The debut of former World Series of Fighting star Justin Gaethje was the biggest story on The Ultimate Fighter 25 finale, and he certainly lived up to the hype with a second-round finish of Michael Johnson in the night’s main event.
UFC on FOX tweeted the highlight of the incredible finish:
Gaethje came to the UFC with a reputation for putting on nothing but entertaining slugfests, and he certainly lived up to that reputation in the first round. Both lightweights were extremely aggressive in the opening frame.
The newcomer applied the pressure, but Johnson was more than happy to oblige with combinations of his own as the two slugged it out.
As the two went over 100 combined strikes landed in the first five minutes, per Fox Sports, MMA Fighting nominated it as the round of the year:
With Gaethje’s brawling, open style comes the opportunity for opponents to land their own strikes. Johnson took advantage of that as he stymied his opponent in the late first and early second round, countering the former World Series of Fighting champion.
But there’s a reason that Gaethje’s arrival in the UFC was one of the most anticipated in recent memory. Gaethje absorbed the best of what Johnson had and returned fire with the late finish in the second round.
There’s no doubt the bout is an instant classic. According to the UFC, the two combatants landed nearly 200 strikes in under two rounds:
Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report had high praise for the fight:
After scoring the huge win, Gaethje opened a challenge to the rest of the lightweight division that few are likely to be champing at the bit to answer:
Prospects made a name for themselves. A true redemption story saw its completion in The Ultimate Fighter finale, and a light heavyweight prospect got back in the win column. Here’s a look at the complete results from the Las Vegas card and a closer look at each of the main card bouts.
Main Card
- Justin Gaethje def. Michael Johnson via second-round TKO (4:48)
- Jesse Taylor def. Dhiego Lima via submission (RNC) (R2, 0:43)
- Drakkar Klose def. Marc Diakiese via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Jared Cannonier def. Nick Roehrick via third-round TKO (2:08)
- Brad Tavares def. Elias Theodorou via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
- Jordan Johnson def. Marcel Fortuna via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Undercard
- Angela Hill def. Ashley Yoder via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
- James Krause def. Tom Gillicchio via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
- C.B. Dolloway def. Ed Herman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27 x2)
- Tecia Torres def. Juliana Lima via submission (RNC) (2nd, 0:53)
- Gray Maynard def. Teruto Ishihara via unanimous decision (30-26 x3)
Jesse Taylor vs. Dhiego Lima
Jesse Taylor was supposed to fight for the right to be called the Ultimate Fighter in 2008, but an incident in Las Vegas eliminated that opportunity. This time, he got to the finals fight and truly earned redemption with a second-round submission over Dhiego Lima.
Taylor dominated the bout from the start. He imposed his will on Lima in the opening frame to the tune of a 10-8 round on many Twitter judges’ cards such as MMA Fighting.
The opening of the second round appeared to be Lima’s opportunity but quickly turned into his undoing. He landed a well-timed left hand that stunned Taylor but ended up falling into a rear-naked choke when pursuing a finish of his own:
This was a great moment for Taylor, who finally got his chance to fight on a UFC card after 45 professional fights. After the bout, he had a positive message for anyone who has made poor decisions in the past.
The win was a reminder that The Ultimate Fighter can serve as the backdrop for some of the great narratives in MMA.
Whether the 34-year-old can carve out a niche for himself in the UFC hierarchy remains to be seen, but he at least has the title of Ultimate Fighter on his resume after nearly a decade since his first attempt to win the show.
Marc Diakiese vs. Drakkar Klose
The matchup between Marc Diakiese and Drakkar Klose was tabbed as one of the fights on this card to watch as the two prospects promised an entertaining fight.
They didn’t disappoint.
The 24-year-old Diakiese and 29-year-old Klose put on a fight that made a name for both fighters and had Ryan McKinnell of Yahoo Sports praising their skills at this point in their career:
The UFC highlighted some of the action that went down between the two aggressive lightweights:
Diakiese showed off some of the flashy striking that has made him a high-profile prospect, but Klose’s leg kicks were a determining factor in the split decision. The MMA Lab product sent Diakiese to the ground with leg kicks multiple times.
The UFC passed along one of the most brutal ones that led to more offense for the winner:
Diakiese will still have his day in the sun. One loss isn’t enough to completely derail the hype train for a fighter of his skills, but this is a huge boon for Klose as he should be able to parlay some of Diakiese’s momentum into bigger and better opportunities for himself.
Jared Cannonier vs. Nick Roehrick
Remember when Rocky Balboa was put in a fight that he was never supposed to win, but through heart, a massive chin and some good old-fashioned slugging, he went the distance with the champion and proved he belonged with the best?
This wasn’t that fight.
It might have taken longer than most expected, but Jared Cannonier decimated Nick Roehrick, winning the fight via third-round TKO.
Cannonier was supposed to fight Steve Bosse on the card, but Roehrick stepped up to make his UFC debut just three days before the fight. It wasn’t a good time for the debutant:
Roehrick impressed the crowd with his ability to hang tough in the face of pressure from Cannonier, but this was simply too much for him to handle on short notice. Cannonier assaulted his opponent for three rounds on the feet before finally buckling him in the final round and finishing the job.
Cannonier—who was coming off a loss to Glover Teixeira in February—had another UFC newcomer in mind for his next outing, per Mike Bohn of MMAjunkie:
Brad Tavares vs. Elias Theodorou
Redemption was an apt name for this card for Brad Tavares. The Ultimate Fighter veteran continued his bounce back from a 1-3 stretch in 2014-15 with a close decision victory over Elias Theodorou.
It wasn’t an easy decision to arrive to. The rounds were difficult to score as Theodorou pushed a higher pace than expected and turned each of the first two rounds into something that was less than clear. The grappling exchanges were exceptionally interesting.
Ultimately, Tavares came closer to finishing the fight. The UFC showcased a submission attempt from the Hawaiian.
Tavares landed the more effective punches according to the eye test, but Theodorou’s aggression and output made it seem like at least one judge would see it his way:
Regardless of the admirable effort, Tavares got the nod and now has back-to-back wins. With his three losses in 2014 and 2015 coming from Yoel Romero, Tim Boetsch and Robert Whittaker, it’ll be interesting to see if the UFC chooses to let Tavares step up to elite competition again.
He showed just enough in this fight that it might be time to see him step up to the plate again.
Jordan Johnson vs. Marcel Fortuna
The main card kicked off with 28-year-old light heavyweight Jordan Johnson retaining his undefeated record with a unanimous-decision victory over Marcel Fortuna.
Johnson—who is now 8-0—didn’t exactly live up to his “Big Swingin'” nickname. This fight was a relatively uneventful affair, but Johnson did show just enough striking from range in Rounds 1 and 3 to earn the nod from the judges.
He did flash a little bit of power, though. Fox Sports showcased some of his best highlights from the win:
The performance itself wasn’t all that impressive, but the light heavyweight division is desperate for new blood, so a 28-year-old with an undefeated record is bound to get some traction.
This win won’t show up on a ton of highlight reels, but it’s enough to move him one step toward recognition in a shallow division.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com