George Roop defeated Matt Dell by unanimous decision to capture the Rage in the Cage featherweight championship in the RITC 137 main event on Saturday at the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson, Ariz. The 28-year-old Roop took all three rounds on the scorecards.

Spawned by Season 8 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, Roop was released by the UFC in wake of his submission loss to George Sotiropoulos at UFC 101 in August. He dropped two of his three fights inside the Octagon. Roop made his professional debut inside Rage in the Cage back in 2006 but had not competed there in more than two years.

The defeat snapped a two-fight losing streak for Dell, who failed in his bid to avenge a 2007 split decision loss to Roop.

Grigsby Retains VFC Title

World Extreme Cagefighting castoff Chuck Grigsby maintained his hold on the Victory Fighting Championship light heavyweight belt, as he submitted Demetrius Richards with a third-round choke in the featured bout at VFC 29 “The Rising” on Friday at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Grigsby grounded Richards midway through round three, passed to side control and eventually transitioned to the challenger’s back. Once there, he secured both hooks, softened Richards with blows to the head and body and cinched the rear-naked choke for the tapout.

Grigsby, who succumbed to strikes against Mark Munoz at WEC 34 in June 2008, has delivered 13 victories in his last 15 fights.

Ball Dethrones Berto, Takes RFC Crown

Englishman Jason Ball outpointed EliteXC veteran James Edson Berto to win the Real Fighting Championship lightweight title at RFC 19 on Friday at the A La Carte Pavilion in Tampa, Fla. Ball earned a unanimous nod from the judges following a grueling five-round battle.

Berto stormed out of the gate like a man on a mission, seeming to desire an early stoppage against a foe that had defeated him in a non-title bout four months ago. However, his work rate deteriorated over time, and, as the fight wore on, Berto’s hold on the championship slowly loosened.

The 26-year-old “Little Tiger” has lost four of his past five fights. A Cage Warriors and Cage Gladiators veteran, Ball has rattled off three consecutive victories.

Christison KOs Munduruca at CFC 3

UFC castaway Dan Christison knocked out the previously unbeaten Rodrigo Munduruca in the Canadian Fighting Championship 3 headliner on Saturday at the Winnipeg Convention Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Christison, who has posted nine wins in 10 fights, survived a shaky first round and made Munduruca pay for his inability to finish. Based out of Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts in Albuquerque, N.M., the 37-year-old heavyweight has delivered all 17 of his career wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission.

Buoyed by his appearance on Season 2 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, Christison split two fights inside the Octagon before his 2006 release from the UFC.