UFC 'TUF 8 Finale' Play-by-Play
Dec 13, 2008
Sherdog.com reports from The Pearl in Las Vegas with live
play-by-play of UFC’s “The Ultimate Fighter” season eight
finale.
Don't forget to check out the MMA Forums to discuss tonight's event.
Click here for quick results.
Hit F5 on your keyboard to refresh often, as play-by-play is updated in real time.
Round 1
Both in the cage and ready to fight in front of a very sparse crowd. The fans seem to be a little more behind Delgado. Very tentative first minute. Takedown by Polakowski but Delgado scrambles back up. Short left hook by Delgado. Another. Polakowski dropped from knee to face in the clinch. Delgado seizes side control. 40 seconds pass with little action. Polakowski scrambles but Delgado takes his back. He locks on the body triangles and tries a rear naked. Polakowski defending well. Some meager strikes from Delgado. Polakowski scrambles out and escapes back to his feet. 10-9 Delgado.
Round 2
Delgado shoots for a takedown but is stuffed. Again he is stuffed but he tries to quickly latch on a heel hook. Polakowski defends but is brought to the ground. Polakowski able to pull half guard. Very little action thus far. Polakowski tries to scramble again but slips into a guillotine. It’s tight. Delgado closes his guard and squeezes. Polakowski taps out. Official time is 2:18 of the second.
George Roop vs. Shane Nelson
Round 1
They come out winging strikes. Roop is very aggressive but ineffective. They clinch and Nelson slinks around to his back. After a struggle he finally brings Roop down. Nelson, on his butt, slips in both hooks but Roop is defending. Nelson trying to lure him into the rear naked but Roop is having none of it. Nelson locks in the body-triangle but still can't sink the choke. Nelson is peppering him with meager punches from behind. The crowd is growing restless from the lack of action. Roop scrambles out and pulls guard. The round ends. 10-9 Nelson.
Round 2
Hard low kick from Roop early. Another. Roop defends a takedown attempt. Nelson clinches and powers his way for the takedown. Nelson backs off and dives into side control along the fence. Some decent elbows from Nelson. Nelson slips his leg over and secures the mount. Roop cannot buck Nelson off, who is now landing some punches. Roop scrambles back to his feet but gets caught in a standing guillotine. Nelson pulls guard and the choke is deep. Roop escapes and scrambles back up to his feet. He lands two knees on the feet. Round ends with Nelson pinned against fence. 10-9 Nelson.
Round 3
Roop comes out winging punches and head kicks. Nothing lands. Nelson has a takedown attempt stuffed. Roop pins Nelson against fence. They separate. Roop scores a takedown from the clinch and is in Nelson's half guard. He lets Nelson up. They exchange punches and Nelson is brought down again. Nelson pulls guard. Both guys are very tired. Roop backs away after a minute of no action. Roop pins him against the fence. Nelson scoops and slams Roop with 20 seconds left. Nelson latches on a heel hook but time expires. 10-9 Roop.
The official scores are: 29-28 Nelson, 29-28 Roop and 29-28 Nelson. Many in the crowd boo.
Tom Lawlor vs. Kyle Kingsbury
Round 1
Kingsbury is the huge crowd favorite over Lawlor, who is sporting a massive mastadon-esque beard. He also enters the cage to the sounds of Pink. Lawlor scores a quick single-leg takedown. but Kingsbury scrambles back up. Lawlor scores another takedown. Kingsbury pulls guard after some grappling. Kingsbury is trying to apply a gogoplata. He gives up and stays with a closed guard. Lawlor lands some decent punches. Kingsbury tries the gogo again but to no avail. Lawlor lands some more decent punches. The crowd is growing restless and Kingsbury scrambles to his feet on cue. Very close round. 10-9 Lawlor.
Round 2
Lawlor shoots in for a double leg but is stuffed. He's stuffed again. He finally gets it against the fence. Kingsbury cage walks back up to his feet. Lawlor relentless with his double and single-leg attempts. Lawlor finally drags Kingsbury down and Kingsbury pulls guard. Lawlor is able to snake his way to side control. Kingsbury spins out and stands back up. Lawlor's double leg attempt is stuffed but Lawlor is able to drag him down anyway. From half guard, Lawlor lands some good elbows. Kingsbury fails at a kimura attempt. Kyle pulls guard after two more elbows. 10-9 Lawlor.
Round 3
Lawlor tries another double leg but is stuffed. Lawlor runs Kingsbury back into the fence and pins him there. Another takedown attempt is thwarted. Lawlor spins out and brings Kingsbury down. He tries taking Kingsbury’s back but he stands up. Two big knees to the body from Kingsbury. Lawlor is absolutely relentless in his pursuit of the takedown. Lawlor has Kingsbury’s left leg trapped but Kingsbury dishes out several hammer fists. Lawlor eating more punches and elbows while trying to bring Kingsbury down. Kingsbury is defending the takedown perfectly. Lawlor looks gassed. 30 seconds left. Kingsbury continues to land punches to the head and body. 10-9 Kingsbury.
All three official judges score the bout 29-28 for Lawlor.
Jules Bruchez vs. Eliot Marshall
Round 1
Marshall lands a stiff right hand that stuns Bruchez. Marshall tees off and hurts him. Marshall slams him down and is in side control. Bruchez tries to roll out but gives up his back. Marshall latches on a rear-naked choke. After a while of positioning he fully sinks it. Bruchez taps out to the hold. The official time of the submission is 1:27 of the first.
Shane Primm vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
Round 1
Soszynski lands a hard straight left seconds in. He connects with a short left hook that wobbles Primm. Primm ducks under and scores a quick takedown. Soszynski scrambles back up. Soszynski stuffs a double leg. Primm clinches and pushes Soszynski into the fence. Primm eats a few uppercuts. They trade punches and circle out to the center of the cage. Soszynski stuffs another takedown attempt. Primm stays down and Soszynski slides to side control. Soszynski attempts a kimura. Primm defends. Soszynski backs away. Soszynski dives in and just misses a mammoth right hand. 10-9 Soszynski.
Round 2
Soszynski lands a good left hand. He misses a few wild hooks that Primm ducks away from. They trade wild hooks but nothing lands. Primm looks tired two minutes in. Primm tries a takedown but it’s stuffed. Soszynski slips into Primm’s half guard. Primm is bleeding from his nose. Soszynski trying another kimura but it doesn't look tight. He alters his position and sinks it deep. Primms grimmaces in pain and taps. The official time is 3:27 of the second.
David Kaplan vs. Junie Allen Browning
Round 1
Browning bounces a kick off Kaplan’s groin protector in the opening seconds of the first round. Referee Steve Mazzagatti gives Kaplan a short reprieve to recover. The fight is back on and Browning is teeing off. Browning is piling on with punches and a flying knee. Browning slips and fends off a foot hold before taking Kaplan’s back, where he looks for a rear-naked choke. Kaplan returns to his feet and Browning peppers him with a punching combination. Kaplan scores a takedown and drops for a heel hold. Browning frees himself and drags Kaplan to the canvas. Kaplan, bleeding from his left eye, absorbs several hard punches to the midsection fro half-guard. Browning takes Kaplan’s back again and twice fails with rear-naked choke attempts. Kaplan gets to his feet and gets caught with a standing elbow.
Jordan Breen scores the round: 10-9 Browning.
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Browning.
Round 2
Browning gets a double-leg takedown and patiently passes to side control. From there, Browning impressively locks on an armbar and forces Kapaln to submit at 1:32 of round two.
Wilson Gouveia vs. Jason MacDonald
Round 1
MacDonald ducks under some punches and gets a hold of a single-leg takedown. The Canaidan trips Gouveia to the floor, but he can’t hold him down. MacDonald throws caution to the wind and gets in a punching exchange, which spells his doom. Gouveia drops his opponent with a left-hand counter. The Brazilian pounces with elbows on the fallen fighter. From half-guard and knee-on-belly, Gouveia pummels MacDonald with elbows until referee Josh Rosenthal steps in to save the bleeding fighter at 2:18 of the first frame. Replays show MacDonald tap from the punishment, giving Gouveia a submission (elbows) victory.
Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns
Round 1
The fighters trade lots of low kicks and left hands in the opening moments. Burns cracks Johnson with a right hand. Ducking under another right hook, Johnson drops levels and gets a takedown from a good shooting angle. Johnson punches the head and moves to side control. Burns, showing excellent flexibility, locks on a reverse triangle from the bottom but Johnson has none of it. Johnson returns to the guard, where he hits the head with both fists. Referee Mario Yamasaki returns the fighters to their feet. Burns lands a straight right to the mouth but is tripped to the canvas after Johnson caught a kick. Yamasaki lets Burns stand. Johnson lands a solid right counter punch in the round’s final seconds.
Jordan Breen scores the round: 10-9 Johnson.
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Johnson.
Round 2
Johnson gets a quick single-leg early in round two. He fights off a kimura attempt and moves to Burns’ half guard. Burns gets back to full guard, where he lands some elbows to the head from the bottom. Johnson gets busy with punches from both hands in his opponent’s open guard. Head and body are connected with. Johnson continues to strike effectively from the top. Johnson pushes Burns into the cage and punches while fending off a triangle-attempt. Burns looks for an armbar, but again Johnson pounds with his fists to escape danger.
Jordan Breen scores the round: 10-9 Johnson.
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Johnson.
Round 3
Burns comes charging forward with punches. Johnson answers back with a flurry of his own and a head kick. The left-footed kick smacks under Burns’ chin and knocks him cold. A highlight reel knockout from Anthony Johnson stamps his revenge at the 0:28 mark of the third period.
Vinicius Magalhaes vs. Ryan Bader
Round 1
Bader takes the center of the Octagon and trades long-range kicks with Magalhaes. Bader slips on the heels of a stiff body kick from Magalhaes. A right-handed haymaker sneaks through for Bader and a new “Ultimate Fighter” is crowned. Bader swarms with hammer fists until referee Herb Dean saves the Brazilian at the 2:18 mark.
Efrain Escudero vs. Phillipe Nover
Round 1
Escudero blocks a head kick attempt and scores a takedown into Nover’s guard. Nover attempts an armbar that fails. Nover stands and is cracked by a punching combination that stuns him. Escudero stuffs a takedown attempt and briefly takes Nover’s back. Nover rolls over and is hit with a punch from guard. Nover works for an armbar but Escudero has none of it. Nover looks for an omaplata that falls short. Escudero stands and belts Nover with a right hand before jumping into half guard. Nover stands and the fighters clinch along the fencing until time expires.
Jordan Breen scores the round: 10-9 Escudero.
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Escudero.
Round 2
Escudero gets an easy single-leg to start the second frame. Nover gets to his feet and goes directly to the clinch with double underhooks. The fighters trade knees to the body and thigh before Nover backs off while launching a standing elbow that misses. Nover gets with his hands and is taken down by Escudero. From half guard, Escudero punches the head with his right hand. Nover is warned for gripping the fence as he tries to spin away from the cage while on his back. Nover gets to his feet and lands a stiff kick to the upper body. Just before the horn sounds, Escudero gets a strong takedown.
Jordan Breen scores the round: 10-9 Escudero.
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Escudero.
Round 3
Escudero goes to the legs with low kicks early in the third period. Escudero gets a single leg takedown but lets Nover stand shortly after. Nover shows signs of life with two stiff jabs that connect. Nover throws a front kick that is caught by Escudero, who takes Nover down easily. Nover works for an omaplata and a gogoplata. He secures a position with the arm trapped. Nover blasts away with punches and is warned by referee Steve Mazzagatti for hitting the back of the head. Nover finally locks on a tight omaplata but Escudero escapes. Nover stands and takes the top position before the horn sounds. Nover’s round, but was it enough to be named the “Ultimate Fighter” for season eight?
Jordan Breen scores the round: 10-9 Nover (29-28 Escudero).
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Nover (29-28 Escudero).
All three official judges see the bout 29-28 for Efrain Escudero.
Don't forget to check out the MMA Forums to discuss tonight's event.
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Hit F5 on your keyboard to refresh often, as play-by-play is updated in real time.
John
Polakowski vs. Roli
Delgado
Round 1
Both in the cage and ready to fight in front of a very sparse crowd. The fans seem to be a little more behind Delgado. Very tentative first minute. Takedown by Polakowski but Delgado scrambles back up. Short left hook by Delgado. Another. Polakowski dropped from knee to face in the clinch. Delgado seizes side control. 40 seconds pass with little action. Polakowski scrambles but Delgado takes his back. He locks on the body triangles and tries a rear naked. Polakowski defending well. Some meager strikes from Delgado. Polakowski scrambles out and escapes back to his feet. 10-9 Delgado.
Round 2
Delgado shoots for a takedown but is stuffed. Again he is stuffed but he tries to quickly latch on a heel hook. Polakowski defends but is brought to the ground. Polakowski able to pull half guard. Very little action thus far. Polakowski tries to scramble again but slips into a guillotine. It’s tight. Delgado closes his guard and squeezes. Polakowski taps out. Official time is 2:18 of the second.
George Roop vs. Shane Nelson
Round 1
They come out winging strikes. Roop is very aggressive but ineffective. They clinch and Nelson slinks around to his back. After a struggle he finally brings Roop down. Nelson, on his butt, slips in both hooks but Roop is defending. Nelson trying to lure him into the rear naked but Roop is having none of it. Nelson locks in the body-triangle but still can't sink the choke. Nelson is peppering him with meager punches from behind. The crowd is growing restless from the lack of action. Roop scrambles out and pulls guard. The round ends. 10-9 Nelson.
Round 2
Hard low kick from Roop early. Another. Roop defends a takedown attempt. Nelson clinches and powers his way for the takedown. Nelson backs off and dives into side control along the fence. Some decent elbows from Nelson. Nelson slips his leg over and secures the mount. Roop cannot buck Nelson off, who is now landing some punches. Roop scrambles back to his feet but gets caught in a standing guillotine. Nelson pulls guard and the choke is deep. Roop escapes and scrambles back up to his feet. He lands two knees on the feet. Round ends with Nelson pinned against fence. 10-9 Nelson.
Round 3
Roop comes out winging punches and head kicks. Nothing lands. Nelson has a takedown attempt stuffed. Roop pins Nelson against fence. They separate. Roop scores a takedown from the clinch and is in Nelson's half guard. He lets Nelson up. They exchange punches and Nelson is brought down again. Nelson pulls guard. Both guys are very tired. Roop backs away after a minute of no action. Roop pins him against the fence. Nelson scoops and slams Roop with 20 seconds left. Nelson latches on a heel hook but time expires. 10-9 Roop.
The official scores are: 29-28 Nelson, 29-28 Roop and 29-28 Nelson. Many in the crowd boo.
Tom Lawlor vs. Kyle Kingsbury
Round 1
Kingsbury is the huge crowd favorite over Lawlor, who is sporting a massive mastadon-esque beard. He also enters the cage to the sounds of Pink. Lawlor scores a quick single-leg takedown. but Kingsbury scrambles back up. Lawlor scores another takedown. Kingsbury pulls guard after some grappling. Kingsbury is trying to apply a gogoplata. He gives up and stays with a closed guard. Lawlor lands some decent punches. Kingsbury tries the gogo again but to no avail. Lawlor lands some more decent punches. The crowd is growing restless and Kingsbury scrambles to his feet on cue. Very close round. 10-9 Lawlor.
Round 2
Lawlor shoots in for a double leg but is stuffed. He's stuffed again. He finally gets it against the fence. Kingsbury cage walks back up to his feet. Lawlor relentless with his double and single-leg attempts. Lawlor finally drags Kingsbury down and Kingsbury pulls guard. Lawlor is able to snake his way to side control. Kingsbury spins out and stands back up. Lawlor's double leg attempt is stuffed but Lawlor is able to drag him down anyway. From half guard, Lawlor lands some good elbows. Kingsbury fails at a kimura attempt. Kyle pulls guard after two more elbows. 10-9 Lawlor.
Round 3
Lawlor tries another double leg but is stuffed. Lawlor runs Kingsbury back into the fence and pins him there. Another takedown attempt is thwarted. Lawlor spins out and brings Kingsbury down. He tries taking Kingsbury’s back but he stands up. Two big knees to the body from Kingsbury. Lawlor is absolutely relentless in his pursuit of the takedown. Lawlor has Kingsbury’s left leg trapped but Kingsbury dishes out several hammer fists. Lawlor eating more punches and elbows while trying to bring Kingsbury down. Kingsbury is defending the takedown perfectly. Lawlor looks gassed. 30 seconds left. Kingsbury continues to land punches to the head and body. 10-9 Kingsbury.
All three official judges score the bout 29-28 for Lawlor.
Jules Bruchez vs. Eliot Marshall
Round 1
Marshall lands a stiff right hand that stuns Bruchez. Marshall tees off and hurts him. Marshall slams him down and is in side control. Bruchez tries to roll out but gives up his back. Marshall latches on a rear-naked choke. After a while of positioning he fully sinks it. Bruchez taps out to the hold. The official time of the submission is 1:27 of the first.
Shane Primm vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
Round 1
Soszynski lands a hard straight left seconds in. He connects with a short left hook that wobbles Primm. Primm ducks under and scores a quick takedown. Soszynski scrambles back up. Soszynski stuffs a double leg. Primm clinches and pushes Soszynski into the fence. Primm eats a few uppercuts. They trade punches and circle out to the center of the cage. Soszynski stuffs another takedown attempt. Primm stays down and Soszynski slides to side control. Soszynski attempts a kimura. Primm defends. Soszynski backs away. Soszynski dives in and just misses a mammoth right hand. 10-9 Soszynski.
Round 2
Soszynski lands a good left hand. He misses a few wild hooks that Primm ducks away from. They trade wild hooks but nothing lands. Primm looks tired two minutes in. Primm tries a takedown but it’s stuffed. Soszynski slips into Primm’s half guard. Primm is bleeding from his nose. Soszynski trying another kimura but it doesn't look tight. He alters his position and sinks it deep. Primms grimmaces in pain and taps. The official time is 3:27 of the second.
David Kaplan vs. Junie Allen Browning
Round 1
Browning bounces a kick off Kaplan’s groin protector in the opening seconds of the first round. Referee Steve Mazzagatti gives Kaplan a short reprieve to recover. The fight is back on and Browning is teeing off. Browning is piling on with punches and a flying knee. Browning slips and fends off a foot hold before taking Kaplan’s back, where he looks for a rear-naked choke. Kaplan returns to his feet and Browning peppers him with a punching combination. Kaplan scores a takedown and drops for a heel hold. Browning frees himself and drags Kaplan to the canvas. Kaplan, bleeding from his left eye, absorbs several hard punches to the midsection fro half-guard. Browning takes Kaplan’s back again and twice fails with rear-naked choke attempts. Kaplan gets to his feet and gets caught with a standing elbow.
Jordan Breen scores the round: 10-9 Browning.
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Browning.
Round 2
Browning gets a double-leg takedown and patiently passes to side control. From there, Browning impressively locks on an armbar and forces Kapaln to submit at 1:32 of round two.
Wilson Gouveia vs. Jason MacDonald
Round 1
MacDonald ducks under some punches and gets a hold of a single-leg takedown. The Canaidan trips Gouveia to the floor, but he can’t hold him down. MacDonald throws caution to the wind and gets in a punching exchange, which spells his doom. Gouveia drops his opponent with a left-hand counter. The Brazilian pounces with elbows on the fallen fighter. From half-guard and knee-on-belly, Gouveia pummels MacDonald with elbows until referee Josh Rosenthal steps in to save the bleeding fighter at 2:18 of the first frame. Replays show MacDonald tap from the punishment, giving Gouveia a submission (elbows) victory.
Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns
Round 1
The fighters trade lots of low kicks and left hands in the opening moments. Burns cracks Johnson with a right hand. Ducking under another right hook, Johnson drops levels and gets a takedown from a good shooting angle. Johnson punches the head and moves to side control. Burns, showing excellent flexibility, locks on a reverse triangle from the bottom but Johnson has none of it. Johnson returns to the guard, where he hits the head with both fists. Referee Mario Yamasaki returns the fighters to their feet. Burns lands a straight right to the mouth but is tripped to the canvas after Johnson caught a kick. Yamasaki lets Burns stand. Johnson lands a solid right counter punch in the round’s final seconds.
Jordan Breen scores the round: 10-9 Johnson.
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Johnson.
Round 2
Johnson gets a quick single-leg early in round two. He fights off a kimura attempt and moves to Burns’ half guard. Burns gets back to full guard, where he lands some elbows to the head from the bottom. Johnson gets busy with punches from both hands in his opponent’s open guard. Head and body are connected with. Johnson continues to strike effectively from the top. Johnson pushes Burns into the cage and punches while fending off a triangle-attempt. Burns looks for an armbar, but again Johnson pounds with his fists to escape danger.
Jordan Breen scores the round: 10-9 Johnson.
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Johnson.
Round 3
Burns comes charging forward with punches. Johnson answers back with a flurry of his own and a head kick. The left-footed kick smacks under Burns’ chin and knocks him cold. A highlight reel knockout from Anthony Johnson stamps his revenge at the 0:28 mark of the third period.
Vinicius Magalhaes vs. Ryan Bader
Round 1
Bader takes the center of the Octagon and trades long-range kicks with Magalhaes. Bader slips on the heels of a stiff body kick from Magalhaes. A right-handed haymaker sneaks through for Bader and a new “Ultimate Fighter” is crowned. Bader swarms with hammer fists until referee Herb Dean saves the Brazilian at the 2:18 mark.
Efrain Escudero vs. Phillipe Nover
Round 1
Escudero blocks a head kick attempt and scores a takedown into Nover’s guard. Nover attempts an armbar that fails. Nover stands and is cracked by a punching combination that stuns him. Escudero stuffs a takedown attempt and briefly takes Nover’s back. Nover rolls over and is hit with a punch from guard. Nover works for an armbar but Escudero has none of it. Nover looks for an omaplata that falls short. Escudero stands and belts Nover with a right hand before jumping into half guard. Nover stands and the fighters clinch along the fencing until time expires.
Jordan Breen scores the round: 10-9 Escudero.
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Escudero.
Round 2
Escudero gets an easy single-leg to start the second frame. Nover gets to his feet and goes directly to the clinch with double underhooks. The fighters trade knees to the body and thigh before Nover backs off while launching a standing elbow that misses. Nover gets with his hands and is taken down by Escudero. From half guard, Escudero punches the head with his right hand. Nover is warned for gripping the fence as he tries to spin away from the cage while on his back. Nover gets to his feet and lands a stiff kick to the upper body. Just before the horn sounds, Escudero gets a strong takedown.
Jordan Breen scores the round: 10-9 Escudero.
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Escudero.
Round 3
Escudero goes to the legs with low kicks early in the third period. Escudero gets a single leg takedown but lets Nover stand shortly after. Nover shows signs of life with two stiff jabs that connect. Nover throws a front kick that is caught by Escudero, who takes Nover down easily. Nover works for an omaplata and a gogoplata. He secures a position with the arm trapped. Nover blasts away with punches and is warned by referee Steve Mazzagatti for hitting the back of the head. Nover finally locks on a tight omaplata but Escudero escapes. Nover stands and takes the top position before the horn sounds. Nover’s round, but was it enough to be named the “Ultimate Fighter” for season eight?
Jordan Breen scores the round: 10-9 Nover (29-28 Escudero).
Mike Fridley scores the round: 10-9 Nover (29-28 Escudero).
All three official judges see the bout 29-28 for Efrain Escudero.
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