Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is already shifting gears, setting its sights on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 15 Finale, which is set to pop off from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, TONIGHT (June 1, 2012).
It will air LIVE on FX, beginning with the televised main card at 9 p.m. ET. "Prelims" action will also begin to stream live on Facebook at around 6:25 p.m. ET, which will then run right into the FUEL TV portion of the under card at 7 p.m. ET.
TUF 15 Finale will feature a five-round Welterweight main event between top division contenders Jake Ellenberger vs. Martin Kampmann. Of course, the two finalists who reached the 155-pound TUF 15 tournament finals, Mike Chiesa vs. Al Iaquinta, will also battle it out to earn a "six figure" UFC contract.
MMAmania.com will provide LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire card, TONIGHT (Fri., June 1, 2012), starting with the Facebook Prelims, which are scheduled to begin at 6:25 p.m. ET, as well as the FUEL TV Prelims at 7:00 p.m. ET, and the main card, which is slated to air at 9 p.m. ET on the FX Channel.
Many of our readers check-in before, during and after the televised action to share their thoughts on all the exciting action. Therefore, feel free to leave a comment (or 15) before you leave and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show -- it always turns out to be a great discussion.
Keep in mind that we will also be the spot for the latest news, recaps and post-fight analysis after "Ellenberger vs. Kampmann."
Without further delay, see below for the latest TUF 15 Live Finale results. (Note: This will go from the bottom up; therefore, scroll toward the bottom for the latest detailed round-by-round action.)
TUF 15 LIVE FINALE QUICK RESULTS:
Main Event:
170 lbs.: Martin Kampmann def. Jake Ellenberger via knockout (knee and punches) at 1:40 of round two
Main Card (FX Channel):
155 lbs.: Michael Chiesa def. Al Iaquinta via technical submission (rear naked choke) at 2:47 of round one
145 lbs.: Charles Oliveira def. Jonathan Brookins via submission (guillotine) at 2:42 of round two
145 lbs.: Max Holloway def. Pat Schilling via unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Justin Lawrence def. John Cofer via knockout (head kick) at 0:19 of round three"Prelims" Card (FUEL TV):
155 lbs.: Daron Cruickshank def. Chris Tickle via unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Myles Jury def. Chris Saunders via submission (guillotine) at 4:03 of round one
155 lbs.: Sam Sicilia def. Cristiano Marcello via TKO (strikes) at 2:53 of round two
155 lbs.: Joe Proctor def. Jeremy Larsen via TKO (knee to the head, hammerfists) at 1:59 of round one"Prelims" Card (Facebook):
135 lbs.: Erik Perez def. John Albert via submission (armbar) at 4:18 of round one
TUF 15 FINALE PLAY-BY-PLAY LIVE MAIN CARD COMMENTARY (FX):
Hemmi here!
Jake Ellenberger vs. Martin Kampmann (170-pound limit)
Round one: Ellenberger steps forward and clocks Kampmann with a huge left hook which hurts him and drops him along the fence. Ellenberger swarms him with heavy ground and pound but Kampmann somehow survives. Kampmann is thinking about a guillotine choke and he's got his wits about him. Ellenberger's offense has completely stalled here from top position now. Ellenberger briefly postures up and drops some punches but Kampmann is fin and he's again thinking about the guillotine. Kampmann has Ellenberger's neck wrapped up and the crowd is starting to get restless. Kampmann pops back to his feet with 30 seconds remaining and now he's pressing Ellenberger into the fence and hunting for a takedown. They finish in that position at the end of the round. 10-9 Ellenberger
Round two: Kampmann lands a nice counter and both men trade a wild flurry of strikes early in the round. Ellenberger bloodies Kampmann's nose and wobbles "The Hitman" but backs off. Despite being a bloody mess, it's Kampmann who's pushing the pace from the cage center. Kampmann lands a short right and Ellenberger is wobbly! he pushes Ellenberger into the fence and crushes Ellenberger with a knee to the face. Holy crap, Ellenberger drops and the ref steps in and puts a stop to it! Wow! That was unbelievable!
Final results: Martin Kampmann via knockout (knee and punches) at 1:40 of round two
- end -
(TUF 15 Championship Bout) Michael Chiesa vs. Al Iaquinta (155-pound limit)
Round one: Iaquinta catches a kick and lands some nice punches early and Chiesa closes the distance, working for a takedown. He briefly puts Iaquinta on his back but Iaquinta pops back to his feet and they reset. Chiesa throws a leg kick and Iaquinta backs him off with a big right hand. Iaquinta catches another kick and tries to follow it up with a big right hand but he leaves himself wide open and Chiesa grabs a back body lock and drags Iaquinta to the ground. Chiesa has both hooks in on Iaquinta's back right now and he's hunting for a choke. Chiesa has the rear naked choke locked in and Iaquinta refuses to tap, he goes unconscious! Wow! Mike Chiesa is the new Ultimate Fighter!
Final results: Michael Chiesa via technical submission (rear naked choke) at 2:47 of round one
- end -
Jonathan Brookins vs. Charles Oliveira (145-pound limit)
Round one: Brookins is stalkign early and Oliveira connects with a pair of nice leg kicks. Brookins steps forward and throws some lead right hands from southpaw stance, trying to find his range. They clinch and Brookins throws some knees and Oliveira backs off, throwing a nice body kick and then a right hand flush to the face. Oliveira dives forward with a knee and Brookins scores a takedown. Oliveira throws his legs up hunting for an armbar and then an omaplata and Brookins is forced to back off. Brookins is toying with Oliveria's feet and he lets Oliveira back up. Oliveira is aggressively stalking Brookins now and he's backing him into the fence repeatedly. Big right hand from Oliveira staggers Brookins and they clinch. Brookins fires back with a right hand but Oliveira throws a big right of his own. Just as Oliveira is completely taking over, Brookins connects with a 1-2 to back him off. Flying knee from Oliveira gets caught but Brookins doesn't take him down this time and the horn sounds. 10-9 Oliveira
Round two: Brookins opens up and lands a nice flurry of strikes before backing Oliveira into the fence. They reset and Oliveira is keeping his hands higher now. Now Brookins is slapping Oliveira a bit. Big right hand blasta Brookins and he throws another knee. Oliveira shoots in and he's hunting for a takedown along the fence. Oliveira scores a takedown but Brookins has a grip on his neck with a guillotine. Brookins gives up on the choke and Oliveira throws some elbows. Oliveira sits forward and latches on a guillotine. He's crouching on the ground in mount now, putting his hips into it and Brookins taps. Very nice!
Final results: Charles Oliveira via submission (guillotine choke) at 2:42 of round two
Max Holloway vs. Pat Schilling (145-pound limit)
Round one: Holloway is content to stay on the outside early and he wings a head kick which is blocked. Holloway flashes a quick lead left, switches stances and throws a left. Schilling closes the distance and works for a takedown, lifting Holloway into the air but can't finish it. Holloway sprawls along the fence and Schilling switches to a single leg and takes him down but Holloway immediately pops to his feet. Holloway starting to pick up the pace here, actively throwing left and right hands and Schilling clinches, dropping down for a rolling kneebar but Holloway backs off. Schilling lunges forward with an ugly flurry and Holloway avoids it. He's chasing Holloway around the cage which is not a good idea. Holloway opens up with a combination, backing Schilling into the fence and then resets in the cage center. Holloway backs Schilling into the fence and unloads a combination and Schilling dives at his legs but is easily stuffed. Holloway lets him up and Schilling lands a lunging right hand but Holloway fires back with more punches and a flying knee. Schilling is looking for a takedown and dives for a leg lock right before the bell. 10-9 Holloway
Round two: Holloway opens a bit wild and Schilling clinches him, pressing the youngster into the fence but Holloway spins free and resets. Big right hand connects for Holloway and he follows up with some quick short punches. Holloway is starting to land his right hand every time he throws it now as Schilling has slowed down drastically. Schilling is moving in slow motion and he dives for a leg and eats a right hand but Holloway backs off and lets him to his feet. Holloway presses forward, landing right hands, left uppercuts and short knees and Schilling is on his heels. Schilling shoots and falls to his back but Holloway forces him to stand. Holloway drops with big hooks to the body and then the head and Schilling is definitely in trouble. I'll be surprised if he doesn't finish him soon. Schilling is in dire straights and is just diving at his legs then falling to his back now. He's got nothing. I'm surprised Holloway isn't finishing this. He's got 50 seconds and Schilling is a sitting duck in front of him. Schilling throws a spinning back fist and eats a big combination at the end of the round. He falls to his butt and covers up but is saved by the bell. 10-9 Holloway
Round three: Holloway is getting right back to it in round three, actively throwing but Schilling responds with a nice right cross which connects. Holloway is slowing down a bit too, but he's still beating the tar out of Schilling simply by being more active, throwing more punches and downright being the better fighter. Not much else to say as Schilling has nothing for Holloway. Schilling's face is bleeding pretty bad now and Holloway nearly finishes him with 30 seconds but a takedown attempt forces Holloway to back off. Schilling throws aggressively to finish the fight but it's too little too late. 10-9 Holloway
Final results: Max Holloway via unanimous decision
Justin Lawrence vs. John Cofer (155-pound limit)
Round one: Lawrence takes the cage center but he rushes in with a jumping side kick and Cofer takes him down with ease. Lawrence lifts his legs up high from off his back and Cofer backs off and then Lawrence shoots and takes Cofer down, but he wisens up and backs off too. They reset and Cofer lands a nice left hand which staggers Lawrence but he can't follow up and Lawrence recovers. Lawrence is pressing forward now and throws a kick at Cofer against the fence. Lawrence connects with a combination but Cofer is not backing down. Lawrence again connects on a flurry and Cofer was rocked. Lawrence is finding a home for his left hook and Cofer has some blood around his right eye. Cofer's pace has slowed down considerably as we head to the second round. 10-9 Lawrence
Round two: Lawrence is the more active fighter early, and he's starting to mix in more kicks now. Lawrence is doing a solid job of staying active and keeping Cofer moving backwards with his combinations here. Cofer is still holding his own though and he dives in and scores a nice takedown on Lawrence, taking his back but he's too high up. Cofer is hunting for an arm I think but Lawrence sneaks out the back door and then dives into his guard with a giant right hand. He doesn't do much from on top, but does ride out the rest of the round. 10-9 Lawrence
Round three: Lawrence presses forward and crushes Cofer with a beautiful right head kick. Cofer goes down like a sack of potatoes and that's it. WOW!
Final results: Justin Lawrence via knockout (head kick) at 0:19 of round three
TUF 15 FINALE FUEL TV "PRELIMS" COMMENTARY:
Haggerty here!
Daron Cruickshank vs. Chris Tickle (155-pound limit)
Round one: Tickle comes forward in a hurry and Cruickshank ducks under a combo for the takedown. Tickle grabs hold of a guillotine and he has it on the jaw. Cruickshank is out and now on top, inside Tickle's full guard. Just a minute in and Cruickshank has Tickle against the fence on his back. Cruickshank postures up and lands a short elbow to the head. Tickle looking to control the wrists and this may get stood up soon if Cruickshank can't get free. Cruickshank stands up to throw strikes and Tickle is back up. Almost as soon as he's back on his feet, Cruickshank hits him with an inside trip and puts him right back on the canvas. Tickle throws an illegal upkick with Cruickshank on a knee. Cruickshank is being given a minute and it looks like Tickle will lose one point. Back to the action. Tickle comes forward very aggressively out of the break. He ties Cruickshank up against the fence and is looking to take Cruickshank down. He has hold of one leg, but Cruickshank defends well. Cruickshank reverses, counters and Tickle is on his back, one again. Just under two minutes left. Good elbows by Cruickshank as Mazzagatti mysteriously warns them to stay busy. Cruickshank scores several more elbows and Tickle is taking a lot of abuse. Really hard elbow from Cruickshank. Tickle hasn't been cut yet but it's only a matter of time if he keeps eating elbows like this. Twenty seconds to go. Mazzaggati warns for work again, as Cruickshank continues to land elbow after elbow. 10-8 Cruickshank.
Round two: Spinning back kick by Cruickshank. Tickle comes forward and lands a nice combo. Tickle throws a wild flying front kick that misses. Tickle goes for a takedown and gets reversed. Cruickshank on top and Tickle is trying for an anaconda choke. Cruickshank is out. Cruickshank on top inside the full guard. He's now in half guard and trying to get his left leg out to transition to side control. Tickle tries to sneak out and Cruickshank gives up position to keep him down. Cruickshank back inside the full guard. Mazzagatti again cautioning to stay busy, apparently not able to see the continuous transitioning, as well as the elbows by Cruickshank. And Mazzagatti stands them up. Really bad stand up. Cruickshank lands a big kick but Tickle answers with a huge right hand. Cruickshank is down and Tickle is on top inside his guard. Tickle still on top, using short strikes to the ribs and face. Will be interesting to see if Mazzagatti stands them up again. Just over a minute to go. Good elbow by Tickle. Tickle hops over looking for side control or a choke. Tickle is using elbows from the top to soften him up and try and sink in a side choke. Twenty seconds left. Round ends with Mazzagatti cementing his 'awful' status by warning to avoid shots to the back of the head, as Tickle clearly comes nowhere near doing anything of the sort. 10-9 Tickle.
Round three: Good lead kick by Cruickshank. Tickle charges ahead with a good combo. Head kick by Tickle misses. Tickle comes forward with another big combo. Cruickshank ducks under for a takedown but Tickle reverses him and goes straight to side mount. Tickle working the knees to the body. Cruickshank really looks gassed. Decent elbow from the bottom by Cruickshank. Cruickshank rolls and Tickle takes his back but he's very high. Cruickshank shakes him off and he reverses. Cruickshank on top inside the full guard. That could be the pivotal moment of the fight if Cruickshank can stay on top here or get the finish. Tickle controlling the wrists. Cruickshank gets one arm out and lands a big elbow. Mazzagatti again calls for action. Tickle up for a moment but Cruickshank gets him right back down. Lots of elbows here by Cruickshank who is close to having full mount. Tickle tries to use the fence to get back up. He's able to reverse but Cruickshank has his neck. Forty three seconds left. Cruickshank seems to have a firm grasp of his neck, not really threatening a finish but keeping Tickle down. Tickle finally gets free and is in side mount. Cruickshank reverses and ends the round on top.
10-9 Cruickshank.
Final results: Daron Cruickshank via unanimous decision
Myles Jury vs. Chris Saunders (155-pound limit)
Round one: Jury with the inside leg kick. Saunders attempts a wild body kick that misses. Outside leg kick by Saunders. Head kick by Jury is blocked. Saunders misses with a kick and Jury rushes in. Jury with the front kick and he is stalking now. Saunders with a decent left hook to the head. Leg kick by Jury. Inside leg kick by Jury. Front kick to the instep by Jury. Head kick by Jury is partially blocked. Jury catches one of Saunders' kicks and responds with a right to the head. Head kick again by Jury, blocked. Saunders with an accidental eye poke and Jury will get a minute to recover. Back to the action. Inside leg kick by Jury. Jab by Jury. Another inside elg kick by Jury and Saunders really needs to start checking these. Good combo by Jury. Good right cross by Jury has Saunders backing up.Jury goes for a flying knee. Saunders catches it but Jury grabs hold of a guillotine. Jury on his working hard to finish the choke. Just over a minute left. This could be it if Saunders can't transition out. It's over! Saunders taps!
Final results: Myles Jury via submission (guillotine) at 4:03 of round one
Cristiano Marcello vs. Sam Sicilia (155-pound limit)
Round one: Sicilia comes forward and throws a big combo. Marcello looking very defensive thus far, aware of Sicilia's power. Sicilia rushes forward again and throws two back to back combos. Huge overhand right by Sicilia just misses. Right hook by Marcello. Sicilia counters with another combo. Marcello looks stunend for a moment but recovers. Marcello is really on skates thus far in the fight, constantly trying to circle away from Sicilia's big right hand. Good left hook by Sicilia. Sicilia is really walking Marcello down, constantly landing combos and setting up something bigger for later, potentially. Marcello has done nothing and he eats a big right hand, flopping to his back afterwards but Sicilia wants no part of those shenanigans. Sicilia charges in with a combo and Marcello pulls guard. Sicilia pulls out and is back to center. Marcello back up. Good combo by Marcello. Sicilia answers and ends on a left hook to the body. Just under a minute left. Marcello has not taken any big shots, but he also has not really landed anything of significance. Surprisingly, he has also not shot for any takedown. Round ends with Marcello throwing a head kick that gets blocked for the most part. 10-9 Sicilia.
Round two: Sicilia the aggressor again on the onset, throwing a big combo right out the gate. Huge overhand right by Sicilia that misses but causes Marcello to fall down as he dodges it. Marcello lands a good right hand and looks to follow but eats a left hook as he charges forward. Marcello continues to fake damage and try to pull guard but has been totally unsuccessful thus far. Marcello and Sicilia are meeting in the middle and exchanging wildly. Marcello landed a good left hook that had Sicilia wincing a bit but he answered with a nice power strike of his own. This has turned into a bit of a brawl. Marcello is landing at a higher clip, but he is really leaving himself open to the one punch knockout power of his opponent. Sicilia with a good combo. Really good jab by Sicilia. Good knee by Sicilia. He's teeing off! Marcello is down and Sicilia is all over him, swarming him with punches! It's all over!
Final results: Sam Sicilia via TKO (strikes) at 2:53 of round two
Jeremy Larsen vs. Joe Proctor (155-pound limit)
Round one: Proctor with a good combo right away. Larsen tries to answer but misses wildly. Big overhand right by Proctor barely misses. Good right hook by Proctor. Stiff jab by Proctor. Larsen charges forward and eats a good right. Larsen answers with a body shot. Good one two by Proctor. Larsen comes forward to and lands a good left hook to the body. Proctor's corner calling for combos and he obliges. Larsen going backwards looking to avoid Proctor's aggressiveness but he catches him! Proctor lands a huge knee, right on the button and Larsen is down! Proctor pounces on him and is raining down hammerfists and this one is over!
Final results: Joe Proctor via TKO (knee, strikes) at 1:59 of round one
TUF 15 FINALE FACEBOOK "PRELIMS" COMMENTARY:
Haggerty here!
John Albert vs. Erik Perez (135-pound limit)
Round one: Big outside leg kick by Perez answered by combo and a response leg kick from Albert. Albert rushes in, ties him up and their up against the cage. Albert working for underhooks. Perez reverses, back to center. Good combo by Perez. outside leg kick by Perez answered by a couple of consecutive combos from Albert. Albert rushes in and ties him up, but Perez uses the muay thai clinch to deliver a big knee to the body. Albert drops down for the takedown and has it momentarily but Perez is back up. Albert has his back from a standing position, but Perez shakes him off and then reverses. Perez on top inside Albert;s full guard. Albert throws up a triangle attempt. Perez calmly defends but he could be in a bad spot here. Albert at a little bit of a weird angle against the fence, trying to cinch in this choke from his back. Just over two minutes left. Albert with a strong elbow off his back. Perez, throwing hammerfists to try and get out of this position. This is crazy! Both fighters are exchanging hammerfists furiously, with Albert on the bottom, still working the triangle. Perez is finally out and he's in side mount! e's got the armbar! It's deep! And Kim Winslow has stopped it!! Albert didn't tap, verbally or physically! Kim Winslow has stopped this fight and is being met with much complaint from Albert and boos from the crowd. We may get new info later to make this look better, but if nothing changes, Winslow needs to be subject to some kind of action for this.
Final results: Erik Perez via submission (armbar) at 4:18 of round one
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