Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to "The Cosmopolitan" in Las Vegas, Nevada last evening (Fri., Dec. 11, 2015) for the second night in a row, as The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 22 Finale continued the epic mixed martial arts (MMA) weekend.
The event started off slow, but ended with a bang as former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar ran through former three-time Featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes in the main event, knocking out the Team Alpha Male veteran just 2:28 into the first round.
Watch the highlights here.
The co-main event saw an interesting clash of styles as jiu-jitsu wizard Ryan Hall outgrappled Artem Lobov en route to being crowned TUF Champion, and earning a six-figure contract with UFC.
With that quick overview of the night's marquee bouts, here are your biggest winners, as well as the runners-up from "Sin City."
Biggest Winner: Frankie Edgar
Who deserves the next Featherweight title shot?
"The Answer."
At 34-years old, Edgar continues to amaze inside the Octagon, consistently improving in each successive fight, and pulling new tricks out of his hat.
Once loathed by casual fans for often fighting to razor-close decisions, Edgar has now finished three of his last five opponents, including his stunning knockout victory over Chad Mendes last night.
Keep in mind that Mendes had previously only been beaten by Aldo and McGregor, and many expected "Money" to have the power advantage in the TUF Finale main event.
The finish was the fastest in "The Answer's" lauded MMA career, adding yet another massive feather to his already Hall of Fame caliber cap.
Edgar absolutely deserves another shot at UFC gold, but if Conor McGregor wins tonight at UFC 194, it is hard to imagine UFC brass not setting up an immediate rematch with Aldo.
Unfortunately, there is a possibility Edgar will have to wait on the sidelines for quite some time to get his rightfully earned crack at the Featherweight title.
Tony Ferguson
Very few fighters are as hot as Tony Ferguson is right now.
Winner of seven straight, "El Cucuy" has firmly cemented himself as a top-five Lightweight contender, clearly capable of beating anybody currently on UFC's roster.
Ferguson's battle with Edson Barboza stole the show last night in Vegas, as both men threw caution to the wind in order to inflict as much damage on each other as possible. Both men were battered, bloodied, and bruised after a sensational first round, and the incredible pace continued until the final moment of the fight.
The former TUF winner stood in the pocket against the very dangerous Brazilian striker, getting hit often, but landing his own powerful counters himself.
After an errant takedown attempt by Barboza, Ferguson latched onto his signature d'arce choke, and finished the job in just under three minutes into the second round.
To make his already sensational performance even sweeter, UFC brass signed $100,000 in post-fight bonus checks for "El Cucuy," earning both "Fight of the Night" and "Performance of the Night" honors.
The fight was arguably the most enthralling bout of 2015, and was badly needed after a series of horrendously slow-paced bouts on both the "Prelims" and main card.
Ferguson is a legitimate title threat, and I would have no problem seeing him vie for UFC gold after Donald Cerrone and Rafael Dos Anjos duel next week in Orlando.
Evan Dunham
Evan Dunham capped off a perfect 2015 with his third straight victory last night, dominating Joe Lauzon en route to a unanimous decision victory at "The Cosmopolitan."
After losing three straight to top-ranked contenders in 2013-2014, Dunham was fighting for his job against Rodrigo Damm at UFC 182 in January of this year.
After defeating the Brazilian, Dunham controlled Ross Pearson for 15 minutes en route to his second straight victory just a handful of months later.
At The TUF 22 Finale, Dunham continued his momentum, putting together one of his finest career performances, showing off a vastly improved striking game complemented by effective footwork.
Lauzon was flat-footed from the onset, and Dunham made him pay often with blistering strikes both to the head and body.
At 33-years old, Dunham is experiencing a major career resurgence, and could find himself amongst the ranked contenders in the 155-pound division next week.
Back to the top of the pecking order for the 16-fight UFC veteran.
Biggest Loser: Chad Mendes
Chad Mendes is undoubtedly one of the top five Featherweights in the world, but having lost to UFC Champion Jose Aldo twice, and interim champ Conor McGregor once, "Money's" opportunities in the 145-pound division were waning heading into the TUF Finale.
If Mendes had gotten by Frankie Edgar last night, he would have likely positioned himself to fight for the Featherweight belt for the fourth time, but instead he fell victim to a knockout for the second straight fight, this time in under three minutes.
The loss is a massive setback for Mendes in the Featherweight division, and may force the Team Alpha Male veteran to consider changing weight classes to shake up his opportunities.
It is hard to determine whether or not Mendes' usually strong chin is completely gone, but getting finished via strikes in two straight bouts will certainly come along with questions and doubters.
Mendes is still among the cream of the crop at 145-pounds, but he seemingly can't win the big fights, and likely needs a fresh start to revitalize his career.
Artem Lobov
For a fighter getting the opportunity to fight in a co-main event in his UFC debut -- especially with a 11-10 professional record -- you would think Artem Lobov would have shown a bit more urgency.
Instead, "The Russian Hammer" was thoroughly outgrappled by Ryan Hall for 15 minutes, providing absolutely no defense on the mat, and very little offense on the feet.
Lobov's lackadaisical approach made it seem that he didn't even care to accrue the TUF Championship in Vegas.
In the final frame, already down two rounds, Lobov allowed Hall to stay in standing back mount as the clock waned, instead of trying to separate and land fight-ending haymakers.
The SBG Ireland product simply looked lost inside the Octagon, and ultimately put forth a deplorable effort in a fight that will quickly be forgotten by the masses.
Most losing fighters in TUF Finales get another opportunity to shine inside the Octagon, but I wouldn't be shocked if UFC brass opted to cut Lobov altogether.
Konstantin Erokhin and Gabriel Gonzaga
UFC only booked one Heavyweight fight amidst the epic three-event weekend in Las Vegas, and both Konstantin Erokhin and Gabriel Gonzaga laid a dud at the TUF 22 Finale.
Even though Gonzaga did notch his 12th UFC victory -- snapping a three-fight losing streak in the process -- his performance was far from impressive.
Neither man committed to their strikes, leaving fight fans screaming at their television sets as the behemoths literally stared at each other and refused to exchange.
When Gonzaga ultimately got the fight to the mat, Erokhin was even more hapless than he was on the feet. Unfortunately, "Napao" didn't unload on his opposition, as he was content to ride out the unanimous decision victory.
Simply put, that fight was one of the worst in 2015, and Konstantin Erokhin has no business fighting in UFC.
For complete results from TUF 22 Finale: "Edgar vs. Mendes," including post-fight recaps and analysis, click here.