury. Hendricks tries an outside trip, Stansbury counters and takes half guard. Two minutes in. Hendricks regains full guard. Stansbury not doing much from on top. Two minutes to go.
Back to their feet. Head kick from Hendricks, left hook by Stansbury. Stansbury with a right hand after eating a low kick. Stansbury starting to gain momentum. One minute to go. Hendricks lands a body kick. They tie up, Stansbury reverses position on the fence. 10-9 Stansbury.
Round 3: Hendricks shoots, Stansbury counters into side control. Hendricks seems out of gas. Stansbury briefly tries an Americana. One minute in. Stansbury not posturing up. Hendricks bridges, no luck. He regains half guard. Two minutes in, back to side control. Elbows by Stansbury. Stansbury again briefly tries an Americana and snuffs out some attempts to bridge. To the crucifix, loses it. Two minutes to go.
The ground-and-pound continues. One minute to go. Hendricks doesn’t have the gas to get up or gain half guard. More elbows. Hendricks manages to make a little space before the bell. 10-9 Stansbury.
Final result:: Stansbury def. Hendricks by majority decision
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185 lbs.: Cezar Ferreira vs. Anthony Smith
Round 1: Smith on the advance, as expected. Body kick from the Brazilian, then another. Straight left lands clean. One minute in. Left hook lands for Smith. Quick exchange. Ferreira shoots in as he takes a body kick and sets up in guard. Two minutes in. Smith with an overhook, working a high guard until the referee stands them up. They exchange kicks. Counter left lands clean for Ferreira. Knee to the body by Smith soon after. Two minutes to go.
Ferreira landing the counter left as Smith advances. Counter right stings Smith and the Brazilian takes him down against the fence. One minute to go. Smith working his guard higher while Ferreira doesn’t do much of anything. Solid elbow lands as I type that. More elbows until the bell. 10-9 Ferreira.
Round 2: Low kick from Ferreira. Smith body kick, Ferreira low kick at the same time. Harder low kick by the Brazilian. Counter left from Ferreira. One minute in. Ferreira ducks a right hand and hits another takedown, taking half guard to avoid a guillotine. Smith quickly scrambles his way back up. Snap kick to the body. Right hand connects. Two minutes in. Both land right hands as Ferreira circles off. Left hook and body kicks from Smith. Ferreira hits another takedown into guard and avoids a triangle. Two minutes to go.
Smith again controlling with an overhook. Short blows from Ferreira, solid elbows. Referee stands them up with a little under a minute to go. Smith continues to stalk forward. Heavy elbows and Ferreira’s on the retreat. Both men land heavy punches. 10-9 Smith.
Round 3: Low kick from Ferreira. Left hook by Smith, body kicks come back at him. Straight right from Smith. Ferreira ducks a right hand for another takedown. One minute in. Smith just controlling posture. Ferreira with short punches. Two minutes in. The referee stands them up and Ferreira immediately fires a blast double. Smith grabs an arm-in guillotine, doesn’t look tight. Two minutes to go.
Smith lets go and Ferreira hops into half guard. One minute to go. Some short ground-and-pound by Ferreira. 10-9 Ferreira.
Final result:: Ferreira def. Smith by unanimous decision
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155 lbs.: Jake Matthews vs. Kevin Lee
Round 1: Matthews opens with a low kick. Teep to the body. Lee shoots, lifts Matthews into the air, and slams him down into half guard. Solid elbows by Lee. Matthews regains guard. One minute in. Matthews looking to bring his legs up and control his posture. Lee with a slight slam. Matthews works to stand, does so and avoids a back take. Lee with a knee to the body. Two minutes in. Body shots inside. Matthews exits the clinch with an elbow. Combination by the Aussie, then a glancing head kick. Hard counter right by Lee knocks out Matthews’ mouthpiece. Two minutes to go.
Lee ducks under a right hand and shoots in. He quickly moves to the back and puts in both hooks. Lee flattens him out and drills him with punches. Matthews can’t get out and the referee soon steps in.
Final result:: Lee def. Matthews by TKO (punches)
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170 lbs.: Li Jingliang vs. Anton Zafir
Round 1: Low kick from Zafir to start. Lead right connects. Li throwing counters, yet to land clean. Zafir low kick. Well-timed takedown by Zafir into guard. One minute in. Zafir hops into half guard. Li grabs a guillotine grip and uses it to sweep, but soon gets taken down again. Two minutes in. Li stands with an underhook, gets his head out of a guillotine, and trips him down on the fence. Nasty shots by Li and some right hands out of nowhere turn the lights off. Dang.
Final result:: Jingliang def. Zafir by KO (punches)
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