TUF 17 Finale UFC results: Bubba McDaniel taps Gilbert Smith

The main card of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 17 Finale kicked off tonight (Sat., April 13, 2013) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, with a bout pitting two of the middleweights who failed to get to the final during this past season, Gilbert Smith vs. Bubba McDaniel.

There were some cries of discontent with this bout making the FX broadcast, but could they throw that back in the face of each critic who complained?

McDaniel, heavily hyped thanks to his association with Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones and considerable size, tried to do just that early. He used his physical advantage to go to the body but quickly found himself on his back after a sweep and spent most of the rest of the round battling back from there.

That is until he used a guillotine to sweep Smith and land himself on top, transitioning to side control before taking the back and ending the round there. It was quite the reversal and lame takedown aside, McDaniel seemed to be in control after the first five minutes.

Aside from a submission that he defended as flawlessly as possible, he controlled the second round too, using the same strategy as the opening frame. The difference this time is Smith's gas tank was starting to fail him.

Finally, McDaniel was able to finish the job by continually attacking with submissions and eventually locking in a triangle and switching to an armbar that got the tap.

Maybe it didn't completely silence the critics but who can boo a finish, right?

For complete results and blow-by-blow coverage of the entire TUF 17 Finale fight card click here.